Hey, guys, I'm back! Didja miss me? Probably not, I really need to get off my high horse… anyway, today's chapter is going to focus on the Robin/Lucina pairing (of course), the Lon'qu/Panne pairing, and, to fix a problem that was brought up in a review by SecretCanadian, the Lissa/Gaius pairing will come up in the next chapter. In case you guys were wondering, I will be using all pairings from my first play-through, and these are my three favorites. Be sure to leave a review and give me any tips you have. I will also focus on any pairing that I am using at request, so be sure to look at my pairings list on Chapter 1.
Chapter 2
Due to the fact that some people were out at the time, the camp was much quieter. Chrom, Sumia, Owain, Sully, Gregor, Virion, Cherche, Vaike, Tharja, Stahl, Maribelle, Ricken, and Nowi were all out investigating a strange town where everyone in it was terrified of the mere mention of the name of Chrom. Libra and Miriel were out testing some new method of "spreading the will of the gods," Donnel and Frederick were busy training, and Anna was busy meeting local merchants, leaving a strange, eerie silence that made Lucina shudder, for in her world, silence was just the calm before the storm. Cordelia and Olivia greeted her as she entered the main tent and sat down by them. Robin, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found.
"Quick question, Lucina. Was Donnel the person I married in your future? Because I wouldn't want to ruin someone else's happiness by marrying him…" Lucina smiled at the shy, uncertain woman that she had met once before in her time.
"Yes, you married Donnel. The two of you were very happy together, from what I had heard." Lucina looked out the tent flap into the evening sun, remembering Inigo and wondering where her sister was.
"Well personally, I don't want my ending spoiled, though I would love to know who everyone else hooks up with. Don't worry, I won't pester you to tell me, though I must ask: anyone who you were… interested in?" Olivia suddenly perked up, interested in the conversation's new turn while Lucina blushed.
"Well, no, of course not. I never had any time for such nonsense in my old lifestyle."
"And now, Lucina?" Cordelia inched closer towards her. "Still no, Cordelia. I don't have time for that. Besides, no man would ever want me." Cordelia smirked and lightly brushed Lucina's hair out of her face.
"Oh, please, Lucina, don't give me those lies. You have become interested in a certain white-haired tactician, and if I'm correct, he returns that interest enthusiastically." Lucina blushed even more intensely and began to panic. Shit… Can't believe she called it so easily… Gotta find a way out…
"Don't be ridiculous. He's my father's best friend. He is just cheerful and friendly to everyone, that's nothing towards me."
"He invited you to fight with him. After he realized that the people he had fight together started getting married, he refused to pair up with a woman, and he started choosing his pairs carefully." Lucina actually paused at this, wondering if this meant that he actually was interested in her. No, surely not, she told herself, I am just his best friend's daughter in his eyes.
"You know, Lucina, you didn't immediately deny crushing on him, which only supports our suspicions." Olivia laughed at Lucina's irritated reaction, while Cordelia just smirked.
"Don't worry about it, Lucina. As long as he doesn't have a family in the future, we won't tell." Cordelia was being kind and comforting now, trying to help her best friend Sumia's daughter.
"There is nothing between us, Cordelia, but no, he doesn't have a family." This was partially true, but she was spared of any interrogation, for the moment, by Panne stepping into the tent.
"Chrom and the other Shepherds are nearly back. Have you seen Lon'qu recently? I have no clue where he went." Cordelia laughed.
"No, he's probably hiding, since Donnel and Frederick are using the sparring area and everyone else who can be found in the camp is a woman. Honestly, the guy is such a chicken." Cordelia downed a bit of whiskey from a flask on the table as Panne began to look very irritated.
"Do not speak of him in that manner, human. He is braver than you are, Pegasus rider." Cordelia began to get irritated herself, accentuated by the fact that she had just downed her third shot of alcohol.
"Oh, come on, Furry, you won't insult the guy who runs away terrified from women?"
"You ask me to call my husband a coward?!" Lucina went wide-eyed, as did Olivia. Lucina forgot that this is about when they got married.
"You married the only man you had the courage to let into your heart. Of course." Cordelia was standing now, getting in Panne's face. "The guy who backs out of any battle where we fight Pegasus Riders."
Panne would not take this any longer. She reached to grab her Beast Stone out of her pocket, but Olivia had taken it. Enraged, Panne grabbed Olivia's sword from a shelf next to her and swung angrily at Cordelia. She dodged, startled, and began to panic, running for her weapon. She threw the sword at Cordelia, who dodged the throw despite being drunk, but Panne kicked her hard in the chest, knocking her through the hole formed in the tent by the sword. Panne jumped out of the tent to attack Cordelia, but Lucina got to her and tackled Panne to the ground. The taguel punched at Lucina, who pinned her arm to the ground, but Panne kicked her off and got up, going back to attack Cordelia, who while being a good weapon fighter, was not as skilled a hand-to-hand fighter as Panne. Panne punched her twice, then picked her up by the collar and tossed her into a tent pole. Olivia threw a punch at Panne, which she easily deflected. Chrom's daughter then kicked Panne to the ground, but the taguel knocked her legs out from under her and seized Falchion, but in her vengeful attitude, Panne could not wield Falchion.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Chrom charged towards them, the wrath of the gods on his face. Panne ignored him, yelling, "She will pay for insulting my husband, that who-" Panne was cut off when Robin stepped between them, keeping Panne from attacking Lucina or Cordelia, who was still unconscious. "Get out of my way, Tactician!" Panne jabbed at Robin's face twice, and he deflected her with ease. She then threw a right hook, hitting him square in the face, but he wasn't fazed at all. As Panne's fist stung, Robin swung his leg around and kicked Panne in the back of the knee, forcing Panne to drop to that knee while Robin threw an uppercut at Panne, which caught her in the chin and knocked her out cold.
"Frederick, take Panne to her tent and have Sully and Stahl guard it. Donnel, take Cordelia to the infirmary." Frederick and Donnel picked up their respective patients. "No need to assign guards, father." Cynthia popped out from behind her father and said, "She sleeps with Lon'qu now, he'll keep her from seeking out trouble." Chrom was shocked at this, but nodded before saying, "Oh, by the way, Lucina, we found your sister- of course you already met…" Cynthia squealed in excitement and tackled Lucina into an embrace as she laughed out loud. Lucina hugged her back and laughed happily.
"Where have you been, Cynthia? I missed you!"
"I MAAAAAAY have fought for a random bandit who claimed to be Father for three years…" Lucina stopped and stood up, giving her the serious older sister look that she always gave.
"You mistook some random bandit for Father for three years? Frankly, I'm not even surprised anymore." Cynthia frowned jokingly and laughed, happy to be reunited with her family.
"If you two care to join everyone else here, I made pie!" Sumia called to her daughters and Cynthia ran to her excitedly. "I'll be in there in just a second," Lucina called out before heading outside of the main camp and sitting by a tree. She had a lot on her mind and needed some time to think it over. However, she was not alone.
"Lucina? What are you doing out here all alone?" She turned quickly and saw Robin approaching. He sat down under the tree and leaned back onto it while Lucina stood to the side.
"Ah, Robin. I was just thinking about the future again. My future, I mean. I wonder how everyone is managing now." She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the time that they had left. "Do they still live, or...?"
"I can scarce imagine what horrors you experienced in such a hard, cruel world." Robin stared at the grass, deep in thought. "A future that was lost... That we could not save... Tell me, are there others like you there? People who fight against the Risen?"
"Of course. Remnants of armies from the old dynasts survived here and there. We gathered in the last safe corner of the land and united to fight against the tide. But we knew that one day even that final refuge would be overrun..." Lucina shuddered as she thought of the chaotic world that she fled from.
"Then the future of humanity depends on what we do in the here and now."
"Yes, and my father is the key. Without him, that future WILL come to pass. Our struggle there can only postpone the inevitable, not alter it." She thought that he might just believe that she held her father too highly, but he was his best friend after all. "When I fight for my father, no matter how terrible the foe, or how powerful... I know that I have no choice. I simply cannot lose."
"You are burdened by the knowledge that you must conquer fate itself." She turned to look at him, but he was looking away from the camp and towards the horizon. "I'm sure it is a terrible weight to bear, but you must remember something." Robin stood up and turned towards Lucina.
"What is that?" Lucina watched his movements carefully, looking for any sign of romantic interest.
"You don't have to do it alone." Robin took Lucina's hand in his and Lucina's gasped inaudibly as her face started to turn pink. "You have friends ready to aid you against whatever you face. And your father has an entire army ready to fight and die for him." He looked down and saw their hands clasped together and quickly let go. "…And you also have me, for whatever that may be worth," Robin added as he ran his fingers through his messy white hair. Lucina smiled at him warmly as he started to turn away.
"It is worth a great deal. Thank you, Robin."
"Perhaps I can never truly understand where you come from and the world you lived in. But I do know that we can help you." Robin turned back to face her as he said this, looking her in the eyes as he was closer to her than the battle the day before. She thought to ask him about the letter, but she panicked and just ended up saying, "Th-thank you, Robin. Your words give me strength."
"Well, I'm in the mood for some pie. You should join us in the mess soon, your mother is quite the pie connoisseur."
"I will soon, Robin. Thanks." He smiled at her as he turned and walked towards the mess, leaving Lucina alone by the tree. She still noticed that even during their conversation just then, he still locked himself in a mental cage as he had since the day before. Lucina wanted to know what the paper said more than ever now, and she knew that there was only one way for her to find out.
Lucina entered Robin's tent quietly, proceeding to trip and fall on her face. As she got up, she picked up the book that she had tripped over- Celica's guide to Seeing the Past and Future- and set it on the table that he kept in his tent along with about fifteen other books. She looked around the desk for the journal entry, but she could not find it there. He must have hidden it carefully, probably to keep Tharja from finding it. She checked in his bedroll, but it was empty and unkempt as always. Since he kept his tent empty of everything but his desk, bed, swords and books, he must have hidden it in one of his tomes. She looked through the tomes he had most recently used- Arcwind, Valflame, and Thoron- but she had no luck. Then she picked up the Thunder tome that he had with him when Chrom found him and shook it, and the paper fell out. She picked it up off of the floor, unfolded it and began to read:
My husband has gone mad with his ambition to bring Grima into this world. I can't quite believe that Validar is the same man that I fell in love with many years ago. His ambitions were going to even affect our newly born son, so I took him away last night and ran, as far as I could. I have almost reached Sage's Hamlet, where hopefully some of the local sages will take him in and care for him. Validar has sent the Grimleal after me, of course, calling me a traitor and giving them orders to kill me and take my son back to Plegia for their horrible schemes. I can't begin to describe what they plan to do with my son, but I will not let them take him. He will not be Draco any longer, but Robin instead, for I wish for him not to become
The only other thing on the paper was a bloodstain. Lucina put the journal entry and exited the tent, filled with pity for Robin after what she just read. She quickly walked to the mess as she heard sounds coming from Lon'qu and Panne's tent.
Panne woke up with a start and whirled around, looking for her enemies, only to find that she was in Lon'qu's bed. As she looked around, she saw that Lon'qu was brewing tea less than three feet away. She rubbed her face, still slightly sore from being punched by Robin. She started to get up, but Lon'qu turned around and said, "Stay down." He handed Panne a cup of tea, which she took and started to drink.
"Frederick told me about what happened." Panne looked away from him and towards the ground. "I know perfectly well that they say those things about me, but they're entitled to their own opinion. Besides, they're often right anyhow."
"NO! They dared to fling their spittle at you like you were an enemy! That is unacceptable! They said that you were a coward and wouldn't fight Pegasus Riders-"
"And they're right, and as my wife you deserve to know why." Lon'qu took a deep breath as Panne gave him a serious look.
"When I was thirteen I lived in Chon'sin with my parents and my older brother, Sol-zin, who was nineteen, in a small village known only for being great swordsmen, but the legends all left and joined armies. My parents kept Sol-zin on the farms when Ylisse's war under Chrom's parents came, and he continued to live there until he met Ducera.
"I don't remember her face, but I remember that my brother said that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He went out with her for a while before proposing, and she gleefully agreed. My parents warned him not to, but Ducera had Sol-zin wrapped around her finger, and he just decided to run off one day. But I heard him that night, and I followed him.
"He ordered me to go back home, but I refused and begged him to come back home. He continued on in disregard of my pleas, and I followed him to a forest near our village. When we got a few miles into the woods, Ducera was there, right where they had planned to meet. Sol-zin ran to her, but as he got close, Pegasus knights swooped in from every direction.
"My brother could not fight them all off. They trapped him with magic, and Ducera cut him open as he cried for the first and last time." Lon'qu held his face in his hands. "I ran until my legs gave out from under me in the other direction, for I dared not return to my family without my brother. Eventually Basilio took me in and discovered my ability as a myrmidon, and he hired me. But every time I look at a Pegasus Knight in battle, the same fear overtakes me…"
Panne took the swordsman's hands in hers, examining every callous. "There is an old taguel teaching that our ancestors passed on their blood to us, but they did not pass on their fate. We control our own lies, and we can build our own destinies through our actions."
Lon'qu lifted up Panne's chin gently and looked her in the eyes. "Then I will start writing my new fate now." Lon'qu took a deep breath, then leaned in and kissed her. Panne wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled the swordsman closer, feeling his heartbeat as they continued to kiss. Lon'qu dropped his hands down to Panne's waist, while she started to undo his shirt. Panne pulled his tunic off of his shoulders, revealing his scarred chest. She traced his scars with her fingers as he rolled them over to their bedroll. Lon'qu took a deep breath and began to remove her armor…
While Lon'qu and Panne felt like they had control of their fate, Lucina felt that she had none. The prized pies that Sumia made were being happily eaten by the Shepherds, but Lucina could only focus on one thing: Tharja. She was sitting next to Robin by the far corner table, trying to seduce Robin but succeeding only in making him really uncomfortable.
Lucina watched as Tharja approached ever closer to Robin, feeling anger and envy build up in her chest. Throughout the apocalyptic future she struggled to get the respect she deserved, even wearing armor that deliberately pressed her breasts, though already only C-cup, closer to her to make soldiers forget that she was a woman. Now, though, she felt just the opposite. Robin was strong willed, but Tharja would eventually break him with her alluring appearance, and Lucina had no beauty or sexual appeal to win Robin over. Lucina looked on at the uncomfortable tactician, anger and insecurity building up inside of her.
"If you want him, just tell him, Luci," Sumia said gently as she sat down next to her daughter. "I'm not sure how I feel about you being infatuated with your father's best friend, but I suppose you are about the same age, and he definitely loves you." Lucina's cheeks reddened at her mother's frankness.
"Mother, there's nothing between us," Lucina said in a denying tone, "He is just my father's best friend, and he sees me as just another swordsman for his strategies." Lissa sat down by her niece and shook her head.
"Oh, don't deny it, Lucina. He's a great guy! He's kind, cheerful, and pretty much every female Shepherd agrees that he's very handsome."
"Wait, Lissa, aren't you dating Gaius?" Lucina never had any sort of concept of a "cheat list" in her childhood and found this very strange and alarming.
"Oh, I hadn't met Gaius when I made my judgement on that. But the other lady shepherds still fancy him. In fact, now that Tharja's given up, you can see that Say'ri is talking to him now." Lucina whirled around and saw the Chon'sin warrior seated next to Robin, talking to him and smiling. Lucina's embarrassed smile turned to sadness as she saw this happen. She had not told anyone, but Say'ri had planned on confessing her love to Robin the day that the swordswoman died.
"Hah! You look sad! You do like him, then! So why don't you just tell him?" Cordelia wore a devious smile as she sat down by her best friend Sumia. "I told you that he adores you multiple times! So just talk to him!"
"Really, there's nothing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to give Cynthia a tour of the camp." Lucina asked Cynthia about the aforementioned tour, and she happily agreed, so the two left the tent and went around the camp.
"This tent is the main tent, or barracks, where people spend their time when we're not marching or fighting. I have had many interesting conversations in this tent, and most of the marriage proposals between shepherds, including Father's, have happened in this tent."
"Wow! So have you and Robin ever been alone in this tent?" Cynthia had an amused expression on as she teased her older sister.
"CYNTHIA! THAT'S NOT FUNNY! THERE'S NOTHING!" Lucina loudly complained about Cynthia's comment, which only made her laugh more.
"That's okay, I won't bring it up anymore. Now I'm gonna go inside, join me at your peril!" At this note, the Pegasus-riding girl dashed into the tent, laughing. Lucina was about to enter when she heard moans coming from a nearby tent. She looked in fear to see if it was Robin's, but to her relief, it was not. However, as she was about to join her sister in the barracks tent, she saw Robin exit the tent with a sack slung over his back. He was wearing his usual coat, but the shirt he wore under it was loose and revealed his chest, which he would never usually wear. None of the sack's contents were visible except for a wide belt that hung out of the top. He untied his horse from the lead that kept it outside of his tent, hopped on, and rode away in the direction of an abandoned fort in the area. Lucina was going to follow him until she heard Cynthia yell, "Lucina! Help HEEEELP!" Lucina rushed to her sister's aid, and it took a full five minutes and Chrom's intervention to solve the spider problem. She exited the tent after a lecture from her father, but Robin was nowhere to be found.
A book-keeper stood in the middle of the fort, waiting for the last visitors to register to see her employer's highly exclusive event. She was just about to close the gates when a young handsome mercenary walked up to her.
"Password?" The book-keeper barely looked up from her work at the young man.
"Jamil. My name is Inigo. I'm here to fight, not watch, so look on the fighters' list."
"Is that so, Inigo? New entries have to spar with the top of the bracket man, so you must be doing this to impress a girl or something."
"As a matter of fact, I am."
"Okay then, if you have a death wish and you're horny, be my guest, stud." The ninth Anna welcomed him into the fort. "Better hurry if you want to get to fight." Inigo ran to the ring manager and checked in.
"The challenger, Inigo, may now step into the ring!" Jamil shouted loudly to all of the rowdy ruffians who reveled in the fort. Many cheered, some laughed.
"He will be facing the reigning champion of my traveling league, the Mystery Fist and Dragon Bird himself!" Robin stepped into the makeshift ring of stones and the crowd cheered.
Inigo's eyes went wide. He had seen Robin before, but he didn't know that he was a fist fighter. He wouldn't back down, though.
"We ain't gonna waste any mo' time! FIGHT!" At Jamil's words, Inigo let out a yell, charged forward, and had his butt handed to him on a silver platter.
That's chapter two done! Be sure to review!
