Marth and Malin actually reached Ylisstol before the Mini Shepherds did. How did Marth know this? She knew, for a fact, that Ylisstol was much more lively with any form of children running around. It was lively without children, really, but the fact that Malin regularly reported one of the castle-goers coming in and out of town proved it as well. The group of seven seemed a bit late to return home.
Honestly, Marth was just getting anxious. Malin had already volunteered—several times—to go to the castle in her stead. She knew she should go herself, but being in Ylisstol made her fear seeing Chrom, looking at her with disappointment clear in his eyes. She could imagine what he might say to her:
"You could've stayed. Why disappear, when there's so much you could've done at the castle?"
Fortunately for the siblings, they had arranged to live in a house while they were here. Therefore, Marth had her mask off (although it was still within reach), but was absent-mindedly playing with a small toy she would've normally discarded by now, if not for the fact it was a gift.
"You are my daughter and my friend. You will always have a place by my side."
Chrom had said that to her, years ago…she knew it was still true, but if she returned, it wouldn't feel right. She made so much promises, she had to pick and chose which ones she wanted to keep.
Malin, who had been lingering by the door, looked over at her. "You okay? Normally when you're quiet, it means something's on your mind. Wanna talk about it?"
"Thank you…but I'm fine," Marth replied. "The sooner we can go home, the better." She sighed, pausing for a few moments. "Although, being honest…I'm not fond of thrusting you back into a world you don't even remember."
"I told you before," Malin began confidently, "I'm choosing to go back with you. If everyone else is there, I want to be there too. The place could just be a pile of ash, but we might be able to come back here if there's nothing left."
"All I'm saying is that you can stay at the castle," Marth maintained. "This castle. They'll forgive you, regardless of the circumstances. You can be the person who fought a war, left, and came back little over a decade after. Meanwhile, I've been hiding for so long…and the longer I hide, the less I feel like my name actually belongs to me. There's no name I can bear that feels like it's mine."
"Even so, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to the castle kids," Malin pointed out. "Or Lucina, at least."
"I know what it's like to lose friends—whether to death or mystery, I never see them again. It's too late for me to fix that with Chrom or Robin; but I'd rather have Lucina see me as an enemy than have her suffer the loss of a close friend."
Malin sighed, walking over so he could sit down across from her. "I guess it's the opposite for me and Morgan, then. I don't want to fight the kid, even if it means hurting him further down the line. Either way, I'm not ready to explain myself to Robin—she'll probably never let me out of her sight for a while—but I'd be willing to tell them the truth if they want it."
"Then tell them," Marth said, almost like she was challenging him. "You can go to the castle, right now. And you can tell them that I'm here, waiting like a coward, and then I can be thrown in jail for assaulting the princess."
"You were training!" Malin argued. To accompany his protest, he also threw his arms up in the air. "You're really giving on up on the whole 'they'll forgive you because it's a just cause' thing, aren't you?"
"Even if it was simply training, I didn't hold back," Marth replied. "Although I had a reason, it's still inexcusable. She wanted to know what was behind my mask, and I gave her enough clues to figure it out."
Another sigh from Malin, and he stood up. "I can't handle this debate right now. I'll be back."
And then he left. Marth didn't call him back; she didn't apologize. That would just be selfish, driving him away and immediately pulling him back. He can come and go as he pleased…he certainly had a lot to think about on his own.
Nonetheless, she thought on the conversation. Her thoughts about Lucina were conflicted; above all else, Marth never wanted her to experience the same things she did. Losing friends in any form wouldn't be acceptable—given how Chrom took after his late sister, Lucina would have little place in war lest she ask for a position.
Yet, at the same time, Marth didn't want Lucina to hate her. That would be just as worse, considering how Lucina could point that against herself once she learned. Marth was planning on telling her when she left; but only if they seemed ready to accept the news.
It would be difficult for both groups. Marth truly wasn't sure if she could transition from being a to-the-general-public nameless mercenary back to a ruling figure. As for her name…'Lucina' belonged to a different person now—the selfsame young woman who had such determination to uncover secrets, and great skill in leading others.
Yours…will be a happy future. Hold the memories in highest regard, little one… Tell your father…our father…that I cherished every moment I could share with him. Although I am bound for a world devoid of peace, I will never forget anything that happened here. That is a promise I