Dear Lucina,

I hope this reaches you before you leave. Things are well here, and I wanted to wish you luck before you leave on your journey with Inigo. I understand that you'll be gone for a long time, but I hope you'll be able to make time to visit us when you come back. Stay safe, Lucina.

I also want to tell you that Robin is going to have another baby! That brings our total up to four, since we definitely consider you and Morgan our children. Do not think less of yourself because Robin did not give birth to you in this timeline. We still love you dearly.

Thinking of you,

Chrom.

He never has been particularly good at letter writing, but he folds this one up anyway and stuffs it in an envelope, scrawling Lucina's address in Rosanne on the front. He seals it quickly, setting it on a growing pile of letters to be sent out. He tries desperately to remember when Lucina said she was leaving for her mystery destination, but he hopes, prays, that this arrives with her on time. The last thing he would want is Lucina arriving back to find that there is yet another child in the castle.

"You know, your idea of helping me work is vastly different from mine," he comments to Robin, who has been sifting through official documents in his office for the last hour or so.

"What, because you expected me to sit here and look pretty while you worked, and I'm actually helping?" She snorts, placing a neat pile in front of him.

"Yeah, pretty much," he sighs, glancing over the top page of the pile.

"Well, you never let me into your office, Exalt Chrom," she smiles, sitting back in her chair. "Those need signed, by the way."

"Don't say that," he mumbles, staring at the pages before lifting a pen.

"What, Exalt? It's your title, why not?"

"No reason."

"Oh come on. If I'm bothering you that much, I'll leave," she offers, uncrossing her legs.

"No, no. I like having you around."

"I would hope so, since we're married and all," she jokes, and Chrom finally cracks a smile.

"You know that you're more important to me than all this work, and I apologise for having to stay up late so much recently," he responds, signing another few pages and setting them in another pile by his side.

"It's fine. I know that there's a lot going on at the moment. There's a lot to sort out, what with all the assassination stuff…"

"You need to take care of yourself," Chrom interrupts, knowing exactly where she's going with this conversation.

"Oh, come on! I'm pregnant, not dying! There's a million things I can be doing, like attending council meetings, and helping you with your paperwork, and I can still attend royal visits for a while, but you're insisting I do nothing!"

"That's only because I care about you, and don't want anything to befall either you or the baby."

"I know, but…"

"Robin."

"Chrom." She narrows her eyes, hoping to make her displeasure with him evident.

"Alright, fine. You can come to council meetings, and help me. But no royal visits."

"That's fine," she smiles, leaning back in her chair once again. "I never really liked them anyway."

"Then why did you complain?"

"Because I know how you operate, Chrom. I know that you're a very… pros and cons sort of person. You like lists of what's the best option, and what will and won't go wrong. And trust me, as I've been through this before, I know that nothing will go wrong."

"How are you feeling about… all this?" He asks tentatively.

"Better," Robin replies, managing a small smile. "I'm coming round to the idea of it. I think Lucina will really benefit from a sibling. I know she gets bored easily."

"I wrote to the other Lucina, but whether or not she'll receive it or not is another matter," Chrom informs, and Robin is silent for a minute. He tears his eyes away from the papers for a while, meeting her own. She looks sad, and he can't quite figure out why until she talks again.

"What about Morgan?" Her words are barely a mumble, and he closes his own.

"I don't have any way of contacting him, try as I might. I've asked the shepherds to keep an eye out, in case he comes back to Ylisstol. He always did seem a little… strange, if you ask me. Like he wasn't all there. Maybe he went back to his own time?"

"Perhaps. Listen, Chrom…" Robin starts, but thinks better, and shakes her head. "Never mind. It's not important."

"Anything you have to say is important to me," he says sincerely, crossing his arms.

"I'd like… to name our child after Morgan. He was our child in another timeline, no doubt about that, and I think it would only be befitting that he was named the same here."

"What if it's a girl?"

"I think it's a pretty unisex name."

"I have no problem. I think it's a lovely way to honour the other Morgan. However, it's not a royal name, not that I'm aware of, so… you may have to fight your case against some other nobles. But it's lovely. I think it's an excellent choice."

The training grounds have been relatively silent since the official end of the war, with no soldiers needing to practice their skills in sword fighting or magic. Often, a few shepherds congregate there, sparring for old time's sake. Although their job in the shepherds isn't over, as they've largely all joined the council, they still are required to be in shape for fighting.

Today, Robin sneaks out from the palace and heads to the barracks. It's a Sunday, so there is no council meeting, and she decides to alleviate her boredom by learning something new. With all the books in the library read cover to cover, she decides on archery, something she has never had a chance to learn. Of course, she doesn't really need to learn, but at this stage, she's desperate for something to do.

Before, she would've picked Lon'qu to help her. Although by no means a professional, he picked up the skill when she reclassed him to an assassin. His prowess in the sword was not to be overlooked, of course, but he didn't mind the extra weapon to master. But now that he was gone, she had to settle for Vaike, who also was a secondary archer. He wouldn't have been her first choice even if he was the only archer in the army, but since he was the only one in Ylisstol, she made do. Maribelle accompanied her, as usual, noticing the queen leaving from her usual tea spot in the front garden.

"You know, strangely, I've become quite attached to Vaike as of late. As a fellow defender of the castle, we've become good friends," Maribelle admits, although her stern facial expression doesn't change in the slightest. "However, I will never get over the brute's disgusting habit of burping so often. Really, it's unnecessary. I do not understand how he managed to charm Panne, although since she's a different species, I guess she doesn't really have the same standards as the rest of us."

"I would've thought petty insults were above you," Robin smirks, and Maribelle splutters.

"Well! I… I apologise, milady. That was rude of me in hindsight."

"Say whatever you like, I won't tell anyone."

"I won't take you up on your offer. I have an almost endless list of complaints about your husband."

"As do I," Robin sighs, but then laughs. "I'm glad to get out today. It's been a while since I've been on a walk further than around the garden."

"Chrom doing that overprotective husband thing again?" Maribelle asks, rolling her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"He means well."

"I know, but that doesn't stop him from being an idiot. Anyway, we're here. I do hope you won't go overboard, or Chrom will kill me for… I don't know, abandoning my job, or something."

"I don't see how firing a few arrows counts as going overboard."

"You don't fire an arrow, dear! You loose it, technically, but shoot is also an acceptable term."

"Well, sorry," Robin laughs. "I clearly have a lot to learn."

"I'll be inside if you need me. Please, don't hesitate to come in if he's melting your brain, or whatever," Maribelle sighs, rolling her eyes dramatically before wandering inside the barracks.

Robin turns the corner, jumping over the short fence into the training grounds. Chrom would've killed her for that 'reckless' move, but she laughs to herself, landing safely on both her feet. Vaike is already waiting for her, and she calls out to him before she reaches him. He has targets set up along the length of the field, and has two bows in his hand.

"Robin! Is Maribelle not with you?" He asks, handing a bow to her.

"She's inside," she explains, taking the bow from his outstretched hand. "Probably having tea, or cleaning, or something."

"Wouldn't surprise me. Anyway, go on! Fire some arrows! Let the Vaike see what you can do!"

"Alright, Teach," she laughs, her mind on Maribelle's correction from earlier.

The pale blue glow from Maribelle's heal staff lights up the road back to Ylisstol in the early evening light. Robin winces as the cuts on her hands, caused by the archery, close over, and the bruises start to fade. The blood dries up, and Robin pokes at it with her nail until Maribelle swats her hand away. The healer sucks in her breath, before exhaling in desperation, and irritated look making her eyebrows furrow in.

"I told you not to overexert yourself, Robin! Now Chrom is going to kill me!"

"I don't think my hands have any connection to the baby, Maribelle."

"That's not the point! Your hands are bloodied and cut up, and I will have to explain to Chrom why! I swear, you will be the death of me."

"I can tell him. It's not your fault, but mine," Robin sighs quietly, and Maribelle whips round to see her, a glare still prominently on her face.

"Fine! But I am taking no responsibility for this!"

"I don't expect you to."

"Good. Anyway, how did it go?" Maribelle asks, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Awfully, actually," Robin admits. "Hence all the cuts. I think I'll have to try a new hobby."

"Perhaps something more calming and safe? Floristry, maybe? Or you could take up an instrument. I could instruct you in the violin, if that pleases you."

"I'll think about it, but thanks for the offer. Maybe I'll write a book? There's a lot to write about that's happened recently."

"That would go down a storm with the royal fanatics. It's rare that a royal publishes a book, much less an autobiography."

"An autobiography of mine wouldn't be worth reading, since it would only start age nineteen or so, since that's what I can remember."

"I thought you recalled earlier memories?"

"Barely. They're there, but I can't quite reach them. It's blurry. Maybe one day I'll be able to get them back, but for now, they're firmly locked away," she explains. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, staring at the ground. "It's probably for the best, though, since I can't imagine they'd be too good."

"Still, I'm not sure a lot of commoners know about the war. It would be a best seller, I'm sure."

"I might. It sounds like a good idea."

"I know your letters are always well written and fluent, so you'll have no problem! I'm more than willing to be your editor if you need me."

"Thanks, Maribelle. I'm sure Chrom will be much more pleased with this idea than the archery," Robin laughs, and Maribelle exhales deeply, examining the queen's hands once again.

A loud cry wakes Chrom and Robin from their sleep one night, high pitched and worryingly close to their room. Their defensive reflexes kick in right away, and both of them are out of bed in an instant, Chrom grabbing Falchion from above his bed and Robin reaching for the tome that lies on the dresser.

"I'll go," Robin says, confident that the call came from Lucina's room. Chrom nods, and takes up watch by the door. The woman pads down the corridor, her nightclothes not giving her much protection from the chill of the night air. A soft sniffling noise can be heard from the young princess's room, and she pushes the door open gently to see her daughter curled up at the foot of her bed.

"Lucina?" Robin asks softly, treading gently across the carpet towards the bed. "What happened, is something wrong?" She deposits the tome on Lucina's nightstand, and kneels beside the shaking lump under the covers.

"Mummy?"

"I'm here."

Slowly, Lucina's head pokes out from the blanket, face tear stained and hair matted from rolling around so much. She dives forwards into Robin's arms, and Robin relaxes, wrapping her arms around the child. She's still so small, and Robin pats her head gently as the girl weeps.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It was a nightmare," Lucina starts, but then shakes her head, burying her face in Robin's chest.

"Did something bad happen?" Robin pushes.

"There was a dragon," Lucina says, and Robin's face falls. There is no way that Lucina could remember Grima, although she was alive when he was resurrected.

"I understand. I get nightmares about dragons too," Robin admits, and Lucina looks up at her with wet eyes. Lucina hugs her mother tighter, and Robin smiles, hand on the young girl's head.

After a few minutes, Chrom opens the door to Lucina's room, Falchion still in hand. He stops when he hears the quiet sniffles of Lucina and the off-key humming of Robin. He takes up position on the floor, beside Robin, and holds his arms out to pass Lucina over to him. Robin obliges, and, although she's probably too big for it, Chrom rocks Lucina back and forth, singing quietly into her ear. Robin has to strain to hear it, and the lyrics aren't clear, but the melody is intact, and a smile finally passes over her face.

Lucina falls asleep quickly after Chrom's lullaby, and he places her back into her bed, gently covering her with the blanket she was so reluctant to leave earlier. He places a kiss on her forehead, and then extends his hand to Robin to help her up. He kisses the top of her head too (it's easier when she isn't wearing shoes), and doesn't let go of her hand until they're both back in their own bed and sleep has taken them.

X

"You have fourteen royal visits to attend to this month, captain," Sumia informs, standing carefully from her seat to deliver the news. "The first is in two days time, and I trust that you'll be bringing Robin with you?"

"No, she's staying behind to care for Lucina. Lissa will be coming in her stead."

"You could've told me," the princess mumbles in response, glaring at her elder brother.

"I was going to later, but now's a good a time as any."

"Regardless, you better be prepared, since it's your first meeting with the new Plegian King since the war."

"Wait, Plegia?" Robin speaks up, sitting straighter in her chair at the mention of her homeland. "If it's Plegia, then I insist on coming too."

"That's probably not a good idea. The scars from the war are still new, and if they see the person who singlehandedly took down their king and Grima, they might try to lynch you," Chrom points out, and Maribelle nods vigorously in agreement. There are murmurs for Robin's safety around the room, but she puts her foot down.

"Technically," she points out, and Chrom sighs, understanding where she's about to go. "Don't do that. Technically, I should be the next queen of Plegia."

"I think if you marched into Plegia and declared yourself their queen, you'd definitely be killed. And yes, okay, technically, you should be, but you're the queen of Ylisse, and you can't rule two countries at once."

"I'm not ruling Ylisse at all! You are, and I'm married to you! Not that I want to rule Plegia, particularly, but I just thought I ought to point it out," she says, retracting back and crossing her arms defensively.

"We'll discuss this later," Chrom says finally, nodding to Maribelle. "If you're so desperate to go, maybe we can sort something out. Sumia, do you anything about the king?"

"Not really, sir. From what I've heard, he's a lot different than Validar, not as cruel. I've also been made aware that he's not a Grimleal, so I suppose that's good for Robin."

"Grima's dead," Robin points out bluntly. "Even if they still wanted to revive him, it would be impossible. You can't raise the dead."

"Actually," Tharja starts, and every eye in the room turns to her. "You can. I mean, I've never seen it done in person, but there is a spell known to actually be possible to raise the dead. It's a sort of reverse Nosferatu. It takes life from the wielder and gives it into the subject. I've only heard of it being done on deceased babies, like in still births, so it's not as hard, but I imagine… well, a dragon really isn't out of the bounds of possibility, especially for Plegian mages."

The room is silent, and Tharja's smirk wipes straight off her face. The silence feels deadly, and Chrom swallows hard. Robin folds the hem of her cloak over and over. Maribelle is the one to break the silence, clearing her throat loudly.

"Even if they could in theory revive Grima, why would they want to? It would be terribly difficult to get to the bottom of the sea where it's carcass lies, after all."

"Their king isn't openly a Grimleal, but that doesn't mean he isn't one. He could be controlling things from behind the scenes. Is this spell common knowledge in Plegia, Tharja?" Robin asks, leaning her elbows on the table.

"Within advanced Dark Mages, I would say pretty common. However, I've never seen it for myself, so I can't say for certain if it's real or not."

"That settles it, then. I'm coming to Plegia with you," Robin says defiantly, and Chrom sighs in defeat.

The skies are dark, and thunderclouds obscure the sun. No sign of natural light from the sky can be seen, but the ghostly glow of Grima's red eyes makes seeing no problem. You can see yourself, in front, only a matter of metres away from where you currently stand. Enemies surround you and the rest of the shepherds, but even with your Thoron tome, you're hardly making any progress through the crowd.

Suddenly, there's an explosion, and you're left feeling weak. Ahead, you spot Ricken and Panne, supported by Gaius, having a go at Grima. She's weakening, clearly, and finally there's a gap in the crowd and you rush through. Chrom follows suit, and you're immediately cut off from the enemy group. It's immediately obvious to you why no one else has made it this far. Grima's aura is strong, and even being in her presence makes you wince. You've changed your hair since you first met her as the hierophant, just so the connection is lessened, just slightly.

Grima falls to the ground. Gaius is nursing a horrible injury to his chest, and Maribelle canters up him, her horse almost tripping on the uneven surface of Grima's back. Your turn your attention away, noticing the horrible smell of death at your feet. You don't look down. You don't need to. You know that it is Henry, and looking at his face will make you cry, and you can't afford tears, not now, not when you're so close to saving the world and yourself.

"Grima," you call, and she turns her head up to look. "It's over." Chrom arrives beside you as she narrows her eyes, pointing Falchion at her head.

"I've made my decision," he says, "you matter to me, Robin. So I will kill Grima for you, so you can live."

Before he finishes his sentence, you've already fired that final Thoron needed to kill Grima. She disappears in a flash of golden electricity, and Chrom's jaw goes slack.

"There's no time for goodbyes, Chrom. I will always love you," you smile at him. Your feet are disappearing, and already you can feel Grima's rapid descent into the sea below you. "Take care of Lucina, and take care of the Shepherds, and rule Ylisse like the ruler I know you can be."

"Robin! Wait, what have you done? Don't… don't leave me!" He cries, attracting attention from the others around you.

"Chrom… goodb-"

Robin wakes up suddenly, shooting upright, her mouth open as if to scream but no sound coming out. Tears run down her face, hot and fast, and clearly her movement was enough to wake Chrom up, as he groans from behind her, rubbing his eyes.

"Robin?" He asks groggily, and when she doesn't answer, he sits up too, moving towards her. "Hey." His voice is gentle, and his eyes are scared, but nothing compared to Robin. She's catatonic, stock still apart from the tears. She shudders, her eyes blinking fast to rid themselves of tears. "A nightmare?" Chrom asks, and slowly she nods. He wraps his arms around her, and she buries her face in his chest, just like Lucina a few nights previously.

"It's all my… fault," she whispers between sobs. "Grima was me, and I was Grima… if I was never born…"

"If you were never born, we'd all be dead, put it that way. Lucina couldn't have come back from the past…"

"I wouldn't have killed you in the past! How can you trust me, knowing that I killed you once before, in another timeline!"

"Because Grima is dead now," Chrom reminds softly, tangling his fingers in her hair and kissing her forehead. "It's okay. It's all over."

A/N: Apologies for the late update! I've had a lot going on recently. Also, there are nine prequels to this (although they essentially are the storyline of awakening mainly through Lucina's POV) over on ao3! my un there is ditzydesu, and the series is called invisible ties, so if you want i recommend checking them out! Thanks! c: