Off topic: I apologize that this chapter is shorter than the first one, I'll remedy that in the third chapter(it will also be the final chapter). Please leave reviews and/or thoughts. Also, feel free to PM me feedback on any of Redemption's chapters. Thank you, and have a nice read.

Redemption

Past that imprisoned his eyes

Anxious atmosphere descended upon them all. Robin had been silent far too long. Something was wrong, but no one of them could name the problem. Not even Lucina. She was troubled for her husband, and the news that he would share. She played with her hair nervously, looking at Robin that was now averting their gazes.

The former tactician was now a shadow of his former self, for reasons unknown to even her. It couldn't be that one time that I threatened to kill him, could it, she thought. But no, Robin had nor even once brought that thing up again. It was like he had forgotten about it.

But this man, this sweet purple-haired man that was her all was acting so strangely now.

Robin lifted his head up slowly, as if in a trance. His eyes were full of sadness, and Lucina had hard time fathoming the depth of it. It was like he had been consumed by his grief all of a sudden.

He was confused. We are only going to leave for a short while, aren't we Robin? Why do you seem so sad, then?

"I.. have indeed something to say", Robin said. His voice couldn't keep steady, and it almost broke at the beginning of his sentence. Nervous air was easily distinguishable in that moment, as everyone was holding their breath. The darkness of Robin's sorrow threatened to ruin the day.

Chrom gazed at his friend unflinchingly, and Lucina wondered how he could keep his cool in a situation like this, when the person they knew was acting so differently than they were accustomed to during their years of friendship and love. Maybe it was his trust towards Robin that helped him to stay calm. Anxiety was starting to grip her stomach with its sharp claws.

"Our family… Will go to Valm", Robin said.

"Why? How long will you stay there?" Chrom asked. Lucina could see some of his calm facade cracking, and she wondered whether the peace that had been there a moment ago had just been an illusion.

Robin took a deep breath. "Recent reports show that they have trouble keeping all the dynasties in control. A new war threatens to erupt. They need a tactician to organize things, as well as to take care of any military threat to the present regime. It will take years, perhaps even decades, to calm down the situation there." Lucina gasped in surprise - she had not known that the trip would take so long - and disinclined voices filled the dining room.

"Whaaaaaat?"

"I don't want to go, Father!"

"Stupid tactician."

Robin lifted his both hands to gather attention once more. People around the wooden table lowered their voices, except for Owain.

"You are just running away from your Avenger mode!" he shouted. Cynthia kicked Owain's leg, and his shout turned into bitter cursing. Lon'qu gave his son a very stern look. Somebody would get scolded after this, and it wasn't going to be Cynthia.

Robin waited for Owain's voice to quiet down before continuing. "As the world is currently in peace, I find myself hoping that nothing will ever spark such a war as the one we all went through. And as Valm's situation is what it is, I would rather go and put my abilities to use there, making sure that each and every threat is put down once again. Unfortunately... It would mean that Lucina wouldn't be able to see her family for a long time." Robin's voice was genuinely sympathetic, but Lucina shook her head in confusion. Decades? Robin, what is this? She couldn't voice her opinion, as Chrom managed to open his mouth first.

"You would take my daughter, go to Valm, and possibly never return?" He asked with a level but chilling voice. It was very threatening, and everyone in the room sensed the very real possibility of erupting fight.

"Let's hope that isn't the case", Robin said averting his eyes.

"Robin, you dastard!" Chrom shouted. "You know you won't return!" The exalt rushed around the table and grabbed Robin's collar with both hands.

"All these years of friendship through both good times and bad, and now you want to leave us. And for what? Another war!" Lucina, Lon'qu and Sumia rose from their seats, running to take hold of angered Chrom. As they were still pulling him back, Chrom clenched his first and threw it against Robin's head with such strength that the physically weaker man crashed against the chair that Lucina had stood up from. His ribs met its corner awkwardly, and an anguished scream ensued. Robin clutched his ribs in pain.

"Father, what... what did you do?" Lucina shouted, and slapped Chrom to his left cheek. The exalt's eyes widened, but not from anger. As all others still were trying to get their bearings Lucina looked at his prone husband, and stormed out of the room. Robin groaned and made himself rise up, only to hobble after her. Those who stayed in the room looked at each other awkwardly. Morgan was the only one able to react to the catastrophe that had once been their family get-together.

"So…" she said nervously, "does anybody want some cake?"

"Lu!" Lucina heard from behind. "Lu!"

She had already gone out of the house and took brisk steps down the stairs that led to their hilltop house. The granite beneath her steps felt cold, and gave no comfort to the pain that ravaged her insides. It was the same crushing pain that she had not felt since lifting Falchion against her husband.

Tears made their way to her chin, and dripped down in uneven melody. She began to run, over the tufts of grass that grew out of the cracks below, and past the northern cliffside.

Then she heard Robin shout again.

"Lucina!"

She thought about stopping, but decided to continue. Robin had been unfair. He had forced her to choose between her parents and Robin himself. You know, that I don't want to make that choice again, she shouted mentally, and cried out.

She kept running down the steps.

"Don't you…" a shout came above her, "underestimate me!"

Lucina lifted her eyes up and screamed in terror. Her husband had jumped off the cliff so that he could cut off her patch. He had a slight problem, however.

On that height, the jump would be fatal.

"NO!" Lucina shouted, and then everything flashed white; at the same time deafening roar slammed against her ears. For a while Lucina could not see anything, and cried out as if in massive pain.

Then she felt two arms embrace her. She heard a voice.

"…'t ..n ..ay .rom me", it said. As she listened her hearing started to come back, as well as her eyesight. She saw a familiar man with purple hair, and cried out again.

"You madman!" Lucina said, jabbing her husband to stomach. Robin crouched over, seemingly in great pain. Then it dawned on her; her husband was still recuperating from falling awkwardly against that chair.

And still he did that, she thought, looking at the sky and wondering about the fall that Robin had survived. It had been more than fourty feet.

"How.. did you survive?" she asked of her coughing husband while helping him up. He wasn't in any shape to walk, let alone run and jump, she thought. Such a worrisome husband.

"Three… lightning bolts… to the landing zone... at the same time", Robin answered her, still disoriented. He grasped Lucina's shoulder, and with her help, lifted himself up from the crouch he had been in.

"The trick is in the kickback", he said. Lucina had no idea what she had just been told. However, she could see that her husband was holding a spell tome, and deduced that its spell had been used somehow to avert the Operation Splash. This was one of those times that her husband's ingenuity shined in her eyes, making him seem like a hero of the legends. Well, if one did not count the tears of pain, or the fact that Robin was still kind of holding his stomach.

"I couldn't leave you alone in the state that you were in", Robin said. "For the sake of Gods, you even forgot Falchion back home."

Lucina checked her belt. It seemed like playing housewife for a prolonged period made her forget some rather important habits. She resolved to not ever forget her sword back home again.

"You are the one in fault", she said to Robin. He faced her gaze, batting his eyelids as if trying to avoid her gaze that way.

"I admit it."

For a moment neither one said anything, letting the wind move through their hair. It would have been rather idyllic scene, if not for all the emotional baggage. It seemed to Lucina as if her husband didn't want to mention Valm again, so she decided to take the lead.

"I do not want to go to Valm, Robin."

"I know."

"Why do you have to go?" she asked, and caught a grimace on Robin's face. Apparently he was rather troubled at how she oftentimes knew his innermost thoughts, or could at least lessen the possible options to a remarkable degree.

"I have…" he said, leaving his mouth open. Then he closed it, slowly. It couldn't be easy to say it, true, but Lucina hoped that Robin would just come out with it. It would help them to decide their course of action.

Robin took a deep breath, and grim resolve started flashing in his eyes. Here it comes, Lucina thought.

"I have nightmares."

Lucina became very confused.

"Doesn't everybody? Every one of us was a soldier", she said. Killing scarred everyone, even the mightiest ones of them all.

"Not like that", Robin said, his eyes looking somewhere far away now. Lucina could see her husband grit his teeth.

"Every time I go to sleep", Robin said, "I see that one bolt of lightning, piercing his heart, flesh burning around the wound, and him, saying those words. Each night it repeats, and I see what future me did to him. What I did to him! How can I live here, seeing him on occasion, and think that nothing is wrong?"

Lucina looked at him, terrified. Why didn't I know that you had such nightmares? Some wife I am, letting you suffer while I enjoyed our peaceful life. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes, and one gust of wind forced them to flow down once again.

"I am sorry, Robin!" she said, taking her husband into a forceful embrace. "I am sor…ry I... did…not…know", she said crying, her words finally breaking down to pieces and tears drowning her words of consolation like a flood.

Robin looked at her lovingly, while she cried, but his eyes were so pained that no one could have stood their gaze.