Author's Notes:

So this idea came to me the other day as I was playing on Lunatic, and lo and behold Chrom happened to die and that blasted "Game Over" screen appeared.

That got me thinking. As the summary states, what would happen to the Shepherds if Chrom passed away? Would they actually lie down and quit? Would Lissa become the Exalt? Would Robin still be plagued with nightmares of murdering Chrom? Would they still save the world? This story will be about what happens to Robin and the Shepherds after Chrom's death, taking place near the end of the war with Valm. It will be a fairly altered universe, but it will still hold true to the basic plot.

Robin will most likely be paired with Lucina in this story. I have no shame. I'm a total fanboy of the RobinxLucina pairing. Plus it just works better for the story I'm planning to write.

Updates will come once every week or two. In some cases it might be sooner or later.

With out further ado, here's my story!

EDIT: Screw it, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Pretend this prologue was never changed!

Disclaimer: The cover photo is not mine and I do not own it (although if you find the artist let me know!) and all of the characters and other stuff belong to Nintendo.

Prologue- Game Over?

Gods my head...why does it hurt so much?

Robin tried to move his hand to the top of his head only to realize that they were both bound to the ceiling.

What the hell?

Robin's eyes fluttered open slowly, absorbing the scene around him.

The room was dark and cold. It would be impossible to make out the metal bars in front of him if he wasn't right in front of them. If he squinted his eyes, Robin could make out the very faint light of torches coming from down the corridor.

Shifting his gaze upwards, he noticed the metal shackles that trapped his wrists to the ceiling. From what he could tell, the ceiling was only about seven feet from the ground, leaving his feet with about a foot of room from the floor.

If my head wasn't throbbing right now this might pass as a little comfortable.

The cold damp air nipped at his bare chest, the smell of mold and rust assaulted his nostrils.

Ugh...Where..Where am I?

Robin grimaced as he rotated his shoulder blades. Nope...this is definitely not comfortable...

Moving his head left and right, Robin attempted to get a better grasp on his surroundings, but to no avail. Nothing but darkness was staring back him.

Satisfied that he could most definitely not see a damned thing, he turned gaze downward to inspect the state of his body.

With his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness, he was able to make out the crisscrossed patterns of multiple cuts across his chest. Some of the older cuts looked to be scabbing, while a few were still bleeding.

Oh right...

Then it all came screaming back to him.

It was a day like any other for the grandmaster tactician. There had been a war council with Chrom, Lucina, Say'ri and Flavia discussing what they would do next with the Valmese campaign. Then he had cooking with Stahl (why they let Robin cook he'll never know), to assisting Cordelia with the weapons check, to finally finishing up by helping Nowi find her dragonstone that she lost somehow.

Robin had just retired for the night, only to be woken up hours later bound in chains.

That wasn't even the strangest part of the experience.

The captors seemed to be hell-bent on inflicting physical harm. Even if the tactician was unconscious they just went at it, yet they never once spoke to him. No questions, no demands, their only intent was to damage.

The Valmese must have found our camp and took me hostage...But why? Why are they not demanding any information? What are they hoping to accomplish?

The man had no answers to that quandary. Now Robin was no stranger to war, he had been a part of them one way or another ever since Chrom found him in that grassy field.

Robin had read multiple books over war since then, and many had went into the detailed descriptions of various torture methods. He read everything from water boarding , to the insertion of wood splinters under the fingernails, to sleep deprivation to get information the captors needed.

Robin vowed that he would never take part in such an inhumane act.

Knowing the obvious intent on torture, Robin had absolutely no clue what his captors were trying to accomplish.

No matter. I will not falter. I won't give the Valmese the satisfaction.

Robin strained his ears in a vain attempt to pick up on any possible sound within the prison.

Nothing. It was unnervingly quiet. All that could be heard was his ragged breathing and the faint sound of dripping water.

Oh god oh god oh god...am I going to die here?

Calm down. Hyperventilating and passing out again isn't going to solve anything.

Robin took a deep breath and closed his eyes in thought.

You're a tactician Robin. Do your job and analyze.

Deducting from his fresh wounds that his captors must have just finished with their latest torture session, Robin knew they wouldn't be returning soon.

He sighed in relief. While he vowed to himself that he would never give them the satisfaction of breaking the Grandmaster of Ylisse, that didn't exactly mean he was looking forward to another torture session.

Chrom... the Shepherds...Gods are they alright?

Robin racked his brain, hoping to remember any little stray detail that would give him a hint if anyone else was being held captive.

Well I don't hear anyone else. If they were torturing another prisoner there would most likely be screaming or something. Could they have taken them someplace else?

His rattled thought process was quickly interrupted by a soft pitter patter coming down the corridor.

Wait. What the hell is that? Are they coming back?

"H-hello?"

Gods my throat is dry. When was the last time I ate or drank?

"Bubbles, Bubbles is that you?"

Gaius?

"Pl-please help m-me..."

Please oh please don't be a hallucination.

"Don't worry Bubbles, I'm here to rescue you."

Oh thank the gods for this man.

"Gaius just open the damned door. Now."

Lon'qu is here too?

The prison door flew open, the sound of scraping metal echoing throughout the building.

Gaius and Lon'qu burst into the room, only to stop as quickly as they entered.

"Gods what did they do to you Bubbles?" Gaius whispered, the color draining from his face.

"N-now is not t-the time," Robin croaked out. "Get m-me down. We n-need to leave."

Gaius nodded and set to work on the shackles with Lon'qu standing by to break Robin's fall.

After what felt like an eternity, Robin fell from the ceiling with a pained grunt into the waiting arms of Lon'qu.

"We need to get you to a healer," worry seeping into Lon'qu's usually stern tone.

"What-" Robin began before being interrupted by a coughing fit.

Lon'qu reached around to his back to fetch his water skin, promptly passing it to the injured man. Robin greedily gulped it down, the scratchy feeling in his throat quickly dissipating. He poured the rest of it over his head and ran his hands through his snow white hair.

"Alright. What happened?"

Gaius and Lon'qu shared a desperate look, afraid of how to answer.

Silence. The piercing despair of silence was suffocating.

"Guys seriously what-"

"Like you said, we need to leave. Cordelia, Sumia and Cynthia are outside," Lon'qu interrupted hastily.

"Tell me what's going on. Now."

I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's going-

Robin's frantic thoughts were cut short by the sound of footsteps coming from the opposite direction Lon'qu and Gaius came from.

Gaius and Lon'qu shared another look before Gaius darted out of the room to guard their escape. Lon'qu moved to support Robin's weight as he lead both of them out of the prison room. There wasn't much Robin could do to help anyway, he was essentially dead weight.

Gods know the last time I've stood on my own two feet.

Lon'qu turned his head towards Robin as they walked, sadness evident in his gaze.

Robin's eyes widened when he got a good look of the man.

Is that dried blood on his face...?

Robin whipped his head towards Gaius, noticing his severe limp and the bandage wrapped around his head.

Seeing his frantic eyes Lon'qu spoke up.

"We'll tell you when we get to the others. It's not safe here," Robin turned his head back towards him and nodded.

"Right."

Close to an hour later the group finally made it out of the prison, which had actually turned out to be an abandoned fort. The walls of the fort were at least fifteen feet tall, and sentry towers were located in each of the four corners. It hadn't been used in a while as the walls were falling apart in numerous locations.

The Pegasus knights were waiting for them not too far from the exit, standing next to a grove of trees that stood out like a sore thumb on the plains that surrounded them. All three were huddled up next to their Pegasi in vain attempts to stave off the cold of the night.

The three snapped their heads in attention upon hearing the men's heavy footfalls.

"Oh thank Naga!"

"Robin!"

"Oh Robin!"

Cordelia, Cynthia and Sumia made a beeline right towards Robin, shouting his name in borderline hysterics.

Despite the somber mood, Robin had to bite back a chuckle when Lon'qu scooted away as the trio of women rushed towards them.

"Oh gods Robin! When we couldn't find you at camp we thought the worst!" Cynthia gushed, getting ready to tackle him with a bear hug before all three stopped abruptly.

A brief silence interrupted their reunion as the three women inspected their ailing tactician.

Cordelia was the first to react, barking orders at the young falcon knight to get her healing staff and some vulnerary.

"Oh gods...what did they do to you Robin?" Sumia whispered, tears welling in her big brown eyes.

With adequate lighting from the moon, Robin was finally able to make out the actual damage on his tattered chest.

He gasped.

The cuts were much worse than he originally imagined, and there were dozens of them. They were all wide, most likely five inches in length while looking like an inch deep. In some places his skin seemed to have been flayed from his flesh and in other places there were burn marks from a branding tool. Naga knows how bad his back was.

Thank the gods for adrenaline. No wonder I feel so weak. They must have really done a number on me while I was out.

Cynthia scampered back to them after a few moments, much to Robin's delight. His pain was really beginning to really set in.

Now many people are under the impression that healing magic is quick and painless. Got stabbed? No worries, this little staff here will fix you right up no problem.

Gods how wrong they were. Contrary to popular believe, it hurts like hell to have your flesh, muscle, and skin reform in the time span of a minute.

Robin felt his knees start to buckle as the pain set in, desperately attempting to stay conscience. Fortunately both Cordelia and Lon'qu were there to hold him up as he began to lean dangerously forwards.

A few agonizing moments later the pain began to subside as Cynthia finished up. She was still a novice with healing magic, but mediocre healing was better than no healing. All that was left of his injuries were some gruesome scars and a lot of soreness. Nothing new to the veteran of war.

"Thank you Cynthia, you're getting better every day" Robin muttered, trying his best to sound sincere as he mustered up a weak smile.

Cynthia looked down at her feet, nodding dumbly as she responded with a soft "You're welcome."

Robin pulled himself away from Lon'qu and Cordelia, trying his best to stand up straight while keeping his face neutral.

They can't see any fear or weakness. They need me right now. They need their Grandmaster Tactician.

"Ok enough is enough," Robin met each of their eyes with a stern glare. "Tell me what's going on."

They kept silent. All five Shepherds tried their best to avoid Robin's gaze as their eyes darted around like flies. The only sound that could be heard among the group was the chirping of crickets and the soft sound of wind blowing through the trees.

Finally deciding to break the painful silence, Lon'qu cleared his throat.

"We were attacked three nights ago. Plegian assassins."

Robin froze.

Assassins? Plegia!?

Robin swiveled to look at the other four for confirmation, finding a very different group than a few moments ago.

Gaius kept his head down, his hands white-knuckling the hilt of his daggers as he furiously chewed on some of his candy.

Cordelia was staring intently at the clasped hands in front of her, her lower lip trembling.

Sumia had wrapped her arm around Cynthia's trembling shoulders, effectively bringing her daughter into a tight embrace, both doing their best not to sob out loud.

Oh no, no, no...

"They came in the dead of night. Our sentries were incapacitated, and several Shepherds were seriously injured," Lon'qu sighed and looked down shutting his eyes.

Gaius interjected as he noticed Lon'qu's discomfort.

"From what we understand they were after you... and Chrom."

Chrom!?

Robin turned his frightened gaze back to Sumia and Cynthia, dreading that it'd answer his unspoken question. And it did.

The queen and princess were both crying their eyes out, not attempting to mask it anymore. Cordelia had reached over and brought them both into a tight hug trying to comfort them as best she could as she stroked their hair.

Robin looked over to Lon'Qu, his face had its usual stern look yet his eyes bore a great sadness as he looked out across the plains.

He looked back to Gaius as his own tears began to fall.

"Chrom...Chrom didn't..." Gauis stopped, choking down a sob. "He didn't make it..."

"No...no, no, no..." Robin's expression broke. With blurry vision he fell to his knees, desperately clawing at the ground in front of him.

Robin's brother was dead. His brother in all but blood. Gone

Sumia's strong caring husband. Lucina and Cynthia's beloved father. The Captain of the legendary Shepherds. Dead.

Robin was brought into this world with nothing. No memories. No loved ones. No friends. Nothing. Nothing but the coat on his back and a sword and tome at his side.

But that didn't matter to Chrom and Lissa. Even if Robin was a sketchy amnesiac, they just didn't care. Chrom loved all of his friends for who they were, not for what they had once been. He had believed in second chances above all else. While sometimes his seemingly incautious nature bothered Robin, he sure as hell respected the man for it.

Robin could distinctively remember what Chrom said when he finally confronted the lord about it.

"Peace, Robin. I have heard your counsel, and I know you mean well. But as I said, this is who I am. I can't change that, nor would I want to."

If Robin was the genius behind the Shepherds, Chrom was definitely the heart and soul. The prince was the support beam that kept everyone standing, keeping them striving for a better tomorrow.

And now he was gone. Never to see peace brought to the world. Never to see the seeds he planted grow. Never to see the peace he worked so damn hard for spread across the world. He'd never get to spend the rest of his life with his wife. Chrom wouldn't get to see Lucina grow into the strong women she would no doubt become. He'd never father his "pega pony princess."

Robin stifled a sob.

I failed them all once again.

With tears in his eyes, Robin looked to the clouds above. With a soft whisper that was lost in the wind, he apologized to his dead brother, giving him a solemn oath. An oath that Robin would bring Chrom justice and do him proud. An oath to Chrom that this wouldn't be "game over."

Miles Away in Plegia

"Hehehehe" A malicious laugh broke through the Plegian throne room.

Validar strode up to the hooded figure and chuckled.

"Yes milord. The assassins were successful. They captured Robin and killed that Ylissean brat."

"Yes...and once he kills Walhart he will be ready for me. Not much longer now before he comes to us, a sheep to the slaughter."

Grima was no fool. Robin didn't need that idiotic Chrom to stop Walhart. Robin was a god after all, whether he accepted it or not.

In Grima's eyes there were no positives to leaving Chrom alive. The bloodline of Naga has been a thorn in his side since the very beginning, and Robin's bonds to Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds were a lot stronger in this timeline. Too strong for his liking. Grima wasn't going to take the chance of Chrom surviving Dragon's Table. No, he wasn't going to take any chances.

Robin should be thanking him anyways, he was doing him a huge favor. This would only make Robin that much stronger in the end.

Hell, he's lucky he didn't decide to kill the rest of the Shepherds and those puny time travelers.

Those time traveling whelps didn't concern Grima that much anyway. They'd perish just like their parents. He killed the Shepherds once, no doubt he could do it again.

Oh I'm going to relish watching the hope drain from Lucina's eyes as I murder the last of her loved ones and burn this world to the ground... Grima thought as he licked his lips, It'll be even sweeter when she realizes her kindhearted Robin will be her doom. The destruction of this world will be oh so delicious.

Validar nodded, but he was still curious about something.

"But milord, for what purpose did we capture Robin?"

The second those words left Validar's mouth he regretted it. The room grew colder as the malevolent god narrowed his eyes at Validar.

"You dare question me?" Grima bellowed.

Validar shakily backed away, not daring to elicit his lord's rage.

"No milord! Never!"

"Hmph. I didn't think so coward. If you must know, it's my way of conditioning the vessel. These hardships will only make his puny body stronger. Yes...and with that pathetic Chrom out of the picture there will be no more 'two halves of the same whole.'''

Grima stopped to cackle like a mad man.

"Come to think of it, I should have killed that wretched bitch Lissa as well."

Grima continued to laugh as he met Validar's gaze, his lifeless purple eyes burning into Validar's, a hideous grin stretching across his ashen face. Validar couldn't help but shiver at Grima's glare. Even the torches couldn't withstand Grima's demonic state as they all but withered out.

"Soon I will be all that he has left!"

Grima's mad laughter echoed throughout the Plegian castle.