It was midday when the group broke for lunch. The crew had been marching for near five hours with little to no breaks, so they were long overdue for one. Their usual protocol was to break every three hours, but with time being a factor here, Robin had ordered Frederick to make sure the caravan kept soldering on so that they could make good time. The Shepherds were a well-trained crew, so there were no complaints to be had.
Well, little to no complaints. There had been a silent yet constant stream of whining from some of the members, but they continued to march all the same. Lissa, who had been the ringleader of the whiners, eventually relented when Chrom told her she could ride on one of the wagons. After that, things ran a lot more smoothly.
Lucina found herself standing near the head of the pack when the Shepherd's caravan finally slowed to a halt. Chrom had insisted that she walk at the front of the group with him, her mother, and Frederick when they had set out. Apparently, Robin would have been at the front with them as well, but the princess had yet to see of him. The last time she saw the tactician was in the tent when the two discussed her future. It was curious, but nothing so serious that he had to be sought out.
While Lucina stood there somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what she should be doing, the rest of the Shepherds were busy scurrying around the area to set up camp for lunch. They wouldn't set up the whole camp, as they would be leaving in a few hours, but they would at least set up the cooking supplies so that lunch could be made.
"Ugh, my feet are killing me," Sumia whimpered from beside her. "My body still isn't used to all of this marching."
"Why didn't you just ride Belfire, Mother?" Lucina asked and nodded at the pegasus that was walking beside her.
"I wouldn't want to put any unnecessary stress on my little Bel now would I?" Sumia cooed and began to rub her pegasus's muzzle. The pegasus whinnied softly and eagerly moved her head into Sumia's hand. "Who's a good girl? Who is? That's right! You are!"
Lucina cracked a smile at her doting mother. It was nice to see that the passage of time didn't change all things.
"You always were an excellent caretaker. Belfire is lucky to have you as her owner."
Sumia giggled and waved her daughter off, but she could still spot the traces of a light blush gracing her mother's cheeks. Lucina had always been impressed with her mother's seemingly effortless femininity. It was like she didn't even have to try and she would appear adorable. Even her infamous clumsiness was rather endearing. The princess could remember many a time when her father would talk of how he found her constant tripping cute rather than annoying.
There were a few occasions where Lucina found herself envious of this side of her mother, but that feeling never stayed long. Lucina was never the cute or girly type, so to speak.
"What?" Sumia tilted her head slightly to the side to meet Lucina's eyes. "You've been staring at me for a few seconds now. Without blinking even."
Lucina shook her head, her blue hair swaying back and forth.
"It's nothing," she assured. "It's just great to see you again, Mother."
Sumia smiled and stepped forwards to wrap her in one of her trademark hugs. Lucina had always loved these as a girl. They were always so warm and comforting.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way given circumstances," Sumia began tearfully. "But you will never know how happy I am that I was given a chance to meet you."
Lucina closed her eyes and hugged her mother a little closer.
"Me too."
The two broke apart after a few silent, but comfortable moments. Lucina almost regretted pulling away in the end. She had forgotten how excellent of a hugger her mother was.
"Well," Sumia grinned at her daughter as she wiped away a stray tear. "Shall we go find your father for lunch then?"
Lucina nodded, but they wouldn't end up having to look very far.
"Hey you two!" Chrom greeted as he strode towards them. "How are we holding up? I hope the marching didn't take too much out of the two of you."
Sumia opened her mouth to speak, but Lucina had already beaten her to the punch.
"I'm quite fine," Lucina replied with a nod. "We could go even go longer if need be."
"That won't be necessary," Chrom chuckled. "Besides, it's important to break and eat, otherwise you'd just wear yourself out."
"You're just saying that because we're having bear for lunch today," Sumia frowned at her husband with a knowing look.
"What?!" Chrom feigned surprise. "This is the first I've heard of this! I mean, of course I'm pleased about it, but I assure you-"
"Oh, stop it. You're not fooling anyone," Sumia scolded him and nudged her daughter with her elbow to garner her attention. "Your father never was, nor will be, much of an actor."
Lucina had to hold a hand to her mouth to hide her giggling.
Chrom looked disappointed that his ruse was discovered so quickly, but the laughing face of her troubled daughter had quite made up for it.
"Say, where's Robin?" Chrom asked, finally noting the absence of their friend. "I thought he was up here with you guys?"
"I haven't seen him."
"Neither have I," Sumia shrugged. "But, I'm pretty sure he's napping in one of the wagons."
"Again?!"
Chrom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Given his reaction, Lucina figured that this must have been a common occurrence.
"I told that bastard not to stay up all night," Chrom grumbled and turned to look at the wagons. "And what does he do? Stay up all night. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he did it just to spite me."
Lucina frowned at her father's words. After she had discovered the tactician sleeping in the war tent, she had her suspicions about the man's work ethic. How could you be a tactician as well as a leader if you fell asleep on the job? Lucina sacrificed sleep and food to make sure she was prepared to take on any threat. There had even been a time in her life that she had forgotten what the feeling of a bed was like. Could Robin really be so weak to not do the same? So weak that he had to spend the night doing Naga knows what, only to spend the entire march napping in a wagon? She had thought that he had understood the plight they all faced, but that was clearly not the case, otherwise he wouldn't be resting so easily.
"Does your tactician always conduct himself so poorly?"
Chrom and Sumia both turned to stare at their daughter.
Lucina was worried that she had overstepped her bounds, but when she had opened her mouth to apologize, Chrom began to laugh.
"It can be difficult to understand him sometimes, can't it?" The exalt snickered and shook his head. "He doesn't always give off the best first impression."
"…No?" Lucina raised an eyebrow, unsure of where he was going with this. How would she know? She hardly even knew the man.
"I tell you what," Chrom said and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder to steer her towards one of the rear wagons. "That wagon there is where we keep all of our coffee and the coffee maker itself. Knowing Frederick, it's probably already up and running. Knowing Robin, he's probably already perched himself beside it. Why don't you go and ask him why he decided to nap while everyone else marched?"
Lucina only grew more confused, but she wasn't one to disobey her father. Nodding a farewell to both of her parents, the princess set out to do as she was told. What he thought this would accomplish, she had no clue. But, she would give her parents the benefit of the doubt. They deserved that.
The wagon her father had pointed to was the second to last one in the line. The Shepherds weren't exactly a large battalion, but they did have half a dozen of these covered wagons. Maribelle's connections had their benefits.
As Lucina approached the back of the wagon, the sounds of two men arguing could be heard quite clearly.
"I'm tellin' ya Bubbles, these candies could rake in a fortune."
Lucina hesitated from showing herself, furrowing her brow slightly as she listened in. That sounded a lot like Gaius.
"And I'm telling you, absolutely no one is going to want them."
Looks like her father was right. Robin was exactly where he said he would be. Apparently arguing with Gaius, as well. Part of her felt bad for eavesdropping, as it wasn't very princess like, but she was too intrigued not to with a beginning like that.
"Bubbles, you don't get it. These sweets are a rare breed. This is stuff people dream of. They could go for a couple hundred gold at auction, easy."
"What in Naga's name are you even talking about?" Robin sounded baffled. "At what back-alley auction do they sell candy that has been sitting in a man's pocket for the better part of a month?"
"Gah! You wouldn't know a good sweet if it smacked you in the face," Gaius groused and slapped his thigh. "You can come out now, Princess. I'm done with this guy. I think I'll go take my business elsewhere."
Lucina flinched. Had she really been found out that quickly? She thought she was being quiet, but did Gaius really hear her approach?
"'Princess?'" Robin mumbled, realization quickly dawning on him. "L-Lucina?"
The princess in question sighed in resignation before stepping out from behind the wagon.
"My apologies."
Gaius smirked and winked at her as he walked past, while Robin watched on from his seat on the back of his wagon. Her father proved right once again, as Robin was holding a mug filled to the brim with black coffee.
'Father sure knows this man well,' Lucina thought to herself as she watched him take a long drink.
"He sure is a cocky one," Robin commented and nodded at the thief as he departed. "But not very bright. I keep telling him he needs to learn to love cherry flavor, because there is not a single person in the world that is going to buy that sweaty candy that he keeps, but does he listen to me? Noooooo."
Robin muttered a few more choice words under his breath and straightened out his Grandmaster's cloak hotly. This must not have been the first time the two friends had had this discussion.
"Anyways, are you here for some coffee?" Robin asked and jerked a thumb towards the wagon's interior. "It's still nice and fresh. Frederickson can really make a mean cup of joe."
"I'm not here for the coffee," she responded with a slight huff. "There's actually something else I wanted to discuss with you."
"Something other than what we talked about before?"
Lucina nodded.
"Well, alright," Robin said and repositioned himself so that he was facing her, then motioned for her to proceed. "Shoot."
Lucina crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her back foot, all the while giving the tactician a very accusatory look.
"Why is it that while the rest of us our marching, our tactician was in a wagon sound asleep?"
Instead of getting angry at her, or even defending himself like she had been expecting, Robin simply tilted his head to the side and gave her a questioning look.
"I thought you already knew why?"
"Knew what?" Lucina frowned.
"You mean you really don't know?"
"No, I do not!" Lucina snapped and stomped her foot. She was not one to play word games like this, and Robin's seemingly innocent questioning was starting to get on her nerves. "Explain yourself."
"Y-yes ma'am," Robin stammered sheepishly and scratched at his cheek before explaining. "I, uh, may have stayed up the night before going over battle plans and strategies,
Lucina's eyes widened. He had spent the night working?
"It's one of my more unhealthy habits," Robin admitted. "But, it can't be helped sometimes. Being a tactician is a lot of work, who would have thought?"
"…You mean when I walked in on you this morning when you were asleep in the-"
"I had just finished with all of my work, yes," Robin finished for her. After a moment, the tactician smiled. "Wait, did you really think I was sleeping on that table just for the hell of it?"
Lucina bit her lip and looked away. Now that she gave it thought, that didn't sound kind of foolish. Who sleeps on a table when there's a perfectly good bedroll a few tents over?
"Maybe?"
Instead of getting angry like she had assuredly expected this time, Robin broke out in a fit of laughter.
"All of the maps and stuff didn't tip you off?" He said in-between fits of laughter.
Lucina felt her face flush.
"I don't think it's that humorous," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry for laughing so much. It really isn't that funny," Robin chuckled and shook his head. "It's just your father and I had a conversation that went just like this one back when I first signed on as tactician."
"Really?" Lucina asked and finally lifted her eyes from the ground. She had thought she had heard all of her father's stories, but this one was unfamiliar to her.
"Yep, and it was right before our first trip to Regna Ferox," Robin recounted. The man had this far off look in his eyes that only grew more prominent as he continued to reminisce. "I had stayed up the night before working because it was basically my first real day on the job. I really wanted to impress, but of course, your father had the same reaction you did. I believe he said something along the lines of 'what kind of genius tactician goes without sleeping?' Let me tell you, it took some smooth talking on my end to get him to finally relent on it."
Lucina made a thoughtful sound as she gave the Grandmaster a once over. She had heard stories of the legendary Grandmaster of Ylisse, but never anything like this. The stories she had been told as a child were always about his military exploits and his ability to snap victory from the claws of defeat. Nothing like this.
"What was that?"
Lucina blinked a few times and focused her gaze back on the man before her.
"What was what?"
"You just made a sound like you were surprised about something," Robin explained and leaned back on his hands. "Was my story really that interesting?"
"Nothing gets by you, does it?" She felt herself smiling slightly despite her previous embarrassment.
Robin shrugged, clearly pleased by the praise, but the look curiosity on his face wasn't letting up.
"You're just…" Lucina paused briefly as she thought of an inoffensive way to word her next sentence. "Different… from what I was expecting."
He rose an eyebrow at her words, but it didn't take him long to understand what she was getting at.
"You mean different from the future me?"
"Yes," she nodded.
Robin's eyes were still curious, but his mouth had curved down into a frown. That bit of information seemed to upset him.
"What was I like in the future? If you don't mind me asking."
Lucina hesitated. She didn't exactly want to tell Robin what he was like in her timeline, but the look on his face was beginning to get slightly painful to look at. This wasn't exactly what she was intending to talk about when she had first come over, but this man seemed to have a way with conversations. One second it was about one thing, and the next it was about another! It was something the princess was not accustomed to.
Sighing internally, Lucina sat down opposite Robin.
"To be honest, I didn't know much about you. I mostly heard about you from stories," she answered truthfully.
"And I take it they weren't stories like the one earlier," Robin deduced.
"Correct," Lucina frowned slightly, but she made sure to give it to him straight this time. "They were always of your impressive feats as Grandmaster. About how you squashed an enemy ambush without losing a single man, or how you routed an enemy force even when outnumbered. You had a very accomplished career as Grandmaster."
"…But?"
"But," Lucina swallowed before continuing. "Due to your cunning and occasionally ruthless tactics, our enemies labeled you as 'The Wolf of Ylisse.' It followed you to your death."
Robin closed his eyes and turned away, clicking his tongue slightly as he did so. His reaction to this news made Lucina wonder if he had expected this answer. It looked as if his worries had been confirmed, somehow. It was a far-fetched theory, but as Lucina was beginning to learn, Robin was full of surprises.
After a few seconds of silence, Robin peeked at Lucina out of the corner of his eye.
"No ridiculous, yet endearing stories?"
"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
Robin let out a deep sigh, but he wasn't looking as nearly as upset as he had when he first heard the news. He looked more thoughtful than anything.
"I wonder what the difference was between he and I," she heard Robin whisper under his breath.
Lucina watched him curiously for a moment before feeling a pang of guilt and turned away. A part of her wanted to say something encouraging, but it wasn't really her place to do so. They had only really known each other for a day, after all. He asked about his future self, and she told her. There was no other obligation for her to meet. It was simple as that.
And yet, there was just something about this man… His work ethic was questionable (not that she was one to talk) and his humor was sometimes a little coarse, but there was a layer of caring and good-naturedness beneath that. It was nothing like the man she had been expecting, nor the one she had heard of. There was just something about this Robin that made you want to stick around for a little while.
Was this how Robin became so close to the others? Was this how he found so much success? This type of friendship?
She wasn't sure, but it was something she could ponder over a mug of coffee.
"Uncle Frederick makes good coffee, you say?" Lucina glanced at him.
Robin's head suddenly snapped up, his gloomy expression was all but gone.
"Like you wouldn't believe!"
Chrom smiled on as he watched his daughter accept the offered mug of coffee. Robin might have been the tactician of the group, but this time it was Chrom's plan that went off without a hitch. It felt pretty good, if he were being completely honest. Robin had always been described as the brains of the two. while Chrom was the brawn, but that time was coming to a close!
"What are you smiling at?" Sumia raised an eyebrow at her husband.
Chrom motioned towards Lucina and Robin as they exchanged small-talk over a cup of Frederick's famous coffee.
Sumia followed his line of sight until she too was looking at the two as well.
"Oh, it looks like those two are getting along," Sumia noted happily, but after a second she frowned and turned back to Chrom. "That still doesn't explain why you're so pleased. Unless…"
Sumia's eyes widened in horror as a thought crossed her mind.
"Oh gods, you're trying to set them up!" Sumia cried and smacked her husband on the arm. "You sicko! You sick, sick, sicko!"
"What?!" Chrom exclaimed, the happiness draining from his face in a quarter of a second. "No! No, no, no! Gods, no."
He had to repress a shiver before continuing.
"Good gods, never in a million years. Just what kind of father do you take me for?"
"Sorry," Sumia mumbled as she began to calm down. "I guess I kind of jumped to conclusions there."
The exalt nodded very adamantly and gave her a look that screamed 'you think so?!'
"Then what are- were you so pleased about?"
"I was just glad to see that she was making a friend," Chrom replied with a shrug. "And there would be none I would trust more than Robin to be her first among the Shepherds."
"He does have a way of befriending people," Sumia admitted fondly. She remembered how Robin would test her pies whenever she had baked any for Chrom, or how the two would often dish about a book one of them had read, and that was just one example out of dozens. The tactician had a habit of finding himself in close relationships with the rest of his subordinates. It was somewhat impressive, really.
"Exactly. As strong as she is, it never hurts to have a friend to open up to."
Sumia glanced at Chrom out of the corner of her eye, understanding his intentions just a little more now. She remembered how distraught Chrom had been after the death of his sister back during the Plegian War. He hadn't said so at the time, but later in private Chrom had spoken in length about how much Sumia's support had to meant to him, and the same went for Robin's and the rest of the Shepherds'. Without it, Chrom had worried he might not have had the strength and resolve to continue on. Thinking about those nights when the two had stayed up late talking and comforting one another reminded Sumia how much she truly loved her husband. He had always been so strong-willed and determined, it was one of the few times she had gotten to see his sensitive side.
It truly would be beneficial if Lucina could find that type of trusting with someone.
"Why don't we grab those two and get some lunch?" Sumia beamed and grabbed Chrom by the hand.
"Good call," Chrom grinned and squeezed her hand. "I'm always game for some bear."
Sumia rolled her eyes, but still let out a little giggle as the two began to walk towards Robin and Lucina.
"Wait a sec!"
Sumia and Chrom turned to see Gaius jog up to the two, clearly out of breath.
"Was there something you needed, Gaius?" Chrom asked, giving the thief a curious look.
"Y-yeah, just give me a second," Gaius panted with his hands on his knees.
The exalt and queen stood there awkwardly while the ginger gasped for air. Chrom considered just slowly backing away, but after a few moments Gaius began to speak.
"Alright," Gaius stood back up and clapped his hands together. "I've got quite the proposition-"
"I'm not interested in your pocket-candy," Chrom cut him off. "Come on, Sumia. Let's go get some lunch."
Sumia gave Gaius an apologetic look and followed after Chrom, but she looked too bemused with the situation for it to really look all that apologetic.
"C'mon, Blue! You don't know what you're missing! What about you, Stumbles? I know you've got a sweet tooth on you!"
The Shepherds arrived in Port Ferox two days later. Robin could hardly believe how much the small port city had changed within such a short time period. When they had first come to defend the town a few weeks back, the place had been barren save the Valmese soldiers. That wasn't the case now, however, as Basilio and Flavia had garrisoned the city with some of their soldiers in the off chance that Port Ferox had to fight off any invaders.
It was so jampacked with people that it became difficult for the group to even navigate the streets. If they didn't have to worry about bumping into someone with a sword, they had to worry about the countless of deckhands carrying ship cargo.
"Wooow," Lissa gasped from beside Robin. "It's incredible!"
"It really is," he gaped at the harbor. The sight surprised him even, and he knew what to expect.
The other and much more breathtaking difference in the coastal town was the thousand ships that clogged the docks.
"I've never seen so many ships in one place," Chrom stared wide-eyed at the endless lines of boats. "How in the world did Plegia own this many sea-ready boats?"
"It is quite the sight," Lucina nodded. Robin could tell she was trying to hide her surprise, but her eyes still shone with excitement and wonder.
"Milord!"
Frederick galloped through the street, weaving through the horde of people to return to the group.
"The ships are all accounted for," the knight reported on his return. "All thousand are stationed in Port Ferox's harbor."
"What about the rest of the deal?" Robin asked.
"Plegia indeed held to their end of the bargain," Frederick replied. "The flag ship carries enough gold to fund our campaign three times over."
"Well, that's a pleasant surprise," Chrom commented glibly. "I had my doubts, but they truly pulled through in the end."
"Indeed," Frederick agreed. "The captain says that we'll be able to set out by dawn."
"Then inform everyone to board the flag ship and get settled in. We leave at sun's first light."
Frederick nodded and spurred his horse towards the back of the line to inform the others.
"I wonder what sailing is like," Chrom pondered aloud as he imagined bobbing across the ocean's blue waves. "I've never actually been on a boat before."
"Neither have I," Robin said with a smile. "But, I've always wanted to sail the ocean in a vessel quite like these. To feel the ocean wind through your hair as the boat gently rocks as the waves slap up against it… I know we're heading for a war, but I'm still somewhat excited."
Come dawn, Robin would live to regret those words.
Oh, Chrom. If only you knew what you were starting. He'll never get to be the brains of the operation with choices like that!
On an unrelated note, how about that Nintendo conference? Switch hype! That new Fire Emblem game looked promising. If it really is a Warriors' style game I'll be sooooo happy.
I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. In the next installment, we'll get to the Flames on The Blue mission of Awakening! See you then!