It was a quiet night in Ylisse as the crescent moon shinned over the horizon. The lunar reflection provided a faint light around the castle as most of it occupants slept through the cold and bracing air. Even Frederick was fast asleep as the clock had not yet struck three in the morning. Instead the only people awake inside the castle were part of the night patrol. Their mission was to prevent any future assassins from disturbing the royal family after their last miss. Clearing the walls of clefts was easy, but finding loyal gatekeepers took longer. Nonetheless, on this frigid night it was not an attack from assassins that the royal family needed to be worried about.
Rather, it was the cries and moans of someone in agony that hastily woke up Robin in a panic. The groans sounded like someone was drowning as they choked and gagged in anguish. Unable to breathe, they had to resort to short bursts of panting to keep from suffocating. Immediately, Robin turned to the other side of the bed and had his worst suspicions confirmed as his wife's side lay empty. Only two stray pillows scattered on the floor told the story of someone rushing out of bed.
"Lucina?" Robin called out determining that the torturous cries came from their bathroom. Unfortunately, his call was met with more wheezing and the sound of someone violently throwing up. Hurriedly getting out of bed, the tactician made his way to the bathroom door and swung it open to see a shadowy figure hunched over on her knees with the moon casting a dim light down her cobalt hair.
"Gods." Lucina cried as she ducked her head and hurled out the remnants of her last meal into a wooden bucket. The sharp pressure in her stomach felt like someone had punch her repeatedly while they shoved a searing flame down her throat. Her eyes were moist, her face had turned horridly pale, and every muscle in her back ached as she weakly held on to the bucket with both of her hands.
Kneeling to the side of her, Robin gently gathered the disheveled strands of her hair and bundled them behind her back so they would not get in the way. Once done, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder to help sturdy the princess as she leaned some of her weight on him. Without saying a word, Lucina spent the next ten minutes trying to regain her strength as she sporadically needed to return to the bucket. Each time the tactician kept her steady to ease some of her struggles.
...
"T-thanks." She huffed believing that the episode finally passed. A cold sweat beading down her forehead as she felt dizzy and disoriented.
Still holding on, Robin looked over to his wife's condition and said, "Can I get you water or something to eat?"
Breathing heavily she tensed up with the bubbling in her stomach resurfacing. "No, I fear it might come back up."
"Better than heaving up an empty stomach." He muttered concerned.
Grimacing, she closed her eyes and said gingerly, "Dear, I'm a little light-headed. Can you take me back to bed first?"
"Sure."
With both of her hands on top of Robin's shoulders she pulled herself up with some extra help. The two slowly rising to their feet as Lucina rested her weight on him. They then began the short trek to their bed. Although, it seemed longer to the princess who was short of breath. Once there she slowly eased herself on top of the sheets and expected Robin to follow her, but he had other ideas. Quickly making his way back to the bathroom, he picked up a clean bucket in case there was another incident while also grabbing a pitcher of fresh water. Despite being difficult to see in the shadows of night, he carefully poured a glass so she could wash out the bad taste in her mouth.
"Drink this, please." Robin insisted fearing she would only get worse if she was dehydrated.
Hesitantly, she accepted the glass and took small sips. She could feel the cold water slosh down into her stomach and swish around. The reaction making her shiver involuntarily. "I'm sorry for waking you."
"None of that." The tactician warned as he had more pressing concerns to tend to. "How are you feeling?"
"Drained." She muttered lightly. "And my back hurts."
"Anything else." Robin asked while checking her forehead for a fever. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to be burning up.
"I feel a little nauseous."
"Don't worry, I brought a bucket over so you won't need to run back to the bathroom." He reassured while running his fingers through her hair as a friendly gesture.
"Robin." Lucina paused while looking at her caretaker with apprehension. "This might be contagious so you should step back."
With a faint chuckle the tactician said, "It's a little late for that. If you are sick then I caught it when I kissed you before we fell asleep."
"That was unwise." She frowned.
"Probably, but I've never been good at thinking straight when you are near." He chuckled with a confident smile that she had grown used to seeing. "Although, you are not running a fever so maybe it is something else."
"I hope so." The princess weakly nodded back. The thought of bringing harm to her husband felt worse than her ailment.
"Did you eat anything that tasted funny for dinner?"
With a guilty look on her face she said "... The fish was a little rubbery."
Raising an eyebrow Robin said, "I thought you sent it back."
"No." She shook her head. "I had it reheated so it would not go to waste."
"Lucina." The tactician scowled back. "We've been over this. You no longer need to worry about a shortage of food."
She bit her lip while not able to look her husband in the eye, "I know, but it seems so wrong. That fish could have fed my friends for a day in my time."
"And it would have gotten them all sick too." He reprimanded.
"I'm sorry." Lucina said lowering her head ashamed. "Normally I have a strong stomach so I didn't think anything of it."
Not able to stay mad for long, Robin sighed and said, "Yes, well. It's not healthy Lucina. If you intend to see me live a long time then you better start looking after your own well-being too."
Seeing his point she apologized, "You're right. I'll be more careful from now on."
"Good." He replied relieved. Thinking back, he was surprised she did not get sick more often after all the stress she used to put on her body. He didn't want to imagine the difficulties she had adapting to this world, and she wasn't immune to the flu either. Still, it was an odd sight to see his wife so weak. Even after Grima's defeat her work ethic didn't change, only her mission. "Is there anything else I can get you? I've had my share of experiences hanging my head over a bucket."
"I'm fine, thank you." The all blue princess replied flattered at his concern.
"Then you should get some rest. Sumia always told me it was the best cure."
With a faint curve of her lips, Lucina remembered hearing that from her mother as well. "Actually ..." She hesitated not wanting to burden her husband any further, but her desires got the better of her.
"Yes?" Robin asked with his attention fully on her.
"My shoulders feel stiff." She mentioned meekly with a sparkle in her eyes.
Skeptical of her request the tactician glared back and said, "That's not what I meant."
"You said anything." Lucina reminded with a sweet elegance in her voice.
Shaking his head, the tactician sighed and begrudgingly gave into her request. With some effort Lucina managed to pull herself up so that Robin could get behind her, and he sat with his legs separated so the princess could rest her back on his stomach. "How's that?" The tactician asked as he pushed his fingers into her shoulder blades.
"Mmm." She approved readily. "A little harder."
Robin mumbled under his breath feeling like a sucker, but he obliged knowing that it was the only experience she would enjoy after waking up with such a violent case of food poisoning. "You are lucky I love you."
"Very lucky." Lucina murmured as she grabbed a part of his tactician's coat and wrapped it around her for some warmth. They stayed like this for a while as Robin massaged her aches away until his eyes started to droop. Yet, there was still one last thing on her mind that she wanted to ask before she let her husband rest. "Robin?"
"... Yes?" he asked hesitantly fearing what else she had in mind. All he wanted to do now was go back to sleep. He didn't know what time it was but he was sure it was late.
"Did you change anything when you took a bath? New soap, perhaps?" She muttered tiredly with her eyes also starting to weigh on her.
"Er, no. Why?" He replied unsettled.
"You smell nice." She mentioned softly while nudging his cloak closer to her face. "Really nice."
"Uh, thank you?" Robin stammered unsure how else to respond.
"I noticed it earlier today too." Lucina remarked thinking that she had imagined things. "I mean, I have always enjoyed you presence, but it seems stronger tonight. It's like smelling two fragrant flowers at the same time instead of one."
"I, um, don't know what to tell you." He replied both confused and unnerved. "Maybe its just an effect from the food?"
"Must be." She pondered for a moment before she found it difficult to keep her eyes open any longer. The calming effect dissipated some of her discomforts while she rested her head on Robin's chest. The all blue princess could only hope her food poisoning did not come back during the night because she did not want to disrupt her husband a second time after his efforts to soothe her. At least, that was the reasoning she came up with while using Robin as her personal pillow and blanket.
...
"Father?" Morgan called noticing that he was starting to daydream in the middle of her battle plan for conquering the world.
She was explaining her idea to domesticate penguins for winter warfare. She believed they would make excellent runners to provide information from the front lines and improve morale among the battalions. After all, no one would suspect a waddling penguin was carrying high-profile information, and if caught they would fight back with such ferocity and cunning that no one would be able to steal their secrets. Nonetheless, even the young bluenette admitted it was a bit of a far-fetched idea since the Ylissean army did not specialize in winter warfare. Nor did it snow often enough to house a squadron of penguins, but it was an excellent way of passing time as the two sat across from each other during a bumpy four-hour carriage ride to the city of Atlia.
"Father!" She cried a second time to get his attention.
"Whuh?" Robin eyes widened as he snapped out of his thoughts. "You said something, Morgan?"
"I was just explaining the logistics of my idea!" She pouted knowing that all her effort had gone to waste.
"Oh, sorry Morgan." Robin muttered tiredly while rubbing his left eye to remove the sand and gunk forming at the edge. "You were saying something about a partnership with Regna Ferox, right?"
"Yeah! I was thinking we could rotate our penguin squadron based on the season of the year. They could probably get the most training there too!"
Yawning, Robin covered his mouth and said with a muffled voice, "Sounds good. Maybe we should send Vaike up north too. I'm sure he would love it up there without a shirt on."
"Most definitely! We can make him one the leader of the penguin division!" Morgan cried excitedly.
"I'll be sure to inform him of his reassignment." The tactician muttered back halfheartedly.
"... Father? Are you feeling alright?" Morgan asked concerned. He usually loved hearing about her schemes and ideas.
"Yeah, sorry. I'm a little tired after last night." Robin muttered back with a minor headache.
"How's mom?" She questioned not knowing much of the details.
"She's stubborn like always." He shrugged. "She insisted on coming despite nearly throwing up her lungs."
Knowing how head-strong her mother could be Morgan said, "I'm surprised you talked her out of it."
"Sumia helped." The tactician replied grateful. "Lissa also said she would take a look at her condition to see if she could speed up her recovery. It's nothing serious, but we wanted to be on the safe side."
"I guess I'll have to be extra energetic today to make up for her absence!" Morgan exclaimed while raising her fist in the air.
Robin normally would have tensed up at a statement like that, but he ignored it. Despite the frequent bumps in the road he had a feeling that spending time with Morgan would be the only good thing to come from today. The one thing Robin loathed above all else was politics, and he would gladly leave Chrom to suffer that fate as king. Unfortunately, the mayor of Atlia had singled him out personally. Normally he could rely on Lucina to keep his mind off of things, but with her gone he had a feeling that the meeting with the mayor would drag on for hours. "I might need to borrow some of your energy if I want to make it through the day."
"Sorry, no can do!" She cried fiercely. "I can't have you tapping into my reserves or else I won't be able to harass Chrom when we come back."
"Good luck with that. I don't see us getting home until well after dinner."
"No worries! Be it dawn or dusk I'll find a way to surprise grandpa!"
Maybe it was because he was tired, but he didn't understand where his two girls got all their energy. Morgan was always bouncing off walls, and Lucina seemed to match her energetic spirit as of late. After restraining herself for years Lucina was practically jumping at any chance to try something new while tugging on his arm the entire way. Had the three wars not hardened his resolve he would question his ability to keep up with either.
"Morgan. You said it took your mother and I two years before we had you, right?"
"Yeppers. Why do you ask?"
"Just double checking." Robin said while taking some comfort in that. This morning left Robin with some lingering concerns that he needed to be reassured of. Particularly Lucina's last comments before she fell asleep had unsettled him the most. "I'd like to know how much time I have left before I have to deal with a second version of you. It's difficult keeping up as it is."
"Hehe. I don't have a clue what you are talking about." She giggled mischievously.
Not buying into her fake angelic smile Robin said, "I mean it. You are always coming up with some nefarious scheme and your mother doesn't understand the concept of relaxing. It's challenging to keep up half the time."
"That's your problem, not mine." She teased
"I'm aware." He shrugged while placing a hand on his forehead. The tactician made the mistake of meddling with time travel, and he was paying a heavy price for it now.
...
After some teasing Morgan went back to explaining her plans to conqueror the world while the tired tactician added his own perspective. The two engaged in one ridiculous idea after the next as a way to pass the time. However, their conversations would usually get so in-depth that many outsiders would mistake them for serious debates. Not only did Robin want to incorporate her ideas of training penguins for field operations, but he also inquired about their roles. For instance, how well could they be used as a flanking force during battles near a river or lake. What type of food would they be fed if there was a shortage of fish? How would morale be effected when more gold was spent on equipment for penguins compared to foot soldiers? If trained penguins turned out to be the most deadly creature in the world, then who would stop them in the event of an uprising?
Each of these questions were answered with the same deliberation and methodical thinking that you would expect to find in a war room. By the time they finished they could have submitted a report that looked official enough to convince some generals to approve a trial run. Although, many of those generals would have been low in ranking. Nevertheless, as the two engaged in their banter the boredom quickly passed and before they realized it they had reached their destination. A small city with luscious meadows and prized chicken farms. It truly was as picturesque as the flamboyant mayor had described it.
"Huh, we are here already?!" Morgan said surprised.
"I guess so." He muttered while looking around at his surroundings.
"The fields are beautiful, mom would love them." She marveled looking at the grassy landscape that covered the hills and valleys. The moisture in the air enhanced the smell of the grassy blades while also providing a fertile growing ground for the local flowers. Blue and purple petals dotted the green fields with an occasional red or white flower mixed in.
"We'll be sure to describe it to her when we get back." Robin remarked wishing that she was here. "In the meantime, get ready to take notes. You are about to see what dying of boredom looks like." Robin grumbled with his headache reforming.
"You reeeeally hate these meetings, huh?"
"I would rather spend a day training with Frederick. At least something gets accomplished during my suffering." He complained knowing how this day was going to play out. The mayor would gush about his homeland then mention how Atlia was a strong and valuable partner during the wars. After some pleasantries they would discuss the state of the royal family. A toast would be given to the king, and then the mayor would ramble on about his ambitions. Usually this meant a new title, or some new project. Regardless of the request Robin wouldn't be able to do much other than pass the message off to Chrom. He was an advisor, not a legislator.
"So how come you don't decline these types of things?" Morgan asked curious.
"I usually do." He replied while they passed through the city gate. As they walked by a couple of townspeople were already starting to take notice of their unique guests. "But I remember this guy. He's very persistent. I'd rather get this over with now then have him become a nuisance later on."
"I could probably scare him off." Morgan volunteered with an evil smirk.
"Ha. Don't tempt me Morgan. I might take you up on your-" Before Robin could finish he heard the sound of an object whizzing towards him. Quickly he tried to duck out-of-the-way but the projectile was closer than he had been expecting.
Meanwhile, as object collided he heard the high-pitched yell of someone across the road yelling, "I hope you die!"
"Gah!" Robin's neck whipped back from the sudden blow of a rock smashing against his face. With a sharp sting the warm flow of his blood slowly trickled down his cheek as the tactician placed a hand over his wound.
"Father?!" Morgan cried out in alarm seeing her dad get hit.
"Gods that hurt." He winced feeling the heat of his blood seep between his fingers as he covered his wound.
Instinctively seeing him in pain, Morgan drew her sword ready to defend her father at all costs. She would fight with every ounce of energy flowing through her body if need be to cut down her foe. She didn't care if it was an assassin or Grima in the flesh. Nothing would stop her.
"Easy Morgan." Robin said calmly while resting an arm on her shoulder to stop her. Despite the surprise of the attack he had already located the person who hurled the stone at him. "Lower your weapon."
"What?! But father you-"
"Look." Robin pointed back to the direction of his would-be assassin.
The culprit was a fair-haired boy who looked ten or eleven years old. A seething anger burned in his hazel eyes as he stood ready to attack with both of his hands balled up in fists.
"He. He's just a kid." Morgan cried in disbelief. The idea that anyone would attack her father was absurd, but a child?
"Prince Robin!" A city guard with the marks of a captain came sprinting forwards to check on the tactician. "Are you alright?!"
"It's just Robin." He muttered annoyed while removing his hand from his cheek. The stain of the red liquid leaving a mark on his palm like ink. "And yes, I am fine."
"I'm terribly sorry sir, we will deal with this miscreant at once!" The captain of the guard echoed while rallying his men to arrest the boy before he could escape. Yet, the child would not move despite the yells and shouts that blended into the chaotic scene. Even as the guards reached the child and forced him on his knees he remained motionless with his rage swelling up inside him.
"That boy. Who is he?" The tactician asked glancing back.
"He's a refugee from Valm." The guard responded angry at himself for not being able to stop him. "We've tried finding a place for him to stay but he keeps causing trouble."
"I see." Robin paused having a few idea of what caused the boy to attack. "In that case, bring him to me."
"Sir?" The captain asked stunned at the request.
"He is unarmed so bring him here." The tactician ordered while maintaining his upright poster. "Make sure your men don't rough him up either."
"Father?" Morgan asked not sure what he was trying to accomplish.
Wincing as he felt his cheek start to swell and sting, Robin watched as two men brought the child forward with his arms tied behind his back. As soon as the kid was near, the tactician wasted no time learning more about his young enemy.
"You. What's your name?" Robin called out in a rough voice.
"I'll never tell you!" He cried defiantly despite his opponet being twice his size. "You can go to hell for all I care!"
For the second time today the tactician knelt to the ground to face someone in pain. This time he stared straight into the boy's eye that were teeming with anger and rage. "You threw a rock at me. I believe I have the right to know the name of my attacker."
"You killed my parents! I owe you nothing!" He yelled wanting to step forward, but couldn't. Despite his bravado the ten-year-old was too afraid to attack any further.
"I see." Robin nodded somberly as his eyes grew more determined. "Your parents, what were their names?"
"Why do you care?!" He shouted angrily.
"Because if I killed them that means they fought on the battlefield." Robin said sincerely and without emotion. "If that is the case I wish to remember them."
"Swav and Liana." He spat out.
Nodding Robin said, "Those are Valmese names, correct?"
Clenching his fists, the boy said angrily, "They're dead! What difference does it make?! I'm sure their not the only people you ordered to be butchered!"
Closing his eyes, Robin felt a spear pierce his heart. The bitterness and hatred in the boy's tone resembled Robin's sentiments in his darkest of moments. When he found out that he was Grima's vessel he looked into the mirror only to find something that resembled a monster. Clearly the ten-year-old in front of him felt the same looking at him now. Nonetheless, Robin remained stoic and level-headed. Those thoughts would do him no good here. "Even the dead deserved to be honored. It doesn't matter if they were victors or losers."
"Easy for you to say. Butcher."
"You'll have to be more creative than that." Robin replied not amused at the insult. "I've been called many things. Some of them I cannot mention with a lady present. So if you are looking to insult me then you will need to try harder."
"Devil!"
With a small humorless laugh Robin said, "That's a bit better. But tell me. What were you attempting to do just now? At worst that rock would only have blinded me in one eye. Even at your strongest you could not hope to kill me with just one blow."
"It doesn't matter. I want you to suffer like my parents did!"
Robin slowly became more agitated as he looked back. "Then why attack now? It is foolish to risk your life if you know your mission will end in failure." He cried while raising his voice. It was only subtle change in tone but it was enough to strike fear into his opponent. "You know the consequences for attacking someone close to royalty."
"I don't care about the consequences!" He shouted back.
"You should care!" Robin yelled fiercely in a display that startled both his foe and Morgan. Never before had she seen him raise his voice like that. "Do you think you can avenge your parents if you get yourself killed before you can finish the job? The only thing you achieve is forfeiting your life. Sure, I might be bleeding now, but not long ago I had a spear jammed halfway into my calf. Compared to that this is only a minor inconvenience."
With his heart racing, the ten-year-old struggled to come out with a response as his legs started to shake. Even for Morgan the pressing stare of her father's eyes was terrifying to look at. "... B-better than doing nothing while I had the chance! I'd rather die than let you walk free."
With a deep breath Robin restrained himself and said, "Then you are going to be disappointed, because I will not let you do either."
"Huh?" The boy asked not understanding what he meant.
"There's someone waiting for me when I return home." Robin responded while crossing a hand on his chest. "Like me, she is not a fan of martyrs. If you can avoid death and still fight for your cause then there is no need to recklessly end your life. The only thing it accomplishes is pain and suffering. I know for a fact that my friend never would have forgiven me if I did not return to her, and I would be damned if I kept her waiting."
"Father ..." Morgan called out softly.
Shaking his head Robin said, "So you see, I cannot let you die despite your wishes. And I cannot let you avenge your family because I have responsibilities of my own to take care of."
"Then, what are you going to do to me?" He asked bewildered.
"I'm going to set you free." The tactician muttered back without changing his expression. "If you intend to reclaim your family's honor then you will need to train more. Many have tried to kill me and all of them have failed. You'll face the same result if you don't sharpen your skills."
"... You'll regret letting me go!" He cried back trying to hide his stunned expression. "I won't stop until you are brought to justice!"
"Then you have a lot of work to do." Robin smirked. "Because there is something else you are not aware of. That friend of mine I mentioned has a very strong interest in seeing me alive. If one day you wish to seek retribution then you will have to deal with her too. And trust me, she is ten times stronger and a hundred times more frightening. I can tell you there is nothing in this world I fear greater than when she has her eyes targeted on me."
"I'll find a way no matter what I have to face!"
With a sigh Robin said, "Very well, I can't stop you from trying. But I should warn you that I don't play fair. Even if you hate me for what I've done I would advise you to learn to suppress your anger. If you approach me with blind rage I'll only exploit your weaknesses until you are exhausted and exposed. You won't even realize that you lost until it is too late. That's just the type of guy I am. I'll use anything and everything to my advantage. Even your emotions. You can try to hide if you like, but I see you are more terrified of me than you are angry."
"I ... That's not true!" The boy muttered at a loss for words. He wanted to yell back but something in Robin's tone made him afraid to act.
"It's okay. It's natural to be afraid." Robin nodded back. "However, should you feel suicidal again then remember this. If you die, then so do the memories of your parents. I can remember their names, but only you can remember who they were. So don't waste their legacy by getting yourself killed. If you want to avenge them then make something of yourself first. Make them proud. Otherwise you'll find my blade through your chest, and I'd rather not have any more blood on my hands. I've seen too much of it already."
...
"... Dad?" She asked sheepishly after they managed to separate themselves from the crowd of onlookers. Once Robin was assured that the boy would not be taken prisoner he left without saying much else. He had only motioned his daughter to follow him as he tried to forget the event that just transpired.
"I'm fine Morgan." Robin replied a little worse for wear. "Nothing a vulnerary can't fix. I'll admit he caught me by surprise, but if he had a weapon I would have noticed in time."
"No, I mean." She paused and looked up at her father worried. "He said some horrible things about you, but you didn't try to defend yourself."
Looking away from his daughter, Robin grimaced and said, "Morgan, what was I supposed to do? I can't justify killing his parents by saying it helped stop others from suffering. That would just be cruel, and you wouldn't accept that answer either."
"I know, but." She frowned as she glanced over her father's wound. It stopped bleeding a while ago but a red smear remained next to his cut. "You never wanted to hurt anyone, and It's not your fault that his parents died. It was Walhart's."
"I don't care whose fault it was. I just wish it could have been avoided." Robin mumbled somberly to himself.
"Still! You can't blame yourself!" Morgan stressed knowing that her father would always shoulder the guilt. "I know you never wanted any of this to happen."
Waving his hand to ease her fears, Robin said, "It's okay Morgan. Your mother and I have had this conversation many times before. If I could go back in time I doubt there is much I could change. I never had the gift of healing that you and Lucina possess."
"Father, don't say that!" She cried back concerned.
"It's true." Robin sighed while glancing back at his bloodied palm. "I'm a tactician and I'm good at my job. So that means I am good at hurting people. I like to think that my actions do more good than harm, but that doesn't take away from the reality of things. I accepted it long ago that I would have to hurt some to protect others. It's in my job description."
"You can do so much more though father! Don't ever think otherwise!" Morgan loudly proclaimed while cutting the air in front of her.
In turn, he smiled back with his confidence slowly recovering. "It's okay. I have a secret weapon to keep the bad thoughts away." He winked back with a fatherly pride.
"Me?" She asked not fully understanding.
"Of course. You are so full of life Morgan. Each day it seems like you have the ability to outpace a hundred others. I can't tell you how much it means to me to see you enjoy yourself." Robin said with great care and love. "While it can be difficult for me to keep up at times, I want to keep encouraging you to run a little faster and think a little bigger. As long as I see you flourish I can take comfort knowing that I helped create something beautiful to add this world. I can't bring back the lives I have taken, but I can watch you grow into someone who will fill this world with joy.
"Dad ... I."
In turn Robin placed his free hand on her shoulder and said, "I know your mother and I may seem strict at times with how we raise you, but it is because we want you to see how far you can go. Even if you came as a surprise we still care a great deal about you. After all, you are part of our legacy now and we expect great things from you."
"I won't fail! I promise that!" She cried emphatically
"I know you won't." He agreed finding strength in her words. "But don't feel obligated to ease my discomforts alone. Your mother plays a large role in squashing those bad thoughts away from me too." He declared strongly as he clutched his hand into a fist. "It is scary how much control she has over me, but that is mainly my fault. I wanted to build up her confidence and encourage her give in to her desires more often, but it turns out that my efforts worked a little too well. The more I provoked her the stronger she fought back."
"I'm not sure why you are surprised. She has always fought back. Mom is not a fan of surrendering."
"No, she is not." He said gravely aware that he could not reverse the monster he helped create. "Deep down she has your spirit, and I made the mistake of unleashing it. I don't know. Maybe I am seeking my own torture, but even now I want to keep pushing her to act on her impulses. Just seeing her happy and carefree is enough for me."
"Yes, yes. I know you two are hopelessly in love." Morgan teased back to hide her lingering concerns.
"I suppose that plays a role into it as well." Robin lightly chuckled knowing it to be true. "But I do mean it Morgan. I used to think that my hands were only meant to destroy. That boy is not the only example of my actions tearing families apart. However, when Lucina leans on me or I see you bursting down the hallways I am reminded that I can help create things too. It gives me hope knowing that I can make the future brighter. Regardless of how bad today's events turn out to be I'll find a way to make tomorrow better."
...
"Because I have two precious girls relying on me to be there."