Lucina's day began like any other, the morning sunlight waking her from her slumber underneath whatever natural shelter she could find; today, from beneath the branches of the forest canopy.

Sitting up from her resting place, she reached into her bag of supplies and withdrew a couple of strips of bear meat, which she chewed on slowly as she listened to the birdsong around her. Even cold, the meat tasted good: it reminded her of when her father had taken her hunting when she was little, and the two had feasted on a bear he had caught. She had loved the taste ever since.

She washed her meal down with a swig from her water skin, before standing up and hoisting the bag over her shoulder. Once she got her bearings, Lucina began to head north, continuing in the same direction she had for the past couple of days.

So far, she had found no luck in locating the Gemstones connected to the Fire Emblem: the closest she had come was during her brief time in Regna Ferox, going off of the rumours that they had held one of the Gemstones before the Valmese war. However, despite besting her uncle in combat and thus earning the West Khan's trust, she hadn't had much of an opportunity to look around or find any information on the whereabouts of the Gemstone, or even verify if they possessed it to begin with. After her duel with her father in the arena, she hadn't lingered for long, not wanting to overstay her welcome. She had also known that the time of Emmeryn's assassination drew near, and wanted to be close to Ylisstol in order to prevent it.

When she had travelled back to this time, she didn't have much in the form of a plan, instead only having a basic outline: stop Emmeryn's assassination and locate and protect the Gemstones. She had known the task would be difficult, but she had planned to confer with her companions for guidance.

She hadn't prepared for them to get separated during the journey.

Instead of having access to the skills of her friends - to Laurent's vast knowledge, Cynthia's boundless optimism, Owain's peerless level of weapon maintenance, Brady's healing talents, and the general skill on the battlefield of all of her comrades - Lucina had found herself alone in the past, with nothing to rely on but her own skill with a blade.

During her travels across the land, she had hoped she would encounter any one of them - in fact, that was her only reason for being as far south as she was - but to no avail. She worried for their well-being, and prayed every day that they were alright. She was especially concerned for Cynthia: she was the only direct family she had left, and Lucina couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her and not being there to protect her.

Don't worry, Lucina, she told herself. Cynthia can look after herself. They all can. Still, she couldn't help but wonder where they could be, and she still wished they were by her side.

Perhaps I may encounter one of them in Ylisstol. She wondered. She had planned to check up on the capital before heading north, so it wouldn't hurt to look around for a bit to see if any of them had arrived there.

The sun steadily rose as she wandered the forest, bathing it in warm spring light. Her journey passed without incident until around midday, on the outskirts of the forest, when Lucina could just about hear the distant tolling of bells. The princess stopped dead in her tracks once she recognised the sound, frozen in fear.

No... Oh gods, please, no... In her time, the bells rang for one reason and one reason alone.

The city was under attack.

Lucina broke into a run and rushed as quickly as she could in the direction of the capital, one hand resting on Falchion's hilt, ready to draw the holy blade at a moment's notice. The city came into view in almost no time at all, and at first she was puzzled by the lack of any enemy forces outside.

Don't let your guard down just yet. They could already be within the walls. Not slowing her pace, Lucina ran towards the main gates.

What she saw inside the city caught her completely by surprise.

The streets were bustling - busier than Lucina had ever seen them. There was no sign of any enemy forces, or any danger at all. It seemed like an ordinary day.

No, not an ordinary day: there seemed to be some kind of event going on. Royal blue banners emblazoned with the Brand of the Exalt hung between the buildings, and the streets were lined with a variety of stalls that people were flitting between, purchasing various wares they had to offer. Confused by the situation - or lack thereof, in this case - Lucina approached one of the stalls in hopes of gathering more information.

"Excuse me, sir?" She said to a tall bearded man running a stall selling hot food.

"How can I help you, miss?" He asked as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Could you tell me what's going on?" She gestured to one of the other vendors. "Why are the bells ringing?"

If the shopkeeper thought her questions odd, he showed no sign of it. "The city's holding a festival, to celebrate the birth of Princess Lucina."

Lucina was taken aback by this unexpected answer. Is it really today?

"The princess?" She repeated, doing her best to hide her surprise.

"That's right. Lady Sumia gave birth to a little girl in the early hours of the morning. Prince Chrom was so happy, it seemed he ordered the bells to be rung the whole day, and a festival to be held in her honour."

That definitely sounds like something father would do. Lucina noted with a smile. Now that she listened closer, the ringing bells seemed... happier than whenever they had rang in her time, almost like peals of laughter. In fact, she could vaguely remember the same being done on the day of her little sister's birth.

I've been twenty years old for almost a whole day without even realising it.

"Can I offer you anything, miss?" The shopkeeper asked after a few moments, obviously noticing her thoughtful expression.

"Hmm? Oh, no, thank you." Lucina said. "But thank you for the information." With that, Lucina left the man and began to wander down the street, her mind elsewhere.

Up in the castle, her parents were celebrating the birth of her younger self, showering the girl in love and affection. She couldn't remember the last time her parents had been there to celebrate her birthday with her.

When she pictured this, Lucina felt an almost irresistible urge to run all the way to the castle and tell them who she really was. She wanted to bury herself in their arms, to confess just how much she loved them and how she had missed them. She wanted them to wish her a happy birthday and promise they would never leave her again. She wanted her mother and father back.

She was very tempted by this prospect, and found herself slowly walking in that direction, before she came to her sense and reminded herself that it was folly. They would never believe her if she told them, and even if they did, she would be taking a very special day away from both her parents and her younger self. The girl deserved better.

With a resigned sigh, Lucina tore herself away from the direction of the palace. As much as she yearned to be close to them, she knew it was for the best if she kept her distance. Despite this, she also found herself unable to simply walk away from the city: when was the last time she had ever experienced a day like this?

It only took a few moments for her to decide: she was going to stay for an hour or two and simply enjoy the festivities. It was her birthday, after all.

Perhaps I should buy a gift for her... Lucina pondered, amused by the prospect of buying a present for herself. Given the size of the market, she was bound to find something for the newborn.

As she perused the various stalls in her search for a present that was both appealing to her and would be suitable for a child that age, Lucina couldn't help but notice that, in contrast to her usually grim countenance, she couldn't help but smile at everything she saw. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen anybody this happy and carefree, and every little detail that was commonplace to the people around her was almost a complete novelty to her.

Her musings were interrupted when she turned a corner I'm the street and collided with someone, knocking them both to the floor. She had been so engrossed with the atmosphere of the festival that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. She scrambled to her feet, embarrassed by the whole situation.

"I'm so sorry, I..." she began, before she recognised the black robe, brown eyes and silver hair of her father's tactician.

"Marth?" Robin said, obviously surprised to see her. "What brings you here?"

"I'm... I was just in the area..." Lucina stammered, blushing. She hadn't expected to encounter any of the Shepherds here. "I didn't know there was a celebration on until I got here."

"I see..."

Lucina wasn't the best at reading people, but she could tell that Robin was very distracted, and only seemed to be half-listening.

"What brings you all the way down here?" She inquired. "I would have thought you would be up in the castle celebrating with Chrom and the others."

"Hmm? Oh... I was, but then I realised that I had completely forgotten to get a present for them. That's why I... wasn't looking where I was going..." Robin replied.

"As it happens, I too am looking for a present for the princess." Lucina told him. "Why don't I help you look for one, and we can get a present from the both of us?"

"You'd do that?" Robin seemed perplexed.

"You don't like the idea?" Lucina responded, almost feeling disappointed.

"No, no, it's not that. I was just surprised to hear you offer." Robin reassured her, smiling. "Yes, I would love your help."

Together, the two of them walked the marketplace in a renewed attempt to find anything for the princess. As they did so, Lucina made a conscious effort to avoid eye contact with the tactician, or at least shield her left eye from his view: it was important that he didn't notice the Brand in her eye, the one identical to that of the baby in the palace. They only exchanged a few words with each other whenever they thought they saw something, and it was several minutes before Robin attempted to strike up a conversation.

"So... Marth... What _were_ you doing around here?" He inquired. "Not to say that you aren't welcome, but you never seemed like the type to dwell in such densely populated areas."

"I... was looking for someone." Lucina answered slowly, choosing her words carefully. "Someone I've lost."

"Someone close to you?"

She nodded. "My little sister. I haven't seen her in months, and I've been searching all over for her."

"I'm sorry." Robin said. "It must be pretty hard for you."

"It is. But I won't rest until I find her. I promised my father that I would protect her." She declared, hand gripping Falchion tightly.

Robin noticed this action, his eyes drawn to the weapon. "Marth, your sword..."

"You want to know why my sword and Chrom's look so similar." Lucina finished, mentally cursing herself for drawing attention to it. Robin stared at her guiltily. "It's alright. I expected someone to ask sooner or later." She gazed down at the sword.

"It's a replica." She lied, reciting the same tale she had come up with to explain the identical Falchions should the need arise. "My father... he was an admirer of the Ylissean royal family, almost to the point of obsession. That's why he named me Marth, after the Hero King of old. He forged this sword based on the designs of the Exalted Falchion that he had seen drawn in a book."

"So, your name is actually Marth?" Robin clarified. "It's not just an alias?"

"It's the name my father gave me, yes." She said.

Both of them were silent for a bit, still searching, when Lucina came to a realisation.

"What about you, Robin?"

"Huh?" Robin was taken aback. "'What about me' what?"

"I've told you a bit about myself, but I don't know anything about you." Lucina continued.

"Oh... right..." Robin looked hesitant, and Lucina realised she may have come across as rude.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to!" She said quickly, hoping to rectify her mistake. "I was just-"

"It's fine." He told her. "In truth... there isn't much to tell. Chrom found me unconscious on the side of the road, without memory, and I've been by his side ever since."

"You lost your memory?" Lucina repeated, shocked. She hadn't known much about her father's tactician back in her own time, but she had never even suspected...

"Yeah... But still, I don't miss it too much. My life has been very happy since I woke up, despite having to fight in the war. I've made plenty of good memories with the Shepherds."

"Well, I'm glad you have." She said genuinely. "The Shepherds sound like nice people. They're lucky to have you."

"Thank you, Marth."

They lapsed into silence again, but it wasn't at all awkward like before: Lucina supposed that sharing parts of her life with Robin made him easier to be around. It was just a shame that she had to lie about most of it.

Something caught Lucina's attention and she stopped, transfixed.

It was a mobile made to hang over a baby's crib, with several painted wooden butterflies dangling from the cross beams. Whilst pretty to look at, it wasn't anything spectacular, but that wasn't why Lucina was so taken by it.

It was because she recognised it.

It was her mobile from when she was a girl.

"Have you found something?" Robin asked beside her, causing her to jump. She hadn't heard him approach.

She pointed at the mobile. "What about this?"

Robin pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought. "I'm not sure. I don't really know what girls like. Do you reckon she would like this?"

"Absolutely." Lucina said confidently.

"Well, if you're so certain, I guess I'll buy it." He reached into his pocket and went to pay for it.

"I can pay for it if you want." Lucina offered.

"Don't worry about it, Marth." Robin said reassuringly as he handed the money over to the woman behind the stall. "I never would have even found a present present without your help, so the least I can do is pay for it. Besides," he added as the woman passed the mobile to him. "If you're going to be out searching for your sister, you may need to hold into your own money."

Lucina found she didn't really have an argument against this, so instead she simply replied with "Thank you."

"It's no problem, really." Robin repeated. "Do you want to take this up to the palace with me? I'm sure Chrom will be happy to see you again."

Lucina's honest answer was 'yes', and the word almost left her lips when she remembered her feelings from earlier. She doubted she would be able to resist the temptation if she was faced with them both, certainly not on such a happy day.

"No, thank you." She said reluctantly. "I won't want to intrude. Besides, I should be going."

"I understand." Robin said kindly. "If there is anything I can do to help, just ask."

"I will. In fact... If you happen to see her, could you please keep her safe for me?" She requested. "She's a few years younger than me, rather short, and has blue hair like mine. Oh, and she also rides a pegasus." She listed.

Robin nodded in affirmation. "Of course. What's her name?"

"Cynthia. Her name is Cynthia."

"Cynthia." He repeated. "Well, I'll keep a look out for her."

"Thank you so much, Robin. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"No problem. I'll let Chrom know you helped with the this, too." He gestured to the present. "Take care Marth."

"You too, Robin." She said, before the two went their separate ways.

She hadn't expected to encounter Robin today, let alone shop with him and share personal details, yet it felt... refreshing, somehow, to have gotten to know a bit about the man her father had trusted above all else.

Could he really have been the one to... Lucina's thoughts trailed off. She still couldn't believe it. He was such a nice man, and didn't seem capable of doing what it was rumoured he had done in her own future. He owed everything to Chrom, and had absolutely no reason to betray him.

It must have been somebody else, she told herself. That was the only explanation.

She made her way down the bustling streets, heading towards the main gate: she had lingered long enough. She would buy herself a treat from one of the stalls and then head on her way. She turned back to face the palace one last time, thinking again of the newborn princess that would be the centre of attention, and the loving parents that had organised a whole festival just for her.

Happy birthday, Lucina.

So, this idea popped into my head a while ago, and as it is Lucina's birthday today, now seems like a good time to upload it.

I'm sorry that I haven't uploaded anything in a while. I've been busy with College work, as well as doing some planning for my Super Smash Bros. story. The latter involves actually knowing things about the backstory of certain characters, and while it would be easy to simply look it up, I'm trying to get a better feel of them by actually playing the games they starred in, at least for characters that will get more focus within the story. Because of this, I need to finish playing Twilight Princess (can't believe I've missed out on Zelda for so long!) as well as wait for the European release of Fire Emblem Fates.

If anybody still cares at this point, I'm sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoyed this little oneshot.

Until next time!