I forgot until today that it was Frederick's birthday OOPS, but I managed to write something anyway and also dust off my 100 prompts series while doing so, so yeah lmao Thanks for reading!

"Bend your knees more when starting your attack; you will put more power behind your swings that way."

"Yes, sir!"

Frederick nodded in response as he watched the young knight-in-training adjust his stance and continue practicing. The knight captain of Ylisse resumed his pacing between the rest of his new recruits, giving more advice or demonstrations as necessary. He managed to keep a straight face and do his job, despite the fact that his mind was somewhere else completely.

Biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from sighing deeply, Frederick's gaze shifted to the sky above Castle Ylisstol's training yard. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on his duties as a knight, mostly due to the gnawing void in his heart that seemed to grow larger as the days dragged on, ever since that fateful day when the Fell Dragon Grima was defeated.

Not a day went by where Frederick didn't think of that heartbreaking moment, when he had watched the love of his life fade away in his arms, after she had dealt the fatal blow to Grima herself. She had made the sacrifice to destroy the Fell Dragon once and for all, he knew this, and yet some incredibly selfish part of him wished that she hadn't done it.

However, he still held a sliver of hope that she would be found someday, and for a time after Grima's demise, Frederick had traveled with Chrom and Lissa to help search for her. After a couple months with no luck, the trio had returned to Ylisstol to rest and replenish their supplies. But when Chrom and Lissa set out again, Frederick made the difficult decision to stay behind.

With his new position as knight captain, he had a responsibility to train the new recruits, and he could not put that off any longer. Stahl had volunteered to take his place (Frederick knew that it was mostly due to the fact that he missed Lissa, and he could not fault him for that), and Frederick was left to his duties at the capital, hoping and praying that they would find Robin for him.

A sudden commotion from the other side of the field pulled Frederick from his thoughts, and when he turned to see what the ruckus was, he was so shocked at what he saw that his jaw dropped and his heart skipped a beat.

"F-Frederick!" Stahl blurted out as he stumbled up to him, heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He was red-faced and sweating profusely; had he sprinted all the way here? There could only be one reason for that…

"Stahl...what are you doing here?" Frederick hesitated before forcing the question out, his breath catching in his throat as he waited for the answer. Stahl wheezed a few more times, before his breathing started to even out and he ran his arm over his forehead to wipe away the sweat.

"We...ah...We found her! We found Robin!" Stahl managed to gasp out, a beaming smile crossing his face, and Frederick's thought that his heart was going to burst from his chest.

"Where is she?"

"I ran ahead to come and tell you, so they should be at the city gates in no time-" That was all that Frederick needed to hear, and he cut Stahl off by shoving his lance into his arms before bolting out of the training grounds as fast as his legs could carry him, discarding the upper half of his armor and tossing it aside haphazardly as he rushed through the castle.

The streets of Ylisstol blurred passed him as Frederick sprinted towards the gates leading out of the city. His heartbeat hammered hard in his ears, and his mind was spinning with so many mixed emotions that he was surprised that he was able to run in a straight line. Robin...was really back? He wouldn't - no, he couldn't - believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.

When he finally crossed through the city gates, Frederick doubled over as he gasped for air; sprinting across the city with his lower half still clad in armor was not the brightest idea he had ever had. After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the sweat from his face, he stood back up, and he immediately froze, his eyes widening to take in the beautiful sight before him.

Standing about ten feet away was Robin, looking just the same as the day that she defeated Grima and disappeared as Frederick held her. He blinked once...twice...three times, before he lifted his hands to his eyes and gave them a firm rub. He lowered his hands, and unlike in so many of his dreams this past year, Robin was still there.

"R-Robin…" Frederick finally managed to speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. "Is it...really you?"

"Yes, Frederick, it's really me." The combination of the beautiful smile that crossed Robin's face and finally hearing the sound of her sweet voice again completely stole the breath from Frederick's lungs, and his eyes welled up with tears as they both moved to close the distance between them at the same time. When she was close enough, Robin threw herself into Frederick's arms, and he caught her, spinning them both around a bit with the momentum. Frederick clung tightly to her as he sobbed, and Robin pressed her face against his chest, his shirt becoming dampened by her tears as she also started crying.

Frederick's arms tightened even more around her, as if she would disappear again if he loosened his grip even a smidge, and he pressed his face against her hair. It was just as soft as he remembered, and the familiar smell of her favorite soap caused him to shake from the force of his sobbing. This really wasn't just another dream. Robin, the person that he loved the most in the world, had finally returned to him.

Eventually, both Frederick and Robin had managed to contain their sobbing, and when she lifted her head to gaze at him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers, he lifted his hand to cup her cheek. A deep sigh escaped from her as she leaned into his touch, and her hand moved up to cover his as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"I...Gods, I can't believe that this isn't just another dream…" Frederick said, and Robin chuckled as a fond smile crossed her face.

"Frederick, love, I'm...so sorry for leaving you for so long," Robin said, the smile falling from her face slightly as her gaze fell to the ground, "I never wanted to just leave you like that, to cause you any pain-" Frederick shook his head and cut her off by placing a gentle kiss on on her forehead, pausing for a moment to admire the cute blush that rose up high on her cheeks.

"Robin." Frederick reached out to take Robin's hands, his fingers brushing against the ring that he had given her; he was pleasantly surprised that she still wore it after all this time. "I know that you made the right choice in that final battle. I never lost hope that you would return to me, so there is no need to apologize."

Robin's eyes wandered back up to his, and a few more tears fell down her face as her smile returned. "Thank you, Frederick, for waiting for me. I love you."

"And I love you, Robin. Always." Frederick's voice dropped to a whisper, and he finally closed the distance between them to press his lips against hers. Robin sighed into the kiss as her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. Frederick had almost forgotten what it felt like, being embraced by someone that he loved so much, who also loved him just as much in return. The happiness he felt was almost too much to handle, and Frederick had to break the kiss as he erupted into a fit of joyous laughter as he lifted Robin into the air and spun them both around.

"Ah, Frederick!" Robin yelled out in surprise as she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, but her laughter soon joined his. When he finally stopped spinning around, she cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his, her fingers sliding gently through the wild brown hair that framed his face.

Closing his eyes, Frederick sighed contently as his nose brushed against hers. "I feel like I'd forgotten what true happiness felt like." His eyes opened again when he heard her snort to suppress more laughter, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Aren't you being a bit dramatic?" she teased, and Frederick firmly shook his head as his arms tightened around her legs.

"Not at all. Without you, my darling, my life lacks purpose. I wish to be with you until the end of my days." Robin couldn't contain her laughter this time, and Frederick was very okay with that, because that very sound was one of his absolute favorites in the entire world.

"Okay, that's really dramatic, Freddy Bear," Robin managed to say between giggles, and even though he would normally scoff at the silly nickname, Frederick could only laugh along with her this time. "But...I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel the same. I really am looking forward to finally starting my life with you."

"Likewise, my love."

"Ahem, I, uh, really don't mean to interrupt, but…"

Frederick blinked as he looked over to find Chrom and Lissa standing off to the side - the former rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly on his feet as he averted his gaze, while the latter was grinning from ear to ear - and he was surprised that he hadn't even noticed that they were here until now.

"Oh, oops! Sorry!" Robin's face flushed a deep red as she wiggled out of Frederick's arms, and he pursed his lips in annoyance. He cleared his throat and bowed to Chrom and Lissa, but not before taking Robin's hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

"Welcome back milord, milady. It is good to see you well-" Frederick began, but he was cut off when Lissa groaned and rolled her eyes.

"C'mon Frederick! We've told you countless times not to be so formal with us!" Lissa complained, and a grin spread across his face as he nodded.

"Ah, yes. Old habits die hard, it seems."

"They sure do," Chrom said, smiling as he placed one hand on Frederick's shoulder and the other on Robin's. "I'm really happy for you two. Robin was so eager to return to your side that I'm surprised that she got any sleep on the journey back here."

"I didn't sleep well at all, really…" Robin mumbled, and Frederick chuckled as he gave her hand a squeeze.

"We should get back to the castle then! You can rest up, and then we can have a huge welcome home party!" Lissa said, her fists clenching with excitement in front of her.

"That sounds like a great idea! I'll have arrangements made as soon as possible," Chrom said, nodding as he and Lissa began walking back towards the city gates, chatting excitedly about party preparations.

"A party sounds great! I've really missed everyone else too," Robin said as she and Frederick followed the two royals.

"Hmm, as much as I want to keep you all to myself right now, I know that everyone else has been waiting for your return too, so I will begrudgingly share you," Frederick teased, but his eyes widened with shock when a sly grin crossed Robin's face before she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Oh, we'll have plenty of time for ourselves, Frederick. Which is good, because we have a lot of catching up to do." Robin said, and Frederick felt his face heat up considerably.

"...I am very much looking forward to that." Frederick threw his arm over Robin's shoulder and pulled her close as she laughed. As they walked towards their future, Frederick knew that if their love could withstand the hardships that they had already weathered, they would be able to handle anything that their life still had in store for them. Together.