The Life Well Lived

A/N: Hey everyone. So, you may (or may not) have noticed, but this series was first published on the 6th of July 2013, seeing as it's now September… Wow, I gott'a say, I never expected to be working on one story for more than a year. Funnily enough, I didn't even notice (my last update was in August even) until reading the same thing from Metallover in his current chapter.

As for the point though. Hey! It's another chapter about the pairing absolutely no-one has requested!

Seriously though, this is the chapter I mentioned in my previous update, the one I was working on all this time, even when I was overseas. I don't think it'll be any great mystery why it took so long to come out.

I'm confident there's no story quite like this anywhere in the FE:A fandom. All in all, I'm pretty proud of it.

And so, on with the show.

The Impossible Gulf

"Quick!"

"Huh?" Shocked out of his study by the sound of someone diving into his tent, Robin looked up in surprise, "Lady Tiki!?"

"Hurry!" She begged, looking around anxiously "Hide me!"

Robin blinked.

Not bothering to wait for a response, Tiki dived headfirst into the small pile of laundry he'd left folded near his bedroll, curling up into a surprisingly small ball and flinging his clothing over her head. Barely a moment later, he was staring in dumbfounded confusion at two sea-green dragon eyes staring back from within his washing.

"Er," By now, Robin was used to surprises in his line of work, but this was new territory even for him "What's going on?"

"Shhhh." The eyes pleaded, hissing in a low whisper "Don't let her find me!"

"Oh! Right!" He nodded, caught up in her momentum, "Wait, I mean... Huh!?"

"Shhhh!"

Robin rubbed his eyes, not quite sure he was seeing things correctly here.

Lady Tiki, a Divine Dragon, the daughter of Naga herself, friend of the Hero King, Oracle of Valm and one of the most legendary figures throughout history... Was hiding herself in his laundry?

"Right." He repeated, shaking his head with a sigh and turning back to his desk.

If it had been anyone else he would have been tempted to simply drag her out of there and demand an explanation, he was a busy man Godsdamnit! But... She was Lady Tiki! The Lady Tiki! She'd joined with their cause a few days ago following their battle at the Divine Dragon's grounds, and the Shepherds were of course, beyond honoured to be in her company.

'Well... At least they're all clean?'

Lady Tiki was by far the most important person he'd ever met, the last thing he wanted was to imagine her sitting on his floor covered in a pile of his dirty clothes.

And so, in the interests of diplomacy, Robin valiantly ignored both the shaky breathing coming from what had seconds ago been a nice folded pile of clothes and the curious green eyes looking around his tent. Turning instead back to his desk and focussing back on formations and troop compositions.

Luckily the Shepherds were a rather curious group, so Robin, surrounded by ridiculous personality quirks, time-travelling children, and all manner of insanity had grown a certain resilience to being thrown suddenly into unusual circumstances.

"Then we'll... Hmm, no. Sully would be too slow..."

Soon enough he was engrossed in his work once more, not even thinking about the Divine Dragon in his laundry as he poured through his pile of tactical data.

"I know I read about, yeah, Frankhurt, what did Frankhurt say about that?"

Tiki didn't seem to have anything further to say and so the next few minutes passed with little but the tactician's quiet mumbling filling up the tent.

"Sir Robin?"

"Eh?" Robin was, in fact, so resilient to odd circumstances that he was completely jolted out of his concentration for the second time when a new female voice rang out for him.

"Sir Robin, are you in?"

"Huh? Oh, ah! I mean... Say'ri? Yes, of course. Please, come in."

Somehow, as he rose to greet the Chon'sin swordswoman Robin was sure he could feel the previously soft green eyes boring desperately into his back.

"Fie. I apologise if I'm disturbing you." The Chon'sin Empress looked disconcerted as she stepped inside.

"No, not at all," he waved her apology off, "It's no disturbance at all, how can I help?"

"Fie," she sighed heavily, twisting her hands "In truth, 'tis about Lady Tiki. Have you seen her perchance? I fear I have lost sight of her, 'twas my understanding she headed towards this part of the camp."

"Ah."

Things made a little more sense now. Although, it did occur to Robin that the Manakete hadn't thought out her hiding place very well, his tent was deliberately kept away from the main thoroughfare of the camp, mostly out of a desire to keep a small semblance of his sanity while trying to map out their strategies.

Of course, that didn't explain why she was hiding, in his laundry no less, from Say'ri in the first place.

"N-No, sorry. I haven't seen her."

Having no idea why he was lying to her, Robin felt remarkably stupid.

"Would you like a hand looking for her?" He offered awkwardly.

"Nay," Say'ri sighed again, her deflated look sending a spike of guilt through him, just what had he gotten into the middle of, "Nay, 'tis my error alone. I would not disturb you for it."

"Well th-"

"'Tis fine, truly," Interrupting him with a warm smile, Say'ri reached out to gently place her hand on his arm "You have my thanks regardless. I shall see you later Robin."

Turning on her heel, she swept gracefully out his tent before he could even say a word, leaving nothing for Robin but to stare at the swinging flaps with a rather embarrassed smile, her switch to informality between just the two of them had not been missed,

"She's gone?" A soft whisper snapped him back from that thought.

"So," ignoring her question and tromping over to the corner of the tent, Robin instead pulled one of his shirts off the pile, peering down into the face of a grateful looking Manakete, "Why exactly did I just lie for you?"

"You saved me!" Tiki gushed, standing smoothly up to her full height before stepping out and carefully stacking his clothes back into something resembling a pile "Thank you."

"I saved you? From Say'ri?"

"Yes! Gods, you wouldn't believe her." Tiki shuddered.

"Say'ri? Really?" Robin boggled – the woman practically worshipped the ground Tiki walked on – What could she possibly fear from her?

"She's just, that is, do not take me wrong I am sure she means well." Tiki sighed, breaking his gaze and looking around his tent, taking in her surroundings properly "When I first joined this company she offered to share a tent with me, at the time I was overjoyed. I had thought we would be friends. But, Robin, she's just too much! She wants to hide me from every shadow, to follow me everywhere and protect me from everything!"

"Ah." Rubbing his head awkwardly, Robin was rather caught off guard by her sudden explanation. He'd only spoken to Tiki a few brief times before now, for her to suddenly come to him with this was very unexpected.

"I may be the Oracle, but that is not all I wish to be." Tiki sighed, deflating slightly "Do you understand? I am among humans for the first time in centuries, to stand apart from you all as some distant figure would be so very lonely."

It was only for an instant, but looking at the yearning in her eyes, Robin realised just how lonely it must be for her as the Oracle of Naga. To live as a Manakete in a human's world, to be the only living remnant of the past legends... With Nowi it was somehow easy to forget such things, with Tiki such sadness seemed to surround her like a cloak, visible to anyone who dared look close enough.

For a single moment Robin saw her as a woman, not as a legendary figure. "I do understand." He answered finally, "You're the same as any of us. The bonds you create, the friendships that tie you to us are as important to you as to us."

Suddenly the cloak of loneliness surrounding Tiki seemed to vanish and he found himself suddenly dazed as she turned an unimaginably bright smile to him, "Exactly. Thank you..."

"In that case, I owe you an apology myself Lad-er Tiki." Even with her telling him she didn't want to stand apart, referring to the Voice of Naga so familiarly was embarrassing "I thought similarly, that someone like, that, I mean because you're so... Well-"

"Oh psh!" Not concerned in the least, she waved off his apology with a carefree laugh, "In that case let us be friends then, you and me."

"Th-That would be great." He stammered blushing at her candor, "Me and you, and of course all the Shepherds."

Visibly brighter at his words, Tiki smiled gratefully for a moment before flopping herself lazily down on his bedroll "Mmm, I love this tent. I almost felt drawn to it! It's so warm in here!"

"It is?" He didn't see how his tent would be any warmer than any of the others.

"Yup!" She giggled, closing her eyes and stretching out, basking in the apparent warmth, "It's perfect. So nice and cozy, it feels very warm, almost… Almost familiar. It's wonderful."

"Well... Huh," He shrugged, "That's great, I guess?"

"Mhmm," She sighed again, seemingly making herself right at home on his bedroll "I could just curl up here and sleep for a thousand years."

"P-Please don't!" Legendary hero or not, the last thing he needed was to have to explain to the rest of the Shepherds why their newest member was hibernating in his bed. He could just imagine Lissa's face. He didn't even want to imagine Say'ri's!

'Ah...' Thinking about the Chon'sin princess snapped him out of the light-hearted mood Tiki seemed to radiate.

"Actually, Tiki. About Say'ri..."

"Hmm?" Cracking an eye open, she seemed quite happy just laying around on his bed.

"I should... Well, that is to say..." Grimacing, Robin searched carefully for the right words, Say'ri was a close friend and a trusted comrade whose side he'd fought at many times. He wanted to look out for her, but he couldn't just divulge her private business… "Please, don't think badly of Say'ri. I know she can be a little difficult, but she truly could use a friend right now."

It was a relief to see Tiki taking his words seriously, sitting up straight and peering directly at him, "Oh?"

"Yeah, she really could. She's strong, but she keeps herself at a distance from us all. She's…"

He wasn't sure how much to say, "She's been through a lot."

"I would imagine," Tiki spoke delicately, "That everyone within this camp has been through a lot, the time travelling children especially."

Wincing, Robin had to admit that was certainly correct. Unfortunately, while he could scarcely imagine what Lucina and her companions had been through, he knew exactly what had happened to Say'ri."

"She's lost everything." He admitted finally, shifting his weight awkwardly at the guilt from telling her story.

"Her country was sacked by Walhart, her parents killed and her closest family member, her brother, turned traitor. She lost her birth-right, her country and her family in barely a few months... Worse, she dedicated herself to exacting vengeance on her brother for his acts. It was, I suppose it was all she could do."

"I see."

"She worked hard ever since, she gave everything she had to form a resistance, to strike back at Walhart… But even that, they too turned on her, Walhart's tactician rallied them against her. He destroyed everything she'd done, everything she'd fought for."

Biting his lip at the angry memories, he stopped there, he'd already said too much.

"There's more," Tiki pressed, far too astute to miss that "Isn't there?"

"I... It's not my place to say."

"Robin..." Her voice was soft, but he couldn't break her gaze. "When I look at her, I can feel a terrible sadness within her. Please, what happened?"

"I just… It's not really a secret." He sighed, if he held his tongue then all that would mean was that Tiki would be the only one not to know, "She joined up with us, we fought back, we've slain two of Walhart's generals already... Her brother, Yen'fay, among them. She slew him herself."

"Ah." Tiki looked pain, shuddering at someone having to perform such a grim task. Unfortunately that wasn't the end of the story.

"It was on my orders." He sighed, a familiar guilt twisting him anytime he fought of Yen'fay, what he had ordered her to do.

"I don't know what she felt, doing that. She satisfied her honour and got vengeance for her country. But then-" Pausing, Robin ran his hands through his hair, "But then, afterwards we found out it had all been a lie… Her brother had turned traitor only to protect her. He had given everything up to keep her safe, even… Even dying on her sword."

"That's awful! Just, Gods, I never thought..."

"You can understand then. Her country, her pride, even her family are all gone. Aside from the bonds she shares with us, about the only thing she has left is her faith, her belief in Naga."

"And as the Oracle, if something were to happen to me, especially under her watch-I see."

To Robin at least, Say'ri's fervent desire to protect Tiki made perfect sense. For a woman who had already lost so much was it really surprising that she would hold onto what little she had left so desperately? He was relieved to see that Tiki seemed to understand just what she represented to the swordswoman.

"Exactly."

Slumping backwards into his seat Robin tried not to feel guilty about telling Say'ri's story to a the ancient Manakete. He was surprised just how easy she was to talk to, how quickly he'd found himself telling far more than he'd intended.

"That truly is an awful story," shaking her head, Tiki didn't want to even imagine it, "As I said, I can feel a terrible sadness inside her, but, I had no idea."

"She's strong." Robin repeated, "But..." But a million things. But he knew she would never talk about it, but he had no idea how to even approach her about it, but he wasn't sure if he even should, but he worried constantly for her, "But, she could use a friend." He finished lamely.

If Say'ri would open up to Tiki then it would be a relief for the entire squad, he knew he was hardly alone in his concern for her.

"How is she on the battlefield?"

"Urgh." Robin groaned, that was another frustration by itself "Reckless. She throws herself straight into danger without a second thought. She's always trying to save everyone else. Honestly, she's worse than Chrom!" It was at once both everything the Shepherds stood for and one of the most impossibly aggravating parts of his job.

Tiki grinned back at him, "Then I shall fight at her side. I'll protect her while she protects your friends."

"Wha!?" Robin balked, "Y-You're going to fight!?"

His head spun at the very thought, he'd never even considered that she would want to take to the battlefield! As far as he'd thought she'd joined the Shepherds as a figurehead and advisor to their cause! He'd never once imagined she'd be on the front lines!

'Oh Gods!' The thought was terrifying, Lady Tiki! Comrade to the Hero King! Voice of Naga! The Oracle!

No way!" He concluded instantly, "That's, no way! If something happened, if I were to los-"

"Robin." She interrupted sternly, "The King and Queen of Ylisse both fight beside you. The entire Ylissean royal family trusts you with their lives, how can I be any different?"

"That's... Er..."

"I wish to be no different from any other Shepherd. A comrade, a friend. Not some distant ally," her stern look faded into a warm smile and his resolve melted "I am a Shepherd am I not?"

"That's, I mean..." He began weakly, searching for words.

She stared patiently back at him.

"Yeah," he sighed finally, giving up "Yeah, of course you are."

"Great!" She laughed happily, collapsing back onto his bedroll once more, "I'll look forward to fighting beside you all then!"

Laughing weakly, Robin just shook his head, contenting himself with slumping back into his chair and mentally adjusting this new change to his strategies.

They remained like that for the next few minutes, Tiki settling comfortably back on his bedroll while Robin slowly attempted to get his thoughts back on track.

"Oh... And Robin?"

Unfortunately concentration was hard to come by with a surprisingly playful Oracle taking up (hopefully temporary) residence in your tent. Her sudden bout of giggling didn't help either.

"Yeah?"

"You worry far too much!"

Turning with a questioning eyebrow raised, Tiki paused her giggling long enough to poke her tongue out instead "Oh?"

"Yup!" She answered brightly, "I said she was too much, I didn't say I intended to abandon her."

Pausing to laugh at his surprise she explained "I think she's a beautiful person, Robin, I knew she was suffering and I wanted to help her, what you've told me only reinforces that. I'm still sharing a tent with her, I was always planning to try be her friend... I just needed to escape for a while!"

"Ah." Face burning, he suddenly felt like quite the fool. He'd completely overreacted!

"Don't worry," she continued the teasing. "I understand. It's important to you isn't it? That she's okay?"

"Ah," after everything he'd said, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised she caught that, "Yeah, something like that."

'It was my fault.' He mused, his guilt causing him to completely miss both Tiki's insinuation and the sly smile on her face 'It was my plan that caused her to kill my own brother. How can I not feel responsible for her?'

"That's very sweet." Tiki decided, "You're a good man, Robin, I like you!"

"Er-"

"Now though, I think I should probably go find her before she worries herself too much." Sighing, she pulled herself to her feet with great effort, looking forlornly around his tent for a moment "We're friends now though right? So… You won't mind if I drop by again?"

Her request was so transparent Robin couldn't help but laugh. He had no idea what made his tent so appealing to her, but the thought of seeing her more often was hardly an unsavoury one. "Sure, of course."

She grinned happily, taking a moment to savour the room's atmosphere one last time before ducking out his tent flaps.

"Geez," he sighed when she was gone, that was a conversation like no other. "Definitely not what I expected."

A brief moment of contemplation amended that thought, "Not that that's a bad thing."

Tiki had been like a mix of Emmeryn and Nowi, and yet nothing like either of them. In fact he found himself in a surprisingly good mood just from the short time they'd spent together. It didn't escape his notice that she'd lost any sense of formality within moments of meeting him either. 'I suppose I must have made a good impression?'

The idea of her around more often, even if only because of his tent, was definitely not an unsavoury one.

Although Tiki had intended to immediately head out in search of Say'ri, within a few minutes of leaving Robin's tent she was side-tracked by a commotion coming from the mess tent.

Having risked a quick peek to see what was going on, she was almost instantly spotted by Sumia and dragged over to where what had to be at least half the female Shepherds were all surrounding Nowi, and all offering the younger looking girl their heartfelt congratulations.

"You must be so excited!" Sumia gushed, finally releasing her vice grip on Tiki's arm "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

"About time I should think," Maribelle huffed, smiling despite her words, "It was very ungentlemanly of him to let it drag on so long."

Nowi basked in their attention, laughing and grinning from ear to ear, she seemed about ready to burst with joy. No doubt she was thoroughly enjoying the spotlight as the centre of attention.

Having only very rarely had the chance to get to know any other Manakete, Tiki had been meaning to spend time with the girl ever since she'd first joined the Shepherds, now certainly seemed a perfect opportunity! "You have my congratulations as well of course Nowi," she offered, stepping forwards with a warm, smile, "I hope you will not mind the inquiry though, if I ask what the occasion is?"

"This!" Nowi beamed, thrusting her hand right into Tiki's face in response.

"Er-" Startled, Tiki reeled back, just barely managing not to collide with Sumia as she did so.

"Oww…" The clumsy girl somehow managed to end up knocked over all by herself, groaning quietly from behind them.

"She's getting hitched!" Sully provided, hoisting the Pegasus Knight to her feet as she laughed at the display.

"Yup! Yup! I've always wanted a husband!"

It was a little hard to see through the way Nowi was bouncing up and down in excitement, but looking carefully Tiki could see now that she had apparently been trying to show her the beautiful golden band that encircled her finger.

"T-That's," Staring again at the ring with her heart pounding, Tiki was stunned, "That's amazing. Incredible!"

The rest of the group seemed a little unsure what to make of her words, but Nowi was very impressed with them, "It is! I'm so happy! I'm gonna have a family, a great big family, all mine!"

"I'm surprised!" Tiki laughed, catching onto the girl's enthusiasm "I never realised there was yet another Manakete among the Shepherds, why has no-one mentioned him before?"

It was almost unbelievable! She hadn't seen another Manakete in centuries and this little vigilante group had managed to find two besides herself! So Nowi had found a young male? She couldn't be happier for her!

"Er..." Sully's groan brought her back to reality.

Blinking, Tiki suddenly realised the mood had changed, everyone was staring awkwardly at her.

"No, th-that's..." Olivia's words trailed off the moment Tiki turned to her, apparently too intimidated to finish.

"Nowi is indeed the only other Manakete among the Shepherds." Cherche answered finally. "Sh-"

"I'm marrying a Human!" The girl in question interjected, justifying herself with a huff "I'm marrying Kellam! I love him! I don't care about marrying another Manakete or anything like that."

"A-Ah, of course." Tiki stammered, only just realising what a terrible scene she'd just made "My apologies, I wasn't thinking."

"I think it's wonderful." Lucina spoke up quietly from the side, "I've always thought so. A love that matters more than age, or even race. It's very romantic."

In Tiki's short time so far with the Shepherds, Tiki had barely spoken a few words to the young time traveller, but she had a distinct impression Lucina would never speak of such things lightly, evidently Nowi and her human husband had worked out well in the future. 'But for how long?' She wondered cynically, 'The curse of the Manakete is inevitable.'

None the less, Tiki knew well enough to keep such thoughts to herself, "I agree Lucina. He must be a special man indeed. Congratulations Nowi, you must both be very happy." The warm smile on her face was as forced as her words, but they did their job and before she could blink Nowi was laughing and beaming once more.

From there the group quickly added most of the rest of the Shepherds, dragging them out from whatever they were doing to spread the news of the upcoming nuptials.

Pushing her jaded thoughts aside, Tiki opted to stay with them and do her best to help the young couple celebrate. It was a great opportunity to get to know the rest of the group and if nothing else it saved her the trouble of having to track Say'ri down, the young Princess eventually finding herself dragged into the proceedings too (Tiki tried her very best not to laugh when she saw the exasperation on the Swordswoman's face at finally having found her charge, only to see her surrounded by food and drink, laughing and celebrating).

Silently however, Tiki knew she was staying because of the unease in her heart, the worry she held for the younger Manakete that she needed to set right.

It was several hours before the party began to wind down and she finally had an opportunity to talk privately with Nowi, intercepting the other woman as she headed off to her tent for the night.

"That was a lot of fun," she began carefully "I'm glad we're finally introduced, I'll admit I'm exciting to meet you. It's been so very long since I've known any other Manaketes."

"Yay! Me too, I've only met one other Manakete and he was reaaaaaaaally old!"

"It was nice to meet your fiancé too, Kellam. He seems to be a good man."

"He's the best!" Nowi cheered, "We're really close, we've both been alone so long, so now we're gonn'a have a big family and be together forever! I was like his big sister, now I'm gonna be his wife!"

To most people that last statement may have been rather off-putting, Tiki however could well understand that specific desire. Clenching her fists she renewed her resolve, stopping in place as she promised herself it was the right thing to do, even if it was distasteful.

"Nowi, this wedding... Marrying a Human. Are you sure it's wise?"

"What!? Huh? Of course!"

"Please believe, I'm not saying this to hurt you Nowi. I do understand your feelings, I know what it's like to love a human."

She had never completely resolved her feelings for Marth, all she knew was that he was dearer to her than anyone else had ever been. Ultimately, that was all that mattered.

"I do understand that love. But, the gulf between you is simply too great. He's a human and you're a Manakete, it's a mistake."

"No way!" Nowi declared loudly, balling her fists up and glaring back furiously "You're wrong! We love each other, there's no gulf at all!"

"For now, yes. But... In a few short decades he will be gone and you will be alone." Tiki winced at the necessary bluntness.

"I-I..."

"That's the curse of the Manakete, the burden we bear. We live for millennia while humans flicker out like candles... Those we would love die, and there is naught for us but to wander the centuries."

"You think I don't know that!? I don't care! T-That's st-stupid!" Nowi yelled, the quiver in her voice giving away her own unease. "I-I've been alone forever!"

"Nowi..." Reaching out for her, Tiki's heart broke. She had no desire to be cruel, she spoke only to save the younger girl a greater heartbreak. "I understand, it's painful."

"No!" Jumping back and rejecting her tough, Nowi stomped her feet, digging in stubbornly "No! You're being stupid! Why would you not be with someone you love? That's stupid!"

"Because he'll leave you Nowi." Tiki spoke softly from painful experience "Because you'll have to watch him grow old and die, and you'll be left behind."

"S-So!? That'll happen a-anyway! I can't do anything about that, I don't want him to die! I don't want to be alone again, I..." Nowi's words trailed off as she lost her composure, rubbing angrily at the tears building in her eyes.

"But what's the point in us both being miserable in the meantime? If you're in love, why not be happy for as long as you can!?"

"But..." Blinking, Tiki took a step backwards, surprised to find herself without a response. Why not?

Marth's death had torn her heart out… But would it have crushed her any more if they had been lovers? Had she been spared any heartbreak?

"I..."

Suddenly caught up, Tiki realised that after so many centuries grieving her lost friend, so long lamenting the curse that burdened her, she'd never stopped to consider her reasoning. Marth's death had been so incredibly painful she'd secluded herself from humanity, scarcely able to look at another human for decades. She'd told herself over and over that it was better to never care for humans again… But that had just been a young girl's mourning heart. She knew she didn't feel that way anymore.

She'd been lonely for so long. She'd been excited to join the Shepherds.

So then, the gulf between Humans and Dragons? She didn't wish to hold herself away from humans, she still hated being alone, so then, hadn't painful partings been something she'd already accepted? She knew she could never care for anyone as deeply as she cared for Marth, so she would never take a husband... But was it really wrong for Nowi to take what happiness she could get? Even knowing it would end terribly?

'I don't... I'm not sure.' After having simply accepted it for so long, she'd never stopped to think about it, never questioned it. Only now, facing down the pained anger of the younger Manakete did she realise it didn't make sense anymore, 'I-I shall need to think about this.'

"Forgive me," stepping back, she bowed her head towards the younger girl, "I only spoke out of concern for you. To be with a human even knowing it will cause you to suffer, the thought scares me greatly. You are very brave Nowi."

Nowi choked out a laugh in response, apparently cheering up quickly.

"I would very much like us to be friends," Tiki grinned weakly back, pushing the unhappy thoughts aside, "And… And, when that time does come, I would help you as much as I am able. I have no wish to be alone either."

"Y-Yeah!" Nowi, alone among the Shepherds could truly understand the pain of Tiki's existence. An existence surrounded only by a world of people who lived for a fraction of her lifetime, "Yeah! We can be friends forever!"

A friend to walk through the millennia with was a very comforting thought for both Dragons.

"I am glad. Thank you."

Taking a moment to bid Nowi goodnight, Tiki meandered back to where she'd last seen Say'ri among the winding down celebrations.

'Mar-Mar.' She wondered, 'The gulf between Human and Manakete... What would you think of it?'

Marth had never held her apart from him, never treated her any different from any of his other friends.

But then, it wasn't a mystery why they had never been together, her race had never had anything to do it. Marth had simply loved another, she had never held that spot in her heart. She'd never denied that of course, nor had it hurt her, Tiki had been happy to see the people she loved so happy, even now she looked back on his wedding fondly.

'Perhaps I was wrong.'

The thought of marrying a human like Nowi intended, of repeating same terrible heartbreak she'd suffered when Marth had died was still terrifying, but her she couldn't deny that the short discussion had given her a lot to consider.

"Milady! Here you are, fie, I feared you'd wandered off again."

Laughing as she stepped up to the exasperated swordswoman, Tiki pushed those thoughts away for another time. For now she would content herself with enjoying her time surrounded by humans once more.

End.

The Familiar Feeling

"Hey! Robin! I'm coming in, okay?"

Looking up from the latest logistical report with a sigh, the tactician turned to where his guest was already letting herself into his tent 'About as much warning as I ever get...' Thankfully he was decent and not in the middle of anything personal.

"Afternoon Tiki." He grinned, quirking an eyebrow as the shivering Manakete practically shuddered with delight the moment she stepped inside.

"Ohhh! That is so much better!" Tiki moaned happily, shrugging off her coat and shutting the tent tightly behind her. "It's so cold out today! Gods, it's absolutely freezing."

"Didn't you live at the top of the Milla tree for a few hundred years?" Robin deadpanned in response, turning around to watch as she set about making herself completely at home in his tent, as had become her habit over the last few weeks. "Surely being that high up, it must have been freezing?"

"I see you're all bundled up," she teased, completely ignoring the question as she smirked at the thick blanket he had wrapped around him, "Even though it's so warm in here? You don't take the cold well I assume?"

"It's not war-"

"Actually," she interrupted, "A better question, why is always so warm in your tent? Do you have some sort of personal heating spell? And you're keeping it all to yourself!?"

"I would kill for something like that! I'm absolutely freezing in here!"

As enjoyable as it was watching the beautiful woman flouncing around his tent in the same light dress she usually wore, his enjoyment was tempered by a rather large amount of jealousy at the fact she was able to do it at all, especially while he was covered in three thick layers to ward off the biting chill.

"Keeping it all to yourself..." She repeated, flopping happily down on his bedroll and sticking her tongue out "Meanwhile, I'm worried I'm going to get frostbite, I'll start losing toes Robin!"

He sighed, grinning even as he rolled his eyes at her melodrama.

"Yup, no choice for it," she decided, "I'm going to have to report you to Chrom."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... Right after," letting out a loud yawn, she turned onto her side, "Right, after a little nap..."

'Say'ri must have kept her busy this morning.' Tiki spending an afternoon asleep in his tent wasn't rare, but normally he'd only expect her a few times a week, (he supposed she didn't want to be a bother), considering she'd only just visited him yesterday he hadn't been expecting her for another few days.

'Or maybe it's just particularly cold?' It wasn't as if he minded, if anything, he'd found himself looking forward to her visits. As odd as it was for someone to just come into his tent whenever she pleased and sleep in his bed without a care in the world, it wasn't as if she got in his way. She always brightened the his mood and when he was able to finally set his work aside for the day it was a great relief to be able to just spend some time relaxing with her, talking or taking a short work, it did wonders to help him decompress.

"Why do you find it so warm in here anyway?"

That still made no sense to him. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he would love to know a spell that could warm his tent. Whatever his magical skills had been before his amnesia, these days he knew little more than combat magic. He was very strong at it sure, but it wasn't anywhere near as versatile as Tharja or Miriel's skillsets... Although considering both of them were currently shivering through this bitter Valmese winter it seemed warming spells, if such a thing even existed, had completely eluded the Shepherds.

"Mmm... Because it's, so... Nice."

That seemed to be about as detailed an answer as he was going to get, so, putting it out of his mind once more he turned back to his work.

"...Tiki... Tiiiki..."

Distantly she felt someone gently shaking her shoulder.

"C'mon, they just rang the dinner bell. You're gonna be hungry if you miss out."

Even half asleep she didn't need to open her eyes to know who it was, the feeling of his soul was unforgettable.

"Mmm, okay, just... Just, five more minutes Mar-Mar."

"Huh? Mar-Mar?"

Wait... That voice? That wasn't...

Cracking an eye open she blinked up at the face looking down on her in confusion, "Huh Mar-M, oh, ah, er- Robin?"

"Yeah, it's me... You remember? You fell asleep in my tent?"

"I, of course. Yes. Thank you for indulging me."

Bowing her head in and offering a sheepish smile, she desperately pushed back a deep wave of nostalgia, a terrible pang of longing. He had… It had felt so… So…

"You, er- You called me Mar-Mar?"

"I did? Oh! Please, forgive me, I was in the habit of calling Marth by that name. It must have slipped out by accident."

"Marth? As in... The Hero King?"

"Yes, exactly."

'Why?'

The words hung unsaid in the air, Robin shifted uncomfortably as Tiki drew herself up.

'Why did I call him Mar-Mar?'

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes Tiki leaned forwards, looking intently at the man before her and for the first time, truly seeing him.

"Tiki? Are you okay?" He backed away, blushing slightly at her intense gaze, "You're staring."

"Of course... Why didn't I see it earlier?" She whispered instead, her sheepish smile growing wider as understanding finally dawned on her "Oh Robin, I cannot believe I didn't notice. I think I understand why it feels so warm, so familiar in your tent."

"Huh? I mean, you do?"

"I do. You remind me so much of one of him, of Marth. Gracious, the resemblance is so uncanny! I can see it now! I cannot believe it's taken me so long. Being around you is just like being with him once more."

"I... I look like the Hero King?"

It amused her just how pleased he seemed at that idea, "Look like him? No... No you don't look a thing like him." That wasn't what she'd meant at all.

"No, Robin." A sudden impulse had her reaching out, running her hand softly across his face, it was completely different and yet, exactly the same "I'm not talking about your looks, but rather your soul. An aura of kindness and goodness surrounds you Robin, just as it did wise King Marth."

"Ah, well I..." Blushing bright red and for all appearances completely lost for words, Tiki couldn't help but laugh as he tried to stammer out a response.

"I don't know what to say." He settled on finally, moving backwards and not meeting her gaze, "That is most flattering. I don't think anyone's ever... Wow."

"I had wondered why your tent felt so cold when I came and you were not in it. Now I see, it's simply being around you that warms my soul. I haven't felt anything like this in so, so very long. It's amazing..." Closing her eyes she concentrated a moment, expanding her senses, and letting his presence wash over her "I can almost forget what millennium I'm in!"

"Heh, well tha-Wait! You came into my tent when I was out!?"

"Ah, well. Maybe, once or twice?"

"Tiki!"

"I was tired, and cold! Anyway, that won't be a problem anymore. I'll simply look for you when I need to be warmed up!"

She had meant it as a joke, only to tease him, and yet as soon as the words left her mouth she realised she had no wish to take them back.

"I, that's, c'mon! Tiki! Ga-"

Robin's embarrassed stammering was cut off this time by the dinner bell once more.

"Naga," he sighed, glad for an excuse to change the topic "Well for now, let's eat."

Not having eaten all day, a pang went through her stomach at the thought of food, "That does sound good."

"And then..." Still struggling to meet her eyes he reached a hand down to help her up, "If you don't mind, er, perhaps you could tell me more about King Marth? I don't really know much besides what's in the books."

Reaching out to take his hand she instantly felt his warmth spread through her entire body, burning her softly, it felt as if her entire being was surrounded in his gentle aura. Gasping softly as the sensation a light blush ran across her cheeks and she suddenly found anything she'd meant to say dying in her throat.

'It's almost unbelievable,' she considered a few moments later, only thinking clearly again after he'd released her hand, 'A man who can remind me so deeply of Mar-Mar? I never expected this, not ever.'

Countless Kings, Lords and Heroes had aspired to be likened to the greatness of Marth, and yet, within this small group, led by one of Marth's descendants, she'd found a man unlike any of them.

Robin was his own man, he was not Marth, nor any form of reincarnation of her closest friend. With her mind unclouded she could clearly see the differences between the two men, from the way he acted, to the way he talked or even the fact that he was a simple tactician deferring to Chrom, his Liege. It was clear the Shepherds loved Robin, but it was Chrom who inspired them to follow... And yet, that Aura...

It wasn't the same of course, just as no two people could have the same soul... But it was similar, so similar that even the small differences seemed familiar, like new thread on a beloved cloak. Even just walking beside him she could feel it warming her soul.

Robin was not Marth. She knew that.

Robin could not replace Marth. She would never want him to. It would be disrespectful for them both, she'd only known Robin a few weeks but already she was very fond of the man.

But... Perhaps, Robin could be equal to Marth?

'Crazy! That's just, no way!' Biting her lip she attempted to squash that ludicrous thought, it was insane! Marth meant everything to her, he meant more to her than anyone ever had.

So why was she so drawn to Robin almost from the moment she met him? Why did she let her guard down around him like no other? Why did she find herself unable to stop treating him like an old friend despite only knowing him for such a short time?

'Almost unbelievable.'

It was ridiculous, and yet, walking beside the tactician, Tiki couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't help but feel a profound joy within her heart, a happiness she hadn't felt almost a thousand years.

End.

The Belated Beginning

"These... These dastards... They don't give up easily." Robin panted heavily, carefully edging around the eight bodies already at his feet, catching his breath as best as he could while glaring weakly at yet another group of the red armoured soldiers sprinting headlong towards him.

Ducking under a reckless swing and returning with his own blade running deep across the man's thigh, right between the armour plates and almost taking off his opponent's leg, Robin stumbled back as the man crashed to the ground, screaming as his blood poured from the wound.

"Kill him!"

None of the other Valmese spared the downed man more than a look, eyes wide with terror and desperation as they jumped over their comrade throwing themselves at Robin one after the other.

The first fell quickly on Robin's sword, impaled the moment he landed, the second following him a moment later received a hastily conjured blast of lightning at from less than a meter away and was dead before he'd even hit the ground.

'Shit!' Catching the movements of the third soldier out of the corner of his eye, he knew he'd been caught out of position, the man's sword was swinging towards him even as he retracted his hand from the spell.

The battle had been joined almost a half hour earlier and Robin had spent almost that entire time being harried by desperate Valmese soldiers, all looking to overrun his position overlooking the battlefield. Bleeding from countless wounds, his body black with bruises and his fingers numb from the endless spells he'd cast, his fatigue was at its peak.

The sword arcing towards his side was coming far too fast for him to dodge in this state. He had no spells he could cast quickly enough. Swinging his sword backwards he met it with an awkward one handed block, the best he could manage.

As both a tactician and a veteran warrior, he knew what the outcome would be, even as his body moved into position.

"Agrg-!"

The impact was as heavy as he'd expected, the Valmese soldier had put all his strength behind the blow. Clamping down on a scream as the swords crashed together he just barely managed to deflect the blade from splitting him open at the waist.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to dull the shock of the impact, not when defending at such a dead angle— Reverberating through his exhausted arm Robin's defence lasted barely a moment before his sword was wrenched from his grip and sent flying across the field, far out of reach.

He didn't dare look for it, there was no way he could reach it in his current state, he couldn't risk taking his eyes off his opponent, snarling as the man's face lit up in sudden joy, bloodlust and adrenaline shining bright in the other man's eyes as he brought his sword around for a second attempt.

Robin was defenceless, lacking even the energy to have held onto his sword there was no spells he could cast to save him from this position.

"Wha-!?"

Hardly a plan, little more than a desperate gamble, Robin launched himself forwards, throwing himself at the man with the last of his strength. The soldier's face barely even had time to register his shock before he slammed hard into the ground.

'If you expect disaster, you can plan around it!' He silently thanked his training, howling as he forced his aching body into motion, pounding his fist into the shocked man's face again and again.

"Gragh!"

A violent explosion of pain quickly destroyed any sense of victory he may have held, collapsing dizzily into his a heap, a distant part of his brain calculated that the other man must have smashed the pommel of his sword into the side of his skull. 'Hoping… He'd dropped that…'

Blinded by the shock and numb from the pain, he barely felt it as his opponent turned the tables on him, lacking the space to use his long-sword he settled for grabbing the collar of Robin's robes and slamming him hard into the ground.

"Agugh!"

Bringing his thoughts to focus as his head bounced off the hard packed dirt was a monumental task. With his head swimming and vision blurred, the only thing that kept him conscious was the toughness he'd earned through countless life or death battles, through endless marching, through tireless training. The brutal instincts of a veteran combatant.

It was those same instincts that raised his shaking hands to the man's chest, that sharpened his thoughts to a narrow point, that forced his concentration to remain unwavering even as his skull collided with the ground once more.

Of all the elemental magics, lightning had always been his favourite. It came to him easiest, the feeling of it racing through his veins was as familiar was breathing. Where both Wind and Fire needed to be forced, Lightning had only to be called, to be directed. Even now, with his thoughts swirling, driven only by instincts, bringing it forth was as natural as life itself.

"Thoron!"

The words were pathetic, holding no power at all and coming out as little more than a wheezing gasp. Lacking a tome to serve as catalyst and with barely the strength to push the magic from his fingertips, what followed could hardly be called a Thoron, the spark of Lighting was so weak most Mages would be embarrassed to even claim it was Thunder.

"Urp-"

The Valmese soldier stiffened in horror for a single moment before collapsing, landing heavily on Robin. Weak as it may have been, at this distance, shot right into his opponents heart. It was enough.

"Phew..." Sighing heavily Robin squirmed away, pushing warily at the ground and barely managing to bring himself to his knees.

"I need..." The splitting pain in his head only got worse as the adrenaline left him "Need..."

His head swam and the world shifted in and out of focus, clawing angrily at the grass, barely keeping from toppling over his balance was ruined. With a distant thought telling him he'd likely been concussed his head swam and everything started to feel fogged up and far away. Another stray thought reminded him that his brief respite wouldn't last long, that more enemies would come for him soon... A distant urgency, barely more than an instinct drove him forwards and almost without knowing what he was doing his hands were groping hungrily along the inside of his coat.

"I need... H-Here..." He remembered now. His emergency vulnerary. A powerful elixir that would serve as a temporary pain relief and heal for desperate times. The price paid when the magic wore off was tremendous, but that price would be paid later.

"Huh?"

Something felt wrong. Dizzily he held it up to inspection.

"Gods."

The smashed bottle rolled limply around his palm, his mind managing to retain itself enough to fully process exactly what that meant.

"Gods..." He repeated, hurriedly tipping what little remained into his mouth, desperately sucking a few drops from the bottom of a broken bottle.

The haziness pressing on his mind cleared slightly, freeing his thoughts somewhat but returning none of his strength. Another attempt to push himself off his shaking legs failed. "Not good." Blinking painfully, Robin tried to assess the situation.

"-tion! He's down!"

"-ile he's weak! FOR THE CONQUERER!"

"-ward! It's mine!"

The roar of the battle washed over him once more, no sound more clear than the shouts of his weakness being spotted, the approach of yet more soldiers to claim his head.

"Damn." He sighed, a sardonic laugh choking out weakly as his legs gave out fully. Robin was no stranger to the battlefield, nor even for being caught in a tight spot without an escape. It was far from the first time he'd been forced to create an eleventh-hour plan out of whole cloth... Unfortunately, it was the first time he couldn't come up anything. The first time all his training, his diligence, his hard work amounted to nothing.

After all he'd done, after all his planning, he was undone by a single smashed bottle? He hardly knew he if he should be laughing or crying.

"Sorry... Chrom."

There was nothing for it but to wait, his head was still spinning but he'd retained enough of his wits to watch intently as his death approached. He wasn't sad, not really... Oh sure, he was disappointed, but only in himself. He knew better than anyone the value of redundancy, he should have had a backup to his backup plan. He should never have let himself get caught in this situation in the first place… Mostly he was disappointed because he knew his death would endanger his friends.

A growl of frustration escaped at that thought. He didn't want to leave them damnit! Not while they still needed him! Not while Chrom needed him! Chrom had given him everything, if he died now he'd be breaking his promise! He couldn't die! He couldn't-

"Heh." He couldn't do anything. The anger passed as quickly as it had arrived, leaving him slumped on his knees, unable to move.

So be it. He didn't have the strength to die on his feet, at least he would face his fate head on.

The Valmese were almost on top of him now, slipping in and out of focus as his vision blurred and skewed, he tuned out their cries. They weren't saying anything of any interest to him. Instead he thought of his friends, the people he fought for, the people he loved.

'Chrom.' Obviously, but also ' Tharja, Sumia, Lissa, Lucina...' And then, 'Tiki.' He'd grown very close to the Manakete since she'd joined the Shepherds, it was no surprise that she took a prominent position in his thoughts.

'Donnel, Frederick, Vaike.' Probably his closest male friends after Chrom, 'Tiki.' His mind drifted towards the Oracle once more. 'She'll be sad, another friend lost... She's lost so many.' That thought specifically tugged painfully at his heart 'I hope she doesn't get too cold.'

"Wha!"

"OH SHI-"

'Huh?' Knocked from his thoughts, even as tenuous as his grip on his consciousness was, there was no way he could miss the sudden panicked screams from barely a few meters ahead of him. Blinking in surprise, even as his eyes slid in and out of focus he didn't miss the look of the terror on their faces as the nearest Valmese soldiers halted their mad charge, throwing themselves backwards...

"ARRG-"

…And were all instantly engulfed in frozen dragonfire, the chilling blast obliterating them before they even had time to scream.

'Huh?' Robin thought intelligently.

Staring uncomprehendingly at the incredible scene even that thought was lost a moment later as a terrific crash echoed around him, throwing him violently backwards. What hearing he had left was sent ringing as a terrifying roar blasted forth, freezing him in place.

'Huh?' His mind repeated.

Robin looked out to the world and all he could see was beautiful, silvery-white scales.

"I shall not let them harm you!"

"T-Tiki?" Her voice sounded different, distorted and echoing, as if it was heard as much in his mind as in his ears. Sure enough though, he could see it now, Tiki's true self, the magnificent form of a mature Divine Dragon arrayed all around him.

"Don't worry." She whispered softly, leaving Robin to watch wordlessly as the scales above him shifted, as she moved carefully to the side, wrapping her tail around his body until she was curled in a ball around him, his battered body held securely between her tail and forearms.

"TIki? I-I..." Words failed him as he slumped tiredly against her, resting his head against her scales and marvelling at how gently they were able to hold him, how warm and comfortable her scales turned out to be now they were pressed against him.

"You're safe now." Her words echoed through his mind as she squeezed a little tighter, hugging his entire body at once. "I'll never let anything happen to you."

He knew he should argue, the logical part of his brain wanted to tell her to flee, that she couldn't possibly defend herself properly guarding him like this. The tactical part of him wanted to ask what she was even doing here! She had been fielded with Say'ri on the complete other side of the battlefield. The fearful part of him wished to urge her to flee, to tell her not to risk herself, not for him and not like this.

But, even as he could feel her head lifting off the ground and firing out more glacial blasts, even as he heard more Valmese screams grow silent, none of those words came to his lips.

When thinking about it later in his tent Robin would justify it as simply the product of his exhaustion, frayed nerves and concussion, but in that moment, with Tiki wrapped protectively around him, he simply felt warm and safe. As if her oath of protection was the promise of Naga herself.

Unable to do anything and with no ability to protest, Robin finally relaxed, falling completely into her embrace as the final acts of the battle flowed around him. The sounds and screams of combat echoed dully through his ears as he drifted in and out of consciousness, his will only finally collapsing when the last blow was struck and the familiar roar of victory rose throughout the field.

'We... Won.'

Each thought was like a pile of stone. Duty fulfilled and his energy long since tapped. Robin slumped against his guardian with a weary smile and finally rested easy.

"Hrnng."

Groaning, Robin slowly blinked himself back to consciousness.

"Ergh." He added eloquently. The pain was terrible but at least the pounding in his head helped keep him from passing out again, eventually his eyes cleared and the uncomfortably familiar sight of the medical tent came into focus around him.

"You're awake?"

Shifting slightly, he turned to the equally uncomfortably familiar sight of his best friend's sister standing over him, hands on her hips as she did her level best not to look relieved as she glared hotly at him.

"How are the others? Are they all okay?"

"Gah!" Lissa threw her hands into the air, "Every time! That's always the first thing you say! How is everyone else? We're all worried to death about you! Robin, why don't you worry about yourself!?"

If it were any other time, he'd probably laugh at the same pantomime playing out once more, however at this moment, more than the pain in his head the terrifying tightness in his chest was what pulled at him.

"Did everyone make it?" He repeated, his words slowly gaining strength as he forced himself into a sitting position.

"Nope," She answered petulantly, only the clear frustration in her voice keeping him from crying out "Nope. Everyone's dead. We all died because our tactician got himself badly hurt, again."

"Lissa!" He growled, he was exhausted, he was sore and he didn't have anywhere near enough patience to deal with this right now.

It wasn't as if he wanted to get hurt, and he could certainly understand her worries, but if he was in the medical tent then he'd obviously survived. As far as he could tell, all his limbs were still attached and he could see out of both eyes. He wasn't what was important right now!

"Robin," Backing down with a pained sight, the cleric finally relented, "They're fine, everyone's fine. Some of us got knocked around a bit, there were a few broken bones, nothing major."

"Good, good, that's… Yeah." Laughing at the sudden relief, the knot in his stomach faded and his fears were pushed aside once more. Letting himself relax, Robin finally sank back to the bed with a weak smile.

"Robin!"

"Sorry, I just. I was just… Scared." It was silly to worry after such elite warriors, he knew that. But they weren't just warriors to him, they were his family, people who followed his commands implicitly, they trusted their lives to him. Anytime he couldn't contribute, anytime he was injured and taken from the battlefield, his fear wouldn't relent until he knew they'd come home safely.

"You know I don't mean to worry you. I hardly intend to end up here."

"Whether you intend it or not, this is the third time this month!" She huffed back, glaring once more. "I'm serious here, you need to take care of yourself. You really scare us when this happens. And! Lately you've been fighting so far away from me! I don't even know when you're in trouble until you're already here! Do you know how that feels? Seeing you pulled half-dead from the battlefield and not even knowing you were in trouble!"

"Lissa." Robin sighed, looking away as an uneasy guilt settled on him, "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."

There wasn't much else he could say, promising he wouldn't do it again was pointless. He had already crossed the Rubicon, all he could do now was take as much precaution as possible and hope the die fell favourably.

"Hmmph."

Lissa didn't like his weak assurances, but she did relent finally, stepping back with a miserable look on her face. The only relief he got was that he could see she still trusted his tactics, even knowing they'd begun to end with him in poor condition more and more often. He couldn't afford to lose their faith, his comrades doubting or second guessing him was the last thing any of them needed.

"Just, get some sleep." She sighed, coming over to push him gently back into the bed, putting a hand gently on his forehead as she did, a weak thrum of holy magic slowly easing his headache.

Chuckling as he sunk back under the covers, Robin couldn't help but marvel at the rare sight of their second youngest (and second least mature) Shepherd being almost motherly.

"Lissa."

A soft voice brought Robin back to consciousness some time later.

Blinking as he turned towards the sound he attempted to get his bearings for how long he'd been out. It was hard to judge time's passage from the inside of a tent.

"Is he alright? He's awake?"

'Tiki? She's come to visit me?' It made sense he supposed, she had saved him. He definitely needed to thank her… Only, his mouth suddenly seemed completely dry at that thought, he'd never been so clearly rescued like that, he had no idea how to thank her. What should he even say?

"He's still asleep but yes, he's fine. Just tired mostly, he wasn't in too bad a shape when you brought him in."

"Good," he couldn't see her face from where he was lying, but the sound of relief in the Manakete's voice warmed him greatly, "In that case, is it allowable that I stay? I would speak to him privately when he wakes up."

"Privately?" Robin had to stifle a groan at the chime of interest in the young cleric's voice at that. Thankfully Lissa didn't seem quite in the mood to pry, or at least just not yet, "Er, well, sure. I don't have anything else I need to do here anyway."

Giving Lissa a moment to duck out the tent, Robin pushed himself back to a sitting position, grinning at the surprised look on Tiki's face as she came into view "It's fine, I'm awake."

"Feeling a lot better too." He added a moment later, it was no lie, Lissa had done good work. He still felt a little wobbly, but his headache had passed and he could tell the only damage left was the pangs of an exhausted body. "Apparently the worst of it was a concussion, I've got you to thank for that."

Wincing awkwardly he forced himself to meet her eyes, watching as Tiki slowly settled herself in the chair at his side, "Tiki, I-er, well you saved me. Thank you."

"Of course." She smiled warmly, reaching out to trail her hand along his arm, "Just as any of the Shepherds would do for any other."

"But, you were, I mean your position was so far aw-"

"Robin," she cut him off gently, letting her smile fade as worry seeped into her voice "This is becoming a habit. Since I've joined this squad I've seen you in here three times."

He shrugged, attempting to look nonchalant "We're fighting a war Tiki. It's dangerous."

"We are fighting a war. That's true." She nodded, when she looked at him again however her eyes were ice cold, "But we are not fighting it together. Lately you're always alone. You fight by yourself far from the core of our units."

"I-"

She didn't give him a chance to speak, "Everyone else fights in pairs or groups, we use the 'pair up' strategy. The idea that no-one is alone, that the true strength of the Shepherds is the bonds between us. The strategy that made you famous, that lead this army to so many victories. Your strategy."

Biting his tongue, Robin had to force himself not to drop his gaze.

"We all fight together Robin, all of us, except you. You fight alone, separate from the main force, with no one to guard your back."

Unable to resist any longer Robin wilted under her expression, the mixture of disapproval and worry cut right through him.

"When I first joined you fought at Chrom's side, with Lucina, or Tharja. I would look to you on the battlefield and you would be untouchable! Why are you doing this?"

"Er well, it's about composition really," He offered finally, dropping his gaze as he searched for the best words, "Lucina fights best at Chrom's side, it's important to her to be able to protect her father. I could put her with Sumia, but Sumia's a good influence on Cynthia, she stops her getting over her head."

She said nothing, so he continued.

"Anyway, more importantly, well, I've been trying to take a wider view of the battlefield. With the way the Valmese have been fighting it's been more important to keep me a little further away so I can follow everything that's going on."

Still she didn't reply, he risked a glance upwards, her face was stonier than ever.

"To… Er, to make sure we don't get flanked. I've been mak-"

"You fool!" She suddenly cut him off, her countenance breaking instantly as her feelings shone through, unable to stand it for another single moment, "Y-You damn dastardly… Stupid! Idiot! Jerk!"

Brushing angrily at her eyes and Tiki's glare turned furious and Robin found himself pinned helplessly in place, unable to tear himself away.

"Is this it? You're just, just going to keep lying to me!?"

Robin's blood froze.

"Do you think me a fool!? That I can't see what you're doing!? You're lucky I haven't told Chrom! He'd skin you alive if he knew!"

Wide eyed and reeling from her onslaught Robin realised only just now that he'd underestimated their most veteran member. Having spent so much time with the kind, playful Tiki, it was difficult sometimes to remember she was also a woman who had lived for four thousand years and fought in more battles than anyone. The gentle, caring, Tiki he knew was also the legendary hero, awe of all.

Completely caught out, he could only flinch away as she saw right through him.

"The Valmese are targeting you above all else! Every battle it's the same, they throw men at you in completely un-reinforcable positions, they sacrifice position, men and the entire flow of the battle to try kill you!"

Shaking her head viciously, she paused for a moment to regain her breath, "One of their leaders must have posted an incredible bounty on your head. Th-They think that if you fall the Shepherds will fall with you. You know this Robin. That's why you're fighting alone. You're using yourself as bait!"

"No! It's, it's not that simple!" He finally found his voice, "I'm not... I'm not so stupid or so arrogant as to believe I could bait the entire Valmese army. I, look, I just, I can't… They're throwing everything they have at me, if someone was with me, they'd be… It'd be far too dangerous!"

His words sounded weak even to himself. Perhaps it was that simple after all? But, how could he possibly put any of his friends in such a dangerous situation!? How could he look their wife, their child in the eye if he'd knowingly placed someone in that kind of situation!?

"Damnit Robin!" Tiki cried, grabbing his hand and squeezing it hard "Why is only alright for you to be in danger!? Y-You position us on the flanks and use yourself as an opening to draw in the core of their force! You dastard! What the hell is that!?"

"Tiki… I-" The only thing more painful than staring at her stricken face was the thought of looking away, "What else can I do? I recognise their plan, I know they're aiming for me and I have a counter for it. I trust the Shepherds to protect me."

"Then why are you here?"

He winced again, the pain in her eyes added to his guilt.

"I wasn'-"

"Why is this the third time I've been so scared I'll lose you? Robin, you're trying to keep us all safe, but who's keeping you safe? What if you had died? Do you know how we would feel?"

"How do you think I-" She paused, sucking in a breath and swallowing her words, "How do you think Say'ri would feel?"

"Say'ri?" He blinked, pulling back in confusion as to why the swordswoman would be mentioned. He knew what he'd done to her and what his tactics had cost her, "I suppose it would give her some peace, it was my fault that Ye-"

Tiki's withering glare stopped that line of thought.

"Gods, Robin." Clenching his hand tight, she visibly fought to keep calm, "Give her peace? Don't even consider such a thing. Do you understand the pain of losing someone you care so much about? You're not expendable. Losing you to keep us out of danger would be madness, there isn't a single person who would accept that."

He sighed, relenting under her stare, "I didn't mean to worry you, truly. I'm sorry."

Clasping his hand gently she brought it up to lay against her face, pressing it softly against her cheek "Robin, understand that we love you. We all love you."

"Ah-Eah!" Spluttering like a fool, Robin turned away, unable to maintain her softened gaze. Face burning crimson, his thoughts raced uncontrollably.

'She didn't mean it like that! She's lady Tiki! She doesn't, that's crazy! I shouldn't think such things!'

"So," she continued a moment later, chuckling at his reaction "I'll be fighting at your side from now on."

That brought him back to the present. Spinning around he could see she was completely serious about this.

"Wh-Huh? No! You can't! That'll be, Gods!" The Oracle of Naga, beside the Shepherd's Tactician!? He wasn't sure if Walhart would be willing to risk angering the population by killing Tiki but he definitely didn't want to risk it, it would surely be an incredible temptation for the man. "Tiki, no way! That's far too dan-"

"It's far safer than you fighting by yourself."

A sudden excuse seized him, "What about Say'ri? Weren't you going to be looking after her?"

"Say'ri?" She laughed lightly, smiling wholeheartedly for the first time since entering the tent "Robin, it's been months since then. She will likely bear the pain of Yen'fay's actions for the rest of her life, but her heart is a lot lighter. We've become close friends, she talks to me about her plans for the future, about her wish to restore her country, to build a bright future for her people."

He couldn't deny it, the change in Say'ri's spirit hadn't passed him unnoticed, there was no doubt that her closeness to Tiki had helped her greatly. "I will still fight at her side and protect her, because she is my friend and because I love her dearly. But, Say'ri is a grown woman, she doesn't need me to babysit her like some child."

Even if Robin hadn't seen the cheeky smile on Tiki's face, her teasing tone left little doubt about her insinuations. Apparently he did need to be babysat like some child.

Frowning, he took the higher road, "Tiki, I can't just put you in that kind of situation. If something were to happen to you- Look, I appreciate your concern, I do, I'll re-assess my plans, I'll take more precautions. Honestly it's not as bad as it seems, their focus on me really does give us some opportunities, it weakens their strategies a lot!"

"You're an amazing tactician Robin," she shook her head with an exasperated sigh, "The greatest I've ever seen. We trust you with our lives and you always keep us all safe. You know what you're doing and under any other circumstance I would never second guess your tactics. But, no. I won't let you risk yourself like that."

The cheeky smile returned once more, "Sooo, you can either make your plans with us fighting together, or I'll tell Chrom about all this and we'll see what he says."

"Wha!?" He gaped "Yo-You're blackmailing me?"

"What I'm doing, is trying to make sure someone I care deeply for doesn't get himself killed trying to keep everyone else safe."

Wincing at the hurt in her voice from his accusation served to cool his indignation, and so, with no other options, Robin heaved a sigh and slumped backwards against the bedhead, "Fine. Fine. We'll fight together, just, Naga, Tiki please, be careful."

"Of course."

Her warm smile returned and his worries melted slightly. It was, he'd found, very hard to feel bad when Tiki was looking at him so gently. Anyway, it wasn't as if he didn't like the idea of spending more time with her.

"I'm not worried at all! You'll keep me safe, and I'll keep you safe. The bonds we share will not be broken."

"Heh." Having your own words quoted back to you so sincerely was rather embarrassing.

"Anyway," She continued, releasing his hand and skipping out the door "I've gott'a keep you safe, it's so cold when you're in here like this!"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he sunk back down into the bed, Robin instead just grinned, watching her walking away. Even when she was scolding him, even when she was countermanding his tactics, Tiki always made him warm.

End.

The Bond Shared

"So I was completely confused, running as fast as I could over to our western flank!"

"Oh Gods!" Tiki howled, covering her face in her hands and shaking with laughter "And by the time you got there he'd already done it?"

"Exactly!" Robin cried, throwing his hands out and managing to look exasperated for a moment before cracking up with laughter himself "I swear, Ricken can be as bad as Vaike sometimes!"

"Well, surely not quite that bad?"

"Hmm…"

"Robin!"

"Fine, fine." He threw his hands up in mcok defeat, "It is as you say oh wise Madame Oracle."

Rolling her eyes and snorting in response, Tiki didn't quite look the part.

"Oh most exalted Voice of Naga. She who speaks for the Holy Dragon. The sublime messenger."

"Sublime messenger? You've been spending far too much time around Say'ri I fear."

"Oh, prophet of the Goddess. The Flower of Valm."

"Flower of Valm?" Tiki turned to him curiously, "I cannot believe Say'ri would say such a thing."

"Oh, but it is true!" He insisted, staring earnestly at her and waving his hands airily around "The legends spoke of your heroism, but they did no justice to your entrancing beauty."

"Ah. Virion then," she smiled, the source of that quote was not hard to pin down, "Robin, the fact that you can say such things with a straight face worries me. You are far too kind a man to play with a lady's heart so."

Robin just laughed and they let the conversation trail off, slowly meandering their way back through the camp.

'It's such a great pleasure, to be able to spend time like this.' Tiki sighed contentedly, letting her mind drift off lazily.

As she'd hoped, her decision to fight beside Robin had kept him much safer, he hadn't had any serious injuries since that day and, of course he'd always protected her in return. They'd quickly grown accustomed to fighting together, each guarding the others back to the point where they were practically in synch, predicting their movements even before they made them.

And then, somewhere along the line they'd grown even closer together. Without even thinking about it now Tiki found herself seeking him out practically almost whenever she had any free time at all. Robin, being Robin, was usually hard at work on something or another so she'd simply end up lazing around his tent, keeping him company with light conversation or doing what she could to assist in his preparations.

It was rare for him to finish while it was still light out, but when he did she made sure to drag him out to get some fresh air, something that would soon turn into a long slow walk through the camp or their surroundings, passing peaceful hours just talking or trading stories.

In short, Tiki had become very attached to Robin.

Which was bad.

Because Tiki knew she shouldn't spend so much time with him, she shouldn't monopolise his time, or turn to him whenever she wanted company.

She knew that fact as clear as day, as clear as she knew the sky was blue and the sun was warm. She could feel it even now as she walked beside him, as she felt the incredible aura radiating off him.

As a Manakete she was naturally sensitive to the emotions of those around her and for the most part she made an effort not to pick up on them, she had no wish to pry into the private affairs of her comrades, but she was far more attuned to Robin's aura than anyone else's.

It was the intensity of his aura, the familiarity and the sheer beauty that captivated her, her body reached out to it instinctively and without ever meaning to she was able to pick up on Robin's emotions the moment he drew near. She'd admitted as such to him of course, and mostly it had simply been another way to force him into taking a break from his work when she could intently feel the exhaustion flowing through him.

Unfortunately, since she'd known him Robin's aura had been getting stronger than ever, it flowed around her perfectly, just being with him was being wrapped in a warm hug, it sent tingles up her spine.

"Ah!" Robin broke the comfortable silence, spotting a familiar figure in the training ring, "There's Say'ri over there, I actually needed to speak to her about the next battle."

"R-Right," Tiki nodded, shocked from her thoughts, "Of course. I'll see you later then."

She had to hold herself back from heaving a sigh as she felt his gentle aura leave her… And once more, as she watched him talking happily to Say'ri a few moments later.

It wasn't simply the feeling his presence left on her, talking to him, fighting beside him, or even just spending time with him, being around Robin had become the most enjoyable thing she'd done in centuries. It was addictive! She already spent far more time than she knew she should with him.

In truth she knew she should cut it down even more. She shouldn't be in the way.

'Because, Robin is in love.'

If his aura was brilliant when they had first met, now it was enthralling. The reason for the change was no mystery, she could still remember a similar feeling coming from Mar-Mar all those long years ago.

'Robin is in love… With Say'ri.'

She didn't know that for sure of course.

He hadn't admitted anything towards her at least, but one look towards where he was laughing and smiling with the swordswoman left little doubt. It had been obvious since the first time she'd spoken to him that he cared for Say'ri. Equally, she didn't doubt the feeling was shared by the Princess, for the sake of her friend's privacy Tiki had ensured she didn't read her emotions any more than she could help, but she would have had to be unconscious to miss the way they pulsed and surged anytime Say'ri was around Robin.

Forcing herself to turn away she walked slowly back towards the tent she and Say'ri shared, her thoughts becoming rather unsettled.

'They will likely be wed soon.'

That was the way of things, or at least, as far as she'd experienced. She dwelled on that thought all the way back to her tent, unable to put it out of her mind and unable to stop the strange dread she felt at the thought.

'What's wrong with me?'

She cared deeply for both Robin and Say'ri, so why was she not overjoyed at the idea of them being happy?

'Robin and Say'ri will be together.' Slumping to her bedroll, Tiki tested the thought again, probing it and trying anxiously trying to find the joy she should be feeling 'I'm ecstatic for them. Of course I am. I'm glad!'

"Hngh," Moaning piteously to herself, Tiki pulled her legs up to her chest, "T-Then why does my heart ache at the thought?"

She couldn't help it, it was driving her insane! For weeks now it had been like this, anytime she saw them together it was painful. It didn't make any sense, they were both her closest friends, why was she not happy? Why was she not excited for them?

'Gods… Why does it hurt so much?'

Tiki had lived a long life, she'd suffered many tragedies and been hurt deeply in many ways, this was not the worst pain she'd felt, but even among them all it was unique, it was nothing she'd endured before. It twisted inside her, it soured her mood and made her jealously possessive of her time with Robin, wanting to have him all to herself. Weeks had passed and it had only grown deeper, only gotten worse.

'Because I-Do I love Robin?'

That was the only thing that made sense, there was no doubt she cared deeply for Robin.

'But, I loved Mar-Mar just as much!'

She hadn't felt anything like this when Marth had been married, his wedding remained one of her fondest memories! And then she'd stayed with Marth, she'd seen him as a husband and a father, she'd seen how happy he'd been and it had warmed her soul! Thinking of Robin taking Say'ri's hand left her feeling hollow inside.

"So why?" She whispered, only now finally able to give voice to the guilty thought that had plagued unceasingly "Why don't I want them to get married?"

Robin and Say'ri matched perfectly, they were both great friends of hers and there was no doubt she would remain close to each of them... More importantly they were both human.

'The gulf between Humans and Manakete… The curse of the Manakete. We're simply too different.'

Just like that day she'd talked to Nowi she found her usual confidence in that statement shaken. All she could think of instead were the words the younger Manakete had thrown back at her 'If you're in love, why not be happy for as long as you can?'

"In love," she whispered aloud, sitting up as she choked out a laugh "In love."

"I'm in love," she laughed again, uncurling from the ball and laying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling of the tent. "I see. I'm in love with him."

The knowledge did nothing to ease the ache in her heart, but she finally could understand. Finally she knew why Marth's marriage had made her happy when the thought of Robin with someone else pulled painfully at her. It was the most obvious thing in the world and it had somehow eluded her for more than a thousand years.

'I loved Mar-Mar. I'm in love with Robin.'

Tiki loved Marth as a brother, he was a man who could never be equalled. Tiki loved Robin as a man, he was the one she had fallen for.

Slowly the image in her mind changed, her vision of the future, instead of Robin standing at the altar with Say'ri instead she saw him taking her hand in his, she saw herself beaming as he pulled her towards him. The pain in her heart eased slowly as the fantasy played out, as she let herself imagine the feeling of standing next to the man, of wearing his ring and seeing her ring on him…

"I cannot believe it," Tiki chuckled again, a myriad of emotions swirling through her, "I owe you an apology Nowi. I finally understand. I too wish to bridge that gulf... For as long as I can."

"But," she sighed, slumping back down to the bedroll and pulling herself from happy daydreams, "I cannot."

Tiki finally understood herself, she finally understood her heart and why it ached so much, but that understanding changed nothing.

'Because, Robin loves Say'ri.'

Shutting her eyes Tiki let herself fall into a silent melancholy. She didn't cry, she wouldn't even consider it, not over two people she cared deeply for being happy.

'I shall give them both space.'

It was painful, but that was only proof that her love was real.

"Tiki!" Robin cried happily, spinning around in his seat as ducked sheepishly into his tent, "Wow, it's good to see you again. It's been so long, I was wondering if something was going wrong?"

"Hah, no, no of course not." She lied awkwardly, avoiding meeting his eyes as she flopped down into her familiar spot on his bedroll, "I've just been… Busy."

Shuddering happily as her body was warmed from tip to toe, Tiki's guilt at finding herself in his tent once more washed away with the last of the winter chills.

Avoiding Robin had been even harder than she'd expected. She had never intended to cut off all contact of course— that would have been far too obvious – however even cutting down their time together had been a struggle. Visiting him had become such a habit that again and again she'd found herself drifting unconsciously towards his tent. It had been a trying week before she finally gave in.

"Ah, I was just, well I think I was just getting so accustomed to your visits, it's been almost weird not seeing you." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and turning back to his work.

"I had not meant to worry you. I simply, I have had a lot on my mind as of late."

"Oh? Anything I can help with?"

"N-No. No," surprised to find herself blushing slightly, Tiki forced down several answers that rose to her lips instinctively and instead settled for a half truth, "I have simply been dwelling upon old memories."

"Ah," he nodded, "Well, if there's anything I can do, if I can help you at all, I'm always available you know."

"Thank you Robin." His kind words, combined with his warm presence wrapped around her and for a moment it seemed like nothing could ever be wrong.

Holding herself back from saying anything more, Tiki settled comfortably into his bedroll and Robin turned back to his work. Both silently enjoying the other's company as he strategized and she dozed.

Pulling herself up with a loud yawn sometime later Tiki glanced over to Robin as she stretched out, trying to estimate how much time had passed. The formidable pile of papers, books and notes stacked haphazardly around him seemed largely the same as he had been when she'd first walked in so she guessed no more than a few hours.

"Hmmm," she sighed, feeling far more comfortable than she had all week, "How're you doing?"

"Well enough I suppose," he answered, slumping backwards in the seat and dropping his pencil, apparently using this as an excuse for a break "I've almost finished the group compositions for our assault on Walhart."

"He's very entrenched, it'll be dangerous. We only have limited knowledge of the castle layout too." Rubbing his eyes tiredly Robin sagged visibly from his worries, "I've gone through countless ideas, everything I can think of… But the only thing I know for sure is that the best outcome would be if he engages us in the field. I don't think we can manage a siege, not like this."

"It would be idiotic for him to come out to us though. He'd be throwing away his position and his best soldiers. It would be so unimaginably stupid I just can't-" Cutting himself off with a sigh, Robin shrugged, there was no point sympathising for the plight of enemy soldiers, "But then, from everything I've heard, it seems just like the kind of thing he'd do."

"That's certainly true," Tiki nodded, it was hard to imagine a brute like Walhart cowering in his castle, "His entire reign relies on his strength, he cannot avoid demonstrating it."

"Exactly. Still, there are no guarantees."

"Indeed there are not. But, I know that despite the danger you will see us through. Your plans have never let us down. Our bonds are not easily broken."

His smile lasted a moment before fading, leaving him looking apprehensive, "S-Speaking of that. When we win, I mean, when we've defeated Walhart. Er, ah, well what do you suppose will happen to everyone? We'll be returning to Ylisse to track down the rest of the Gemstones, I suppose Say'ri will be returning to her people… Right?"

Drawing herself up from his bedroll Tiki's heart panged, and the guilt at her presence in his tent returned "No, I believe she will seek to come to Ylisse. She's made mention of a great debt she owes the Shepherds, she wishes to see this through to the end." Forcing herself to smile wasn't as hard as she'd thought it would be, she would always be happy for those she cared about.

"Oh, really? That's good, yeah. It'd be a shame to say goodbye."

His half-hearted response surprised her, Tiki had expected a far more visceral response from the man. Instead he seemed, if anything, even more apprehensive than before.

"A-And er, and… You?" He shifted his gaze, shuffling some papers he'd been holding, as if the question held no weight at all, "Will you come too? Or, or do you need to stay here as the Oracle?"

"I will come with you of course," she answered without a moment's hesitation, "I am a Shepherd and I know better than any how terrible Grima is. I will do anything I can to help prevent his return."

"Anyway, it has been so very long since I saw the land that Mar-Mar founded. It's about time I returned. It must have changed so much." She smiled wistfully at that thought.

"Y-Yeah? I mean of course!" Blinking in surprise, Tiki found herself taken aback by the burst of intensity of Robin's gaze, "You'll love it I'm sure! We'll probably be arriving around early summer, so it'll be warm. And the people are very friendly, I know everyone'll love you!"

"And, er," setting the papers back on the desk with slightly shaking hands, Robin paused, drawing himself up, "As you say, it must have changed a lot since you were last there. So, er, if you'd like I could, I could show you around. I mean, I don't know it that well myself, since I lost all my memories of course! But, I'd like to see more of it myself, and we'll be at peace so I'll have some free time."

She didn't need her Manakete senses to see how visibly uncomfortable Robin was, he was clearly forcing himself to meet her surprised eyes "We could see it together."

"Robin…" She whispered, taken aback, "I-What are you saying exactly? I don't understand." She couldn't quite believe it, but somehow it sounded like he was offering more than to be her guide.

"Then, then I'll say it straight." His voice barely wavered but she could hear his heart pounding from where she was, even as he stood to his feet and moved to stand directly before her.

"I know it won't be the same," he chuckled sardonically as his will faltered momentarily "I realise I'm hardly Marth, I'm no Hero King. I'm hardly qualified to fill his shoes-"

"No." She interrupted softly, standing to her feet "No Robin, you are not Marth, nor would I wish you to be. You're a singular and very special person. You are someone…" Struggling, she bit back her words "Someone very dear to me."

"Truly?" His face lit up, "I had thought, I couldn't compete with Marth. I'm not as mighty nor as powerful, I had thought… I suppose I thought that compared to him you couldn't help but find me lacking."

"No. Never. No, Robin, I-" Her heart ached one final time and she knew she could hold her silence no longer. She couldn't stand the thought that he would find himself unworthy around her, not when he meant so much. "You need never compare yourself to him, nor to anyone else. For you alone are unique to me."

"Robin," she sighed with a soft smile, "You alone are the man who holds my heart."

"T-Tiki!? A-Are you, is that, I-"

Grinning at his shocked stammering, Tiki attempted to ease his discomfort.

"You need not worry. I will not cause you any problems. I already know your heart belongs to another, I simp-"

"No!" Grabbing her hand, Robin's eyes were wide as he cut her off, "No, I don't! There is no other! Tiki, there could never be! Not when my heart is entirely filled with you!"

Her mouth fell open but no words came out, completely stunned, she stared blankly back.

"You're all I've been able to think about for the longest time. I think about you constantly, I worry about you whenever we're in battle together. I've been in love with you for so long! Gods, I couldn't, I didn't dare say anything. I never even dreamed you might-Gods!"

'Ro-Robin is in love… With me?' Slowly Tiki's mind turned itself back on. 'Then… That means, his aura, his love?' That incredible feeling she'd felt around him, that breathtaking presence, the sheer depth of his feelings.

'That was for me?'

"Oh Robin…" She whispered, head swimming with happiness she stumbled forwards leaning against him. There was no doubt about it, not when she could feel it now, how deeply it touched her, stronger than ever.

"Have I really been such a fool?" He laughed, staring in disbelief as he slowly placed his arms around her, "Is it truly alright for me to love you? To be at your side as long as I'm able?"

"Of course! I know I am a Manakete and you a Human, but I love you with all my heart!"

"I-"

His words trailed off and for once the genius tactician couldn't think of a single thing to say. Instead he simply wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tighter against him and pressing his lips against hers.

From there, no words were needed.

End.

The Last Great Mystery

"Eeii! R-Robin!" Tiki giggled, squirming in his arms "No, no! Put me dooown! I'm too heavy."

"Not at all!" He responded, masterfully supressing a grunt of exertion as he pushed the tent flaps open with his foot, carrying her carefully inside "You're as light as a feather!"

"Geez…" truthfully Tiki was finding she rather enjoyed the feeling of being cradled in his arms "Are you sure this is a human tradition?"

"Absolutely," he declared eagerly, taking a moment to enjoy havingher in his arms before bending down and carefully setting his new wife down. "The groom carries the bride over the threshold and into their… Well, our… New life."

His incredible joy at that idea was somewhat dampened by the reality of their situation however "It's, well, normally it'd be to our own home, but this tent is all I have and…"

There was no getting around how inadequate it all was really. He'd married one of the most important and powerful people in the world, in the middle of a war at that. All he'd been able to offer her was a simple camp wedding, and now they were retiring to his (admittedly large) tent. It was a sobering thought.

"Oh shush." She smiled, drawing close and laying her hand gently over his heart "None of that matters. My home is here." Taking his hand and placing it over her own heart she continued "Just as yours is… Here."

"Ah- Hah, Tiki." He stammered, glowing red, the sentiment was wonderful but it was hard to ignore just where his hand was being held. The excited look on his wife's face only made it more difficult to think.

'We're married now.' He reminded himself, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her against him into a gentle kiss. 'It's fine… I can, we can…' Breaking the kiss he gulped, after spending so long around Tharja, resisting sexual advances was almost an instinct- One he worked quickly to surpress.

Surprisingly, it was Tiki that moved away first, leaning out of his embrace and skipping over to the bed, throwing herself on it with a happy sigh, "Ahhh, this, this is perfect."

'Wait…' He blinked, a stray thought occurred to him, 'Since when did I own a bed?' Having spent the last six months constantly on the move with the Shepherds, a proper bed was exceedingly impractical. He hadn't slept in one since leaving Port Ferox! 'Ah whatever, probably Chrom's idea of a wedding present.' No doubt the Prince would be laughing about it tomorrow.

Right now, Robin had far more important things to worry about. Namely that it was his wedding night and the incredible beauty that was his wife was waiting for him on their bed.

"Er-"

His nervous anticipation lasted all of one step towards her, looking again, he reconsidered. Waiting may not have been the right word. Curled into a ball and snuggling against one of the pillows, Tiki looked very comfortable.

"You're not- You're not going to sleep are you?"

He tried to keep the disappointment from his voice, he didn't really mind. The wedding celebrations had dragged on well into the night, it was perfectly understandable that she'd be tired. There would be plenty of other nights. 'Still…She looks so…' Of course this would probably be the only time he would see her in a wedding dress, 'It's abso- No. No.' Chuckling to himself, he shook those thoughts away. There would be other nights.

"Wha?" Jolting upright at the sound of his voice, sheepishly pulled herself into a sitting position, "Ah, sorry! I'm awake, I'm awake. Ahhh, it's just been so long, it feels like an age since I last slept on something so comfortable."

Nervously taking a seat next to her Robin had to agree, but then maybe that was just the months of sleeping on bedrolls talking.

"Well, I mean," blushing he took his hand in hers, "It's fine if you want to, I can wai-"

"No, no way!" Shaking her head vigorously Tiki bounced up onto her knees, "I've been looking forward to this forever!"

"Y-You have?"

"Yup!"

If Robin had thought she'd had an excited look before it was nothing compared to the look he was receiving now.

"Well then, I-I mean, of course me too! Ah! I mean, not too much! Nothing bad! I didn't, I wasn't, it's not like that's all I've been looking forward to!"

Wincing at his awkward stammering, Robin shook his head. He could barely hear himself over the hammering of his heart in his chest anyway.

Smiling gently, Tiki placed her hand on his cheek, calming him slightly, "You need not be nervous Robin."

"N-No. No, of course not." He breathed deeply, drawing on his courage as he pulled her towards him once more.

Their lips touched only briefly, puzzlingly, despite her words, just as he was moving to deepen the kiss, Tiki backed away.

"Okay! Right!" Grinning, she shuffled backwards away from him, sitting cross legged on the bed she clapped her hands, "Okay! So, how do we start?"

"Start? Well…" Baffled, Robin attempted to move forwards once more.

"Oh, and what're the rules?"

That brought a halt to his movements.

"Er-Rules?"

Blinking, he reappraised the situation. The way she kept backing away from him, the way she was sitting, the way she was acting. 'Are we both thinking about the same thing?'

"Yes," she answered with a warm smile, "You're my first husband Robin, the only man I've ever been in love with. You have to teach me."

Robin sighed in relief, maybe he was wrong.

"I've never played before."

Maybe not.

Taking a deep breath to cool his nerves as much as his eagerness, Robin decided to get to the root cause of all this, "Alright, look. Just to, well, to make sure we're on the same page. What exactly do you want to play?"

"Robin!" She pouted, apparently assuming he was teasing her. "You said you were looking forward to this!"

"J-Just to make sure we're looking forward to the same thing?" He offered weakly, feeling absolutely ridiculous.

"There's different things?" She raised an eyebrow, "I just, well, I can't really choose can I? Whichever you know is fine. Really! Any of the game married couples play!"

"Games… Married couples play?" Robin repeated slowly, that was about the strangest euphemism he'd ever heard.

"Y-Yes?" Tiki frowned, shoulders slumping as she finally realised his confusion was genuine, "Perhaps the meaning has changed over time?"

"I-Well, I mean…" Robin was fairly sure the only "game" he could think of was one of the few constants of human history. "Look, why don't you… Just tell me what you're thinking of and we'll go from there."

"Okay," She nodded seriously, "It's an old story though."

She had been looking forward to this for a long time after all!

1,000 Years Ago – Akaneia Palace, Pales

It was the morning after Marth's wedding, with the whole country, never mind his closest friends, overcome with joy at the occasion, the celebrations had gone long into the night. Even now the palace was much quieter than usual, almost everyone was still recovering.

"And, and then, she said I was dancing wonderfully!"

That however did not include the ever exuberant Tiki, who, still overflowing with excitement from the previous night, was practically jumping out of her seat as she recounted her adventures from the previous evening.

"Oh! But then I went t-"

"Morning all."

It was a soft, tired, but thoroughly satisfied voice that finally stopped the small girl in her tracks, a chorus of greetings ringing out in return as all eyes turned to their king taking his place at the head of the table, settling down with a happy sigh.

"Mar-Mar?"

Mouth falling open Tiki stared at the man in shock, looking around the room in surprise she couldn't believe she was the only one who seemed to be worried at all.

"You look terrible! Are you okay? What's wrong? Mar-Mar!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he waved her concerns away with a chuckle, "Better than fine actually, I feel amazing, wonderful. I'm just… Tired."

"I think we're all surprised to see you up and about so early." Bantu shot Tiki a calming smile from his place at her side, "How is your wife?"

"Still asleep." Marth grinned, looking slightly bashful as he fully adjusted to that idea, "I'm here really to get some food for us both, then, I think I'll join her. I don't believe there's any pressing business for me this morning."

"Tired?" Tiki asked in confusion as her friend let out a mighty yawn, "But that doesn't make sense! Why are you so tired? You left before everyone else! I kept asking where you were and everyone said you were going to bed early!"

"They said that did they?" Marth groaned, resisting the urge to rest his face in his hands. What in the world were his friends teaching this girl?

"Well, we did go to bed early," he continued carefully before Tiki could jump in again, "But, we, er, we stayed up late… Playing."

This time he was unable to resist the urge, covering his face with his hands at the snickering around the room Marth heaved a sigh. He had absolutely no desire to discuss this with Tiki of all people!

Unfortunately, looking up through his fingers a moment later at the angry glare from the diminutive Manakete he realised he'd misspoken.

"Playing!? B-But, but! Mar-Mar! Why didn't you invite me!? I wanted to play with you too!"

The snickering around the room increased and Marth winced heavily at Tiki's misguided jealousy, "Ah, no, I-Look, Tiki what you need to understand is-"

"It'd be more fun with me too!" Tiki interrupted, continuing to press her case, "It's always more fun with three people isn't it!?"

"Er-" It was far too early in the day for him to even begin to be able to respond to that.

"Child." Bantu's gentle hand on her shoulder finally cooled Tiki's ranting, "What Lord Marth is trying to say is they were playing the games married couples play." The fact that Bantu was able to say such a thing with a completely straight face was a testament to the aged Manakete's composure.

"The games… Married couples play?" Tiki tested the words, "I've never heard of those."

She turned back to where Marth was sighing in visible relief, "Can you show me?" Pleading, she gave her most endearing look, "You'll teach me, right Mar-Mar?"

"Ah, that is, er-"

Luckily once more it was Bantu that came to the rescue. Squeezing Tiki's shoulder while the rest of the room did their best to hold back their laughter at their King's spluttering face.

"Your husband will teach you child. One day, when you're older."

"What!?" She pouted impatiently, "But I'm already waaaaay older than Mar-Mar!"

Present

"So, you know how to play right?" Tiki pressed, gently, "You didn't forget when you lost your memories?"

"N-No, no, I know." Robin winced, trying to come to terms with the story he'd heard. It was hard to tell if he should laugh or groan. In his position as the tactician of Ylisse, he'd come across countless tales about the Hero King, from Chrom, from Lucina and of course from Tiki herself… Nothing he'd heard from the man had been quite like that.

"Well then, what do I do?" She prompted eagerly.

"Right, right." Shaking himself back to the task at hand, Robin forced down a blush as he wondered how to even begin explaining it. He really didn't want to try teach