Robin started to pant as she headed down the winding halls. Where the hell did that dastard go? she wondered. Clutching her side, she tried not to notice the seeping, warm feeling slowly surrounding her hand. Gaius' headband had done the trick for the moment, but it would only be helpful if Robin stopped and rested. If her heart rate remained at its current rate, her bleeding wouldn't slow down. And if it didn't slow down… She shook her head and gripped the sword. I can't stop and rest. If I do, he'll get away. It's now or never, Robin.

Hearing a faint echo from around the corner, Robin picked up the pace and found another room. The chamber around her was large and spacious. With its stone walls, it showed signs of water damage. Pieces of the floor were scattered in chunks. Despite the ornate designs on the walls, there was not a single piece of decor in the room. Not even a stone dais for worshipping the gods.

Robin gazed in wary admiration at the craftsmanship of the room. Being located underground and empty must have meant that it was intended to house a large amount of people. As she stepped forward, she could hear her feet echo back at her from around the room. She ignored it and kept walking. As she scanned the room, she couldn't find any sort of exit. Where did he go?

She suddenly whipped around just in time to catch Chrom's blade against hers. The snarl on his face was fierce enough to send the toughest of hounds scurrying away. His normally calm, blue eyes reflected sheer madness and anger as he pressed a little more weight onto her.

Robin gritted her teeth and shifted the weight so that he fell off to the side. She swung at him but he deflected it with ample force. They parried each other's strikes, making their way around the room. He's so angry. He's swinging his sword around with so much force. She grinned as her eyes met his. If he's going to use that much force, I can beat him with speed. She ducked narrowly as he swung the sword. As he struggled to recover the arc of the weapon, she jabbed the blade into his side. He merely snarled at her and stepped forward.

Robin backed up slowly, avoiding the constant stream of blows. If I keep dodging, I'll find weak points in his defenses. Suddenly, she felt her back press up against a wall. Oh, shit! Chrom swung the sword at her and she ducked. He moved his feet so she couldn't roll away. She was cornered. He flashed a cocky smile and swung the sword downward. Robin managed to scoot to the side in the tightly-confined space, but felt a numbing jolt shoot through her arm. She saw her hand drop to the ground, unattached to her body. Chrom stopped for a minute as they both stared at it. Robin's eyes did not widen. She simply stared at it, a dull look in her eyes. She raised her right arm, sword in hand, and slashed at Chrom. He ducked and backed away, not realizing in his own confusion what he had just done.

Robin smiled and took a step forward, free from her confines. Barely blinking, she rushed behind Chrom and stabbed him in the back. She pushed the sword in farther and farther, as deep as it would go. She could hear strangled screams coming out of his mouth, but paid no attention. She felt a happy little shudder run through her frame. She grinned as she twisted the sword. Her eyes danced as Chrom screamed louder. She giggled slightly as he fell to the ground. However, upon looking at his twitching, bloody body lying on the ground, she felt a wave of icy-cold horror wash over her. I enjoyed this. It made me happy to inflict this pain and agony onto him. She backed up slightly, a small trail of her own blood trickling on the floor. As he looked at her, he could only gasp in pain, the hole in his back gushing red. But the look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. As he reached out his hand, hoping for forgiveness, Robin rested her gaze on it for a moment. Flashing through her mind were all the nights she had spent wondering what he was doing to their children. Or how many times she had woken up gasping for breath, imagining his hands around her throat, imagining his unforgiving expression. Just how many nights she had spent thinking about him, and what he had done to her.

She pressed her boot onto that same hand that had fixed itself around her throat 10 years ago and fixed him with a relentless gaze. "No thanks," she said coldly. She pressed down on the hand, his expression of sorrow and anger fading away as it was replaced by the blank emptiness of death. For a moment, Robin stared at him. As the shock flooded through her, she finally realized that she had done it. She had conquered the demons that had haunted her past. She had stopped the cycle of abuse once and for all.

Suddenly, a wave of pain passed through her body. She gripped the stump of an arm she had left and collapsed on the ground. As the crimson puddle around her grew larger, she smiled. I'm not afraid of dying. "I'm not afraid of dying," she said out loud. Her eyes started to close unbidden of her own will. She reached her hand out and silently willed her children to hear her thoughts. Morgan, Lucina… Now that this is all over, I hope you two can finally make Ylisse happy. I know that in the end, you two made me happy and proud as a mother. And Gaius, I couldn't have asked for a finer person to support me through all the years. You kept me going, and I hope you keep Morgan and Lucina going as well. I love you all… She closed her hand as she let out her last breath.


Lucina turned her head as a breeze blew past.

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

Lucina shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing." She looked up at the clear sky, the castle oddly silent. In that moment, it felt like the world was holding its breath. "I'm just getting a really warm feeling. I feel like everything will be all right."

Morgan smiled. "I feel it too."

Gaius nodded. "Same."

Together, the three looked up at the sky.

Fin


Yes, I know I was rushing as always, and I know it was short. As for this story, well, I hope to write another one some day and have it be better. This one I really enjoyed working on, but I could have done better. I don't plan on fixing it because I want people to come back here in the future and to realize it's okay to leave your mistakes out in the open where you and others can learn about them. Some day, I hope to write another chapter fic and have it be a large improvement over this one. But for now, I just have to say goodbye.

On another note, hope y'all enjoyed~