Epilogue. Last episode for this fanfiction. I will write more about Fire Emblem in the near future but this one has reached its climax. Thanks all for the support.
Lastly I'd like to thank BlueTrillium once again for revising. And now, onward to the last episode!
M rating because it is the end, and the end is the best of the bestest.
No matter how much you struggle because hope will never die.
And even if it dies, a new hope will be born.
That's how the flow of time goes.
The three days that followed their escape from the tower were the more crucial for Robin. Enora wasn't sure if she had what it took for it, but she managed to make something close to the medicine that Validar used to give her with her own blood. Amaduk had to sleep with her until the concoction was prepared but it wasn't like he would complain about it. He did get tired from moving from one place to the other in the middle of the night though.
"Are you sure this will work?" He had asked when Enora showed him the poison.
"I was the one who studied all about the preparations to bring Grima back to this world. Of course I'm not the one who gave birth to Robin so there is a chance that it won't work. It is small though, second to my studies."
Enora looked to the flask and hesitated. Her eyes meet Amaduk's and she had an idea.
"Want to give this to her?"
Amaduk felt as if his soul had left his body for a second. Enora had been nothing but strict with him since they fled from the tower. Seeing her like that made him believe she trusted him enough with the task and he felt proud and scared.
"You shouldn't drink it, you hear me?" She instructed him as she watched him get the content from the flask into his mouth. And when he kissed Robin to transfer it Enora was sure that Robin would be happy to know about it. Amaduk watched Robin expectantly but nothing happened and he looked back to Enora, his mouth open, ready to complain about something. She saw through it and cut him before he even started.
"You didn't expect it to work right away, did you? Let her rest, she should be awake by the morning."
But she didn't. It took Robin a whole day after drinking the concoction to actually open her eyes. Amaduk was sleeping by her side and Enora was awake, sitting in a chair by her bed. Robin caressed Amaduk's face before turning to her teacher.
"Where are we?"
"It doesn't matter. We won't be staying long," was her answer.
One didn't need to be a genius to notice that they weren't at the tower anymore and Robin was thankful for that. Still, mixed feelings invaded her heart and her mind. Enora noticed it and held Robin's hand in a reassuring way. Robin fought with her mind as much as she could but after a couple minutes in silence the question finally slipped her mouth.
"What about Validar?"
"I don't know," was Enora's answer. "And I don't care," she added. "We did our best to take you away from him. I don't know how long we will be able to keep you hidden from him but I will try as hard as I can. Now rest dear. You must be tired," she caressed her hair.
"I'm tired, alright," Robin started with a smile, "but it is from being in this position. Can't we walk? Just a bit?"
Enora had looked outside the window. The sun was setting in the horizon and soon it would be dark. Probably if they waited until then no one would see her. Probably it'd be safe.
"Change your clothes."
The days that followed were easier for the three of them. Amaduk didn't have to carry Robin around but her stamina was low again, so they had to continue stopping every day to rest. They spent a whole year like that, walking from town to town, taking shelter wherever they managed. They were close to the capital when Amaduk first mentioned it.
"I decided to join the brigands," he told Enora while Robin was bathing. "They're sending people to Ylisse and Regna Ferox. If I go there I may be able to do something good for our country. Maybe I can even become a hero," he said, knowing that it wouldn't be like that at all but fooling himself into believing it.
"Did you tell Robin about that?" She asked.
"No," he said, averting his eyes from Enora and looking to the bathroom door. "I don't want her to worry."
"She will worry even more if you don't tell her."
"If he doesn't tell me what?"
Amaduk was looking to the door so he did see Robin getting out from it as Enora talked. Their eyes had met when the words don't tell her were mentioned and he knew he wouldn't get out of it if he didn't tell her. Enora noticed the situation and patted Amaduk's shoulder before heading to the bathing room herself.
"I think you two need to talk," she said, closing the door behind her.
Robin looked to him with confused eyes and Amaduk felt that it'd be harder to leave her than he thought at first.
"So, what is it that you want to tell me?" Robin asked, sitting where Enora had been a few moments ago, waiting for Amaduk's answers.
"Well, I've been hearing rumours," he started, scratching the back of his head. "They're recruiting more and more people for the brigands. And I was thinking about joining them," he said, shrugging.
"You're going to attack Ylisse?" She asked, her eyes tearing up.
"No, I couldn't even if I wanted," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "Look to me. They're also recruiting people to fight at the Regna Ferox borders. That's where I want to go."
Robin tried as much as she could but tears rolled down her face. Amaduk hugged her and they kissed. At night Robin had a tight grip around his hand, but as soon as she fell asleep he took the chance to pack his things.
"You're leaving?" Enora asked as she watched.
"You never sleep, do you?" Amaduk asked, putting his small bag in his back. "Yes, if I wait until she's awake I won't have the courage to leave her."
"You know there's a chance you'll never see her again, right?" Enora warned, and the boy's heart wavered. "We won't stay here for long, you know we need to move."
"I know," the boy said, not turning back. "That's why I need to go. Validar knows the three of us left. He's probably looking for the three of us together right now. If we want a chance it's better if we got separated but," and the boy stopped, fighting himself to put in words what he always knew, "I can't protect her as well as you do," he finished, finally looking to Enora. "You have to keep her alive. Even if we die, it is okay, isn't it? Because she's all that matters."
Enora couldn't find the words to answer him but her smile was enough to reassure him. And without saying another word, Amaduk turned his back and left.
"You've heard him, didn't you?" Enora asked to Robin who was pretending to be sleeping, though her sobbing betrayed her. "Are you sure you want to let him go?"
"He made up his mind," was her answer. "And once he does, there's nothing that will make him change it."
After Amaduk left them Robin and Enora decided it would be better to keep moving towards the Ylissean borders. Robin never hid her willingness to go there and Enora thought there wouldn't be any other place who would be safer to keep her than there. That was what she believed within the deepest part of her heart. The two slowed down their pace, taking their time to get some money when they had the chance. They were at the shore, working in the market when Robin came up with a plan.
"We could cross the sea instead of the mountains," she said simply. "If we crossed the mountains we'd get in the capital and I don't think that would be a good idea with all the brigand attacks they must be having."
Enora had the same idea but she didn't think they could ever get in a ship.
"You're right about the capital," Enora started, "but ship tickets are too expensive." She said.
"But I wasn't thinking about a ship. We could buy one of the fisher's boats. Or pay them to cross the borders and leave us there.
"And how do you plan on getting money?"
"By selling everything we have," Robin said bluntly, showing Enora a pouch she had tied to her belt. "This is the money I got from selling all my old magic tomes, as well as the few books I had with me. I also sold a good chunk of my clothes and I am helping some of the woman on the market. I also asked all the fisherman for a price and from the few that agreed on crossing the borders had a good price too. With this money I could pay my share and half of yours," she finished saying,, taking the pouch from her belt and handing it to Enora when the other asked.
Enora counted how much money there was in it and was surprised by how much Robin managed to save. Adding her own savings to it would be more than enough for the two of them to cross, though she was in doubt still.
"It will be okay," Robin had reassured her, and Enora ignored her bad feelings to follow Robin's instincts.
Crossing the sea wasn't as hard as they though, and the fisherman had turned back as soon as he left the two of them on the Ylissean shore.
"What now?" Robin asked, her heart beating like crazy inside her chest.
"Now we should look for a place to stay."
And that was exactly what the two of them were doing when they started to walk down around the countryside. Robin felt a shiver run down her spine at one moment and looked behind her, being agape at what she saw. Enora noticed she had stopped walking and turned back to see why, just in time to see a spell being launched Robin's way. By another Robin. Confused and shocked the teacher didn't know what to do when she noticed that the fallen Robin was her Robin.
"Who are you?" She asked to the other, who smirked, a circle of magic showing in her hands.
"You don't need to know, woman. Just die, like you should have."
One second later Enora was on the ground, her whole body hurting. She forced herself to look around, just in time to see the other Robin mumbling something on her Robin's ears and disappearing in the thin air. Enora dragged herself to where her Robin was and noticed the girl was also in pain, though she was unharmed. Robin's mark was shining with a bloody color and Enora knew it. She had to act fast or Validar would find them. Putting both her hands on Robin's chest she started to cast a spell, her body glowing with a dim light.
"I thought I'd be able to walk the same path as you a little bit longer," she said, tears flowing from her eyes," but it seems the time for us to part has come. I'm sorry," she finally said, her body slowly turning into dark flocks of magic that spread around Robin's body and slowly merged into her. The brand slowly but surely stopped glowing, going back to the violet color it had.
"Just a little bit more. Allow her to live, even if it is just a little bit more."
