After seeing Robin run off I didn't know what to make of what happened. When I usually came to him he had a way of making sense out of things I could not understand, but today he rushed off leaving me more confused than I had ever been in my life.
The strange feelings I had, his sudden change in tone, and his sprint to get away from me left me hopelessly lost at what was going on.
...
"Ah there you are!" A high pitched yelled cried out triumphantly.
"Lissa?!" I stammered seeing my aunt gleefully smile at me while I was in deep thought.
"I've been looking allll over for you." She cried and stretched her arms out as far as they could go. "It's time for lunch."
"La-lunch?" I asked bewildered trying to figure out how I lost track of time so badly.
"Yep, and we actually have real meat today! Nothing obscene or inedible like the stuff Frederick always finds."
"Are we celebrating something?"
"Our victory of course!" She rose her fist up in the air and closed her eyes with a smile. "After all the trouble it took to treat our wounded and sick, I personally demanded to my brother that we have a real meal for a change."
" … I see." I muttered worried "Were the casualties that severe?"
"Huh? Oh, no nothing major. I just like to complain to frustrate my brother." She smiled innocently displaying her slightly tarnished white teeth. "Robin always finds a way to make the impossible happen on the battlefield which saves me a lot of work."
"We are very lucky to have someone like him aiding us in this fight." I murmured in a trance.
"Hey! What about me?" She teased and placed her hands on her hips pretending to be hurt.
"Your help is invaluable to us too Lissa. I thank you for taking such a harsh job to help us win this fight.
"Ha, at least someone recognizes the very demanding task I do with great effort." She cried in her high pitched squeal. "No one can take my place when it comes to hassling my brother or pranking our tactician! Hehehe."
…
As we walked towards the mess hall, Aunt Lissa mentioned a few rumors that she had heard from other people. How she knew these things I will never understand, but apparently Kellam had learned to tame a lion with just one look from his face, providing the lion could see it. Gaius had invented a new board game called Candy World, or otherwise referred to as 'Heaven' by the redheaded thief, and Nowi nearly set fire to Vaike's tent after an accident.
It appeared that she had no end of stories to tell me, but eventually we reached the mess hall her mood immediately turn to one of anticipation about our meal.
"All right! I'm going to go see what Kellam is up to." Lissa smiled cheerfully. "Thanks for listening to me ramble on."
I nodded back to her and said, "Enjoy your meal Lissa."
"You know I will!" She cried jubilantly and quickly passed through the tent's entrance.
When I entered behind her, a few shepherds greeted me as I passed by and my parents waved at me from their table. I waved back and smiled, but when I looked around the mess hall it didn't take long for me to realize that Robin was absent. Almost all the shepherds were here laughing and talking except for him which made me frown in disappointment. I was hoping that I would be able to talk with him about what happened earlier, but a part of me just wanted to seem him and his warm hospitality.
"Lucina over here!" My mother called excitedly.
"Coming." I replied and made my wave over weaving through benches and tables to see my parents sitting next to Cherche and Stahl. There was also two empty seats reserved for me and our absent tactician which made it more disheartening to see him gone.
"Did you here the good news?" She asked happily as I sat down next to her. "Virion and Maribelle are engaged!"
"What?! Already?" I asked surprised. "That is not suppose to happen for a few more months."
The four of them looked back at me in wonder before Sumia replied, "Oh, that's right. You already know how all of us end up don't you?" She asked a little embarrassed.
"Many of the friends I grew up with came from the shepherd's children" I replied back nervously seeing as Cherche and Stahl were looking at me with an intense fascination.
"So you would know if-"
Cherche quickly elbowed Stahl in the side and gave him a deathly smile telling him to be quiet. She quickly changed the conversation by saying, "Maribelle and Virion haven't actually made it official yet. They plan on announcing it during a more noble occasion."
"... That must be why I heard it took place later in my time." I replied back relieved the change was not my doing.
"Most likely." Cherche nodded back. "Though I find it hard to believe my master is finally settling down after all the years he has spent chasing women."
"That makes two of us." Chrom added. "How he has not gotten killed by a jealous suitor or an angry father is beyond me."
"It is a mystery that may never be solved." Cherche laughed. "One time I caught him returning to his manor in only his underwear while covered in leaves after jumping from a ladies two story window. To this day he adamantly claims he has never soiled any lady's honor, yet he finds himself in the most scandalous situations."
"He will have to face Maribelle's wrath if he does anything like that from here on out." Stahl replied while reaching across the table to grab another piece of bread.
"Hehe yeah, but they already have a name for their first child so Maribelle must have some expectations for him." Sumia added cheerfully.
"Oh really? I am surprised they decided on a name so quickly. Especially since that is normally something you discuss after you find out you are having one" Cherche asked very interested.
"You know how precise and organized Maribelle is. She probably has this planned since she was six or seven. If it is a girl she will call her Raisette, and if it is a boy, Bradford.
"What if she has twins of the same type?" Stahl asked jokingly.
"Knowing her, I'm sure she has many backups all ready in advance." Chrom added.
"Unless she has one of each with triplets." Stahl laughed heartily while the rest of us stared at him in wonder. "Get it? ... Because with triplets you couldn't have one of each … which is why it is funny."
"Yes ..." Cherche turned away from him and said, "But it is interesting to think about how things are developing within our little group. First you two have a royal wedding, than Frederick and Cordelia follow, and now we have Virion and Maribelle tying the knot."
"It is very romantic when you think about it." Sumia smiled blissfully. "As shepherds we have always been good friends, but now we have grown even closer."
"I doubt Virion and Maribelle got off to a good start." My father politely corrected her. "But it is surprising to see everyone coming together so well. Even Gaius and Panne seem to be getting along well."
Cherche smiled and said, "Though you better be careful Chrom. If the shepherds continue to have a reputation of bringing people together, than you might be calling yourself a father-in-law sooner than you imagined."
"Huh?!" Both my father and I cried out in unison.
"It is merely an observation, but you and Robin have been spending a lot of time working together." She looked at me with skeptical eyes. "Perhaps that time spent might not always be about our war effort?"
"No, it's not like that!" I cried as her words pierced like a thousand needles. I had to forcibly remind myself that there was nothing wrong with what the two of us were doing. Just because I had a deep respect and admiration for him, and we were close friends didn't mean that either of us …
"Don't listen to her Lucina." Chrom said calmly and loosened his grip on the table. "She is just trying to toy with us."
"Am I?" She laughed elegantly.
He shook his head and spoke much more confidently,"I've known Robin from the very beginning. Despite his need to question my authority and jab at my character, he is my best friend. I know he would never try anything."
"Are you so sure?" Cherche teased.
"Of course. The two of us have been through a lot. Other than my wife and daughter, there is not a single person on this planet I trust more than him." He smiled fondly and said, "When I first met him all he had on his person was a bronze sword and a new magic book that had never once been used. Do you know what he did with that fire tome?"
"Start a camp fire?" Stahl interjected which brought more glares his way.
"He sold it, and he gave most of the money to a family who had their house burned down during the bandit raid." Chrom grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "The man could barely even remember his name, but even then he would go out of his way to help others."
"Is that true?" I said in wonder and admiration.
"Yeah, and from that moment on he showed himself more each day." My father added while surfing through his memories. "He might be a smart ass dastard, but he has earned my complete trust."
"So why does our tactician refuses to show his face today?" Cherche looked over to the empty chair that normally held his cheerful presence.
Sumia intervened this time and said, "He had massive headache when I talked to him earlier and he needed some rest. "
"Are you satisfied Cherche?" Chrom asked as he smiled triumphantly.
"I was hoping to get you to jump a bit more, but yes. It seems you are more level headed than Lissa gives you credit for."
"I see, did she put you up to this then?"
"No, it has become a natural reaction of mine to tease my superiors after working with Virion for so long. I am sure you understand."
"A little too well." He nodded back. "Though, Frederick learned the hard way that Robin has nothing to hide. He was suspicious of Robin's motives for a full year after our victory against Gangrel, but one day Frederick confided in me that Robin is one of the most upright and honest men he ever met. If he has the ability to earn Frederick's respect, then he has earned mine ten times over."
...
A few hours passed after lunch and I spent most of it with my parents enjoying the little things of life for once. When I finally said goodbye to them, it was the same time that I was supposed to meet with Robin as part of my apprenticeship. Given that he had a massive headache and our earlier conversation went very strangely, I wasn't sure if he would meet up, but I decided to take the chance and wait inside our War tent.
While both of us were prohibited from working today, there was nothing wrong with talking inside a war facility. Or at least, that was the excuse Robin made last time he was in a situation like this. He was always very focused on helping me and hated it when he had to postpone the lesson. It was really charming how his attention was always with me despite how lost I could get at times.
As my thoughts went adrift, a ray of light blinded my eyes. Seeing Robin's walk through the tent instantly caught my attention and I smiled seeing him. My fears he wouldn't show up were misplaced, and I was very glad to see he looked alright.
"Greetings Robin." I said happily without even thinking.
"... Hello Lucina." He replied hesitantly and slowly walked over to sit next to me. "Would you like to focus on pincer movements or counter attacks today?"
"Actually, I was hoping we could talk about our earlier conversation." I asked seeing that he was still a little off from his usual cheerful demeanor.
He grimaced and looked away from me in fear. "I am sorry about my behavior." He inhaled a large breath of air and said. "I never meant to make you feel like that, and how I acted in the end was very unprofessional."
"You don't have to apologize. I am just curious to what startled you. If it helps, I admit I was acting differently than normal as well."
"That's not the problem." He deadpanned
"Then what is it? Maybe I could help if you let me know."
"Lucina ..." He shook his head and looked back at me in guilt. "Over the past few weeks I have said somethings to you that were inappropriate. You see, you are a good friend and I care a lot about you. I find it very enjoyable to talk to you and sometimes I speak without thinking."
I smiled in return and said, "I feel the same way Robin."
"Right ..." He looked down at the ground mad at himself. "I am afraid that there is more to it though." He sighed and restlessly moved his hands together back and forth before looking back up to me. "I ... find myself attracted to your warm nature. When you said you were planning on leaving all I could think of was the fear of losing a close friend. It terrified me."
I blushed and clutched my hands with a mix of emotions."I don't know what to say."
"Neither do I." He muttered unsteadily. "There is so much about you that amazes me that half the time I forget to keep my mouth shut and the other half you leave me speechless."
My heart fluttered inside my chest which made it difficult for me to breathe properly, "I, didn't know I had that kind of effect on you."
"You'd be surprised." He frowned and groaned in regret. "Which is why it makes it all the more painful to have to tell you." Robin looked away from me and clenched his teeth in frustration, "Given recent events on my part, I think it would be best if I no longer fought alongside you. Your mother would be better suited to compliment your fighting style than me."
"What?" I whispered confused. "Why would you have me transfer now all of a sudden? Was there something I did wrong?"
"No, the problem is entirely my fault. I am incapable of handling a situation that puts you at risk."
"Is it the volcano?" I asked alarmed. "Because you were not the only one to suffer such fatigue. If you were not by my side I fear I would have lost my strength long before the battle ended.
"It's not that." He cringed. "It's a personal issue."
"Did I do something to offend you?" I asked afraid.
"No, no. It's the opposite."
"What do you mean?"
"... You don't want to know." He lowered his head and refused to face me.
"If something is bothering you so much than please tell me. I want to help!" I cried out fiercely in concern.
Robin exhaled deeply and looked back very unsure of himself. "You don't want to know Lucina. You really don't want to know."
"I do." I insisted in a strong voice. "Please tell me."
He blushed in embarrassment and said ashamed, "My responsibility to the kingdom and the thoughts I have about you are becoming blurred. Your unbelievable strength and blinding beauty make me question my loyalties, and it will only grow worse the more time I spend in your company."
"Wah-what?" I held my breath and gritted my teeth as a huge knot plunged into my stomach.
Robin shook his head in despair and said, "I have feelings for you Lucina. Strong ones. There are days when I wake up and I just want to see you. To share a moment of your time and get to know more about you."
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest while my face burned bright red. Everything I felt in the past was nowhere near as strong it was now. My hands were shaking uncontrollably and I couldn't even speak with anything other than a small whimper. "... Robin ..."
"If things were different I wouldn't give a second thought to how I feel. No one could blame a guy for liking someone so … inspiring." He shrugged and bit his lip. "But how could I look either of your parents in the eye? How could I speak to Tiki about the future with a clear conscious? Or how do I face you with these bitter feelings in my heart?"
I fidgeted in my chair and shuddered as a cold air brushed against my skin. I didn't have an answer for him, yet I spoke without even realizing it. "How do I face you?
Robin leaned back in his chair not expecting my question and fumbled with a bewildered look on his face.
"You are always so warm and friendly. When you are around I feel, safe." I blushed and felt an intense heat rush across my face. "It's very unsettling how much you are able to affect me. I feel like my stomach is about to burst, and hearing you say those things about me is making it quite difficult to breathe."
"Lucina, I ..."
"I-I can't describe it. I feel so happy that it hurts. Everything is blurry and it's hard to sit still, but it feels so nice." I cried hysteric "So ... wonderful."
"I ..." He stammered unable to speak.
"C-could y-you say it again?" I asked with my legs trembling and a heavy weight in my throat. "About how you feel towards me."
Robin's eyes widened in fear and said, "If I did that I won't be able to turn back. If I confess than-"
"P-please." I begged with a thousand emotions running through me. It felt like I was going numb as the tingling sensations coursing through my body became more and more devastating.
"You can't mean to ..." He tried one last time to resist, but when he looked into my eyes the rebellion inside him died completely. All that was left was a demoralized tactician who stared at me without restraint. "Lucina, you are very special to me. It's hard for me to put to words, but I care a lot about you. I want to discover the sides of you that you haven't had much of an opportunity to show. I want to see you shine, and there is a very deep desire in my heart to date you. There has been for awhile."
Tears streamed down my face as the emotions poured out of my body like an overfilled balloon that finally had a chance to let go. I leaned forward in my chair unable to keep my self together as I struggled to face so many emotions. Next thing I knew, there was a hand patting me on the shoulder and a kind face looking down on me as Robin got up from his chair and stood next to me. I reflexively got up from my seat and wrapped my arms around his neck as I held tight in my broken state. Soon both of his hands pressed against my back and it made me quiver with joy as we embraced.
…
An eternity seemed to pass before we let go. The release of so many hidden emotions all at once was overwhelming. For a moment I felt like I was in another world, and it was so much different than my own. I didn't know how he managed to work his way so deep in my heart, but I was very thankful he did.
"It's not fair how much control you have on me." I laughed hysterically and smiled back with my blush still present.
He shook his head in wonder and laughed thinking about the irony. "You think your the one being controlled? Gods, I felt like a battering ram slammed straight into my chest when you begged me with your eyes."
I smiled guiltily with my face still red as a tomato. "I don't know what came over me. I … just wanted to hear you say it again."
"Yeah..." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled unable to control himself. "It looks like our lives are a bit more complicated."
"Does this mean we will still be fighting together in battles?"
The tactician shook his head in disbelief and said, "I never knew I was such a hypocrite. I selfishly demanded you stay with us while I tried to escape my feelings by trying to separate myself."
"... It's understandable Robin, it doesn't sound like either of us are thinking clearly. Perhaps we should get some fresh air and discuss this when we can think straight again."
"That might not be such a good idea right now." Robin grimaced and said, "Both of us look like nervous wrecks. If anyone saw us on our way out they would know something was suspicious. Until we calm down, it would be best to remain here."
"Right." I nodded back and took a deep breath. "So what do you want to do until then?"
"Tactics are the last thing running through my mind so I am not sure we could do that." He sighed and replied hesitantly. "And I still don't know how I am supposed to look at your parents anymore."
"... I don't either." I replied lowly as the full implications of my actions were finally starting to hit me. "But I think we should wait until the war with Valm is over before we tell them. My father has enough to deal with at the moment."
" Yeah … That would be best." Robin gulped and nodded back in deep concentration.
We both sat their silently trying to understand our new positions when a thought entered my head that I wanted to ask him. I hesitated afraid, but gained the courage to say, "Is it true that you sold your magic tome to help a family whose house was burnt down?"
"Huh?" Robin looked back at me puzzled and asked, "Where did you hear that story?"
"From my father. He said you gave most of the money you had to help a family who suffered from the bandit raid."
"Oh." He whispered and cleared his throat to say, "I am afraid he has a habit of embellishing. Keep in mind that at the time I didn't know if I could use the tome or not. It didn't seem wise to aimlessly cast magic in the middle of a fight so I used my sword instead. Afterwards in town, I realized I had no money and I would probably need something to eat in the future so I sold it."
"And that is when you stumbled upon the family?" I asked intrigued.
"Something like that. But I am not the saint Chrom makes me out to be. I sold my tome at full price for about 550 gold pieces because the store was thankful for us saving the village. When I encountered the family you mentioned I gave them about 40 of it. Enough for them to have a meal and some shelter for the night, but it's not like I gave them all I had." He said embarrassed and a little down on himself. "They just happened to cross paths with me."
"That's still very generous." I added in admiration.
"Maybe, but I've seen people much more benevolent in those situations. It's not really that noteworthy if you think about it. It just shows how much more Chrom is better suited for his job than me."
"Hmm?"
He shook his head and said, "I am not like your family that selflessly helps anyone in their path without question. If given a choice between making my day better or helping a stranger, I would have to take some serious consideration in my priorities first. I would do anything to help my friends, but when it comes to strangers I am much more hesitant.
"You're not alone Robin. It is very hard for me to trust people I have never met."
"Yes, but you have a good reason considering how many people have tried to hurt your father. I am just naturally selfish. I weigh the time it takes to help someone and the cost it has on me. On those days I don't find it worth it to help others, and that is what detaches me from your family.
"But you are kind." I replied earnestly. "Even around those you don't know. I've seen it."
"I like to think so." He muttered unsure. "Though, if you believe I am a noble person you will be disappointed in me. After working in my position for so long I have had to make decisions that are far from chivalrous. Some of them make it hard to sleep at night."
I looked at him with great respect and said. "I know you would never do anything to hurt someone. You were forced to make those choices and I see you care a great deal. That is enough for me."
Robin unconsciously tapped his fingers on the side of his chair and said, "There are some other things about me that won't always be pleasant. I'm not perfect you know."
"Neither am I."
He exhaled deeply and looked back at me with a wide smile across his face and a hand covering his forehead. "Heh, so I guess this is it. We are really doing this."
"I think so." I nodded back nervously. "I won't lie. It terrifies me thinking about it."
"That makes two of us." He laughed back. "Having a girlfriend wasn't exactly on my list of things to do in this campaign."
"I assure you it was not in my plans either."
Robin paused and said in wonder, "Funny what the world has in store for us."
"I can only hope the rest of the surprises this world will bring will be as bright as this one."
"They will be." Robin said confidently. "This war is almost over and we are close to the fourth gemstone. We'll see the rest through together."
I smiled and placed my hand on my chest. "You're making it difficult to settle my heart if you say those things Robin. At this rate I don't think I'll be able clear my head anytime soon."
"Yeah about that." Robin anxiously fidgeted in his chair. "Now that I think about it, our discussions on strategies usually last for a couple hours. If we left any earlier that would also be seen as suspicious. … We might even want to stay a little later than normal just to be safe."
"Y-your right." I nodded back and tightly gripped my hands. "It is better to err on the side of caution in this case." My face redden again. "W-we will just have to find a way to stay occupied in the mean time."
"There is a few questions I wanted to ask you. It might help speed things along a little quicker if I got the chance to know you a little more."
"What would you like to know?"
"Everything." He smiled warmly. "But I'll start by asking what books you enjoy reading. Knowing Sumia, I am sure she tried to bring reading into your life before you could even speak."
"She did actually." I smiled at the memories and said, "When I was very little my parents gave me a toy sword and a small book about a princess for one of my birthdays. I use to play with the sword all the time and to my mother's dismay I used the book as a training dummy."
"Sumia must have been heartbroken." He laughed with the charming and heart felt tone that I remembered so well.
"She was. For the next three weeks she tried to make the story sound interesting, but it was rather difficult to hold my attention unless the story involved a sword fight or hero like my father. She was so desperate to get me into books that she used to tell me these grand stories about Marth and his friends. I couldn't tell you how excited I was when I found out I was his descendant."
"I can picture the giant look of shock you had on the tinier version of yourself."
I covered my cheeks with my hands in embarrassment and said, "Each time we moved to get away from the Risen my parents would give me a new book and something to hit with my toy sword. I learned about so many great heroes from the past that I had the ambition to be better than all of them combined. Of course, my mother tried to get me into reading love stories and other things too, but I never had the same attention unless it related to knights or sword-masters."
...
Lucina looked back to Morgan and smiled very fondly. "Your father listened to me ramble on for what must have seemed like ages. Yet he smiled more and more when I talked about the good moments I had experienced."
"It seems telling stories runs very deep in our family." Morgan added seeing how happy her parents looked.
Robin shook his head and said, "Well, when you live in a family like this one, there is a lot of stories to tell."
"Speaking of which, I have one to tell you." Morgan looked back at both of her parents and paused a little afraid, "Tiki and I want to discuss a story tonight at dinner with Chrom and Sumia.
"It must be quite a tale to involve them." Lucina said intrigued.
"It's not as great as hearing about you two desperately trying to speak to each other without collapsing to pieces, but it is something you should hear." She replied back scared to reveal any more.
"Don't you think you are over exaggerating just a tad about us?" Robin asked skeptically.
"I think I am understating it." The younger tactician laughed.
"We wern't exactly at our best dear." Lucina muttered embarrassed.
"I know." Robin scratched the back of his head. "Somehow it all worked out though."
Lucina smiled and said lovingly. "Yes ... it did."