I try to keep ANs to a minimum but I do want to apologize for this delay. I recently moved to The Greatest Country That Has Invented Everything to discover that my Chromebook is a bluetooth-ready, touchscreen compact doorstop.
BUT I'm back for Christmas (fingers crossed for longer) and so here is an overdue update. Next one is en route soon.
Thank you all for the continued support, being able to check email again made for a pleasant read.
Echoes
The city of Mila continued past its high walls in the form of refugee tents and market stalls, population swelling too large for the interior to monitor. The main gates were a heavily guarded checkpoint that only merchants or individuals with passes could enter, and only during regulated hours. The walls were a hundred meters tall, topped by watchtowers manned day and night.
It was a fortress city, and infiltrating it was going to require inside help or wings. Robin had neither.
"Irasshaimaseeeehh!" the shop keep called nasally from the stall to travelers passing by, fanning the coals under the grill.
Robin leaned over the open grill, sniffing the smokey mystery meat twisted around wooden skewers. Something that used to live in the ocean.
It was either the finest cuisine of royal banquets or street stalls for him. He wondered what a home-cooked meal tasted like, as he gestured to various skewers and handed the man a single gold coin.
The man stared at the coin, taking it in both hands before hurriedly pressing more food past Robin's protests. When both of Robin's hands couldn't close around another stick, the shop keep beamed, bowing repeatedly and waving.
Robin stared, bowing to the man in return, and headed to his quarters.
He moved through the alleys of tents, weaving through two boys and a girl chasing one another and lifting his arms past their heads. Around him people sulked in small groups, exchanging somber gazes and hushed tones.
No one knew anything. Why their homes were burned, why they weren't let into the main city, if the Ylisseans were coming to liberate or conquer, rumors flowed freer than Robin's stories over the last day. Who they were, where they'd come from, why they didn't speak a local dialect. He'd invented identities on the spot and had to remember every detail, because the guards performed spot checks. Just last night their neighbors, alleged resistance spies, had been dragged from their tent and hadn't been heard from since.
While Robin knew they needed an in to the city, he was about as keen on a Valmese interrogation room as he was a classic sewer approach.
Truth be told however, he was just glad for a complicated distraction. A seemingly impossible puzzle to solve in lieu of the emotional battlefield he was far less adept at navigating.
He reached the double tent and backed into the entrance. Her cot was empty.
Sighing, he placed the food on the shabby wooden table between their beds and sat on his cot. Elbows on his bouncing knees, chin on his thumbs, fingers interlocked. There were few things in the world he couldn't stand. Waiting to have important conversations topped the list.
He could be using this time to organize his thoughts, figure out what he wanted to say for his bit of the conversation, except he had no idea what that was. Perhaps a rehearsal? He glanced around, and propped her pillow up on her bed before sitting across from it.
"Lucina…"
He lowered his voice to make sure no one would overhear him. He had to think of an opener, something to disarm her guard.
"You're a good kisser."
He shook his head, "No, that's not right. I-I mean, it is right, but not what I'm trying to say…"
This wasn't working. The pillow wasn't giving him anything to work with. He spotted her bag under her cot and looked to the entrance.
Minutes later he carefully perched her tiara atop the clothed pillow.
"Hey, Lucina, we need to talk." He paced the small tent, not even looking at his handiwork, "About the other day. And you… And me. Us."
Good start. He'd really outlined the situation. But what did she want?
"It was a crazy day, emotions were running high, and I totally get that you were caught up in the moment and mayhaps didn't mean it that way."
Yeah. What was a full kiss on the mouth between friends? Give her an out.
"Of course it won't be weird between us, I know you didn't mean it!"
He turned to smile reassuringly at the pillow. It drooped, cape slipping off one corner.
"I'm not rejecting you! You're just a little out of my league. And I'm best friends with your dad. And a bunch of other things that would make this super weird. Or something. Right?"
While the pillow lacked Lucina's words, it displayed an equal array of facial expressions.
"Y-you know, like… Things!"
He couldn't meet the accusatory stare and instead focused on the cape wrapped around its shoulders.
Were there actual "things" between them, or had he simply faced his first experience with emotional intimacy, and flinched? In truth, his flirtations had always held teasing higher than intention; that she would harbor actual feelings blindsided him…
He liked her. A lot. More than he would ever have admitted to anyone. Yet it wasn't the piqued curiosity he'd felt for Cherche, nor the baser instinct that drove him to Tharja. Rather a companionship…
A bond, deeper than passing interest or lust, connected him to Lucina. When she smiled, he didn't give a damn about propriety or that she was a princess or anything other than that moment. He'd thought it was because she deserved some happiness after everything she'd been through, but it was more than that. Seeing the spark of laughter in her eye, seeing her joy, brought him joy.
He'd already seen it to be true, in that… Vision in the cave. Like a waking dream...
The memory of something he'd never had. It had been so real, so… Genuine. A time between him and her, war past long forgotten, untold future bright and full of hope. The feelings from that vision lingered, it had been him, holding her close; driving him to cherish her, protect her. That's why he…
His eyes fell to the brand on the back of his hand and he rotated his wrist, trying to forget every grizzly detail etched into his perfect memory.
Robin sat, looking up to face the pillow.
"You make a convincing argument… So… Are we really‒?"
Familiar strides drew his attention to the entrance and he threw himself onto his cot, arms behind his head as Lucina appeared. She stopped, staring between him, the food on the table, and her pillow. He could see her weighing the decision to ask, heavily, before giving in.
"Why is my pillow dressed like me?"
"Is it?" Robin glanced over, "I hadn't noticed."
"I think I would have remembered myself doing that."
"Okay fine. I needed to practice."
Her eyes narrowed on the slipping cape. He cleared his throat, sitting up.
"That didn't come out right‒"
"I found someone who can get us into the city, tonight," Lucina interrupted as she passed him.
"I promise this was about as creepy as it was going to get," he insisted. This was the most words they'd exchanged in a day and he needed it to go… Better than this.
Lucina scowled as she shook the pillow upside down to begin the disrobing process. "I suppose I should be grateful it isn't wearing my smallclothes."
"Well I figured, when we're having the real conversation, I should make the situation as realistic as‒"
"What did you want, Robin?" she sighed, folding her clothes.
Robin opened his mouth as she straightened. That was actually a good question he hadn't yet asked himself. He watched her pluck the socks from either corner of the pillowcase, back to him. Even from here, the scent of her hair lingered in the air, stretching seemingly harmless seconds.
It was absurd, the moments that struck him of her position in his life. Every day she continued to become the most beautiful woman he'd ever met; her maturity, courage and ability not only inspired him, but now handicapped him. He couldn't imagine being without it. She made him a better person, and if his vision was any indication, he made her happy.
More than anything, he wanted her to have that.
"You," he uttered, seeing her halt as she reached for the tiara. "I want you to talk to me again. Figure this out, what you… What we're doing here."
She hesitated before resuming motion as though nothing had happened. "We're getting into the city, tonight."
"That's not what I‒"
"After sundown, we meet our contact at her caravan."
He stood, gently touching her arm. She froze as though he held a weapon on her, and he lowered his hand.
"You kissed me. Now you want to forget about it, and I literally can't do that."
"Please, Robin," she began, but he shook his head.
"This isn't fair, to me or you. You try to kill me, we become friends, you kiss me, you run away, I can't imagine how confusing the last few months have been for you. But you saved my life, and now you can't even look at me?"
"I can't feel this way for you," she answered, turning to finally look up into his eyes. She stood with as much distance as the two cots in the tent would allow. It wasn't much.
She took a steadying breath. "I have betrayed… Everything , by my recent actions. I have allowed personal feelings to make decisions, and I… I would again. But you cannot ask me to do this."
"Because you don't think you deserve to have something that feels good?" Robin asked, searching her eyes.
"At what cost?" she pleaded, "What of the day your judgement comes?"
"We're still on that‒?"
"That was Fel, in the cave, Robin. I know you normally wouldn't, that's not… You. But a piece of it is, and I won't pretend what I fear most of all is impossible." She half-shook her head, "Would you ask me to slay the man I came to…?"
Her breath caught as he stepped closer, eyes lost in his.
"So we're just gonna go on, pretending neither of us feel this?"
"I will not lie and say I feel nothing for you, Robin. I do," she whispered, eyes trapped in his, even as she stood her ground. "And in another life, I…"
She went quiet as he leaned. Not turning away, not protesting, simply watching with a mixture of emotions.
Robin was aware of how close they stood, her unguarded stance, that she would not stop him if he finished this conversation the same way she had before…
And he was aware of the pain in her expression. This hurt her. She did feel for him, and that aspect of their relationship remained unexplored. He could not imagine if their positions were reversed, and a time came when he would be expected to strike her down.
More than anything he wanted that pain to be gone.
He straightened. "Yeah. I had a… kind of a dream the other day. I think we would have."
She exhaled, closing her eyes briefly. "This is better. For both of us."
"Better, or easier?"
She met his gaze for a moment longer, jaw clenching before turning back to her bed, unclasping her belt and setting Falchion against the table. "We should get some rest."
Robin watched her unfasten her boots, glance to the food once and turn to face the wall of the tent. He could see by the rigidity of her shoulders she wasn't sleeping.
Not at all how he wanted this conversation to go, but that he didn't blurt out she was a good kisser marked it a pyrrhic success.
Sounds of scuffling feet outside drew his attention and he poked his head out to see the three children from before fighting over a cut of apple.
"Hey, hey !" Robin called out, rushing to separate them as one boy bit the other. "Gods you are animals… Where are your bad parents?"
They began clawing at one another again and he swiped the apple to hold it above their heads.
"Stop," he commanded, and they finally stopped scratching at each other. Adults were watching him now. This wasn't good, drawing attention to themselves wasn't smart when they were on the enemy's doorstep. But he was incredulous no one else was stopping this.
"Ma-te," he urged the kids, motioning for them to wait and handing the apple to the girl. When the others started protesting he snapped his fingers, like addressing a pet, "Bad. Stop."
He disappeared into his tent, reappearing with the skewers of food and distributing them. More than enough to keep them from eating each other for a few hours.
"Go, eat. And share ." He pointed at each of them before making brushing-away motions, but they simply stared wide-eyed.
They didn't move so he physically turned them around and pushed at their backs. The boys got the idea and ran away, carrying the food over their heads.
"You're going to drop it!" he called after them, shaking his head as they disappeared around tents. The girl was still standing before him.
Robin pointed in the boys' direction.
She swallowed nervously before stepping forward and hugging his thigh. He pat her head, wincing as he peeled her arms free, little hands still clutching food. "Go, run, play."
One of the boys reappeared, calling the girl who ran after him.
Robin watched them go as the sun sank lower in the sky, nearby refugees going back to their huddled talks. He sighed, deciding to take another stroll through the awful conditions to see if anyone else had problems only he could solve.
Behind him a tent flap shifted ever so slightly, as if by the breeze. Lucina backed away to her cot, sitting on the edge and gripping it tightly.
The sun set and Robin had finished exploring tent-city, so he returned to their shelter. He poked his head in the entrance, seeing Lucina in her cot facing the wall, curled into her usual ball. Right where he'd left her.
He moved to her bedside to rest a hand on her shoulder. She roused immediately, looking around.
"It's time."
She nodded, bleary eyed yet alert as she sat up and donned her socks.
He sat on his cot, waiting for her to strap her armor and boots. She glanced up, noticing him watching her and they both looked away.
Now it was awkward, and Robin knew it would never be the same between them. Not because of unreciprocated feelings as most star-crossed lovers were, but fate. Theirs would be tragedy, and Lucina knew that.
She was smarter than he was in that regard.
Robin nodded with a smile as she stood, but she didn't look at him as she fastened her belt and made for the exit. He sighed, following.
They wound their way through tents, him barely able to keep up with her purposefully long strides. Most refugees had retired, though some gathered around communal fires to share what food they'd scrounged that day. Living conditions were filthy, and he felt for these people. He hoped the war would be over soon so they could return to their proper homes.
Lucina stopped beside a supply caravan between market stalls too near the main road for Robin's preference. They could be easily spotted by a sentry in the tower, through the dark arrow slits there'd be no way of knowing if they were being watched.
Lucina knocked on the wooden base.
Something fell over inside and the sound of coins scattering across the floorboards preceded swearing.
Footsteps towards the back made them look over as a girl hopped off the rear of the caravan, looking them over.
"Was wondering when you'd show up. Lucina and…" her auburn eyes traveled over Robin, growing larger, "Your plus-one?"
"Robin," Lucina gestured without looking at him, "You have a way for us to get into the city?"
"Mmhm," Anna looked him up and down once more before turning to Lucina, "Mm! Several, but I'd recommend that one."
She pointed to the main gates, still open but guarded by a dozen armed guards.
"And our being unable to pay anything right now isn't an issue?"
"Oh," Anna waved a hand, now addressing Robin, "I was just testing Little Lucina. Poor girl seemed so happy to find me just to walk away looking so sad…" She smiled with a finger to her cheek.
"Yeah, she's pretty hot-and-cold," Robin glanced as the other girl looked down, "So what's in this for you?"
"The truth is... Walhart's bad for business. And if the resistance aims to open up the market again, it's my occupational responsibility to lend a hand…" Her eyes fell on him again, "Though if that's not good enough, I think a few hot dinners could level the scales."
"I'm married," Robin declared quickly, pointing at Lucina.
"He's not," Lucina sighed.
"I love complicated men," Anna stated, staring between them, tapping her cheek and turning with a wink, "So here's the story, I'm making a delivery to the blacksmith, you guys are my new caravan guard. Last ones got gobbled protecting my profits from risen, bless them…"
Robin and Lucina stared at her.
"Only kidding!" she half-laughed, "Sort of. So we doing this now or what?"
"If we're caught, aren't you in store for a... Very capital offense?"
"Why?" Anna blinked innocently at him, "Who are you? Girl can't help if her hired hands have a history."
"So you'll be zero help."
"Well, I understand it the sewage system is undergoing some maintenance. You could always try‒"
"Alright, you don't know us, got it. Do we get disguises? Maybe some hooded cloaks?"
"Hiding is the exact opposite of what bodyguards are supposed to be doing." Anna rolled her eyes, "Besides, am I made of money?"
Robin shared a glance with Lucina.
"I'm getting the impression this is a very low-stakes investment for you."
"I'll have you know I am very invested in this situation! There aren't nearly enough cute men in the world, and losing you would weigh on me for at least a fortnight!"
'A fortnight, ' Robin mouthed, clearly impressed and turning to Lucina. "How long would you miss me?"
"Let's go," Lucina muttered, drawing her collar higher and moving past him as the caravan began to roll.
The night watch stretched, yawning already even though their shift just started. Guard duty was incredibly dull, though an excellent time to learn about the men you served with… Until you knew everything about them. Then it was an excellent time to spend with people you knew everything about and had nothing left to talk of, and then every passerby became a welcome distraction.
Then, a distraction. Around the bend of the market stalls, a caravan pulled by two horses rolled onto the main road. The young woman leading them waved as they approached.
"Papers," the captain demanded, scowling though privately enjoying the momentary absence from boredom.
"M-hm." The girl produced them, winking at a guard in the back who blushed.
"Content?" the captain asked, not looking up from the documents.
"Iron, for Kellam."
"Who?" The captain looked up, and she tilted her head.
"Kellam's Smithy… The famous smithy? The largest one in the city?"
"We have a blacksmith?" another guard asked, picking his nose.
"Indeed you do, and a hard working one at that. Just the other day he‒"
"Number of entrants?" the captain interrupted, looking down at the papers again.
"Three. Myself, and two guards," Anna jerked her head towards the back of the wagon where two people stood far too apprehensively to be guards.
"Guards," he repeated, looking at her.
"Guards. You pay them, and they protect, or guard , things‒"
"I know what a guard is, girl. I'm a guard," he pointed, "He's a guard." He pointed to the two inthe back, " That is a pretty boy, and that is a woman."
"Trade secret," the merchant leaned in and lowered her voice. "If they die you don't have to pay them. My last batch? They‒!"
A city watch swung around the young man and put his fist into his gut.
The younger man huffed, bending double, "The hell?!"
The captain tilted his head, eyebrow raised at the merchant. "Not very tough material, your 'guard.'"
He'd just finished speaking when armor crunched. Looking over he saw his man's forearm hanging the opposite direction, owner staring between it and the female caravan guard in horror.
"She makes up for him," the merchant smiled, low cry behind her rising into a scream.
"Go, get out of here!" the captain snarled, throwing the papers at her as the other guards rushed to aid their injured companion.
"Thank you!" the merchant whistled and the horses started moving again, 'guards' climbing onto the back of the wagon.
The wagon stopped and Robin and Lucina stood, stepping out into the cool night air. They were in a deserted city plaza, grand circular fountain in the middle dry. Probably to be able to provide enough water to the refugees outside. The city was quiet, save the distant sounds of voices and bustle from inside nearby buildings.
"Curfew," Anna explained, appearing from around the wagon, catching their puzzled expressions, "They've been cracking down the last few weeks, making business quite the pain."
"If there was a time to limit resistance movements, it'd probably be now with Ylisse coming down on them."
"Please say no more, I prefer to limit my knowledge of military movements to a minimum. It's easier to not be pressed for information that way," Anna pointed, "Your inn is down that street. Something-Dragon?"
"You're not coming?" Lucina asked.
"Oh my no, I've got a business to run! And getting caught up in a siege would be bad for said business. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll cross paths again," she smiled, winking at them before looking to Robin, "Hopefully sooner rather than later. Like dinner tomorrow at that restaurant?" she pointed past Lucina as though she weren't there. "You and me, plus-nones."
Lucina clenched her jaw and strode past them in the direction Anna had indicated.
"Err…" Robin shook his head, glancing after her, "You're not really my type."
"Oh," she pouted with her lips, "Gay?"
"Gods that'd make life so much easier…"
"Not into strong women?"
"Actually I prefer them."
"Am I too successful?"
"Is there such a thing?"
"Too pretty, then," Anna scoffed, flipping her auburn ponytail. "Out of your league."
"I think that's the only women I'm attracted to."
"Well, I'm bored." Anna exhaled smile and turned to mount the wagon. "See you around handsome."
The wagon pulled away and Robin stared after her, now grateful Lucina had already left. He jogged down the street she'd taken, finding her after turning a corner.
"That was kinda rude, she didn't even say goodbye to you," he chuckled, nearing as she folded her arms.
"Can you read these?" she asked when he caught up. She was looking at the buildings, trying to decipher the characters over the doors.
"Of course not, it's an absurd writing system. Say'ri tried teaching me, but..." he trailed off, spotting movement along an alley, "Oh hey buddy!"
She looked to see a cat stare at his approach before tearing off into the darkness, leaving him dejected.
"Are you finished?"
"I just wanted a cuddle… It gets lonely, not having a buddy to snuggle with. I miss Chrom."
"We need to meet Say'ri and plan our next move," Lucina continued up the street, looking for typical signs of an inn, but all the buildings looked identical.
"This one," Robin announced, calling her over. She looked up at the archway he stood before, "The characters, see this one that looks like a roof over the some windows? Next to the… Different style roof over more windows?"
"Is that a direct translation?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"Well feel free to keep walking, I'm going inside," Robin answered, stepping past the archway into the gardens.
A well maintained path led them to the triple-story building, Chon'sin architecture apparent in every board, pillar and tile making up the building. They moved up the stairs to the main doors and entered, being greeted by a rack full of shoes.
"I guess… We leave these here," Robin stared, looking around for a shoe-rack guard and seeing no one, "The punishment for shoe-theft must be harsh..."
Lucina knelt to undo her boots as Robin leaned around the corner. He slipped off his boots, hearing bustle from a room off to the right. Voices, dishes, smell of food… Seemed like an inn alright.
"Do we just walk in…?" Lucina asked behind him, looking around his shoulder.
"I've been here about two seconds longer than you have."
"We could… call out?" she suggested hesitantly.
"We're gonna walk in, like we're guests."
"Like we belong here," she affirmed.
Robin looked her up and down, then himself. It was very evident they did not belong here, in this extremely traditional establishment. He rested his hands on her shoulders, taking a deep breath and meeting her quizzical expression.
"Just in case we walk into a room full of soldiers, and I never see you again, I need you to know… Every time I cuddle with your dad from now on, I'll be thinking of you."
"Don't do either of those things," she replied, brushing his hands off and moving past him.
He followed her strides towards the sounds of merriment, rounding the hall to stand before a room full of low tables, patrons all wearing traditional robes and sharing lively conversation. She froze, and he gently tugged at her hand as he moved towards an empty table in the corner. One of his fingers was wrapped around two of hers, but he was more focused on scanning the crowd. No one stood out, nor looked twice at them.
Which was weird given they were armed and garbed in entirely foreign attire.
They took a table in a vacant corner and Lucina finally released his finger, glancing over her shoulder.
"I don't see Say'ri here," she muttered, watching as a server brought plates of food to a neighboring table.
"Yeah, that's unfortunate," Robin agreed, frowning at nothing before shaking his head, "But she said she'd find us so… I guess we wait."
"For how long? We don't even know if..."
"As long as it takes," Robin answered, watching another group of young men appear from the entryway to take a table on the other side of the room.
They sat in silence for a minute before Lucina stood.
"I'm going to see if they have rooms."
Robin nodded absently as she departed, staring into space. He looked back at the young men. Lightly armed, youthful enthusiasm to their movements. None looked his way or followed Lucina.
His mind wandered and he shook his head. Focus. Search.
"Sumimasen!" one young man called and the waitress appeared, taking their order. The man thanked her, saying goodbye while shaking her hand with two of his.
She retreated to the kitchen, hand slipping inside her sleeve before calling out the order to the chef.
"We don't have enough money for two rooms."
Lucina had reappeared, apparently. Robin didn't look up, watching the waitress bowing to someone else in the kitchen, shaking their hand the same way as the patron had hers. The patron glanced towards the kitchens.
"Get a double."
"We can't afford it."
Her voice was hesitant but he wasn't paying attention.
"Single," he responded, seeing the chef exchange a glance with the waitress before disappearing into the back. When she didn't reply he looked up, and blinked.
"I'll be happy with a floor with what we've been roughing. Get the single."
She closed her mouth, nodding and leaving again.
He returned his attention to the kitchen, making eye contact with the chef who'd reappeared over his counter before the other man averted his gaze. Robin narrowed his eyes, glancing around the room again.
The server passed by and Robin flagged her down. She knelt, unintentionally lowering the tray of raw meat she'd been carrying to eye level, and the entirety of Robin's focused state was turned onto overwhelming nausea.
Red. Torn. Broken.
The waitress was staring at him and he cleared his throat, remembering why he'd called her over. He made a writing motion and she nodded, rising to deliver the food to the neighboring table and disappearing into the main hall.
Robin stared as the neighboring table began to cook their assortment of meats. Uncomfortably familiar sizzling filled the air, making Robin's neck hair rise as his brain backfilled the god awful smell before any scent even entered his vicinity.
"That smells good."
Lucina returned once more, sitting across before looking at him. "Room thirty, last one in… Robin? Are you okay?"
"Crystal."
Lucina stared. "What?"
The waitress returned with a stationary set but Robin only took a scrap of paper, motioning her to stay before scribbling a quick message before offering his hand.
She stared at him uncertainly, glancing at Lucina until he grabbed her hand with both of his, forcing the note into her grasp and uttering, "Mata ne."
The waitress took the stationary away and slid the note into her sleeve, still staring at him like he was mad as she departed.
Lucina reached across the table and gently took his wrist to get his attention. "Robin, you're sweating. What is going on?" She threw a wary eye around the room, "Are we in danger?"
"You're safe," Robin answered quickly, resting a hand on hers. "That's all that matters."
Lucina closed her mouth, eyes narrowing on his vacant expression as her fingers closed around his. She took a deep breath, looking down, but before she could speak the sounds of shuffling footsteps signaled the approaching waitress. The burly chef was behind her.
"Robin, you need to rally now. This isn't the time," she uttered, eyes on the chef's belt of knives. He stared at a spot on the table and she reached to lift his chin, eyes focusing on hers. "With me."
He blinked, inhaling and glancing up to the pair of strangers arriving beside their table.
"This way, please."
The waitress' smile was a nicety. The man behind her said it all. This wasn't so much a Please as it was a Now.
Robin nodded affirmatively to Lucina, moving to rise from the table and giving her fingertips a double squeeze before parting.
She followed, aware of the chef's positioning behind her. This was very much a prisoner-escort towards the kitchens.
"Should we be back here?" Robin asked loudly, waving an arm over a boiling pot of soup, "You don't know where we've been."
"Don't touch." The chef moved ahead to a pantry door, opening it and standing aside. It wasn't exactly a walk-in.
Robin stared between the two guides, who stared between each other. Finally the chef reached in to push the false back open and revealed stairs descending into darkness.
"I knew that, of course. I just didn't want to touch anything, like you said‒"
"Go."
"Okay."
Robin moved towards the darkness, Lucina close behind to prevent him from being separated.
When they were both in, the door behind them swung closed leaving them in darkness save the spot of light at the base of the stairs. She could only see his silhouette against the dim light.
"I think we found the place?" Robin whispered, taking the stairs carefully, her hand on his shoulder.
"They clearly don't trust us, yet let us keep our weapons. That's not a good sign, Robin. This is about to get dangerous."
"I'll protect you."
He grinned. It was almost like every time he said it, even jokingly, it became a little more sincere.
Then they reached the floor level, rounding the corner towards the light, and heard a dozen bow strings stretch.
Men and women stood in a semicircle around the entry hall, knocked bows pointing at them.
Behind them were crates, targets along a far wall, long tables covered in maps and markers. Behind him Lucina slowly raised her arms.
"Good news Lucina, we found the resistance!" Robin announced, holding his arms wide.
"Congratulations," a hooded woman stepped through the crowd of bowmen and scowled at him, "Now tell us why we shouldn't kill you, foreigner."
"Hello? My super-secret note?"
"This?" she asked, holding the paper between two fingers and flicking it at them.
It fell open and Lucina could read it upside down.
Take me to your leader.
She rolled her eyes.
"That's right, we're looking for Say'ri. Super close friends. She told us to meet her here‒!"
"Say'ri is out on a mission, her friends know this." She was backing away now, clearing the line of fire.
"W-whoa hold on now, shouldn't you clear this with her first? She's been expecting us! We're here to help‒"
"She's not mentioned awaiting anyone," she replied, raising a hand to signal, "And I don't think we need the aid of Valmese infiltrators."
"Perhaps not all," a deep voice came from the back of the room where a small team of people filed in from a side passage, depositing bags beside crates and looking over with interest, "But this one would be worth hearing out. If only for bad jokes."
"Oh wow," Robin put a hand to his chest with a nervous laugh, turning to Lucina, "I really thought I was out of aces that time."
"It would be a first," the man answered, stepping through the bowmen and lowering the arrows.
"You know this one?" the woman asked, glaring at the newcomer who gave her a wide berth.
"Hm," he answered, boots stopping before them, "I know he would make a poor spy."
"It's been too long," Robin grinned, stepping forward to embrace Lon'qu. The man held his arms out awkwardly before patting Robin's shoulders with a small smile. "And I'm not saying that because you totally saved us just now."
"I'm certain," Lon'qu replied, peeling Robin off and bowing slightly to Lucina.
"It's good to see you well," she moved to shake his hand before catching his body language and clearing her throat, "What are you doing here?"
Lon'qu frowned at her, ignoring the security leader's call, "Bah. They're your responsibility, Lon'qu." The other bowmen stowed their weapons and returned to their various activities around the basement.
"Following orders," Lon'qu answered finally, looking to Robin, "Have you not told her?"
"I'm gonna be real for a sec, I honestly just forgot about you," Robin shrugged unabashedly as they made their way over to one of the long tables, "I sent you over here what, a year ago?"
Lon'qu sighed, looking to Lucina with an expression that bore resignation, sympathy and admiration all at once. "You're a strong woman."
"Thank you," Robin nodded before pointing around the basement, "So this is HQ?"
"We've had to keep it mobile but for now, yes," Lon'qu gestured to the table before him, "Here's where we plan our movements, and where I'm certain you'll spend most of your time."
But Robin was looking around the room, "Sparring ground, supply cache, you guys got everything going on here."
"What's the risk of the Valmese finding you?" Lucina asked, looking over the maps.
"After tonight, hopefully lower than yesterday. There is a mission to throw the Valmese off our tracks. My team was the first to return, Say'ri's should be back by midnight."
"Subterfuge, clandestine operations, I love it. It's like hearing about a movement organized by a mastermind, and then discovering that the mastermind is you, and that you're a genius. How quickly can we communicate with the Ylissean command?"
"It will be more difficult the closer they get, the gates will be watched. But so long as we continue to wreak havoc inside the city and out, they will have a far easier task of laying a siege."
"You already have missions lined up, then?" Lucina asked, noting the different markers across the map of the city, "How soon until we can assist?"
"I wish I could say 'rest a night,' but right now we have more objectives than people," Lon'qu admitted, nodding to the board. "Still, Say'ri asked all missions be put on hold until tomorrow morning. We have half a dozen decoys misdirecting Valmese venators, if a real team were spotted within our vicinity it could jeopardize everything."
He looked up at them appraisingly before addressing Robin. "You've had a tough few days on the road. I wasn't expecting you before the main army. Or with Marth."
"It's a long, sexy story," Robin admitted, removing his cloak and taking a seat, "And for the sake of your pants' structural integrity I'll spare you the details."
Lon'qu closed his eyes for a moment, visibly cleansing the image from his mind. "Do you have accommodations tonight?"
"Room…" Robin felt his pockets, then looked to Lucina who produced their room key and tossed it to him.
"Thirty."
"I'll… See to getting you separate rooms," Lon'qu nodded slowly, watching Robin closer now. "Are you well?"
"Yep," Robin answered immediately, looking up and smiling, "I'll be here if you need me."
Lon'qu called another man over and the two exchanged a quick dialogue. The man nodded, glancing to Lucina before taking off in the direction of the entrance.
"He'll bring your new key," Lon'qu bowed, departing.
Lucina stepped quickly to follow.
She cleared her throat and he jumped when he realized how close she was.
"Marth, don't…" He lengthened his stride, "Don't walk so close."
"Please call me Lucina," she stepped away but matched his pace.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but didn't press.
"Lucina," he corrected himself, "What do you want?"
She brushed off his brusque manner, knowing his fear of women. "Is there anything I can do tonight, to help?"
"I'd suggest training recruits, but…" Lon'qu looked over the other men and women preparing equipment and moving boxes, "Tonight is a preparation night. I suggest you rest, we will need you tomorrow."
"I see..." Lucina muttered, looking back to the table where Robin had both hands moving independently across two different maps, feeling useless.
"What happened?"
She looked to Lon'qu and followed his gaze back to Robin. Their friend stared into space for a second before his hands started moving again.
"I don't know how long he's been without sleep," she admitted, holding her arms.
"Robin could calculate an individual's odds of being hit by an arrow by just looking at the opposing archer. He could survey a battlefield and tell how many weapons each foe carried. This was before I'd ever seen him sleep."
"He is human," Lucina defended, folding her arms now.
"Look around you, everything you see here is because of him. His correspondence with the resistance started the day Virion appealed to Chrom for aid. He organized this, provided resources, marked objectives. Told Say'ri what supplies they needed and where to find them. Everyone looks to her for leadership," Lon'qu looked back to the table, "But he's the real reason any of us are here; and having seen the enemy, I can say the real reason we have a hope of victory. He's no more human than I am god."
"He could have fooled me," Lucina shook her head, unconvinced.
"Then he has," Lon'qu replied curtly. "Now I'll ask again, what happened to him?"
"He…" Lucina looked down, "He almost died."
Lon'qu actually huffed in amusement, "You must be new to the Shepherds."
Lucina's mind settled on exactly what likely preoccupied Robin's thoughts, and decided immediately she wasn't speaking to Lon'qu about it.
He frowned at her silence, folding his arms.
"What is your relationship with Robin?"
"We're… Comrades." She caught his narrowed gaze and added, "Nothing more."
He sniffed, visibly unconvinced.
She opened her mouth but jumped when Robin reappeared beside them. He threw a thumb over his shoulder.
"I prioritized the next few days' missions and reallocated equipment based on the dossiers you collected."
"Took you long enough," Lon'qu smirked, "The quill-drawer could use some categorizing when you have a moment."
"Nice try, but I'm going to lay down for a bit. I haven't slept in a bed since I met Lucina."
"Early night." Lon'qu commented after him, looking at Lucina.
"I'm a growing boy too, you know," Robin answered without looking back.
Lon'qu spoke quieter now to Lucina, head tilting in Robin's direction. "Personal rapports are your business, not mine. But distracted people mean bad calls, means people get hurt. That is my business."
"Robin is focused," Lucina stated, voicing her confidence.
"Everybody has a breaking point. I made a living seeing people reach them. I know what it looks like, the glassy-eyed stare, the tensed body. Like a bow string pulled so tight it's about to snap." He met her gaze and shook his head. "I would prefer not to be on-mission when that happens."
"I-I'll talk to him, unc‒..." Lucina looked down and cleared her throat. "You're right. I should make sure he's okay."
He exhaled through his nose, turning away to unbuckle his sheaths. "Don't let him deceive you. Robin is more fragile than any of us."
Lucina's brow furrowed.
"I don't agree with that assessment. The first thing he did when recovering from nearly dying was make a joke," she drew on the first example that came to mind.
"He had an audience." Lon'qu slid the swords from their sheaths as he spoke, angling each one against the light to examine for nicks. "I know Robin."
"Because personal rapports are your business," she reminded him.
"Most warriors take the philosophy, 'Show strength to hide your weakness.' Robin takes the opposite approach," Lon'qu seemed to be addressing his swords now as he procured an oily rag to wipe the steel down, "And that makes it hard to see the real cracks in the armor."
Lucina closed her mouth. He didn't look at her.
"Make sure he will be okay, because he isn't."
Lucina had expected some exposition, insight into Robin's past only a trusted ally would know, but Lon'qu appeared to have lost interest in her. He'd said his piece, and her uncle had never been one to spare extra words.
"Milady," he dismissed, signaling the end of the conversation as he placed one blade on the table and started on the second.
Lucina made to leave and spotted Robin's cloak on the chair where he'd left it.
She realized that was a perfect reason to check on him and retrieved it, bidding Lon'qu goodnight. He grunted.
Turning she came face-to-face with a room thirty-two key, held out in two hands by the man from before her in a deep bow. She stammered a thank you as she took it and he bowed again, facing her as she left.
The inn was quieter now, kitchen and dining area cleaned as only a few parties remained, and she navigated through silent halls to find her floor.
She unlocked her door and poked her head in. It was a standard room, bed in the corner, moonlight spilling in through the window across the floor. She deposited her belongings on the desk and unbuckled Falchion, leaning it against the wall beside her bed as she sat down, sighing.
It had been a long time since she'd seen a real bed. Not a cot, or a futon, but a bed, like when she was a child still living in the castle. Yet the comfort and nostalgia didn't set her at ease like she expected, and her eyes wandered over the desk.
She'd taken the cloak to return it. He probably wasn't sleeping. She did need to talk to him.
So why was she nervous? She had plenty of perfectly reasonable excuses to see him.
Talking was never her strong suit. That was Robin's weapon of choice, compared to him she felt like an awkward teenager. Someone without a clue of what to say on any topics outside her comfort zone, which felt minuscule in comparison. She feared one day Robin might realize that.
Perhaps… She would do it tomorrow. That would give her time to think and… Not do it now.
She lay back on the bed, moon peering down at her through the window as her thoughts chased one another through her mind. She grabbed a pillow and held it over her face.
"All part of my master plan‒?"
Robin's brain went into lockdown as Lucina's face closed the distance between them. Their lips met upside down, and the energy contained was electric. He was stunned for the several seconds it lasted, staring at her when she finally broke contact to rise and look at him.
The full moon through her curtain of hair reminded him he wasn't dreaming. He was alive.
She saved him.
She kissed him.
Her eyes widened when she likely realized what she'd done, stammering nonsense as she rose, face beet-red.
"I-I didn't‒You…That wasn't‒!"
Time froze and Robin entered the memory, stepping onto the water to see him lying in Lucina's lap.
'Did I use too much tongue ?' he wondered, rewinding the scene and playing it again.
Nope, no tongue. He'd simply laid there like a surprised tuna.
He resumed time and saw her scramble backwards out of the pool, watching him fearfully before turning into the forest.
"Lucina…" he watched himself call out, staring after her in confusion.
Why had she done that?
He gestured, rewinding further. It was black for some time. Unconsciousness. Then the cave, the rocks, the blood…
Robin shut his eyes with a hiss, palming his face as he stared into the water basin in his dark room.
He had to face his memory. Study it, understand, and move past… But nothing revolted him more than knowing he'd done that. He'd killed… Brutally. He'd broken his rule. To protect, though. To ensure the safety of someone who mattered to him. Did that justify it? There had to be another way‒ but he'd just been so… Desperate. Furious, at what the man intended.
He scrubbed his hands again with the pristine white towel, slipping them back into the water.
That horrible sound echoed in his ears, memory of smell filling his nostrils, texture of fingers slipping past flesh, and he shook his head. His hands gripped the basin tightly as he looked into the reflection of the open window, the night sky.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow they'd be working again. He'd have something to distract him from himself. Lucina seemed enthusiastic to help as well, she would be ideal for missions that required a certain level of finesse. It helped knowing the capabilities of team members. Someone he could trust. He could trust Lucina. That was a thought he'd never think to have, but it was true.
'I wonder if Lon'qu and Say'ri ever hooked up. They seem like they'd be a cute couple. Focused, good at killing.'
He could trust Lucina, and she him. He couldn't put her in danger. He told himself because he'd vowed to protect Chrom's family, but knew it was more than that.
'How much more?'
Her lips to his forced itself to the forefront of his mind and he grunted in annoyance at himself, slamming the back of his head against the wall.
He couldn't keep his thoughts straight. He was unraveling. He'd washed his hands a hundred times over but the stains were still there, reminding him of his murder.
She was right, though. It wasn't fair to ask that of her.
'Was it worth it?'
"Yes," he answered without hesitation, nodding. He'd do it again in a heartbeat. He would do anything to keep her safe, he just wished she knew that. He just wished… He could get these cursed hands clean.
He dunked the white towel into the clear water again before throwing it across the room.
Robin didn't know how long he sat against the wall, rectangle of moonlight slowly sliding up his body as the night dragged on.
Footsteps stopped outside his door. Pressure on the handle, before it hesitantly began to slide.
He didn't look up. Only one other person had reason to see him. His heart beat faster, but he couldn't think about her right now.
...Or he couldn't not think about her right now. The last hour made distinguishing the two difficult.
"Robin? You forgot your cloak..."
A pause. She probably just realized it didn't take an hour to go from the basement to the third floor.
He didn't move, forearms resting on half-extended knees, head back to the wall.
"... And I couldn't sleep."
He blinked, looking up as she hung his cloak over the desk chair and faced him. Her hands fidgeted at her waist before she held them to her sides. She always seemed smaller without her spaulders on.
"Me neither." He sniffed.
Lucina nodded, looking at him with a frown.
"Were you… Crying?"
"...Were you?" Robin asked, recalling their first verbal sparring. She smiled openly at him, and he ran his arms along his cheeks, "And no. Crying is for women and secure men."
She hesitated, moving to close the door. "I can leave, if you'd… Or if you would like to talk?"
"I know why you're here, Lucina," he looked up at her, head to the wall, red eyes contrasting with his serious expression, "But I'm out of jokes for the day."
Lucina appraised him. It was always a show, something for someone else's benefit. But she could see past that now, that he was vulnerable, and hurting. He spoke of how confusing things must be for her, but what of him?
"...Are you okay?"
"I'll be okay tomorrow."
She moved to sit beside him, sliding down the wall to match his position. After almost a minute she spoke quietly. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"This journey… Everything I've put you through. I fear at times I've been a far greater burden than assistance. Meanwhile you've been organizing the resistance, and our armies, and helping people along the way. You deserve… A better traveling companion."
"There's no one else I'd rather be with."
She blushed, drawing her knees up to her chest as she glanced at him, but he didn't move. Robin's voice was present, but part of his mind was elsewhere.
Lucina took a deep breath. "I fear I am a poor conversationalist. I've never had your gift of tongue."
He spared her the first response that came to mind. Low-hanging fruit.
"It prevents me from being as… Expressive, as I would like to be. But I want you to know that I understand… Why you killed that man. You had to defend yourself. He would have‒"
"Hurt you," Robin finished, meeting her eyes. "He was going to hurt you, and I would never let that happen."
Her mouth opened as he faced forward again and ran a hand through his hair. "Thugs have threatened me, hurt Chrom, but the thought of that man... harming you was... Inconceivable. He was a bad guy, and maybe I wasn't the right person to make the decision, but I would do anything to protect you, Lucina. I..."
She look at him as his voice cracked and he huskily cleared his throat, taking a shuddering breath before reaching forward into the basin.
"I understand that, and what would have happened if I didn't kill that man, and how much you matter to me, and how much is resting on my half-baked plans and that if I mess up now nothing we've done matters, and for the sake of the gods I can't stop washing my damn hands!"
His throat clenched and he inhaled shakily, unaware of her arm coming around him until he was pulled into her chest. His shoulders wracked and he wept openly, her arms around him in a warm embrace, holding him as the moon continued its slow arc across the night sky outside.