Hey all :D
Thanks for the feedback and the reads! It's motivated me to write quicker and more during my free time. I'm not too sure how this chapter turns out, but I hope that I retain most of the personalities of the characters in this chapter :) (I couldn't resist adding in one of my favourites. Don't worry, It'll still be a Lucina x Robin eventually!)
Criticize and leave feedback please, especially so that I can either fix up whatever I may be doing wrong or to stat my reasoning why I chose to write what I did. Or even just ask questions and I'll try answer them.
Fire Emblem does not belong to me.
It was the dead of the night, yet Lucina felt no fatigue as her heart and mind raced with thoughts.
While she had prepared a campfire and made some food out of the meagre rations she had carried over, Robin had sat, staring at nothing. When she handed him everything that she had, which was not much at all, he had refused to eat any until she also ate some. Even at this young age he was perceptive, which made the choice harder for Lucina.
She knew who Robin was, what he became, and what he had done in her future; killing her father, her mother, and the family that she had with the Shepherds. She knew that a strike here would end it all, would secure peace for the future. Her father would never meet the amnesiac tactician and would avoid his death.
Now, Lucina was torn between two choices. She sat, propped against a fallen log, watching the small figure sleep by her side, wrapping his cloak around like a blanket as he leaned his body against her side. He had refused to sleep anywhere else, and Lucina had begrudgingly let him.
But why was she feeling bitter yet guilty at the same time. She examined the boy once more. Uncle Robin. The uncle that would spoil her, would gift her with lavish presents and tell tales of grandeur and wonder that left the Princess wishing for more. That was before the event that would kill all positive emotions that Lucina once held for the man that she had looked up to and loved as much as her father.
Yet, whenever her hand curled towards Falchion, it stopped. Other arguments sprung up whenever she thought she had finalized her decision.
He was her father's killer. He was the death of Mankind, the fell dragon that would cause destruction in the future.
But the small child here was not yet that evil entity. There was no doubt that without the tactician the Shepherds might meet obstacles that not even her father could overcome. Robin had been instrumental in many engagements, most notably the wars against Plegia and Valm, having the unpreceded and astonishing record of no Shepherd being lost under his command.
Yet they would all fall under his command when he turned.
Lucina gritted her teeth, and gently moved the boy, leaving him curled on the ground. Standing above him, she unsheathed Falchion, the blade ringing clear of the simple scabbard that Owain had crafted for her.
Robin slept on, unperturbed, as Lucina raised her sword above her, ready to strike and end the cause of all of her suffering.
She slammed her blade down, missing Robin by inches as her hand trembled. Falchion sliced the log cleanly in two, and Robin jumped at the noise, started into consciousness. Lucina watched him as he gazed at the sword beside him, the broken log, and at her, seeing him connect the dots in his eyes…
"Did something scare you?"
She blinked. "No," she began, when she felt his arms wrap around her waist once again.
"Thank you for pro- protecting me," he murmured, before lying back down again. Lucina watched as he fell back asleep again, a small smile on his face.
She looked down at her hand that clutched Falchion, anger in her mind. Why hadn't she been able to kill him? Why had she drawn her blade and attacked?
One life for countless others, she told herself. Anyone would understand that it would be for the greater good. He's a monster, a monster that deserves to be slain. But even as she told this to herself, memories long buried, sparked by the sight of Robin's innocence, resurfaced.
A summer day. A white haired man being led about by a small, blue haired girl. Both were laughing, adventuring in the wild jungles of the gardens of the castle that she resided in.
The same two individuals, this time around a game board of sorts, with multitudes of different pieces on the table. The girl moved a piece and the man smiled at her and ruffled her hair.
Inside the Royal Library, where the girl sat on the man's lap and listened while he read a book to her, feeling safe and content with her favourite uncle.
Lucina grimaced and, taking a glance at Robin, strode out into the forest.
"What would father and mother do?"
Lucina was furious with herself. She was stumped by the choice she was making. Knowing her parents' tendencies, they would allow Robin to live, but that would be the path to their deaths, and Lucina couldn't stand it.
It was now more than ever that Lucina felt the absence of her friends. "I wish Severa were here," she muttered. While the snarky mercenary could be a headache at times, she was normally a staunch friend that showed her true feelings in deciphered sentences. She was also one of the few that Lucina relied on for advice, and could be considered to be one of her closer friends.
But Severa was undoubtedly far away, brought to a different time…
"Lucina?"
"Severa?"
The two stared at each other, their eyes wide. To Lucina, it was absurd that the individual she had been thinking about had appeared from the bushes.
"What are you doing here, Severa?"
The orange-haired mercenary cocked her eyebrow. "What am I doing here? Why are you standing out there open-mouthed for, Lucy? Geez. No hello to your old friend, no asking about how I've been? Is this the sort of welcome that I receive now? Just because I'm not perfect like you are doesn't mean I'm any less than you."
Lucina struggled to get her words out. "I know… I-I mean… How have you… I am not perfect!" she blurted out.
Severa shook her head, her twin tails bouncing about. "Stuttering like I'm a fool. Come on! It's not like we're close friends or anything. Your reaction is certainly underwhelming."
"Severa!" Lucina's shout drew her attention. "Do you know where we are?"
Severa snorted, hands on her hips. "Did you forget what Naga sent us back for? To save our stupid parents and the world from Grima? I would have thought it would play quite an importance in all our minds."
"Yes, but…" Lucina dropped her voice to a whisper, and Severa blinked. She leaned forward to hear what her friend was about to say. "Naga told me she had somehow sent me back further along than what she had calculated. And if you are here too, it means you are also…"
Severa's expression grew dark. "What! How could Naga mess this up?"
Lucina laid a hand on Severa's shoulder in an attempt to try and calm her down. "It was not Naga's fault. She told me something had interfered and thrown me off course."
"How far?"
Lucina took a deep breath. "Before you start yelling, Naga said she was working on a way to send us back to the correct time that we are meant to be in. That being said... 12 years, Sev."
"WHAT!" The mercenary started to swear a storm of words that Lucina had a sinking suspicion she had heard Kjelle say many times. Before Lucina could try and quiet the furious girl, a quiet voice from behind her drew both of their attentions.
Robin stood there, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "Too loud," he yawned, stumbling over to clutch at Lucina's side. Meeting Severa's furious yet confused glare, he quailed and hid behind Lucina.
Silence. Lucina watched as Severa's eyes danced between the princess and the boy behind her. Then her eyes flashed in understanding.
"Lucy!" she hissed. "Is that…?"
Lucina could only nod. Robin was still holding her clothes, but he peeked out of the corner as Severa bent down to catch a closer look at him. He flinched once again, but held his ground as she looked him up and down.
Suddenly Severa pounced on him, squealing with delight as she held the small body in her arms. Lucina blinked in surprised, but before she could say anything else Severa had put him down and folded her arms across her chest, looking away from both of them to try and disguise her reddening face. "I-I don't know what came over me. It wasn't what you thought!" she yelled.
Lucina rubbed the back of her neck. Naga save me, she thought, and sighed. "Robin, this is my friend Severa. Can you let us talk for a moment?"
Robin nodded carefully, glancing at her with worry in his eyes. It sent a pang to her heart, a shiver down her back and guilt churn in her stomach, all at once.
When he had disappeared into the direction of where they had camped, Lucina turned to Severa. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
Lucina sighed. "Alright. Sev, what do I do?"
Severa stared at her. "What do you mean by that?"
Lucina dropped her voice in case Robin was still around. "I… I tried to kill him early. When he was sleeping." She quickly explained everything that had happened; her talk with Naga, her promise in keeping Robin safe, and the death of his mother. She ended with explaining his near execution at her hands when Severa stopped her.
"Luce… do you honestly think that we can solve everything by killing him here? That the rest of history will go as smoothly as it has done with him assisting The Shepherds?"
Lucina shook her head. "I do not know. It honestly scares me Sev. If I make the wrong choice and somehow it causes death and ruin anyways. If my father perishes earlier instead."
"Huh." Severa slapped the top of Lucina's head gently.
"W-What was that for?"
Severa rolled her eyes. "Lighten up," she huffed. "You say Naga's working on a way to return us back to where we were meant to jump, right?"
"She did not mention anything about you, Sev…"
"Whatever. I'm sure she wouldn't just leave me stuck in the wrong timeline if she can take you forward. Besides, no one in their right mind would leave me behind."
Lucina pondered her words. "Alright. And about Robin?"
"You just can't stop talking about him, can you? Just like when we were kids and Robin always cared after us. Uncle Robin, can you play with me? Can you read my book with me?" Severa mimicked in a high, girlish voice.
"Severa, he kills our parents. Both of them."
Severa's face darkened. "I'd sooner blame your father for my parents' deaths than the Robin over there. I'm willing to bet my candy stash that this Robin won't cause our parents to die now."
Lucina nodded, the tension fading from her body as she allowed her body to droop. "Alright. But what are we to do?"
Severa gave a huge sigh. "You can be quite dense at times. From what you've told me, his father has something planned for him that is quite terrible. Travel. Maybe even teach Robin some things so that when we do leave he isn't a defenseless sap that'll die whenever something so much as looks at him."
Lucina blinked. "But…"
Severa groaned. "Fine. If you ask nicely I'll keep you company. Seems like our leader has no idea what to do when she's all alone. But you better make sure you don't mess anything up for the future! And I get your dessert for a week!"
Lucina shook her head at the girl but a smile was adorning her face. "Let's head back to Robin then. He must be wondering what is taking us so long."
"Alright, Blue Junior."
They both stopped, Lucina staring in shock at Severa, whilst the twin-tailed girl flushed a deep red and looked away. "Taking after your father?"
"S-s-shut up," Severa grumbled. "Don't know why I said it. Just forget it."
"Alright. Did I mention we don't have any dessert?"
"What?"
Ah, Severa. She's between Lucina's and Cynthia's age, and you can probably already guess who her father is with the descriptions that I've put in (if you hadn't last chapter). I'm not sure if I managed to work out her Tsundere-like attitude as much as I would like, but it'll be interesting to continue writing her as this story progresses.
Thanks all! Have a great time until next post!
