Chapter 18, This Moment

"L-Link," Robin slowly repeated, playing with the name on her tongue.

She loved it.

To be fair, the Guardian's name could've been "Bob" and she'd still be enamored with it; because it was the Guardian's … no, Link's name.

"Sorry for bothering you like this," Guar—Link apologized. "I'll find a different spring to—"

"STAY!" Robin's mouth blurted before her brain had a chance to filter it. Was her face red? It felt red. No, by this point she'd consider herself lucky if her whole head didn't burst.

"You … want me to stay?" Link asked.

Did she? By the Divine Dragon did she ever. Still, there was no telling what her mouth might accidentally blurt out, so she settled for a shy nod.

Link considered her proposition. It was fascinating, seeing his face so expressive! "You know, this is usually the part where the lady starts hurling whatever she can get her hands on at the unfortunate guy. Stuff like buckets, bars of soap … spells, so thanks for averting that trope."

Had it been anyone else who'd walked through that door, Robin's would've certainly considered it.

"Well, pardon the intrusion," Link said as he casually approached.

Robin was drinking in the sight like she was dying of thirst: the way his muscles flexed as he moved, the coy smile on his striking face as he caught her staring. By the moon and stars, the only thing he was wearing was a towel! They'd always respected one another's privacy when they traveled together, so this was the most skin she'd ever seen! Praise the hot springs!

… oh wait, wasn't she naked too?

OH DEAR SWEET NAGA, SHE WAS NAKED TOO!

Robin hastily lowered herself into the milky spring until only the upper-half of her head remained above water, breathing through her enlarged nostrils. She hoped and prayed the waters were opaque enough to hide the important bits, otherwise she was drowning herself here and now.

Link slipped into the hot spring, moaning in satisfaction as the heated water caressed his body. Oh holy goddess, that sound. Was he trying to drive her crazy?! As he sat down and the waters reaching his neck, he unwrapped his towel and placed it around his neck.

Curses! The opaque waters prevented her from seeing anything! Damn you, hot spring!

But the more she stared—*cough*—OBSERVED, the more she realized something was different, and it wasn't just Link's missing mask. Because of his (damnable) Keaton Mask, Robin relied on reading his body language to decipher his emotions and mood, and after years of practice she was proud to say she was very good at it. The past few years, Link was a tense coil of concern, aggravation, and nigh-uncontrollable despair. Although it hurt to see her friend suffering from so much for so long, there was infuriatingly little she could do when he held everyone at lance's length.

Now, however, it was like he'd been freed from a horrible burden.

No, it was more; it went deeper. He wasn't just relaxed. There was this subtle but newfound … confidence to him, as if he finally was at peace, felt at home, in his own skin.

After splashing a bit of heated water on his face and combing his hair back (hnnnng, that was such a good look for him!) Link asked, "Are you okay, sitting all the way over there?"

What did he mean? Then Robin checked, and saw she'd been unconsciously backpedaling until she'd cornered herself at the opposite end of the hot spring.

"I-It's fine! I d-don't want you to feel uncomfortable!" Robin stammered.

"I'd actually like it if you were closer."

If Robin's heart had been hammering like thunder before, it moved onto casting Thorons.

"Is that okay?" Link asked.

Robin was too thunderstruck to respond.

With a teasing grin, Link slowly waded towards her. Merciful Naga! The closer he got, the harder her internal storm raged. By the time he was face-to-face with her, Robin swore her heart was going to explode.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently, reaching forward to brush away a wet strand of hair from her face. His fingers felt like fire against her skin.

Robin nodded hard enough to make waves.

"Good. I don't want to make you uncomfortable either."

Then his left hand sunk beneath the warm water, reaching for … oh NAGA! What exactly was he planning on grabbing?! Her mind was already hurling dirty images at the forefront of her mind, vulgarities birthed by years of indulging in physically romantic literature. Where exactly was this night going to lead them?! Would they completely lose themselves to the throes of passion and—?

Link's hand wrapped around Robin's right wrist and pulled it to the surface. She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed. Her rampant imagination settled somewhat as she saw him guiltily studying her new scars.

Mjölnir was a tome she'd yet to fully master, but against Ashera's knight she used 120% of it power; this was price she paid. After she cast her final storm of lightning with the Holy Weapon in the Tower of Guidance, her right arm had been reduced to a charred and smoking husk, beyond the aid of conventional healing: the skin was entirely burnt away, her muscles crumbling into ash, and her bones literally nothing more than charcoal. She only had herself to blame, as the constant magical backlashes were the result of her immature control and lacking proficiency with Crusader Thrud's almighty tome. Luckily, whatever benevolent entity that'd whisked them away from Ashera's domain also patched up her disintegrating limb, saving it from amputation.

Looking at her hand now, all five fingers were so heavily scarred they were a colorless white. The disfigured skin continued to reach downward, resembling lines of wild electricity, until ceasing around her elbow. This disfigurement was one no amount of healing could erase.

Despite nearly losing the limb entirely, the Mark of Grima remained intact on the back of her hand. Of all the things to survive, it had to be that.

Link steadily ran his fingers across Robin's marred arm, making her shudder. It just felt so … personal; she hoped he never let go.

"I'm sorry," Link said, eyes alight with remorse. This was the first time Robin was able to read his expressions without that accursed mask in the way, and she was soaking up every detail. "This would've never happened if I'd gotten my crap together sooner."

Robin cleared her throat, and prayed she didn't stammer. "No, it's my own fault. I was the one who suggested we investigate the Outrealm Gate. Had I not, we wouldn't have found ourselves in that situation."

Link grinned. "So, 50/50?"

"50/50," Robin happily agreed.

Never letting go of her hand, Link took a seat beside Robin. Their bare shoulders touched, his rounded with muscles while hers was far more slender. Robin's heart was starting to pick up steam again as she realized how close and exposed they were. If she simply reached out, there was no place she couldn't touch.

"I knew that smut would ruin you," Link chuckled, as if he'd read her mind.

"They're artful expressions of physical love," Robin hissed, although she knew her face was beat red.

"Speaking of love, I owe you an answer, don't I?"

Oh … oh! T-This was it! Calm down, Robin! Steady your rampant heartbeat! You're a tactician, so keep a level head and think this through! Based on their recent interactions, weren't the chances of Link outright rejecting her minimal? Then again, he was acting suspiciously casual despite their shared nudity. Could it be she lacked any form of sex appeal? While she wasn't the prettiest around she didn't believe she was that bad! Or perhaps Link only loved her as a sibling would? What if he didn't like women at all?! What if—?!

"I'd like to start by saying I'm not from Ylisse."

That … wasn't a confession, but was still information Robin hadn't known about her friend before. Not knowing whether she should be disappointed or relieved, she asked, "So you were born in Regna Ferox?"

"Nope."

"Plegia?"

"Thank Hylia, no."

Hylia? Robin would ask him later. "Were you born in Valm?"

"Farther."

Farther than Valm? Their two continents were the only parts of the world that had been mapped so far!

"Are you from the same land as Nowi?" Robin asked, recalling how the Manakete always went on about how her homeland was "waaaaay to the left."

Link grinned playfully. "Much farther."

Robin huffed! Was he fooling with her? Any farther and they'd drop off the edge of the world! It was as if he was trying to say he wasn't … from … this …

"You're from an Outrealm?"

"Getting warmer."

"Farther than an Outrealm?! How's that possible?"

"I'm from a different world entirely. Two different worlds, if you want to split hairs. Believe me, I'm barely wrapping my own head around this."

"Different … worlds …?" Robin repeated slowly, trying to grasp the concept. It all sounded so preposterous!

Link, noticing her confusion, did his best to explain. "It's called the multiverse. Countless different worlds, all containing stuff beyond your wildest imagination. There are worlds similar to our own, and worlds that're so different you'd never be able to recognize them."

"How sure are you?" Robin asked. She needed to rule out delusions induced by severe head trauma, because Ashera's knight did get some heavy hits in.

"Pretty sure. I've memories of living in a different world, and Naga confirmed this all as well."

Robin stared into Link's blue eyes. Despite seeing them for the first time in forever, they met hers while radiating sincerity. "You've met Naga?"

"So did you. Well, her hand at least. She was the one who saved us from the Tower of Guidance by squashing Ashera and bringing us here."

The memory clicked: a gargantuan fist punching through the walls of reality and flattening the Goddess of Order beneath its giant knuckles, reducing the Goddess Ashera to divine dust.

Turns out that hadn't been a figment of Robin's imagination.

"We were saved by the Divine Dragon," Robin gasped, oddly thrilled (and somewhat scared) to have the attention of Ylisse's patron goddess.

"Correction: we were saved by the Eternal Dragon," Link amended.

"Is that another one of her titles?"

"Nope. It's an entirely different Naga. Think of her as someone who shares the same name as Ylisse's patron dragon. Remember how I told you abut the multiverse?" Robin nodded. "Turns out ours is overseen by a super powerful Naga who watches over a lot of different worlds. As in, it's impossible to count how many. The Divine Dragon you and the rest of Ylisse know is an ant in comparison to the Eternal Dragon. Hell, not even an ant; a microbe."

Robin didn't know what that was, but imagined it was much smaller than an ant.

"So … you're not from this world … as in you weren't born on the same world as me," Robin analyzed.

"Exactly," Link said, proud she'd understood so quickly.

"Then how did you wind up here?"

"Bit of a story. So it turns out I was originally from a branch of the multiverse we'll call the Zelda-verse, but when I died my soul got lost on its way to its next life and wound up wandering universes."

Robin's heart clenched. "You died?"

Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. It wasn't intrusive, but comfortable, as she found herself leaning into his embrace. "Dead as a doornail, and my departed soul took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up on a planet called Earth."

"Your world was named after dirt?"

Link chuckled. "Yup, which is kind of funny since over half of it is covered in oceans, but I'm getting off track. Earth is far from peaceful, and filled with way too many assholes, but my life there was … great. My parents were nags, but I loved them all the same, and my friends were the best I could've ever asked for. I was born in a city called San Francisco, and lived there for all 16 years of my life … until I came here."

"How?" Robin asked, curious how one traversed this "multiverse." Could there be ships that sailed the stars, just as they had vessels that crossed the seas?

"Naga. Not the Divine Dragon, but the souped-up Eternal one. She explained all this to me earlier, but she does her best to protect her worlds from punks who're constantly trying to ruin them. Stuff like evil monarchs who want to raze continents, Demon Kings who hate all life, and—"

"—a Fell Dragon calling itself the God of Annihilation," Robin murmured, feeling a dreaded chill seep into her bones despite the hot spring's waters.

"Yeah, that too," Link admitted. "Some of these worlds prevail without her help, so she sends them a smile and moves on. Others need a poke here and there, so she grabs a stick and pokes. But for the really screwed ones? She needs a 'Champion' to act in her stead. Want to guess who she picked?"

"You," Robin gasped, staring at Link with fresh eyes. Across their travels, many praised and venerated him as the Chosen of Naga, acclaim he'd brush off with a disinterested wave of his hand. Yet it turned out those admirers were more right than they'd realized. "You're the Chosen of the Eternal Naga, her Champion."

Link scratched the tip of his nose awkwardly. "It makes it sound like a big deal when you say it like that."

Old insecurities were tearing their way up the pit she'd buried them in. For the longest time, Robin worried there were others more deserving of Link's affections. He was the Guardian of the Halidom, the Huntsman of Regna Ferox, the Silent Fiend of Plegia. Who was she in comparison? The child of a former noblewoman, who fled from her degenerate kingdom, and was raised in the wilds. Link could ask to wed a high noble, and dukes would throw their daughters at him for a chance to bind him to their houses. Even so, Robin availed herself by knowing there was no one on the continent who knew her friend better than herself.

Now she learned he was the Champion of Naga, sent here by a being greater than the Divine Dragon to save the world from ruin. And who was the greatest catalyst of such evil? Herself: Robin Nirvid, spawn of Validar of the Grimleal, and the Heart of Grima. A union between them wasn't just impossible; it was wrong.

Crushed, Robin slinked out of Link's arm.

"Robin?"

"If … if that's your answer …" Robin's lips were trembling, and she could feel the onset of tears fighting for release. "… I … I'll respect …"

Link grabbed her scarred hand, stopping her from escaping.

"Robin." She didn't dare move beneath his piercing gaze, "there's more you need to hear. A lot more."

What else could there be? He'd already told her it was impossible for the two of them to be together. She didn't want to hear anymore. She wanted to find a quiet place to curl into a ball and curse her wretched fate.

But neither Link's hand nor his eyes would let her go, and Robin felt too defeated to put up any sort of fight.

"What else could there possibly be?" Robin asked, trying not to sound as distraught as she actually felt.

"Enough to twist your smallclothes into knots."

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not wearing any," Robin tried to joke, but the hollow delivery rather ruined it.

Link humored her anyways with a brief laugh, holding both her hands beneath the heated spring water. She caught a flicker of hesitation on his face, causing his teeth to clench. Whatever he wished to say next wasn't a topic he was comfortable with.

"I need you to keep an open mind about what I'm going to tell you next," Link said, pushing past his misgivings.

An open mind? As a tactician, Robin was confident in claiming that was one of her strong points, so she nodded.

Link took a deep breath, then said, "On Earth, I liked to play games. Not the kind Nowi keeps trying to wrap us into. I'm talking about electronic games played for entertainment."

Robin stared at him blankly. She didn't understand half of what he'd said.

He tried again. "They're these disks or cartridges you plug into consoles, which loads up a game of your choice. Heck, you don't even need a console, you can play a lot on a PC—stands for personal computer—using a digital gaming distribution service. My friends and I actually put together some really great rigs which would last us a few gens."

Were they still speaking the same language? Words were coming out of Link's mouth, yet for some reason they weren't making any sort of sense.

Seeing he was getting nowhere, Link changed tactics. "Think of them like … books, each with a unique story for you to read."

Now they were getting somewhere.

"You've already told me you liked to read," Robin pointed out.

"They're not the same, but this'll do for now. I played a bunch of … er, read a bunch of books over the years, but there's one in particular you need to know about. It's called Fire Emblem Awakening and …" Link's hesitation cut off his words, but only for a moment, "… it stars Chrom, Prince of Ylisse, and his tactician Robin as they battle to save the world."

Her earlier chill was nothing compared to the yawning pit forming in her stomach.

"What … did you say …?"

"In it," Link soldiered on, "Chrom and Robin, along with the prince's militia he calls the Shepards, accomplish great things. They form an alliance with Regna Ferox. They defeat Plegia when the Mad King Gangrel declares war on Ylisse. When the neighboring continent of Valm tries to conquer the known world, the Shepards beat him back despite being outnumbered a 1,000-to-1. And when the Fell Dragon is revived by the Grimleal, the Shepards are there to either seal it away for another millennium or kill the bastard for good."

Robin … she didn't know what to say, what to think. If Link read this … this story while he was still living on Earth, that meant … he knew. He knew everything about her long before they'd ever met. Had he been using that knowledge to manipulate her? Tangling her limbs in a puppeteer's strings and making her dance to whatever sick tune he pleased?

How much of their time together was actually real?

"Robin."

She felt dizzy, the void in her mind leaving her lightheaded. She tried to breathe, yet no matter how many times she frantically inhaled she wasn't getting enough air.

"Robin!"

Her mouth was dry, and a sickening weakness was sapping the strength from her limbs, leaving them numb.

"ROBIN!"

Link's hand suddenly clamped over her mouth, and Robin panicked. What was he trying to do? She didn't know! She didn't know anything! So she lashed out wildly, causing the hot springs waters to churn as she punched his chest, clawed his arms, and bit his fingers.

He accepted it all, never flinching despite her aimless thrashing. He made no further move to subdue her either, always keeping one hand around her right wrist, and the other firmly over her mouth.

And it was doing … something. Her focus was returning as the numbness encroaching her body gradually fled.

"You're hyperventilating," Link explained as Robin's manic strength abandoned her. "It's this thing where you go all dizzy by breathing too much, too quickly. I watched clips online about using paper bags to help people who're freaking out, but since I didn't have one of those I thought I'd try making you breathe only through your nose. Don't know how well it works though."

I worked well enough, as Robin felt normality return, along with the feelings of betrayal.

"Robin, please calm down," Link whispered, "Let me explain."

Robin gave him a terse nod, and he released her. The first thing she did was back away several steps, needing space from the man she thought she knew.

"How much of it was real?" she demanded.

"How much of what?"

"Us! Our bond! Our friendship! How much of it was real, and how much of it was just you manipulating me?!"

"I never manipulated you," Link swore.

"Don't lie to me! You said so yourself! You know everything about me! You read some … some book about my entire life!" Despite the hurt and anger burning through her veins, Link had the gall to chuckle. "Is this funny to you?! Treating me like some … toy?!"

"No, it's funny how similar you and Morgan are," Link replied, stumping her. "You both leap to the worst possible conclusions using the bare minimum information. Yes, I did read about your adventures with Chrom and the Shepards, but I never knew everything. Far from it, because the Robin in the story suffers from amnesia."

Robin stilled. "A-Amnesia?"

"She, or he depending on the reader, doesn't remember a thing about their past. Beyond the book's prologue, the story starts with Chrom, along with his younger sister Lissa and loyal retainer Frederick, stumbling across a tactician lying in the middle of a field with no memories of their past. Their whole life is one big mystery, and the only thing they do learn—much later—is that they're the Vessel for the Fell Dragon, courtesy of Validar's monologuing."

"B-But … what about my mother?"

"That Robin doesn't remember Morgan. Throughout the entire story, we learn almost nothing about their past, save for the fact their 'unknown' mother stole them away from Plegia shortly after they were born."

Amnesia? How did that happen? An enemy curse? A careless blow to her head?

As Robin silently floundered for answers, Link continued. "Naga originally meant to drop me off right by your side, during your first encounter with the Shepards, but because of weird time shenanigans, perpetuated by some mysterious asshole, I ended up an entire decade before my designated drop point."

"Like Laurent," Robin murmured. "He meant to travel back to the eve of the Ylisse-Plegia war, but was off by three years."

"A solid comparison," Link agreed. "When I first realized I was in an entirely different world, I kind of freaked out. Would've been worse if Chelsea hadn't found me."

"Your first friend in Ylisse," Robin recalled.

Link smiled sadly. "The very same."

That small expression barely contained the entire berth of his emotions towards the woman Robin never met, and despite her anger she felt a stab of petty jealousy towards the person who could elicit such a look from him.

Why were emotions such messy things?

"She kept me grounded for as long as she could," Link said, briefly lost in memories of his past. "Robin, I never wanted to get involved in your 'story'. My plan back then was to find a quiet corner in Ylisse and wait out the storm, staying as far as possible from you and the rest of the Shepards."

"But you're Naga's Champion!" Robin protested. "You said the entire reason she brought you to this world was to save it!"

"Yeah, but I never got that memo. One day, I was living life on Earth. The next, I'm waking up in the middle of a field in Ylisse. No warning, no message from above, no nothing. I was lost. I didn't know what to do, and that only got worse when bandits killed Chelsea. After that, I spent a year existing as the Silent Fiend, before somehow bumping into you."

"You … you didn't plan that?"

"Hard to do when you're half-dead and unconscious. Remember the state I was in when you found us? Me and that Anna?" Robin did, and it was an honest miracle Link survived his grievous wounds. "I was seriously surprised when I woke up and saw you. I thought fate, or destiny, or whatever higher power out there was messing with me."

He was being truthful. His entire body screamed with honesty, and that was further compounded by the weight of his earnest gaze.

And then she remembered: the broken soul who longed for death, his tears hidden by the mask he chose to wear.

"I didn't realize it then, but I'm pretty sure your words saved me that night," Link said.

"My words?"

["I swear to you, it's going to be alright. Everything's going to be alright."]

Oh, those words. She barely recalled them herself. She just wanted to help the person in front of her at the time, and blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"We parted ways soon after, but I kept visiting you and Morgan again and again thanks to the Traced Levin Sword I gave you."

Robin's lips twitched. "And nearly drove mother mad all the while."

"I wasn't hanging out with you because you were some character I'd read about," Link said, slowly drawing closer, and Robin let him. "I did so because you were my friend."

"And you were mine," Robin quietly agreed, her darkened emotions bleeding away.

"I've made mistakes because of what I thought I knew," Link confessed. "Letting you hear the truth about your heritage from Morgan was one of those moments."

"I guess I reacted much better in the story?"

"Heard the truth straight from Validar's mouth, then went on to kill him and kick the Fell Dragon's scaly ass alongside the Shepards."

Darn, why did story-her have to be so heroic? Robin, on the other hand, nearly had a mental breakdown while fearing Link was going to try and kill her. Now she felt inadequate compared to … herself.

Hold on, the Fell Dragon?

"Are you saying I battled Grima alongside Prince Chrom?" Robin demanded. When Link nodded, she asked, "How? I'm the Fell Dragon. Or are you saying I slapped myself silly and let the Shepards run me through?"

"This actually ties into why I've been acting like a bit of a dumbass for the last three years." Link held out a hand, and Robin accepted it. She felt the rhythmic pulse of his fingers against her skin, and took solace in it. "My time with you has been some of the best in my life, and that's no exaggeration." Her heart rate rose a notch. "Even sneaking into Plegia, and all its close calls, was worth it to see you become the person you've chosen to be. But when we saw Laurent fall from that time portal, I remembered the original plot of Awakening, and what would happen in the near future."

"My amnesia."

"I freaked out, badly. Laurent actually caught the tail end of my little fit. You'd become an amazing person, and an irreplaceable friend, and I didn't want you to forget all the time we had together."

"You've been searching," Robin deduced. "Looking for a way to keep my mind safe."

Link nodded. "Like a headless chicken. I didn't know what exactly I was looking for, but was wishing for there to be something."

Robin squeezed his hand; not out of anger, but concern. "Why not tell me?"

"Fear? Stupidity? Feel free to take your pick," Link said solemnly. "Maybe I didn't want to condemn you with knowledge we might not be able to change? Maybe I was a selfish bastard who thought he could handle everything on his own? Or maybe I was trying to distance myself from you, to prepare for … to lessen the pain of the inevitable. I don't have any answers, only excuses." His head tipped in self-loathing. "I'm sorry, Robin. You deserved to know so much sooner."

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

"After our trip to see the Outrealm Gate, and before you, Nowi, and Laurent left to join the Shepards."

Robin steadied her erratic breathing. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't furious with Link for keeping this to himself, but she didn't want to be angry with him. Yes, he could've gone about this much more intelligently, but what's done was done. It was time to focus on what they could do now.

"Why do I end up losing my memories?" she asked.

"Grima," Link growled, spitting out the name like it was the most vile of curses. "Laurent and his pals weren't the only ones who traveled through time. A future version of Grima discovered what they were up to, and pursued them through Naga's portal. The self-proclaimed god will arrive weakened, but still manages to track down your past self and try and possess you, the Vessel of this timeline. It doesn't work. While you're the Heart of Grima, you're not strong enough to retain the revived Fell Dragon's full consciousness, and the possession fails. However, as a side-effect, your memories are wiped clean. The only thing you do remember is your name, and your tactical know-how."

Panic was running wild in Robin's breast, but she was fighting it down with a cold and calculative calm. Fear was counter productive at this point. Right now, she needed a plan.

"Do you know when this future Grima will arrive?" Robin asked.

"Best guess: no more than a month, but possibly less," Link replied.

That wasn't a lot of time, at all. While she was proficient in the ways of magic, her knowledge of the dark arts was severely lacking. Before that, was it even possible for mortal means to stave off a possession attempt from the Wings of Despair? Link did say Grima would arrive weakened, but the power it wielded would still be considerable.

"It's alright."

Her runaway thoughts were interrupted by Link's steady assurance. He brought her scarred hand up to his bare chest, where she felt the steady beat of his heart.

"It'll be alright, Robin," Link said again. "I found a way. A way to protect you from Grima."

Robin didn't know how many more circles her mood could swing in! "H-How?"

"When I met with the Eternal Dragon, she didn't just fill me in about the multiverse and what part she hoped I'd play in it. I asked her if there was a way to protect you from the body-snatching lizard, and she showed me how."

Robin almost didn't believe her ears. Link had basically asked for a wish from a near-omnipotent entity. There were hundreds of thousands of people who would've exploited such generosity on a million different thing, yet Link … he used his for her?

"Why …?" Her voice was meek, hesitant. "You could've asked for anything …"

"Probably," Link agreed.

"… and you used it for me … why?"

To this, Link smiled beatifically, a sight that blasted away every errant thought lingering in Robin's mind. He leaned towards her, his lips brushing her ear and sending shivers down her spine.

With a whisper she'd never forget for the rest of her life, he said:

"Because I love you."

Those four words flowed into her ears, traveled through her bones, and shot into her heart harder than pure adrenaline. Her pulse raced, temperature spiked, and any wayward doubts and worries were purged. All that was left was an emotion so strong she felt as though she could fly.

Though she might've flown too fast, because her face wound up slamming into Link's.

They gawked at one another, with Robin clasping her bruised nose.

She, in a moment of blind passion, tried to kiss him … and head-butted Link instead.

Love? Was this love? No, Robin was 1,000,000% positive this was embarrassment powerful enough to conjure waves from the Beyond and wash her over the edge of the world. It was only compounded as Link laughed freely, making Robin wish the moon would fall on top of her instead.

"Hey." Link's calloused hand cupped her cheek, feeling like static against her skin. "I think someone was a bit too eager."

Robin couldn't meet his gaze, still waiting for a convenient apocalypse to swoop in and erase her shame. Suddenly, turning herself over to Validar and becoming the Fell Dragon didn't seem like such a bad idea.

That was until Link's lips gently brushed against her own.

Her head blanked, along with her embarrassment.

She tentatively reciprocated, her hesitant lips returning the soft kiss. She tasted Link on her tongue, and found herself wanting more.

Before she knew it, her arms were around his neck and her legs snaked around his waist, all while she savored him like she needed him to survive. Their hands wandered freely, and Robin wished she had another set so she could experience every inch of her beloved all at once. The heat of their entwined bodies was so pronounced the hot spring's waters felt cold around them.

Here and now, she forgot about Grima.

About the future.

About everything beyond the walls of this Outrealm.

Wrapped in the person who'd changed her life, changed her world, the man she feared she might never be more than just friends with, she was complete.

For Robin, there was only this moment.

~

Nowi hummed merrily as she moseyed through the Bathrealm, following her nose to find Robin. This place was amazing! The baths were awesome, and the smooth cobble roads were so comfy beneath her bare feet! And these clothes the nice Anna gave her! What were they called again? Right, yukatas! They were super fun to wear!

But everything was better when shared with friends! That's why Nowi was looking for everyone else! Sparky! Robin! Mr. Big Words! There was more than enough room in each of these "hot springs" for all of them to fit in! So why separate them when they could be having a pool party instead?

Pool party!

Nowi's nose lead her to one of the many fenced off hot springs. Robin's scent was really strong here! There was no one else with that unique smell of musky books, wet ink, tingly magic, and (oddly enough) dragon blood. So she merrily skipped into the changing room and found the sliding door to the bathing area.

Hmm? What was that noise?

"… L-Link! Link … Oh, Link …!" she heard Robin moaning.

Link? Who was Link? What a funny name! Nowi sniffed, and the scent hit her like a donkey kick to the nose. It was Sparky! There was no one else who had such a wide collection of scents! He smelled like the open skies, red-hot steel, the heart of a forest, an endless ocean, pure dragon essence, a primal wolf, a century-old battlefield, and so much more! It's why Nowi always told the others that Sparky smelled weird. Heck, if she didn't know any better, she would've thought Sparky was a fellow Manakete who'd been around for tens of thousands of years!

Nowi pressed one of her pointed ears against the door, and heard the rhythmic sound of bodies … slapping each other? Not to mention all that heavy panting … could it be …?

They were having fun playing their own game, and didn't invite Nowi! That was super-duper rude! Well she was here now, and ready to rumble and tumble!

So she eagerly yanked the sliding door open—

—and closed it just as fast.

Oh my … oh MY! Did Nowi just see what she thought she saw? Best to double check.

Holding her breath and going into stealth mode, Nowi slid the door open a smidgen and took another peek.

Oh, those two were definitely playing a game; an adult game.

Nowi knew better than to interrupt her two bestest friends when they were having so much fun with each other, so she quietly closed the door and tiptoed her way out.

~

Laurent sighed in blissful satisfaction as he toweled his hair to rid it of lingering moisture. An opportunity to unburden himself was precisely what the priest prescribed. The Outrealm Gate truly was a marvel wrapped in an enigma. To think it could connect to remote pocket realms untethered to their own! These Outrealms were a miraculous phenomenon he so direly wished they'd encountered sooner. To think it was capable of crossing the eras, much like the Divine Dragon's ritual on Mount Prism.

Their accidental arrival in another time nearly sent Laurent into cardiac arrest, especially when they were confronted by a divine entity hostile to humankind. Laurent's recollection ended the instant the antagonistic deity smote them with her almighty commandment. He recalled the dread he experienced in that moment, the fear that the candle of his life would be extinguished before reuniting with his temporally displaced companions.

Mercifully, his concerns were for naught as he awoke in this restful Outrealm. From the scant scraps of information he collected, his Teacher achieved the impossible and absconded with them to safety. He'd always known his Teacher was strong in his prime, yet the man continued to defy whatever expectations Laurent set. It made him wonder how such an exceptional warrior and magician could have been crippled by the likes of the detestable Grimleal.

An application of treachery, no doubt. Laurent so dearly wished his Teacher had been more forthcoming with the events of his past, as preventing his impairment was one of the main priorities Laurent and his fellow time travelers set for themselves.

Speaking of his Teacher, Laurent was hoping to convince his younger counterpart to accompany them to Ylisstol to join the Shepards, as defending his Teacher from the maneuverings of their adversaries would be exponentially more problematic should they part ways. He didn't know why Teacher was so withdrawn these prior years, but was sure an amicable discussion between two adults would shed light to such secrets. As his Teacher one said, "It's astonishing how much you can learn about people when you sit down and talk to them."

Now if only his Teacher would follow his own sage advice.

He procured the whereabouts of his Teacher from the Anna responsible for the maintenance of this splendid Outrealm and was on his way. He also wished to inquire about the events that took place within the Tower of Guidance after he was subdued, as his curiosity was begging for satiation.

Yet upon arriving at his destination, Laurent was met by a most curious sight: Nah's mother, Nowi, in her complete dragon form, curled in front of the hot spring's quarters for exchanging garments, blocking any and all access with her considerable bulk. Goodness, the Manakete was nearly as large as the building itself.

The Manakete's large nostrils flared as she detected his scent upon approach, and one of her serpentine eyes swiveled in his direction. "Hey, Mr. Big Words."

"Salutations, Nowi." He'd long abandoned all hopes of changing that accursed moniker. "I am here to speak with the Guardian. Is he inside?"

A tremble made the shape-shifter's scales ripple. "N-N-Nope! He's n-not here! I've no idea where Sparky is, b-but he's definitely not inside! Nope! No siree! I think I saw him … uh, jogging to a different Outrealm! Yeah! Totally!"

A thousand years old she might be, but a skilled fabricator of falsehoods she was not. "May I be allowed inside?"

"Y-You can't! Sparky's busy!"

"I need but only an hour of his time."

"T-That's too much! Come back tomorrow!"

Laurent raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Surely you're not insinuating the Guardian will be bathing until morn."

"Nope! He's having fun! Playing a game!"

"A mere frivolity? The topic I seek to discuss with him is of greater importance, I assure you."

"N-No it isn't!"

"Nowi, please be reasonable. I—"

"I know!" The Manakete pushed herself onto all fours, making the street tremble. "We should play a game too! Not the game Sparky's playing"—Nah's mother amended for whatever reason—"but a regular game!"

Laurent withheld a suffering sigh as he readjusted his eyewear. "You are well aware I've little patience for your trifling pastimes."

"Aw, are you bored of Duck Duck Dragon? It's okay!" Nowi exclaimed with a diabolical gleam in her dragonic eyes. "We're going to play Run Run Laurent!"

Oh dear.

"A-And what, perchance, are the guidelines of said activity?" Laurent hesitantly inquired.

"It's simple!" Dragon fire was spilling from between the Manakete's jagged teeth. "You run away as I try to set you on fire!"

"N-Now see here!" Laurent sputtered, already formulating a tactical retreat. "There are hardly any significant differentiating factors between this and Duck Duck Dragon!"

"Of course there are! Instead of giving you a head start as I count to a million, we start playing right NOW!"

Laurent forced himself to remain level-headed. Regardless of the Manakete's lethal exuberance, his Teacher's Red Ring would ensure the dragon's disastrous flames were no more effective against his person than a warm summer breeze.

But upon reaching for his thumb, Laurent realized the defensive artifact was conspicuously absent.

He'd taken it off, along with his standard Ylissean uniform for mages, when the proprietor of the Outrealm offered him a comfortable Chon'sin garment to change into.

Suddenly faced with his fleeting mortality, Laurent most certainly did not scream as he dived aside from a jet of white-hot flames that would've surely placed him in a critical condition, nor did he curse the miscreant dragon with every adjective in his considerable vocabulary as she pursued him with fangs and claws.

Such desperate actions were beneath one such as him, no matter whomever claimed otherwise.

~

"Ah, wonderful, wonderful blackmail material," Anna sighed contently as she snapped dozens upon dozens of photos of Laurent fleeing for his life from the energetic dragon. This camera was such a marvelous invention! She was definitely getting her sister who traversed the multiverse for fun something nice in return, so long as it cost 10 gold or less!

The Eternal Dragon might've given these four VIPs a free stay (without consulting her!), but Anna had a business to run! You can't blame a working girl for trying to earn a little extra!

~

The past hour was a sweaty blur of kissing, fondling, and sex. It was awkward, hilarious, and wonderful all at once. Somehow, we wound up in a building resembling a traditional Japanese inn, with tatami rooms, futon beds, and everything else you'd expect.

We were sprawled atop a messy futon, my arms around Robin's slender waist while she rest against my chest, relishing the heat of her naked body pressed against my own. The moonlight streaming through the open window was downright scenic, and when it draped across Robin she was radiant. Her steady breathing tickled my heated skin, and I couldn't resist running one hand through her damp white hair. I loved holding her close like this, keeping the woman who held my heart snugly in my arms.

"We're going to need another bath," Robin mumbled, her fingers tracing the lines of my abdomen.

"It can wait," I murmured, running my other palm up and down her sweat-lined back. "So how'd the real thing measure up to your smut?"

She pinched my side. "Artistic displays of physical love … and there's no comparing the two."

"Oof, was I that bad?" I teased.

"Shut up, don't make me say it."

"But I want to hear it," I purred in her ear, making her shudder. "Aren't you a tactician? Where's your after-action report? I need to know what I can improve on for next time."

Robin's cheek heated up against me. "N-Next time?"

"Of course. Practice makes perfect, you know."

Robin crawled up my body, resting her head in the crook of my neck. "You were fantastic, alright? I just don't get how the characters in my books can do this for hours on end. I thought I was going to throw my back out after the first hour. Am I out of shape?"

"Unrealistic smut? The gall! We should summon Naga down from the Inbetween and have her correct this blasphemy."

She slapped my right pectoral. "Don't you dare. Know you, she might actually show up. The last thing I need is a deity knowing my guilty pleasure."

I snorted. "You take no guilt in that particular pleasure."

"Hey, Naga doesn't know that … probably."

"100 gold says some version of her is peeping on us right now, that filthy voyeur."

Robin sat up, straddling my waist as she glared down at me. "You want that report? Fine. Your accuracy needs work. I nearly screamed when you almost stuck it in my … my …"

I grinned cheekily. "In my defense, it was lower than I thought it'd be. Besides"—I sat up, holding Robin close as I nibbled on her ear—"your butt's adorable."

Her blush went atomic, and it was a sight I could live off for the rest of my life.

My lips continued along her neck before tracing the outline of her jaw, each peck earning me a soft moan from my lover. Finally, I found my way to her lips, and was lost in her flavor. I didn't want to pull away, I wanted to live in this handful of seconds—this moment—for the rest of time.

But I broke away, laughing lightly at Robin's reluctant whine, to stare into her eyes and whisper, "I love you."

Her smile was the epitome of all that was beautiful. "I love you too."

I don't remember how our night ended, but we spent it in each other's arms.

~Current Stats~

NAME: Link

AGE: 26

CLASS: Hero of the Emblem

LEVEL: 1

EXP: 0 / 100

HIT POINTS: 68 / 68

STRENGTH:36

MAGIC: 31

SKILL: 33

SPEED: 34

LUCK: 0

DEFENSE: 33

RESISTANCE: 31

~Current Skills~

PERSONAL SKILL 1: Projection, Trace Version

PERSONAL SKILL 2: Inventory of the Wild Hero

PERSONAL SKILL 3: Triforce of Courage

SKILL 1: Too Angry To Die!

SKILL 2: Reinforcement

SKILL 3: Poison Immunity

SKILL 4: Spin Attack

SKILL 5: N/A

~Fire Emblem~

LOCKED

~Support~

Robin: S Rank Achieved!