"So, captain, we got news back from the police today. They've identified one of the bodies from the break in that night. It took a while, but…" Maribelle starts. This is clearly interesting news, as the rest of the councilors raise an eyebrow and listen more intently.
"Go on," Chrom encourages, and Robin leans forward in her chair, resting her elbows on the table.
"Well, the man that Vaike killed only had an arrow shot through his heart, so his body was intact. He was identified as one 'Harold Armer'. I don't suppose you know him?" She says, shooting a look to her husband, who glares at her before shaking his head. "Well anyway, that's all we've got. We have to wait for the body that Tharja destroyed to be identified in some way before we have more answers."
"Do they have any idea who this man is? Where he worked, where he lived, anything?" Robin asks.
"Not a thing," Maribelle confirms, shaking her head. "I'm pressuring them to keep up the search, which I'm sure they will. We'll have it figured out eventually. For now, security has been tightened. Not that it matters, since you're going away tomorrow. Where to, again?"
"Rosanne," Chrom says, and Maribelle nods.
"Lovely place."
"We're coming too!" Olivia pipes up. "I have to check on Inigo, make sure that he's behaving himself."
"We'll keep the castle and your children safe while you're gone then. Isn't that right, Gaius?" She asks, and he rolls his eyes.
"Yes, sir."
The journey to Rosanne takes the best part of a week. They take a horse and cart up to Ferox, and board a boat to the small country on the edge of the continent. The boat journey is bumpy, but they manage, ignoring the waves for the most part. Chrom and Lon'qu end up sparring for fun on the deck, and Chrom quickly admits defeat when he sees the shores of Rosanne in the distance. It's a lot greener than their home countries of Plegia, Ylisse and Ferox, and the air is a lot fresher than that in the city.
"So, how are we getting to their cottage?" Olivia asks as they depart the ship, bags in hand.
"We walk," Chrom says simply. "According to the map, their house isn't too far along outside this village, so it shouldn't take us too long to get there."
Needless to say, the walk through the village is an adventure in itself. Despite living on another continent, the citizens of Rosanne's capital seem to know who Chrom is, and make assumptions about who the rest of the party was. People stopping them along the small path make what ordinarily would've been a short walk into a big ordeal, and Chrom is getting grouchy quickly. Eventually they make it out of the town, and wander along the main road until the cottage comes into view.
"Is this it?" Lon'qu asks, only to be greeted with shrugs. Nearing the cottage, Robin decides to bite the bullet and strides ahead, knocking on the door. Candles are lit around the window at the front of the house, so she assumes that someone is home. The door opens hesitantly, and the blue haired girl on the other side of the door practically throws herself at her Robin with a huge smile on her face.
"Mother! You came! And…" Lucina looks past her to see Chrom, Lon'qu and Olivia walking up the muddy path to the front door. "Father!" She lets go of her mother and runs towards him, almost acting like the small child left back in Ylisse. "I'm so happy you made it all the way out here to see us." She regards Lon'qu and Olivia with small, nervous smiles that they manage to repay in kind. She ushers them inside the house, taking their bags and showing them into the living room where they sit awkwardly for a moment.
"Inigo!" She calls into the kitchen, and the man appears, his hair messy and a wooden spoon in his hand.
"Who were you talking to?" He asks. "I've nearly finished cooking, so…"
"Can we put out four extra bowls?" She asks, dragging him into the front room, where his parents currently sit. He stares for a moment, dumbfounded, before bursting into tears, and enveloping the two in a hug. Olivia starts crying as well- clearly where the boy got it from- while Lon'qu smiles. It's unusual for the generally stoic man to smile like this, but in recent years he's opened up, not just with his family, but with other members of the army.
"I'm sorry," Inigo says, drawing back and wiping his tears with his sleeve. "That was embarrassing. I'm so glad you're here, mother, father," he addresses. "Are all of you staying overnight? Gods, Lucina, I wish you would've told me!"
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Besides, they didn't say exactly when they'd get here," the princess smiles, leaning against the door frame.
"We don't have to stay if it's inconvenient, Inigo," Olivia pipes up, but he shakes his head.
"Nonsense, mother. I'll make the beds after we eat. Do you want to come through? I was just about to put the food out."
"What did you make?" Robin asks as they follow Lucina through to the dining room.
"She made stew," Inigo answers. "I was just taste testing. And she doesn't like putting it in bowls, because she's scared of spilling it."
"Inigo!" She responds furiously, face quickly turning red with embarrassment.
"I remember you mentioning stew in one of your letters," Chrom says fondly as he sits, beside Robin and opposite Lon'qu. Lucina seats herself at the end of the table, between Olivia and Robin. Inigo brings in the bowls, two at a time, until he sits down at the end, next to his father.
They eat mostly in silence, with the odd comment of how good Lucina's cooking really is. The night has truly fallen by the time they're finished, and Lucina excuses herself to light the fire in the other room. Inigo collects the empty bowls, depositing them in the sink, and the group moves back into the other room, where, filled with warm food, they can relax.
Lucina can feel how tense it is, and attempts to make small talk. It's still strange, both for her and Inigo and their parents. They shouldn't all be here together- her parents are only a few years older than her. Their baby, well, she's older now, is back in the palace, as well as the life that they now have together. That she helped create. In a way she's bitter, but knows that what she and her comrades did was better than anything she could've dreamed of in her past life.
"How is the other Lucina?" She asks quietly. "And the other Inigo?"
"She's doing well," Chrom reports. "Her birthday wasn't too long ago. As you know of course," he coughs. "She's growing up a lot." He raises an eyebrow at Lon'qu, who lowers his eyebrows before replying.
"Inigo is fine."
"You never were that talkative, father. Mother, how is he?" The elder Inigo addresses, and his mother smiles softly.
"He's two now. He can walk, and he tries his best with talking, although he's not very good at his pronunciation yet. But… he tries," she gushes. "He's shy, and I… well, I just hope he grows up to be as confident as you are."
"Mother…"
"We have news," Lucina announces suddenly, her hands clenched together on her lap.
"Lucina…" Inigo warns, but she brushes him off.
"We're moving. Inigo got offered a job in another country, and we're going there so he can work. There's a war, and wherever there is war, we want to bring peace. And… it's not just us going. Owain is too, and a girl called Severa who also travelled back with us."
"Severa?" Robin asks, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know how things were changed in this timeline, but… well, she was Cordelia's daughter. I tried to get her to join with us many times, but she was never the biggest fan of me, so I'm not surprised. That was your fault apparently," she laughs, directing the last part at Chrom.
"Who was her father?" Chrom asks curiously.
"Stahl. But since they both died in the war, there was no way a Severa in this timeline could ever have existed. It's strange, I know."
"Wasn't Sumia with Cordelia in this timeline, though?" Olivia asks, and Robin nods in confirmation.
"Like I said, I don't know how it changed. It just… did. It must've been one of us. Otherwise, things would've gone the same way. It's my fault, I'm sorry," she finishes, dropping her head to her knees. Inigo wraps an arm around her shoulder comfortingly, and Robin reaches across the gap to place a hand gently on her knee.
"Where are you moving to?" Lon'qu asks, blunt as usual. The Chon'sin man didn't mince his words.
"I can't tell you. It's part of my contract. I'm working as a retainer for the royal family. I'll be back once the war is over, hopefully. If we can return the country to a peaceful state, we'll be able to return to this land without much of a quarrel, I assume."
"I wish you safe travels, then," Chrom says, passing his blessing to them.
"We'll be able to return here, hopefully. I've told a few people in the village, and they're going to rent the cottage out during the summer for tourists. I promised to write to them, and I'll write to you two as well. You won't be able to write back, though, I apologise," Lucina explains.
"I understand. I'm glad you've found something in life that you can look forward to, without the stress of changing the past. Now you can help mould the future of another country," Chrom says.
They don't stay long, only for a few days, enjoying the different atmosphere that Rosanne has. It's a lot quieter, more peaceful, although once Virion catches word of their arrival, he puts in an appearance, wanting to know what's been happening in Ylisse the past few months since his last visit. The party leaves on Sunday morning, when the ship returns to the continent of Ylisse. There is an awkward yet fond farewell by the door, in which they give their sentiments to their children.
"Don't get killed," Lon'qu says, placing a strong hand on Inigo's shoulder in a strange show of affection. Olivia is a bit more forward with her emotions, and hugs the poor boy tight, as if she'll never see him again.
"Make sure he doesn't hurt you," Robin says, wrapping her arms around her daughter and whispering into her ear.
"Mother, he would never."
"Do you genuinely believe he loves you?"
"Yes," Lucina says sincerely, and Robin smiles softly, letting go of the woman.
"I'm glad you're happy in this world. Don't do anything stupid."
"I don't think running a fruit stall will classify as stupid. I'm hoping they have a farmer's market over there-"
"That's not what I mean," Robin says, raising an eyebrow.
"Mother!"
"Take care, Lucina!" Chrom shouts as they reach the end of the path. There are tears clearly in her eyes, and Inigo also looks like he's on the verge of crying. The cobalt haired royal shakes his head sadly as they leave the gate, walking back down the road towards the town. "Poor kids."
"Shit," Robin curses, standing in front of the mirror.
She stands in her nightclothes, but her shirt is pulled up to above her stomach. She turns to the side to get a better view, and glares at her reflection. She doesn't feel sick, and she hasn't had any of the symptoms she had the last time. She hasn't been eating more than usual, and can't say this is just her putting on weight. In fact, since the assassination attempt, she's been training harder, and should have more muscle, not… whatever she could call this. Counting back in her head, she can pretty much pinpoint when this happened. The night of the party, a good two months ago.
Being realistic, she should've caught on before now. It was closing in on three months. Maybe she had noticed subconsciously, and she had just ignored it, wanting to pretend it wasn't true. And it wasn't really out of the question- in fact, she half expected it. Just… not yet. She hasn't even begun to show, but she just knows. She should probably find out for sure, just in case it isn't true. Just in case, by some miracle, she's just being paranoid (and really, she wouldn't that past herself either.)
Chrom comes into the bedroom, clean-shaven and just out of the shower. She drops the fabric to cover her stomach, and turns to face him. She moves towards him, before he can ask any questions, and kisses him fiercely. His eyes close almost immediately, and his hand goes to the small of her back, supporting her as he reciprocates her moves. Without really meaning to, she grinds against him, earning herself half a moan from him. Robin raises an eyebrow. It's still early in the morning, but his intentions are clear, and really it's her fault for starting it.
"I thought you were getting Lucina up today," she excuses.
"She can wait," he replies, his hands deftly unbuttoning her shirt.
"You have council in an hour."
"I'll be quick."
"You just took a shower."
"Do you have somewhere else to be?" He asks, his hand tangling in her hair now that her shirt is open.
"Not particularly," she smiles, placing a kiss on his neck, and then another, and then another.
"Good."
Robin never was particularly good at sneaking. That's why she helped Lon'qu to train in the Assassin class, and why she never discourages Gaius's not so savoury sidelines. So when she get's caught in Miriel's office with a pregnancy test in her hand, she doesn't have anything to say.
"Again?" The mage asks, and Robin rolls her eyes.
"It's been over four years, Miriel."
"Well at least you had the sense to come to me first."
"I didn't hope to see you here. I was gonna get this and leave, if that's okay with you."
"Well, I suppose. It's not really any of my business."
"Don't tell anyone. Especially not Chrom. I'm not even sure myself, but I'll tell him when I'm ready."
"Sooner is always better than later," Miriel reminds.
"I know," Robin replies with a grimace. Chrom was so happy the last time, and she knows it'll be the same again, but she's not ready. Not by a long shot. She's still adjusting to life back here. It's only been a few months, and now… "Where's Lissa?" She asks suddenly.
"I saw her in the courtyard with Owain and Maribelle not too long ago. Why?"
"I need more tea if I'm going to get through this again. And Maribelle has good taste in tea."
"Lissa has awful taste in tea," Miriel says honestly. "And isn't Maribelle your retainer now? She'll go with you to the market willingly. You may want to take someone else with you. Security, and all that."
"I can handle myself," Robin reminds with a raised eyebrow.
"A concealed tome and the Levin sword, and whatever Maribelle uses-"
"Bolganone."
"-aren't going to be enough. I would come myself, but I'm busy here. Panne, however, may be."
"I'm not walking all the way over to the other side of town to get her to come back over this side of town to go tea shopping."
"The council meeting just got out."
"Oh! Well, I'll go find her, then, I guess. Thanks for your help, as usual, Miriel," Robin says honestly, before leaving the cramped space of Miriel's medical office.
A surprise unfortunately waits for Robin on the other side of the door. She closes it behind her, sighing in relief that Miriel wasn't going to blab to anyone.
"Robin?" A voice asks, and she almost jumps out of her skin, sticking the small box up the sleeve of her cloak.
"Oh! Chrom! Nice to see you again," she says, almost too formally,
"Are you feeling okay? Why were you in Miriel's office?"
"I've had a headache-"
"I hope that's not my fault-"
"No, it's been on and off for a few days," she excuses quickly. She has no such sort of thing, but wants to escape before he has a chance to say anything else. "I was just going to go get ready to go out. I was hoping Maribelle was free to go into town to buy tea."
"Today's her day off," Chrom says dubiously. "And yours, for that matter."
"Tea for me, to drink, because I like it. And I know she does too, so I was hoping it would help us get along better."
"Fair enough. I have a lot of work to do, so I may not be around for dinner."
"That's fine. You know where I am if you need me," she smiles, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.
"See you later."
She walks on quickly, before he can say anything else. The stairs to her room aren't too far away, and she takes them, depositing the test in her drawer. Luckily for her, Chrom didn't notice, or at least, didn't say, the box in her sleeve. She ran a brush through her hair hastily, before running back down the stairs to the courtyard. Thankfully, Maribelle was still there, and Robin wandered towards her, the blonde looking up expectantly from her book.
"Anything the matter?"
"Are you busy?" Robin asks nervously.
"Not really, no. Why?" Maribelle responds, closing her book.
"Could you come with me into town so I can buy some tea?"
"Of course!" She says, enthusiastically jumping to her feet. "I'm sorry, Lissa dear, but I'll have to cut this short."
"I understand! I know how important your tea is to you."
"Well then, Lady Robin-"
"Just Robin, please. You never used formalities before-"
"I know, because-"
"I was a commoner, I know-
"Well then, Robin, let's go procure some tea. I know chamomile is your favourite, but you simply must try this blend of rooibos and raspberry I found. It's delightful! And I found a lovely way to make Earl Grey from this one teashop across town. And another has an excellent Darjeeling. You simply must try them all!
"Thanks, Maribelle," Robin said with a smile, as the girl dragged her out of the palace.
"You know, you never ask for tea unless you're stressed about something, Robin, dear. So what is it? Spill the beans!"
"It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired lately. And I've been worried about other Lucina, I guess," Robin bluffed.
"Ah, I heard from Lissa. Her, Inigo and Owain are travelling to some country and they won't tell you where they're going? If my Brady ever did that, he'd be told he wasn't going!"
"Isn't he composing, or something?"
"Yes, he is. And he's quite good, if I do say so myself. At least he can uphold the traditions of House Themis. Violin always was one of our specialties!"
"I'm glad you're so happy for him."
"Listen, if my father ever found out I married Gaius, I'd be disowned. So keeping that a secret and telling him my son will be a world class violinist is the best I can do."
"Is three year old Brady going to do the same?"
"He can hold a violin, so yes, I hope so. I don't see why he shouldn't!"
They walk a little further until Maribelle finds one of the teashops she frequents, and buys three boxes for Robin, insisting on paying. Her treat- tea was her thing so she should be able to share it with the person she served.
"Maribelle, you do realise I don't really see you like a servant, or a retainer, or anything, right? You're my friend."
"And that's why you should know you can tell me anything, right?" Maribelle shot back, stopping in front of a clothes stall that reminded Robin of Lucina's horrible fashion sense.
"I told you earlier, there's nothing wrong."
"Robin, I know your struggles haven't stopped at Lucina. Call it what you want, your body language, women's intuition. What's wrong? I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"I think I'm pregnant," Robin sighed.
"Is that all? Gods, and here I was thinking that you were dying! Or Chrom was, or something!"
"Maribelle, I don't really want to be pregnant."
"Oh. Well, that could be a problem. Have you told him yet?"
"No."
"And you said you 'think' you're pregnant? As in, you haven't taken the test yet."
"Yeah. I was gonna do it today, but then I ran into Chrom on the way there and I chickened."
"Once you take the test, and if it's positive, come find me, okay? I'll help you through this, as your retainer and as your friend."
A/N: I don't really think they would have pregnancy tests in whenever Fire Emblem is supposed to be set but I don't care. Don't forget to leave a review! I wrote this all in one go I'm so tired now. c: