Nighttime had fallen. The moon shone brightly above with the stars scattered around it, spreading as far as the sky stretched. It was truly a beautiful sight, but to Robin, it all seemed insignificant. In fact, Robin felt as if the moon was in mourning with the tactician, casting a solemn glow over Ylisstol.

Nearly a week had passed since Robin left the Dragon's Table with Falchion in tow. The city guards recognized Robin immediately, letting him in without a word. That didn't stop them from looking at Robin in confusion, however. Everyone knew that the entirety of the Shepherds left for Plegia, so a single Shepherd returning alone would definitely raise some questions. Thankfully, none of them uttered a single word to the tactician. Even if they had, Robin wouldn't be able to find the words or strength to answer them. Silently, like the city itself, Robin trudged forward to the castle.

Upon approaching the castle, Robin found the gates closed, and a multitude of guards was posted right outside. Wanting to avoid any questions, Robin circled around the castle's outer wall, looking for a certain maple grove. There, Robin found what he was looking for: a small hole in the wall, smashed in by Chrom during one of his training sessions with the Shepherds.

Robin weakly smiled as he remembered the story and how embarrassed Chrom looked. He always wondered how Chrom managed to hit the wall roughly about five meters above the ground, but never got around to ask. His smile faded as he forced himself back into reality. He knew that he would be branded as a traitor, and would be court-martialed for his betrayal to the kingdom and for regicide.

Not wanting to be found, he quickly made his way through the hole and leaned against a nearby tree. He stilled his breath and listened for the footsteps of nearby guards. After confirming that there were no guards patrolling his imminent area, he ducked out of his cover and made his way to one of the castle's side doors. He silently cursed as he inched the door open. It was notorious for making a creaking noise whenever it would open, and he wanted to avoid making any sounds. It took forever, but Robin finally made just enough of a gap to slide through and slowly closed it shut behind him.

I never thought that I'd be the one sneaking through Ylisstol castle at night, Robin quietly laughed to himself.

He knew he wouldn't be in any sort of trouble were he to be caught. After all, he was one of the well-known members of the Shepherds and Chrom's right hand, but Robin moved through the shadows anyways. He wanted to avoid any sort of confrontation at all costs, save a single child.

Lost in his thoughts alone, Robin suddenly found himself in front of the throne room. He blinked, not realizing that his body wandered through the dark halls of the castle on autopilot as if his mind knew to come here. Trusting his instincts that led him here, he took a deep breath, pushed the doors to the throne room open, and entered.

There, just in front of the gilded throne, knelt a little girl with cerulean hair. She wore a matching blue nightgown and a white blanket hung loosely around her waist. Robin let out his breath, the strain of his ride from Plegia finally catching up to him. His hands were trembling, and his body felt as if someone was shooting fire directly into his bones. His joints creaked with the slightest of movements and every step felt as if he was tied down by heavy chains. His throat was parched and his stomach was beating itself out of hunger.

Robin expected this though. For nearly a week, he traveled almost without rest, only stopping to either swap horses at passing villages and to take very short breaks. He kept himself going through sheer willpower, eating fruits and berries he scavenged along the way, and occasionally stopping at a nearby stream to drink. The lack of sleep and food would have stopped a normal person, and Robin was surprised that even he himself hadn't collapsed by now.

But seeing this little girl in the moonlight made it all worth it. He reached into his cloak, reassuring himself that Falchion was still there. That was the reason why he had trekked this unforgiving journey in the first place. He would not get a second chance.

Knowing his time here was very limited, Robin took a step forward. Getting a closer look, he saw that the girl's shoulders were steadily rising and falling, a sign that she was still awake. Even though he wasn't able to see the front of her, he knew from her posture alone that she had her hands clasped together in prayer. What she was praying for, Robin didn't know, but he assumed that it was for the safety of her parents. His heart pained just by staring at the girl and for the news he was to soon tell her. He silently walked forward.

Whether by coincidence or by instinct, the girl quickly turned around. Her eyes widened slightly from fear and shock upon noticing Robin. She clutched the cloak tightly around her.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, regaining her composure. Though a young age, the girl's voice rang clearly through the room. It was confident, no doubt about that, but her voice wavered from fear.

Robin noticed that he had his hood up and reached to bring it down, all the while continuing to walk towards the girl. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, he called out to the little girl.

"Lucina…"

Gods, his voice sounded even worse than he thought. It was coarse and dry, unlike his usual upbeat and silvery tone.

The little girl's eyes widened in shock, realizing who it was that had just now pulled down his hood, despite his ghastly figure and tone. Lucina jumped to her feet and ran over to the tactician, who lowered his arms to greet the incoming tackle of a hug.

"Robin!" the princess exclaimed, tackling the weak tactician to the ground with a hug, just as he predicted.

Predicting it didn't lessen the pain in the slightest. His body screamed in agony as he caught Lucina in his arms, but he couldn't help but smile at the girl. Lucina had always liked Robin. Chrom and Sumia were often quite busy being the Exalt and Queen, so Robin would find himself keeping the girl company most of the time. Her eyes would always light up whenever he would tell her stories about his adventures with the Shepherds.

"Hey there, little princess," he said softly, stroking her blue hair. "What are you doing up so late by yourself?"

Lucina looked up at him, the Mark of Naga shining in her left eye. Her eyes had a sharpness to them and seemed to stare into Robin's soul. "I was praying to Naga. I was praying that you and mom and dad would all come home safe." She rolled off of Robin, standing up. "Where's mom and dad? Is the war over? Why are you alone? Are they safe? Where are the others?"

The little girl quickly shot out her questions at Robin faster than Virion could shoot arrows before he even got off the ground. Each question felt as if his heart was being torn apart as he tried to find an answer.

That's a lie and you know it, Robin scolded himself. You know the answer to those questions, but you pretend to search for an answer that you already found just to save yourself the trouble. You ran from Chrom and the Shepherds already, and now you're just running away from yourself. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for the girl in front of you.

"The others are on their way back," he finally said. "I came back first just to see you before anyone else."

Lucina smiled brightly at Robin, causing him to also give a small smile back. But his smile quickly faded as he knew he was merely prolonging the inevitable and the sole reason as to why he came back ahead of the others.

Sensing the tactician's worry, Lucina frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Heh, you were always good at knowing when I wasn't feeling okay," Robin chuckled.

"Of course!" Lucina replied, smiling once again. "You're my second favorite person!"

"Second favorite? I thought you liked me more than Chrom!" Robin joked. Even in such a situation, he was still able to make jokes such as this.

"I do like you more than dad! He's my third favorite!"

"Really? Then, who's number one?"

"My mom!" she beamed.

A painful laugh escaped Robin's throat. "Don't let Chrom hear you say that. You'll break the poor man's heart." Unbeknownst to Lucina, his own heart going through that exact pain he joked of.

"Heehee, don't worry! I won't!" Lucina giggled.

Robin smiled and lowered himself onto one knee, looking Lucina at eye level. "You've grown so big in such a short time, Lucina."

"I'm going to get bigger!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining. "Someday I'll be big enough to fight with you and dad!"

"One day," he said softly, reaching out to stroke her hair once more. He felt tears starting to come up, and he desperately fought them back down.

Lucina seemed to see right through Robin again, as her brow furrowed in concern. "Is dad okay?"

Robin grimaced, knowing that he would have to tell her. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a roll of cloth. Slowly, he unraveled it layer by layer until in his hands laid Falchion. A small gasp escaped from the princess as she took a small step back. For the first time in many months, her eyes watered.

"That….that's Falchion," she said. Her voice had a small, almost unnoticeable pain behind it.

Robin nodded. "Yes, this is Falchion. The same sword that your father used to wield."

Lucina looked up from Falchion. "You said, 'used to'. That means he's not okay, right?"

He mentally cursed himself for his poor choice of words. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, Lucina, but from now on, you are the Exalt. You are now the leader of Ylisse. Your father can no longer lead the kingdom."

Lucina said nothing, her eyes starting to shimmer. Robin took a moment to collect himself, feeling himself breakdown inside with every word that came out of his mouth.

"This sword belongs to you now, the next of the Exalted line. You will shoulder a burden that no one should ever have to bear, and I regret that I cannot help you share it."

Robin slowly took Lucina's hands and wrapped her small hands around Falchion's hilt. She brought the sword to her chest, clutching it tightly, not once looking away from Robin's eyes. The girl was no older than the tender age of six, and she was having the news of her father's death be thrown at her and the weight of a kingdom placed on her small shoulders.

"B-But….why..?" Her usual bright and confident tone had faded, replaced with confusion and worry.

"I will not be able to stay here much longer - "

He choked on the last few words, finding them too difficult to say. Each word that left his mouth wrenched at his heart and he hated himself for saying them. But they had to be said. Outside, birds could be heard chirping, a sign that the night was nearly over, and that dawn was about to break.

"I'm sorry, Lucina, but I cannot stay any longer. This is most likely the last time you'll ever see me," he said, slowly rising to his feet.

For Lucina, this was the breaking point. She had done her best to keep her tears in, and Robin was proud of her for that, but tears started to pour out of her eyes. It took every ounce of willpower from Robin to not breakdown himself.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "You'll understand soon, but now is not the time."

He turned around to leave but stopped when a small voice called out from behind him.

"Don't go… I d-don't want you to...to go!"

Robin looked back and felt his heart shatter. She was still clutching Falchion, but did so with only a single arm. The other was busy in a feeble attempt to wipe away her tears.

"I'm so, so sorry, Lucina," he whispered. "But I have to."

Lucina sobbed, furiously shaking her head. "No! I don't want you to! I want you to stay!"

Robin walked back to Lucina, knelt down on one knee, and wrapped his arms around her. He heard Falchion fall to the floor and felt her small arms wrap their way halfway around Robin's torso. The princess tightly hugged the tactician. He was one of the few people that she was closest to. He was the one that would read stories to her to coax her to sleep. He was the one that taught her how to read and write. He was the one that put up with all her childish antics when no one else would.

He was her best friend.

The two held their embrace while a silver ray of moonlight shone down on them, almost as if the scene was taken straight from a painting. After what seemed like an eternity, Robin pulled himself away and looked into Lucina's eyes again, tears slowly dripping from his own.

"I won't be here with you in person," he quietly said. Robin both felt and heard his own voice shaking. "But know that I'll always be watching over you in spirit. And know that I am extremely proud of you, Lucina. More than you could ever know."

He reached up to wipe away her tears, wishing that he could never leave.

Pull yourself together, Robin. If you stay, you'll only cause her more harm and grief.

"I have to leave now, Lucina," he started once more.

Lucina tried to reply but couldn't due to her sobs.

"Do you think you can give me a smile before I go?" Robin whispered, forcing himself to give her a small smile.

After a short moment, Lucina nodded, and gave a weak smile.

This time, Robin genuinely smiled. "That's my princess." He pulled her in for another hug before standing back up.

"Thank you," he whispered again, turning around to leave.

Robin didn't know what he was thanking her for. Maybe it was for listening to him, or making the last couple of years after the war with Valm a joyous time every day, or something else. Robin didn't know, but he felt as if he had to say it anyway.

Light slowly seeped in through the windows as sign dawn had finally broken, signaling that Robin's time was up. Each step he took felt as if a knife was stabbing his heart as he forced his feet to move away from the weeping princess, who was now on her knees.

I'm sorry, Lucina. You deserve much better than a life that I'm giving you. You deserve better than to have your father's betrayer and murderer stand by your side as you grow up. I truly wish that I could stay with you, to watch you grow, to watch you with pride as you build your own ideals and lead your people. But I can't. I can't stay to watch you grow, and I am not worthy of your ideals. But know that I am proud of you, Lucina. I hope you'll always know how much I care for you, and I know that I can never make this up to you, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Tears poured out of Robin's eyes as he made retraced his steps back out through the side door he used to enter. He shielded his eyes as the sunlight hit him, almost as if the light was attacking the darkness, the dark being him. He walked over to the castle wall and climbed through the small hole. The moment he was out through the other side, the last of his strength left him, and he collapsed on the spot.

He propped himself against the wall as he looked over Ylisstol. A sad smile formed on his face as he came to the realization that this would be his last time looking over such a peaceful scene. He wondered where the Shepherds were. It normally took a week and a half to make the journey from Ylisstol to Plegia, so Robin guessed that they were just now past the border.

With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes. He heard the town below him slowly come to life as merchants opened their shops and people started bustling about. He leaned his head back against the wall and small smile formed on his face.

Don't worry, Chrom. Your daughter is safe. She'll grow up strong, just as you did. Actually, scratch that thought. You were a bit of a pansy at times, so I'm sure she'll be stronger than you ever were. She'll struggle as she faces hurdles much sooner than she normally should, hurdles that she should never should even come across, and I'm completely to blame for that. But she'll get through those hurdles and come out stronger than ever. After all, she is your daughter, and not to brag, but I did play a small part in raising her as you were too busy being the exalt and all.

You can beat me up as much as you want in the afterlife since I'm at Death's door right about now. One for you know…stabbing a bit of lightning into your chest, and two, forcing a terrible burden on your daughter. But I hope that you'll at least grant me the honor of watching over her together.

Robin smiled one last time, a single tear running down his cheek.

"I'll see you soon, my old friend."

Then he felt himself sink into the void.

. . .

. . .

"Hey, Chrom. Do you think he's okay?"

"I don't think so. You?"

Robin let out a small groan, not fully understanding what he was hearing. This all seemed eerily familiar.

"I dunno..."

He opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and tried to get his eyes to focus. Everything seemed incredibly blurry, but he could just make out two figures standing in front of him. One was a tall man with dark blue hair, and the other a girl with golden-yellow hair and in a matching dress. The two noticed Robin stirring and looked down with relieved smiles on their faces.

"I see you're awake now," the man noted.

"Are you okay?" the younger girl asked.

Robin's eyes finally focused and saw that the man was no older than his early twenties. Or...maybe just under twenty? It was difficult to discern his exact age.

He had a navy blue shirt without any sleeves with his well-toned arm hanging by his side. A silver pauldron was over his left shoulder with a short white cape hanging from it. The girl looked to be a few years younger and had a bright smile on her face. Her eyes were wide in excitement and she had her hair tied in twin pigtails on her side.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. In fact, it's a sure way to catch a cold." The man extended his arm, smiling warmly. "Give me your hand."

Big inspiration for this chapter came from an art of Robin kneeling in front of a young Lucina, who was holding a rapier in her arms. Ending dialogue is a mixture of both the ENG and JP dubs.