Theme 9: Death

It had been a month. An entire month since Robin had gone. Even after a month, the Shepherds haven't been the same.

Chrom now barely spoke; the seat next to him at the dinner table was empty. Tharja had no one to stalk. Gregor, Sully, Gaius and Stahl were missing their fifth man on poker night. Miriel's library held only one person instead of the usual two. Anna's Thoron sales had hit new lows. Virion had no one to play chess with. Truly, every Shepherd had lost a friend.

But to some, Robin was family. Lissa was especially hit hard by the loss of her husband. She had no one to smile with. To laugh with. But most importantly, she had nobody to love.

Sure, Owain and Morgan were always at their mother's side, comforting her through every day. But nothing could truly comfort the princess. Every thought she had was redirected to him. Every thought was clouded with one question: Will I ever see him again?

The kids stayed hopeful. Truly, their parent's personalities ran quite well in the family. Owain, always upbeat and willing for anything, always kept a smile near his mother in hopes of cheering her up. Morgan too was anything but dreary. She had no doubt in her mind that Robin was alive.

On the other hand, Lissa was a wreck. Tears constantly kept her eyes moist. She rarely left her room, only for meals and such. Her once cheery mannerisms had been reduced to a nothingness. Not even a single laugh had been heard from her.

Morgan sat cross legged on her own bed, thinking. Owain, sitting in an adjacent chair, sat silently, waiting for his sister to speak.

The blonde haired girl snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"

Owain perked up, leaning forward in his chair. He gripped the arms of the furniture a little too tightly. "Yeah? Well, waste no time, dearest sister! Speak away!"

"Think about it, Owain. Where in the world haven't we checked?"

"Well, Magvel, Archanea, half of Valm for Naga's sake-" He counted the continents on his fingers as he listed them off, only stopping when he was cut off by Morgan.

"In Ylisse, you dunderhead!" She half-laughed, half-yelled in a sort of sisterly insult.

Owain thought long and hard about his sister's words. "My mind is blank, Morgan. I've been to the northernmost point in Regna Ferox and have come up with nothing."

We haven't looked in Southtown!" Morgan threw her hands up in excitement.

"Blast! My intellect and honor, damaged by the likes of my own sister!" Owain smacked his forehead. Why hadn't he thought of that? The entire continent had been scoured, but there had been no signs of Robin. If he was still in this world, he was in the meadow, right outside of Southtown.

Morgan jumped from her bed, grabbing her brother's wrist and pulling him out of the room. She knew exactly where she was headed. She ran through the halls, rounded the corner, and threw open the door to her mother's room.

Lissa, sitting at her desk, jumped at the sound of the door swinging open.

"Mother! Quick, come with us! We have something to show you!" Morgan explained, almost jumping up and down with excitement.

Owain spoke up in his usual dramatic tone. "The tale of this day will be sung by the bards for ages to come! I can already hear the melodies…"

"Mother, just please ignore him. Just know one thing: We know where Father is!"

Lissa's eyes widened. This was the day she had been waiting for for what seemed like an eternity. The man who she thought was dead was back.

And for the first time since his disappearance, she smiled. It wasn't much, but it was a start of a new beginning. One full of hope and laughter and pure, unbridled happiness.