Chapter Text
Prologue: A Brand New Start
Ylisse Royal Academy - September 7th 2057
Robin let out a quiet sigh as she wrestled her two suitcases off the curb. Silently whispering a string of curses to herself as the handles bit into her hands. It was far too heavy to carry on her own, but it carried her favourite books and tomes along with some other things she couldn’t go without. As the wheels cluttered against the perfectly cemented sidewalk, she hauled her suitcases and herself towards the Academy’s ornate gates.
The Academy was renowned across the country for shaping the brightest minds, leaders and reminding the heirs of nobility into leaders worthy of their titles. The name was far too daunting in Robin’s opinion, Ylisse Royal Academy. A school for teenagers of far too much import and not the sorts of people she would normally be speaking to.
These kids had it all, lineage, wealth and talent. Robin had none of these and then some. Unfortunately for her, she had no title, no family fortune, nor any glittering accomplishments to boast about. If Robin was being honest, she wouldn’t call herself a prodigy. Maybe, a quick study with an affinity for magecraft and higher than average GPA.
She had no etiquette to her name or a yearning for more than her lot in life. It was hard to want more in life when you couldn’t remember the last three years of your life. But, her aunt had sent her here and said something or another about keeping her safe.
But, now that she was here, she wanted nothing more than to go home.
Taking a moment to collect herself and gather whatever courage she had left. Robin stood in front of the gatemen’s little guard post with a smile.
“Hello.” She greeted him softly as the guard looked her up and down. “My name is Robin Daraen.”
The guard began to type away when he heard her name and before she could explain her reasoning for being there weeks after the semester had already started. The guard was already motioning her to the side while he took a call. Whatever that call was, it didn't take long for the gates to open and a young woman in her early twenties who was accompanied by a few guards to walk through.
“Miss Daraen?” The woman's voice was mature, yet motherly as she called out to her. “Ah, there you are.” She said with a smile that made Robin awestruck.
“H-Hello.” Robin wondered why she had so many guards for someone so young. There was no real possibility of someone important coming out all this way for her Right?
“I'm so glad you could make it, your aunt told me a lot about you. She said you're a gifted student and quite a prodigy when it comes to strategy.” Her “aunt” really laid it on thick. Far too thick for her to be comfortable with.
“I wouldn't say that. Maybe a quick study?” There's a lot she wished she could've said to her “aunt" right about now. Maybe, keeping compliments to being truths instead of being outright falsehoods?
“There's no need for modesty. I've seen your papers myself, they're all interesting reads.” The papers she wrote? Which papers? Was it the essay about dark magic or how to improve the effects of healing magic? She wrote a lot of papers and plenty of those were just for fun to keep her mind busy.
“You read my papers? Which one, if you don't mind me asking?” Robin’s voice came out much higher than she wanted. She couldn’t believe that her voice betrayed her just to show her sheer panic and embarrassment.
The thought of anyone—much less a stranger she just met— pouring what could’ve been hours of their time on her work made her feel vulnerable. It felt like she was caught half naked out in public. Her partially horrified expression seemed to amuse the older woman, who let out a soft gentle laugh. It wasn’t mocking in any way, just a lighthearted laugh, as if she’d be waiting for Robin to stumble over her own modesty.
“It was your paper, strategy and warfare,” Her tone didn’t waver, but a quick troubled look appeared on her face for a brief moment. “I normally don't read papers on such topics…But, trying times mean I must educate myself on all matters of state.”
Matters of State? There’s no way someone as gentle as her would be dealing with matters of state.
Robin couldn’t help but blink a few times as she tried to process what she said. Her words had weighed heavily on Robin’s consciousness as she pondered the heavy burden that someone placed on the shoulders of someone so young. It wasn’t something you would place on some diligent grad student or an eccentric professor with some really troubling research.
Whoever she was, she was clearly carrying a responsibility that she and so many others couldn’t imagine.
I hope things get better for you. Robin thought to herself as the pang of sympathy stung deep. It was weird, it was almost like she felt for her personally for something similar.
The woman’s smile faltered slightly as she caught Robin’s troubled look as she waved away Robin’s concerned look. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Robin was quick to shake her head. “Oh, it didn't make me uncomfortable. More embarrassed, I suppose? I wasn't expecting such high praise.” She tried a small smile of her own, hoping it would ease whatever concern had crept into the older woman. Then, hesitantly, she added the words that would haunt her in a few months time. “Sorry to ask, but…you are?”
It was the woman’s turn to blink in surprise for just a moment. Then her expression softened into something warm and genuine. The gentle curving of her lips into a smile that seemed to outshine the sun as she fell back into her comfort zone.
“My name is Emmeryn Ylisstol,” She said gently without missing a beat. “In terms of my role here…I’ll be your headmaster.”
Robin stared at her. Headmaster? That didn’t line up with what her aunt had told her at all. She’d been warned about some stuffy old man who had a love affair with the rulebook and a scowl that could turn troublemakers into saints. Emmeryn was the opposite of that. She was young, kind, luminous in a way that made Robin look up to her and admire her.
She wouldn’t have any issues with the previous headmaster of the academy. Robin was never the sort to cause issues or make any problems for anyone. But, that wasn’t the point.
The worst of all the above was Emmeryn’s last name. Ylisstol. Even Robin, who didn’t know much about noble lines and titles, could recognize the name. She was the heir to the Throne and from what she heard quite a humanitarian. Emmeryn was Ylisse’s symbol of peace and love.
And, she just showed more than enough disrespect to get herself hanged.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Robin’s hands were quickly lifting the edges of her skirt as she bowed into a deep curtsy. She tried, for just a moment, to mimic even an ounce of Emmeryn’s elegance, smoothing her voice into something polite and refined.
Emmeryn’s chuckle was soft and uneven. It sounded more natural than her princess-like demeanor with more cracks and natural changes in the pitches of her voice. With a graceful flick of her hand, Emmeryn had waved away all of the dread Robin was feeling as Emmeryn took her hands in her own. “There’s no need for that. Just be yourself and all will be well.”
“Right..” Robin had her doubts, but Emmeryn’s smile was hard to ignore.
The strangest thing about Emmeryn was how she made people feel. Not just reassuring—whoever thought Emmeryn wasn’t reassuring was clearly living under a rock—it was more than that. It was an odd sense of familiarity, like meeting someone you could’ve sworn you’ve known before. Though the facts before you say it’s statistically impossible. It was something closer to a friend.
As the two young women walked side by side into the Academy, their footsteps echoed across the vast empty courtyard. The echo around them only amplified the grandeur the Academy proper. The place was absolutely massive with several buildings and long towers. Robin’s gaze couldn’t stay fixed ahead; it wandered upward, again and again, to the towering spires that pierced the sky, to the stained glass windows that shimmered with fractured rainbows across the courtyard stones.
The air smelled faintly of polished stones, moss and the faintest sweetness of flowers that were carefully planted alongside the walkways. The Academy was old, practically ancient. But, there were plenty of modern additions that were added on over the years. Old and new weaved seamlessly together to create such grand architecture. Steel supports disguised as marble columns that seemed a little too clean. Spellcraft being used far too liberally to keep small pieces of ivy up and out of the way.
And at the center of it all was the grand fountain.
Robin slowed, then stopped entirely as her eyes took in the spectacle. The water shimmered in the sunlight, as it was clearly flowing out of Naga’s palms and into the pool of water below. Naga’s arms were outstretched and carved to absolute perfection. It was almost as if the Divine Dragon was alive in front of her.
Robin let her suitcases slip from her hands. The heavy thud was quickly forgotten as she jogged forward, towards the fountain like a child spotting something wondrous. The spray water kissed her cheeks as she came to a stop at the fountain's edge. She leaned forward slightly, studying the way light bent through the water and back to the statue.
“I love that statue too,” Emmeryn’s voice came from behind her as she took her time to catch up with her. “It’s almost as if Divine Dragon is here with us.”
“Yeah, it’s almost as if she's alive.” Robin replied as reality took its sweet time to catch up to her. She had left her heavy suitcases behind and she would have to make the embarrassing walk back for it.
As she glanced back one of Emmeryn’s guards had them in his hands as he gave her a quick nod and Robin quickly thanked them.
“Shall we? There’s plenty to get done before the other students arrive from their assignments.” Emmeryn had a point she was wasting too much time on childish sightseeing. She could take this all in on her own time.
“Yeah, sorry. Let’s get going.”
The inside of the Academy proved no less overwhelming than its exterior. The first hall stretched tall and wide, arched ceilings supported by beams that gleamed with the Academy’s colors and various banners of what sort of events that would be happening during that month. Sunlight streamed in through high windows, catching on glass cases that lined the entryway walls.
Inside the cases sat an array of awards, ribbons and trophies. Things from interscholastic tournaments, medals for getting first place in several sports and war simulation games. Various ceremonial school weapons stood proud. Their blades shimmered faintly with magic as if it was meant to get your attention. Brass plaques beneath each artifact bore the names of past students—nobility and commoners alike—who had risen to feats of brilliance within these very walls.
Robin slowed as her gaze swept over the displays. There were so many names and achievements lining these halls. Her own reflection seemed far too out of place amongst all of the greatness. That’s when she saw it, the glowing red eyes on her reflection with a grin that made her shiver.
“Robin?”
Emmeryn’s voice snapped her out of her delusion, and Robin jerked back from the glass as though it had burned her. She forced herself to steady, to breathe, to keep her features composed. Gods, she prayed Emmeryn hadn’t noticed the way her body had jumped.
All she could manage was to rub her arms briskly, crossing them tight over her chest like a shield.
“Yeah,” Robin forced out an answer far too quickly as her eyes fixed on the floor tiles instead of the display case. “Just tired, that’s all.”
Her words had come too fast, too quick to be normal, but Emmeryn only gave a faint understanding nod.
It was a trick of the light. Robin told herself firmly. That’s all it was. Maybe, I was staring too intently, reflections twist things all the time. Perfectly normal. Perfectly explainable.
Robin could feel the rush of her heartbeat as the anxiety began taking hold of her. The pounding of her heart was echoing in her ears as she stared at Emmeryn’s back.
It’s just nerves. New school, new environment. I’m on my own now. Anyone would be jittery in my shoes. I’ll be here until graduation—it’s natural to feel unsettled.
Absolutely nothing to worry about.
Absolutely nothing.
She repeated it like a mantra, each word hammering down the strange chill that went down her spine. It took some time before Robin’s thoughts calmed and her mind began to push it aside. By the time they reached Emmeryn’s office, all of her panic was gone or at least she had managed to convince herself she was fine and there was nothing to worry about.
The office, however, startled her in a different way.
It was far too tidy, immaculate actually. It was so bare that it almost felt like she had stepped into one of those extra spare rooms with the bare essentials. Pale walls stretched without interruption, no paintings or photographs to ease the coldness of the room.
Her Desk was still pushed to the window with just enough room for a large chair and far too many stacks of neatly arranged documents stacked in perfect piles. Every quill was perfectly aligned with a single crystal lamp at one of the corners. There was no excess clutter, no trophies or even a single case with flowers.
It didn’t fit Emmeryn. Not with all of her warmth or her gentle demeanor. Robin expected something, anything really, that might tell her more about Emmeryn as a person. A family portrait perhaps, a framed certificate, maybe even some pressed flowers hung up on the wall. But, there was nothing.
“Sorry for the state my office is in.” Emmeryn’s voice was calm, but Robin could hear the slight embarrassment underneath. “I haven’t had much time to decorate.”
“It’s fine.” Robin gave her a smile as she glanced around as she noticed just how many small boxes were stacked by the door. “It’ll look better, probably. Just give yourself some time and you’ll make the space your own.”
Emmeryn returned Robin’s smile as she walked over to her desk and opened one of the drawers. She pulled out a slim folder and placed it on the desk between all of her stacks of documents.
“This is your schedule for the semester.” Emmeryn’s voice had changed slightly, it was more matter of fact with a slight commanding tone. “You’ll notice your core courses are weighted toward strategy, magical theory, and Ylissian History. But, you’ll also be enrolled in general education courses, to balance the load. Electives are yours to pick after the first day of classes in two weeks. They can be adjusted later if necessary.”
Robin carefully took the folder in her hands, before opening it as she began scanning the columns of printed text. Class times, room numbers and the professor’s names. There was more than just the list of her classes, there was a book list to pick up from the library and even a map of the campus.
“I added a few other things that you might need during your time here.” Emmeryn continued when she noticed Robin going through the folder. “The Academy’s library is currently closed at the moment. But, all those books should be ready for you to pick up in the morning.”
Robin’s fingers were already brushing over the necessary textbooks and a few she had already seen. Advanced tactical theory. War Stimulation exercise books. Magic regulations in combat environments. They were all books she read during her time with her aunt. She was right when she said the Academy was demanding, but it would be good for her.
A faint clink of armor sounded near the door, drawing the two's attention. A tall man stood just inside the threshold, his broad sounders were encased in the polished uniform with armor strapped to his legs and shoulders. His expression was stern with the most impossibly straight posture Robin had ever seen.
“Frederick,” Emmeryn greeted warmly as she motioned him to enter the room. “This is our newest student, Robin. Would you be so kind as to escort her to her dorm?”
Frederick’s head dipped in a precise bow, his features only seemed to soften for Emmeryn. “Of course, milady.”
Emmeryn turned her attention back to Robin with a smile. “Frederick is a part of the Royal knights. Just like myself, he’s the acting head of security and disciplinarian.”
One of the royal knights is going to play the role of disciplinarian? That’s an odd choice. Even for a cover story. Robin knew that wasn’t the whole story. Emmeryn was heir to the Ylisse throne and she had heard rumors that her siblings were also attending. Which meant Frederick wasn’t really here for the rest of the student body. He was here to protect the royal family.
Robin glanced over at Frederick and the man stood like a statue. No, he was an immovable demanding presence.
“He’ll be around the campus ensuring the rules are followed.” Whatever, Emmeryn was saying Robin had already zoned out trying to follow as she tried to not shrink away from Frederick’s gaze.
“I’ll…keep that in mind.”
Emmeryn walked around her desk as she placed a hand on Robin’s shoulder. “I want to personally welcome you to Ylisse’s Royal Academy. If you need anything, I have an open door policy.”
Robin managed a faint nod, hugging her folder against her chest as if it might shield her from Frederick’s demanding deadpan stare.
Frederick stepped forward and gestured toward the door. “If you would follow me, miss.”
His tone left no room for hesitation.
The walk to the dorms was brisk, Frederick’s strides long and quick even with Robin’s suitcases in hand. Robin hurried to keep pace, clutching the folder in her hands as she watched Frederick’s display of strength. Maybe, she was the one who lacked the muscle to carry it on her own.
The dormitory was massive, with one large common room, before it branched out to two wings to separate the girls from the boys. Frederick turned into one of the wings with an emblem of a pegasus on the front and walked towards the elevator. At the sides of the elevator were two thick wooden doors leading to the first floor and various other things she would have to take a look at later.
Being stuck in an elevator with Frederick was the worst thing ever. The man was silent and had a look of judgment permanently stuck on his face. The climb up the floors felt endless and by the time they got to the top floor, it was another jog up after him and they stopped at the front older door. Frederick had pulled out a set of keys and opened the door leading to a set of stairs leading up. The climb felt endless, the spiral staircase winding higher and higher, as their footsteps echoed around them. By the time they arrived, Robin’s legs burned faintly, and her breath had quickened.
By the time they had stopped, there was another door and this time there was no need for a key.
“This is your room,” Frederick announced, setting the suitcases neatly beside the door and stepping a side for her to take in the sights. “It was the only room available.”
This was rather deliberate, it was tucked away at the very top and rather far away from the other dorms in the wing. It was so secluded.
“Thank you, Frederick.”
Frederick studied her for a moment watching her expression as she stepped into the room proper. “It was nothing at all.”
Then, with a short bow, he turned on his heel and departed, his armor clinking faintly as his footsteps faded down the stairwell. Robin closed the door behind him as she rested her back against it. The room was generally larger than average, but it was clearly an attic of a tower from the shape of the ceiling.
Robin closed the door behind her with a soft click and rested her back against it letting the silence settle. The muffled echo of Frederick’s footsteps faded entirely, leaving only the distant hum of wind brushing against the tower’s high windows.
The room was larger than she expected. Though the slanted ceiling immediately betrayed what this space was. It was originally an attic converting into living quarters and from the looks of it it was recent too. The beams of the room angled low on one side, forcing the furniture to be pushed strategically towards the higher walls. A wide bed sat tucked neatly into the far corner, the fluffy sheets practically called to her. A simple desk occupied the space facing the window. There were a few things left there for her, probably her keys, list of dorm rules and a few other things.
The most important thing this room had was all she wanted in a dorm room. A bookshelf. It wasn’t big, relatively compact and surrounded by small boxes with her aunt’s messy handwriting. She actually sent her more of her things? Maybe, those boxes were all the books Robin had to leave behind. A girl could dream.
The air smelled faintly of cedar making it feel a little more homey. Her aunt’s home often smelt like oak or wildflowers. It helped make her feel more at home. It was nice. Kinda, in a weird homesick sorta way. She even had these thick wooden wardrobes in every room of her house, the sort that are too heavy to move and they just stay there collecting dust.
Just like home, I suppose.
As Robin pushed herself off the door she made her way over to the bed and opened the chest at the foot of the bed. It was overly polished until it shined, but it was clearly done to mask the age. Well, everything about this attic was done to hide its age. The floors creaked lightly under her weight as she moved and the ceiling supports were sturdy, but nothing like the pillars on the first floor.
It wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it had its charms! The view from her window stretched across the entire Academy grounds, the various spires and courtyards. The sunset or the sunrise would’ve been indescribable from up here.
And the most important thing was, it’s all hers. A private little view on the top of her lonely tower. Her quiet, practically silent tower.
But the absence of one thing annoyed her to no end.
There was no bathroom.
Her gaze shifted to the door behind her, the memory of the spiral staircase was far too recent for her legs. The bathroom was mentioned to be halfway up the staircase and it was for her private use. There were other rooms on the way up that she could use or turn into whatever she liked. After all this tower wasn’t ever used and no one wanted to room there.
It still meant that every trip down would end up being a marathon.
Robin couldn’t help groan as she mumbled a few curses before turning to the bed and crashing on top of it. The bed was as comfortable as it looked. The soft fluffy sheets were recently washed and absolutely luxurious. Far better than the ones she had on her bed at her aunt’s manor. But, it did little to ease the reality of her situation.
She was still tucked away from everyone else and that bothered her.
But, at least she had a private dorm. Well, a private abandoned tower?
Robin dragged her suitcases to her feet from where Frederick had left them. The zipper was already straining as she pulled it open as the contents began to tumble out. Maybe, she shouldn’t have overfilled it or maybe it was a blessing in disguise? Her beloved books had poked from underneath her things and she could’ve sworn she bought more.
At least she had all the time in the world to read.