Lucina stirred ever so slightly. Time travel was quite disorienting it would appear; though she was not sure what she expected. Above all she was simply tired. No, she was exhausted, and that was only partially due to her "trip."

Years on the run would do that to a person, and her tired body wanted nothing more than to just lie there and enjoy some well-deserved sleep. However, she had a job to do, and she was nothing if not dedicated. So, despite her body's protests, she began to open her eyes only to be briefly stunned by the bright light. Her eyes were not accustomed to such brightness so she tried again a bit more slowly.

As her eyes adjusted, she became acutely aware of someone walking towards her. She reached for the hilt of Falchion as the person called out to her, "Are you alright?" Her eyes adjusted further showing that the person was a boy. From the looks of him, he was close to her age; probably within a year or so.

He was standing at a conservative distance clearly uncertain of the new stranger. His hair was really what caught her attention though. It was an oddly pale color, almost white even, though she could not tell for certain with the glare in her eyes. It certainly looked…familiar.

She tried to stand, which caused him to back up a little, but she struggled to steady herself as she had not yet recovered.

"You should rest," the adolescence chided.

"No, I must go," she took a few uneasy steps, "I have a mission to complete." No sooner than the words had left her mouth though did her legs give way and she stumbled to the ground.

The boy came by to check on her seemingly deciding that this stranger was in no condition to pose a threat, "Well, you're not getting much done until you rest up," he helped her up, "Come, my village is right over there," he pointed to a small village not too far from where they stood.

"No," she pulled free of his support, "I'll…be fine…in a moment. I just need to…gather my bearings."

He did not look convinced, "No, you'll probably collapse on the side of the road if you keep up like that. Just come with me to town. You can stay outside while I get someone to look you over if you're that concerned."

She looked at the town, and then back to the youth. Her knowledge of this new world she found herself in was limited, but she still knew not to trust strangers. Even in her own ruined time, there were those who would lie and manipulate for their own gain. She seemed to have little choice though. She figured that she could fight him off even in her weakened state, and she could make out figures walking about in the town that certainly did not look like fiends. So she reluctantly, and cautiously, agreed to let him escort her to the village.

She could feel herself gaining her orientation again as they made the trek to the village. She was still exhausted, but she could at least keep her bearings which meant that she was able to get a good look at the village. What she saw was a far cry from what she had become accustomed to seeing on a daily basis.

It all looked so lively compared to her future. These people were not caught up into the hopelessness and despair that had a stranglehold on her time. It was definitely refreshing, and it served to strengthen her resolve to protect this existence.

Then she shifted her attention to her human support. He was a few inches taller than her, and his hair was definitely peculiar for someone so young. Granted, her hair was strange as well.

She still could not shake the feeling that he was familiar though. Of course, that hair certainly reminded her of him, but surely that was not enough to make a determination. However, he did seem bear some resemblance to how she imagined a younger version of him might look.

"Stay here," he finally spoke up, "I'll be right back."

With that he entered one of the buildings. Lucina looked around. She had garnered a few strange looks, but no one seemed terribly alarmed by her presence. She seriously contemplated leaving-especially if that boy was who she thought he might be-but she did not know where she was or even when she was. Though there had to be somewhere else to get that information. However, she also did not know much of this world, and to go into it blindly may cause problems; problems which might be avoided if she took advantage of a chance to learn. If she remained careful, she may be able to glean the necessary information without causing any problems. She could just be remembered as a stranger who simply vanished, never to be seen again.

So with that plan in mind, she braced herself for the adolescence's return. However, as he said, he did not return alone. With him was an older woman with the same white hair as he possessed.

She looked at Lucina and introduced herself as the teenager's mother, "My son tells me that you were out in the field and could barely stand on your own feet."

"Yes, Ma'am," Lucina responded politely.

"Do you mind if I ask why you were out there for no apparent reason?"

"It is…complicated."

She looked Lucina in the eye skeptically before sighing, "Very well, that is your business I suppose. You should come inside; you could probably use a good meal, but the sword stays by the door, understood?"

That seemed fair, all things considered, and she did not know how long it had been since she had a proper meal, so she nodded her acceptance of the terms and prepared to follow the two indoors, "Robin, go fetch us some water," the boy nodded and ran off to the well, but Lucina paid that little mind as she simply stood there as her theory had been confirmed. It all fit from what little she knew of his life before the Shepherds, and to have the same name as well was astronomically unlikely to be a coincidence.

"Are you coming?" his mother asked once she realized that the girl was not following her.

That brought her out of her thoughts and the two went into the house where Lucina took Falchion and it's scabbard off and placed it by the door, but made sure that it was still in plain view.

"Have a seat," her host invited, "Lunch should be ready within a few minutes," she commented as she stoked a fire in the stove.

Lucina took a seat while she attempted to figure out the best way to gather information without raising too many questions; especially considering whose house she was in. She decided to start with the basics: where she was.

"Arton," she replied plainly, "I hear it was named after a commander in the Schism. We are a few days southwest of the capital."

She had never heard of it, but that was not surprising; Robin mentioned very little of his past life. In any case, she now had an idea of where she was, now she had to find out when. Blatantly asking the year might cause more questions than she cared for so she needed a subtler way of asking. She knew how old her father was when he met Robin, and she knew how much older he was than Robin, so if she knew how old Robin was currently…

"How old is your son?"

She cocked her eyebrow at the princess' question, but decided to answer it anyway, "Fifteen. Why the interest in my son?" Any possible implication in that question was overlooked as Lucina quickly figured up the time. Her father was twenty when they met, and he is two years older than Robin which meant that…three years; she was three years too early.

"Are you alright?" Lucina was broken out of her thoughts yet again.

"My apologies, I was just thinking."

"I see…" she went back to tending to the oven despite her suspicions.

Lucina did not speak again until Robin had rejoined them and his mother presented them with some sandwiches-with some home baked bread. Actually, it was Robin who spoke first.

"So, where are you going?"

"I…am not so certain anymore."

He swallowed, "Why not?"

"It appears that my timing was off. I am much too early, and I do not know what to do in the meantime."

"Why not stay in town?"

"I do not wish to interfere," she neglected to mention exactly how she did not want to interfere of course.

"It's no bother–"

"Robin," his mother scolded, "If she does not want to stay, then she does not want to stay," she turned back to Lucina, "Surely you have somewhere that you can stay until it is time for your 'mission.'"

"Well," Lucina eyed her plate, "I am new to this area. If you could direct me to where I could find work, then I would greatly appreciate it." First things first, she needed to find shelter, food, and an income.

Robin's mother eyed her suspiciously, "Robin, could you excuse us for a moment?"

Robin was about to protest when he saw that his mother was deathly serious so he politely excused himself leaving the two women alone. "He is a curious child," his mother commented as she looked up the stairs that he had just climbed, "But he has much yet to learn about the world."

"You say that you have no place to go," she directed her gaze back to Lucina, "And yet you bear the brand of the Exalt." Lucina put her hand up to her eye, "You will find that I am quite observant, and my son-when he applies himself-is doubly so."

"So, what are you hiding?" Lucina did not know what to say, and her host tried a different approach, "I bear you no ill will, but my son is all that matters to me anymore; if you seek to harm him, then I will protect him whatever the cost."

"I assure you that I do not mean your son or yourself any harm. As for the brand, it is a complicated matter. One that I am not at liberty to discuss."

"Are you on the run from the royal family? Because I do not want nor need the royals snooping around."

"I am not running from the authorities," Lucina reassured, "But I would rather not discuss it all the same."

"I can respect the need for privacy," she replied after analyzing her for some time, "I do not think you are lying, and it is clear that Robin is excited to meet someone new. We do not have much, but you are free to stay here for the time being. You can help Robin with his chores until I find you some work."

"That is very generous of you, but I should not impose."

"You do not have to accept if you do not want to, but you should consider it carefully. It is not easy out on your own; I know."

There really were not many options open to her at the moment. She risked altering the past by staying, but, then again, that was the point in her being there. So long as Robin joined up with her father at the right time-and she did know that date-then it should still play out well enough. Maybe she could even find a way to save him too.

Yes, she knew full well what had become of Robin, but she also knew that it was not his fault. Saving her father and the world was her top priority, but she had also hoped to save Robin as well.

So, with no small amount of doubt, she agreed to stay-for the night at the least. Robin was happy to hear the news. It was strange to see him so…young. He had always seemed so mature to her. However, his curiosity might prove difficult, but she would handle that as the need arose. For now, she would just have to keep her head down as she waited for three long years.

A/N: So, I have made several alterations as you can tell. For one, the Shepherds actually shared what happened to Robin so that Lucina has a better idea of how to stop it. This story is really meant for two parts (both in the same story, don't worry). Part one is Lucina's time in the village and her relationship with Robin, his mother, and to a lesser extent, other townspeople.

I kind of wanted to base Robin's mother off of the default female avatar, but they seem to work better as siblings. Maybe the older looking body type would work.