An Obligation

(or "A Promise Chapter 2")

Again, days and weeks passed. The captain's blue hair swayed in the shimmering sun, currently a ball of white light high in the sky, surrounded by a sea of light blue, much the same as it had that one fateful morning. The silent poetry of the summer was broken for Chrom, however, by his sister's none-too-well concealed moaning. "You know, you could have just stayed home," Chrom rolled his eyes.

"No way," his sister barked, "If you're gonna go all across the continent instead of serving as Exalt, I'm coming with you to make sure you don't decide to do anything even dumber."

"Are you trying to lecture me, Lissa?" the captain shifted an eyebrow.

"You know, Sumia's already unhappy with you, the people have begun to think you're either aloof or a craven... The whole family's in a bit of a PR slump, because of this, Chrom," Lissa vented, crossing her arms and scowling, the elaborate ponytails in her hair bouncing as she accentuated each syllable.

A stoic air took over Chrom's face, "I know," he proclaimed to no one in particular.

"No, I don't think you do," Lissa pressed.

"Lissa..."

"You'd be better served to return to the Halidom, tail between your legs-"

"Lissa!"

"-And don't interrupt me while I'm speaking, do you know how rude that is? Gods, you don't even have the manners to be-"

"LISSA!"

"What?!"

"Look," Chrom said, casting his arm to a crumpled mass covered by a pile of thick blue and gold fabric.

"You don't think..." Lissa's words were lost in her consideration. Her brother nodded to her with some resolve. "But what if he has, uh, 'an-nees-yuh' like before?" Lissa's head sunk.

"We'll greet him the same way we did then. Remember what you said?" the captain planned, eyes shining.

"I think so," Lissa stepped closer to the collapsed tactician. "Chrom, we have to do something!"

"What do you propose we do?"

Chrom recited, happy his sister was playing along.

"I don't know."

The tactician's eyes wrenched open and both Chrom and Lissa gasped in now-genuine surprise.

"I see you're awake now," Chrom remarked.

"Hey there," Lissa said coyly.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," Chrom continued, a hint of snark penetrating his voice. He gazed into Robin's eyes and saw what he knew not to be confusion, as it had been when they had first met, but total, abject understanding. Chrom even though he saw a smile playing along Robin's lips. "Give me your hand," Chrom offered, pulling Robin up with little effort, then, as the two stood before each other once more, Chrom added, "Welcome back. It's over now."

Robin looked down at his hand, looking for the Mark of Grima, but seeing that it had disappeared. "Then, the Fell Dragon..."

"Gone," reassured Chrom.

"You're certain?" Robin stared concernedly.

"As certain as I can be and on my honor as Exalt," Chrom asserted.

"Ah, you're the Exalt now..." Robin continued to process the situation in his head, "but, then, what are you doing out here?"

At that, Lissa cast a snide glare at her brother, "I came because I knew I had to find you," Chrom managed above his sister's silent indictment.

"Thank you, Chrom. You truly are my greatest friend," Robin said happily, earning him a glare from Lissa that said "don't encourage him."

"Then why did you leave us, Robin? Why, when you could have saved yourself and we would have sealed the Fell Dragon regardless?" Chrom begged, finding the heart of the issue.

"I explained this before, Chrom. I didn't want Grima defeated, I wanted him removed from existence. For you, for your children... For my child." Robin explained wistfully, "to do otherwise would have been selfish."

Chrom bit his lip at the word. "Selfish? Do you think I, your wife, or your daughter wanted to watch you die? How dare you call my plan 'selfish?'" Chrom raved.

Robin searched his friend's eyes, now leering scathingly into his own, "Did you seek me only to argue the point, Chrom? What has gotten into you?"

"You have consumed my life with worry for you... My wife, my kingdom, they are all upset with me..." Chrom told the ground, his eyes growing despondent, "only to have you call my genuine concern for you selfish!"

"I don't recall making any of those things happen," Robin cooled, his own fists now clenching, "When did I hold a blade to your throat and command that you seek me?"

"You dare mock me?!" Chrom lashed out, unsheathing Falchion from his side.

"Chrom! Are you mad?!" Lissa screeched between a few tears.

He ignored her and waved Falchion at the tactician, "I have found you, and now I am finished with you. Seek hospitality elsewhere, stranger, for I've no place for an exile in my country."

"I still cannot understand what has caused you such pain, but I will do as you ask," Robin replied neutrally, "Now, I disappear." The tactician began to walk toward the sun, lowered slightly from its place atop the sky, casting his shadow onto his former friend's back for a minute or two until they both disappeared over the other's horizon.

The night settled in gracefully. The constant chirp of cicadas kept it very much alive, but the grass and the sky were awash with the same marvelous azure tint as Anna extinguished the small torches around her shop, one at a time, licking her index finger and thumb and grasping at the wick, shaking the heat from her fingers each time as the smoke rose like clockwork. The sound of footsteps caught her ears; "Oh, come on in," she announced in the same chipper tone she used for all her customers, putting a finger to her chin and smiling like always.

"Hail, milady," a voice replied, "Do you have any room for a lost dog?"

"Huh? What dog?" Anna replied.

A mess of brown hair was set aglow by the remaining torchlight as her husband stepped into view, "Just this one," came his response. Anna was dumbstruck; anger, joy, and sorrow flooded her mind all at once so that she only fell forward into her lover's arms, sobbing quietly. He held his wife in silence a minute letting her heave and cry into his cloak.

"Your customer service is terrible," she smiled slightly into his eyes, her own still glistening with tears, "I've been waiting forever."

"I appreciate your patronage. Maybe I can give you something extra." He smiled, brushing a few maroon locks out of her face.

She drew back from his grasp, earning a puzzled look from her husband, "I'm sorry... I just... Need a minute," her glittering eyes casting to each side.

"Oh," Robin tried unsuccessfully to hide his disappointment, "Of course. Take all the time you need, honey." Her eyes flooded upon hearing the nickname.

"F-father?" another voice caught Robin's attention. "Oh, gods have mercy, father!" Morgan fawned, springing to her father's side, hugging him like a vice.

"Ack! Gods... Hello Morgan. I'm very glad to see you, too," he managed. For several minutes, she, too, heaved into her father's cloak, recounting how much she had missed and loved her father in increasing volume but decreasing in coherency. Her sobs eventually became so loud and heavy that she began to retch. Her father patted her back softly, "It's alright, it's alright. Daddy's here. Everything is going to be fine." He cooed for several minutes until he could no longer hear her, whereupon he discovered she had fallen asleep in his arms. Smiling warmly, Robin lifted his daughter up, arms supporting her by the knees and neck, carried her to a smaller nearby tent and placed her on the cot inside, placing a peck on her forehead as he withdrew. Robin returned to his wife, looking her up and down a moment. She still seemed radiant despite her countenance and the quickly fading torchlight. "I'm sorry I had you so worried. I wish there was more I could say for myself, but that's it. I did what I felt I had to, and-"

"Shh," she pressed her finger on top of his lips. "It could take some time," she glanced sideways again, "but I think I can come to forgive you. I did marry you, after all. Can I ask you a question, though?"

"Naturally," Robin replied.

"Why did you lie to me that night?"

Robin steeled himself; this was the question he had been anticipating the entire walk to the tent, "I told Chrom earlier that afternoon, and he nearly lost it. That, and I was afraid that if I told you, you might try to stop me,"

"I'd be a pretty crappy wife if I didn't," she interjected.

"Right," her husband agreed, "I just knew it had to be done. I'm sorry. That's my only justification."

Robin watched carefully as his wife mulled the response over for a moment, all the while reciprocating her husband's evaluating glances, "You apologize a little too much for your own good," she eventually smirked at him.

"I'm just trying my best to start making up for my decision," Robin replied, hoping her remark was a positive indication.

Anna took the tie out of her hair and let it flow freely about her shoulders, something even Robin had rarely seen her do, outside of his occasional glimpses of her dressing and undressing routines.

"Good plan. You can start tonight," she beckoned him with her index finger and an impish smile. Robin's face flared beet red, comprehending the gesture soundly. He stepped toward his wife, whereupon she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and began to kiss him, then leapt off her feet, hooking her legs around his waist, his arms moving to hold them in place. They moved to the tent and... progressed on into the night, the moon rising in a brilliant tan-gold hue that evening.

Sumia waited at the doorway, unsure of what to do. A well kempt blue hairdo invaded her vision. Her husband had returned late the previous afternoon, and while she was none to pleased with his flippant abandonment if both her and his responsibilities, Sumia could not help but be relieved, if not a little pleased, that he had returned. "What are you up to, darling?" Chrom asked as politely as possible. Sumia was contented to see that her husband recognized his position.

"I was going to ask Lucina if she would like to meet, well, herself," Sumia whispered.

"I think that's a fine idea."

"You don't think it will cause a 'pair-of-docks,' or whatever it's called?"

"No, I don't think so. Besides, I would like for both Lucinas to feel as though they are part of the family. Maybe this will remind our guest from the future of that." The parents walked slowly into their daughter's room. Lucina was packing several articles of clothing into a bag, punctuating the assortment with her Falchion and a rapier in two sheaths at each side of the bag.

"Mother, father, good morrow," she smiled slightly as they entered.

"What are you packing all these things for, Lucina?" her father asked, picking up an article of the clothing she was putting away.

"I'm preparing to leave Ylisstol and journey about the world," Lucina stated, staring into the bag, then upon turning to her father she added, "Do you need my smallclothes for something in particular, father?"

Chrom dropped the article like it was made of molten lead.

"Whatever for?" Sumia attempted to salvage the conversation.

"My duty is at an end; I've no further purpose here," Lucina replied simply.

"Nonsense," Chrom began to recover, "Duty or not, you're my daughter. I'll not have you leaving the Halidom because we're at peace."

"That's the problem," earnest disappointment creased Lucina's face, "Much though I liked the illusion, I am not 'your' daughter, per se, but rather the daughter of a Chrom who has since ceased to exist."

"Don't speak like that," Chrom took a step closer to his daughter, holding the bundle that contained her younger self, "Do you see this baby, Lucina? To me, you and her are one and the same."

"As do I," her mother chimed in.

Lucina smiled broadly, then recoiled a bit, "Thank you mother, father, but I still want a chance to explore a world that isn't ruined. To see trees and rivers, forests and mountains," her eyes twinkled as she gazed upward at her fictitious sights, "and I'd like to pay Robin a visit to properly thank him."

Chrom moved to protest but his wife cast a glare that slapped his mouth shut. "If that is what you desire, then so be it, dear. But remember that you are always welcome here," Sumia said wearing a sunny grin.

"Thank you, mother, it is, and I won't," she picked up the bag and walked out the palace doors.