Hello! I hope you like my story! At the bottom will be my author's note!
"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason."
-Unknown
Red orbs softly gazed at the trees blow in the wind without restraint. Leaves unhinged themselves from the branches, fluttering away in the air. Another windy day. Just like any other here in the forest.
Robin had gotten used to her life in the mountain god's forest. Bringing up a hand to cover her mouth, she let out a heavy yawn. She had just awoken from a nap and was still tired. The woman spread her limbs out among the blades of grass, feeling them tickle the skin on her uncovered upper arms and hands.
She let out a small cry as she stretched.
Enjoying the whistle of the wind as it flew through nature, Robin sat up, swearing that she had heard something else other than the quiet noises of nature. Picking herself up off the ground, she closed her eyes and listened closely.
There was the cry of a child.
"A child..?" Robin doubted her senses, for no one ever came to the mountain god's forest. If you entered, it is said that you would be lost forever. Aimlessly wandering about the forest for eternity.
The woman pulled on her coat that had been laying on the ground, and ambled over to the source of the noise. After walking for a while through numerous shrubs and passing several trees that all looked the same, Robin came upon a small blue-haired child.
Quickly, Robin hid behind one of the cookie-cutter trees, spying on the little girl who cried out. Time passed and yet the child would not stop crying.
She decided to speak to the child. "H-Hey, are you lost?" Robin stumbled on her own words. She hadn't had to talk in a long time. No one ever came to the Mountain God's Forest anymore for the villager's words scared them.
The child snapped her head around, tears pouring out of her eyes. Promptly, she dashed through the scenery with her little legs as fast as she could towards the older woman. "A person!" The girl rejoiced, leaping through the air to tackle Robin.
Robin swiftly dodged to the side allowing the girl to run face first into the ground.
"Ow..." The blue-haired girl whined, sitting up to rub her knee.
Keeping distance between them, Robin crouched down to inspect the girl.
Her knee was scraped quite badly. However, the child did not start crying as she was before.
"Does it hurt?" The white-haired woman inquired, reaching a hand out to touch the skin around the wound. But she stopped herself before she could make contact. That would not be a good idea.
The girl quietly nodded her head as she turned to look at Robin. She brought out her hand, aiming to grab onto the white-haired woman's clothing. Robin promptly backed away from the girl, not allowing contact between them.
The child seemed to notice this and soon questioned, "Are you afraid of me?"
Robin laughed. The child thought that she was afraid of her, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. "No. Of course not. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Hmmm..." The little girl contemplated, looking up to Robin, their eyes meeting. "You have red eyes? How pretty!" She extended her hand to touch the older woman once more, but Robin scooted away. In response, the girl gave a sad expression.
"I apologize. I don't mean to be mean or anything," Robin whispered, pausing for a moment. "I cannot touch a human."
The child raised her eyebrows, "Huh? How come?"
The white-haired woman gave a bittersweet smile, "If I do, then I'll disappear."
"Disappear? What does that mean?" She questioned.
"It means I won't be here anymore."
The blue-haired child gazed at the older female, "I'm sorry..." She apologized, bowing her head.
"It's alright. You didn't know." Robin stood up, grabbing a nearby branch. It was pretty light yet durable so she held it out to the girl. "Here. Hold this and I'll lead you back out to the village." Whether she couldn't touch the girl or not didn't matter. Robin didn't have the heart to leave a child out in the forest alone crying.
The girl jumped up, immediately latching onto the stick, "Okay!"
The corner of Robin's lips curled upwards as they began their trek back to the entrance of the forest. Cicadas buzzed all around, and the sweltering sun's rays didn't seem so hot in the shade. Robin took the time to observe the little girl.
She was wearing a small blue sundress that matched her hair and her eyes. The girl was covered in scratches from wandering around in the forest, Robin guessed. She seemed to be a pretty normal girl from the nearby village, but a small detail threw Robin off. On her left eye was a brand. Robin knew this brand quite well. It was the Brand of The Exalt. Subconsciously, the older woman's line of sight traveled to the back of her right hand, which was holding onto the stick.
"Say, what's your name?" Robin asked the little girl as they traveled.
The little girl responded happily, "Lucina!"
The woman in the black robe with crimson eyes inquired once more, "and how old are you?"
"Six!" Lucina sang, skipping along the grass, allowing it to skim across her bare legs. "And you?"
Robin looked off into the distance of the forest where all the colors merged into a solid green. "Robin. As for how old I am... I don't know." It was the truth. She didn't know. It had been so long, she didn't even know what year it was.
Lucina brought a finger to her mouth, "How do you not know how old you are? Do you not know how to count! I can teach you if you want! I know how to count to 100!"
The woman couldn't help but grin at the child's words. This was a kind kid, and Robin hoped that nothing would ever change that. That nothing would ever take away her happiness. "I know how to count, but thank you, Lucina."
"You're welcome!" She laughed, swinging the log in between their hands.
They continued to walk with the noises of nature surrounding them.
Soon, Robin came to a sudden stop. Lucina looked up at her. "Here we are." The two had come upon a large staircase laced with moss and other kinds of vegetation. There was an overhang that had cracks that came with old age, and was covered in talisman. Robin pointed down the staircase. "Follow the staircase and you'll reach the village."
Lucina let go of the stick, leaving it in Robin's care. She walked down several stairs before turning around. Robin gave her a confused look. "Aren't you going to come?"
Suddenly, the wind picked up, trees blowing harshly. Lucina held her ground, keeping her sundress from coming up. Robin stood still, her ivory pigtails fluttering in the tepid air. Scattered leaves gathered and blew away, leaving nothing but silence in their wake.
Robin took a deep breath, her eyes filled with pity for herself, "I don't belong there."
A cloud unearthed the sun, allowing the rays of sun to perpetrate the air once more. Scratching her head, Lucina raised a hand to shield her eyes.
"I'm not human. I'm a spirit that lives in this forest."
"A spirit?" The words seem to roll off of Lucina's tongue unfamiliarly.
"Yes. Something that is not meant to live side by side with humans." Robin spun around on her heels, solemnly ambling away.
Lucina called out, "Wait!"
Robin stopped in her tracks.
"I'm gonna come by tomorrow!" She paused, only to regain her thoughts, "with a thank-you present!" Lucina dashed off down the stairs.
"Hah, a thank-you present?" Robin stared at Lucina's, quickly becoming smaller, back as she merged into the landscape. Something inside Robin hoped that Lucina would come back like she said she would.
But to Robin, Robin wasn't worth seeing again.
"'Enter the Mountain God's Forest and you'll be lost. Only to aimlessly wander for the rest of eternity.' Huh..." Robin sat on the ledge of a stair, twirling her hair in her fingers. Lucina had the Brand of The Exalt, meaning that she was royalty. As fortunate as she was, Robin didn't know much about the Kingdom of Ylisse, but she did know the basics for the spirits of the forest taught her.
There wasn't much to the life of a spirit, but Robin was different. She had a life before she became a spirit. Sighing, Robin once again looked at the back of her right hand where a purple symbol stood. Honestly, it creeped her out.
"The Brand of Defile..." Three pairs of eyes both joining down the middle bore into her soul. Feeling shivers roll down her back, Robin averted her gaze elsewhere. Her past was something that should be kept behind closed doors. Never again would she go back. It's not like she had a choice anyway. This was her new life. To be a spirit of the Mountain God, Naga.
Robin stared up at the lazy summer sky that was now turning into a purplish-orange.
"I should head back."
Ahh! The first chapter is finished! Hopefully none of you mind that this is F!Robin x Lucina instead of M!Robin x Lucina. I just prefer the former more than the latter these days. I took inspiration from the movie "Hotarubi no Mori e" so some of the scenes will be similar and yet the further we get into the story, it will diverge off of the movie's path.