Chapter 14: Gift of Relief

Robin snored loudly as sunlight began to shine through his tent flaps. He was tired from all the battle and festivities yesterday and plopped right into bed the moment he could. For the first time in a while, he slept soundly.

Once the sunlight reached his face however, he slowly began to stir. With a grunt, he slowly opened one eye and looked outside. It was a beautiful day, with clear blue skies and little white fluffy clouds. The air also smelled fresh and clean, partially thanks to the Mila Tree.

Robin got up, scratching his back as he did. He checked the clock on his desk and saw that it was 10:30 a.m. He stretched and walked over to the bathroom tent with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a razor. He checked himself in the mirror and then prepared to shave. Robin didn't always enjoy shaving and figured he should eventually just grow a beard. However, as the tactician of Ylisse, he thought it best to look professional and a beard might soil that at this point.

When he was finished, he walked out of the bathroom tent and waved to Lon'qu, who nodded back to him in response, along the way to the mess tent. Robin greeted Anna, who was doing cooking duty for the morning and got a mug of coffee. He decided that he would eat breakfast a little later, as he still had some paperwork to get through first. He walked back to his tent with the coffee. Once he entered, he approached his desk and put the coffee down. He then reached behind him, where his coat was hung on his coat rack….

Only to be met with empty air.

With a start, he turned to look at the coat rack and found it empty. His coat was gone.

He frantically began to look around the room. Robin could've sworn he put his coat on the rack last night. Then again, he was pretty tired so he could have misplaced it.

Robin checked each of the chairs, his desk, his drawers, his bed, everywhere. His coat was nowhere to be found.

The tactician shivered, not from cold, but from worry. He never really understood why, but Robin was always very attached to that coat. It must have meant something to him in the past, but he could only guess what it was. Maybe his mother or a close friend gave it to him as a present. Maybe he found it in a particular place he liked to visit. Maybe it belonged to someone he lost and it was a memento of them. Or maybe he just had a weird obsession with the coat. Whatever the reason, that coat was special to him and he needed to find it.

He decided to check the fire pit, as he might have removed it last night. He looked around and started asking people, but it was all in vain. Nobody had seen his coat and his coat wasn't around the fire pit.

Robin groaned as Virion approached him to say hello.

"Morning my dear friend." said Virion happily. "Why so frantic?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I seem to be lacking my coat." Robin said irritably.

"I see." said Virion. "I was curious why you were lacking your second piece of skin."

"Well it's not for my new fashion statement." Robin snapped, frantically looking around. "So either help me or continue on your business."

"Well my, my." Virion said dramatically. "No need for such ferocity."

"Sorry." said Robin.

"Think nothing it." said Virion. "Where did you last see it?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out myself." said Robin. "I could've sworn I put it in my tent when I returned last night."

"And I don't recall you drinking." said Virion, looking around the area with Robin.

"Didn't even touch a drop of alcohol." said Robin. "Especially since a lot of it went missing last night."

"Vaike probably snatched it." Virion shrugged. "Not that I can blame the man."

"No kidding." said Robin.

"Hm." said Virion. "I'm guessing you ransacked your tent already?"

"A reasonable deduction." said Robin.

"Well it certainly doesn't seem to be around here." said Virion. "I'll start asking around."

"Thanks." said Robin.

Virion left while Robin continued to look around the fire pit. Seeing that it wasn't there, he decided to head to the mess tent. As he did, he collided with someone, knocking him and the other person down. He shook his head and saw that it was Lucina. She rubbed her head as a box lay in front of her.

"Ow." She said.

"Sorry Lucina." said Robin. "Didn't mean to run into you."

"It's fine." said Lucina. "I was actually looking for you anyway."

"Well, it may have to wait." said Robin quickly. "My coat is missing."

"Oh, your coat." said Lucina. "Well act-"

"Look, I need to go." said Robin. "It may be in the mess tent."

"It's not there Robin." said Lucina. "I-"

"Your sure?" Robin asked. "I could have left it there last night."

"I'm sure Robin." said Lucina.

"Well, I'll check anyway." said Robin. "If it's not there, then maybe-"

"Robin, calm down." said Lucina quickly.

"Kinda can't." said Robin. "I gotta find it."

"You don't need to look further." said Lucina. "I took your coat."

"WHAT?!" Robin said loudly. "Where? Why? Lucina where is it?"

"It's right here." said Lucina, pointing at the box. Robin then saw her go red. "I thought...well I took it...I, well…"

Robin raised an eyebrow and then took the box. He opened it and felt his breath get taken away. Robin's coat was in the box, but it looked different. Not only that, but it looked just like new. He took it out and looked it over. It looked like how it originally was, but it now had a blue cloth on top adorned with many patterns in gold. The sides were also now adorned with a yellow stripe. The cloth also seemed brand new, as there weren't any holes or stitches anywhere. In the collar of the coat, Robin's name was engraved.

"There was a blacksmith in town who specialized in making battle clothing." Lucina said nervously. "I saw how torn up your coat was and I thought it would be a nice surprise to rebuild it a bit. He also put some light chainmail inside it, so it'll be harder to rip. Tharja also put a few spells on it so that it'll be impervious to most basic spells."

"Lucina." said Robin, words failing him.

"It's not much." said Lucina. "But I thought it would be a nice thing to do. I know how much that coat means to you and I thought it would make you happy. I know you said you've forgiven me for how I've acted, but I still thought it would be nice to-"

Whatever Lucina was about to say next was interrupted by Robin enveloping her in a huge hug.

"Thank you." said Robin. "That honestly made my day Lucina."

He let her go and saw that she was smiling from ear to ear. He could feel himself smiling too as he put the coat on. Despite the fact that there was now chainmail inside, it still felt light as a feather and was extremely comfortable. He moved around in the coat, admiring it like never before as Lucina looked on and giggled at his antics.

"Looking good." said Lucina. "I'm glad you like."

"I love it." said Robin happily. "Just don't scare me like that again."

"Will do." Lucina laughed. "Hey, I haven't eaten yet. Wanna join me for brunch?"

"Certainly." said Robin. "Gotta show off my new coat after all."

Robin then walked to the mess tent with Lucina, excitedly showing anyone they ran into the coat along the way.

Lucina and Cynthia were taking a break after at least two hours of helping the Shepherds carry their things to the top of the Mila Tree. It was agreed that the Shepherds, along with a few other soldiers, would set up camp in the shrine of the Mila Tree in order to keep an eye on Tiki. They had her blessing after all, so they knew that they wouldn't disturb the Voice.

There wasn't a lot of heavy things, but hauling it up and down the staircase took a long time. They also couldn't use the Pegasi to carry anything too heavy, but they were planning on using them for fast transportation once the camp was set. Still, it would take the rest of the afternoon to finish up.

Thankfully, Robin was smart and divided the duties into two shifts. The first shift consisted of himself, Lucina, Cynthia, Ian, Flavia, Miriel, Vaike, Sully, Nelson, Donnel, Maribelle, Lon'qu, Olivia, Cordelia, Gregor, Panne, Yarne, Gerome, Rocksus, Gaius, and Tharja. Once they were finished, everyone else was assigned to keep track of the main camp and then haul their things once the first group was finished.

"I hope we don't have to do that again anytime soon." Cynthia sighed in exhaustion.

"I have a feeling bringing things down will be easier." said Lucina, wiping sweat off her brow.

It had been some time since the sisters got some time to themselves. Lately, they had been spending a lot of time with either the army or their friends but not with just each other. Some of their best moments in the future where when they had their time together though. Lucina remembered when she was five, playing tag with Cynthia while hiding in a tree. She also remembered the time they stayed up all night during a rainstorm when Lucina was about ten. Now that they were in the present, Lucina was hoping that they could make some new memories together. For now, it was just resting near the Mila Tree, enjoying a couple of apples that they swiped from the mess tent.

"Delicious." said Cynthia, taking a large bite of her apple. "Nothing like a fresh apple after a hard days work."

"Agreed." said Lucina, munching on her fruit. "When was the last time we got a chance to do this?"

"Not for a while." said Cynthia. "Especially since fresh apples were scarce in our time."

"That had to make them more tasty though." Lucina joked.

"Very true." Cynthia grinned.

"I still remember the last time we found an apple tree." said Lucina. "We sat under it for hours, talking about mom and dad."

"I remember." said Cynthia. "We brought them up because of the new battle cry Owain and I were working on."

"Was that before or after you ditched that ridiculous theme song?" Lucina asked playfully.

"Before." said Cynthia. "And it's not ridiculous. Mom and dad happened to like it."

"Well I don't recall father having much taste in music." said Lucina, taking another bite of her apple.

"There better be a worm in there." Cynthia teased. "There was the last time."

"Wasn't that the same time you tried to cut an apple with Falchion?" Lucina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You really won't let that go, will you?" Cynthia said, rolling her eyes.

Lucina simply chuckled in response, taking another bite of her apple.

"So what do you want to talk about now?" Cynthia asked. "I mean, we are in a different time and we have done some different stuff."

"I'll let you decide." said Lucina. "I just enjoy spending the time with you."

"How about boys?" Cynthia said mischievously. "Never really had time for that in the future."

"Who says we have time now?" Lucina said.

"Oh c'mon Lucy." Cynthia chuckled. "I know we're in the middle of a war, but in case you've forgotten, pretty much every member of the Shepherds fell in love and got married during or after the war. It happened with mom and dad."

"Fair enough." said Lucina.

"So…" Cynthia said, eyeing Lucina eagerly.

"So what?" Lucina asked.

"Oh, c'mon sis." said Cynthia. "I've known about the fact that you've got the hots for Ian for ages. What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing." said Lucina simply.

"Yeah right." said Cynthia. "Owain said he accidentally interrupted you two kissing last night."

"We did not kiss!" said Lucina fiercely. "And you better not start spreading rumors."

"I wouldn't do that." said Cynthia. "That's Severa's job. But did you two kiss or not?"

"No, we didn't." said Lucina, taking another bite of her apple.

"That's good." said Cynthia. "Especially since Ians got some competition these days."

Lucina spit out her apple in surprise and confusion, looking at her sister.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucina asked.

"Robin." said Cynthia. "I mean, you two have been hanging out a lot lately."

"That's different." said Lucina. "He's my battle partner. I mean, I want to better friends, but that's it."

"Whatever you say." Cynthia winked. "Still, kinda funny how two weeks ago you were all like 'he's the traitor, kill him. Kill him with fire' and now you're suddenly buddy buddies."

"Things change." said Lucina. "I still suspect him, but we need to trust him. Plus, he seems like a genuine person. He helped me to realize that."

"He is super nice." said Cynthia. "And pretty cute."

"Well, since we're on the subject." said Lucina. "What about you?"

"Eh, nobody that interesting around here these days." Cynthia shrugged, munching on her own apple. "A couple cute looking soldiers, but nobody to go nuts over."

"That's only because we haven't found a certain someone yet." Lucina teased.

"Oh, don't you start turning my own weapon against me." Cynthia snapped, blushing furiously.

"All's fair in love and war little sis." Lucina chuckled.

"I guess so." Cynthia sighed.

The two sisters continued to finish their snack as they talked the afternoon away. They talked about Lucina's journey in Ylisse as Marth and how she helped with the Plegian War. They talked about what they wanted to do if they succeeded in saving the future. They talked about everything they wanted to do with Chrom and Sumia, especially since they needed to make up for lost time.

Lucina was really grateful to have Cynthia back. It was hard to be all by herself when they arrived from the future and to have her sister back was a blessing. This was another memory she could add to her collection of good ones, which were steadily growing over the past few years.

"Steady Chrom." said Say'ri.

"Easy for you to say." said Chrom, shaking.

Chrom was training with Say'ri and was currently on their third lesson. This was about balance and Chrom currently was holding two jars of water in both his hands and a jar on his head. He was tasked with moving how Say'ri instructed him to without spilling the water of breaking the pots. This was meant to show how a Chon'sin warrior must remain balanced in combat.

Say'ri made another move for Chrom to copy, in which Chrom slowly began to move. However, he began to lose his balance and this caused the jars to fall, breaking as the did. Water was splashed everywhere as it sloshed all over Chrom's legs.

"You are thinking about it too much." said Say'ri. "Like before, you need to relax."

"Kinda been hard for me lately." said Chrom.

"So I've heard." said Say'ri.

"Sorry Say'ri." said Chrom. "Perhaps we should try this another night."

"I have an idea." said Say'ri. "Do the movements without the jars. I'll watch you and reposition as needed. That way, you can get a feeling for what you need to do."

"Ok." said Chrom.

Chrom then got into his first stance. Say'ri had shown him ten different stances and it sort of felt like ballet, since he had his arms outstretched and his leg bent forward. Say'ri walked around him and inspected him, sliding her hand over whatever part of his body she was inspecting. When she saw something that seemed off, she adjusted Chrom until she was satisfied.

After about a minute, she told Chrom to go into the next stance, which Chrom did slowly, as if he was still holding the jars. Say'ri repeated the process for another minute and then had him change again.

After about the fifth stance, Chrom started to notice that Say'ri was taking her time as she inspected him. Maybe it was because his stance was off, but it started to feel a little uncomfortable. Say'ri then continued to stroke his arm and Chrom started to see a glazed look in her eye. She leaned really close to him and laid her head on his shoulder, looking down his arm.

"Uh, Say'ri?" Chrom asked.

Say'ri snapped back to attention and noticed what she was doing. She quickly stepped back, blushing as she did.

"My apologies Chrom." said Say'ri. "I suppose I lost my train of thought."

"Think nothing of it." said Chrom.

"Your form is much better." said Say'ri. "Remember those stances and practice them. I think that's enough for tonight."

"Yeah, sure." said Chrom. "Goodnight Say'ri. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." said Say'ri with a smile.

Chrom left towards his tent, confused as to what just happened. Say'ri didn't usually lose focus like that. Perhaps she was under a lot of stress.

Chrom turned to where his tent was located and stopped. Someone was sneaking around the camp and heading towards the temple where Tiki was. Chrom couldn't make out who it was, but he decided to follow the person.

The mystery person made it to the temple and slowly walked in. Chrom saw a flash of silver as the person entered the temple and he realized that the person was holding a knife. Chrom frantically ran towards the temple, knowing that this assassin was trying to murder Lady Tiki. However, when he got there, he heard voices inside. He quickly ducked to the side of the entrance and listened to what was going on.

"You don't want to kill me Nelson." said a tired voice, which Chrom recognized as Tiki. "I know you don't."

"I am a Grimleal." another voice said fiercely, which Chrom recognized as Nelson. "You should fear me. I must kill you."

"You can't." said Tiki. "Because you don't want me dead."

"Yes I do." said Nelson. "You are my enemy."

"Try if you wish." said Tiki. "But you will find that you can't."

Chrom then heard heavy breathing, as if someone was nervous about something. He heard Nelson grunt, but he had yet to hear the familiar sound of steel meeting flesh. He then heard the sound of a knife dropping, as well as someone falling to the ground and letting out a noise of frustration.

"I can't." He heard Nelson. "I can't do it. Dammit, why? What spell have you put on me?"

"I have put no spell on you." said Tiki.

"Then I am weak." said Nelson. "I'm simply just weak."

"Not being able to take one's life does not make you weak." said Tiki. "In fact, it makes you strong."

"Then why can't I kill you?" Nelson asked frustratedly. "It should make sense. We're enemies. We worship beings who hate each other."

"Mother Naga does not hate Grima." said Tiki. "She pities him. Just as I feel pity for you."

"I don't need your pity." said Nelson. "I need redemption."

"For what?" Tiki asked.

Chrom heard Nelson breath a heavy sigh before he spoke again.

"All my life, I've grown up Grimleal." said Nelson. "I was taught all of the ways of those who worship the Fell Dragon. I know nearly every spell, every curse, every ritual that the Grimleal know. And I was always willing to perform them. I've killed dogs, cats, cattle, horses, chickens, mice, rats, snakes, and so many more. But then, before the war, I was asked to do a sacred ritual that only the highest hierophants get to perform. If I did it correctly, I would become a member of the council in Valm. Everything was set until they brought in the sacrifice."

"What was the sacrifice?" Tiki asked.

"A girl." said Nelson. "A little girl. I remember her so vividly. She couldn't have been older than five. They wanted me to kill her, a sacrifice to Grima. But I couldn't. I couldn't do it. I've taken so many lives in my life, yet I couldn't take hers. Why? Why couldn't I do it?"

"I bet you were shamed, weren't you?" Tiki asked.

"I was exiled." said Nelson. "Just for that, I was exiled. I eventually became a general in the Valmese army. I hoped that it would give me strength again, turn me into what I need to be as a Grimleal. But it didn't."

"You eventually adandoned the army as well." said Tiki.

"How did you know that?" Nelson asked.

"I have seen many visions during my slumber of many people." said Tiki. "One of them was of you, leading the Mercenary Fortress. That was when the Shepherds defeated you."

"It was." Nelson grumbled.

"It's alright Nelson." said Tiki.

"No, it's not." Nelson said angrily. "I'm a Grimleal. I follow everything the Grimleal do. I worship the Fell Dragon. So why can't I perform tasks for him? Why can't I stop his enemies? Why?"

"Because you are conflicted Nelson." said Tiki. "You have been taught everything about the Grimleal, but when it came to performing the task, your heart wasn't in it."

"Why?" Nelson asked. "I don't understand."

"I cannot explain it to you." said Tiki. "But I recommend you take some time to think upon yourself. Think not only of your values as a Grimleal, but your values as a person. Perhaps it will clear your mind."

Chrom didn't know what happened next, but he eventually saw Nelson walk out the temple. He didn't notice Chrom as he walked back into the camp, going back to his tent. Chrom was about to follow him when-

"Hold Prince." said Tiki from inside the temple.

Chrom turned and walked inside. Tiki was sitting on an altar, which was shaped like a bed. She looked extremely drowsy, so Chrom had a feeling that his visit wouldn't be long.

"I thought you weren't going to wake for another month?" Chrom said.

"I can wake if the need calls." said Tiki. "But I won't remain awake for long. It won't be until I regain my full strength that I can stay awake."

"I see." said Chrom. "Are you unharmed?"

"I'm perfectly fine." said Tiki, yawning. "I knew Nelson wouldn't harm me. He doesn't have the heart to do it."

"I'm surprised." said Chrom. "He is a Grimleal. They'd froth at the mouth for an opportunity to end your life."

"Many would." Tiki agreed. "But not all. Some like Nelson don't hold their religion to heart. Or at least, as much as they think."

"I suppose." said Chrom.

Tiki yawned again as he eyes started to droop. She began to slip off her bed, so Chrom caught her before she fell off.

"Thank you." She said sleepily. "I grow weary. I must return to my rest. Keep an eye on Nelson Chrom. I believe he may help you in the end."

Chrom nodded and helped her back to bed. She began to snore loudly as Chrom tucked her in. He was about to leave when he looked down.

The knife that Nelson brought was still on the ground. Chrom picked it up and began to examine it. The blade was shiny and very sharp, practically glowing in the moonlight. The handle was about five inches, with the Mark of Grima adorned on the point that connects the blade to the handle. The handle was black and had a round shape with a red jewel at the end.

Where did he get this? Chrom wondered.

He stow away the knife, deciding to talk to Nelson about it later. He then quietly left temple, making sure to not disturb Tiki's rest.

Robin was in the armory, examining all of the pieces of battle armor available. They always kept spare armor in case something breaks and Robin was looking for pieces that fit. He figured that since his coat got an upgrade, the rest of his battle armor might as well get an upgrade as well.

He found a chest piece that matched the yellow of his coat and tried it on. It fit perfectly, not too tight, but not too loose. It was as if it was made for him. He then saw armor pieces for his boots and legs that matched the chest plate. He tried them on and they were a perfect fit as well. He walked around in them and examined himself in a mirror that was in the armory tent.

Robin usually didn't like to wear armor. He felt that it often weighed him down. However, since his coat got a new look, he might as well add to it. Plus, Robin found a spell to enchant the armor to make it into normal clothes whenever he wanted to, so if Robin wasn't feeling the armor, he simply had to use the enchantment to reverse it and vice versa.

Satisfied, Robin removed the armor pieces and made his way back to his tent, eager to try out the spell. On his way however, he heard a noise. It sounded like someone was crying. He slowly walked towards the noise, which was coming from near one of the edges of the Mila Tree.

He approached the edge, but found nobody there. However, the noise was louder. It took a second for Robin to realize that it was coming from below him. Robin put the armor down as quietly as he could and looked down the edge. There were several branches sticking out that helped support the platform that carried the area they were on. On one of the branches was Lucina.

"Lucina?" Robin asked.

Lucina jerked her head up, her eyes red with tears. She wiped her eyes and tried to smile.

"Hi Robin." She said shakily.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked.

"It's nothing." Lucina sniffed. "Just...dealing with some dark thoughts."

"Do you wanna talk?" Robin asked, jumping down to join her.

"I...I don't know." said Lucina.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk to me." said Robin. "Is there someone you would feel more comfortable talking to? I can find someone if you need them."

"No, it's not that Robin." Lucina sniffed. "I just don't often talk about these things. It's hard for me."

"Well, I won't force you." said Robin.

"I know." said Lucina. Robin saw her hesitate for a bit before heaving a shaky sigh. "But I suppose I promised that I would be there for you if you ever needed to talk, so I guess it only fits that we should go two ways with that."

"Only if you're sure." said Robin.

Lucina wiped her eyes and then sighed again.

"I was just thinking about the future." said Lucina. "Specifically about the people we were with before we left. We managed to gather remnants of armies from the past to join us in castle Ylisse. However, it eventually fell to Grima and his forces, so we needed to perform the ritual to bring us here. The Shepherd's children were joined by the last of the remaining Shepherds. We were about to leave when Grima and a small army of Risen appeared. The last of the Shepherds stayed behind so that we could escape. I wanted them to join us but...but…"

Tears began to run down Lucina's face as she got lost in her memory. Slowly, Robin wiped the tear from her face like Chrom did when Lucina revealed her identity to him. It surprised Lucina, who nearly slipped off the branch before Robin caught her.

"Sorry." Robin said bashfully.

"It's fine." said Lucina.

"I can't imagine what your going through." said Robin. "It's rough being burdened with the knowledge that you must conquer fate itself. But that's why you're here and why you're with us. We're here to help you and we'll do what we can."

Lucina nodded, sniffling some more as she wiped her eyes and nose.

"You have your friends, your father, and an entire army ready to fight for you." said Robin. "And you have me, for whatever it's worth."

Robin didn't know where that last part came from, but it seemed to calm Lucina down a bit.

"Thanks Robin." Lucina sighed. "It's worth a great deal."

The two sat in silence for bit, letting the night air brush against their faces. Without warning, Lucina leaned towards Robin's chest and rested her head there. Robin wasn't against this, but he was taken by surprise. He then wrapped his arm around and pulled her tight. They stayed there for a bit, with Lucina still shivering a bit from her mood and Robin holding her as tight as he thought he should. He found himself stroking her hair, which was bristly but surprisingly soft.

They sat there in silence for what felt like years as Robin saw Lucina slowly calm down. Eventually, Robin saw Lucina fall asleep. He woke her so that the two could retire for the night. He walked Lucina back to her tent and bid her goodnight. She thanked him for being there for her and bid him goodnight as well. He made it back to his tent and layed in his bed for a while, thinking about what had just transpired. After a few minutes of playing the moment in his mind again, he fell asleep, smiling at the fact that he managed to be there for his new friend.