Chapter: Flight of a Silver Bird

She had no choice. Validar maybe her love, but she wasn't his. Nor could she let him do this to their child. Child of their flesh and blood. The life of her child made her realize how wrong the cult was. Maria ran away with the infant Robin.

Maria squirreled away small trinkets that Validar wouldn't notice or miss. The cultists all thought she was putting them in a safe place to be used at a later date. That was true; Maia needed them to run away from the cult. To raise her precious child, Robin.

Maria kept moving despite wanting to rest. She was thankful Robin slept through it all. Not once did the baby make a peep. This was good because she could hide her baby in a basket. Yet it was also trying because she needed to keep the act up so her tracks would be covered. She knew Validar wouldn't take long to search for them.

It had already been a few days, and she was sure Validar would get the cultists to look for her baby. He won't care about her. If Maria dies, Validar won't shed a tear for her. This is why she has to keep moving. Her child wouldn't be used. Robin deserved much better.

Since she was in a border town, Maria needed to stay alert. After a war between Ylisse and Plegia, there was high tension between the two nations. She knew it might be if she chose to go alone. A group of refugees might be just as hard for her to join.

When Maria heard a familiar voice, herheart rate skyrocketed, and fear washed over her. One of the cultists had caught up with her. Whether by luck or not, Maria must get into Ylisse without rousing the cultist. Minding her movement, Robin, sleeping in the basket, slowly made her way to the crossing.

Thankfully, she spent part of the day studying the border. She knew people would keep a close eye on the border. Maria knew her life and child would be forfeited if she did anything stupid. She knew the best place to cross, and with the skies darkening, it would help her greatly. The cultist was too close for comfort, so she must cross now.

Taking a few deep breaths, Maria made her move. Every sound and noise gave her anxiety. Muffled conversions didn't help her. Maria didn't know if the cultist was in one of them. The soft, safe glow coming from windows, the warm smell of smoke from cooking fires wafted through the night air, and soft hums of music trying to lure her into one of the homes or the couple of inns in town. But she kept moving.

A part of Maria's plan was to act and move like an old woman. The basket had nothing but clothes she had. There wasn't a baby in the basket. She even put on makeup and dyed her hair grey to age her. Most people here think she's an old, senile woman thinking about crossing. Thus, she won't be found out. But with the cultist, they would see through her disguise rather quickly.

While it didn't take more than ten minutes to cross the border, it finally felt like an entreaty for Maria. Robin, thankfully, stayed asleep in the basket. Maria needed to keep going since the cultist wouldn't be afraid to cross to get to her.

Maria's heart felt like a bird trying to escape from her ribs. Making sure her breathing stayed even, she kept moving. Maria heard that Ylisse had a new guard called the Shepards to replace their army after the war. Hopefully, she would beg for help. She already had a good enough lie that was based on the truth.

After several minutes of non-stop walking, she came across the Shepard's campsite. She showed them she meant no harm, even showing them Robin, who decided to stir for a moment. Maria told them she was running away from an abusive relationship and hoped she would be able to make a better life in Ylisse. Away from her abusive husband since if she stayed in Plegia, they would only return her and her baby to him.

Most of them took the cover story, which is what she had hoped. Others weren't easily bought, but that's fair since the two nations weren't great neighbors. However, she's just one woman with a baby; they're not much of a threat.

In the morning, they took her to a small farming village. Maria tried to give them some gold as a thank-you gift, but they didn't take it immediately but accepted it after a while. The Shepherds were surprised when she did this. But she told them that her and her baby's lives were in danger and they didn't send both of them back. Maria told them they had no reason to trust her and she couldn't prove her trustworthiness. Giving them some gold as thanks seemed like the only thank-you gift she could give them. Most of the Shepherds agreed with her statement. They told her to prove trustworthy by showing others she wasn't an evil Plegian. She agreed with them.

Now, she can start her new life with Robin. Part of her knew she and Robin would always be on the run, but it was a fresh start. Maria would be a perfect mother to her precious baby.

A/N: I want a series of interconnected one-shots, with this one being the first. I'm going to make Robin's gender amebous since I have some ideas for both male and female Robin with this series of one-shots as backdropped and don't want to put myself in a corner,

Please, R , I would like to hear feedback on how I can improve, such as pacing or how you feel about the story. Thank you for reading.