The room was dark as per doctor's orders. Lucina sat in the dark room alone recovering from a nasty bug she had caught a few days prior forcing her to remain bedridden for several days. She had worried her family, but she started to recover in time for them to still go on their vacation.
Yes, her extended family had gone up to Ferox for a few weeks. She was supposed to go, but, alas, she fell ill. She was just glad that her illness did not prevent them from having a good time. Lucina hated the thought of being a burden.
Her quiet meditations were disturbed by a knock on the door, "Meal time!"
Lucina subconsciously smiled at the voice for it was not that of a castle servant doing their job but instead her dear friend who had stayed behind to look after her despite being invited on the trip as well. Not giving herself time to dwell on the feelings that came about when he was near, she quickly beckoned him in.
"Evening, princess," The tactician grinned as he set about getting the tray with her soup in place, "Feeling better today?"
"Yes, sir tactician," She smiled as she played along. Overjoyed to be part of a joke no matter how minor, "No doubt due to your wonderful care over the past few weeks."
If it were not so dark, Lucina would have seen Robin's face light up in a blush, "It's nothing, really."
"I mean it," Lucina said after blowing on a spoonful of soup, "I really appreciate what you've done. Even going so far as to miss out on a vacation."
"It's not that great of a sacrifice, trust me. The ride up there alone would have been littered with bad jokes from your dad, and the only escape would be to ride with Lissa and Lon'qu, and I know she'd find some way to torment me during the trip."
"You seemed eager enough to go before I fell ill," Lucina pointed out either ignoring or missing his joking tone. Her humor was still a work in progress.
"Er," Robin was at a loss not really wanting to tell her why that was. Fortunately, he was saved by Lucina's coughing fit. While she was on the mend, she still had the occasional fit, and this one was particularly harsh. Once she was done, both parties became acutely aware of Robin's warm hand on her back from where he had been steadying her, yet he held it there for several moments past what was normal.
As if Lucina was on fire, Robin quickly recoiled back and ran the offending hand through his hair, "Um, sorry about that."
"No, no," Lucina replied nearly as flustered, "It's okay."
They sat in awkward silence for several minutes as Lucina finished her soup. Afterwards, Robin collected the dishes and made for the door, but stopped short and turned around, "Lucina," He started, and Lucina's heart seemed to stall in anticipation, "I–"
He was interrupted, however, by a forceful knock on the door followed by Frederick's voice, "My apologies, milady, but it is urgent."
Lucina put a slightly concerned yet still calm face on, "Come, sir Frederick."
It was clear as soon as the knight entered that something was wrong. His hair was disheveled, and his armor was uneven. By Frederick's standards, he was a mess. Both parties soon forgot their embarrassment at the thought of what could make Frederick of all people so unkempt.
Robin, realizing he had likely come just for the princess, cleared his throat, "I'll, uh, wait outside."
"No," Lucina intervened, "You may need to hear this as well. Proceed Frederick."
"Right," Frederick collected himself, "There's been an accident."
Robin sat with his with head in his hands. He had long given up on sleep. How could he sleep after what he had just heard? It was hard to believe that they were really gone. All of them. He could only imagine how Lucina was taking it.
She had asked to be left alone and both he and Frederick had obliged. He wanted to comfort her, but for now, she wanted to be alone. He understood that, and as much as he wanted to help her, he was not in the best of shape either. He had lost not just his surrogate brother, but many of his closest friends as well.
But he would have to pull himself together. He would have to tell the Shepherds eventually. It was only fair that they learn before the general public. They were family after all. He would need to be strong for them. For everyone. In the morning, he would be strong. Tonight though, he would mourn.
Lucina barely moved as she took in all that she had been told the previous morning. She had not been paying the best attention, but she gathered that due to preparations her father had made, she was eligible for the throne and she was next in line.
She hardly even registered that though. She had cried until she had no more tears the night before, but now, she was just numb. It was a reflex that came from years of loss. It seemed like the only way to keep going in such a circumstance.
She barely noticed a knock on her door. She wanted to tell whoever it was to go away, but it could have been important business. She had a duty now.
"Come in," She did not look at the door.
"Lucina," Robin's heart sunk further seeing her alone in the dark. She barely moved at his entrance, "I heard that you were in a briefing with the council. I'm sure that you will perform your duties well."
"I don't know how to be a real Exalt. I never had time for those kinds of lessons."
"There are people who can teach you."
"I…" Lucina seemed dreadfully unsure of herself, "I would like you to teach me." She quickly averted her gaze, "You know, the parts you are familiar with. If you don't mind."
"Lucina, there are people far more qualified than me."
"Please?" Her voice sounded so uncharacteristically small. It hurt him to hear her like that, "I want someone familiar."
Robin was going to protest further, but one look into her eyes quelled that. The pain was palpable. He was still hurting himself, but he vowed to put that aside. For her sake. "Very well," Robin nodded, "I shall do my best."
"Thank you," Lucina almost seemed to sink into the shadows. Robin wanted to just let her be for now – or even try to comfort her – but there was yet more unpleasant business to address.
"I'm afraid the Shepherds have yet to be informed. I know it's still not common knowledge, but…"
"They deserve to know," Lucina agreed, "Very well. I trust you can tell them?" She still did not look away from the dark corners of her room.
"Of course," Robin nodded but did not budge from his spot. He did not know what to say, but he felt like he needed to say something. After several moments, Lucina seemed to finally notice that he was still there.
"Is there something else?"
"I–" The words died in his throat. He cleared it and tried again, "I want you to know that I'm here. Whatever you need, I'll do my best. Okay?"
"Of course," Lucina released the hollowest of smiles, "You are a loyal friend, and I hope that I can count on you as much as my father did."
More, Robin did not voice the sudden thought though, "Of course." The awkwardness was nearly overbearing so he decided to retreat for the time being, "I'll, uh, go send word to the Shepherds." Lucina simply nodded him away and Robin quickly exited. He would need to control himself. Things had changed. She was now heir apparent. He, he was no one.
Robin watched as the Shepherds currently still on active duty - whether as an actual Shepherd or not - gathered in the training yard. Whispers and murmurs flooded the small area, and while Robin tried to project a comforting air of ease, it was hard to do. Frederick standing to his right looked suitably stoic, but those who knew him knew that something was off. His wife in particular was giving him wary gazes from the crowd likely already aware of what was weighing on his mind.
After the last Shepherd came in, Robin walked forward on the raised training arena to address them. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a flash of blue from a window in the castle, but he ignored it for the time being.
"I'm sure most of you are curious as to why I called you all out here," Robin looked over the faces of his friends and adopted family knowing he was about to deliver crushing news, "The truth is, I don't have good news for you, and I don't really know how to say it, but…a few days ago while on the way back from vacation, the royal caravan was caught in a snow slide."
Robin forced himself on despite the shocked expressions that greeted him as they began to fear the worst, "Rescue efforts were extensive, but there were no survivors. As much as it pains me to say it: they're gone. All of them."
Robin waited a moment for the uproar to calm down slightly. "We will be holding a service within the week as soon as their…their bodies arrive. We will also hold a private service for the Shepherds. This is a terrible tragedy, and we will mourn them. Not just as our lieges, but as our friends and family, but we cannot allow ourselves to give into grief," Robin barely adjusted his gaze to the window confirming the blue was still there, "Chrom would likely have had some encouraging words right now, but, unfortunately, I am not him. I'd like to hear them myself, but one thing I do know is that none of them would want us to lose ourselves. We will mourn, and we will move on, but we will never forget…however, that is talk for another day. Today, we will mourn. Later, we will celebrate their lives and memory."
Robin then turned away. Looking up, the blue was gone.
A/N: I am thinking I may alternate between new and remastered updates meaning the next post should be a remaster. As for which one, I think I may have a raffle. The more a story is requested, the higher the odds it will be picked. I will give some time before I actually do the raffle so submit your suggestions! (ones from the one shot collection will be counted as well).