Fading away had been far less painful than Robin had expected.
One moment he was saying goodbye to Chrom and Lucina, watching as his form was pulled away like smoke into the wind... the next he was surrounded by an eternal dark void.
"I guess... this is it then..." He mused to himself, then chuckled mirthlessly. "Could be worse. I could be in Hell for all the suffering I've caused." He patted his arms and legs; the injuries he'd sustained in the battle were gone. He looked around for a light source but found none, and in the oppressive silence he wondered how he was able to see himself in the void without one.
"We'll find him. Even if it takes the rest of our days, we'll find him."
"Chrom!?" Robin spun around, looking for the source of his friends voice and was shocked to see him- in the void, his form shimmered like a mirage in the desert. "Chrom!" He called out, running forward and trying to reach and touch him, but his hand passed through empty space and he was left alone again. He stared in shock, then his head dropped and his shoulders. "Don't bother with it." He called out softly. "This is what I deserve."
Robin sat in the void for an undetermined length of time. He tried to count the seconds that passed, but always stumbled over his numbers and would end up starting over no matter how long he tried to keep it up. He tried to recite passages from various tomes and books he'd read, tried exercising, tried running in different directions, but the void around him yielded nothing.
"I'm just saying- why would we go all the way to Valm? Surely Empress Say'ri has search parties looking for Robin round the clock."
Robin was startled when Cynthia's voice cut through the darkness and she appeared in front of him, her form shimmering like Chrom's had when Robin had seen him.
"I didn't say we would." Lucina appeared next to her, and Robin's heart stopped for a moment as he took in her disheveled appearance. Her hair was a mess and there bags under her eyes, and her shoulders were squared as she marched forward. "I said 'if that's what it takes'. Despite her debt to Robin, she could not afford to have her soldiers scour an entire continent looking for one man forever. With no place for us in this timeline, we would be better scouts to take up the mantle. Besides, there is no guarantee Robin will pop up anywhere in Ylisse, or even on this side of the world. All we can do is continue our search wherever we are able."
Cynthia mumbled something under her breath, and Lucina turned to look at her younger sister over her shoulder. "What was that?"
"Eep!" Cynthia startled. "N-nothing. It's just, I mean... You two weren't even talking after that big fight where you almost... you know. But now you're searching harder than all of us. What gives?"
Lucina did not answer, and Robin's mind was drawn back to the last real conversation he'd had with the princess outside of making preparations for the war effort.
"It's all my fault." He'd wandered aimlessly from the camp, still numb with the shock of taking the Fire Emblem from Chrom and giving it to Validar.
But it wasn't just the fact that he'd turned on his friend- it was the implication that was brought with it.
"I'm a murderer. I'm responsible for all the deaths in the future. If it wasn't for me-" He clutched his head with both hands and screwed his eyes shut as he tried to shut out the nightmares of Chrom's death. "What am I supposed to do?"
His arms dropped, and he stood in silence as he tried in vain to push the dark thoughts on his mind away.
"Robin."
Lucina's voice caused him to lift his head. Her expression was neutral, but he knew that if she'd arrived to the same conclusion he had...
"What is it?"
"Do you have a moment to talk?" When he nodded, knowing better than to try and avoid the issue, she continued. "It's about my father. I have memories of him from when I was little, you know. He was strong and brave, and I'd heard stories about how charismatic he was on and off the battlefield. Coming back to this time and meeting him in his youth, I can see that I wasn't blinded by nostalgia- he's truly as great as I remember him." She stopped and looked at the ground, crossing her arms over her chest.
Robin nodded. "I understand. You love him. We all do." He said, hoping she would understand.
"When Falchion was returned to me and I was crowned Exalt shortly after my twelfth birthday, it came with a rumor: Chrom was killed by his best friend. You remember how distrustful I was of all close to him when I arrived, apart from my mother?" She sighed. "I didn't really know the rest of the shepherds in my own time, you see, so I had no reason to trust any of them, but... After all this time fighting alongside everyone, I was unwilling to believe that anyone would willingly betray him."
He winced: he knew exactly why she'd chosen that phrase. "Lucina, I-"
"I'm so sorry, Robin." His head snapped up at the sound of Falchion leaving its sheathe.
Panic gripped his chest; he was unarmed, and even if he had been, the odds were slim that he could beat Lucina in a fair fight, even if was willing to raise arms against her.
But all thoughts left his mind when he saw the anger in her eyes.
"You are the one who kills my father, Robin."
"No, I'd never-"
"Be silent!" She commanded, gripping the hilt of her sword with both hands. "You are responsible for the apocalypse of my time." The pain on his face made her hesitate for a moment, but Lucina steeled her resolve. "The deaths of my parents, the shepherds, and all the people of the world- they are because of you." Tears fell down his cheeks, and the tip of Falchion trembled with Lucina's hands. But for just a moment, the image of the hellscape of her future was in her eyes, and her grip on Falchion tightened. "Do not resist." She said quietly. "You yourself have not committed these crimes yet-" She allowed as she was forced to look away from Robin's distraught gaze, "-And I could take no pleasure from the death of one I considered a friend. Do not resist, and I will make your death as painless as I possibly can."
"Lucina, stop!"
They both whirled to see Chrom running up to them.
"Chrom saved me that day." Robin thought to himself. "Who knows what might have happened if he hadn't convinced Lucina to trust the bonds between us..."
"That's exactly why, Cynthia." Lucina's voice pulled him from his doldrums. "I need to make amends."
Robin felt his heart drop at how crestfallen she sounded, but the forms of the two princesses faded and he was left alone again.
"You don't have to make amends. You didn't do anything wrong." He called out into void. "I did. That's why I'm here."
More time passed.
Occasionally, he would see flashes of the shepherds in the void.
Frederick leading a scouting party across the countryside, all with posters that had his likeness on them.
Lon'qu and Basilio making their way across Regna Ferox.
Tharja endlessly crafting hexes meant to reveal people in hiding.
Severa and Cordelia scouting from the air.
Inigo, Owain, and Brady traveling and asking townsfolk wherever they went if they'd seen someone with white hair and a dark coat.
But it was a long time before he saw Lucina again.
"Absolutely not!"
She was arguing with Chrom.
"What do you think he's going to say when he sees a memorial statue? Gee thanks for never giving up on me! I won't allow this!"
"Lucina." Chrom's voice was gentle. "It's not for us. It's for the people."
"The people know who he is, father! His name is synonymous with legend now! For generations, parents will be telling their children stories about the grandmaster who gave his life to defeat Grima once and for all!"
"Lucina!" Chrom cut her off, having raised his voice slightly before he sighed and shook his head. "It's decided. I've already ordered the work to begin. By the end of the month, it will hopefully be completed."
The princesses fists clenched at her sides as she looked away. "Giving up on him already?" She muttered.
Chrom stepped close to her with a frown, straightening up as he looked down at his daughter. "No, never. It's only been one year. He was with us for a lot longer than that, and when he returns he'll be with us forever. But..." Lucina looked up at him as he sighed. "I fear he has slipped my mind as of late. My duties weigh heavy on me, Lucina, and it's been a few months since I was able to go and look for him myself. I've no doubt he'll turn up, hell, he might even pop into existence in the castle and scare the guards into thinking he's an assassin but until then- we need something to remember him by, to remind us why we are able to enjoy this peace he's given us."
Lucina straightened up herself, and Chrom narrowed his eyes at her. "The peace we have is the reason we should be out looking for him. Stations be damned. I'll not take care of another duty until I find him." She spun on her heel and stormed off.
"Lucina, wait!"
"You don't need to worry about me, father. I survived a much harsher world than this one. I'll be fine on my own." She didn't even look over shoulder, and Chrom was left baffled.
They disappeared, and Robin was left to ponder the fact that he'd been gone for so long, and to continue to wonder why Lucina kept looking for him. "Why do you keep searching, Lucina?" He asked quietly, his voice shaking. "Even if I wanted to be found, I don't know how to get back."
Sumia and Cynthia were sitting at a table the next time he heard mention of Lucina.
"Mmm..." Cynthia tapped her chin with a finger as she was lost in thought. "She should be coming back from Plegia soon. It's been almost a month since she left."
Her mother nodded. "Yes, I've been getting letters. She visited the battlefield, you know. I wonder if maybe we should have someone posted there. Of all the places he could pop up, it makes some amount of sense that he'd come back at the spot he died."
Cynthia straightened suddenly, eyes as wide dinner plates. "Oh gods, you don't think he'd come back mid-air do you? If he did, he'd just hit the ground-"
"Don't say such horrid things!" Sumia held up both hands to silence her daughter. "Naga, I hope that's not the case." She muttered under her breath. "Regardless, Lucina's only priority is finding him. She's been searching harder than all of us."
They fell into an awkward silence; he could see the guilt on their faces. "You're the queen, mother! You can hardly be blamed for having more pressing matters." Cynthia sighed. "Honestly, I'm surprised Lucy works so hard. They weren't even friends anymore when Robin-"
"Put that thought out of your head right now, young lady." Sumia quickly cut her off. "They were, are, and always will be friends. She told me about their fight, and if you couldn't tell, she was distraught about what she'd said to him. She beat herself up everyday over it, and what's worse, she was never able to apologize for it."
Robin's eyes widened as he took in what Sumia said.
"I can imagine what my poor girl is going through, losing her best friend after losing your father and I in her youth. If I were in her shoes, I'd be searching just as hard she is right now, too."
Cynthia stood up, raising her fists to her chest. "You're right! I'm going to go out there and help her. I'm going straight to the stables and flying out to Plegia. Farewell, mother!" Cynthia ran off, and the two faded from the void.
Robin lay flat on his back, looking up at the void as he pondered what he'd overheard. "Did you truly lament our last meeting, Lucina?" He asked himself. "The gods know I wish it hadn't gone that way."
He folded his arms across his stomach and thought back to all their interactions after Lucina had pointed her blade at him.
Curt nods, stiff greetings, quiet murmurs during meetings- but before that, how often had they sat together in the dining tents, laughing and swapping stories about their pasts? How often had they made small talk while marching side by side during the Valm campaign? And during battle, how often had they effortlessly cut down one foe after the other while defending one another, only to fret over another when they both made it out alive?
Those moments that he hadn't realized he'd cherished with her so much were gone long before the final battle with Grima.
The next time he saw her, it was raining.
Though he couldn't see the clouds, nor hear the howling wind, he saw the way it whipped her cape around, the water that she was drenched with, and surmised that she must have been out in the wilderness somewhere without a tent.
"Do you remember that time we talked when the weather was like this?" She asked, her voice echoing around the void.
He stood stock still for a moment, eyes widening as he knelt next to her and asked, "Lucina?"
"The storm woke us both up, and we ended up running into each one another as we walked through the palace." She continued.
He felt like a fool for letting hope take root in his mind that she might have felt him somehow, but he sat next to her and looked up, imagining the storm above her. "I remember." He answered, grateful for the chance to mimic a conversation after having been trapped in his own mind for so long.
"It must have been evident on my face somehow, because when you saw me you asked-"
"What's wrong?" He asked at the same time as her, their voices overlapping. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
The memory overwhelmed him, and it was like he was back in the castle with her.
Lucina frowned. "No, not quite." She answered. "Just a bad memory."
"I'm sorry to hear about that." There was a silence between them now as there was in the past. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Thunder boomed overhead, and Lucina tilted her head up, as though she momentarily forgot she was talking to someone.
Finally, after a long pause, she answered, "It was like this the day tide turned against us."
Robin didn't say anything, deciding it was her choice if she wanted to elaborate or not.
"We were retreating to Ylisstol, you see. In order to get the last gemstone, we had to go into Plegia and find it. But it was too late- Grima had destroyed it, and we were forced to flee. Vaike was the last of the shepherds." She allowed a small, sad smile to flit across her features for a second as Robin's brow raised. "Yes, I thought it was odd as well. I would have thought that he'd gone out in battle sooner than some of the others, but he kept looking after us right up till the end."
"I'm sorry to hear that. And I guess I'm proud of Vaike for sticking it out that long, all things considered..." He rubbed the back of his head.
The silence that fell between them was suddenly much heavier than it had been before, and in the dark hallway of the palace he could see Lucina's face was distraught.
"He asked me for a favor, before he died." She continued, her voice thick with emotion, and Robin stepped closer to her. "The Risen- they can't come back if the persons body is unusable. Normally, we would gather the bodies and burn them all at once. But as we retreated from Plegia, we were caught in a storm like this, and..." Her voice shook as she stifled a sob with one hand. "When Maribelle died, we weren't able to put her remains to rest because we were forced into a hasty retreat, and we ended up fighting her when Grima raised her from the dead. Vaike asked me not to let the same thing happen to him, said he didn't want to fight us or traumatize us." Her body was wracked with a sob and on instinct, Robin gently wrapped his arms around her. "If we couldn't burn the bodies, we had no choice but to- to... Cut them to pieces. Limb from limb, so Grima couldn't raise them."
She started sobbing in earnest, and Robin held her close, supporting her head with one hand. "It's all over now, Lucina. We won't let things end up that horrible ever again."
"Gods, it was far too brutal an end for him. I still have trouble facing him after what I did."
The memory faded, and Robin looked at Lucina, who was still sitting beside him.
"I hope your having better thoughts now, Lucina." He murmured.
"There are so many like that."
"...I'm sorry." He said as he looked away.
"So many times that I had to deal with lingering trauma from the past, but you were there for me." He turned back to her in surprise, and she held her hand out to catch rain on her palm. "It's all I can think about now- how I wouldn't have to deal with those memories if you were here for me." She sighed. "Where are you, Robin?"
But before he could answer, she disappeared, and he was left with nothing to do but pull his knees up to his chest and think to himself, "I'm someplace where those experiences will never be able to trouble you again. It was my fault you had to endure something like that in the first place."
"It's... tacky." Lucina said with a wince.
Robin had to agree with her.
The statue of him that Chrom had commissioned was "epic", with a Levin sword in one hand and an open tome in another, with his robe appearing to be flapping in the wind, but it was... tacky.
"Er... Yes. I suppose." Chrom replied. "Though with your fashion sense, I'm surprised you can even say something like that..."
Lucina straightened in indignation. "Excuse me?"
"Ah, I just mean- If Robin agrees, when he comes back he can smash the thing to bits for all I care!" Chrom tried to deflect, but Lucina was still staring a hole in the side of his head. An awkward silence passed between them, until eventually Lucina looked back at the statue. "...Any luck with the search?" He asked.
"No." She sighed, and gripped her left arm with her right hand. "I was thinking that places of significance might be where he returns, but through my travels I have heard no whisper nor seen any sign of him. I wish Naga or Tiki would just give us more concrete answers about him-"
"You remember what Naga herself said: She's not a god. It's likely she knows just as much about Robin returning from the dead as we do."
"He's not dead!" Lucina turned and yelled, but a hand flew to her mouth as she quickly said, "I- I'm sorry, father. I didn't mean to yell." She turned away, her expression full of regret.
"It's okay." Chrom put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "And you're right: He's not dead. It was just a slip of the tongue." Lucina reached up to grab his hand, giving it a soft squeeze before letting go. "Though 'missing' or 'gone' don't sound quite so good, either..."
"Nothing's good about this situation." She muttered, eyes still cast to the ground.
There was a weighty silence as Chrom placed his hands on his hips and studied his daughter. It was several minutes before he spoke. "Lucina, is there something you're not telling me?" He asked softly.
"I raised my sword against him."
Robin looked away as Chrom stepped in front of her, placing both hands on her shoulders.
"I tried to hold an innocent man responsible for crimes he didn't commit." She started to choke up, and Chrom pulled her gently into his arms, where she slumped against him. "He was my best friend, father, and I betrayed him in the worst way imaginable."
"I know how you feel." Chrom looked up at the sky as Lucina's shoulders shook. "If that damned Risen hadn't snuck up behind me during the battle, I would've never gotten injured. I could tell Robin had no intention of letting me stop Grima, anyone could have seen his intentions plain as day, but I just never meant to give him the chance."
Robin sighed. "Stop worrying about me." He called out. "It was my decision to go away."
"But you don't understand!" Lucina pulled away from her father, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "You have mother, and Lissa- The others that came back to this time with me, they looked up to me as a leader, but I was never as close to anyone as I was to Robin!"
Though Chrom didn't react, Robin was shocked to hear her confession.
"I couldn't tell you and mother everything I wanted to, because I wanted you to see me as your daughter, and I couldn't let the others see me as weak, even after coming back to this time, but Robin-" Her breath hitched, and she hugged herself as her voice broke. "I couldn't face after what I did, and was never able to tell him how sorry I was. I'm so sorry, Robin!"
He had to turn away from the scene as Lucina broke down and started crying in earnest.
"Stop it." He put both hands over his ears. "You were right, Lucina. It was my fault, it was always going to be my fault. What are you upset for? I betrayed you, not the other way around. Stop crying..."
His protests faded into the void, and for the first time since arriving, he was overcome with the desire to leave it.
More time passed, and as always he was uncertain of how long it actually was.
He continued to occasionally hear the voices of his friends.
Lissa and Maribelle offering prayers for his return.
Cherche and Sully exchanging stories about him.
Kellam and Stahl looking over maps and trying to figure out which towns they hadn't searched yet.
But more than anyone else, he heard Lucina's voice most often, always hoping he would be in the next place she visited, or that he would have been found by another and was waiting for her at the castle whenever she returned from a journey. And each time, his heart broke just a little more upon hearing her disappointment.
"What about this one, dear?"
Robin, for some reason he couldn't quite fathom, was witnessing one of Sumia's and Lucina's shopping trips.
"It's fine, mother." She replied, her voice soft and barely audible over the sound of the market.
Both him and Sumia could tell Lucina wasn't her usual self. She loved going to the market; the novelty of new items on sale every few months was something she looked forward to after being deprived of it most of her life.
Unfortunately, there was very little he could do about it, and Sumia frowned as Lucina went back to looking at the items the merchants had displayed without much enthusiasm. They both continued to move through the marketplace, and it was clear that Sumia was trying to cheer up her daughter from the way she kept drawing her attention to various knick knacks.
"Look, this necklace is beautiful!"
"Sure."
"Oh, do you see this dress? What a lovely shade of pink!"
"It's nice."
"Oh, a novel about pirates! This sounds exciting, don't you think?"
"I guess."
Robin couldn't help but look at Sumia with pity; it was clear she was becoming more desperate as time went on.
Finally, she snapped and ran up to her daughter, grabbing both her hands and making the bluenette's eyes go wide with surprise. "Ooooh, Lucina! Please talk to me, dear! I can't stand to see you depressed like this!"
"Er, mother? I'm not depressed." She gently drew her hands back from Sumia. "I was just... Lost in thought."
The Pegasus knight peered down at her. "Well... what are you thinking about?"
Lucina looked around, then shrugged lightly. "Once, when we were in Valm, Robin and I came to the marketplace after stopping Walhart." Sumia blinked in surprise, and Lucina continued. "It's a silly thing, isn't it? To be caught up in a memory like that."
"No, not at all." Sumia came to stand by her daughters side. "I often find myself lost in idle fantasies of the times Chrom and I had right after we defeated Gangrel." She smiled, then nudged Lucina with her shoulder. "What'd you get?"
"Huh?"
"You and Robin. What'd you get on your shopping trip?" She clarified.
"Oh..." Lucina trailed off, then bit her lip to suppress a smile. "Well..." She snorted and smiled despite herself. "There was a shirt, you see."
Sumia raised a brow in mock concern.
"Robin had pushed Chrom out of the way of a lethal blow from Walhart, and so I got him this shirt that was dyed six different colors and had patterns of birds stitched onto it."
"Ah, I- I see..."
Lucina blushed, and Sumia's eyes widened, though she didn't call attention to it. "And right after I got it for him, he just goes, 'Thanks!' and put it on over his normal shirt in the middle of the marketplace. He wore it all the way back to camp."
"I remember that." Robin mumbled to himself, his smile matching Lucina's own.
"Oh, uh..."
"You don't have to say it." Lucina waved her hand in the air. "It looked ridiculous. Well, not to me, I thought it was great. But people were giving him weird looks and when we got back to the camp some of the others were teasing him... I asked him why he put it on, and he just looks at me and goes, 'Well, I'm touched you got this for me. You know you didn't have to right?' Then I told him he didn't have to wear if it he didn't want to, and he said, 'Sure, but I figured it would make you happy to see me in it.' And he just walked off without a care in the world. Can you believe that?"
"Once I was out of eyesight I ran back to my room and took it off!"
"Was he right?" Sumia asked.
"Huh?" Lucina asked in response.
"Were you happy to see him in it?" Sumia asked evenly, though there was a knowing smile on her face.
"M-Mother!" Lucina's face was entirely red, and Robin's was too. "It doesn't matter. He never wore it again after that."
Robin couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the way she deflated when she answered.
Sumia's smile didn't go away, but she reached up to give Lucina's arm a quick squeeze. "Well, let's find some heinous outfits for him so you can see him in something other than that coat when he gets back, okay?"
"What!?" Lucina's voice was a high pitched squeak as Sumia walked ahead with a laugh, only to trip over a pebble.
The two of them faded away, and Robin shook his head. "She really isn't going to give up, is she?" His smile faded slowly. "Why, Lucina?"
More time passed.
Robin heard more from his friends.
Miriel testing a teleportation rod in conjunction with a piece of his hair she'd plucked from his pillowcase in the hopes it would bring him back.
Panne, Nowi, and Nah all scouring the woods.
Olivia, Gregor, and Libra searching in Valm.
Lucina, promising each night she would get closer to finding him the next day.
"I have good news, friends!"
Chrom stood at a banquet table, and the rest of the gathered shepherds turned their attention on him.
"After two years, I will finally be able to rejoin the search for Robin!" His declaration was met with loud cheers and fists pounding on tables. "I know, I know. If I'd been able to hand off the duties of Exalt to anyone else, I would've been out there this entire time. Suffice to say, I've finally squared away much of the business leftover from these two wars, and can now devote much more of my time to finding our friend."
There were more cheers, but all Robin could do was sigh. "Were it that easy, Lucina would have found me already." Chrom continued to talk, but Robin wasn't listening as he looked around. "Speaking of, where is she? I see all the other future kids, and the shepherds... Is she not here? Surely she wouldn't have missed this." He wandered between all of his friends. "Lucina!" He called out, knowing that she couldn't hear him but wishing for it all the same.
Then, suddenly, everyone vanished so suddenly that he raised his fists in alarm.
But what startled him most of all was the sound of someone crying. He turned around slowly to see Lucina sitting on the edge of her bed, elbows on her knees and her face in her hands as she sobbed. "It's been two years... Where are you!?" She cried out, and Robin knelt in front of her on one knee.
"Lucina..." He wished he could reach out and comfort her, wished that some small part of him trapped in this void could reach her.
"It's my fault, isn't it?" Her voice was hoarse as more tears fell.
Robin's eyes shot open. "No, no!"
"I lay the blame of Grima at your feet." She wiped her eyes with one hand and took a shaky breath. "I tried to force his punishment onto you. Of course its my fault-"
"Stop it Lucina! You mustn't-"
"That you chose to die." She started sobbing again.
"I'm not dead!" He yelled, standing up. "Lucina please, don't give up!"
"If I'd said nothing, you would've let Chrom finish him- You'd still be here!"
And then, she disappeared, leaving him alone in the void.
For the first time since coming back, he felt anger.
"Lucina, I swear- I will find my way back to you!" He shouted. He ran forward, hoping for a door or a light to show him the exit. "I won't let this place be my end!" He turned and ran in another direction. "It wasn't you fault! I chose this!" He stopped, sinking to his knees. "I chose this." He whispered again, tears falling from his eyes. "But it was supposed to be my punishment, not yours!" He raised a fist and brought to the ground. "You had no idea how guilty I felt- but it wasn't your fault!" He sat up and looked up. "Naga! Tiki! Someone, anyone, let me out! I can't let her go on like this!" His hands gripped his hair tightly. "It's not fair! She shouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes! I never would have done this if I'd known how much she'd hurt because of it! Let me go back and help her, please!" He fell onto his side, eyes shutting as over and over again he whispered, "Please..."
"But Chrom, we have to do something!"
"Well, what do you propose we do?"
"I- I don't know!"
Robin slowly opened his eyes, and the groan he made at the bright, sunny sky caught Chrom and Lissa's attention.
"I see you're awake now." Chrom said as he knelt beside him.
"Hey there." Lissa smiled at him.
"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand."
Robin smiled, raising his hand- then smiled wider as he saw the mark of Grima was gone.
"Welcome back. It's over now."
After an emotional reunion with Chrom, Lissa, and Sumia, Robin was in a carriage with all three, listening to the stories they had accumulated in his absence.
Well, he was mostly listening. There was only one thing on the front of his mind.
"If we hurry, we can be back in Ylisstol by nightfall." Chrom leaned out the window to tell the carriage driver to hurry, and the carriage started bumping more as their speed increased. "And if we're lucky, we can have the shepherds back in Ylisse in less than a week."
"Chrom." Robin's word caused the occupants to go silent. "Where's Lucina?"
Chrom and Sumia glanced at one another, while Lissa looked uncomfortably away.
"She's in Ylisse. At least, she was when we left." Sumia answered. "It's unlikely she left, though..."
"Lucina's been... depressed." Chrom stated. "She's been looking for you since the day you left. I think after all this time, it finally caught up with her. But-" He mustered a smile. "When we return, I think we'll finally see her return to her old self." He laughed, and Robin smiled and nodded.
"I hope so, too."
It seemed one thing after the other was intent on getting in the way of his reunion with Lucina.
Frederick was at the castle and questioned him relentlessly upon his return until he was satisfied that Robin was who he said he was.
Sully and Cordelia tackled him when they saw him and nearly knocked him unconscious with their hug.
Miriel tried to drag him off to a laboratory to run tests to ensure his identity.
It wasn't until he called out, "Alright, enough!" That the shepherds in the castle finally relented.
"He's right. Settle down, everybody." Chrom's voice echoed throughout the throne room. "Cordelia, Sumia, gather all the Pegasus knights and have them find the shepherds. Break the news that Robin has returned and that they're to report back immediately. Sully, Frederick, you two are to ride to Regna Ferox and alert our neighbors to the north."
Robin slipped away after dinner.
He was happy to have reunited with his friends, but there was someone more important he needed to see.
Making his way up the stairs and to the end of the hall where he knew her room was, Robin took a deep breath and knocked three times.
He heard movement on the other side of the door, and his hands twitched. Nervously, he balled them into fists.
The lock was opened on the other side of the door, and slowly, Lucina opened pulled it open.
"...Robin?"
He wasn't sure what to say, and in a moment of panic said nothing at all, but as Lucina stepped into the hallway and lifted hand to settle on his face, he whispered, "Hi, Lucina."
Her palm fluttered against his cheek, her arm shaking as though she were afraid he would disappear again. "It- It can't be. It's a dream, I must be dreaming..."
Robin reached up, taking her hand in his own. "It's not. I'm really here, Lucina."
Her expression, which had been one of disbelief, fell as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You can't be- We saw you disappear. I looked everywhere for you!"
He stepped forward, crossing into her room and letting her hand drop as she closed the door behind them. "I know." He whispered, his voice shaking. "You never gave up on me."
Lucina turned away from him, trying to hide her face from him. "I couldn't- not with how things were left between us. I'm so sorry, Robin-"
"Stop." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and when she turned to face him he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "How could you blame yourself for my decisions?"
"You were never the same- We all saw how you became more withdrawn from us after I confronted you. I just-" She sniffed and lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I was wrong to place blame on you when it wasn't your fault, and I was too ashamed of myself to tell you before you-" Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked away.
"How was I supposed to live with myself after learning that I was a monster?" He laughed dryly, quietly, and Lucina's worried expression deepened. "You were right- it was my fault, and I did the only thing I could to make it right. But I never thought-" He shook his head, "I never thought that you would suffer so much because of my choice. I hurt you once already, in the future, and I thought the right choice was to disappear and take Grima with me. But I had no idea that you would end up hurting so much because of that choice either." His hands fell to her shoulders.
Lucina shook her head as a sad smile formed. "You thought watching my best friend disappear wouldn't hurt me?" She asked in disbelief. "I'd credit you with better common sense than that, Robin."
"I'm not going anywhere, now. I promise." He lowered his arms so they circled around her waist, then pulled her close. In the momentary silence, he wondered if she'd always felt so soft and warm, if she'd always smelled so good.
"Say it again." Lucina's arm linked around his chest.
"I promise, I'm not going anywhere."
She stepped closer, her feet between his as she looked up at him. "Again." She whispered.
"Lucina, I'll always be with you."
She rose onto her toes, tilting her head up to capture his lips with her own. He wasn't as shocked or confused as he might have been with anyone else in the same situation. He leaned into the kiss, unable to stop the groan in his throat as he felt Lucina's hand clutch at his hair. After a dizzying amount of time they broke apart, breathing heavily.
"Stay with me, Robin." Her voice was thick with emotion as she pulled him down to her bed, pushing his coat off his shoulders. "Don't leave me."
Robin pulled her shirt over her head, lifting her chin to kiss her neck and whispered against her skin, "I'm yours."
He proved it that night, as the sounds of their pleasure echoed off the walls of her room, until early in the morning they collapsed together into each others arms, Lucina's head resting comfortably on his chest. "I love you." He whispered as he rubbed her back.
"I love you, too." She replied with no hesitation. She turned her head so her ear was on top of his heart, and she listened to its steady beat. "I wish I'd realized earlier."
"Me too. But there's no point in worrying about all that now." He gently brought her hand up to his and kissed her knuckles. "We're here now. And I'm not going anywhere."
Lucina yawned, the act making him chuckle. She smiled up at him with tired eyes. "I'll see you in the morning?"
"Of course."