Robin awoke to find Lucina had turned at some point in the night. Now instead of facing him, her back was flush to his chest and their legs were tangled together. The covers had been pushed away and was barely over them, and one of his arms was draped over hers and the other was underneath the pillow she was using. He blushed a little as he inched his waist away from hers, but otherwise didn't move. The sound of birds chirping and sunlight let him know they'd slept in, but he wasn't sure by how much. He didn't really want to get up, but he knew at some point he wouldn't have a choice.
Knowing Lucina was a notoriously light sleeper, he decided against trying to sneak out of bed. "Luce?" He gently shook her shoulder. "It's light out." He told her quietly.
She lifted her head, and he pulled his arm out from underneath the pillow, and she turned on her back, blinking as she looked up at him. "Morning." Her voice was drowsy.
"Morning." He smiled as he sat upright beside her. "Sleep well?"
"Mmm." She closed her eyes and a small smile formed. "Better than I have in ages. I never knew how warm you were."
He shook his head, smiling, then stood up. "Thanks... I suppose." He shuffled to the end of the bed and stood up, trying not to think about how soft she'd felt in his arms a moment ago. "I suppose we should get ready."
Lucina sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her arms over her head.
A knock from the door drew their attention.
"Robin? You up yet?" Chrom called out, leaning against the wall beside the door frame.
"Yeah!"
Swallowing, suddenly nervous, he kept his voice just loud enough for the man on the other side of the door to hear him. "Is Lucina in there with you?" He asked. He'd spoken with Sumia as they'd gotten ready and both were in agreement to have this discussion today, but now the moment was upon him, he wasn't exactly certain how to broach it.
Silence greeted him for a few moments, then he heard the sound of movement on the other side of the door.
"Good morning, Father." Lucina greeted as she opened the door.
Chrom cleared his throat. "Good morning. Your mother is looking for you, so go on and freshen up before breakfast. Just don't take too long or we'll be having brunch instead, huh?" He gave her a warm smile as he stepped out of the doorway to allow her to pass.
She nodded, turning back to Robin. "I'll see you soon." She said with a wave, turning on her heel to walk down the hall. She tugged her clothes as she let out a deep breath. For a moment, she was worried her father would be upset... And a shadow of a doubt lingered over leaving Robin alone with him. "Nothing unbecoming happened." She reminded herself. "And Robin wouldn't deceive Father into thinking such a thing did happen. I'm sure Robin will be alright."
Robin leaned against his desk as Chrom stepped into his room, letting the door close behind him.
"Nothing happened." He blurted out just as Chrom was about to speak.
Th Exalt shook his head. "Well, I'm glad to hear. You just lost track of time last night?" He asked.
Robin nodded quickly. "We talked for a little while, and she said she wanted to stay so I let her." He cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "I guess looking back it wasn't proper, but..."
"Hmph. I'd say the improper thing would be to send a lady away when she wants to stay with you, but you are correct. Technically." Chrom stopped in front of Robin, looking between the mans eyes. "You know I'm not one to mince words, Robin, so I'll ask outright: Have you and Lucina entered into a romantic relationship?"
"No. We're just friends. Close friends... And we missed each other and didn't want to uh, you know... Go our separate ways last night, so we didn't." He explained, his voice mumbly as his face flushed. He gripped the edge of his desk tightly.
"It's not that I disapprove." Chrom explained. "You and her are more than capable of making your own decisions. All I ask is if something changes, one of you keep us in the loop." He asked, though Robin knew it wasn't a request. He nodded, and Chrom did too. "Good." He sighed, leaning against the wall. "You know, Sumia often brought up how close you two were before, when we waged war against Walhart. I thought she was reading too much into things, but after yesterday and today..."
Robin let out a small chuckle. "I know how it must look. But she's just my friend. My best friend, sure, but we've never done anything I thought was romantic. I'm sure she feels much the same."
Silence filled the space between them for a moment as Chrom looked down, deep in thought. His lips pursed, and he crossed his arms. "It's just, no woman has ever seemed to capture your attention, and I know many have tried. I've been curious myself, you know. Whenever we've had a guys night out with the others, you always said you weren't interested in the woman pursuing you. Maybe you just wanted to be the one doing the pursuing, eh? It seems like we've got peace for once, so now might be the time to think about it."
The tactician's mouth worked wordlessly for a moment. He shrugged, lifting his hands from his desk to cross his arms, and tapped one toe against the ground. "I don't know what to tell you." He admitted after a moment. But deep down he knew what the truth really was. Whenever the subject of setting down and living in peacetime came up, the person who was immediately at the front of his mind was Lucina. No other woman even came close to runner up. Unfortunately, with his origin revealed and his plan to sacrifice himself set in motion, he'd given up any hope of ever living out such a dream.
"Right. I should apologize, Robin. It's far too early for me to be bothering you with such matters." He said, waving his hand back and forth.
"Not at all. You have every right to be concerned. You're her father, after all."
Chrom nodded, standing up straight. "Well, you should throw on some fresh clothes and meet us for breakfast. See you in a bit."
Opening the door to her chambers, Lucina saw that Sumia was waiting for her inside. "Mother, good morning." She lifted her hand to wave.
Sumia grinned at her from ear to ear. "Good morning, dear. Long night?"
Lucina grabbed some fresh clothes out of her wardrobe. "Not particularly." She said as she stepped behind the wooden divider and began changing.
"I see. You didn't stay with Robin too late, then?" Sumia asked, the innocence in her tone very clearly put on as she smiled at her daughter through the barrier.
Pausing as she changed, Lucina's brow furrowed. "How does she know? I guess Father must have told her last night." She shrugged. "No. I stayed the night with him."
"EE-HEE-HEE WOO HOO EEEAA!"
Lucina nearly stumbled over at her mother's sudden high pitched squealing. "What has gotten into you!?" She cried out as she stepped out from behind the divider in fresh clothes. "Gah!"
Sumia leapt at her in a tackle hug, squeezing her with all her motherly might and lifting her off the ground. "Oh, Lucina! I'm so happy for you!"
Struggling to get out of her grip, Lucina was quick to find her footing, then grabbed Sumia's wrists and held them in the space between them. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you don't have to keep secrets from me! You can tell me, and I'll make sure Chrom doesn't kill Robin, okay?"
Lucina flushed straight to her toes as she finally picked up on the implication. "Mother! Nothing happened between me and Robin last night! By the gods, all we did was talk and then fall asleep!" Tugging her cape back into place, she smoothed out her tunic and huffed as she made her way to the door. "It wasn't that big a deal."
"You have my full support, you know."
She stopped just as she was about to grab the door handle. Slowly, Lucina turned back around at her mothers sudden melancholic tone.
"It's just..." Sumia sighed, having regained her composure, and guided Lucina to sit in front of the mirror on the wall. She grabbed a nearby brush and began smoothing out Lucina's hair. "You and Robin were so close before. As your mother, I couldn't help but notice and keep an eye in case any of the boys in the camp started to turn their attention to you. Like that fool Inigo." Lucina quirked a brow, but didn't say anything. "At first, I didn't think much of it. But then I had my suspicions, as time went on. 'Oh look, they're on patrol together again! Oh look, they went into town together again! Oh look, he made her laugh when she was looking troubled!'. I couldn't help but wonder, and so did some of the others in camp. And it's not like it's uncommon, a couple of warriors in constant life in death situations, always in close proximity to each other, deciding to get together."
Lucina's lips pursed. "If Mother had mistaken Robin and I's friendship, I wonder who else did." She thought. "Yes, well... He and I were only ever friends. Our other friends and comrades getting bored and spreading rumours betrays the truth of the situation."
"Regardless, with how much time you two spent together, it was easy for an observer to draw their own conclusions." Sumia set the brush down, quickly dabbed at Lucina's face with a moist cloth, then grabbed some make up from out of the drawer. Lucina normally only wore it for important parties or dining events when Exalt duties required she act much more like a noble than she otherwise did, having no need of it for long travels or potential battles, and began to pull away. "Stay still dear. Today is your first real day back with him, and you want to look your best." Lucina sighed, but allowed her mother to continue. "And you were in such high spirits yesterday. Your father and I have been worried. It was at its worst right after the battle, of course. You hardly slept, you hardly ate, all you did was train and travel and get into arguments if anyone so much as implied Robin wasn't coming back. You've never really been the same."
The princess said nothing, but cast her eyes downward.
"To say nothing of how you both were after your fight." Sumia said gently, setting the makeup aside and kneeling down in front of her. "It was as though you'd gone back into hiding with how little you spoke. I understood you wanted to keep your father safe, but it should not have been worth sacrificing your friendship with Robin. Back then, I would have given anything to see you happy again. I can only hope now that he's back, you two can put the past behind you, and go on as you were before. And if you should realize he is the one you're happy with..." Her mother winked, and turned Lucina back around so she could see herself in the mirror.
The effect was subtle, but she was surprised at how much of a difference it made. "I guess it has been a while since I've worn any." She thought. "I..." Lucina sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "Say you are right, and I've developed feelings for Robin. What should I do? I have no experience with romantic ventures. We were too busy struggling to survive in my time, and the wars took up all of my time here. I have no idea what I should do, or what to expect."
"Don't think too hard about it. It isn't anything like the novels you and your younger self tease me for reading. Just spend time with him. Compliment him when he works hard. If he reaches for your hand, let him take it. If he should say, offer his coat on a cold evening, take it from him. Whenever he tries to look out for you, let him. We all know you can take care of yourself, but he is still a man, and capable or not, they all have the same cards up their sleeves." She and her daughter shared a short laugh, and Lucina stood up. "Of course, I'm not trying to force you into anything. If you decide friendship is all there is between you, I'm sure he'll understand."
"Thank you, mother. You have my gratitude."
"Of course, dear. Now let's go meet your Father and Robin."
Breakfast wasn't as awkward as Robin might have expected. They were joined by Frederick, Lissa, Sully, and today by Miriel, Ricken and Stahl, who'd been at home yesterday and hadn't received news of Robin's return until late evening. No amount of time spent away from had diluted their enthusiasm upon seeing his return.
"The Risen always evaporated when they were slain. Having a living dead man will make for much better experiments."
Robin blanched. "Miriel, you're starting to sound like Tharja."
The red headed witch pushed her glasses up. "She and I both pursue knowledge." She stated matter of factly. "It is not my fault she pursues the truth of the macabre... Or that you make a macabre test subject." The light reflected off her glasses, hiding her eyes. "Now, after breakfast, we must make haste to my laboratory-"
"No fair!" Ricken cut her off. "I was going to Robin how much stronger my magic has gotten!"
"Later, child. First I must-"
"I'm not a child!" He cried indignantly.
"That was a pretty good Lissa impression." Chrom noted.
"C-Chrom!" Ricken protested while Lissa glared at her older brother.
"He's not wrong. You're taller than I remember, and your voice has gotten deeper." Robin noted. "How many winters have you seen now?"
"Eighteen!" He proclaimed proudly.
"Well well well. If you've grown up this much while I've been gone, then I'm excited to see how much stronger you've gotten."
"A sparring session this afternoon then?" Stahl asked. "I've been practicing with my lance. Though to be honest, with how much things have died down, I might not be in top form."
As the others argued about taking Robin's time for themselves, Lucina pushed around a piece of carrot with her fork. She wanted to interject, but she wondered if it might be too much, too soon. She felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked up to see her mother looking at her with a raised brow. She quickly glanced at Robin, then back to Lucina. The princess quickly mouthed, "What should I do?" at her mother.
"Ask him out." Her mother replied, nodding her head at the tactician.
Lucina saw that Robin was nearly done with his breakfast, and panic gripped her. "Why don't we wait for all the Shepherds to reunite?" She said quickly, cutting off the discussion between Frederick, Stahl, and Ricken.
"Good idea, dear!" Her mother chipped in just as quick. "We wouldn't want to wear Robin out before the celebrations begin in earnest, do we?" She asked as she looked around the table. "We're going to have a week long party once everyone arrives. Until then, we need to prepare."
"Yes, that's right. I need to convene with the royal court to let them know, as well as the people. They owe this peace to you, after all." Chrom said.
"We'll need to prepare. We have plenty of staff for cooking, and more than enough wine, mead, and ale stocked up. I shall begin the preparations immediately, milord." Frederick said as he stood up, and began gathering the empty plates and utensils.
Her mother kicked her under the table, and Lucina cleared her throat. "Robin, what do you say we go into town and visit the market? I haven't been in a while." Her hands fidgeted together under the table, and she swallowed nervously. "Gods, Mother's words have gotten me all mixed up. I need to get myself under control."
Robin smiled and nodded. "Sure thing. I feel like stretching my legs anyhow; it had been a long time since I'd been in Ylisstol before that last battle. As nice as the castle is, I'm sure I'll be cooped up in here plenty once things have settled down."
Although Robin didn't see it, Sumia's friendly smile to Stahl, Ricken, and Miriel sent a very clear message: "Shut up or die."
They all mumbled something about making sure they'd be ready, and everyone stood up from the table and went their separate ways. Lucina took a moment to look over her shoulder and give her mother an appreciative smile as she and Robin headed to the castle gates.
"There you are."
He was sitting on a log by the riverside with his back to her. She waited for a moment, but he said nothing. "Father asked me to find you, and insist that you take a break. According to him... You haven't gotten much sleep lately." She paused as it occurred to her that once upon a time, she would've known if he wasn't taking care of himself.
"That's because I'm trying to win this damn war once and for all." He muttered, drawing in the dirt with a stick he'd picked up.
She faltered at his words, but exhaled and steeled herself. "It would be all for naught if you drafted a plan in exhaustion and we ended up failing." She tried to reason with him, her voice neutral.
He stopped, turning and looking at her in anger. "Yeah, and no matter what you think, I'm not trying to get anyone killed either. We have no idea what we're up against, or who Grima's going to pull from the dead, or how many stand between us and him. I'm doing everything I can." He took the stick in his hand flung it into the river. A part of him felt guilty for snapping back at her, but he didn't apologize. He shook his head slowly back and forth, letting it hang as he closed his eyes.
Save for the sound of the river going by, it was quiet.
Robin said nothing else, or looked back, but he could feel her presence there. He hadn't heard her walk away, but he wasn't sure what she was doing. Slowly, he turned back around.
"I didn't mean to insinuate such a thing. You push yourself harder than most, but at some point you have to rest, or you'll collapse under the exhaustion regardless. Better to keep it in check while you can, right?" She stepped forward, and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder. Now that she was closer, she could see the bags under his eyes, and how bloodshot they were. She wondered how long it had been since he'd last gotten more than four hours of sleep.
He scoffed and stood up, and her hand fell from him. "Well, you can tell Chrom that I can look after myself well enough. I must have been doing a good enough job at it before he found me." He muttered as he stood up, dusting the bits of grass and wood off his coat as did so before he walked away.
Lucina looked up at the sky, gritting her teeth together. "Blast..." She saw him disappear around the bend that led back to the camp, and felt like she could have screamed. 'Father never asked me to check on him. But I should've known better than to follow him if he wanted to get some peace and quiet.' She reached down and grabbed hold of her coin purse. 'A day in the market? At a time like this?' Her hand dropped back to her side. 'What was I thinking?'
"Lucina? Something wrong?"
Her head snapped up. "Pardon?" She looked over at Robin.
They had stopped to sit on a stone bench in front of a fountain, taking a break from walking in and out of bookstores and past clothing stands. "I'm fine. Just lost in thought." She said dismissively, waving her hand back forth.
"About what? You've been quiet for some time." He tilted his head, lips pursed as he studied her.
She was silent, then after a moment of hesitation, reached for his hand. At first, he only gripped hers gently, but then he shifted and twined their fingers together.
"My mind was just drawn to the past, that's all." She admitted. "But I don't wish to spoil the mood. It's a nice day." She gestured with her free hand. A few white clouds dotted the otherwise clear blue sky. It was early summer, so it was warm but not yet hot enough to be unpleasant. The gentle wind rustled the leaves and bushes around them, and some of the leaves scraped against the stone road.
"Still? After all this time?" He gently brushed his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand.
Her voice caught in her throat, and she couldn't respond immediately. "After what I did, and he's still concerned..." She cleared her throat, and forced a smile. "Sometimes. I can't help it." In an effort to cheer up the mood and change the topic, she leaned her head against his shoulder. "But I'm looking forward to the celebrations. I wonder how Father plans to make the celebrations last an entire week. I can scarcely imagine how to make one event last three days. One can only fill their belly with meat and drink and do nothing for so long before they get bored."
"Hmph. Can I tell you something?" She nodded against his shoulder. "When I first heard him say that, my first thought was, 'Does it really have to be an entire week?' I have no idea how he's going to pull it off either. Though with all of the Shepherds back in one place, I'm starting to think one week might not be enough. There may be nothing left of me once everyone's gotten a piece!"
Lucina blinked. "I certainly hope that's not the case. I just got you back."
He snorted, then chuckled, and it turned into genuine laughter that caused her to look up at him in confusion.
"It was a joke."
"Oh..." She flushed and hunched her shoulders as he laughed. It never really bothered her when she didn't get a joke before, because it was so easy to justify worrying over their current dilemma, but without that excuse...
She relaxed when he gave her hand another squeeze.
"To tell the truth... I would be fine with this. Just this." He sighed wistfully. "Once I lost my memory, war became a bigger part of my life than I ever really thought it would. Those two years of peace seemed to go by so quickly, and then we set into the war with Walhart, then Grima. I don't know where I was or what I was doing before, so I don't know how peaceful my life was, but after..." He let his head hang back over the bench and closed his eyes. "Honestly, I wasn't sure how to deal with it being peaceful. The only way I could be useful was in battle or preparing for one. When things settled down between campaigns, I was gripped with an irrational panic that I would be thrown away or forgotten."
"Do you feel that way now?"
He shook his head as he sat up. "No." He stood up and tugged her hand, and Lucina stood with him. "I'm looking forward to peace. Now more than ever." He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Me too. Shall we be on our way then? I spotted a store further down the road when we first came up this way."
He pushed his tent flap aside, pulling his chair up to his desk.
Plans upon plans were drafted upon scrolls, several miniatures atop them, yet nothing captured his attention as his mind was drawn back to his conversation with Lucina by the riverside. 'Gods, I acted like a child back there.' He thought to himself. He reached for his water canteen and took a swig from it, but it did nothing to assuage his headache. 'I should apologize when I see her next.'
As he screwed the lid back on his canteen, his eyes fell on the mark of Grima on the back of his hand. A permanent stain of darkness etched into his very soul.
'No. I can't apologize because she has nothing to forgive me for. All of this is my fault.'
He stood up and fell into bed, clutching at his hair.
'The only way to make things right is to end Grima once and for all. The rest of it means nothing otherwise. I can't let him live. I can't live to let this curse fall down to another generation.' Tears stung at his eyes, as they often did when he thought about how often the end was rapidly approaching. It was one thing to go into battle with the hope and will to survive, it was another thing entirely to know the hour was approaching.
'She'll be alright. I know she will."