Apostate
The sunny morning was short lived as clouds brewed on the horizon, casting the mountains to the southwest in shadow as the dark blanket spread across the sky. The caravan drew to a halt so they could cover the wagons with waterproof covers and knights their oilskin cloaks.
Chrom leaned over his horse, lost in thought as the army bustled around him. It took several seconds to realize Frederick was calling his name. Cordelia stood beside him, watching Chrom uncertainly.
"Are you feeling well, sir?"
"Just a weird feeling," Chrom muttered, shaking his head, "It's nothing. What did you need?"
"We're passing a traveling merchant. Her prices are steep, but‒"
"We'll take whatever she has to offer," he answered, looking back to the horizon with narrowed gaze.
"Yes, sir."
A few minutes passed while Chrom brooded at the weather and Frederick watched in silence until Cordelia returned accompanied by another redheaded woman.
"Wow, never thought I'd move so much inventory at once! You know how to make a woman happy," the merchant greeted, winking at him and extending a hand, "Anna. No relation."
"Err… Right," Chrom shook himself out of his stupor and focused on her. "Glad to come across you, most of the villages we've passed have been too poor or destroyed to offer much."
Anna clicked her tongue and shook her head, "Terrible business. Some places are getting truly desperate as this war carries on."
"You speak from experience," Frederick stated, watching her, "Any places to the east we should avoid?"
Anna thought for a moment, finger to her chin as she considered him. "No where you'd have to worry about. I heard about a deserted village in the mountains where some merchants reported some spooky stuff but I don't think that'll be on your way. Just tell your scouts to steer clear."
Chrom frowned, leaning forward again to face the mountains.
"Yeah..."
Thick morning fog hadn't lifted by noon, cloudy sky preventing the sun from burning off the mist from the mountain trail as Robin followed the sounds of boots. He couldn't see two meters ahead, and the shape of a tall sign emerged without warning.
He staggered back as Lucina stopped somewhere on the path.
"Robin?"
"Y-yeah, almost walked into something," Robin answered, walking forward and feeling the wooden road marker between a fork in the road. "I think it's a sign. Could be a village nearby."
"I smell rain in the air. It might not be a bad idea to rest there tonight before we get trapped on the trail," Lucina said, reappearing from the fog and looking up the post. "Can you read it?"
"Nope, but the pointy-part is aiming that way," Robin noted, moving in the direction of the detour.
They walked for several minutes, hearing distant sounds of voices and livestock growing louder. The path seemed to be flattening out, grass around the beaten path well irrigated signifying fields on either side.
"So we don't just appear out of the fog and scare them into turning us away, I'm going to start a loud conversation so they hear us coming," Robin spoke loudly.
"What would you like to talk about?" Lucina asked, catching on and raising her voice.
"Favorite… Mythical creature?"
Lucina sighed.
"Mine's a unicorn, you can't say unicorn," Robin said quickly.
"I don't have time to think about these things, Robin."
"Masking ignorance with indifference is unbecoming. It's okay if you don't have a broad knowledge pool of mythical creatures‒"
"A dragon."
"Dragons are real!"
"And they're mythical."
"Ugh, you have no imagination," Robin replied, walking faster to catch up with her as the fog thinned. "Alright, least favorite. Scary even‒ no wait, what thing scares you the most?"
"That seems very personal for just making conversation…"
"I skip smalltalk. I'll go first..." Robin paused as Lucina reached back, hand stopping him.
His boots crunched to a halt and he stood very still, breeze passing over them with a sudden chill. Then he heard it too.
Grass rustled in the wind. When that too fell silent, there was nothing.
He turned his heel in the gravel just to make sure he hadn't gone deaf.
An unease settled in his gut, the one he always instructed others to heed when it felt something wrong. As the wind picked up and the fog began dissipating, what he saw next was just icing on the cake.
"That. This," Robin finished, waving his hand at the end of the path ahead of them. "Right here, is my fear. You can't choose this."
Lucina's hand hovered near Falchion, head tilted to catch any signs of an ambush. Thunder boomed ominously in the distance as the fog lifted enough to see deeper into the village and Robin felt a chill run down his spine.
The village was deserted. Not "everyone could be hiding," deserted, but "no one has been here for a some time and nature is taking over," deserted. The nearest home was half-collapsed, exposed wall revealing a once-tatami floor and broken furniture nature hadn't quite gotten around to digesting yet. Other structures were in better condition, though not by much. This place had to have been abandoned at least a month.
Robin moved, putting his back to Lucina's as the feeling of being watched settled over him. He could tell by her rigid stance she felt it too.
"We heard voices," Lucina whispered, eyes moving from shadow to shadow.
"Maybe it was the… Wind," Robin muttered weakly, scanning the fields for signs of life.
At the edge of the field where the overgrown grass met the forest, a shape struck him as alarming. Human-shaped, but unnaturally stiff and far too disproportionate to be human. Knowing better than to take his eyes off it he nudged Lucina's elbow. She caught his squint and narrowed her eyes.
"What is it?"
"You see it, right?"
"I don't know‒?"
"Right there, against the trees, it's like a…"
Relief washed over Robin's mind as he placed the figure in his brain. "Scarecrow."
"Scarecrow?" she repeated, blinking at him.
"Keeps birds away by making them think people are in the field. Stops them from eating the seeds and stuff."
"...Why is it far against the trees?"
Robin opened his mouth and returned his eyes to the distant shape almost a hundred yards away. "That is a very good question. Maybe you should go ask it."
"I don't like it."
"Nobody does. They're creepy almost-people. Like monkeys."
Robin turned around, jumping slightly and shutting his eyes. "Gah."
Lucina turned to see the field on the other side of the path, another scarecrow on the very edge beaming down at them. Her lips thinned as she examined its hollow triangular black eyes and oversized "smile."
"Stop looking at it, you're going to encourage them."
"It's an inanimate object," Lucina reminded him, narrowing her eyes and making down the path.
"...Yeah," Robin muttered, frowning at the wide open mouth. Thunder boomed over the mountains.
"Come, let's find shelter until the storm passes."
"Right…"
Robin really wanted to check to make sure the first scarecrow hadn't moved, but couldn't take his eyes off the second.
He chanced a glance back and thick fabric rustled.
He spun, but the nearby scarecrow hadn't moved, still beaming down, hollowed eyes fixed. Robin's gaze traveled down its arm where fresh straw poked through the end of its sleeve.
"Robin?"
"Y-yeah, coming…" Robin called, backing away slowly. "Hey, Lucina? Stick close."
She paused at the entrance to the village, waiting for him to jog up to her. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, this place. The sounds we heard, the scarecrow with the fresh straw, your ambivalence. This is all adding up to‒"
"Please do not begin with another of your ghost stories‒"
"One of my ghost stories, where the perfect storm lines up and one character is like, 'I got a bad feeling about this,' and the other is all, 'blaerghrarara, it's all in your imagination mngrfloaw'‒!"
"I do not talk like that."
"And then you die first."
Lucina raised an eyebrow at him, then over his shoulder to the scarecrow still facing the path. "Are you done? Because the storm is still coming, and we're going to be traveling in wet, heavy clothes unless we find cover."
"That's becoming an attractive alternative."
"To what?" Lucina exhaled in exasperation, "It's an abandoned village, Robin. I've passed through countless and slept in dozens in my lifetime. They're unpleasant, but not as dangerous as hiking through the mountains during a thunderstorm."
"Unless the village is haunted!" Robin emphasized, lightning flashing to compliment his dramatic flair.
Lucina blinked. "Have you been here before?"
"No."
"Have you harmed anyone who has ever lived or been here?"
"I try not to harm as general principle‒"
"Do you have any connection in any way to this place? Because if not I don't think any spirits residing here would mean you harm."
"Unless they're evil!" Robin announced alongside another thunderclap.
"Right. So I'm going to investigate some houses to find one without holes in the roof. Stay within shouting distance."
"I‒ Er, but…" Robin called, taking a half step after her. "Logic compels me to follow, but drama demands I stray off on my own so that one of us may encounter danger…"
Faint pattering of feet on dirt made him look down the street to catch a glimpse of a white dress wisp around the corner of a building.
"L-Lucina?! Drama!"
He ran to the corner and turned, waiting for Lucina to appear.
"Lucina?"
Lucina lifted the fallen sliding door to the side, lowering it against the wall and stepping into the cold, empty home. The immediate area was in a state of decay, nearby stairs led to a darkened second floor.
Rain began to patter the overhang behind her and she looked up towards the tall ceiling, reconsidering their travel plans as she stepped forward.
The landing at the top of the stairs creaked. She froze, ears strained to make out anything over the rainfall.
"Hello?"
She doubted anyone could still be here, the dust and cobwebs coating everything hadn't been disturbed in a long time.
Movement in the corner of her eye made her look to the deserted living room beside her, seeing nothing but an overturned table. Her eyes narrowed, glancing up the stairs once more before sidestepping towards the living room.
"Tasukete..."
Lucina paused at the sounds of whimpering, then moved suddenly to shift the table. The floor behind it was empty. She frowned, looking towards the back of the house and seeing a gaunt silhouette in the doorframe.
"Mi-te..."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood as the figure jerked quickly towards her. When it was close enough to make out the missing facial features Lucina leapt back, drawing Falchion before it was on her, long fingers slipping beneath her skin like needles.
"Kireidesne! Kirei!"
Lucina screamed, thrashing to keep it away before a different voice shouted from behind her.
"Lucina!"
She clenched her eyes, throwing her elbow back in a trained jab before getting caught in a tight hold.
"I'd say 'It's just me,' but I don't know if that'd stop you."
Robin's voice.
Warm. Safe.
She stared around the darkening grey room. The dusty table was all that remained, rain sliding from the roof in rivers outside the window. She felt her face. Falchion was still on her hip. Her body was weak, senses dulled, and it took her a moment to realize she was lying against something firm.
Arms were around her, offering unmatched comfort. She looked up, finding Robin watching her in concern. She exhaled in relief to find him there.
"Come here often?" he asked, eyes betraying his casual tone.
"I saw something…" she thought, trying to rise but discovering her body heavy, "Something attacked me."
Even in her state she knew how ridiculous it sounded as she formed it. She bore no signs of struggle, she looked like a mewling child waking from a nightmare. It would be humiliating if Gerome or‒
"Lucina? You in?"
Lucina...
"Hey, you're scaring me," Robin chuckled, leaning her head back gently to look into her eyes. "Answer me."
"I… am Lucina."
Words she didn't think came out of her mouth, as a hand she didn't command rose to rest against his cheek. She smiled.
Lucina stared into Robin's alarmed expression, taking in his features, examining every line, every shadow. She couldn't look away.
Robin raised an eyebrow, resting a hand on her forehead. "You spent too much time with Say'ri, you're picking up an accent."
She blinked. "I am sorry, I was confused."
As warm and comforting as the arms around her were, Lucina needed to sit up. She needed air. She had no idea why she was saying these things, but she needed to move.
Except she couldn't.
She cleared her throat while staring at him. "Do I sound better now?"
"Yyyyeah…?" Robin glanced to the hand still on his cheek. "Lucina you sure you're feeling alright?"
"Yes, I'm much better now," she replied, beaming at him. "Help me up?"
He rose, and to her horror her body lifted of its own accord. Lucina couldn't speak, or move her body, or even look where she wanted. She could only think, and see the world happen around her, like watching a story.
Like a puppet.
Robin stood, and she pulled herself up only to deliberately fall into his chest, testing him. He caught her.
Safe. Protection.
"S-sorry," she stammered, glancing up at him coyly.
"Y-you're okay." Robin's cheeks reddened and Lucina's eyes involuntarily fixated on them.
Feelings.
Lucina became aware of the second set of thoughts that weren't her own.
"I'm… Going to let you go now. Can you stand?" Robin asked, still watching her dubiously. "You didn't hit your head or anything?"
She shook her head, lifting her hands from his and taking a step back. She was so light on her feet… A quick spin demonstrated as much. Such balance, the dexterity was matched only by the surprising strength contained in such a lithe frame. And her hair was beautiful, the color, the thickness...
Lucina's eyes caught on Robin's boots, reminding her he was still there. He was staring at her like she'd just revealed herself to be a man all this time.
Inside Lucina wanted to scream. This was far more humiliating than someone hearing she had a bad dream. If she wasn't in control, what was?
"We should… Keep searching the village." Robin made for the door and Lucina bounded after him.
Alone. No.
"Can I come with you?"
"Scared, Princess?" Robin chuckled, shaking his head at her before he saw her pout.
She nodded. "I want to be with you."
"R...right. Then I'll sweep the house real quick, I'll meet you out front in a minute?"
"I already sweeped the house. We should continue on," Lucina insisted, watching his eyes narrow for a moment before he stood aside.
"After you. Pleasant though you've become, I need to make sure you don't have any more concussions."
Lucina soured under the mask of her own face, wanting to strike him for not realizing she needed help. Meanwhile her body led him out into the muddy road, senses suddenly overwhelmed.
She paused, closing her eyes to face the sky and run her hands through her hair.
Life.
Lucina didn't understand what controlled her body, but the discomfort of wet clothes was overpowered by the sheer joy of smelling the mountain air, the sensation of water on her skin, the colors of the drab surroundings.
She couldn't direct her vision but she wondered if Robin was staring at her, noticing her bizarre behavior. She needed him to notice.
As if on cue she spun to find him, but the street was empty.
No.
Where was he?
Lost. Alone. Cold. No no no no…
Her heart raced in panic, eyes darting between the buildings trying to find him. Fear gripped her. She was going to be left behind, and‒
Robin wouldn't leave her.
"R-Robin?" she called out, looking around for any sign of him.
"Yeah?"
She spun towards the home his voice came from, darting inside to find him kneeling beside a fire pit, rolling coal between his fingers. He looked up at her hurried entrance. "What's up?"
She shook her head, relief spreading over her like a warmth at having found him. Lucina wanted to examine the coal he was looking at but instead her eyes moved around the house, settling on empty spaces for moments at a time before moving on.
"The fire spread to nearby furniture, maybe a table," he held up the shaped piece of coal that was once a table leg, "Before it ran out of fuel. Unattended."
Why?
"Why?"
He shrugged, glancing around. "Hard to tell when most of the evidence is weeks old. Maybe they were attacked, or there was a bigger fire somewhere else."
She giggled. Lucina had never heard that sound come out of her before. Robin had to know something was wrong now. This wasn't her. Please, notice.
Her eyes locked onto his frame as he stood, tossing the coal into the firepit and dusting off his hands.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, tilting her head.
Robin was intelligent, he would figure out something was wrong, and how to get this thing out of her. In a few seconds, the disguise was going to be lifted.
"I think I know what happened," Robin muttered, nodding.
Her heart rate quickened, fingers moving casually to the knife on her back.
"Don't laugh, but…" he muttered as she took a step closer, coiling like a viper before he finished.
"...The scarecrows."
She blanked. "S-sorry?"
"I think the scarecrows are moving on their own and are trying to harvest our souls."
Scarecrows. The stuffed men they saw entering town. Robin was an idiot.
"The scarecrows… Are a new concept to me, but perhaps my first impression was too quick. They are made of straw?"
Robin nodded.
"And human clothes?"
"Yeah."
"And are attached to poles in the ground."
"Maybe… Haven't figured that part out yet."
She watched him with an air of bemusement. He made her smile. She liked him.
"We should keep an eye out, then. And if the straw men attack, we'll protect each other."
Robin grinned as he made his way towards the door. "That's the Lucina I know." He paused at the entryway, looking back at her. "Just like old times, fighting side-by-side in the Feroxi arena."
Lucina had tried to kill him in the Feroxi arena, they were no more allies than the khans were.
"You have an interesting memory. I recall trying to kill you," she answered, meeting him by the door.
"Well yeah, but that was before your mother negotiated the trade agreement with Khan Vaike that forbade fights to the death. What was that, five years ago?"
Her eyes were blank.
Nothing about that sentence was right. Lucina had no idea what he was talking about, and they'd only met two years ago.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. We only met two years ago."
Lucina realized her mistake. Whatever it was, it shared her thoughts. Not everything, but what she unknowingly fed it. Meanwhile Robin blinked, then smiled shaking his head.
"Sorry, that must have been an inside joke with someone else."
She looked up into his grey eyes, regarding her with that reserved spark of intellect. Lucina had never taken the time to simply stare at him, but with the choice removed from her she had no option but to fully face his penetrating gaze.
Her heart quickened, but this time felt far more natural. Even in her current state, Robin's presence made her feel… Safe.
Robin.
"Do you trust me?" she asked quietly.
He watched her, smile playing at the edge of his lips. Her eyes unconsciously moved to them for a brief second before he spoke.
"I do."
She nodded with a smile, then turned to leave.
Robin stepped out of the house, glancing up the street towards Lucina who was running her hand along a broken stone wall, then down towards the other side of the village. This place was weird, and though nothing was keeping them here, he felt even less comfortable traversing foggy mountain paths with Lucina on the fritz.
The trail of water along the side of the dirt road met his boot, and he looked down to notice the withered flower petals swirling around the pool before being swept away past his heel. He knelt to gather a few. Crushed and partially decomposed, he could make out different sizes and colors. From an assortment, not a single flower or tree.
He followed the stream towards a road going between two houses. Well worn, more flower petals pressed into the compact dirt, leading all the way through town. Festival.
"What are you looking at?"
"A trail," Robin answered, following the fading path quickly before the rain wiped away the last of the evidence.
"A trail of what?" Lucina pressed, jogging after him until he doubled back past her after a false lead.
"Flowers. For some kind of..." he trailed off, rounding a corner and making two houses down before the village shrine came into view.
He stopped, having found the villagers.
Her footsteps arrived behind him and halted. His mind had switched to analysis mode, eyes scanning the panoramic for details, sifting past the gruesome to focus on data.
Robin grimaced, stepping over a rotted arm as he heard her slump to her knees. This was no festival. It was an open grave.
The villagers were spread about the plaza, like confetti literal and figurative. Too far gone to determine causes of death, for which Robin was partially grateful. Ribbons of clothing and fragments of bone scattered here and there told an unpleasant tale.
He noted the colors of shredded cloth. Pelvic width. As many female as male, making a raider attack unlikely. And with this savagery…
Robin's first guess was Risen, but no one had escaped the slaughter. Risen weren't fast, at least some should have escaped. Unless they were brought here post mortem?
"Guess my scarecrow theory is out…" he said aloud, sidestepping a cluster of bones to approach the shrine.
He recognized the clothing of the body pinned to the front doors. Features were too gone to discern, but those robes were his, at the wedding. This was the groom.
"See, ours could have been way worse," Robin called, looking around for a bride when he noticed Lucina hadn't moved. "... Lucina?"
She was unresponsive. He hurried back to kneel before her, forcing her face up to meet his. Vacant blue eyes finally focused on him.
"I d-don't feel well."
Robin closed his mouth, nodding. He offered a hand but she rose clumsily, falling into him.
He sighed, kneeling to sweep her up bridal style. He'd expected more resistance but she simply leaned into his shoulder and closed her eyes. Shaking his head, he carried her back the way they'd come.
"When we get back to the others, first thing we're doing is getting your head checked."
Lucina just looked up at him. He felt himself begin to blush at the attention until she spoke.
"Am I so different?"
"Let's just say I expected to wrestle you into this position."
"I-I'm sorry. Seeing that was… Unexpected," she replied, resting her arm around his neck so he could carry her easier. "It was very brave of you to try to figure out what happened."
"Nothing we haven't seen before," he sighed, wishing it wasn't true. "But you've had a long day, with the brain stroke and all. I'll go back after you're settled in, to bury… Whatever I can find."
"Y-you're going back?"
"No one else is, and you should rest."
Lucina watched him for another moment before nestling closer into his shoulder. "...Thank you."
"It's the least we can do. It's not the same people that wedded us, but maybe this will strike some sort of karmic balance for the misfortune we've brought on others. I'm in their debt, landing me such a beautiful wife and all," he joked, bouncing her in his arms.
She looked up at him, expression indiscernible. "As am I, for granting me a dutiful husband."
Robin met her gaze with a smile. Her cheeks reddened, and she tucked away into his shoulder again as his grin faded.
Chrom washed his face in the basin, turning to his bed and stripping to his smallclothes. It was an early night but the last few days had been exhausting. With an evening free of planning, fighting or traveling, he intended to catch up on something he did too little of these days.
Soft footsteps outside his tent made him look up with a smile, knowing the sound of his graceful wife before she entered.
"Hey you."
"Hey you," she answered, moving to sit beside him on the bed. "I heard you retired early. Where was my invitation?"
Chrom rested his head on hers, sighing through his nose. "Apologies. I didn't think you would be tired yet."
She gently pushed him back and nestled in the crook of his arm. "I'm not."
He chuckled, kissing her head and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He'd immediately began dozing before her voice roused him.
"Still no word on Lucina, or Robin?"
"Not yet," Chrom answered, eyes closed, "But he's the most capable man I know, and she's your daughter. I'm not worried about them."
"You're not… Worried?"
"Why would I be?" Chrom yawned.
Olivia was quiet for a moment before clearing her throat softly.
Chrom nuzzled her. "What?"
"You don't think…?"
Chrom tilted his head so he could see her thoughtful expression. She raised her eyebrows at him.
"I-I mean, he's the most capable man you know. We could do worse."
"What are you implying?"
"What you are inferring."
"No."
Olivia stared at him reproachfully. "Why not?"
Chrom shook his head and pulled her back into him. "Not 'No, I won't approve,' I mean 'No, I don't think that will happen.'"
"Would it be too weird?"
"Robin's my best friend, getting together with my daughter has to violate some kind of… Best-Friendship protocol, right?"
"If protocol includes having a daughter five years younger than yourself, maybe."
Chrom frowned at the ceiling. "It would also be weird. You've seen her temper flares around him."
Olivia sighed, interlocking her fingers with his. "Married for two years and still know so little about women."
He chuckled, squeezing her hand. "Then I'll speak from the man's perspective: unless he considers a punch to the throat foreplay, his seeds are better sown elsewhere."
"They're sowing seeds now?" Olivia asked, looking up at him in surprise, and he blushed.
"Y-you know what I mean. And thanks, with that as my last thought before I fall asleep I'm sure my dreams will be least-restful."
Olivia grinned, arm coming across his muscled chest as her thigh slid across his waist, dancer's attire revealing bare skin cool against him.
"Maybe I could give you something else to dream about…?"
She squealed as he pulled her atop him suddenly, sleep postponed.
Lucina stood before a closet, staring at an empty shelf, not knowing why.
She had been doing so for the last hour. She was aware of her legs' fatigue, but didn't feel it. Like feeling tired but not sleepy. She was, for all intents and purposes, a passenger in the story of her life.
Finally the entity that possessed her turned, slumping towards a new room on the second floor before her sharp hearing picked up footsteps outside. She moved to a window, peering down to watch Robin make his way up the street in the dimming light.
Her heart pounded faster as a smile crossed her features.
Lucina was afraid. She didn't know what this creature would do with her body, or if she would ever regain control, or if she would live the rest of her life a prisoner in this shell.
But she was terrified of what it intended with Robin. Its interest in him frightened her. She was almost certain she knew the cause of the massacre of the village, had screamed it in her mind, trying to make Robin hear. But she may as well have been talking to the characters of a book. She could do nothing to help him; if this entity wished him harm, she could only be an accessory. She almost wished she'd never stopped trying to kill him, at least that way he would be guarded against her. It pained her to see him trust her, see him so vulnerable. Every time he turned his back and her fingertips grazed her knife, every time he held her and her fingers tensed, ready to gouge and tear, the suspense killed her.
Their relationship, the trust he showed in her ‒ it was going to get him killed.
The front door slid open and she quietly made her way to the stairs to watch him remove his wet cloak.
"Lucina?" he called, feigning removing a cap to hang up on a stand before turning to the living room, "I'm home!"
She said nothing, just watched.
"You there?" His expression shifted to uncertainty and he ducked into the side hall before reappearing to hurry towards the kitchen.
"Lucina?" his voiced called again, sounding worried.
"I'm here," she finally answered, coming down the stairs, pretending she'd only just heard him.
He reappeared, looking her up and down in relief. "There you are, you weirdo. Sit down, you should be resting."
Lucina wanted to groan and remind him she was quite capable of taking care of herself. Instead she nodded passively, arms held before her chest.
"You've been gone all day. I grew worried."
She wished she could vomit in her mouth.
"Yeah, there was a… Lot of back and forth." Robin cleared his throat, gesturing towards the kitchen, "Let's get a fire going, it's going to be a cold night."
She gathered the broken bits of table from the living room and followed him to the back of the house. He took the wood from her and knelt beside the stove pit as she looked around.
"There should be kindling ar-Oh!"
She jumped behind him as flames crackled to life from the pit, staring over his shoulder from his hands to the fire.
He slowly turned to raise an eyebrow at her. She was gripping his arm tightly and let go, still staring.
"You okay?" he asked, and she quickly nodded eyes wide.
Lucina did her best to suppress her automatic reaction ‒ that was a very basic magic spell she witnessed Robin perform almost every day. But the entity quickly caught on, absorbing her knowledge like a sponge.
"Yes, I apologize. I thought you would be tired after working so hard all day, I didn't expect you to use magic to light our fire, so I was surprised."
Robin narrowed one eye. Lucina prayed he caught on to how uncharacteristic she sounded, behaved, spoke, anything, but he turned to the fire. How was he this unobservant?
"You've been acting… Strangely, all day," he sighed, stoking the fire until it caught on the wood.
"I'm just me."
"You are surprisingly…" Robin glanced over his shoulder to see her sitting on her legs, hands in her lap, "...Feminine."
"I am a woman," she cracked a smile, tilting her head.
"That, right there‒ you're doing it again. Why are you being so girly?" he asked, turning to face her fully.
"Is it girly to smile? Or to worry about you?"
"Yes!"
Her expression fell. "You don't like it."
"I like you!" Robin exclaimed, mouth clamping shut as her eyes shot up to him. "I-I like Lucina, being herself, and right now you're like Tharja transforming her entire personality. Is this the new thing, should I have changed characters too?"
Lucina tried to shut out knowledge of Tharja in hopes her words might clue him in that she wasn't herself, but the entity drew it from her like forcing a door open. Suddenly memories and stories of Tharja's advances towards Robin flooded her mind. Her brain searched each one like a spinstress examining thread.
Jealous.
Lucina automatically scoffed in her mind, she was not jealous of Tharja.
More thoughts, pulled like weeds, exposing roots she didn't know existed.
Why would she be‒?
"Tharja pretended to be someone she wasn't in hopes that would make you like her the way she liked you. I hoped being myself would yield a different result."
Robin stared at her, and Lucina felt her own cheeks flush at the admission. It would be embarrassing to watch this interaction between two people, but to be a participating party made her want to crawl into a hole in the ground.
The entity sensed her discomfort, digging deeper into her mind. In a brief struggle over control for thoughts it found her memories of the ship, Say'ri's village, the not-wedding.
Lucina's eyes watered on command as she looked to the ground. "We're alone out here. I'm tired of keeping up the facade of strength that I need everyone else to see. I wanted you to see me as I am, and I hoped…"
Her voice cracked, sniffling as she held herself. A glance out of the corner of her eye showed Robin hadn't moved. The entity dug deeper.
Her mind forcibly turned her thoughts and feelings to Robin. Lucina hated how exposed she looked, felt. How helpless she was in the face of whatever spectre was now reading her thoughts like a book.
But she hadn't expected to view her feelings as a second party, analyzed without her own biases, without the filter of duty or propriety cutting off impulses before they were fully explored. Things she would never admit she considered, revealed desired.
"You're smart, and funny, and kind, and I… Wanted you to like me," she sniffed, tear sliding down her cheek making Lucina want to roll her eyes. "The way I like you."
For the first time Lucina's thoughts seem to run parallel with the entity's, in that her cheeks felt like coals. She could not believe it had used her voice to give those… Absurd, impossible thoughts words. She didn't know where it had conjured those feelings, they certainly weren't hers. Robin was a lot of things, but he wasn't… Well he was smart. The smartest person she knew by far. And funny. Even if it took her some time to understand him, his lightheartedness was charming… Sometimes. Occasionally he could prove kind, but‒
Robin moved to take her hand, pulling her into a hug.
Lucina's not-so-private thoughts stopped as she breathed in his scent. His arms rested around her as she slumped against him, and even in her state of fear for her future and anger at her private feelings paraded around for the world to see, Lucina admitted: it felt nice.
It wasn't simply a physical act. In Robin's arms she actually felt… Safe. That everything would be okay. In Robin's arms she was protected, and cared for. She liked being held by him.
Lucina's brain stopped as she realized the truth in that statement, and everything that came along with it.
"Y-you feel cold. Here, come by the fire," Robin murmured, drawing her closer to the pit. She secretly felt much colder here than in his arms, but for once the entity remained silent as Robin pulled her cloak closer around her.
"What about you?"
Robin shook his head as the rain picked up outside. The wind howled and a chill swept through the house.
"My cloak is drenched, I'll get dry the old fashioned way." He grinned and held his hands over the flames.
If Lucina wasn't still feeling stunned by her revelation she would have mustered the bravery to extend her cloak to him. Fortunately she wasn't in control anymore. Her arm lifted, offering the space.
Robin considered her. She blushed and looked to the fire as he moved to sit hip to hip. Her cloak was small for the two of them, and she leaned closer with a smile. She was very aware of Robin's arm cautiously moving up her back, and dipped her shoulder to allow it over her shoulder. Her eyes closed, contentment forced over her.
Lucina wished she knew was the entity was playing at. This wasn't amusing, these were real feelings it was playing with. Hers, and…
Why was Robin's arm over her shoulder?
"Digging in the rain, even just a drizzle, is awful," Robin's voice broke the silence. "Finding all the… Parts, and puzzling them up together, one grave at a time. You can start piecing together who knew who, how this one died to protect that one, I think I even spotted a geriatric affair. No bride though."
Lucina's eyes opened, and she looked up to see him watching the fire with a frown. "Kinda weird to have a wedding without one. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Just out of the norm."
"Maybe she escaped?"
"You couldn't take two steps in that outfit, she wasn't outrunning whatever happened here." He cleared his throat, glancing at her before continuing, "If I'm being honest, I thought your bizarre behavior might have been related."
She blinked at him, and Lucina felt her pace quicken before he chuckled.
"But I wrote that off as another crazy theory. You know a little too much to not be Lucina."
Her body relaxed, and Lucina's mind went numb with hopelessness. She couldn't fight off this invader, it now had access to all her thoughts and memories, and the only person she believed would be able to help now thought her entire character was a farce, invented to cover her true identity as a traditionally helpless princess.
No. She wouldn't give up, and she didn't need someone to save her. She could figure this out, she just… Didn't know how yet.
She thought, trying to direct her thoughts at the entity governing her body. 'Are you the dead bride?'
Anger bubbled inside her. Alive.
'I'm sorry this happened to you, but you cannot have my body.'
Our body.
'My body. It is not yours to play with‒ I have an important mission and the fate of the world‒'
"Robin…" her voice interrupted her thoughts. "Will you tell me a story?"
He exhaled, shifting to lean against the wall and her body took the opportunity to nestle closer, to which he cleared his throat.
"W-well, what would you like to hear about, Princess? A ghost story involving Vaike's get-rich-quick scheme spelunking for treasure in the old catacombs of Ylisse? Or the romantic tragedy-slash-comedy of the brief period where Cordelia, Sumia and Sully all competed for Chrom's affections?"
"Are those real?"
"I only tell real stories, Princess."
She grinned, and Lucina was legitimately curious about both, but instead her head rose to meet Robin's gaze.
"Now that's funny."
"Okay so I embellish, but I think everyone would agree the stories are far grander for it. And are ye not oft entertained?"
She giggled, looking away for a moment before turning back to face him, firelight dancing across his features. Her eyes traveled his face, enjoying his features before settling on his piercing grey eyes.
Something inside of Lucina stirred, a desire she'd not felt in a long time, and never this strongly. His arm over her shoulder, her hand on his chest, wasn't simply a physical act of intimacy, but an emotional bond. She cared about Robin, deeply.
"Robin," she uttered, unable to meet his eyes, "I've… Never felt this way about someone before."
Lucina panicked. 'Don't do that. Don't tell him something that isn't‒'
Truth.
'For you, not for me,' she lied, pointlessly.
For us. Her eyes locked on Robin's, and Lucina's temper flared.
'He is not yours.'
Ours.
Lucina was forced to watch Robin's expression shift to uncertainty, and she filled with trepidation as her eyes fell to his lips again. Not for what her body obviously intended to do, but for the rush of feelings of excitement at the prospect.
She couldn't do this. She was Lucina, the weight of countless rested on her shoulders every day, the yoke of responsibility and duty burdening her every step, governing every action. She wouldn't allow herself to want this. This was Robin. The man who once destroyed her world, her family, her life. To feel the way she was, to want what she wanted was… Apostasy.
But he was also the man she'd witnessed risk his life on numerous occasions to save others. Her own life had rested in his hands more than once, and he'd never hesitated for a second to do the right thing. He was a man any woman would be lucky to call hers, and it was this man's arms she relished feeling around her, this man's lips she wanted more than anything right now.
It was apostasy, and Lucina was damned for daring to lust after such a thing, but she was as helpless in the face of her feelings as she was in stopping herself from leaning towards him, head tilting as her hair trailed across his chest.
Her heart pounded as their eyes met and she could see Robin understood what was about to happen, his free hand coming to cup her cheek. 'He wants this, too…' she realized, guilty heart skipping a beat at what that meant.
May she be forever damned for this unthinkable desire, and the entity blessed for doing it for her.
"Robin," she whispered huskily, closing her eyes as she felt his warm breath a centimeter from her lips.
"Bride," he replied. Lucina realized the hand on her cheek was now holding, not cupping. "I want my friend back."
Her eyes flew open to see sparks emanate from his hands.
Electricity coursed through her body, his hands conduits for the surge of power that shot her spine rigid. It rated highly on the Greatest Pain scale yet she was unable to give voice, jaw clenched shut.
The voltage stopped, and her body went limp, panting as she stared up at him.
"Robin, what are you‒!"
Her body locked out again, every nerve firing off in pain. The entity screamed inside her mind until it stopped, her muscles twitching.
"Please, Robin, I love‒!"
"Get out of her," Robin commanded harshly, grimacing as the room darkened by the brightness of the electricity connecting his fingertips to her body. "She's a lot stronger than you are, don't think you're going to outlast her in this."
When he relented she panted, staring at the ceiling. "You're killing me."
"I've never killed anyone, and I'm not going to start with a dead chick. What happened to your village sucks, I'm sorry. But you can't have my friend."
"I wanted my wedding," she explained tearfully, "I wanted you."
"Your groom's waiting for you on the other side, for the first; and there's a line for the second. All I can give you is the promise that we'll stop what did this. We'll stop the undead, and no other bride will suffer what you suffered."
"I don't have to go, she wants this!" Her hands found his, holding it to her chest to feel her heart racing. "We want this."
Robin sighed, "And that was probably the biggest giveaway."
Electricity surged through her chest, back arching as every muscle in her body constricted. Lucina felt the layer of pain deepen as a second skin lifted from her.
"Time to go."
Robin wasn't stopping, and she could see a ghostly wisp separating from her body as the pain tripled in intensity. The agony from electrical torture was offset by the relief she felt at being able to experience her body's entirety again.
He paused at the sight, staring. "Luc‒?"
Won't go. Won't go back!
Lucina screamed in her mind as she felt her fingers close around her dagger, Robin's eyes locked on her face, next second happening too quickly to process.
Robin was leaning over her one moment, in the next his face was splattered in blood. The hilt of her long knife was pushed to the palm that caught it, and he guided it away from his face with a grimace.
"I'm trying to do this ‒ without hurting you," Robin growled, free hand gripping her face. "But you're being a real bitch in the ass right now," he grunted, fingers crackling with electricity once more.
An ethereal scream ripped through the air as Robin poured electricity into her. Layers of white wisps rose from her skin, separating from her like tendrils and streaking suddenly towards the front door to disappear in the rain.
The magic ended immediately.
"Lucina‒?" Robin cut off as she bolted upright, hugging him tightly.
She took shuddering breaths, holding back tears as she held him close.
"It's okay, I'm here," he reassured, arms coming around her back.
The feeling of his embrace made her heart pound harder than when she was being electrocuted. Whatever the spectre had made her do or say, the feelings it surfaced were very much her own. She never wanted him to let go.
"When did you know?"
"This morning, after you fell," he answered. She withdrew to stare at his cheeky smile and punched his arm. "About two minutes ago."
"How?" she asked, catching her breath and leaning her forehead against his shoulder.
"Well I don't know if you saw, but it wanted to kiss me, and I knew pretty much at that point it wasn't you."
"O-oh."
"I know what you're thinking, 'But Robin, when will you ever have the chance to kiss a princess again?' and you're right, I probably should have taken it," Robin thought aloud, ruffling the back of her hair with his clean hand, "But the whole thing had a real dubcon feel to it. And getting you back to normal felt more important."
He patted the back of her head as her breathing steadied. "You okay?"
"I-I'm fine!" she spoke quickly, separating from him when she realized they were still holding each other. "Apologies, the day has… Gods, Robin!"
She realized her knife still protruded from the back of his hand, and he followed her gaze.
"Oh, yeah I mean when you get a chance," he mentioned offhandedly, shrugging, "Or if you're too tired I can deal with it later."
"Quiet," she hushed, pushing him back to brace against the wall and looked down at his crimson hand. "I am so, so sorry. I couldn't stop‒ I wasn't in control‒!"
"Y-yeah, the whole‒!" Robin seethed through his teeth as she yanked the blade free. "...Kissing, thing. Remember?" he panted, bunching robe to bite down on. A blowtorch of flame appeared in his free hand. "Migh' wanna 'ook away."
She grasped his wounded hand's forearm, steadying it.
Thunder clapped over the mountains, rain continuing to pour in buckets outside. Minutes later Lucina was dressing his hand, carefully wrapping it in cloth.
"We should leave, before she decides to attack us again," Lucina began, rising unsteadily before Robin pulled her to sit.
"Not to brag, but I put enough current through you to put down a small bear," Robin stated as her hand spasmed on cue. He raised his eyebrows to say See, and turned to feed the fire. "Navigating through mountain passes in the dead of night during a storm would be the very last thing the doctor would order."
"And if she comes back?"
"I'll keep watch," he stated, taking a ration out of her pack and handing it to her. He settled against the wall, feet to the small fire, "I mean, I'd let you do it, but…"
"That is unfair," she objected, sitting beside him, backs to the wall. She placed the food aside, not hungry. "She ambushed me, I was caught off-guard."
"I'm just saying, if she'd gotten me I don't think I'd ever regain control of my body."
"I would know you weren't you!"
"You would have kissed me the moment she made a move with my body."
"I w-would do no such thing!" Lucina stammered, grabbing the ration to distract herself. Her cheeks burned and her heart pounded in her chest.
"Yeah okay probably not that. Irregardless!" he broke off a piece of her food and glanced at her, "You need rest. I'll keep the monsters away."
"Then wake me after a few hours, so I can take second shift."
"I probably won't do that."
"We travel tomorrow, rain or no. You can't stay awake all night," she insisted, looking at him with a frown. "You're not tired?"
"Honestly? I'm exhausted. But I wouldn't sleep much anyway because my hand is in utter agony right now," he confessed, arm held like a broken wing.
She winced, gingerly taking hold of his hand to rest in her lap. "Apologizing won't help, but for what it's worth, I really am sorry."
Robin smiled at her tenderness. "I'm just happy you're back."
Her fingers trailed his wrist, raising goosebumps and making her smile meekly. Her expression sombered as her heart began to race at the skin contact. She knew she should remove her hands, go to sleep and forget everything she'd been forced to face today. Bury it all like it never happened, focus on their mission. And never give another thought to the warmth of his embrace, or his scent, or the feeling of safety of his arms…
She knew she should do all those things, but found it much easier to continue tracing the veins in his forearm.
Robin blinked, glancing at her and wetting his lips. "Lucina? You're being awful affectionate. The ghost didn't sneak back in while I wasn't looking, right?"
Her hand froze. What was she doing? This was Robin, her companion, her father's best friend; and she was caressing him like some lovestruck‒
"Checking f-for signs... Infection!"
"...What?"
"I-it feels good," Lucina stammered before realizing how that sounded. "Looks! It… You look good."
"Do I?"
"Yes. No! I mean‒!"
"Relax, I'm just teasing you," Robin chuckled at her intense blush, oblivious to its true nature. He closed his eyes and leaned back. "That feels nice."
Yes it does.
Lucina said nothing, no longer trusting her mouth. If this was okay with him, it seemed harmless enough. It was just a touch. Friends touched. It didn't mean… What she didn't want it to mean.
After few minutes minutes she chanced a glance up at him, seeing his head droop, mouth slightly open. Her eyes fell to his shoulder, considering it before her head snapped forward to the fire. That was too far.
The realization she'd been forced to make today was as unwelcome as it was dangerous. If all else failed, she would be called to do whatever it took to save this world. No one life was more important than that mission, least of all the one she'd be called to take...
But were that true, why was her sole fear today for his safety? At what point did religious mantra give way to reason, and feeling? This world she'd come to, and the people in it, weren't what she believed.
Was it so wrong, then… That she could…
She closed her eyes, confused, unsure of what to believe anymore, continuing to hold Robin's arm for comfort as rain softly pattered on the roof and thunder split the night.
I want to thank everyone who's taken a few minutes out of their day to drop off a positive note. I don't normally get back to people, but I want you to know that I read every comment, and that people just offering their support is kindness enough.