Hey there again, guys! Before you read this new chapter, I will freely admit that this will be sort of a filler chapter. The reason is more to create some more build up for the later chapters. This might seem like a boring thing to do in the eyes of some, but I feel as though it's an important thing to do. I hope you all understand. :)
I own nothing related to Super Smash Bros., or any franchises connected to it.
Anyways, please read & enjoy! :D
Lucina woke up the next morning feeling worse than when she had gone to bed. Her heart felt heavier, her will to do anything had decreased, and she felt like she could burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Somehow, she dragged herself out of bed, and changed out of her short shorts for a pair of blue plaid flannel pants. As she stood up straight, she caught her reflection in the floor length mirror that stood just a foot away from her bed. She was shocked to see how tired and sad she looked. But then again, she knew she shouldn't have been so surprised in the first place.
Sighing, Lucina tried to shake off her reflection by looking towards her door. The sudden sound of her stomach growling for food also helped distract her from how she looked.
Might as well eat, she thought.
She entered the kitchen, grateful that it wasn't Sunday. Sunday was always the day where all the Brawlers had breakfast together. While Lucina did enjoy it normally, she just wasn't in the mood to socialize with anyone at the moment. She poured herself a bowl of corn flakes, poured some milk into the bowl, and then went to the dining room to eat.
She was a little peeved when she saw that Princess Peach was also in the dining room, munching on some whole toast slathered with strawberry jam. But Lucina ignored the sight and sat as far away from Peach as possible, all while praying that the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom would ignore her.
Unfortunately for Lucina, that didn't happen.
"Good morning to you, Lucina!" greeted Peach, sounding perky as usual.
"Morning," replied Lucina as happily as she could.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Fine," lied Lucina.
Peach looked at the blue-haired woman sideways. "Are you sure?"
Lucina nodded silently.
"I know you miss Robin-"
"I'm fine, Peach," interrupted Lucina, her words coming out in a rush.
Peach didn't believe her for a second, but chose not to pursue the manner. She instead went back to eating her breakfast.
Glad that she hadn't been questioned further, Lucina continued to eat her cereal in silence. But that silence was short lived, as the sound of a door opening and then slamming shut disrupted the quiet.
"What on Earth?!" shrieked Peach.
Link and Toon Link dashed into the dining room in their winter clothes, looking red in the face from the cold weather.
"The snowball fight is about to start!" exclaimed Toon Link. "Come on, join us!"
"Oh my goodness, I totally forgot!" said Peach. She polished off her food and wiped her mouth with her napkin quickly. "I'll be out there in about five minutes."
"Yes!" shouted Toon Link before running back outside.
"Awesome!" cried Link. He turned to Lucina. "Are you comin' out?"
Lucina baulked. "I was gonna go train…"
"Nonsense," said Peach, cutting her off. "You can be on my team with the other ladies! Besides, we need all the help we can get!"
"I didn't train yesterday, so I need to today," replied Lucina. He finished up her cereal, and then left for the kitchen. After putting her dishes in the dishwasher, she dashed into her room.
"What's with her?" asked Link.
Peach sighed. "Girl stuff. I'll be outside in a few, okay?"
"Sounds good," said Link.
Lucina had been lying when she had told Peach that she was going to train. In reality, she was getting a hot shower to wake herself up some more. But all the shower did was make her miss Robin more. She had to stop herself from crying more than once, and that frustrated her the most. The last time she had cried was when she and her father had reunited. But even then, those tears had been of happiness and relief, not sadness and loneliness.
Once she finished her shower, Lucina dried off and changed into a red T-shirt that had a couple pink flowers here and there, as well as a pair of dark grey sweatpants. It was definitely a casual outfit, and Lucina knew that wearing it would draw the ire of the other princesses. Rosalina would just give a disapproving look, Zelda would say something along the lines of, "You couldn't find ANYTHING else to wear?" Finally, Peach would lecture her on dressing proper because of her status as a princess.
Damn them, thought Lucina defiantly. I'll wear what I want!
A small grin of triumph grew on her face, but it died fairly quickly. If Robin was here, he wouldn't care about her clothes. He always said that she was beautiful in anything, no matter what. (Even though she had a hunch that he liked her in her armour the most. Not that she was complaining.)
Everything I do makes me think of Robin, realized Lucina. I don't understand why that is. Oh Gods, please help me understand.
She slipped on a pair of black socks, and left her room to watch a movie in the living room. Unfortunately for her, the aforementioned princesses of Super Smash Bros. were all sitting in different parts of the living room, drinking hot chocolate and chatting. Lucina ducked back into the hallway before any of the women noticed her.
"So, what did you ask Link to get you for Christmas?" asked Rosalina.
Zelda sighed dreamily. "A pair of silver diamond studs."
"Fancy!" exclaimed Peach. "I asked Mario to get me a gold necklace with an angel wing as the pendant. It'd be so pretty."
"It would," said Rosalina. "I asked Luigi for earrings, too. But I asked for something gold and dangly. I think it'd match what I wear now."
"I think so, too," remarked Zelda. "What did you get him?"
By now, Lucina had gotten sick of the women's gossip. She thought about retreating back to the solitude of her room, but a sudden pang of hunger made her reconsider. After briefly debating with her head on what to do, she decided to go to the kitchen to make a snack. She barely opened the fridge when someone barged into the kitchen.
"Who's there? Oh, it's just you," said Zelda. "I thought for a second there that it was Link."
"Nope, not this time," replied Lucina with a small, embarrassed laugh.
Zelda looked the swordswoman up and down, and then sighed. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"Because I can," said Lucina. "Look, I'm not in the mood to debate about it, Zelda. I just want to grab something to eat, and then go back to my room."
"Fine," relented Zelda. She walked back to the living room with disappointment.
Lucina shrugged off the encounter, and made herself a peanut butter sandwich. She then left the kitchen to return to her room, but stopped herself in the hallway at the mention of her name.
"Yeah, Lucina said she was training," said Peach casually. "That's why she missed the snowball fight."
"That's not a good excuse," replied Rosalina. She paused to let out a small huff of annoyance. "I think she was lying."
"Why on Earth would she lie?" asked Peach.
"Beats me," piped up Zelda. "But I agree- she's definitely not herself."
Lucina marched to her room, making sure that the door to her room was closed as quietly as possible. She didn't want the three Brawlers to know that she had eavesdropped on their conversation about her. It had hurt her feelings a little bit, but not enough that she wanted to cause a scene. Besides, the women did have valid points; she had lied about why she didn't want to participate in the snowball fight, and she hadn't been herself since Robin had left.
Once he comes back to me, I can breathe again, thought Lucina.
Robin was beyond exhausted. He and Chrom had done some more manual labour with some the locals of Ylisse, and then they had to talk to some of the country's government officials regarding some more complex repairs of the country. All in all, it had been a very long day for both men, and Robin was more than glad that it was over. He collapsed on a couch on the verge of passing out.
Chrom couldn't help but chuckle. "Tired?"
"Just a bit," replied Robin. He sat up to look directly at Chrom.
"Relax, Robin. You and I both need the rest of the night to recover. It was a busy day."
"It was. Chrom, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course you may."
"Why are we getting involved with the repair of Ylisse? It's not that I don't enjoy doing it, but I am surprised that you and I- two powerful warriors- are helping out this way. What I'm trying to say is that when you told me to come help repair Ylisse, I was thinking it'd be in a more… diplomatic sense."
Worried that he had sounded like a jerk, Robin groaned and slapped himself. He didn't want Chrom to think that he didn't care about Ylisse because that wasn't the motive to him asking that question.
But Chrom understood Robin's words perfectly. He chuckled lightly at his nervousness before answering.
"It was actually my idea," he confessed. "Some of the people of Ylisse are not too comfortable with what you, Lucina, and I did to their beloved country in the name of destroying Grima. So, I figured that volunteering to help with the cleanup would repair our reputations as warriors. Think of it as community service, ordered by me. I know you're better with the diplomacy side of things, but that's exactly why I've kept you away from it for the most part. Besides, you need to grow some more muscles."
"Are you calling me weak?" asked Robin.
"Maybe. Just don't tell Lucina," laughed Chrom.
Robin laughed as well. "I understand your motives now, Chrom. It all makes sense to me. But why didn't you let Lucina join us? You of all people should know that she would've been more than willing to help us out."
"She's been through enough hell," answered Chrom in a serious tone of voice. "I was worried that bringing her here to help repair Ylisse would devastate her. She loves this place far more than you and I, so seeing this would hurt her greatly."
"You do make a good point," mused Robin thoughtfully. He had to agree with Chrom- Lucina would have reacted badly to seeing Ylisse in shambles, thanks to them defeating Grima. It's not that Robin thought of her as weak- he just wanted to protect her from some of the hell he and Chrom had to see.
"I can tell Lucina misses me terribly," he added.
"I know she does," said Chrom.
Robin raised his eyebrows. "You do? How?"
"A father knows these things, Robin. Never question a father's instincts."
"Aah, yes. I didn't think of that."
Chrom chuckled again, and Robin joined in, too. Soon, they were laughing fairly hard.
"Oh, that was quite amusing," admitted Chrom as he let out one final laugh.
"It was," said Robin. "Now, I would like to go to my room for the night, if that's alright with you."
"Of course. Have a goodnight, Robin."
"Thank you. You too, Chrom!"
Robin went into his room and changed into a grey T-shirt, and dark green fleece pyjama pants. He got into bed, and was out cold in just a matter of minutes.
There ya go! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)
Please review, and don't forget to stay tuned for chapter 3! :D
- Elizabeth