"Hey Morgan, can you hand me that purple tome over there?" Robin asked as he looked over an official document from Rossane.
Because so much time had passed since he originally became sick, Robin voluntarily went back to work to help ease the burdens that Frederick and his advisers had to undertake in his absence. Running a country was not an easy job for anyone and Chrom had his fair share of work settling disputes among the citizens.
"On it." Morgan replied and ran over to the other side of his office in the barracks. She had made it her mission to be as close to her dad as possible while waiting for him to give his decision on the transfer.
"Looks like things are finally starting to look up over in Valm." Robin said while scanning over the letter.
"What makes you say that?" Morgan asked as she stood on her tip toes to reach up and grab the purple book.
"Maribelle just sent me a letter briefing me on the state of the continent. Virion has regained his title of Duke and Maribelle is doing her fair share in the courtrooms. As for the regions of Valm, Say'ri is still trying to divided the unclaimed territory evenly and there is the grueling process of reconstruction."
"It must be rough to be in charge of so many different factions."
"It is not a job I would wish to have." Robin muttered back and placed the letter back on his desk. "But they need food and we need gold. So that book over there will tell me how much reserves we can send."
"Knowing Chrom he would send every morsel of food we have for free."
"He would also bankrupt us too." Robin added shaking his head.
Just then the knob to his door started clacking as the tumblers inside the door shifted with a new found weight on the other side of the entryway. Next the door swayed open to reveal one cerulean blue princess enter with two letters in her hand and larger yellow envelop which could hold a much thicker amount of information.
"Greetings dear, and hello angel."
"Hey mom." Morgan replied back energetically.
"Good morning love. What can I do for you?" Robin smiled back seeing her.
"Frederick asked me to give you these." She walked over to hand him the three items she was holding and accidentally brushed against his shoulder since she was standing closer to him than any normal messenger would.
"Ah, those must be the estimates from Regna Ferox on the possibility of building a navy. Thanks."
"We are building a navy now?" Morgan asked interested since that was never a priority in the past.
"Yeah. After the Valmese invasion it showed we are in desperate need of more ships. Plus in peace time our navy will encourage trade which is crucial to building an economy. It served Plegia well in the past and now we will take advantage of it."
"It seems very expensive."
"Well ships are not cheap to build but it is an important investment for our future. So is building roads and increasing our infrastructure. Which is why finalizing that deal with Say'ri will help us a little in our funding."
"Hehe, I thought you were worried about Chrom bankrupting the country." Morgan teased as her father had his own share of expensive proposals.
"I suppose I am not much better." He grabbed a letter opener from his desk and sorted through the three items deciding what to open first. "But I'll do whatever I can to see our country grow and prosper. Building a flourishing economy is the first step to that process."
Lucina grinned and placed her hand on his shoulder. "My father and I are lucky to have such a devoted adviser to our realm. I hope you don't plan on working the whole day though."
"Don't worry dear, I should be finished for the day in another half hour. After that we can start training again."
"Alright. We can focus on your jousting since we spent all of our time yesterday sparring."
"Yeah, I still have the bruises." He chuckled and clutched his stomach pretending to be in pain.
"You two are training for the tournament again?" Morgan questioned since they had been that for the past few days without taking a break.
"Mhm, the two of us need to get back into top condition if we have any hope of being competitive in the Plegian tournament." Lucina added
"I see, can I come and watch today?" Morgan asked knowing she didn't have anything else to do.
"Er, actually." Robin interjected and said, "This is one of those things that the two of us would like to do alone. Sorry Morgan."
"Nngh." She groaned and looked away from them without trying to make any attempts to fight back. "Okay. I suppose I'll find something else to do."
"... Are you sure you don't mind?" Lucina asked worried.
"Yeah, I just wish I could be there in case father makes his decision on the transfer. I want to see that he makes the right choice before he starts thinking irrationally again."
The tactician grimaced and looked away in some pain. "I assure you that is not a decision I will make lightly. I am going to talk to Tiki about it later today in great detail and I wont make any judgments until then."
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise." He added reassuringly and looked back to his wife.
Lucina gave a gentle nod and said, "In the mean time, I can tell more of the story while Robin finishes up his work. Hopefully that will make up a little for us wanting to spend some time alone."
"I guess it is a start." Morgan murmured in a low tone.
Lucina searched around for the nearest place to sit and then gave her undivided attention to her daughter while Robin set back to work on diplomatic affairs.
After the bitter fight with Walhart, the rest of his army surrendered knowing that there was no longer any hope. The battle was won and for the first chance in a long time we had a moment to breathe. However, it was not in our nature to rest since there was still some work to be done. The shepherds and I spent most of the afternoon helping the town recover from the scars that came with the bloodshed and mend the wounds of the injured. When the sun set, Chrom gave a speech to both sides promising aid and relief to those who were effected by the awful battle that took place.
It was not until the next day that I had chance to stop and assess the situation. As always, there was a couple of things occupying my mind, but even when I was busy I noticed that I had not seen Robin since we fought alongside each other.
...
"And I was thinking of deeming it the Grand Ameliorate of Virtue and - Hey Lucina? Are you listening?"
"Hmm?" I glanced back to Owain hearing my name called as I shared my lunch with my friends. We had been so busy helping the the town recover that my father ordered the shepherds to take some rest for the next couple of hours. "Did you say something?"
My cousin fell back in his chair like he was severely wounded and said, "I was deciding what name to give Brady's staff! After all this time he hasn't given it a proper name."
"Oh." I replied back unsure of what else to say. "Sorry Owain, I guess my mind is on other things today."
"Are you alright?" Gerome asked puzzled. "Out of all of us you are the one who is able to put up with his nonsense the most.
"Hey! It isn't nonsense. I worked really hard to come up with that awesome name."
Laurent turned away from the swordsman and pushed his glasses further up his nose while carefully studying me. "I've also observed that you are more distracted from normal tasks since we have reunited."
"Really?" I questioned because everyone else seemed nearly the same as they were in the past. Granted we had only met up again three days ago, but not much, if at all had changed with them. "How so?"
"I'm afraid I don't know how to explicate it." Laurent muttered with a deep curiosity. "Something seems different."
"Did ya eat some strange food perhaps?" Brady asked also noticing a change in me.
"No." I shook my head. "I feel fine."
"Intriguing." Laurent responded and gave a closer study of my face. "You show no signs of fatigue and now that I think about it, there is more color in your face. Have you been exposed to a lot of sun lately?"
"Not anymore than usual." I replied equally as confused as everyone else. "Do I really seem that different?"
"Of course not cousin." Owain replied with his more natural tone. "You are still the same calm and fearless leader that I have looked up to since I was a pup."
"That is it!" Laurent's eyes widened as an epiphany hit him. "You are more relaxed!"
"Huh?"
"Purple muffins! He's right." Brady grunted in agreement. "I've n'ver seen you so peaceful before. You've always been real worried about the future."
They made it sound like they never saw me this way before and I didn't know what to make of it. I suppose they were right to a point, I did feel a little more confident in myself since I put my faith in my father and his tactician, but was it that noticeable? "I don't know what to say."
"What happened?" Gerome questioned the most skeptical. "I thought you were solely focused on your mission."
"I am." I called out back determined. "But my parents and a few others have been able to greatly help me. I owe a lot to them and they have given me the hope that we can succeed."
"What about us?" Owain asked hurt.
"And of course you too Owain. All of you gave me the strength I needed to keep going." I smiled back warmly which surprised everyone the most.
"Now that you mention it, I see how the gallant Chrom and cunning Sumia would influence you so much." Owain nodded and rose his fists up in the air. "I had only a moment to spare in their presence and I already felt the immense glorious aura surrounding them."
Gerome sighed and shrugged in frustration. "There he goes again."
"For what it is worth, it is a great alleviation to see you are more optimistic." Laurent commented while adjusting his hat slight to the left. "Under the circumstances I can see how it was more efficient to reveal your identity, but I surmise it is still in our best interests to shroud our identities in front of our progenitors."
"Right, I don't know if I 'ave the courage to speak to ma or pa yet anyways."
"Same." Owain looked down at the ground embarrassed. "But my dear mother keeps inspecting me every time I pass her. It is only a matter of time before she senses the ties of blood and passion that we share."
"I am sorry everyone." I replied with guilt knowing that they couldn't share the same experiences that I was blessed with my parents yet. "I would say it is best to wait until they get married so they don't feel like they are forced to love each other."
"I've come to the same conclusion." Laurent agreed. "I shall do my best to avoid Miriel and Libra in the meantime."
"Yeah, wouldn't want me ma catching me playing the violin. She'll recognize my form instantly."
"Thank you everyone." I replied back very grateful. "With Robin helping us, I know we will see our dreams realized."
"Robin?" Gerome murmured curiously.
"Ah yes! The grand contriver! He mentioned about how incredibly skillful and trustworthy you were the day we met. Ha, that cunning tactician must have realized we were your friends from the start." Owain smiled with great satisfaction.
"Did he really say that?" I quickly covered my face as I felt a small amount of heat rush to my cheeks.
Laurent looked at me curiously seeing my reaction and said, "Yes he did, and if I recall correctly you fought alongside him in the last battle correct?"
I nodded back, "He and I have fought in the last few battles together. He was one of the people I mentioned earlier that has aided me greatly."
"Ah! Then I shall have to make a point to speak more to this man. He sounds even greater than the already prestigious image I had of him."
"He is full of many surprise, but I have not seen or heard of him since the battle." I said a little disappointed.
"Oh really? I saw him head to the treasure room earlier, but maybe he has left since then. No matter I shall find him eventually and learn more about his legacy."
"The treasure room you say?" I asked with a new interest.
"Yeah. He went in without saying a word to anyone."
"It seems suspicious to me." Gerome muttered skeptical.
"Don't worry Gerome. He isn't that kind of person." I assured him knowing he would never try to steal from anyone. "But I do need to speak with him."
"Ah yes. No doubt you need to inform him about some important detail of our quest. We best not keep you waiting then. Defeating the foul dragon must take top priority."
"Agreed." Laurent commented back while the other two silently nodded.
"Thank you everyone." I replied grateful.
…
When I made my way to the treasure room I saw the door was already open so I made my to the edge of the wall and peaked inside. What I found was Robin hunched leaning most of his weight on the opposite wall cross the room. In his left hand he appeared to be holding something small and in the other he palmed his red stained sword gazing at it with a fixed concentration on the blood marks.
Despite his intent gaze of the reddened steel, he must have noticed me enter the room because he opened his hand to display a bright lime green gemstone. "I found Vert." He sighed with a very tired and rough voice.
"Great. That only leaves Sable left to find."
"...Yeah." He grimaced and glanced back at his weapon.
"Robin?" I asked concerned seeing him so down.
"I'm okay." He quickly uttered back while trying to hide his burdens. "Just struggling with some inner demons of mine."
"Are they related to the battle?" I asked delicately and made a slow walk to get closer to him.
"Somewhat." He shrugged and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "It's nothing you need to worry about though."
"Robin, you helped me with my struggles. Won't you allow me to help you with yours?" I approached closer and was now face to face with the troubled tactician.
He hesitantly looked into my eyes and an extreme wave of regret overcame his face. "I'll never understand why anyone seeks power. Who takes any pleasure in holding the lives of so many other people in their hands?"
"I don't know." I shook my head while seeing him close his eyes and take a deep breath.
"But here I am in the most important position of them all. I get to decide who lives and who dies. Thousands of men rely on my commands trusting me with their lives knowing that they might not come out of it." He sighed and looked away from me in agony. "Do you know the death toll for our last battle?"
"Robin, that is Walhart's fault not yours."
"95,000." He clutched his hands and struggled to maintain his composure. "30,000 of them were from our side and one of them was Sully. Another choice that I had to make." He whispered lowly." Lissa also informed me that Say'ri will never be able to use her right arm again. The lacerations she suffered tore nerves that can never be mended."
"I heard that as well. I'm sorry."
"... I've had to make decision like this in the past so it shouldn't faze me. I have knowingly placed shepherds in harms way because it was vital to the position we were in and I knew there was a very real possibility that they would not come back. This is war after all, it would be foolish of me to try and save one friend if it cost another hundred."
I nodded feeling his pain and said, "It still hurts to see it happen."
"Very much." He sighed. "But Sully would never forgive me if I started regretting that decision now. There was not much else I could do and I can't beat myself up about it or else I will tarnish everything she stood for."
"It is still okay to grieve. She was your friend."
"I know, and I will once we stop Grima. But that isn't what is bothering me so much."
"Then what is it?" I asked worried.
He froze again in silence and bit his lip. Whatever was in his head was weighing on him heavily and I could see it in his eyes. Was I like this too when I first met him?
…
"Am I … A monster?"
"What?" I asked stunned and sure I misheard him.
"I've told you before that I am not like Emmeryn or Chrom. In order for me to save a life I must take one. To protect the Shepherds I must find a way to kill the enemy that is trying to hurt them. And despite all the death I have caused I wouldn't change a single thing or give it a second thought. So does that make me a monster?"
"You can't look at it like that." I cried out alarmed.
"Then how must I look at it?" He asked angry with himself. "Should I call myself a hero because I can protect my friends while being extremely good at killing other people? Do I say with confidence that my way is right and still claim that I am not like Walhart? Shall I comfort myself knowing that the decisions I made are for the good of the world but at the same time watch it burn before my eyes. And can I truly look at myself in the mirror and say that I don't gain some sort of satisfaction for being good at my job."
His hands were shaking now and he cursed in disgust. "It is unforgivable, but a part of me takes some pleasure in this sick game. There is that thrill of being better than the opponent. The alluring charm of knowing they have fallen for my trap. It feels empowering to know I can pounce on every mistake my enemy makes. At the end of the day I can convince myself that is not who I am, but it still scares me that I feel that rush."
"But doesn't the fact that it scares you count for something?"
"That is what I keep telling myself." He murmured lowly. "But moral high ground or not, I am great at hurting others. I may not be the reason or the cause that led to so many people dying yesterday, but I was the method. While it is not my fault, the actions I made played a role in the destruction that befell so many people. That is something I have to live with when I look back at my reflection."
"Robin." I called out wishing to tell him he was wrong so badly that I felt an overwhelming need to hit him. How could he not see all the good he had done and the lives he impacted? "Does the lives you save in the process not count for anything?"
"I know, I am being stupid. I have every reason in the world to justify my actions. Still, it hurts. It hurts knowing that I have to be that person." He glanced back at the reddened sword in his hand and closed his eyes in regret.
Seeing him suffer I carefully removed the sword out of his hand and dropped it down on the ground below. "Isn't that proof that you are kind and gentle?" I moved forward and latched onto him with my arms firmly wrapped around his waist. "You feel pain for others without needing a reason to care. So how can you say you are such a terrible person?"
...
The tactician didn't answer but instead pressed his hands on my back accepting my embrace. I could hear him sigh, but he didn't try to push away or run. After some time his rigid body eased a little and he held on a little tighter.
"You once mentioned that being a deceptive tactician was not who you really are. So why do you tie yourself to it now?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "I guess I am tired. Tired of it all. I want it to end and for my nightmares to go away.
"We all do."
...
Robin looked back up into my eyes and gazed for a long time without saying a word. There was still some worry in him, but his long unbroken stare made my heart beat faster as he gave a small weak smile. "Gods, you are so beautiful." He whispered in awe. "I've had to restrain myself from saying it countless times in the past, but I can't anymore.
My stomach churned inside of me and my cheeks grew a bright red, but I was not alone as he showed the same symptoms.
"It isn't just your breath taking face, or your smooth silky flowing cerulean hair, or your lovely legs, or your … other areas." Robin blushed even redder and a different kind of guilt covered his face. "But it is the inside too. Such care and compassion. That hope and determination you have. It is incredible."
His words hit like a strong blow in the chest and I stammered unable to find a way to respond. "You act like you've never seen me before."
"Heh, well I'm sure you've caught me staring at you on many occasions. I am just too greedy of a man to look away." He laughed lightly and shook his head in dismay. "But can you really blame me for doing so?"
"No, I suppose I cannot." I smiled in great joy and I felt my heart try to leap out of my chest. "So could you forgive me if I was guilty of it too?"
"Really?" Robin eyes rose and his cheerful face was starting to emerge. "There isn't really that much to look at."
"There is more than you would think." I replied back sincerely. "After all, you have stolen my ability to hide my emotions. Even my friends notice a change in me and as hesitant as I am to say it, I think I like it."
"I guess we are both hopeless then."
"So it would seem." I replied happily.
He smiled back with an endearing look that stirred the emotions inside of me again and it was a great comfort to me to see him back to normal. "Thank you Lucina. I am afraid I lost myself for a moment."
"No." I shook my head to disagree. "You can't blame yourself for wondering if what you are doing is right. It is your compassion for others that weighs you down and it is something you care a great deal about. I admire that about you, but promise me from now on you will let me be there to help ease your pain. I want to help you as much as you help me."
"When you put it like that I suppose I don't have much of a choice. But very well, I promise."
"Thank you." I smiled and unconsciously leaned closer to him with both of our faces dangerously close to one another. "I'm counting on you to let me be there for you."
"You too..." He muttered absentminded while looking directly at my smile. He seemed fixated on it and he also closed the short distance between us.
In the next moment we were inches apart and I could feel a great invisible pressure weighing on my nose. It was as if we were gravitating to one another and a thousand fires lit inside my cheeks the closer he got. A part of me was afraid and told me to stop, but as I fought my own emotions Robin rushed forward and closed the rest of the gap.
His lips pressed against mine and my brain froze feeling the soft warmth. That is when my instincts kicked in and I returned his affection with my own. I wasn't really sure what to do at first, but as more time passed our movements became a little bit more in sync and the feelings grew stronger.
I felt his hands firmly against the top of my back and I had closed my eyes to enjoy these new sensations running through my mouth. It felt incredible and with each second that passed the feelings returned with greater force. My entire body felt on fire and I was quickly running out of breath. I had to gasp for air a couple of times, but the experience felt so great that I didn't want it to end. His warm embrace and the powerful moment we shared made me feel like I was on cloud nine.
...
"...Wow." Was all I could whisper out as we withdrew from each other. Both of us were breathing heavily and our faces were redder than any color I had even seen before. I felt like my knees were going to buckle and that I would fall to the floor.
The tactician was in no better shape and he rested his weight against the wall unable to support himself.
"I … I take it back, you are a monster." I giggled unable to control myself.
"Y-yeah ..." He nodded nearly voiceless as he gave a blank stare at the ceiling. "May Naga help us all."
…
"Was that your first kiss mother?" Morgan asked seeing the pair of blushes on her parents faces.
"It was." The princess nodded back.
"It was actually mine too." Robin added and scratched his head embarrassed in front of his daughter. "And it was the first of many to come."
"Is the rest of your story filled with enough fluff to suffocate a sheep too?"
"Not all of it." Robin quickly remarked back and looked away from her. "We are not that lost."
"... We do lack a compass or a map though." Lucina hesitantly admitted.
"That sounds pretty lost to me." Morgan added skeptically.
"We still have our duties to focus on first Morgan." Robin replied back. "But yeah, this is where we start to see each other much differently. So if it is too much we can stop at any time."
"Hehe, I think I can bear through it. But I may have to report you to Chrom for choking me to death."
"Noted." Robin added and looked back his wife. "But since we lived up our part of the bargain and my work is finished, the two of us are going to go train now."
*Sigh* "Do you have to?"
…
After a quick protest from Morgan, the couple left Robin's office with their hands joined together. Their flushed faces had disappeared but their smiles did not.
"What would you like to practice on first dear?" Lucina asked as they made their way to the stables.
"Well I still need to work on riding a horse, but I want to work on my aim with the lance too."
"I see. We can do both for as long as you want today. Recalling those memories has given me a little extra strength than normal." She smiled back and squeezed his hand tighter.
"You are not the only one." He laughed. "I can't help but smile remembering those moments."
"Me too, it appears that Morgan is not the only one who will be enjoying our story from now on."
"Haha yeah, I might be the one to start asking for the next part." Robin admitted shamelessly. "However, I might ask for an actual demonstration as well."
"I am sure that could be arranged." Lucina grinned mischievously.