Robin stared into his plate silently, his food untouched.

"What's the matter? I thought strawberry cake was your favorite." his mother prompted gently.

Yes, that indeed was his favorite, something that was reserved only for special occasions. No one made strawberry cake like his mother. But today, the treat was decidedly less sweet, today it was a threshold.

"Go on, eat up." Mom smiled brightly, "It's not everyday that you turn sixteen."

Robin gave her a wry grin before picking up his fork and sticking it into the pastry. Maybe if he left the cake uneatened, he would remain fifteen forever. And if he remained fifteen forever, maybe he could stay in this sleepy little town forever. Robin didn't see himself as a particularly complacent person, but he had never claimed to enjoy traveling all that much. Though that had never stopped Mom from sending him off from one far away school to another.

It really was in his best interests, he was aware of that much at least.

In a tiny village such as this one, knowing how to wield a plow and tend to livestock were infinitely more important than literacy. But Mom had decided that his destiny was not as a ranch hand. He would learn to read and write, he would get as a good an education as she could afford, and he would not remain in a farming community for his entire life.

There was no school house in town, so when Robin was very young, she would home school him. It didn't matter that all the other boys were helping their parents out in the fields or learning how to ride horses, he needed to learn his letters as soon and as fast as possible. She had nearly fainted in joy when he had shown a proficency to magic at an early age and made sure to provide him with all the materials he would need to practice on his own. Though, she woud never let him within ten feet of an elder magic tome, goodness knows why seeing as he had a remarkable natural talent in that field. But, as she was his sole parental figure, he respected her wishes.

At age nine, she had sent him off to a boarding school in Ylisse. Granted, a school in Plegia would have been closer but she had tutted him for even considering the idea. Like any other young child, Robin had been terrified out of his wits at the prospect of living on his own but his protests were squashed. It was a chance for him to become more worldly, and he wouldn't be able to advance further in his studies without proper teachers. She had said that he showed too much potential to stop, that to break out of their small village, he need to be educated.

Yet, when he asked why an already educated woman such as herself was living in the small village that she was so eager to push him out of, she did not answer.

Robin had spent that year at boarding school plagued by a constant sense of maternal abandonment. But, when he saw her barely hidden tears when that horrible year had finally ended, his anger quickly broke apart. But his relief was short lived, afterwards it was to be a constant cycle of various schools and academies, pushing forth in his studies in magic and general education as fast and as well as his mind could bear.

Did Robin come out of it wiser and stronger? Certaintly, a blind man could see that. But with the gains also came a few nasty stowaways. Robin had never realized how short his fuse had grown, how quick he was to snap at people for not understanding a foreign concept. He hadn't noticed how chilly his countenance had become, how harshly he could lash out at people. How difficult it had become for him to consider anyone a friend. It had stung horribly when he finally saw how shaky his patience and emotional state had become.

Adults had said that it was normal, that this was a time in his life when he would feel cranky for no reason, bite people's heads off for no reason, and generally act like the moody teenager that he was. Nonsense, if there was one personal goal that Robin had in the flurry of studying, it had to be that he would never be put in a position where he could be patronized. It had taken some time to correct his more undesireable traits, but he had considered it a success. Those who were truly crazy did not know that they were crazy. So, if he could recognize his own failings, surely he wasn't that far gone.

But tomorrow would be different, tomorrow he would have to start packing. Only, this time it was for good, he wouldn't be coming back. Tomorrow would for goodbyes and double checking that he had everything he needed. Then, it was off to the Valmese capital.

For the better part of his life, Robin had been just as interested in the military as he was in magic. He had no aspiriations to be a knight, he didn't quite understand how someone could completely dedicate their life to someone else the way that knights did. What he wanted was to be a tactician. Military manuvers and the ability to guide soldiers to a goal had always fascinated him. So, at the urging of those around him, he had taken the entrance exams to the prestigious Valmese military academy. He hadn't really expected anything out of it, he didn't even have any wish to journey to Valm. It was a confusing place, what with the ruling capital and the continent having the same name. But he had passed with flying colors, and even Robin couldn't brush off such an opportunity. The day after tomorrow, he would journey to the academy, and he was never allowed to return.

Oh, he was allowed to visit home, but that was about it. His mother had made it crystal clear that she wouldn't let him come back here to live, or settle down in another similar village. No, he had to make use of that brain that she had nurtured all those years. He wasn't allowed to worry about her or if she would be lonely. No, he was to be completely and utterly self serving.

"Why Valm?" Robin suddenly asked, his fork still stuck in the cake, "I could have just as easily gotten into a school in Plegia, it would be much closer."

"I've told you this once and I'll say it again, there is nothing for you in Plegia. I won't have you caught up in that Grimleal business." Mom replied swiftly.

"What's so wrong with Plegia?" Robin persisted, if he was going to leave anyways, he might as well get a few answers, "Are all the priests there baby murderers or something?"

"No." Mom suddenly took on a meloncholy tone, "No, many of the priests are good people."

"And yet you treat the place like it's a snake pit."

"Just as there are good things, there are also some very horrible attributes of Plegia."

"As there is with Valm, maybe more so." Robin shot back, "What about Emperor Walhart's rule?"

"I have heard that he is a harsh and unforgiving man." Mom shook her head, "But at least he is sane, unlike King Gangrel. Besides, if you want to be a military tactician, Valm is the best place for your interests. They don't have as many mages as Plegia or Ylisse, but what magical studies they do have are world class."

Robin glanced up from his fork which he had finally transfered to his mouth. He had always admired his mother, as had many people, men and women alike. Despite being in her later years, she still held a rather regal posture. She spoke confidently and with a purpose, not like a farmer's wife but rather like a noblewoman. She was a woman who was use to making her own way in the world.

"Hey, since I'll be gone by tomorrow night, can I ask you some things?" Robin asked.

At an affirmative nod, he pushed his plate aside and straightened up, "Where exactly were you born?"

Such a silly question, something that any child would have known about their parent. But not Robin, Mom was notorious around town for not speaking of her past. She was different from the others, that was glaringly obvious. Robin had long since gotten use to overhearing gossip as to where his mother was raised to where her money came from. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know anymore about his own mother than any other of the townsfolk.

"I was born in Ylisse." she replied, much to Robin's surprise, "But my family moved before I was a year old."

"Where?"

"To Port Ferox."

"Port Ferox." Robin repeated, "How did you end up here?"

Mom took a deep breath, "My family moved around alot, Port Ferox was just the first place that I remember. My parents were merchants, we never remained in one place for too long because of that reason. I was always changing schools, changing friends, never having a place to call home and never having a purpose to call my own. When I was about eleven years old, my parents came into money and we were able to settle down as new nobility. I never really got a chance to focus on my studies until then, and I was shocked when I saw how little I really knew. I've been to so many places, met so many people, but I didn't truly understand anything at all. Some men, especially in the upper nobility, believe that a proper lady's duty is to sew or bear children and nothing else. But I wanted to stand on my own two feet, no one was going to deny me my opportunities because of ignorance. I promised myself that if I ever did have a child, I would make sure that he or she would get the best education possible."

Robin smiled a little, though he remained silent, prompting her to continue.

"As you know, I am quite stern. And...I'm not the easiest person to relate to." a small flash of guilt passed over her expression, "I guess gender lines were also rather blurred for me. I didn't see myself any differently from the men, but when they would try to put me in my place, I only grew more adamant. I took fencing lessons and beat everyone in my group, I graduated the top of my class, I refined my speech and posture. There was nothing that those noblemen could do that I couldn't, except maybe magic, I was never any good at that. That's why I was so proud of you."

She beamed and Robin's smile grew wider. It was rare for his mother to show such unbridled pride.

"But, my parents were more old fashioned than they would admit. After a while, they stopped supporting my actions and decided that it was time to marry me off. I didn't want to get married, I wasn't against it as a constitution in any way, it's just that I had never thought of it before. What would I do all day? But I didn't really have to put too much effort in shooing away suitors. I was not sweet and gentle, my elegance was not in a lady like way."

"If that's the case, how come I'm here?" Robin asked.

Mom smiled a little, "Turns out, sometimes there really is a place in the world for every kind of person. I found a purpose that I was dedicated to, though I didn't go about it the way that the others did. I wasn't interested in the extra baggage that was attatched, I just wanted to do something important."

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, I suppose I didn't actually work directly at the source of the issue. I did alot of research, mostly speculating on things such as the soul and memories. I enjoyed it, I liked speaking of my ideas on why people act and think the way they do. My parents weren't too pleased with my choice of career at first, but then something happened that would make them adore every decision I had made in the past. If only they knew."

"That's...very vague." Robin pointed out. "Don't ask me not to ask what you're talking about, you're pretty much inviting the question."

"Let's just say that I lost sight of what I was doing for a time. So I left, simple as that. Well, not immediately, I made another mistake before that. I went to my parents to ask for help. They were appalled that I was running away and urged me to go back. They probably would have stopped me by force, but I managed to slip out in the night." Robin searched but could not find a single ounce of doubt in his mother's eyes, "I have no regrets about what I did. It's better this way, life is a little bit harder living here, but it's much better."

Robin fell silent, he had intended to ask more but there was a kind of aura around his mother that left him in awe. "Thank you. You're...well...you're amazing!"

Mom froze for a moment, then burst out into laughter, "You're satisfied already? And here I was preparing for you to ask me about your father."

"I don't care about that." Robin replied, "I've never met him, he was never in my life, it makes no difference to me who he is."

"Good." Mom nodded, "And that's the way it should be."

She stood up and moved over to him, "Go on and finish your cake, this is suppose to be a happy occasion. Then it's off to bed, you'll want to get up early tomorrow if you want to bid everyone farewell."

"Right." Robin watched as his mother disappeared up the stairs.

Well, he certaintly had one hell of a legacy to live up to.

AN: I've always imagined Robin's mother as a strong woman who lost her way for a while.