A/N
This chapter is dedicated to the guy who hasn't left my inbox since the last chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Robin's Room, Earlier
Lucina looked at her hand holding Robin's, ears suddenly hot. Too late, she realized the implication and sat up quickly with her legs folded under her, letting go of his hand.
"Is that all we are?"
"I-I-I... What else are we?" She asked quickly. Internally, she cursed herself. Her lack of experience in inter-personal relationships had caused her to act foolishly, and now there was an awkward air between them.
Robin didn't answer, merely raising a brow.
Unlike Lucina, he was aware that there were romantic undertones to their recent time spent together. Friends did not share beds and hold hands while walking around town, to say nothing of cuddling while he was shirtless. Part of him was thrilled - Lucina meant the world to him, and sharing this closeness with her set him at ease in way nothing else had before. But another part of him recognized that Lucina's interactions might have been entirely innocent on her part. She was an incredible warrior, excellent leader, and amazing friend. But she was also known for her lacking ability to pick up on social cues in more casual environments, not that he could blame her with her upbringing. He didn't think she was that naïve, but...
She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. "We're comrades." She stated simply.
He nodded, but didn't say anything else.
Her hands were shaking and she curled them into fists to steady them.
"A-And..." Her words caught in her throat as she looked between his eyes.
Was she supposed to confess? Now? She wasn't prepared!
"Ah, I..." Still, no words would come.
Robin shifted so he was sitting upright and crossed his legs on the bed, pulling his shirt over his head. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "You mean everything to me, Lucina. If Gwynevere wasn't here, I would ask you to be so much more than just my friend, but I can't." Slowly, he shook his head. "Not with the threat of war on our doorstep."
Lucina's heart leapt into her throat. There was no denying the meaning of those words, even she knew.
Unfortunately, with her lack of experience in romantic ventures and her mind racing a million miles an hour as she tried to come up with a plan to get him out of the marriage, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Marry me."
Robin's eyes went as wide as dinner plates and he stiffened as he let out a very articulate, "What!?"
She blinked rapidly as her mind caught up to her heart and her jaw worked to form words for a moment before she quickly spoke. "That would solve all of this, would it not?" She stood up quickly. "W-We tell father we had a tryst before your death and that we wanted to spend our lives together before news of your origins soured things between us. And then, we tell Gwyn that you're not a bachelor and you are promised to me, and so the whole contract with Gwynevere is null and void!"
To her, it was a simple plan that made sense.
She was not expecting him to scowl in anger.
"Lucina, that's a terrible idea." He raised a hand to stop her protest. "Think for a moment - how do you think Chrom will react to the news of a fake relationship presented as a real one?"
"We can tell him the whole plan after-"
"And what do you think will happen when Gwyn finds out it's a façade that we came up with to dupe him? He's already threatening war, whether he's bluffing or not. This will only sour Ylisse's relations with Plegia and make us look like cowards."
It was Lucina's turn to scowl. "How do you plan on getting out of this, pray tell? Try and argue once more that Grima and Validar were simply keeping up a ruse while plotting to end the world? With how infatuated Gwynevere seems to be with the idea of you, I doubt they'll let this go unless we resort to drastic measures."
"You're forgetting something - if we promised ourselves to each other, why would we not bring it up upon my return? Or when Gwyn arrived and brought this news to our doorstep?"
He had a point, but Lucina was too emotional to see it. "That doesn't matter!" She protested. "What matters is keeping you here!"
"I will not risk war on a flimsy story!" He raised his voice to a near shout as he stood up. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me! What of the Shepherds? My plans aren't foolproof - we were lucky none of our friends lost their lives during our campaigns, but we may not be so lucky in the next battles." His face was like stone. "Or would you really tell your friends that their parents and husbands and mothers died because I didn't want to prevent bloodshed when it was so easy to avoid?"
"Easy?" Lucina's lip quivered. "Like killing yourself?" She asked.
"Would you really risk the lives of your family just to keep me here? Do I not get a choice?"
She wasn't able to answer him. She wanted to point out that his last choice had cost him his life, but tears stung at her eyes and she couldn't speak. It was not an easy choice then and it wasn't an easy choice now. Finally, her face fell and she muttered, "You promised."
Training Grounds, Now
Lucina's family and Kjelle all listened to the story being told until it ended.
Sumia spoke up first. "I can't believe you proposed."
"Yeah, you skipped probably eight steps, at least." Kjelle added.
Her face felt hot and she hoped she wasn't blushing. "I... It just slipped out."
Chrom's face was carefully neutral. "You promise you didn't have relations with him before?"
"Yes!" Her voice was almost a screech and she was definitely blushing now.
"That's not what we thought." Kjelle mumbled. Everyone turned to look at her and she quickly said, "Well, there was that night you and Robin slipped away from camp and slept with each other under the tree... We, well you know... He was complaining about being sore and how you were on top of him and..." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "You two were inseparable. We figured he'd finally decided to man up."
Lucina's eye twitched - she remembered being congratulated that day by her friends, as was Robin by some of the guys when her parents weren't around, but had been at a total loss until now as to why.
Chrom cleared his throat, relaxing. "Regardless, Robin did have a valid argument. It almost certainly wouldn't have worked." He clasped his daughter on the shoulder. "Have more faith in him. He'll find a way out. Hopefully, Mirabelle will be able to something we can use as leverage. A technicality or a loophole, something. Why don't we go find her?" He asked as he led his daughter away from the training grounds.
Robin was walking slowly, slightly ahead of Gwynevere.
The Plegian Princess was mostly silent while he was lost in thoughts and old memories. But after a while she had to ask, "Why'd she pretend?"
He chuckled. "Well, I suppose dropping out of the sky from the future in front of the father she hadn't seen in nearly two decades and telling him the truth outright might not have gotten the results she wanted. We saw her a couple of times after that, but only briefly. After we stopped Gangrel, she disappeared for two years, and didn't reappear until Chrom's life was nearly lost in a Risen ambush. After that, the whole truth came out and she decided to fight as herself, not as the Hero King." He smiled warmly as he remembered her declaration on the deck of the ship... Then his smile fell as he remembered the splitting headache immediately after and why it had happened. With a sigh, he continued walking. He wasn't sure where they were going, but he was too in his head to care.
Mostly, it was on thoughts of this morning.
He'd confessed, albeit in a roundabout manner, and then immediately had an argument with Lucina. He was sure of his feelings, there was no doubt. Amnesia or no, he wanted to be with Lucina and no one else. He loved her. Had probably been in love with her since before his death. Maybe he'd suppressed the truth of his feelings out of duty to the Shepherds and Chrom or guilt with the revelations brought to him when Grima and Validar revealed the truth, but they had been their for a while.
She hadn't confessed, however. She'd proposed, shocking him, driving his thoughts to the future he wanted with her, but she hadn't actually said anything resembling a confession. Maybe he just wanted to be sure she felt the same. Although maybe waiting was the wrong move. It wasn't like there was a blueprint for asking for a relationship, and the Shepherds had all come together in their own unique ways. Maybe he shouldn't read too much into it and ask her out, formally, with no room for misinterpretations, rather than just their simple agreements to spend time together. As he mulled over the probability of being turned down because he might be misinterpreting their friendship, he sighed as he thought about their ensuing argument.
Emotions had clouded both of their judgements, obscuring the facts. Regardless of how they felt about each other, the threat of war still existed. They couldn't pretend to have a relationship just to escape an arranged one. This was a delicate political situation, one he wasn't accustomed to, but if they succeeded in escaping this, then...
He would find her and apologize later, he decided.
Yes, he wanted a choice in how he handled things, but any choice that caused him and Lucina to separate was the wrong one. "Perhaps I should ask myself if I'm willing to fight to be with Lucina..."
Lucina and Chrom walked through the castle in search of Mirabelle, who was luckily in already in the vast library alongside Miriel and Laurent. A teapot was on the table in front of them.
"Straighten your back, Laurent dear." Mirabelle scolded. "Being hunched over those tomes all day and night has had a horrible effect on your posture." She lifted her cup to her lips and took a gentle sip. Laurent slurped as he took a drink, and Miriel rolled her eyes. "Honestly, those horrid noises are unnecessary! Tea with friends is something to be savored, not gulped like a thirsty simpleton at the river."
Lucina heard him say something along the lines of, "You're friends with mother, not me." But their approach stopped any response from the noblewoman.
"Milord, milady, good day! Please, join us for tea!" She stood and bowed politely, then pulled out a chair for Chrom.
"Certainly." He said as he sat down.
Mirabelle wrinkled her nose as she pulled out a chair for Lucina. "Have you just come from the training grounds? You smell... Ah, rather unlike a princess." She added tactfully at the end.
"Yes, Lady Mirabelle. Some rather distressing news has come up, and I was practicing my swordsmanship to... think. We've come looking for you, actually."
She turned towards Chrom, who was nodding. "Well, however may I be of assistance to the house of Ylisse?"
"It seems..." Chrom sighed and rested his elbow on the table and his face on his hand, slightly annoying Mirabelle, although she didn't comment on it out of respect. "Robin was unjustly roped into an arranged marriage."
Miriel, Laurent, and Mirabelle all gasped. "My word! What happened?"
She listened as the story was explained. "We need you to find Robin a way out of this. You study law - Ylissean, I know, but surely there must be something you can find on Plegian law that will free from this farce of an agreement?"
Mirabelle didn't even hesitate. "Of course, milord. I will search every Plegian text I can to annul this. Honestly, arranged marriages, how barbaric! No wonder those Plegian dogs aren't happy with one another."
"I'd mind the slander, if I were you. Princess Gwynevere is here somewhere, and we're trying to avoid a war."
"Leave it to me!" Mirabelle clapped her hands to summon two librarians. "Bring me every scroll and text you have on Plegian law, at once! My dearest friend is in need of help and I shan't rest until I've succeeded!"
"Right away!" They quickly scurried off to do as they were told.
Despite the situation, Lucina smiled. "Thank you, Lady Mirabelle."
Mirabelle waved her hand dismissively. "No thanks are needed! We've all been waiting for the day you and Robin finally announced your relationship, and I will not allow this Plegian do- Er, Princess to stand in your way."
Lucina glowered. How much longer was she supposed to endure these false rumors?
"They aren't completely false." Some part of her subconscious spoke up unbidden. "And you should have returned his affections when he told he wanted more than friendship with you earlier." She quickly squashed that voice, but was unable to deny the truth of it.
Gwynevere had her arm looped through Robin's as he gave her a tour of the grounds. He had tried to pull away politely, then push her away when she quickly jumped back onto him, but short of actually hurting her, he was unable to successfully keep her away and had eventually given up, keeping his hands in his pockets around Lucina's old mask.
"Honestly, dearest."
"Um, I'm not your dearest."
She ignored him. "We're engaged to be married soon! You have to get used to this sort of thing." She leaned in closer to him. "I know! Why don't you introduce me to some of those warriors you travel with? Shepherds, right?"
Robin paled. Of all the terrible ideas...
"This'll be fun!" She started tugging him down one of the hallways she remembered led to the entryway of the castle, intending to find someone Robin was close with.
In the courtyard past the entryway, they found Frederick, Vaike, Virion, Owain, and Inigo. The warriors were just finishing Frederick's Hell Hour, a non-stop set of exercises switching between muscular strength, endurance, and cardio, with no more than thirty second breaks between each punishing exercise. Owain gulped down water and Inigo wiped sweat from his brow, while Virion was laying flat on the ground. Vaike was the only one standing up straight, albeit breathing hard.
"Afternoon, gentlemen!" Gwynevere greeted with a smile. Her red eyes twinkled with mirth as Robin stood uncomfortable behind her. "Frederick, how are you?"
Frederick bowed politely. "Princess Gwynevere, I am well. My apologies for our appearance, we just finished our afternoon training. This is Vaike, Virion, who's a noble from Valm, and Owain and Inigo. Lads, this is Princess Gwynevere, future Queen of Plegia."
Despite their exhaustion, they managed to bow politely and offer greetings, and Gwynevere grinned brightly.
"How may we assist you?"
She skipped to a nearby bench and sat down with one leg crossed on top of the other, and when the group of guys approached she clasped her hands together. "I want to meet Robin's friends! As his future wife, I want to know all about the people Robin travelled with while he saved the world!"
Several brows raised. "Future wife?" Inigo asked. "What... But I thought..."
He and Owain both looked at Robin with heads tilted to the side.
Robin cleared his throat. He knew what they were thinking. "Lucina and I are just friends, for the time being. This is my..." He frowned. Gwynevere smiled and nodded encouragingly. "Fiancé in an arranged marriage." He quickly recounted the story to the others. "Until we find a way to annul this, I'm engaged. Unfortunately."
Gwynevere waved her hand in the air. "It can't be annulled. It's simplicity is what makes it airtight."
"Couldn't you file for divorce immediately after?" Owain asked.
"The salient issue is Gwyn threatening war if I don't help rebuild Plegia." Robin pointed out. "If I marry and then divorce her, the underlying problem won't go away."
They all looked uncomfortably at Gwynevere. "From one noble to another, couldn't you ask your father to annul this? Surely you could come to favorable trade agreements in return?"
"And when I die with no heirs to the throne?" Gwynevere asked, brow furrowed in annoyance. "Honestly, you act as though I intend to trap Robin in a dungeon and ransom his life for wealth and reparations! I love him, and we'll make each other very happy."
Inigo coughed into his fist awkwardly.
"I think you're confused." Robin said gently. "You're impressed by the stories you've heard. You don't know me." He gave a small, sad smile. In a way, he almost pitied her. "How could you love me when this our second time meeting?"
She giggled at his naivety. "Dear, who wouldn't fall in love with a hero when they meet them? You have a brilliant mind, you've won countless battles, from what I understand your plans are genius and ingenious, you care for your friends, you've travelled across all the continents... And you're handsome to boot." She winked. "Am I supposed to treat you like chopped liver? Should I be underwhelmed?"
"Well, when you put it like that, but... You probably will be underwhelmed when you find out how much I spend in office doing paperwork. Winning wars isn't all I do." He tried to ground her star-struck vision of him. "And besides, many of those battles were against Plegian enemies. Shouldn't feel some resentment towards me and everyone in Ylisse because of how your country has ended up?"
"Our country. And no. Plegia has never been in a position to win a war against Ylisse - our resources and allies are lesser. We can cause trouble, but ultimately... and besides, we're trying to be allies for once. Isn't that what you want?"
Although she hadn't realized it, her words caused his attitude to shift, his gaze softening.
"Would you really risk the lives of your family just to keep me here? Do I not get a choice?"
He thought about what he had told Lucina that morning, and remembered how he had felt before his sacrifice. All he'd ever wanted was a choice.
As they lapsed into silence, Owain rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, this is going to put a damper on the celebrations..."
Gwynevere looked at him. "Celebrations?"
"Yes. Milord promised to host a party for a week if - when Robin returned. Our friends and comrades in arms are travelling from all over to partake in the event." Frederick filled her in.
"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together. "Please, allow us to join! My father will be a downer, fair warning, but I haven't been to a ball or party in ages!"
They all looked at Robin, who pursed his lips together. "I'd have to talk it over with Chrom." When Gwynevere pouted, he shrugged. "It is for the Shepherds..." Her lip quivered and she gave him puppy dog eyes. "But I don't see any real reason you can't..." He trailed off.
Her demeanor changed immediately as she stood and hugged her wrongfully betrothed. "Yay! I can hardly wait. Please, send the invitation to our camp when the decision is made!" She pulled back only after Robin gave her a one handed pat on the back. "Today has been wonderful. Let's make plans for our next date! You can show me around the capital. But for now, I would ask for an escort back to my father. Sir Frederick, if you would be so kind?"
"Of course, Princess. Come along."
To the west, in a dark chamber, the noble Frampt gathered with several others from King Gwyn's court and placed his hands on a circular table they were gathered around.
"Our spies continue to report in. It seems the Ylissean dogs festivities will proceed as planned. And as such, our plans our on track as well."
He curled his hands into a fist.
"We will send in assassins, and when King Gwyn-" He spat out the title with contempt, "And his daughter are killed in the midst of their celebrations, I will be named successor to the throne, and rally our people to war. The eastern barbarians will be blamed, and all of Plegia will march upon Ylisse."
Cheers and curses on Ylisse rang out through the room.
After Gwynevere had left, Robin stopped for a hearty meal, then went to find Lucina.
He started at the training grounds, wondering what crimes the dummies strewn about were guilty of to end up in such a state, then moved to the library where he saw Mirabelle from a distance fretting over a stack of books and scrolls taller than she was and decided to move, before making his way to her room. The sun had set, and though it wasn't late it was almost time to retire for the night.
He swallowed down his apprehension and knocked. "Lucina? It's me."
He heard movement on the other side of the door, and when the door opened he flushed and his breath was taken away.
Lucina was wearing a simple white nightgown, but his eyes were immediately drawn to her exposed legs, eyes roving down strong toned thighs, over her knees to strong, taut calves, all of which was beautifully pale in the evening light from the candle she was holding. He'd never seen this much of legs exposed he realized with a start, and he swallowed hard as he forced himself to look up at her eyes.
"Yes?" She asked. Her tone was neutral, and he had to remind himself why he was here.
Robin cleared his throat. "I just wanted to apologize for arguing earlier. I didn't mean to sour our relations when the past month has been... well, wonderful. Please, forgive me."
She glanced to the ground, lips tight.
Finally she sighed and set the candle down on top of the drawers next to the door. The candle flickered, casting shadows across her. She nodded slowly. "Of course. But I must apologize as well... I put my foot in my mouth earlier and said something rather embarrassing." He wasn't sure if she was blushing or if it was the candlelight. "I was emotional, and lost my composure. If we're both going to apologize, then let's put this morning behind us."
His shoulders dropped as the tension left him. "Of course!" He agreed with a smile. But it fell soon after. "Listen... Gwynevere is going to be around more. I'm trying to talk her out of this whole thing, but it's not getting through. If you see me and her together..." She gazed at him neutrally. "Well, just know I'm only keeping up appearances. I'm keeping my promise to you."
Finally, she smiled. "And I will keep mine to you." And then, before she could lose her nerve, she stood on her toes and grabbed the lapels of his coat, then kissed him on the cheek. "And should you need a reprieve, come find me. I enjoy being with you."
Robin knew he was blushing but didn't respond, expecting to stutter from the sudden increase in his heartbeat, then gave her a grateful nod.
"Goodnight, Robin."
"Night, Lucina. Sweet dreams."
She smiled again, and stepped back to close the door. Robin walked to his room, smiling like a fool all the way, letting a cautious hope take root inside him.