Chapter 3
Endurance
When Robin opened her eyes, she saw a white ceiling.
She immediately closed them because it was fucking bright.
Everything ached, her eyes hurt, and generally she felt shittier than the time they had a "genuine Ferox victory party."
But she was alive.
Robin laid there for some time, reflecting upon the events of…the previous day? How long was she out?
In any case, with the everything that was happening when those four rescued her, she couldn't really process the events that occurred. But here, lying in a random bed and feeling like a wyvern used her as its nest, Robin truly felt the implications sink in.
These were highly skilled warriors, pulling off moves that even the Shepherds' greatest swordsmen and swordswomen would call impressive. Not only that, but their weapons couldn't have been anything but magical, able to cleave through those Grimm with ease whereas she could barely scratch one. And then to top everything off, there was the encounter with the giant Beowolf. Just how was Green and the others able to take even a glancing hit and even stand up, let alone fight just as hard as they have previously. And speaking of the Beowolf…
A chill went down her spine as she remembered the massive wolf monstrosity. She wasn't unnerved by the obviously unnatural appearance nor its astounding strength and durability. It was the obvious intelligence concealed behind its red hatred-filled eyes. She wasn't blind to the change that came over the Grimm when the giant Beowolf arrived. Where the beasts once threw themselves blindly into blades of the defenders, they then coordinated their attacks, pushing back her rescuers and almost assuredly would have defeated them had she not provided her own tactical aid.
The titanic Risen the Shepherds fought was bigger and stronger, however it was simply a mindless beast like its smaller kin. It was trivial luring it into a trap that negated all of its advantages and exacerbated its weaknesses. The giant Beowolf on the other hand proved itself to not only be a skilled fighter, but rather clever in its strategy. Pin down the strongest fighter and interfere with the others' ability to coordinate against it.
The question she asked herself when bloodied on the ground came back. Where the hell was she? She had never heard of intelligent monsters who were far too similar to the Risen for her liking nor of magnificently skilled warriors with equally impressive weapons who fought said monsters. Even if they were in a secluded part of the world, she'd have thought she'd hear even rumors of them. She found herself once again longing for her companions, for her friends, for the ever-joyful smile of her son and the gentle touch of her lover. She felt an ache in her chest that hurt worse, hurt deeper than her ribs. Gods I want to see them again.
She let out a deep sigh. But first I have to know what the hell those beasts are and where I am. Know more about the situation here than leave for Ylisse. I can't in good consciousness leave these people to fight these monsters. And if these Grimm become a threat to Ylisse…
She suddenly became aware that her right arm was itchy as well as an incessant beeping noise. Opening her eyes once more, she finally took in her surroundings.
She was on a bed with an inclined head lifting her upper body. While it wasn't soft, it was comfortable enough. She was currently dressed in a loose-fitting gown which felt uncomfortably breezy, though fortunately someone had draped a blanket over her to protect her modesty. Her right arm was slung over her chest, and her upper arm was bound in a cast. She felt the constriction of various bandages on her legs, torso, and left arm.
The room itself was fairly homely despite being mostly plastered in an off-white color. Strewn throughout the walls were various paintings and pictures that looked to be from children. To her right was the door as well as several wooden chairs with cushions. To the left were some cabinets and several odd-looking devices. The first to catch her attention had a green line that jumped in time with the beeping she heard. Coming from it was a wire that lead to a clamp on her thumb. Next to the device was a clear bag filled with blood, which was connected to her wrist through a tube. She gingerly lifted her left arm. So that's how they took care of the blood loss.
Before she could continue examine it further she heard the door squeak open. Turning her head revealed a middle-aged blonde woman in a white coat and yellow shirt. In her hands was a clipboard.
"Careful with that," the woman said, tilting her head toward Robin's wrist. "Don't want to lose all the blood we put back in." Despite the flippant words her face was curved in a kind smile that Robin couldn't help but return.
"But what if I wanted to try a new look? I'm sure plastery-white skin goes well with the gown I'm wearing."
The woman couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head. "Looks like we got a wise one here. In any case, my name is Doctor Chamomile, what is yours?"
"Robin. I'd shake your hand, but I'm a bit tied up at the moment."
"I can see," she answered as she wrote down something. "So how are you feeling right now?"
Robin put on a contemplative expression. It was missing a hand on her chin, but she couldn't pull that off without either excruciating pain or staining her bedsheets crimson. "Well upon consideration, Doctor, I feel like shit."
"I'm not surprised. When Ferrum and the kids dragged you in, you had…" Chamomile looked to her clipboard. "Lacerations on your right arm, several deep cuts on your legs, a broken upper arm bone, several broken ribs, bruised internal organs, and to top everything off a concussion. Honestly I'm surprised you didn't have it worse, considering you were smack dab in the middle of Grimm territory and you don't have an activated Aura."
Robin opened her mouth and then shut it again. She's had worse, but hearing your injuries in such a frank manner was always disconcerting. But there was something Chamomile said that caught her attention. "What's this Aura you're talking about?"
The doctor stared at Robin as if she'd grown a second head. "You…don't know about Aura?"
Shit. "Ah, it's just my…concussion. Having some troubles remembering stuff. Could you jog my memory?" The irony of claiming amnesia wasn't lost on her.
Chamomile didn't look like she bought the lie. Nevertheless, she explained, "Aura is the manifestation of the soul. It is our shield against the darkness that surrounds us and the sword with which we vanquish the demons who seek to kill us." Chamomile paused. "Or at least, that's what Reverend Brindle would say. In any case Aura allows one to enact feats of strength and acrobatics as well as allow one to survive great punishment."
Well that certainly explained how her rescuers were able perform such mind boggling stunts. With this information she could see how they could fight such powerful monsters with ease. "I can certainly see how that is useful."
Chamomile nodded. "Yes, Aura has allowed man to survive the ever-present threat of the Grimm for millennia. It has been with us since the dawn of time." She finished the last sentence with a significant look at Robin.
Robin stared straight ahead. From the way Chamomile spoke Robin's ignorance of Aura was the same as not knowing what the sun was. This brought up many implications she really didn't want to think about right now. Where am I?
Thankfully Chamomile didn't give her the time to think on it more.
"I'm sorry," she said with a sheepish expression. "I've rarely treated a patient I wasn't already familiar with, so apologies if I was a bit too…hostile."
Robin gave her a reassuring smile. "No, it's fine. I can understand how an amnesiac woman coming out of nowhere can appear a little suspicious." It was so long ago that she was irked by Frederick's paranoia. Now she just missed it.
"Alright," Chamomile straightened up as she returned to business. "So with your injuries you'll be bedridden for a couple of weeks, and you'll want to avoid too much physical exertion for several months afterward before your body gets fully healed…"
Robin grimaced at that. That…was a long time. Could I really wait that long before journeying to Ylisse? A traitorous thought added, If Ylisse even exists here.
Chamomile smiled at her as she continued. "…Is what I would be saying if Ferrum hadn't offered to unlock your Aura for you."
"Ferrum?"
"I'm sure you'd recognize him. Plate armor, carries around a big shield?"
"Oh yes, him." Well it's certainly a better name than Knight. Still… "Thank you very much, but…why would you do this for a complete stranger, let alone a suspicious amnesiac?" There was Chrom trusting her to be in the Shepherds despite having no reason to, and then there was Chrom handing out pegasi to every strange woman he finds in fields.
Chamomile gave a short laugh. "This isn't downtown Vale or Mistral, out here the only things you need to worry about are poison ivy and Grimm eating your face off. The former I have ointments for, Aura and a good sword is for the latter. Regardless if you do have any ill intentions, well, you'll find we're capable enough fighters."
Robin thought back to the fighting before she passed out. "Yeah, I can't really argue against that."
"Alright, once your Aura is activated you'll still need to stay in bed and eat lots of nutrients to fuel your Aura. Fortunately the heavy healing should be done in a couple of days, and you'll be as fit as you were before in a week or two." She checked a strange-looking watch on her wrist. "I've already sent Kai to get Ferrum when I saw you were awake. They should be back in a couple of minutes."
The conversation done, Chamomile moved over to check on the devices beside Robin's bed.
"Sooo…Chamomile, was it?" Robin ventured as the eponymous doctor swapped the bag of blood to a new one.
"Yes, and before you ask, I prefer coffee instead."
"Ah." Robin had heard of coffee before, it was a drink brewed from the beans of the same name in the forests near the Mila Tree. While it was mostly a Valm thing, sometimes merchants would bring the drink over to Ylisse. "Do you prefer Doctor or Chamomile or…?"
"While I do have a medical degree, I find that 'doctor' is vastly overselling what I do here. So just plain 'Chamomile' is fine, Robin."
Robin nodded. "So can you tell me a bit about this place, Chamomile?"
"Oh that's right, you were unconscious when you arrived here." Chamomile turned to her with a smile. "Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the fine little village of Endurance. Home to pumpkins, pumpkin wine, and drunks."
Robin gave a polite chuckle. "So why Endurance?"
"Well the village's original name was Pumpkin Patch after all the pumpkins the village founders saw. That was about…hmm…maybe sixty-ish years ago? Anyway, things were going pretty badly. Most of the original population was dead within three years and people had stopped coming to the town within five. There were constant Grimm attacks, the defenses were always in need of repair, and every day it was like there was one more empty house. But the town held on. Barely.
"Then there was a really, really bad Grimm attack. They came in numbers that the villagers had never seen before, spearheaded by the biggest Arachnolisk anyone had ever laid eyes on. All seemed lost; Pumpkin Patch would suffer the same fate as many other villages before it…"
Chamomile paused dramatically, before staring straight at Robin.
"That is, if a certain shield-wielding Hunter hadn't arrived at the village not one day earlier. He lead the defense against the Grimm and even single-handedly fended off the giant Arachnolisk himself. This of course, made him a hero to the villagers, who all promptly got drunk off of pumpkin wine during the victory party."
She glanced at her watch. "Hmph, I'm glad I wasn't there. Those hangovers must have been a bitch." They both shared a chuckle at that.
"Heh, I can relate to post-victory hangover syndrome." So Ferrum saved this village and the Grimm have destroyed enough villages and towns that it wasn't out of the ordinary. Robin was getting some good information. Let's see if I can push for more. "So what happened after?"
Chamomile opened her mouth before the sound of a bell chimed. "Looks like we'll have to continue story time later," she said as she made for the door. Robin heard two distinct muffled voices: the first was that of a teenage girl and who, from the little Robin heard, was very energetic, a near-endless stream of words that was only interrupted by the much calmer and deeper second voice, which Robin linked to Ferrum's voice.
The doctor had just opened the door by the time the duo reached Robin's room. A blue-haired girl literally burst through the opening, throwing out a, "Hey Chamy~!" before dropping herself onto one of the stools. Upon closer inspection Robin was surprised to see it was Kai from before, still wearing her blue shirt and skirt. From her actions on the battlefield Robin had Kai originally pegged as someone like Lucina: serious and stoic.
In just five seconds Kai shattered that image, swinging her legs back and forth while humming a tune. If anything, Kai was much more like Morgan, always needing to be in motion. The curly blue hair certainly didn't help the parallels.
Ferrum entered soon after, greeting Chamomile with a polite, "Hello, doctor." Instead of his armor, Ferrum wore a dark red jacket with a white shirt that had blue writing Robin couldn't make out. Underneath he wore dark brown pants held up by a black belt and boots.
He gave a kind smile to Robin. "Good ta see you awake, miss. Hope the good doctor treated ya well. If ya hadn't already gathered, the name's Ferrum. Ferrum Rubidigo."
Robin opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted by by Kai, who leaped out of the stool. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, sorry! I'm Kai!"
She threw out her hand and held it there for a good five seconds before realizing Robin's current state. She jerked it back with a sheepish expression. "Oh sorry! Sorry, I, uh, didn't realize you're, um…"
Robin shared a chuckle with the other adults. "It's alright Kai. My name's Robin, and it's a pleasure to meet you two. Thank you very much for rescuing me, I'd have died if it wasn't for you."
"Well miss, ya certainly looked like death when we carried ya in. Now, the doctor already told ya my offer of unlocking yer Aura, but fer politeness I'll ask ya myself. Do ya want me to unlock yer Aura?"
"I'm assuming this comes with some caveats, otherwise you wouldn't be asking me my consent."
Ferrum smiled. "Yer a smart one, ain'tcha. Having an unlocked Aura implies yer gonna help fight against the Grimm, 'specially out here in the wilderness. If ya don't wish ta fight, then well…I certainly won't think less of ya, considerin' how beat up you were."
Robin appreciated the sentiment, but she had already made up her mind long before anyone had entered the room. "I can't let anyone fight and die on my behalf while I sit around and do nothing. If there's a way I can actually fight those beasts on an even level, I'll take it."
Chamomile nodded in approval while Kai and Ferrum smiled at her resolve. "Alright, that's enough dilly-dally. Let's get started."
"Ah, Kai," Chamomile interrupted. "Don't you have to go with Lincoln and Ivory to patrol the fields?"
"Aw but they can wait." Robin thought that Kai looked familiar with that pout on her face, but couldn't quite place it. "Come on, I always miss seeing someone's Aura unlocked, I'm not missing it now!"
"It's rude to keep yer friends waiting Kai," Ferrum admonished the younger girl.
In response Kai gave the look. Robin was very familiar with the look. Whenever he was denied an activity or object, Morgan would often give the look to his parents, who'd try to resist yet ultimately failed. Every single time. How was Robin supposed to fight those puppy dog eyes?
Chuckling, Ferrum acquiesced, ruffling the girl's blue hair. "Alright, but when I'm done, yer headed straight outside."
"Yay!"
With a grin, Ferrum once again turned to Robin. "Sorry for the delay, miss. Now, close yer eyes and concentrate on my voice."
She complied, and she felt him place his hands on Robin's forehead and chest, and she winced slightly from the tiny spike of pain in her ribs. Suddenly despite her shut eyes, Ferrum once again blazed into her eyes, a flaming light of stalwart silver with flecks of rusty red dancing in and out. Entranced by the sight, she almost didn't realize he was speaking as well.
"…in passing that we achieve immortality…"
Robin felt something within her trying to respond, and she noticed herself glowing as well, a paltry purple light compared to Ferrum's own, trying to spark itself brighter yet unable to do so; too weak and too fragile.
"…through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all…"
She saw Ferrum's light sending tendrils of itself over to her own faint glow, hands that connected to her own and through which flowed energy and life that fed the spark, nurturing it and encouraging it to grow.
"…infinite in distance and unbound by death…"
She saw, she felt her light reacting, expanding, becoming more. The connection stayed firm, but it no longer needed to fuel the spark, for it had become a roaring fire of its own, a blazing beacon of life. Instead she felt the silver and red light guide it like a trough that brought life-giving water to a farmer's fields, molding it and shaping it.
"…I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."
And then the connection was cut, and Robin opened her eyes once more. Ferrum was bracing his hands on his knees and panting a bit, an aura of silver and red fading away. "Whoo, always takes a bit outta ya." Accepting a drink from Kai, who looked like someone had given her a pegasus for her birthday, he asked Robin, "So miss, how're ya feelin'?"
Looking down, Robin saw that she was wreathed in her own light, an aura of the vibrant purple she saw. Everything still hurt, every injury still making itself known, but despite that she felt…how could she describe it? She felt, more, a sense of fullness and harmony with what she could only describe was her soul. An idle thought thanked that they had killed Grima beforehand.
"That was…certainly an experience." Her glow eventually faded, and Robin felt a small pang of disappointment. "So my Aura is 'unlocked' now?"
Chamomile answered her question. "Yes, however with the injuries you've received it will still be a while before you've fully healed. I've already detailed my estimation for your recovery, so I'll go ahead and start cooking some nutrition for you."
Robin was surprised at that, to say the least. "You'll cook for me? But aren't you a doctor?"
Chamomile held up a hand and smiled. "Like I said, 'doctor' is too fancy a title for what I do. And besides, I don't have any other patients and it's almost lunchtime anyway."
Kai popped in with her own comment. "Yeah! Chamy always makes the best lasagna. You'll love it, I know it."
"Alright Kai, you've seen what ya wanted. Now go on! Yer friends're waitin' fer ya."
"Ugh fine dad! See ya Robin!" Despite her words, Kai placed a quick kiss on Ferrum's cheek and sped off through the door, followed by Chamomile.
Just before she passed the threshold, she called out to Ferrum. "Ah, Ferrum, I need to speak with you regarding your pills."
"Alright. 'Scuse me miss, I'll be back inna moment."
When the door closed Robin had an opportunity to reflect once more. She gingerly lifted her left hand, staring at it as if to will the—her, Robin corrected herself—Aura to show itself once more. "Manifestation of the soul, huh?"
Out of all the implications of such an ability, out of everything she experienced as Ferrum unlocked her Aura, Robin's mind for some reason focused on an inane detail. "So my soul's colored purple, apparently."
It was honestly such a little detail that, from the little Robin learned, didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, yet she kept pondering on it more and more, dominating her thoughts. She started to wonder color the other Shepherds' souls would be, which naturally included the future children, which segued into soul color heredity of all things. What was the criteria that determined the color of the soul? If a mother had a red soul and the father a blue, would the child be a purple-colored soul or something completely different?
She was thankfully disturbed from her tangent by the door opening once more, revealing Ferrum. "Sorry about that, miss, needed to do some business with the doc. I'll accompany ya while the doc's cookin' up some lunch."
"I appreciate the gesture, but you really don't need to do this."
"Nonsense! I ain't gonna leave an injured woman to the second worst fate known ta man."
"Which is?"
"Boredom." He gave a hearty chuckle, and Robin couldn't help but join in.
Ferrum pulled up a chair to sit next to Robin. As he did so, Robin asked, "So…you're Kai's father?"
Ferrum chuckled. "Indeed I am. Not by blood, if that's what yer askin', but she's my daughter all the same. Her parents died inna Grimm attack when she was young, 'n I decided ta take her in." He shook his head, a happy smile on his face. "Best decision of my life, if I do say so myself."
Robin grinned in response. "I can certainly imagine that." If Kai was anything like Morgan, which was very likely from what Robin had seen of her, her boundless enthusiasm and optimism would always be a source of joy.
Ferrum must have noticed the recognition on her face as he asked, "Ya have one of yer own?"
Shit, she didn't want to reveal that. "Ah, I do. I haven't seen him in a while, but he's the light of my life."
Ferrum leaned back. "Mmm. They're always a handful aren't they." He looked at her in the eye. "Forgive me fer askin', but why'd ya leave him?"
Robin stared ahead. "There was…there were circumstances outside of my control. I didn't want to leave him alone. I never wanted to leave him. But I had to."
The room was silent save for the rhythmic beeping of the machines next to her. Ferrum finally popped in, his voice taking on a reassuring tone. "I'm sure wherever he is, he's mighty proud of his mother."
Robin smiled at him. "Thank you."
"Speakin' a which, where're ya from? Yer quite a ways off from anywhere important."
How do I answer this… "I'm from Ylisse. It's quite…isolated from here. You may not have heard of it."
"Indeed I haven't. Mind tellin' me what it's like?"
"Well, it's a peaceful place, though in the recent years we were forced to take up arms. The people there are wonderful though; I made some of my closest friends in Ylisse." The Shepherds were more than her friends. They were her family. They gave her meaning and direction in her life where she had none, accepted her as one of their own despite great reasons not to.
"This Ylisse certainly sounds like a swell place, miss. I'd love ta visit sometime." Ferrum leaned back, stretching old arms. "But, I've got obligations here. 'Sides I'm too old; won't survive the journey."
Robin raised an amused eyebrow. "Ah, so the shield's really just an elaborate crutch."
Ferrum laughed at that. "At times it does feel like one."
They lapsed into silence then. Ferrum looked to be in deep thought, and Robin herself was lost in reminiscence. For a while only the steady beeping of the machines filled the room.
"Robin, when're ya gonna stop lyin' ta us?"
Robin was shocked out of her thoughts, whipping her head toward Ferrum and uttering an eloquent, "W-what?"
Ferrum locked his eyes with her own, his tone serious. "Robin, I may be old but I ain't senile nor stupid."
Robin took a deep breath. "Ferrum, I haven't told you a lie since we started talking."
"Hmph, lyn' by omission's still lyn' Robin. Now, don't get me wrong; I ain't one ta assume the worst. Ya seem like a good woman; ya can't fake that emotion I heard when ya were talkin' about yer son. But I betcha even you know that the circumstances around yer arrival are mighty suspicious. As the protector of this village I can't take chances with suspicious people around here. Not with the Grimm around."
Robin sighed. "Well I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, seeing as I'm bedridden and you're capable of stopping several ton trees."
"My apologies fer springin' this on ya so suddenly. Normally I don't give every newcomer the third degree, but not only didja appear outta the blue, but ya were ignorant of even the basic facts of the world. Every child knows about Aura since the day they can speak, and there's never been a place a' peace in this world; the closest we got are the Four Kingdoms, an' even then they're constantly besieged by the Grimm," Ferrum explained.
"I understand ya don't want to throw yer whole life's story out to some stranger. But fer my peace a' mind, could ya explain ta me where the hell're ya from and how ya ended up here?"
Robin lied back into the bed. It was…disconcerting, to be caught so off guard. As a Tactician, she had always had contingencies, backup plans and backups for the backup plans. The only time she had been utterly blindsided was when she was possessed by Validar to betray her companions and steal the Fire Emblem. That hadn't been a good experience for anyone involved. In any case, she berated herself for making too many slip ups, a factor she grudgingly attributed to her lingering concussion.
Back to the matter at hand… Did she want to go full disclosure? To give out her history, which rather depressingly only went back a couple of years. Damn amnesia. It would make more sense to lie, to fabricate a likely story. But to do that she needed information, information she lacked aside from a couple of trivial facts. No doubt Ferrum would be able to pick apart any false claim she'd come up with.
On the other hand, Robin was forced to face the reality that…that she probably couldn't return to Ylisse. That she won't…that she'll have to wait before seeing her friends, her family again. It was…a hard thought to stomach, to accept. I'm sorry, Morgan, Lucina, she thought uselessly.
She banished those thoughts. It was no time to dwell on the past, on lost possibilities. This was a different world. A world that didn't seem to have Naga nor Grima, no Ylisse, Plegia, or Valm. In essence, a blank slate for her. What harm would come of telling the truth? At worst she'd be mocked for being delusional.
Robin took a deep breath. "Well Ferrum, you asked for an explanation, I'll give you one. I hope you don't have anywhere to be soon, because this is a long one."
And so Robin explained her story, from the day she awoke in a random field to the night she sacrificed herself to fell the Fell Dragon. She left out much of the details, but she kept the broad strokes: Awakening to a welcoming hand, fighting undead beasts known as the Risen and meeting the mysterious "Marth", the war with Plegia, her failure to save the ruler of Ylisse and the sister of her best friend, the two years of peace and the birth of Lucina, the Valmese invasion and the reveal of a terrible future by "Marth", in actuality a grown-up Lucina who traveled back to the past to prevent Grima's rise, the grueling war with Valm and Walhart the conqueror, the desperate race to stop the cult of the Grimleal, the final battle atop the Fell Dragon's back, and her sacrifice to end Grima once and for all.
"…Then I woke up here, and you can guess what happened next."
As she finished the meticulous beeping once again filled the room as Ferrum processed the story. Robin reached for the glass of water Ferrum had laid to her left. Finally he said, "Ya know, when I asked ya two days ago fer how ya pissed off all those Grimm, I didn't expect anything like this."
Robin gave him a neutral expression. "So you don't believe me?"
Ferrum put up a placating hand. "Nah don't get me wrong, miss. Certainly explains all those weird books we found."
Robin perked up at that. "Oh, you found my tomes? I had written those off as a loss."
"Yep, partly how we were able ta find ya. That an' the trail a' destruction. The doc's got those and yer other belongings stored away fer ya."
Ferrum glanced at the clock. "In any case, I expect ya want ta find a way back ta yer world. I'm afraid I'm the last person who can help ya there. Hoppin' between worlds ain't anythin' but science fiction here."
Of course. Robin expected it, steeled herself against it, but in the end it still hurt, hurt so much. She took a deep breath. "…I know, I thought that might be the case." She turned to him, trying to put on a confident smile. She wasn't sure if she succeeded. "But, I already promised to help out against the Grimm. I wouldn't change my mind even if I had a way back."
Ferrum returned her smile, placing a reassuring hand on Robin's shoulder. "I like yer gumption, miss. Don't worry, I'm sure yer friends n' family are fine. From yer words they're a hardy bunch."
"Yeah…" She knew he meant well. But she also knew her absence would leave a hole, a gaping void in her family's hearts that wouldn't be so easily filled. Gods I miss them already. And from the heavy feeling in her chest, her own as well.
The squeaking of the chair signalled Ferrum's imminent departure. "Well, miss, I've gotta be off. I'll see ya around soon." With that, the door closed, leaving Robin alone with her thoughts. So lost she was that she didn't notice the wetness trailing down her cheek.
I miss them so much.
A/N: Alright, here's the first update to Azure Bonds. I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story so far, thanks for all the follows and favorites and reviews and such.
Before anyone comments that she's giving up too easily on returning to Ylisse, keep in mind she's rather overwhelmed at the moment and she's not functioning at 100%.