*Ahem* Hello everyone,
So I have some good news. The story is officially off of hiatus and back at full production. Somethings have changed in my life that allow me to spend more time writing and continue with the story. Hopefully, updates will be quicker than they have been over the last few months as well.
Though, I would like to thank you for sticking with me through the bumps in the road. I appreciate it. Also, we have hit over 200 favorites 250 follows and passed our one year anniversary of this story. It truly is incredible and I am very thankful for everyone's support. (Oh, and the previous chapter has been updated so you may want to give it a reread.)
So without further delay, I present the next chapter!
...
Robin tried to take a moment to relax and figure out what was going on as he sat down at the meeting hall. It couldn't be past nine in the morning and yet the day already seemed to drag on at an incredibly slow pace.
Sitting directly to his right at the table was Lucina, and to his left at the head was Chrom with Sumia beside him. Tiki was sitting opposite to Robin and her stares were very unnerving. Not to mention all the other Ylssean shepherds sitting around the large rectangular oak table.
"Can I get you anything?" Sumia smiled and asked politely to Tiki.
Tike raised her hand and said, "No thank you. Your generous hospitality is enough."
Chrom waited for a moment and said, "Are you sure everything is okay? Because we would be happy to-"
"Everything is fine." Tiki said calmly and smiled back. "You have done me enough kindness to last a life time. That is why I wish to repay that debt someday."
...
"Milady, we could never ask anything of you." Lucina said sincerely. "We are already eternally grateful for your help in our darkest hours. We are the ones that are indebted to you."
Tiki smiled and closed her eyes as if in deep thought. When she reopened them again she was staring directly at Robin with a gaze that made him feel really uncomfortable. "Robin, I sense something is troubling you. Is everything alright?"
He stammered and searched for something to say as Tiki's pressing eyes grew stronger on his nerves, "Of course. I have been a little under the weather lately, but my lovely wife has been there to look after to me.
"I see." Tiki closed her eyes again and frowned. "How long have you been stricken by an illness Robin?
"Er well, stricken is such a strong word. I wouldn't say-"
"About two months." Lucina said somberly. "We have reason to believe that he's been cursed by a powerful dark magic."
"Oh?" Tiki said without any emotion.
Lissa interjected and said, "I have examined him for a while now. He shows no signs of any sickness or injury, but Henry said he could see the dark power hovering around him.
"...Yes... I can see it too."
"What?" Lucina said alarmed
"It is a very powerful curse indeed." Tiki muttered quietly. "Even now it is waiting for the best time to strike again. It is a strong hex that matches the power of my mother's abilities. No doubt Grima cast it on Robin in his last dying moments.
Everyone froze in position as Tiki paused. The meeting hall was dead silent and no one dared gather the courage to speak up after hearing such ghoulish news. Even now Grima was haunting their world from the grave.
"I can also sense a great deal of concern in this room for Robin. None stronger than the amount of fear in your heart." Tiki sighed in pain and gave a concerned look to Lucina.
L-Lady Tiki." She stuttered struggling to compose herself.
Lissa jumped out of her seat and yelled in hysteria "There has to be something we can do to stop it!"
"Yeah, there must be something!" Sumia cried in hope.
"I will fly to the ends of the world if necessary to aid in Robin's recovery." Cordelia pledged as the chatter picked up in them room. Soon everyone was yelling and shouting to each other.
Don't forget ol' teach! I will fight the curse myself with my bare hands!"
Tiki clasped her hands together and looked around at the frantic and hysteric crowd. Everyone showed the same fierce determination that they did when she had first met them. It was heart warming to see so many people ready to jump at a moments notice to help any way necessary … "Just like the Mar-Mar and his friends" she thought to herself.
After awhile, she stood up from her chair and waited for everyone to settle down. Taking a deep breath, she said with a loud and calming voice, "The curse. While it is very powerful, it can be treated. For the time being, Robin will be able to return to a normal life."
Lucina and Robin both instantly turned to one another sharing a strong gaze while tightly holding hands. Lucina was doing all she could to hold herself together, and Robin was still in shock.
Chrom let out a deep exhale and said relieved, "Thank the Heavens."
"H-how sah-sssoon can we do this?" Lucina asked both relieved and near tears.
"I can prepare his first treatment later today. Though, I am afraid it is not an easy process.'"
Robin opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to when he looked back at his wife. It was probably better that he asked the question later. Instead he said, "I don't care how difficult it is. I'll do it.
Tiki nodded and looked back at everyone. "Then I should get some rest so I'll be ready for the incantation. Lord Chrom, if you don't mind, I could use a room to retire in for a while."
"Oh." Chrom said surprised and immediately got up from his chair. "Yes of course. I'll escort you to our finest room."
Tiki raised her hand and shook her head, "Any room would suffice." She moved away from the table and pushed her chair back in. "Though I must apologize. I am sure you have many questions, but I must save my strength for the ceremony."
"We understand." Sumia replied.
Tiki smiled and looked over the group of shepherds one last time while ending her gaze at the concerned couple. "Oh and Robin, please say hello to Morgan for me. I was hoping to see her, but I suppose that can wait until later.
"O-okay."
...
A few hours later.
"How are you feeling Morgan?" Lucina asked as the tired young tactician lay lifeless in her bed. After running to exhaustion, Frederick had to carry her back to her room and even now she still couldn't move as lunch time approached.
"Sore."
"Heh, I never thought I would see the day when you were out of energy." Robin joked.
"Ennng." Morgan grumbled in between the pain of exhaustion.
Robin laughed at his daughter's expense, but soon patted her on the arm to comfort her and said. "I know it hurts, but make a point to stretch your muscles when you can. It will help you heal faster.
"... Okay." Morgan said hesitantly. Just the thought of stretching made her muscles ache. "Unng, … by the way, what did Frederick want earlier?"
"Oh, he was sent to tell me that Tiki had stopped by for a visit."
"Tiki is here?" Morgan said surprised.
"Yeah, and she said she is looking forward to seeing you later."
"Really?"
Lucina nodded her head and said, "Mhm, which means you should listen to your father so you can recover in time to see her.
"... Okay, I will try." Morgan squinted her eyes and tried to stretch her legs. She was met with excruciating pain and a sound of her knee popping. "Nnnnnggg" she gritted her teeth and howled as her body screamed at her. The young tactician took deep breaths as she struggled to keep from giving up. Eventually the pain was just too much and she collapsed back to a lifeless state. "... Ow … ..."
"Where does it hurt the most?" Lucina asked concerned
"In my right leg." She sighed
Lucina leaned over and gently placed her hand on Morgan' lower thigh. She carefully and slowly began to massage the very tense muscles with her soft hands. "... Is that helping?"
"Ung, Yes, augh." Morgan closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists. She could feel her muscles start to break up and slowly relax a little. The gentle and warm hands seemed to melt away the pain for at least a moment and gave her some peace of mind.
"She is incredible at giving massages right?" Robin asked with a grin on his face. "I can't count how many times she has done the same for me and saved me a lot of pain." He moved a little closer to Lucina and kissed her on the cheek.
The cerulean haired princess blushed a little and accidentally pressed a little too hard on Morgan's leg which caused the young tactician to jump in surprise. "Er, sorry sweetie."
"It's okay." Morgan grunted. "But speaking of which. Could I hear more about your story since I am stuck like this for a while?" She pleaded with a sincere look in her eyes
Robin smiled and said, "Of course."
He cleared his throat and took a moment to gather his thoughts before saying,
As night fell in Valm, Lucina and I spent time in the war tent to discuss tactics. Since she agreed to be my back up tactician in case the worst happened, I needed to find out how much she already knew, and what she needed to learn.
...
"So what would you do in this position?" I asked and pointed to the map. We were both sitting in chairs about six feet apart from each other in front of the circular table. Meanwhile Lucina spent a long time staring at the map with heavy concentration trying to find the best option.
"Um, I would send Vaike and Stahl to hold the position." She called out unsure and looked at me with little confidence in her plan.
"... ...Okay." I sighed.
"It's not very good is it?" She said disappointed.
I scratched the back of my head and made sure not to make eye contact. "No, no, it is a good plan. A solid one that would work most of the time. It is just not a move I would make."
"Why not?" She asked curiously.
"Well, the thing is. It is a little too predictable. It is very effective and would be successful most of the time, but it does come at a few risks. Like for instance, Vaike would be better paired with Lon'qu or Nowi in this situation. Their fighting styles mix better together."
"Oh, okay." Lucina nodded and looked back at the board. "I didn't know that it made such a big difference."
"You'd be surprised." I laughed. " Also, remember the number one rule of being a tactician is to make the enemy feel like they are going to win. You want to make them feel like they actually have a chance."
"Huh? But isn't the goal to crush their morale?" She asked confused.
"Well yeah, but let me ask you something." I leaned forward in my chair and said. "If you believed you would lose a battle and receive significant casualties...Would you fight in that battle?"
"Of course not. Too many people would die in vain because of it."
"Exactly." I pointed out. "Why fight a battle you do not think you can win? It doesn't make sense and makes them look for another alternative.
Lucina thought it over for a moment while staring intently at the board, "I understand... I think."
"Here, let me explain it another way. When Anna sells her equipment to potential customers, she already knows a lot about the item. She knows how it works, its strengths, and its flaws. Her job is to convince her buyer that the strengths outweigh the flaws."
"... Okay, but how do I do that?" She asked and looked up to me in curiosity.
"Well it will take some time practice, but after a while you will start to see ways to confuse the enemy without even thinking." I mentioned and pointed to a ridge on the outskirts of the battle field. "Like right here. This is a perfect sniping spot for archers."
"But isn't the ridge away from the battle?" Lucina questioned.
"Yeah, that is why you order your troops to slowly fight towards that ridge. You move the battlefield without the enemies consent and then rain arrows down on their army."
Lucina looked back and focused all of her attention on the board. I could tell she was struggling with the concept and decided to slow down a little. "Anyways, the goal is to trick the opponent as much as possible. The less the enemy knows, the more successful the battle will be.
Lucina paused for a moment and sighed. She shook her head and gripped her hands tightly as if in pain and very frustrated.
"Don't worry, you will get the hang of it." I said encouragingly. "No need to be hard on yourself considering it is your first time learning this."
"... No, it's not that." Lucina said disappointed. "It just seems very... wrong."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"It seems wrong to try to trick the enemy. There is no honor in trying to stab an enemy in the back by deceiving them." She looked me in the eyes and clutched her heart with her right hand.
"But there is no honor in a war." I replied back very gravely. "Either way hundreds will die because of the battle. Our goal is to make sure it is not our side that takes the large share of the losses."
"I know. I know." She sighed, "I just find it unsettling. It's not like we are fighting mindless Risen."
"Well I suppose I can't disagree with you there. But I find the reason we deceive to be far more noble. You and I are fighting for a better world. A peaceful one without the fear of destruction and harm. Not only do we want to stop the future from being a dark one, but we also want to protect our friends in the process. … What could be more honorable than that?"
Lucina paused for a long time and thought it over. This was not an easy thing to adapt to and I am sure it conflicted with a lot of her ideals. She sighed and said depressed, "You're right... But than again you always seem to be right." She grabbed her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment.
"... We can stop for the night if you have a headache." I offered seeing as how hard see was taking these lessons.
"No, its fine. I need to keep going or I won't be able to help you or the Shepherds." She said very determined.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I am fine. Please continue." she insisted and focused her attention back at the table.
"Alright" I said unsure and looked back at her to see she was trying to hide her stress. It was a new experience for me because normally I was the one trying to hide my pain or frustration. "Er, but Lucina, there is something you should know before we continue."
"What's that?"
"You can't think like a tactician when you are with the people you care for."
"I don't follow." She said very confused.
"I mean, you can't look at Vaike or Stahl like some piece on a board when you hold a conversation with them. You don't have to manipulate the conversation to your favor, and you don't have to worry about being yourself. Being a tactician, and being a sincere friend are completely different aspects of my life. Neither of which I can ever let cross over into either field."
"...But isn't that hard switching from one personality to the next?" Lucina inquired "How do you go from being honest and gentle around friends to a master manipulator on the battlefield?"
"Because when I think of Chrom, Sumia or someone like you. I know they will always be honest with me. They would never intentionally try to harm me or do something to hurt others. They also trust me to do the same so I have nothing to hide with them. I can be carefree and allow more friendly thoughts to occupy my mind. I can be who I truly am around them, and they accept me for it. That is one my most valuable treasures in this world, and I have no intention of letting my job ruin it for me."
Lucina looked down at the ground and then back at me with some sorrow in her eyes. "So you do what you can to try to protect them. Even if it means you have to go against your wishes to do so."
I nodded slowly and said, "Yes. Being a tactician is the best thing I can do to help protect everyone. It is what I am good at, even though it does come with its costs. If I could, I would fight under honorable terms. But too many good people would die because of it. Too many people I care about.
…
...
"Interesting." The princess looked back up with me with a faint smile on her lips. "It seems like every time I meet you there is something more admirable about you."
"Heh, well I try." I laughed and waved it off. "Deep down I am just a fool with dreams of grandeur"
"Robin, there is nothing foolish about that." She replied back sincerely. "It is a very praiseworthy aspiration.
I smiled back and nodded. "Ha, well at least it makes me happy to know that other people share my dream. Regardless if I am a fool or not, I have others who want the same peace I desire."
Lucina's smile grew wider and her flawless face glowed a little brighter. She seemed genuinely pleased to hear that, and her gleaming face left me speechless. I had seen her smile before, but it was fake. This however was truly genuine, and very beautiful.
...
"Robin, is something troubling you?" She asked puzzled.
"Er, um no. Everything is fine." I stammered and tried to kick myself under the table. "It is just that I never seen you like that before."
"Hmm? Like what?"
"Er, it's just that most of the time you are so serious looking. It's nice to see you smile for a change." I said warmly.
Now it was Lucina's turn to remain speechless as she thought it over. She looked down at the ground in amazement and tried to understand what just happened. It must have been just as new of an experience for her as it was for me. "I suppose I share your sentiment Robin. It's refreshing to know that people other than my parents also share my dream."
"Yes, it is." I smiled back. *Ahem* "But uh, I think that is enough for tonight. We have a big battle tomorrow and we both need to be rested for it."
"Right." Lucina's expression changed back to a serious and determined tone. "Are you sure your leg will be strong enough for tomorrow?"
"I'll be fine." I reassured her about my injured leg. "Besides, if anything goes wrong I know my partner will be there to back me up."
Lucina faintly smiled again and moved away from the war map. "Very well. I'll see you again tomorrow Robin. Make sure to have good nights rest."
"You too." I waved goodbye and slowly got out of my chair while resting all of my weight on my good leg. The princess was already out of sight by the time I made it to the exit of the war room.
"She has a lot of potential" I said to myself as I limped back. "With some time, I am sure she will be more capable than Frederick … ... Hopefully though, I wont need a replacement." I shrugged and looked back at my bandaged leg.
A thousand things occupied my mind on the long walk back to my tent. But for some reason, her sincere smile would reoccupy my thoughts a few times despite my best efforts to forget it.