"A vacation, huh?" Robin leaned back in his chair waiting for the Exalt to continue.
"Yeah, we have a small estate up north that we rarely use and I figured why not take the family," Chrom replied casually.
In truth, a vacation sounded nice given how busy they had been recently, "Just how extended is this family? You're not taking all of the Shepherds, are you?" Robin asked with crossed arms.
"Oh dear no! Just the family…mostly."
"'Mostly?'" Robin perked a brow.
"Well, and honorary family," the leader clarified, "Frederick and Cherche will be tagging along. He's practically family and we both know he'd have an aneurism if he didn't come."
"True enough," Robin still did not unfold his arms.
"Sumia has been hinting about taking Cordelia and Stahl too. Guess she figured since I get to bring a friend, then it's only fair that she does too."
Robin wisely decided not to point out that said friend was also his son-in-law and part of the family proper now. Ain't time travel grand?
"Lissa and Lon'qu are also coming down. Cynthia will be coming of course."
"What about little Lucy?"
Chrom smiled, "Yes, we've agreed that she's old enough for her first trip. So, what do you think?"
"I think it sounds fun. I know I could use a break."
"Great!" Chrom pulled out some papers, "I'm going to need you to help organize some things for while we're gone."
Robin sent Chrom a dirty look as the Exalt was already making for the door, "You planned this."
"Yes I did," Chrom laughed as he left the tactician to his work.
"A vacation?" Lucina looked at Robin through the nightstand mirror.
"Yeah," he plucked off his left boot, "To some northern estate your family apparently has."
"I did not know we had such a thing."
"I'm not surprised," off came the right one, "From what I hear, this is a relatively small place. Well, small for royalty."
Robin proceeded to go over the details such as who would be there and how long they would stay.
"I see," she went back to brushing her hair, "I suppose it might be fun."
Robin grinned, "Glad to hear it."
Lucina smiled lightly back. They had eventually managed to settle into a relatively normal married life, even if completely normal was out of the question when living in the same castle as her family, and she loved it.
"So when do we leave?"
"The beginning of the week."
"So soon?"
"Yep, Chrom seems rather eager to go on this trip. Probably just wants to get out of work."
"Well, the winter months are usually slower," Lucina defended her father.
"True, true," Robin finished his much shorter nighttime preparations and stood over his sitting wife, "I just hope your father doesn't eviscerate me when I can't resist the urge to cuddle with you next to the fire."
Lucina grinned mischievously as she looked at his reflection, "Hmm, that would be a shame. You make such a good pillow."
"Well, this pillow is going to bed," Robin yawned growing tired of waiting, "Feel free to join me when you get the time."
"Hmph," she stood and followed him back, "Excuse me for looking my best for you."
"I know," he grinned as he pulled her down to the bed eliciting a yelp from the princess, "And I appreciate it, but you don't have to try to look beautiful."
"You flattering scoundrel," the insult did not reach her face, however; as she was smiling widely.
"Is it really flattery if it's true?" Robin replied with a sly grin before they eventually settled into a comfortable-and rather close-position.
"Hrrrgh!" Robin heaved the last of the bags into the carriage, "Good grief, what's in that thing?"
"I gave up asking that long ago," Chrom nodded his head as he lifted two smaller bags into the wagon.
"I'm starting to think you only invited me so that I could do all the heavy lifting," Robin wiped his brow.
Chrom feigned surprise, "Do you think I planned this?"
"No, of course not. You're nowhere near smart enough to do that."
Chrom was not amused by the comment, but his approaching wife was. "Now I know the bitter taste of betrayal," he folded his arms at his wife.
"Come now, I saw you saving the heavy ones for Robin."
"Father, is this true?" Lucina joined her mother and looked none too pleased.
"Er, Robin needs the exercise?" Robin just smiled to himself. It was always nice to have backup after all. Sometimes he did not even have to defend himself.
"Let's just…go," Chrom sighed in defeat after getting chewed out for making Robin do the heavy lifting. Lucina would be riding with her family in the royal carriage after Robin finally convinced her that it was okay.
In order to stave off some boredom of the long trip and to escape the two loving couples in the back, he opted to drive the wagon up. It gave him some time to think at least, but still the boredom came and he was powerless to stop it.
They eventually stopped over for a quick rest, but it was not for long as Chrom was quite eager to get there by nightfall. When Robin got back up into the driver's seat though, he was not alone.
"Lucina, what are you doing?"
Lucina smiled as she got comfortable and leaned against her husband, "I missed my husband."
"But what about your family?" Robin replied hesitantly as his resolve was quickly crumbling.
"I told them where I was going," she snuggled into his coat sleeve even further. It was too adorable for Robin to resist any longer.
"Well, if you insist then. Though it will get rather chilly on the way."
"That's fine," Lucina looked up at him with those cerulean eyes he loved so much, "I have you to keep me warm."
"I guess we'll just have to cuddle even closer then."
"I suppose so," Lucina smiled into his thick coat. It was quite comfortable. So much so, that she had a bit of trouble keeping her eyes open….
Lucina felt something disturbing her peaceful rest, and while that would have at one point in time instantly sent her into battle mode, she felt oddly secure and at peace where she was so she tried to ignore it. Unfortunately, whatever was nudging her was persistent.
"Lucina…" A familiar voice almost whispered in her ear having the opposite intended effect by making her want to snuggle closer to her pillow and resume her rest.
"Lucina…wake up…" the voice persisted, "We're here."
Lucina's eyes fluttered open to see her husband looking down at her with red cheeks for some reason. That reason soon became clear once she noticed the audience they had acquired. Her mother and Cordelia were smiling sweetly at the scene while Cherche wore a similar, albeit more teasing, grin with Lucy tugging at her mother's coat wanting to know what the fuss was about. Meanwhile, Cynthia looking ready to pounce at a moment's notice with some teasing. Stahl seemed a bit more awkward as his eyes kept glancing over to Chrom to make sure he was not about to bust a blood vessel.
The Exalt, for his part, was busying himself with unpacking the carriage alongside Frederick while making a pointed effort not to look at the two. Robin was fine with that.
That was enough to get Lucina back to an upright position, though her cheeks remained red, "Er, yes, thank you."
Now that he was freed, Robin stepped down and politely offered his hand to help her down all the while doing his best to ignore the others. It was a course of action that Lucina concurred with as they quickly gathered their bags and followed her father and Frederick to the main hall of the cottage.
It was far from the grand halls of the palace in opulence opting for a more homey feel. It had a limited staff, but Chrom had insisted on giving them the week off so that they could function without all the peering eyes and intrusive ears. Of course, Frederick had made sure that a perimeter guard was maintained which Robin agreed was a logical precaution.
"Honey," Sumia rubbed her arms upon entering the building, "It's freezing in here!"
"Probably because he sent the staff home yesterday," Robin responded irritably. His coat protected him, but Chrom's lack of logistical planning was almost remarkable. Almost.
"I'm sure we can start a fire," Chrom replied confidently, "Isn't that right, Frederick?"
Robin could see a gleam in the knight's eyes that somewhat unsettled him as he responded, "Of course, milord! I shall get started at once."
"Cherche," Robin called out to the wyvern rider-who after a lot of convincing agreed to leave Minerva in the capable hands of her son for the week. Convincing him to come to the capital was nearly as difficult, "Please go with him and make sure he doesn't burn the place down."
"I suppose that would put a damper on the week," the pink haired woman smiled as she followed after her husband.
"Hey," Cynthia walked up with a Lucy in tow, "I thought you said aunt Lissa and uncle Lon'qu were coming."
"They are. They're probably just running a little behind. No need to send a search party just yet." Chrom smiled to the rest of those gathered as he clasped his hands, "First things first, we need to assign rooms. Obviously, Sumia and I get the master bedroom on account of this being my house. Cynthia has agreed to bunk with Lucy down the hall," The sisters giggled to themselves, "You had better behave yourselves too."
Chrom cleared his throat after a dual moan of disappointment, "Anyway, whenever Lissa and Lon'qu get here, they will get the main guest room. Frederick and Cherche will be just outside the royal apartments." It was incredibly likely they had insisted on it. Cherche had taken her new nationality to heart and served Chrom with the same dedication she had Virion. Fortunately, she was much more tame in her service than her infamously overzealous husband and had even subdued him somewhat.
"Cordelia and Stahl, you're next door to them," then he faced his daughter and…son-in-law, "You two are in the main bedroom in the east wing."
Robin knew the unspoken implication. They were far far away from him. While Robin was fine with that personally as it helped to safeguard him from harm, he did hope that it would not dampen Lucina's time. Fortunately, she did not seem to care that they were furthest from her parents as she whisked him away in search of their room.
The group was about to sit down for their meal when someone barged into the room, "We're here every–"
"Auntie!" Lucy dove for her aunt before she could finish.
"Lucy!" Lissa excitedly peeled the young girl off her leg, "Wow, you've gotten so big. I hardly recognize you!"
Lucy beamed with pride as her father came over and hugged his sister, "It's good to see you again."
"When did you get so sentimental?" despite her ribbing, she eagerly returned the gesture.
"Lon'qu," Robin nodded at the stoic swordsman standing in the door with several bags at his feet. If Robin had to guess, only one of them was his-he always did travel light.
"Robin!" Lissa took advantage of his momentary distraction and tackled him. It was enough to set off Lucina's more protective/possessive side for a split second before she remembered who was doing the tackling resulting in a subdued sigh from the princess.
"Lissa, good to see you too," Robin laughed as he gave her a light hug back. The rest of Lissa's rounds were less attack based, but she was certainly happy for the chance to meet up with her friends.
Not much happened that night as they were-with the exception of Lucina-tired from the day's travel.
"This is a rather nice little getaway," Lucina unpacked her clothes into the dresser while Robin stocked the bathroom, "This room is elegant yet quaint."
"Indeed. I wonder what other homes Chrom is hiding up his sleeves."
"I do not remember any others, but I also did not know about this one."
"I doubt there are too many. Your father isn't exactly one for opulence after all," Robin-now finished with his task-rejoined his wife to add his own clothes to the wardrobe, "I'm sure this is a holdover from another generation in fact."
"Still, I am glad it is here," the couple prepared for bed once they were unpacked, "Now we can spend a nice week together without having to worry about anything."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Chrom said something about going hunting tomorrow."
"Hunting?" Lucina raised her brow, "Did we forget to bring food?"
"No, I think he wants to do it as a bonding experience."
"Oh, well what time does he want to leave?"
"Well, you see," Robin started awkwardly, "I think he wants to just take the guys."
"Oh…I see…"
"Yeah, though I doubt if we'll actually catch anything. You know how our group can be."
"Yes…" Lucina was clearly not paying attention.
"Lucina? Are you okay?"
"Hmm? Y-yes, I'm quite alright."
Robin was not convinced, but he did not want to push her. So, with a little more idle chatter, the two were off to sleep though Robin still had a sneaking suspicion that something was still bothering her.
The next day, Frederick made sure that the men were all up bright and early. Too early for some of them.
"Really, Frederick," Chrom pulled his sack over his shoulder, "I think we could have waited a little longer."
"One of the keys to a good hunt is an early start," Frederick recited more cheerily than most could muster at that hour.
"So is not falling asleep during the hunt," Robin rebutted with a warm beverage in hand, "Now where is my pack?"
"Yeah, and proper food," Stahl chimed in, "My stomach might scare them away."
"Then we'll leave you behind if it becomes a problem," Lon'qu simply stated in a manner that left the others unsure as to whether he was joking or not.
"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Chrom reassured before he noticed Robin still looking around for something, "Robin, what are you doing?"
"Looking for my pack," he did not look up from his task.
"Did you try the wagons?"
Before he could respond, the others came out to bid them a safe trip.
"Be safe," Sumia gave Chrom a quick kiss and whispered in his ear after separating, "And don't get any ideas about killing Robin."
"I would never," Chrom grinned evilly.
Meanwhile, Robin was still searching for his pack when he noticed Lucina, "Oh, have you seen–" Lucina held up the item in question, "–My pack!"
"My apologies. I took the liberty of packing it for you."
"That's very considerate of you, thank you," he went to grab it, but he was taken by surprise by its sheer weight. Looking closer, he saw that his pack was bulging at nearly twice the size of everyone else's packs.
"Wow, what did you put in this?"
"I wanted to make sure you were well prepared. I added a few sandwiches in case you get hungry, some extra bowstrings, some dry kindling, a spare tome, and a blanket."
"Lucina, we're not going camping."
"I know, but I just want you to be prepared," she looked at her feet bashfully which Robin actually found kind of cute, "I overdid it, didn't I?"
"Er, maybe a little, but I appreciate that you care so much."
"But it's so heavy. Maybe I should take some things out."
"No, it's fine," by that point, Robin was just focused on making her happy.
"If you're certain…"
"I am. I should probably get going now."
"Right, sorry."
"Don't be," he gave her a light peck on the cheek, "See you tonight."
"Be safe."
Robin smiled and turned to find the guys waiting on him causing him to clear his throat in mild embarrassment, "Right, let's get going."
Lucina likewise turned to find the girls all grinning at her, "What?"
"Nothing," Cordelia could not stop smiling the whole time.
"It's just so sweet how you dote on him," Sumia supplied.
"I-Is it really that bad?"
"It is," Cherche answered her bluntly.
"I-I just want to make sure he is safe. I wish I could go with him. I am an adequate hunter. I surely would not be a hindrance."
"Not taking you has nothing to do with your prowess as a hunter," Sumia explained.
"Oh? Then why?"
"They just wanted some time with the guys," Lissa told her.
"I honestly think it's sweet how they want to provide for us too," Sumia practically swooned.
"But I could assist," Lucina protested.
"I know, and so do they, but they want to do this, so why stop them?"
"I suppose it is kind of them, but we should do something in return."
"And we will," Sumia guided her back inside, "Because we definitely don't want your father or Robin cooking whatever they bring back."
"I'm not sure we're going to find anything at this point," Robin pointed out as they closed their third hour without success.
"Heh, giving up so soon?" Chrom quipped as they trudged through the snow.
"We've seen neither hide nor tail of anything since we've started."
"It does seem unusual," Frederick commented from where he was leading the way with Lon'qu, "Normally this area is ripe with game. We should at least be seeing something even this late in the year."
"Maybe you're sabotaging us somehow," Robin remembered the knight's aversion to gamey meats.
"I would never do such a thing no matter my aversions to certain meats."
"Huh?" Chrom looked confused, "'Aversion to certain meats?'"
"You didn't know?" Robin raised his brow.
"I thought everyone knew," Stahl muttered in surprise.
"Know what?"
"Frederick here really can't stomach gamey meats."
"Really?" Chrom was surprised that the stalwart knight had such a weakness.
"Yes," Frederick admitted sullenly, "However, I have trained to overcome this weakness, but I never fully curbed the trait."
Before Chrom could respond, Lon'qu raised his hand, "I heard something."
"About time," Robin mumbled shifting the weight of his overly stuffed pack.
"…There," Lon'qu pointed.
"That'll do."
"Cynthia, could you please keep Lucy away while we're working with hot things?"
"Fine," the pegasus knight whined as she coerced Lucy to follow her to the living room. While they were waiting for the men to bring some meat-though Cherche had secretly set aside some salted ham they brought along just in case-they had prepared the rest of the meal in preparation for their eminent return.
Sumia and Cherche proved quite capable in the kitchen and Cordelia was a quick study. Lissa on the other hand, was not quite as effective as the pillar of smoke from her pan indicated. Lucina fell somewhere in between. So long as she was kept away from the fire, things were fine, but she had a tendency to burn anything requiring heat. Still, it was not bad considering how little experience she had.
It was not long until Cynthia and Lucy came running in yelling that they were back. Lucina, of course, was the first one out to greet them. She felt somewhat silly, but part of her mind still worried over Robin when he was out of her sight, and especially when he was in an unknown situation. Never mind the fact that he was accompanied by some of the fiercest warriors on the planet.
She was greeted by the sight of Frederick carrying a deer over his shoulders like it was nothing while the others trudged along merrily. Upon catching sight of her husband, she quickly went to greet him.
"Good to see you too," he smiled as they separated from their embrace.
"I see you had a successful trip," Sumia joined them, though not as quickly as her daughter.
"Yeah, though we had to fight a bear for it."
"A bear!" Lucina looked on in abject horror.
"Yeah," Chrom chuckled seemingly unaware of his daughter's plight, "Turns out we weren't the only ones hunting the deer. Must have been after its last meal for the winter."
"How did you get the deer though?" Sumia inquired.
"I used the tome Lucina packed for me," Robin shrugged, "It was kind of cheating, but no one was complaining at that point."
"We should probably get that ready to cook," Cherche pointed out before leaning over and whispering in her husband's ear, "Don't worry, I made some ham for you."
The knight, imperceivably to all but Cherche, perked up and carried their haul in with renewed vigor. The others then followed at a more leisurely pace.
They enjoyed a good meal while Lissa kept trying to sneak in some of Frederick's ham. Robin noticed that Lucina seemed awfully attached all night, but he was not about to complain. He was looking forward to spending the next day together with her.
The next morning, the couple was awakened by the sound of laughter outside.
"Someone sounds like they're having fun," Robin groggily commented without opening his eyes.
"Probably Cynthia and Lucy," Lucina likewise did not make any effort to get up, "I wish they would quiet down." Lucina loved Cynthia and, despite an awkward start, her other "sister," but sometimes they bothered her as siblings do. Lucy at least had the excuse of being so young, but Lucina would sometimes wish that Cynthia would act more her age.
"Just ignore them," Robin pulled her in closer.
"Mmm," Lucina was about to drift off again when the sound of something hitting their window startled her, "What was that?"
"Probably just a snowball," Robin sat up much more slowly.
"A…snowball?" Lucina looked at her half-asleep husband.
"You don't…I guess you wouldn't," Robin stopped to think.
"What is it?"
"Come on," he got out of the comfortable bed with a little willing.
"Where are we going?"
"We're already awake. We might as well make some memories."
Equipped with their winter gear including a hat which amplified Lucina's adorableness, the duo made their way to Cynthia and Lucy's warzone where they battled it out. Chrom and Sumia were happily supervising with warm beverages in hand.
"Big sis!" It did not take long for Lucy to spot them, "Come play with us!"
"Er," Lucina was not one for such games.
"Come on, Lucina," Robin egged her on, "Let's cut loose a little."
"See? Uncle Robin will play."
"I-if you insist, but I do not know how to play."
"I'll teach you," Lucy proclaimed proudly, "Here," she scooped up some snow, "First you pick it up and smoosh it into a ball, and then you throw it," she threw the ball a short distance, "See? It's easy."
Lucina repeated the motion and threw the snowball with much more force, "Yay, you did it! Now we can play."
"What is the objective?"
"To hit each other!" Cynthia threw one at the side of Lucina's head causing her to look irritably toward her sister, "Er…"
Lucina and Robin shared a look before nodding and bending down to collect ammunition. Cynthia quickly decided to take cover before the duo set about launching a barrage of icy destruction down upon her. Lucy went to back her up, but there was little they could do against Robin's strategic mind and Lucina's impressive throwing arm.
When Lissa came to check on the commotion, she quickly joined the battle as a third party being unable to resist the urge to beam Robin with a large projectile. Lon'qu only intervened to guard his wife and retaliate against her would-be assailants with the exception of Lucy who was simply too adorable to counter attack.
Chrom was enjoying the scene until a flurry of icy projectiles pelted him and Sumia, "That's it, it's on!" Chrom dove behind some trees with his younger daughters and continued to assault Robin and Lucina's entrenched snow shelter.
Seeing that the tactician and princess were outnumbered, Stahl and Cordelia joined forces with them and set their sights on the Exalt, "This is treason!" he yelled as he fought back valiantly, "Treason I say!"
"Aren't you going to join in?" Cherche teased as Frederick stood at attention.
"I do not see any reason to participate."
"But your liege is under attack. Surely that requires some form of intervention."
"Hmm, perhaps you are right," he cracked a slight smile which Cherche returned as they both joined in the fray in defense of their liege. The battle then raged on for hours. It was quite the affair.
At some point, Robin picked up on a strange sound. It was hard to make out over the laughter and well-meaning insults, but he finally pinpointed the melodious noise. To his right, he noticed Lucina giggling like a little girl as she hurled some more orbs of snow at her sister. Robin just had to stop and admire the scene until she noticed.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, it's just nice to see you enjoying yourself so much."
"Thank you," Lucina beamed, "This feels wonderful. It is like I am a kid again."
"Well, I'm gla–" Robin was cut off when he was beamed in the head. Looking for the assailant, Lucina's eyes locked with Frederick's. She slowly grabbed some ammunition and threw the snowball with a surprising amount of force. It was enough to cause the mountain of a man to stumble back.
There was a brief truce during which they enjoyed some lunch before going back to war. Eventually, an armistice was reached and they engaged in other ventures. There were several snowmen built, and Cordelia easily had the most detail in hers to the point that it was becoming more of a sculpture.
After that, Lucy took to making snow angels with Cynthia, but most were unwilling to get down into the snow as they were soggy enough from the snowball fight. All in all, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves-even Lon'qu. If one looked close enough, a small smile could even be seen on the stoic swordmaster's face.
"That was fun," Robin nearly collapsed into bed that night.
"Indeed," Lucina continued to wear the smile she had been wearing, "I have not had so much fun in ages."
"I could tell," he hugged her once she joined him in the bed, "I loved seeing you cut lose like that."
"Hmm, it was nice. Maybe I'll do it more often."
"Whatever makes you happy."
The next morning did not start off as excitingly. Robin and Lucina woke up early and decided to slowly make their way to the dining room and grabbed something to drink until breakfast was ready. Not much was said until Chrom came bursting into the room.
"Good morning!"
"You seem awfully chipper this morning," Robin mumbled into his cup before giving Sumia a passing acknowledgement as she went straight for the coffee.
"Of course!" He grabbed a cup of his own, "I was hoping that today we might go down to the lake like I did as a boy."
Lucina's interest peaked up at that remembering him mention something about that on the way up, "Are you referring to this 'skating?'"
"I am," he grinned.
"Skating?" Robin piped up, "You? You could barely keep your balance on a ship for the first week, and yet you mean to tell me that you skate?"
"Nothing fancy, I'll admit, but those are two different things."
"This I have to see."
"When shall we leave?" Lucina ignored Robin's comment.
"After we pry Lissa from her bed."
"Might be a while then," Robin remembered the last time she was woken up early and cringed.
"Right, probably best to wait on that one. So, what's for breakfast?"
There was some more idle chatter as they were slowly joined by the others. Eventually Lissa did grace them with her presence. So long as she was left to wake on her own, she was usually in a chipper mood and did not sleep too late, but if she were ever awoken early, well, that was a different story.
"Now that everyone's finally here," Lissa stuck her tongue out at her brother at the slight jab at her tardiness, "We can finally head out. It's not far from here; just be sure to take your gear. I made sure we have enough for everyone."
"Wait, you actually planned for something?" Robin asked in disbelief, "On your own?"
"Yes, Robin, I can think for myself. Anyway, let's go!"
On the way to the lake, Chrom explained his enthusiasm for this trip. Apparently, he, Emmeryn, and their mother had come here when he was just a boy before Lissa was born. He said it was one of his happiest childhood memories and he was eager to share the experience now that he was older.
Once they were at the lake, however; some were a bit uncertain about the endeavor.
Cherche managed to coerce Frederick into going onto the ice, but he was incredibly stiff the whole time. Lon'qu likewise appeared rather tense, but it was clear that he had no trouble adjusting to the activity. Cordelia took to it like a natural and Stahl was quite passable.
Chrom made sure to take it slow and make sure Sumia and Cynthia did not lose any fingers from accidents while Lucy held firmly onto his hand for support. Robin and Lucina meanwhile eyed the lake warily.
"Are you sure it is safe?" Lucina asked not for herself, but for Robin.
"Well, Chrom's still around. So I guess it's fine. Why so nervous?"
"It is not my safety I am concerned about," she gave him a pointed look.
"Me?"
"The ice could break and you could freeze to death!"
"I guess that could happen, but, Lucina, I don't think it's likely. Plus, we have trained healers here."
"I-I know, it's just…" Lucina rubbed her armed nervously, "I don't want to lose you…"
"Oh," Robin looked away in shame. No wonder she was acting so protective of him lately. "Lucina, I won't leave you again. I fully intend to spend a long life with you. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."
Lucina smiled, "I know," She took a deep breath, "So, shall we give this a try?"
"Yes, let's."
After a few less than spectacular attempts, Robin eventually managed to get his bearings, "I'm afraid I don't have the balance for this," he wobbled as he spoke.
"Hmm? It does not seem very difficult to me."
"That's because you have a natural grace I lack."
"I do? I never considered myself especially graceful, or graceful at all for that matter."
"That's because you're too hard on yourself. You carry yourself in a very dignified and graceful manner. Unfortunately, I'm about as graceful as a pegasus on ice."
"Well then," Lucina took him by the arm, "I suppose I will just have to help you."
"That sounds nice."
With some coaching, Robin eventually got the hang of the whole skating business. He was no professional by any means, but he could go five feet without falling. Of course, he still sat things out when Chrom wanted to race.
Somehow Cordelia managed to win despite never having skated before. Her ability to take up and learn new abilities was amazing.
Despite all of his bruises, Robin had to admit that he enjoyed the day. Honestly, so long as Lucina was having fun, he was happy. It did him good to see her laughing as she and Chrom raced across the ice. The more he saw her like that, the more he vowed to keep her happy.
"It's nice seeing them like that, isn't it?" He had failed to notice Sumia standing beside him until she spoke up.
"Yeah, it is."
"Thank you, Robin."
"Huh?" He raised his brow, "What for?"
"Lucina was never this happy before you got together."
"Oh, well, I'm not sure I can take all of the credit."
"But you can take most of it. Really, Robin, as a mother, it does me good to see the dark cloud gone from over her head. I know it's weird, but I'm glad you found each other."
"Thank you," Robin replied sincerely, "It's always good to know that I have the support of one of you."
"Oh, Chrom's happy to see her enjoy herself too. He just…still has trouble adjusting to the idea."
"Yeah," Robin rubbed the back of his head, "That was not a pleasant conversation for anyone involved."
"I can imagine."
Robin smiled slightly as Lucina edged ahead of her father, "It was worth it though. She's not the only one who's happy. Ever since we've been together, life just seems…better. Even when we hit our rough patch, I knew I still wanted to protect her, to fight for her…to live for her."
"Funny how that works, isn't it?" Sumia looked back fondly on her own experiences with Chrom.
"I guess so. Who would have ever imagined that we'd be in-laws?"
"I'll admit, I don't think that's one role I'll grow into. At least not for you."
"I don't blame you. Plus, if I called Chrom 'dad,' he would probably lose it."
Sumia giggled, "He probably would."
"Thank you for your support, Sumia," Robin said after a brief pause, "It means a lot to me, and I know it does to Lucina. Though, I am a bit concerned that she's spending so much time with me that she's somewhat neglecting the rest of you. I want her to be happy and to even make up for some of her childhood, but lately she's been so concerned with me that..."
"That's sweet of you, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. After everything you've been through, it only makes sense that she'd be a little protective, but she'll eventually calm down a bit. Besides, you are married; I think it makes sense for you to spend so much time together."
"Part of me does really like the attention I'll admit. I hate that she's worrying so much, but it feels…nice to have her focus on me like that."
"I think that's natural. I bet she enjoys getting attention from you too even if she doesn't admit it."
Robin smiled as the racing came to an end and started to degrade into more random shenanigans, "Thanks for talking with me, Sumia. Though we might want to make sure no one loses a finger."
After another hour or two on the lake, they returned to the villa and relaxed some more. They enjoyed a good meal, but Robin kept thinking back to his prior conversation with Sumia.
The next morning while Robin and Lucina were sipping their coffee by the fire, Chrom came in dressed for the cold, "Lucina, I was hoping you could help me find the hill where we used to sled."
"I would love to, but I would not want to deprive Lucy of the experience."
Chrom simply laughed, "I don't think Lucy has the patience for this. Same goes for Cynthia."
She looked uncertainly to Robin who picked up on her concern, "Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back. Go, enjoy some time with your father."
"Thank you," she smiled and joined her father to trudge out into the snow. After a few minutes, Chrom spoke.
"I think it was this way, but it's been several years so I'm not sure," he adjusted the sleigh strapped to his back, "I hope it's still in good condition."
"You really cherish your memories here, don't you?"
"I do," Chrom smiled wistfully, "It was a time before I fully realized what was going on in the world and with my father. It's also one of the few memories I have of my mother. So you can see why I wanted to share it with all of you."
"I do. I also cherish some of my happier memories from my childhood. For the longest time, they were the only truly happy and carefree memories I had." Noticing her father's sullen face, she quickly added, "But that is no longer the case. Since coming here I have forged many new and wonderful memories."
"That's good to hear. It's nice seeing you so happy. It's a good change."
"Is it really so noticeable?"
"It is," Chrom smiled, "You used to be so dour all the time."
"I suppose I have opened up somewhat," Lucina smiled fondly, "Robin seems to make it his mission to make me smile as much as possible." She quickly remembered who she was with though, "Er…sorry. I know our relationship is not a comfortable topic for you."
"It's a bit strange for me, yes, but I can't deny how much you care for each other. I just…need some time to adapt. I really am happy that you found love though; you deserve it."
"T-thank you, father. That means a lot to me."
"Just, uh, let's keep the marital talk to a minimum. I'm here if you need me, but just because I'm happy for you, doesn't make it not awkward."
Lucina laughed lightly, "Certainly, father."
"Well, now that that's out of the way," Chrom stopped, "I think we're here."
"Oh?" Lucina looked down the hill. It was a fairly clear path down which made it good for sledding.
"Care to take the first ride?" He unslung the sled and plopped it down between them.
"I'm afraid I don't know how. Perhaps you could show me."
"Hmm, I suppose I could. Hop on."
Chrom took the lead after she got on the sled. Granted, two adults made it somewhat hard to push off, but Chrom was also ludicrously strong so he did not have much trouble. Though, he may have pushed off a little too hard as they quickly went careening down the hillside a bit faster than may have been strictly safe.
Chrom was laughing heartily while Lucina was holding on for dear life. "Lean!" Chrom yelled when he spotted a tree they were rapidly approaching. Lucina was quick to obey and they both leaned away from the tree and continued down the hill.
"Haha, that was fun," Chrom got off the slay but stopped when he noticed that Lucina was still gripping the sled, "Lucina? Something wrong?"
"W-why would you say that?" She forced herself to release the handles of the sled causing Chrom to laugh again.
"Not one for sledding I take it?"
"I faced the fell dragon," Lucina stood up with a small huff of embarrassment, "I think I can handle a little sleighing."
"It's sledding actually, but it's okay if you're afraid. Some things affect certain people more than others."
"If I were afraid, would I go again?" Lucina stood rigidly straight.
"Are you sure you're up for it?" Chrom smirked, "You seemed pretty tense on the way down."
"Certainly," she picked up the sled and started back up the hill, "I can conquer this like any other task."
"Alright," Chrom jogged after her, "But maybe we should bring the others in on the fun."
After a few more trips down the hill, the two finally brought the others with more sleds in tow. Lucy really liked it even if she was a little afraid at first. Robin was a bit surprised but nevertheless pleased to see Chrom and Lucina's seeming rivalry of sorts.
Robin himself actually proved quite adept at maneuvering the sleds and rose to the top ranks of their little group. Eventually, he did borrow his wife for a few less intense rides toward the end of the day.
Later that evening, they all retired to the main living room. Frederick and Cherche stood to the side of the fire as she rested her head on his shoulder. Chrom and Sumia occupied an armchair not quite big enough for two people; not that they cared though. Lissa was asleep next to Lon'qu on another chair nearby. Cordelia and Stahl were in a loveseat on the other side of the fire while Cynthia and Lucy were passed out exhausted in front of the fire.
Robin and Lucina had taken to the ouch directly in front of the fire and Lucina was getting quite comfortable on Robin's shoulder. While they had enjoyed themselves, they were still tired.
Robin looked around at his friends and family. He was very fortunate to have them, and hoped they knew that. He pulled Lucina in closer. He hoped she knew that most of all. He truly loved her with his entire being, and he looked forward to their years together.
Robin smiled as he let his mind drift. There was no doubt about it: this was where they belonged…with family.
A/N: First off, Merry Christmas!
Secondly, phew, that was long (for me). Hopefully you enjoyed it, and hopefully you will continue to enjoy what I put out.
