Chapter 20: Reunion
"Severa, my hair's fine! I don't need it attended to like this." Robin tried shaking his head to free himself from his daughter's grasp, but she grabbed his head tighter and moved it back over to resume working on it.
"No, it's not. You are not showing up to Mom looking like crap." As they knew, it was quite the reunion, as it was only a week ago that Chrom, Lissa, Severa, Lucina, and Morgan rediscovered Robin. The man had been missing for close to a year, and ironically was found in the same place Chrom and Lissa first met him. It was a touching moment, as the father and daughters embraced, and was only momentarily broken as Severa punched her father in the gut, followed up by explaining to her doubled over father that that was what he got for just up and leaving like that without telling his family first.
Robin only smiled as his daughter fussed over his hair and overall appearance, the Ylisse castle slowly yet steadily appearing on the edge of the horizon Robin took a deep breath as the castle drew nearer, and the closer it got, the more nervous he became, anxiously imagining just how Cordelia might react. Would she be elated to see him back alive, or furious at how he left her? Or maybe both?
In what seemed like no time at all, though simultaneously feeling like an eternity, the carriage arrived at the gates to the castle. Robin stepped out of the transport, and gazed up wistfully towards the castle. His daughters waltzed up next to him, with Morgan being the first to break the silence. "Well, let's go in already. You'll definitely be cause for a sigh of relief for Mom, what with all the suitors that kept coming to see her."
Robin's face fell upon hearing this, slowly turning his head over to Morgan. "Suitors? What do you mean by 'suitors'? She's married… to me! There's no need for suitors."
The party turned their heads away from Robin, obviously nervous, as he was giving off an almost murderous glare from the thought of jerks trying to flirt with Cordelia. Morgan anxiously scratched her chin, and attempted to explain. "Well, technically, you were considered dead. Furthermore, most of the suitors were mainly interested in the rise of rank associated with being wed to the captain of the pegasus knights. Hah, they were pretty bad at it, though. One didn't realize Mom was in the room as he was very openly insulting her precious daughters."
Severa flashed a mischevious smile at this. "My younger self smacked him with her wooden sword in the shins when he got a bit too close for comfort. Let's just say that Mom was livid, considering the words that guy yelled out."
At this point, Robin was almost giving off the same malevolent aura as Grima would. "Who is this suitor, and where does he live? I plan on burning his estate to the ground!"
Chrom, trying to keep quiet but feeling the need to interject, immediately waved his companion off. "No, no, no. I'm certain the thrashing Cordelia gave him was sufficient punishment for him. I do believe he had to be carried off the grounds."
It took quite a lot of persuading and assuring for Robin to calm himself and prevent him from committing arson - for now - and to instead, finally, make his way into the castle. Severa and Morgan ran off to grab Cordelia and left Robin in the foyer to wait and contemplate the moments to come. Lissa and Chrom decided it was best to leave as well, giving the family space.
Robin waited by tapping his foot slowly, then increasing in tempo, and soon began pacing with increasingly worried thoughts. Before long, but not soon enough for the anxious man, a cluster of footsteps could be heard drawing ever nearer. Robin turned, both relieved and worried, towards the approaching footsteps to see Severa and Morgan leading the arms of his beloved, her eyes closed behind a piece of cloth, denoting the surprise that was likely to follow. Cordelia was smiling, and just seeing it made all of Robins worries leave his mind. And in Robin's eyes she was a vision of beauty. Her long crimson hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and had even decided against wearing her armor. Instead wearing a simple white sundress.
"Girls, is this really necessary?" Cordelia laughed as the girls led her to a position just a few feet in front of Robin.
"Yep. It's definitely necessary. This is a surprise, and it's essential that there's no peeking!" Morgan said as she turned her mother to the right spot, facing Robin. "And be ready to open your eyes in 3...2…1!" And with that, Morgan removed the blindfold on her mother's eyes, and in a matter of seconds Cordelia's surprised smile soon turned to an wide-open mouth shock as she stared, mind seemingly blank, at her lost husband, returned at last. Robin's smile remained, even widening, as he stepped towards her, his arms opened up wide in a joyful embrace.
"Cordy... I'm home." As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt a fist go into his gut, and he doubled over, feeling that perhaps the elation at his return was not mutual.
"You go on and follow through with that plan, causing you to disappear, go missing for months, and then you finally, miraculously, come back home, and all you can say is that?" Cordelia crossed her arms and stared down at Robin, her bangs somewhat concealing her crimson eyes, though tears were seen streaming slowly down her cheeks.
Robin coughed, looking up at Cordelia with an apologetic face from his doubled over position. "I'm... sorry?" He got back up to his feet and stared at her, processing as much as he could in that moment. "I'm sorry, Cordy. It won't make up for the time lost, but I swear, I will never do it again. I'll never, never leave this family alone again."
Cordelia merely raised one eyebrow as she kept her pose rigid. "Really? You mean to tell me that if there was another apocalyptic event that would endanger the safety of our family that you wouldn't sacrifice yourself if it meant that it wouldn't come to be?"
Robin's response was only a blank stare, as he had no real response. "I mean… just… hey, that's an unfair question."
Cordelia sighed and raised one finger vertically before him. "One more hit. That's the least you deserve, and definitely what I'm owed for what you did."
Robin sighed with relief, and then took in a deep breath and braced himself. "Ok. That's fair," he stated, acceptingly, as he clenched his eyes shut in anticipation.
But a heavy hit didn't come - instead, a light slap on the cheek was all that he received, and immediately following it, both of his wife's hands rested softly, tenderly, on his cheeks. Cordelia swiftly brought her face closer and lightly pressed her lips to his. They stayed like this for only a few seconds, and even when their lips parted, their heads rested lovingly against each other. Cordelia positioned Robin's head directly in front of hers so that they stared into each other's eyes. "I missed you too, love. So much."
Morgan and Severa stared happily at their parents, but a shrieking sound diverted all of their attention as a little white blur ran past the two girls and slammed into Robin, it loudly yelling, "DAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDYYYYY!"
The younger Severa gripped onto Robin's legs as she stared up at him. "YOU'RE HOME! WHERE'D YOU GO?! WHY'D YOU LEAVE WITHOUT A GOODBYE?! DID YOU BRING ME ANYTHING?! DID YOU KNOW THERE WERE SOME MEAN GUYS TALKING TO MOM WHILE YOU WERE GONE?!"
Robin laughed as he bent over and lifted little Severa into his arms "Yes well I can tell you later my little champion. First your big sister told me you protected mommy from some dastardly knaves."