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"You may well have doomed us all."
"He was my friend, damn you. He was your friend."
"This is murder, Luce."
The voices didn't offer any moment of reprieve. She had tossed and turned in her bedroll ever since the sun had fallen, ever since the rain had begun.
Ever since she had returned to her tent from the funeral.
The funeral wasn't what Robin had deserved. There was no grand speech, no crowd of thousands, no flowers laid on an exquisite tomb. No, he was simply buried in a grove of trees, with his coat and his sword, given only a small wooden tombstone of sorts. No one had said anything, really. They just knew that they had to bury him, and they had to do it soon. Her father had insisted on being the one to dig the hole for his brother in arms.
The whole time, Lucina noticed the glances she had received, watching her carefully. Some with concern, like Kjelle and Sumia, who would look away the second she went to make eye contact. Others weren't so shy.
Lon'qu's eyes glared at her for the entirety of the funeral. There was malice in his eyes like she had never seen, firey and blazing. Similar looks came from Cordelia and Virion, both rather close friends to the tactician, and even Frederick had a look of disdain aimed at her. She still preferred all of this to her father.
Chrom hadn't so much as looked at her the whole time. Speaking was out of the question entirely, though that wasn't exclusive to her. He stared at the grave, long after everyone else left, he remained, staring.
Lucina had finally crawled into her bedroll, but every time she tried to sleep, she saw it. Robin's face, his eyes pleading her to do what she had to, despite the fact that it was the last thing she ever wanted. She still wished he had resisted her. She knows that a few words could have broken her.
Again, she realized how utterly alone she was. No one wanted her here, not anymore. To the Shepherds, she was the woman that had taken their friend. No better than Gangrel. No better than Walhart. No better than Validar.
...no better than Grima, huh?...
That thought rose her to action. She clambered to her feet, grabbing her traveling bag. She began to put her bedroll in, along with all the food she had in her tent. She dressed in her armor, regretting she didn't have any good to save her from this torrential downpour. Finally, she went to grab Falchion, but hesitated. When she looked at the blade, she could only see his blood, his wound. She shook her head sadly, leaving the blade that had been a part of her for so long. The blade that her father had given her.
The father she no longer had. The one that couldn't even look at her.
She left the blade in its sheath, and lifted the flap of her tent, making ready to leave…
And there before her, standing in the pouring rain, was a man who's gaze tore through her very being.
Chrom.
"Turn around, go back inside. I… would have words with you." His voice was quiet, soft, barely audible over the storm. She nodded slowly, turning around and heading inside, setting down her belongings and lighting a lamp as her father entered.
It was clear he had expected her to try and run. He was drenched to the bone, and probably would have noticed how cold he was, had he not be preoccupied with other matters. For the time, Lucina simply sat on her bedroll as her father sat before her, arms propped up on his knees.
"Listen, I have thought long and… very, very hard about what I was going to say to you. These are prepared words, Lucina. Do you understand?" His voice was still soft, but there was an undeniable edge attached to it.
"Y-yes, Chrom," she could barely get his name out. He quirked an eyebrow to it, but sighed and continued.
"You have done something… reprehensible. Abhorrent. And you know this. I can see it in your eyes, you know that this wasn't the right thing to do. I know… I know he desired this too. I know he probably told you that what you did was right, that it was the only way. Neither of you considered what his life meant to all of us, or what his mind might have gotten us through, in the days to come," his voice was even, but his eyes steeled.
"In truth, I don't know what to do. We've lost the mind that may have won us the war, Validar has the Emblem, and I am at a complete and total loss for how we will combat him." Chrom's face turned, angled to the ground, letting his face fall for a moment, "everything Emmeryn stood for may well be lost, Lucina."
With every word, she broke a little more. She was already suffering, but now, her heart was shattering as she struggled to maintain some form of composure.
For a moment, there was silence between the two, the only sound being the pitter patter of rain on her canvas tent.
"Still," her father said, breaking the silence, "I'm sorry."
Her eyes shot up meeting his. His gaze had an odd feeling to it. Pity? Disappointment? Her mouth beginning to voice her confusion before she was cut off by his words.
"I'm sorry, Lucina. I know how… how alone you must feel, I know the others hold you accountable for his death, as they have the right to do. But I know how close you two were. I think everyone was so focused on their own pain, none of them ever noticed yours. You lost your best friend. The fact that it was your own doing doesn't deaden the pain. Rather, I expect it multiplies it," it took all Lucina had not to breakdown in front of him. It hurt. It hurt. She missed him, as though a part of her was missing.
"I-I… I don't belong here. I do not deserve your pity. I need to leave, the Shepherds will be better without me, Chrom."
"Why do you call me Chrom now?" His question was sudden, "In the time that I've known the truth to who you are, you have never called me such."
For a moment, she couldn't answer. She feared she would break the moment she opened her mouth. Truthfully, she knew her father wouldn't want her anymore. She was just the one who had taken his friend.
"I-... I didn't th-think… I thought you wouldn't…," she took a deep breath, trying to maintain some semblance of composure, even as tears began to fall, as her voice began to break, "I didn't think you would want a daughter like me. Not anymore."
Chrom sighed, and tilted her head up to meet his eyes, full of tears as well. He wiped a tear from her cheek, just as he had the day she had told him who she was.
"Lucina… you made a mistake. A terrible one that I fear will follow you to your final day," he trailed off for a moment, before offering a small smile. The first he'd had since losing his friend.
"But you are every bit my daughter still. I love you now just as I did yesterday, and just as I will tomorrow. Your mother feels exactly the same, you know. Lucina, you have a home with us. You are our daughter, and even the worst mistakes wouldn't change that. You aren't… you are not alone."
Her eyes widened, her father's unwavering gaze ensuring her that he meant every word. Tears began to fall down his face now, mirroring his daughter's.
"But I… he was your brother… how could you still want me?" Her voice was small and fragile. For a moment, there was no response, only movement. Chrom pulled her into an embrace she had never expected to receive again, holding her tight to his chest.
"I have lost my brother. I'll be damned if I lose my daughter too," his grip tightened, "You have a home. You have people who love you. I know it won't be easy, and you are free to do as you will, but please… stay. Stay with the Shepherds. I know some will take a long time to forgive you for what happened, but I don't care. The only thing that matters is keeping the family I still have."
That was the last she could take. The sobs started slowly, growing more intense, any composure melting away. For the moment, she just clutched her father's tunic, crying into his chest, nodding gently to acknowledge his request.
They stayed like this for a moment, before Chrom began sobbing too.
Two exalts, one present, one future-past.
Two hearts consumed only with loss. Two hearts that longed for the same man.
To Lucina, she knew. She knew that Robin had been… he had been the love of her life. He had shown her that she could love someone, genuinely and freely, and he had never even known.
Now, he never will.
To Chrom, he knew. Knew that Robin had been his brother in all but blood. He had shown him that the true thing separating the Shepherds from any other group was their bonds.
Both exalts sobbed, late into the night.
Sorry about the delay between uploads, as well as how short this is. Initially, this chapter was going to be substantially longer, as it was going to include Robin embarking on his own odyssey to find his friends again. But, I think I want the focus for this to be solely on Chrom and Lucina, as well as their shared grief. Next time, it will be Robin's turn, don't you worry.