"We are back." Robin muttered uncertain as he stood in front of the castle gates as the full moon peaked above them. It was nearing midnight and he had no doubt that Morgan was waiting for him and Lucina to return.
"What are you going to say to Morgan?" Lucina asked knowing that this was not going to end well.
"I'm still working on that." He sighed and saluted to castle sentry to show he was not an impostor or a thief trying to enter the castle.
The gatekeeper called for the gate to be open in the background and the iron bars slowly rose from the paved road to let them in. As they waited, Robin was sure that a young girl would be rushing to greet them the moment they stepped back inside.
"I fear she is going to hate me for the rest of my life." Robin gritted his teeth and shook his head in dismay. "But I just cant do that to her."
"She wont hate you, but I do fear she might be mad at it herself for not being able to do anything else.
"Is that what is what like for you?" he asked worried knowing this was something she struggled with for three years.
"More or less."
Robin lowered his head and clutched his hands in frustration "And if you were in my position right now?"
"... I could never think of asking our daughter to do such a dreadful thing, and yet it is very tempting to know I might be able to spend a full life with my husband." She shook her head in guilt and said, "I honestly don't know dear. But I don't think Morgan will rest until she accomplishes her goal. I was the same way."
The two walked forward passed the newly open gate and headed towards the interior. It was a long and slow walk as they traveled inside the halls and corridors, but surprisingly there was no ambush or tactical maneuver from their daughter upon their arrival.
Seeing as that was out of the ordinary, they made their way to her room and looked to see what was the matter. It took a few minutes to get there, but once they did they opened her door to see a pitch black room with a young girl laying down inside her covers.
"I know that you are still awake Morgan. There is smoke coming from the candle you just blew out." Robin observed as he looked for a match to light the room again. "Not to mention you would not rest until I told you part of the story."
"... I don't want to hear it tonight." She said depressed from her pillow.
"Don't want to hear it?" Robin asked baffled at the girl who was hell bent on hearing that tale every possible opportunity she got. "Who are you and what did you do with my daughter?
She turned to the other side of her bed to look away from him and uttered in disappointment. "Your daughter doesn't exist yet."
"Morgan!" Lucina cried out alarmed but Robin quickly stopped her.
"Well if she did, or perhaps traveled back in time to see me. Then I would do everything I my power to keep her safe and happy."
"Is that why you wish to subject me to seeing you suffer again?" She remarked back.
Robin grimaced and said, "I intend to make the years that I have be more memorable then the moments that will be dim."
"But they don't have to be!" She yelled in anger. "Mother was willing to risk her life to protect her father, so why won't you let me?"
"Because you are not trying to save the world." Robin added and gently moved towards her.
"Father." She lowered her head and asked like an injured puppy. "Why don't you trust me?"
The tactician winced in pain as she looked at him in agony. "What would ever give you that impression?"
"You don't think I will survive. You don't trust me enough to believe I am able to fight it. But I know I will make it! I know that the curse wont beat me. I won't allow it!"
"Just because we trust you doesn't change the fact that we are concerned for you as well." Lucina replied with a motherly care that rivaled Sumia's abilities.
Robin lowered his head and said hesitantly, "There are bigger risks involved than you realize."
"This isn't a matter of risk or probability. It is me facing a weaker opponent and beating it with everyone's support!"
"My fear is you are underestimating this." He sighed and sat down on the side of her bed. "Yes we have stories that describe it, but you don't truly know what it was like to experience something so dark and filled of hate. It is not just about being afraid of you dying, but if you do survive, you wont be the same person you started as. Dark magic can be very corrupting even if it doesn't consume someone."
"I can take it!" She yelled in determination. "Tiki and Sumia are there to support me and so will everyone else once I start. I just need you now."
Robin looked away and said bitterly. "Morgan, do you hate Grima?"
"Whah?" She scrunched her eyes and looked at Robin like he was crazy for asking such a silly question. "Of course I do! He took you away from me and hurt so many others!"
"So what happens when the curse tries to manipulate your hate? How do you plan on breaking the taint it will try to put on you?"
"I'll find a way!"
"And I fear that way will be through more hate and sheer force." Robin shrugged and looked back at his daughter with great care. "That is why I refuse. You haven't experienced this evil Morgan, but I have had to battle it the whole way through. It's not just a matter of will power. It's how you choose to fight it."
"So you can show me the proper way." Morgan cried hopefully.
"Do you honestly expect me to teach you something that would lead to the most painful event you will ever have to experience?" Robin cried in horror.
"And do you think watching my father slowly die a second time will be fun for me?" Morgan countered in alarm. "I have a chance to fix everything. How do you think I will feel if I don't get the chance to do what I came for?"
"I don't know. It's not something I want to think about."
"But it is something I am afraid of."
Robin covered his head with massive migraine "Look Morgan, this is just as hard for me as it is for you. I'm put in a position where I have to make a choice and if I am wrong I lose my daughter. You can at least forgive me for being a little concerned can't you?"
"... I know father, and I really do appreciate that you care so much about me." Morgan lowered her head and clenched her blanket with her hands.
"So can you please just give me a few days to get my thoughts together. I'm not going to promise anything, but there is now way I am going to change my mind without making sure there isn't any other possible alternative. You and Lucina's safety are my top priority and they always will be."
"...Okay..." Morgan said hesitantly. "But I am not going to give up if you don't change your mind."
"I have no doubt about that." Robin shook his head in dismay. "However, give me some peace of mind for the night. Let me tell the next part of the story and recall some happier moments. That is, assuming you still want to hear it"
"... Yes please." She nodded feebly.
Robin took one last deep breath and cleared everything from his mind. For the moment he would be able to ignore everything and get his thoughts back together. He looked back at his wife who had remained silent during most of the conversation and encouraged her to sit down by him. She did so without question and it helped Robin ease his mind to tell the story with her besides him.
After declaring my feelings for your mother you can imagine that both of us felt very awkward around each other during our march to the capital. There were times where I couldn't even look in her eyes because I was so embarrassed and still in shock about what happened. Even when we were alone we were fumbling for what to say.
Somehow we manged to keep ourselves together though. There were still duties we had to maintain and things to oversee. By week's end, we reached the capital and the giant castle walls that separated us from Walhart and his men. The moment we arrived our army surrounded the mammoth walls of the capital to blockade anyone from getting in or out as we tried to decide how we would proceed.
We were not in any rush to attack the castle and we had to build a lot of siege equipment first before we could think of assaulting the walls. We needed battering rams, ladders, and siege towers to even have a chance of breaching the outer defenses. However, those weren't the only things I had in mind for the siege.
…
"Gods, I know we've been here for three days, but every time I look at that monstrous castle I can't help but be concerned." Chrom said in awe as we gazed at the thirty feet high castle walls filled with thousands of archers and impregnable battlements.
"It will be difficult to siege that is for sure. Not to mention Walhart's strongest will be in our way."
"It's a tall order, but I trust you will see us through." Chrom patted me on the back and walked with me on the open field as we went to inspect the prototypes for the siege. We had been thinking of ways to break through their stone ramparts for awhile now and I wanted to borrow from some theories that were still untested in other countries.
"We'll see. It's not going be easy though."
"If it was easy than I wouldn't have any need for you my friend." Chrom laughed and punched me in the shoulder. "That is the reason we've been dragging you with us all this time."
"And what happens when I am no longer of any use?" I joked as I walked with him to the front line of our blockade.
"I'll find some way to dispose of you. Perhaps a role as the court jester will suffice?"
"If it pleases the king." I bowed and purposely tried to trip him with my leg which almost worked as he stumbled to regain his footing. "But how shall I play the part of the fool when you already do it so well on the throne?"
He laughed and shook my taunts off. "But in all seriousness, thank you Robin for your help. You are a good friend and I find it a great comfort to know you are on my side. I am indebted to you not only as as a king, but as a friend."
"Er, Chrom you really don't have to say those things."
"No, I do. You've not only been a great help to me, but to my family as well. For that you have my thanks."
"Again Chrom, you shouldn't be thanking me." I said uncomfortable knowing that I was getting along too well with his family. I had every intention of digging my grave with him after this battle was over, but not before such an important fight.
"Modest as always I see. Either way, when this is all over I'll see to it that you are rewarded. It is the least I could do for the man that has tormented me these past few years.
"That is assuming you don't kill me first." I laughed weakly as I didn't' have the heart to even look him in the eye anymore.
He smirked, but his attitude changed as a new object caught our eyes. Chrom and I had to adjust our sight as we now stood in the shadows of a giant wooden monster than was under construction. It was a colossus one handed beast that was held together by rope and suspension pulleys as the wooden monstrosity stood fifteen feet at its full height.
"So this is the contraption you were speaking of?" He stammered in shock.
"It's called a trebuchet." I added while I stood impressed that they had built it so quickly. The Valmese soldiers that joined our ranks after Yen'fay's defeat had some very impressive engineers. "It's like a catapult, only much more devastating."
"Just looking at it makes me shudder." The Exalt added as he gazed in wonder of the giant war machine in front of us. "How does it work?"
"Well its a very technical explanation, but first you suspend a counterweight in the air to act as the firing mechanism. Then you load a very special type of projectile called 'big heavy rock' at the end of the arm. When you are ready to fire, you cut the rope holding the counterweight and send aforementioned big heavy rock into the air at a speed faster than three horses. The rock then goes Pwoosh through the air until it makes a loud crashing noise when it impacts the wall and turns it into rubble.
"... I see." Chrom muttered still in awe by the site of the siege equipment.
"Anyone standing on the wall when this thing hits will be sent flying to their death as they fall off their seemingly safe footing."
"I can only imagine their surprise as they see something like this fire on them."
"It will give them a good scare that is for sure. It might take a few rounds, but by the end of it their defenses will be destroyed and we won't have to worry about any archers firing from such a huge height disadvantage."
"Incredible. I still can't believe it."
"Well, that is the theory anyways. This hasn't been tested before so it could just end up being a dud."
"But if it works it will save us many lives." He added hopefully.
"...At the cost of our enemies. Yes." I nodded back soberly knowing the devastation it would cause. "But the battle starts when the damage ends. We will have to cut through who ever is left standing and fight our way to Walhart himself."
"And I trust you have a plan for that as well." Chrom smiled back confidently. As always he had far too much faith in me, but it was a little reassuring nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the sound of metal boots came from behind us in the distance. The sounds were drawing closer with each step and we turned to see needed our attention.
"Ah, Frederick. Come to gaze at this mysterious thing too?" Chrom laughed as his loyal servant stopped and placed his hand behind his back while standing rigidly in attention.
"You mean the trebuchet my liege?" He replied precisely and uninterested which surprised the royal king. "It does look rather impressive and Robin explained the details to me the last time we met, but that is not the reason I came."
"Oh, then what brings you here? Is there an urgent matter than requires my attention?"
"No Milord. Since you refuse to pose for an inspirational poster, I came for Robin. There are some soldiers that have been highly recommended to join our group due to their impressive fighting skills and I thought it would be best if Robin met them in person to see if they are Shepherd material."
"New Shepherds?" Chrom said interested. "Perhaps I should go along too and give my thanks for their service."
"That would be ill advised Milord." Frederick raised his hand in the air to stop him and frowned ever so slightly. "From what I've heard they are eccentric and possibly dangerous."
"More eccentric than our current shepherds?" Chrom laughed heartily certain he was joking.
"Yes, according to their officers, they make Henry seem like an average and normal recruit."
"Henry? Normal?!" I cried dismayed. "I don't think that is even possible."
"Nor do I, but it would be unwise if we exposed them to our liege without first ensuring their loyalty."
"Look, no mater how eccentric they might be, it is still for the best that I meet them in person if they are valiant enough to be recommend for our force." Chrom replied with his ignorant and boundless ability to welcome others. "I am the Exalt after all and-
"And that is precisely why you should wait until we see it is safe." I cut him off and nodded back to Frederick. "The last thing we need is a crazy person stabbing you while we are preparing for battle. I'll take a look at them and see what we are dealing with first, and then you can meet them."
"If they earned the trust of our officers then they have earned mine."
"Chrom, we have spies watching us and the Valmese have made attempts to infiltrate our lines to assassinate you in the past. By the way, you can thank Kellam and Gaius for saving your lives on those occasions because of their good ears in the taverns. It is better to be safe than dead at the moment when we need you the most."
The blue headed royal sighed in defeat "Alright my friend, but make it quick."
...
"So Frederick, what can you tell me about these fighters?" I asked as we made the short walk to the encampment's entrance and left the royal king to his own devices.
"According to records, they have served in all major battles during this campaign and a few skirmishes with random brigands in our years of peace. These four members have been enlisted in the Ylissean army for the past year and a half and they all come from the same squadron."
"So they all know each other from their time together in the army? I suppose that will make it easier for them to merge into our ranks."
Frederick agreed and mentioned with a skeptical tone, "There history before then is unknown however. They claim to be citizens of our realm, but they have never presented any form of identification other than their names."
"What of their families?" I asked intrigued.
"They passed away I am afraid."
"Oh." I muttered unsure of what else to say.
A few moments later we reached four mysterious soldiers standing at the entrance of our encampment. They were all significantly younger than I was expecting, even from the little detail I received about them. Three of them couldn't be older than fifteen or sixteen at the most and one was wearing a mask to cover his face.
"Greetings, my name is Robin and I am the chief tactician for this campaign."
"Ahoy hoy! It is an honor to meet the grand contriver of our valorous and trialing crusade! They call me Owain the scion of heroes whose blood carries the works of heroes!"
"Ain't anyone ever call you that other than your own self." The man next to him in priest robes scowled back, though he looked nothing like Libra with his rough face and accent.
*Sigh* The eldest looking of the four turned away from his friends and said, "Please pay them no mind. My name is Laurent, and my friend in the robes is Brady. Despite their behavior, they are fine soldiers and should not be judged solely on their antics. I will be sure to oversee these two and keep a steady report of their actions.
"... Okay." I murmured in curiosity while observing Brady and Owain who looked about the same age. Yet, the mage with glasses and a magicians hat was much much older and was probably closer to Chrom's age than anything else. "Owain … that name sounds familiar." I pondered absentmindedly
"Ah Ha! I knew the tales of my epic adventures and perilous journeys would reach the ears of our country far and wide.
"More likely he's 'eard the name from some other Owain." The priest commented back.
"Nonsense! There is only one true legend of heroes who bears my name!"
"Really? Cause I've never met 'em." Brady laughed heartily at his friend's expense.
"Hmph! For desecrating the lineage that runs through me I shall challenge you to a duel of heroes. Prepare to face my all-powerful sword hand in mixed combat!"
...
"... And you are?" I turned to the last of the recruits who stood there with a blank frown and his eyes hidden behind a black mask.
"Gerome." He replied sharply.
"Excuse me sir Gerome." Frederick called out in almost the same manner. "I must ask that you remove your mask in the presence of our tactician.
"I decline to do so. I do not need to reveal my face to anyone."
"We must verify your identity if you are to serve under us. I am afraid we cannot allow someone into the Shepherds who has something to hide in front of Chrom or his allies."
"I have no interest in joining your regiment, nor do I wish to fight in your battles." He replied back bitterly.
"Poppycock! If that's the case you'd have split from us the day Owain nearly set your trousers ablaze. So quit with your tantrum and as me Ma use to say,'Shuddap and do what you're told!'"
The man in all black exhaled in disgust as he looked back at the priest and said, "If I must." He moved his arms up to his face to remove his mask and revealed his clear and somewhat flat face. "Are you satisfied?" He gave a glaring look back at Fredrick as the blue knight nodded in agreement.
"You'll have to excuse him. We've all lost some close people to us through the years and it has affected us differently." Laurent informed us as Owain and Brady stared intently at the unmasked warrior like they hadn't seen his face in ages.
"I'm sorry to hear that." I frowned and glanced back at the strange four to see their moods become a little more serious. "Is that why you decided to join the army?"
"It twas my sentiment that we devote our time under the command of the effulgent royal blue banner on our quest to discover the whereabouts of our mighty comrades!"
Laurent thankfully interpreted for me and said, "The four of us are separated from our party and that has been the case for a long while. Owain managed to seek out Brady and Gerome by the time I caught up with them and it was also his idea to volunteer for expedition missions in an effort to increase our search across more broad territory. However, given the circumstances, our mission is to end this war before any more blood is spilled."
"Then we share some common ground." I smiled trying to hide my serious doubts as the priest kept staring back at me funny. "Can you four give me your word you will swear to protect the Exalt and his family at the cost of your lives if necessary?"
"Aye! I pledge within the deepest fibers of my soul to commit every ounce of energy coursing through my veins to serve and protect the exalted bloodline!"
"Yeah, yeah. Ain't no one gonna get past me."
"I will draw up a contract if necessary to show my allegiance."
*Sigh* "Yes."
"Er, great. You heard them Frederick. Consider them our new recruits." I laughed hesitantly as the one called Owain proudly thrust his hand in the air and sent it crashing back down nearly hitting Gerome in the process.
"Sir? Might I have a word with you about that?" Frederick the wary called back uneasily.
"Of course." I glimpsed back at the four and said, "You'll have to excuse us. There is a lot of things I need to discuss and a big army to maintain. Not to mention I have to speak with one of our advisers soon who has some insight on our fate. Her name is Lucina and she has helped us tremendously over the past few months.
"Huh?!" The four gasped hearing her name and even Gerome couldn't mask his look of shock.
I smirked and nodded back to Frederick figuring he could put the pieces together. "Yes, perhaps you should meet her some time. She's incredibly gifted with the sword and has earned the Exalt's trust. It's funny. She resembles him very much too. Weird, right?" I laughed to myself and started walking away before they had a chance to respond.
…
Frederick quickly followed behind me and once we were out of ear shot he stated concerned. "Do you think it is wise that these men join?"
"If they are friends of Lucina's then we know they are trustworthy. Besides, you saw how they acted in front of their superiors. If their fighting skills were not sufficient they would have been kicked out of our army long ago."
"Nonetheless, they seem like liabilities at this point."
"I won't disagree with you there. I never thought I would meet anyone wackier than us, but that boy Owain makes a close bid for the top spot. Even so, like Lucina it doesn't seem they are too keen on revealing their identities. That can be very helpful considering the situation we are in."
"But if any of their parents are here than that might complicate matters.
"Yeah, it would be best if we keep Brady away from Gregor in case they are related ... Or Maribelle for that matter. Heaven knows she and Virion would make it their mission to 'educate' him."
"His safety would be at a great risk if that occurred."
"Ha. No kidding. Anyways, I better inform Lucina about this when I see her. She is the one who needs to know about this the most. As for Chrom, you might want to tell him to keep his distance... Or anyone else you know for that matter."
...
"Oh boy." I took a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. I was suppose to meet Lucina in an hour to discuss the final preparations of the siege, but this new event would make things more difficult. We could certainly use the extra hands to push through. Yet, I wish said hands weren't so off-the-wall.
Overall I felt like my sanity was finally starting to slip. A huge chunk of my time lately was spent crafting this siege, the rest was about my conflicting feelings towards Chrom's daughter, and now this was added to the heavy agenda. My brain was being strained far past its breaking point and I needed to take a moment to rest or I wouldn't be of any use after it exploded.
Ironically the only place I knew I could go without being interrupted was the same room where I was suppose to meet Lucina for our battle plan. If I went to my tent to get some sleep one of the Shepherds was sure to see me and share their life story or ask for advice for the plan which is something I could not take at the moment. So I set to the only sanctuary I could find in the middle of chaos.
...
"Greetings Robin." A fair young princess immediately smiled as she saw me enter the war room.
"Lucina?" I called out in confusion as she looked at me from the nearby table while she sat peacefully looking over the map. "What are you doing here? Our meeting isn't suppose to take place for another hour.
"I know. It's just that you have a habit of showing up here early to polish your plans and I thought I might be of some assistance to you." She clasped her hands together and rested them on her lap nervously. "E-especially considering tomorrow we have such a difficult battle against Walhart."
"I'm honored." I blushed with a very small tint of red on my face still unaccustomed to seeing her so flustered. It had been a week since we shared our feelings and some of the awkwardness had passed, but not all of it. "Unfortunately, I am going to cancel our meeting today."
"How come?" She frowned and asked genuinely worried.
I covered my throbbing head with my hand and said, "I met some very ... theatrical recruits today and they will be joining the shepherds. Long story short, they will be helping us and I would recommend you seeing them.
Lucina stared back at me in curiosity and said, "That is great news, but I don't understand why you would cancel our meeting for such a thing. If we have to change our battle plan to accommodate for them wouldn't it be best if I was here to help you?"
"Normally yes, but the names of our new recruits are Owain, Brady, Laurent, and Gerome. I'm guessing they have a familiar ring."
Her eyes lit up and she jumped from her seat in surprise. "What?! .. You don't mean?" She crossed her hand across her heart while out of breath. "Are they safe? Did any of them look sick or pale?"
"None of them are injured physically speaking if that is what you mean. All the same, I can not vouch for their mental state."
Lucina exhaled deeply relieved and said, "Oh thank Naga."
I gave her some time to collect her thoughts for a moment and then said, "Anyways, I imagine you are anxious to see them for yourself. If you hurry you can probably catch them before they are sent to the armory for their equipment."
She held her breath and clutched her hands tightly while saying in fear, "What if they don't want to see me? It has been so long that maybe they think I abandoned them."
"I highly doubt anyone would miss a chance to see you." I smiled back encouragingly. "They also seemed eager when they heard your name so don't give it a second thought."
"I …" She stared blankly at the ground below her and hesitated, "What about you? We were suppose to finish the details of the siege."
"I'll be fine." I waved off her concern and said, "Adding four more people to a plan that involves a million angry resistance fighters is not going to alter my tactics much, if at all. It's nothing I can't handle so consider today a holiday for friends or something to that effect."
Lucina bit her lip and looked back at the entrance at a loss of what to do. "But you don't know their fighting styles or their behaviors. I could help share some insight on that. If I could reduce the risks of them getting hurt in the next battle than I owe that to them as much as I do to everyone else."
"That might be true, still, you've been searching for your friends for the last two years and you deserve some time to yourself. Besides, I don't think anyone could explain their behavior."
She responded with a more determined tone in her voice this time around and said, "I want to make sure everyone is safe first before I see them. I have a duty to see that everyone makes it through our battle tomorrow."
"You don't have to. I can-"
"Please Robin." She insisted with a soul wrenching plea in her voice. "I very much wish to see them, but it can wait until we finish here."
I didn't have the kind of energy to deny her at this point and instead shook my head in defeat. "I am guessing there is nothing I could do to convince you to be selfish. Yet that is one of the many reasons I've fallen for you."
Her expression quickly changed to a red hew as she looked down at the ground anxiously. "S-shall we get to the strategy then?'
"Alright." I nodded back and walked over to sit in one of the empty chairs. "The sooner we get this done the sooner you can see your friends. After this I'll arrange it so you will not be disturbed for the rest of the day. "
"Please don't rush though. I do not want to over look something."
"As you command princess."
…
For the next two hours we discussed the concerns I had and the problems that came with a large scale assault such as this one. It would be foolish to underestimate our enemy because we outnumbered them and it was in our best interest to return those numbers back to their families unharmed. Despite my mental fatigue, speaking with her did not seem to hinder me and when whenever she smiled it significantly eased my mind.
"...If our diversion works then the conqueror should be left defenseless and the rest of his guard will surrender hearing of his defeat." I repeated very focused on the map in front of us depicting the palace halls.
"That is assuming he falls for the trap." Lucina motioned to a spot on the map and carefully looked over in great thought.
"Right. Should that fail we move on to the next plan and that should guarantee our victory. Of course, it does not come without its dangers. Should something else go wrong we will have to fight in more perilous situations than I would care for."
"Either way, I know you have put a lot of thought into this and I feel confident that we will be the victors of this battle." She said sincerely with a twinkle in her eye. "Hearing you go over our plan has greatly relieved my concerns."
"Thanks, but if I am wrong then that puts us in a very tight spot." I warned fearing she was giving me too much credit.
"Given your track record I know we will make it through." She spoke very confidently and with a sly grin that quickly became a distraction to my senses. "I highly doubt they will see it coming, and if they do then we will be there to fix it.
I returned the smile seeing her so cheerful and said, "It's a nice change of pace to see you like this."
"Hmm?"
"Oh nothing, I'm merely glad you are seeing the glass half full today. " I replied back surprised that she was not worrying about the risks involved.
"Glass half full?" She deadpanned and scrunched her eyebrows trying to decode my message.
"It means that you are optimistic. If you fill a glass halfway with water, an optimist would say that glass is half full and a pessimist will say it is half empty. Though, pessimists generally like to be referred to as realists."
Lucina carefully thought it over for a few minutes until she sighed in frustration, "I'm sorry, I am afraid I still do not understand. These sort of things are hard for me to grasp."
"Don't worry." I reassured her as she lowered her head discouraged. "It took me awhile to get familiar with expressions as well with losing my memory and all, but I eventually got the hang of it." I added happily. "Here, tell me what you don't understand and I'll try my best to explain it better."
"Okay." She nodded and thought it over for a moment. "I think I understand the purpose of the question, but I thought the answer would be both."
"Both?" I repeated confused.
"Yeah. The cup is both half full and half empty. To ignore one or the other seems wrong to me. I know that I cannot look at the world and expect the best to happen because it is cruel and unkind. But despite whatever is thrown my way, I've always hoped that I could change things. While hope on its own can only do so much, it is something that has kept me going through the times when I was afraid or disheartened.
"... I, never thought of it that way"
"I don't know. I've never been one to see the best in things, but I've always had hope and it is something I wish to never get rid of."
"Yeah." I replied softly fumbling for words as I marveled at her answer.
"Forgive me." She said lowly in disappointment. "I don't seem to see things like everyone else does. I guess it is one of my weaknesses."
"No, it's one of your strengths." I called back while still in shock.
"Huh?" She asked even more confused.
"Lucina, I don't think that expression was ever meant to be analyzed so deeply but you are right. I couldn't agree more with you."
She gave a small smile and looked over with her gentle eyes, "I appreciate your kindness Robin, but you don't need to patronize me to make me feel better."
"I am being completely honest." I swore adamantly and desperately searched for a better way to explain it. "I could not say it better myself no matter how hard I tried."
She tensed up again in her chair as she looked away from me a little embarrassed. "I fear you might be over estimating me Robin. I was only trying to answer the question."
"And in doing so you continue to amaze me." I cried out in admiration.
The beautiful princess grinned as the blood rushed through her cheeks. "It's so strange, when I am around you, you have a way of bringing that hope out of me. I feel a lot more confident in my mission knowing you are there to support me. Even now the fears I would have about tomorrows battle has been replaced with my faith in our victory thanks to you."
I smirked in pride "It is a relief to know that I can improve your day in the same way you improve mine."
Her hands started shaking as she looked back at the table, "There you go again making me feel special." She declared as she gave a soft hysteric laugh.
"Haha. Sorry. I can't help it sometimes. You have an effect on me that is just as strong as the one you describe."
…
Either a few seconds or an hour passed as it was getting harder to judge time before Lucina finally got the courage to speak again.
"I-I better get going." She stuttered hiding her face with her hands.
"... Of course, you must be anxious to see your friends again." I spoke a little regretful for taking her time away from her lost friends, but for some reason I didn't really care.
"Right." She slowly ascended from her seat and stood once again on solid ground "I have a lot of catching up to do with them and maybe they know where the others might be."
"In that case I won't take up any more of your time. Please give my best wishes to your friends"
She smiled back with a heart piercing gaze "I will. Thank you Robin... For everything." The fair princess walked over to the exit and tilted her neck to see the sun beginning its slow descent back to the horizon as it was nearing dinner time.
I followed right behind her and the two of us were side by side as we were about leave our place of sanctuary.
"I'll er. see you tomorrow." She extended her right hand in front of me and held it their waiting for my response. I could see her blush in embarrassment as it must have been instinctive for her to do so and to save her some awkwardness I reached out to gently grip her hand which turned into a very slow and odd handshake.
When we let go she glanced back at the ground unable to look at me and her innocent and sweet face was too much for me to take. "Lucina."
"Y-yes Robin?" She looked back up to me with a red face
I nervously leaned in to peck her on the cheek and in that instant I could feel an intense heat wave rush across her skin and the sound of her gasping for breath. "Make sure to take care of yourself. I'll need you supporting me tomorrow.
"… I-I will." She stammered as her voice cracked in half. "G-good nah-night."
I laughed softly knowing that I was just as off balance as she was. Although it was still better than worrying about tomorrow now that there was nothing left for us to do but wait. "Good night to you too. But uh, make sure you eat diner first before you go to sleep okay?"
"Right!"
…
"Hehehe Ahahaha!" Morgan laughed uncontrollably at her two awkward and nervous parents. "It's amazing I haven't suffocated after hearing all of that."
"I assure you that we were not so hopelessly lost after we left the awkward stage." Robin quickly defended himself while hiding his shame next to his wife.
Lucina quickly added. "And it was a very warm day which drained our ability to think clearly.
"Suuuure." Morgan replied skeptically.