The whole land felt…off. It was a similar feeling to how Mount Prism felt divine, but the opposite. Chrom had been warned as much, however—and Robin was holding up well despite admitting she could feel remnants of Grima's power. Ylisstol appeared as if it were a fortress with its tall walls that surrounded the city. He couldn't see a castle, just the mountain on which it sat. The landscape was dreary and gray, although color was beginning to reintroduce itself and there were faint sounds of wildlife hiding in the few bushes and trees.
They had come while the Mini Shepherds were on a mission, one where they left on the twenty-seventh of April and planned to be back by the third of May at the latest. Judging by what their guards reported, Chrom and Robin had made it in time for this Lucina's birthday—just as he had hoped. They waited outside the intimidating city gates, and finally their wait ended when the gates opened and Lucina came out.
One hand on the hilt of her sword, she looked around; spotting Chrom and Robin, she walked towards them. Chrom smiled, seeing how much his daughter had grown—but before he could greet her, Lucina drew her blade. "I'll only say this once," she said, soft but firm, "I have spent too much time fighting to let you stay here. Leave—and take everyone belonging to your time with you."
"No attempt at decent conversation?" Robin asked. She was a bit more sharp than she needed to be—although Chrom could understand it. He knew her thoughts had been running rampant about this meeting ever since it was decided.
"Don't change the subject," Lucina replied simply. She lowered Falchion, but only slightly. She sighed and continued with noticeable concern, "It's not safe for you here; the Risen are much stronger than those you once fought. I can send my best to escort you—I will even send Morgan, so you can speak with him—but you can't stay here. You could both die or be lost; your children are still too young to experience that. I've already said my goodbyes. Please, give me more time before I have to repeat them."
Chrom took a single step closer. "I understand your concern; we'll only be here for a short while, and we have skilled guards. All we want to do is talk with you. Will you us allow that one thing?"
Lucina stared at them both for a few moments, then put Falchion away. "…Very well. You have until the next group leaves Ylisstol."
"Let's start over, then," Robin decided. She smiled, which made Lucina's expression change for a second. "I haven't seen you in seventeen years. There's so much I want to say…but I suppose I'll have to make due with only a few questions. First, how did you know where I was, after I killed Grima and disappeared?"
"Consider it a hunch," Lucina replied simply. "I thought you would be somewhere with personal significance."
"Thanks to you, we weren't searching for long," Chrom noted.
"Well… I suppose it was the least I could do," Lucina admitted. She paused for a few moments, then asked, "How does your daughter fare? I wasn't sure if… I didn't know how she would take the news of Morgan and I being parallel to her and her brother."
"Lucina and Morgan are both fine and well," Robin replied. "Although the former seems to be taking after you in some ways. You inflicted a few wounds on her at Ferox, didn't you?"
Lucina's expression immediately shifted to guilt. "Apologies. I… It was a poorly chosen decision. Although apologizing at this point may not be enough."
"I don't hold it against you," Robin assured her. "I just want to know, if we have the time… What exactly were you thinking?"
Once again, it may have been more sharp than need be; although Chrom had listened to Robin trying to figure out the answer to that question for a whole month. Nonetheless, Lucina confessed. "I hadn't intended to meet the Mini Shepherds—I wanted to stay away from everyone until I returned here. Of course, Morgan and I heard them fighting bandits and went to help; they were far from the village children we had expected. I knew you would realize who I was if they told you my alias or sang too much praises, so I did what I could to remain as far away from 'Lucina' as I could. Protecting my identity and drawing blood to do so was just a part of that."
There wasn't a response until finally Robin said, "I think I can accept that answer." She smiled again, adding, "Thank you, Lucina."
Chrom saw a group of people come out of the city, and Lucina seemed to have heard them. "…That's that," she said, looking back at the group. "If you have any other questions, Morgan can answer them. I'll allow you to send letters—we seem to have gotten most, if not all, of those you've sent before—but I don't want to hear any reports of people from your time coming here. Understood?"
"Clear as day," Chrom promised.
"Thank you," Lucina replied, seeming relieved. She turned away, although he could tell she wore a faint smile. "And farewell…Father and Mother."
"Happy birthday," Chrom said, smiling as well.
Lucina left, briefly greeting the group that left and guiding some of them aside. She went back into Ylisstol, leaving Chrom and Robin to once again wait. "Are you truly satisfied with what she told you?" Chrom asked Robin.
"As much as I will be," Robin admitted. "I can see why she would have made that decision, but I still can't imagine how she actually got there. Either way… I'm glad I got to talk with her. Do you think Morgan will actually follow us back?"
"I don't see why not," Chrom said. "We'll find out soon enough."
Their guards came back to them, having been asked to step aside until a certain amount of time had passed. It didn't take very long for another group to leave the city, this time being lead by Morgan. Much like Lucina, he looked around—but instead of immediately going towards them when he saw the two, he froze. Those around him—some of which were fellow future children—appeared to question him, but understood after they followed his gaze. Robin seemed to grow apprehensive, although she relaxed slightly when Morgan finally began walking their way.
