Lucina took a deep breath as she braced herself for what she was about to do. Despite her better judgement, she had let her mother talk her into doing something she knew was a very bad idea.
She took another breath and finally stepped forward toward the unsuspecting man watching the sunset in the gardens. He always liked to take walks to clear his mind, and lately he had seemed more melancholy than usual, but he would always deny that anything was wrong. Still, Lucina chalked it up to nerves at the impending confrontation with Grima.
He finally seemed to notice her approach and turned to face her, "Lucina, is there something you need?"
"I-I," she tried to calm herself, but still her nerves refused to abate, "I had something I wanted to speak with you about."
Robin gave her that warm smile that melted her heart, "Sure. What do you need?"
"I just…" how could she even phrase this, "Over these past few months, we have grown close, and I-I have come to think of you as…more than a friend."
"W-what are you saying?" Robin's face went hard as he put on an emotionless mask.
She looked up into his eyes and took a deep breath, "I am in love with you."
She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. She said it. She actually said it. Now all she had to do was wait for his reaction. Would he laugh her off as joking? Would he be weirded out? Had she just ruined their friendship? Thoughts like those kept plaguing her until she finally gained the resolve to look at him again. What she saw immediately made her heart wretch.
He was standing with his mouth slightly agape and his expression was certainly not one of excitement. Seemingly noticing her drop in mood, he quickly closed his mouth before opening it again to address her, "Lucina, that's…very flattering, and I know that it could not have been easy for you to say that, but…I-I don't feel that way about you."
She could almost hear her heart breaking, "I-Is it because I am Chrom's daughter?"
He slowly nodded, "That's part of it. He's like a brother to me. How could I love his daughter like that?"
Lucina gritted her teeth. She should have known that would be too much for him to overlook. How could she have been so stupid? This would have never worked, and she knew it, "T-thank you for being honest with me. I will leave you be now. Sorry for bothering you with my childish notions."
She quickly turned and briskly walked away in an attempt to save what little dignity she had left as she felt a tear stream down her cheek. She hurriedly wiped it away. Now was not the time. Not now.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally reached the safety of her room. Her breathing was ragged as she finally let her feelings hit her. How could she have expected any other outcome? She should have seen this coming, but that knowledge did not make her feel any better.
He must have thought she was so pathetic! Just a child with a crush who thought she was in love. But she was in love! She knew it, but it did not matter anymore. She never should have said anything. At least then she could have lived with happy what ifs. Now, her heart was thoroughly crushed.
"Lucina?" the princess flinched upon hearing her mother's voice, "Lucina, what are you doing back here so soon?" Upon getting closer, she noted her daughter's demeanor and quickly began to realize that things did not go well.
"Lucina, d-did you talk to him?"
"Yes, mother, I spoke with him," she replied icily, still not looking at her, "I told him how I felt about him, and I found out how he feels about me. Do you know how he feels?"
"Lucina, I–"
"No, of course you don't! Or else you would not have sent me out there!" She was not raising her voice, but the pain was evident in her voice, "He thinks of me as a child!" she practically spat the word out, "Chrom's child. To him, I am little more than a niece! I'm so stupid! He must think I'm so childish! A child with a crush…nothing more."
"Lucina!" Sumia grabbed Lucina by the shoulder and turned her around to face her, "You are not stupid! I never want to hear you say that again!" She hugged her daughter causing her to finally sob away.
"Shh," Sumia patted her hair, "It'll be okay."
"I was so sure, mother! I was so sure that I loved him. I had finally banished my doubts and let myself hope for a future together, but now…it's hopeless…"
"Maybe if you could just convince him to change his views–"
"No, it's too late now. He knows, and now everything will be different," she sobbed slightly again trying to stem the flow of tears.
"Shh, don't think about that now. Just let it out," Sumia patted her comfortingly on the back, "Let it out."
Robin waited for Lucina to get out of earshot before he dared move for if he did, he was not sure that he could keep himself from running after her, embracing her, and telling her that he did not mean it, but he could not do that.
Once he was sure she was gone, he fell to his knees and with a roar of frustration he punched the solid ground as hard as he could. He felt like he may have broken something with that move, but he did not care.
Why? Why did she have to say that? Why now? If she had said it a few weeks earlier, he would have been elated. But now? Now he just wanted to cry.
He shifted his attention to fist still pressed against the crushed grass. That was the source of all of this! It was that cursed brand and all it represented that caused this! That was the reason he had to turn away his greatest dream come true and break her heart. Why could he not just be normal?
His eyes then fell on his sword tucked in his belt. In his anger, sorrow, and despair, he took the blade out. He would not have to deal with the loss long anyway. Maybe he would even get lucky and bleed out.
With an angry yell, he brought the blade down followed by a splash of red.
Robin awoke to a dull pain in his right wrist, but when he raised his arm, he did not see a nub but rather a bandaged wrist with a rather whole looking hand still connected with half of that cursed brand staring back at him as if mocking his failure.
"Good, you're awake," Lissa's voice took Robin off guard causing him to quickly hide his hand under the blanket, "I was worried sick about you." A momentary silence filled the infirmary before she spoke again, "Do you want to tell me why you were found in the garden with your hand cut a third of the way off with your own sword lodged in your wrist?"
"It's…nothing."
"It was a little more than nothing, Robin!" Lissa placed her hands on her hips, "Does it have to do with that mark on your hand?"
"Have you told anyone?" He avoided the question while trying to find enough saliva in his mouth to swallow.
Lissa glared at him sternly before sighing, "No, I told the guard who found you to keep it quiet too. So, please Robin, tell me what's going on?"
"It doesn't matter," Robin stood up and grabbed his coat from the chair next to the bed, "It will all be over soon enough."
Chrom was sitting with his family at dinner. Now, Chrom was not always the most observant of men, but he could tell that something was off. Lucina was even more dour than usual and Sumia kept giving her concerned glances. Something was clearly wrong, but at the same time, he got the feeling that this was a matter than he may not want to intervene in unless asked.
"Chrom!" the prince dropped his fork as a very troubled looking Lissa barged into the dining room and beelined straight for him.
"Lissa, calm down. What's going on?"
She looked hesitant at first with the audience but quickly decided that what she had to say was too important, "It's Robin," Lucina finally looked up from her plate in concern, "I-I think he might be about to do something stupid. I'm worried."
"Define stupid," Chrom's face went hard. Lissa then recounted the story of how he had been found after seemingly trying to cut his hand off and his parting words to her.
Without a word, both Chrom and Lucina took off for his room after the story was finished with the rest of the royals issuing a search for the tactician in case he was not there all the while fearing the worst.
Chrom was ready to barge into the tactician's room, but he was stopped by some sort of magical barrier that the man had erected, "Robin! Open this door!" he beat on the barrier, "Robin!" Chrom growled as he beat futilely on the magic wall.
"Robin!" Lucina called carefully over her father's assault while trying to keep her voice calm, "Please, answer us!"
"L-lucina?"
"Robin!" she felt relief at hearing his voice, but it sounded so small…so afraid.
"Lucina," her father started quietly, "Keep him talking while I go get help to take this barrier down."
"B-but what do I say?"
"I don't know. Anything! He responded to you; you have the best chance of keeping him going."
"R-right, father," she gave a small nod as the prince darted off with extreme haste to round up every mage he could find leaving Lucina to talk Robin down while her own mind reeled from what was happening.
On the other side of the door, Robin sat on his bed sword in hand. He had tried to tie a noose, but with his hand in the shape it was in, that proved impossible. This was more poetic anyway he supposed though no one else would know why.
He had not intended on doing this so soon, but Lissa seeing his brand had forced his hand. He was struggling with what he needed to do enough as it was, but now the last person he wanted to be here was just outside his door.
"Robin, speak to me," her voice sounded so uncharacteristically weak and it agonized him to know that it was his fault, "Why are you doing this? Why are you so eager to end it all?"
"I-I don't want to die," he knew he should stop talking. The longer he talked, the harder it would be to do what needed to be done.
"Then why?! Why are you doing this?"
"Because I have to."
"You have to? Robin, why do you have to?"
"Because I am the reason your future comes to pass!"
Lucina fell silent at his exclamation and only barely managed to squeak out, "What?"
"After we defeated Walhart, some of my memories started to return. I was meant to be the means by which Grima returns to this world. The fell brand on the back of my hand proves as much. For the future to live, for you to be happy, I must die."
"Robin, no…how could you say that? If you die, then so does my happiness."
"Lucina, are you listening to what I'm saying? I am the reason for your suffering!"
"No! I refuse to believe that you would do such a thing. What you're doing right now proves it!"
"It isn't a matter of choice, Lucina. I-I believe that somehow…I'm the one that kills Chrom; that kills the future. I can't explain it, but I know I'm dangerous. I am a monster, Lucina. You should hate me."
"I could never hate you, Robin. You may think my feelings childish, but I know that they are genuine. I cannot tell you for certain how I know, but I know."
"Lucina…you'll find someone else. You'll move on and be happy."
"No! Robin, do not throw your life away. The Shepherds need you, my father needs you…I need you. Even if we can never be together, I value your friendship more than you know."
"Lucina…I don't want to die," he paused for a moment as he fought back the tears, "I kept telling myself that I had time. That I could enjoy a few more days, so I tried to make them count. I tried to enjoy my time, and…and every time I saw you give a genuine smile, I would think that if I could see that just one more time, then I would be ready."
"Robin…d-did you say those things earlier because you knew you were going to do this?"
Robin nodded weakly even though she could not see him, "Before I regained my memories, those would have been the happiest words I could have heard, but I knew you would hate me if you knew what I really was and even if I hid it, it was not fair to you since I knew I would have to die soon."
"Once you left, I was so angry with myself and everything that I tried to cut of my hand that has that cursed brand off," he could faintly hear Lucina gasp from the other side of the door, "I failed, but when Lissa patched me up, she saw it and I knew my time was up."
"Robin, please, you don't have to do this! We can challenge fate together! I don't care what you were meant to be because that is not who you are. You are a kind and caring man that puts his friends first. You love each and every one of them like family. We can still be happy, together! I know it…"
"Nothing would make me happier," Lucina breathed a sigh of relief both at his words and the fact that her father arrived with help, "But I can't put you in danger like that. I won't."
"Robin! No!" the mages were almost done…
"I'm sorry Lucina. I truly am. I wish we had that chance for a happy life like you said. It sounds…nice."
"Robin! Listen to me!" Almost there… "You don't have to do this! Please! If you have ever cared for me, then please don't do this!"
That was enough. It was enough to stall him as the mages took down the barrier and Lucina raced in with nearly inhuman speed to wrest the sword from the trembling man's hands. Once she did that, he fully broke down into her arms.
"I'm so weak! I couldn't do it!" he sobbed into her shoulder as she rubbed his back leaving Chrom to usher the others back out. It was clear that they needed a little privacy. He gave the two one last check making sure Robin was not hurt before joining them and closing the door behind him.
"No, you're not weak. Sometimes…sometimes it takes more strength to go on living. A fact I know all too well."
"You do?" he muttered while trying to calm down.
"Yes," she returned somberly, "In my future, it was so hard to live from day to day. Sometimes the thought of ending it all was…appealing, but I never gave in and neither must you. Had I done that, then we never would have found each other."
"I-I'm not sure if I can stop it," he finally looked at her with bloodshot eyes filled with fear and uncertainty instead of the usual confidence and kindness, "What if I cause all that horror to happen again?"
"You won't. You will not be facing this alone. I will stand by your side until the end…if you will have me."
"I would like that…very much," he let out a weak sob and wiped his nose on his sleeve, "We'll do it together. I will live…for your sake. I am sorry I hurt you."
Lucina let out a weak, albeit genuine, smile, "All that matters is that we are together now, and we shall march forward to a new fate, together."
A/N: While reading through older stories, I came across one where Robin turned her down, but then I got the idea of what if he did so but not because he didn't feel the same? Then it turned into this eventually. It also turned out much longer than I expected plus it took a while due to, well, Warriors. Speaking of, is anyone interested in me doing a "novelization" I doubt it will be novel quality though, of Warriors? I will adjust some things of course such as the distribution of gleamstones. It won't be for a while probably, but I thought I'd ask.
It also seems like 2015 was a graveyard of unfinished stories. Shame.
