Chapter Text
Pain. Agony. Screaming.
He was lying on a beach, feeling the tide on his back and the sun on his face.
He was fighting with his allies against an unknown enemy, feeling a pain in his chest as the shadow of a man fighting beside him was struck down by an axe.
He was staring at a blue-haired man, laughing sadistically as he plunged his magic into the other. It impaled the man as he staggered backward, looking back at him with a face full of disbelief and betrayal.
He was a dragon, decimating everything with his destructive breath.
He was leaping through a huge portal that seemed to split open the sky.
He was gone.
~~~~~
How did I land myself into this situation? Robin wondered as he was being escorted by soldiers into a mysterious castle that he'd never seen before. Well, that wasn't exactly a brag. Now that he thought about it, he didn't recall the names of any castles he'd seen before. The soldiers were wearing dark armor that absorbed every speck of light that came from the lanterns around the castle. They had him by his arms as their footsteps echoed down the dark corridors.
"I-"
"Silence." one of the soldiers immediately queshed his attempt to speak.
It wouldn't be the first time that he wondered whether he was in hell since he ended up in this situation. He woke up to the sounds of soldiers shouting at him, and after questioning him and figuring out that he wasn't from this kingdom called Nohr, they grabbed him by the arms and were escorting him to who-knows-where. He wasn't sure he wanted to find out, especially after ascerning the dark design and mood of the castle. The whole place seemed like a dungeon.
He wished he had some sort of weapon to defend himself, Now that he thought about this, also, he realized that he didn't even know what kind of weapon he was proficient in.
"We'll get one of the princes to interrogate you, then they'll decide what to do with you," one of the soldiers told him as he threw him into a cell that he didn't even realize was there, due to the black walls all looking the same, until the soldier had already locked the door.
"Wait," Robin called, "Can you at least tell me where I am and why I'm getting imprisoned?"
The soldier didn't respond as he left the room, his footsteps' echos growing fainter and fainter.
Well, Robin thought, I don't even have any memories and I'm already dying. Great. Guess I'll never get them back. He doubted any prince of such a dark kingdom that interrogated and arrested random unconscious people off the streets would be, well, kind, to say the least. He was surprised.
"Hey," said who he assumed was the prince, who was leaning on the wall of the cell. He was wearing shiny gray armor with a blue cape, which was a nice change from all the dark the soldiers were wearing. "You don't seem like you're from here. Might I inquire your name and story?"
What am I supposed to say? 'My name is Robin, and I don't have one because I don't remember anything. Besides my name, that is.' Right, like that's believable. Robin knew that he would be in trouble if the prince thought he was lying, but he didn't know nearly enough about this world to fabricate a story up on the spot. He decided not to try his chances. "The only thing I remember is my name, which is Robin. I know you're going to think I'm lying, because this is really suspicious, I know, but I really don't remember anything. I just woke up on the ground being interrogated by soldiers and then they arrested me and shut me here." As expected, the prince looked skeptical. "You don't remember a single thing of your past?"
"Not one."
The prince sighed. "I want to believe you, you know, but it's just so, well, unbelievable." Talking more to himself, he said, "I should get Leo, he'd know what to do." Upon seeing Robin's worried face, he added "Don't worry. Leo's not the type to kill prisoners. He's another prince of Nohr."
"There's multiple princes of Nohr?"
"All of the descendents of our father, the king, are princes and princesses of Nohr. Is that odd to you? Perhaps wherever you came did it differently." the prince gave Robin a questioning look. "My name is Corrin."
"Maybe," Robin then decided to ask the question he'd previously asked the soldier who arrested him - where was he?
"You're in the Nohrian castle. Well, one of them, anyway." Upon seeing Robin's confused look, he elaborated, "You're in the kingdom of Nohr, and the reason for your arrest was that commoners aren't allowed on castle grounds. You seem to have a case of, well, amnesia, but we still have to find out how you got in here. There's guards all around the border, so no one should have been able to slip in." He seemed to be contemplating something before leaving the cell and shutting the door behind him.
As Corrin left, Robin sighed. Well, at least he hadn't immediately ordered his execution on account of him being, well, a stranger. A stranger who had somehow ended up inside castle walls, which happened to be a forbidden place for commoners like him. He wondered if he was usually this lucky.
~~~~~
"So, you somehow ended up inside castle grounds unconscious, and you don't remember anything from before you woke up. Interesting. Unbelievable, but interesting that you would tell such a white lie."
The new person in front of him, who Robin assumed was Leo, looked a little older than the prince and wore black armor with a few gold plates throughout the arms and chest. He stared at Robin with an unreadable look on his face.
Robin sighed. "I can't make you believe me. So, what are you going to do with me?"
Leo considered him. "You weren't carrying any weapons, so your only crime is trespassing, which you don't remember doing. Someone might have been thinking of invading the castle borders, and used you to test their methods, or you yourself might have been their weapon. You'll be kept here until we investigate further into the matter."
"Wait, brother. If I may request…"
Both Leo and Robin turned to look at Corrin. Leo raised an eyebrow, beckoning him to continue.
"Let me keep him. I'll take him in as a retainer."
Leo looked shocked. "Corrin, you can't-"
"I believe he's telling the truth. I see it in his eyes." Corrin turned to look at Robin, who looked completely bewildered. "And I admit, I'm curious to see where you're from as well. There are many books in the library of this castle. You may be able to find out more about your past in there. So, I make you an offer, Robin. If you accept, I'll take you in as my retainer."
Robin was shocked at this sudden offer, wondering what Corrin wanted with him. However, he knew that denying it would condemn him to an indefinite period of time in this gloomy cell, and he didn't feel like spending any more time in here than he had to. "I accept."
Leo still looked skeptical. "Corrin, he could be a Hoshidan spy. You know how sneaky their ninjas are; they could easily slip around the guards, and they're great actors."
"I believe him. I can feel that he's telling the truth, Leo. Don't worry about me. I know Gunter will keep an eye on him if he tries anything. Not that I believe he would," he added, glancing at Robin.
"You see the good in everyone. You're too innocent for this world, Corrin. Especially for a Nohrian prince." Leo sighed, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to change his brother's mind. "Just promise me you'll keep an eye on him. If he tries anything, promise me you'll tell me."
"I promise, Leo. And you may be right, but I believe that if everyone saw the good in everyone else, the world would be a much better place."