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Future Exalt: Lucina
He is Father’s killer. He needs to die in order for the future to be avoided.
Robin proved himself to be the person who leads Father to his death. But even with the evidence, why am I so weak-willed at the thought of killing him?
Even though Lucina had called a meeting with all of her friends, her mind was elsewhere, and it was plagued with the dilemma of killing Robin. She was brought back to her senses by Gerome.
“We should never have trusted the man,” Gerome spat, “he played us all for fools. And when we least expected it, he stole the Emblem from the Exalt.
He curled his fist, “It is clear what our path is, and we must kill him.”
Cynthia was the first to react, she screamed, “Gerome! You can’t be serious? Uncle Robin has proven himself to care for all of us. He has shown us nothing but respect.”
She twisted herself to face Lucina, her orange pigtails flowing with the motion, “Lucina, are you hearing this? We can’t just kill an innocent man. That is not what heroes do!”
Owain spoke up, “Aye, my noble companion. Sir Robin has proved himself to be a mighty hero, worthy of a place in my legendary tales. Ending his life would be nary but disrespectful to the image of heroes.”
Lucina sighed at her cousin’s colourful nature, and wished he would see the seriousness of the matter, “Gerome… does have a point. Robin’s actions in the Plegian Castle prove him to be the traitor.”
She curled her fists in frustration, “And, as much as it hurts my honour, we cannot let him roam, lest we want our future to come to pass in this timeline.”
It was Nah’s turn to voice her thoughts: “I object to this course of action. We are not murderers, and we can’t kill a man without giving him a chance to defend himself.”
“Yeah, Nah’s right, guys!” proclaimed Cynthia, “Robin should have a chance to defend himself from our accusation!”
“Defend himself?! Defend himself from what?” shouted Gerome, “we have all the evidence against him. He acted on his own conscience and assaulted Price Chrom.”
“I’m afraid I have to refute your statement, Gerome,” Laurent stated, stepping out of the shadows of the corner of the room, “I believe Sir Robin was being controlled the entire time.”
Laurent stepped closer, and curled his hands behind his back, “I analysed Robin’s peculiar actions during the time of the Exalt’s assault, and the subsequent capture of the Fire Emblem.”
“From my analysis, I can deduce that Sir Robin did not act on his own conscience, and was being controlled by the Plegian King.”
“So, you too are against killing him?” Gerome asked, glaring at the mage.
Laurent nodded, before retreating back into the shadows.
There was a stony silence in the room as the future warriors processed the findings that Laurent had presented. Meanwhile, Robin’s daughters, Severa and Morgan, were standing in the shadows of the barracks, hidden from the views of their companions. Morgan was silent, fighting back the urge to cry at the manner in which her friends were behaving. Even though Inigo was standing beside her, holding her hands to emit a warmth of comfort, Morgan’s fears grew by the second. On the other hand, Severa was fuming and gripping her sword tightly. The more her friends talked, the more she wanted to turn her sword against them.
“Even if he didn’t steal the Emblem, that still doesn’t negate the factor that he can be controlled by Vaildar,” Gerome said.
“Gerome’s right, guys,” Kjelle stated, her periwinkle hair shining in the limelight, “Robin needs to be eliminated, lest we want the future to occur again.”
She took a deep breath, “This is why we travelled back in time. Yes, I know Robin has done much for us, but if he leads to Grima’s rising, our actions will be for naught.”
“Lucina, the choice is yours,” said Gerome.
“I don’t know,” Lucina shuddered, “what if he is innocent in all of this?”
“I am disgusted, Lucina,” Gerome spat, “I thought you of all people would want to eliminate him.”
The masked wyvern rider slammed his fist on the table, “Coming back here has made you soft-hearted and weak-willed. If you were like the Exalt you were back home, you would have killed Robin by now.”
“Gerome! That is uncalled for,” yelled Inigo, the Brand of the Exalt shining in his left eye, “we are all torn apart with what to do.”
“Hmmph. If you are all so weak-willed, I will go and kill Robin myself,” Gerome muttered, “Kjelle, are you in agree --”
His words were cut off by a fist slamming into his cheek. The blow sent him stumbling onto the ground, his mask coming off in the process. Gerome began to move, but was met halfway with a sword pointing at his neck. Severa stood over him, livide with rage.
Unable to defend himself, Gerome’s eyes grew wide. Severa slowly began to move her sword. Gerome closed his eyes, waiting for the agonising moment of his death.
After a few seconds had passed, he opened his eyes to see Severa being held back by Cynthia and Nah.
“Severa, calm down!” Nah said, her white hair messed up.
“ Let me at him! How dare the bastard suggest such a thing?!” Severa yelled, trying her best to break away from their restraints.
Severa kept on struggling, her movements becoming more frantic. Eventually, the angered mercenary managed to free herself and move closer to Gerome, who was being held down by the blond-haired Brady and Yarne. She began to swing her sword, but was stopped by a sound that she wished to never hear again.
Morgan crying.
Severa lowered her sword, and turned around to see her sister sobbing into Inigo’s arms. He hugged her and delivered soothing words. She began to run to embrace her sister, but was stopped with a look by Inigo, telling her that he would take care of it.
“Come now, Morgan. Let’s go for a stroll,” Inigo whispered, guiding the troubled girl out of the room.
Severa could only stare in silence at the spot that her sister had inhabited, torn between her conflicting emotions of anger at Gerome and worry for Morgan.
Lucina muttered, “Friends, this meeting is dismissed,” before exiting.
One by one, each of the future children left the room, leaving Severa alone, still trying to process her emotions.
Ylissean Exalt: Chrom
Chrom was returning from guard duty. With the threat of Validar and the Grimleal having increased with the loss of the Fire Emblem, he had upped the protection around their camp. With his duties done, Chrom decided to go and find Robin, whom he knew was still disturbed by the events at the Plegian Castle. The Ylissean Exalt passed by Robin's tent but did not find him there. Cordelia informed him Robin was taking a walk near the forest, so Chrom set off for the woods. Making his way to the forest, Chrom was stopped short by the sound of muffled cries. Believing this to be Robin, he quickly made his way to the source, and was shocked to find Morgan weeping silently into Inigo’s arms. Attempting to be as discreet as possible, Chrom made his way toward his son, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“Inigo, what happened? Why is Morgan crying?” Chrom asked.
Inigo began to sweat. He could tell his father all of what happened, but was afraid of the heavy repercussions for his friends. However, Inigo knew his father was as dense as a brick, and tried to take his shot at lying to him.
“Oh, Father! Nothing of importance happened,” Inigo lied, stroking Morgan’s hair, who had leaned further into his chest.
He looked up at his father, “I found Morgan banging her head on a tree, trying to get back her memories, and when she failed, she began to cry.”
Chrom narrowed his eyes, and realised Inigo was trying to cover something up, “Inigo. Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me what actually happened!”
Inigo sighed, and looked away from his father, “We all had a meeting earlier today. Lucina, myself, Morgan and all of the other children.”
Chrom knew where this was going, “Is it safe to assume that this concerned Robin?”
Inigo nodded, looking pointedly at the ground, “Well, we all had the meeting, and we were all arguing on whether or not we should kill Robin.”
Chrom experienced a jolt of fear. “Why, Inigo? Why did they want to kill Robin?”
“Lucina was the first to call the meeting. She believes that Robin was the one to kill you in our lifetimes, seeing as you were betrayed by your best friend,” replied Inigo.
“But, why would Robin kill me?” Chrom fired back, “he was acting against his own will in Plegia!”
Inigo’s fears began to grow the more Chrom got angry at what the children were doing. “When Lucina realised that she had second doubts on Robin’s innocence. It was at that moment, things got worse.” Inigo scowled and continued, “Gerome began to insult Lucina’s honour, before calling us all weak-willed for not wanting to kill Robin, as we also fear Robin is Grima.”
Inigo took a deep breath and looked up at his father, “Gerome then suggested that he would kill Robin himself, but before he could get more support Severa punched him and put her sword to his neck.”
Chrom’s eyes grew wide as he was informed of the drastic events that had occurred between the children.
“What happened to Ricken and Cherche’s son?” Chrom asked, with a slight tremor in his voice.
Inigo picked up on his father’s distress. “Oh, he isn’t dead or anything. Severa was held back by Nah and Cynthia, and before she could retaliate, Morgan’s cries stopped her short.”
Taking a few moments to process all of the information he had heard, Chrom began to pace the sparse area.
“What happened after?” questioned Chrom.
“I took Morgan away, and after that I have no idea what happened. All I saw was everyone leaving the barracks.”
Chrom nodded, “Well, I think I can speculate what truly happened. Continue to look after Morgan.”
Without waiting for a response, Chrom turned away and began to make his way to Lucina’s tent. Despite the information plaguing his mind, Chrom still couldn’t help but chuckle over one thought.
Heh. Judging from the relationship between Inigo and Morgan, Robin and Cordelia could truly be part of the royal family.
Chrom’s search for Lucina was giving him no results. With each failed attempt to locate her, his fears for Robin’s safety grew. When Olivia did not know where their daughter was, Chrom ran to the forest in search for Robin. The moment he got there, Chrom stopped dead on his feet, horrified at the sight. A few feet ahead of him, Lucina stood in front of Robin, Falchion pointed at the man’s chest.
Future Exalt: Lucina
With the meeting ended, Lucina, who was still troubled, decided to follow Robin into the forest to have her questions answered. She found him moments later sitting on a desolate log, staring off into the distance.
“Beg pardon, Robin. Might I have a word?” Lucina asked.
The man was startled by the sudden noise, and looked around to see who was talking to him, ”...Lucina. What is it?”
Lucina calmed her nerves, giving him a steady response, “It's about my father. I have memories of him, you know. From when I was little. Before he...died.”
Robin was nonplussed, “I see…”
“He was courageous, and kind, and everyone spoke fondly of him. People say he was brave right up until the very end. I always yearned to know him better. And now that I do…” Her voice began to waver. “I can see that the world will be robbed of a very great man ...I won't allow that to happen.”
Robin stood up to directly face the future princess, “I understand. You love him ...We all do.”
Lucina’s hands began to move towards Falchion’s hilt. “Robin, what are your thoughts on Father?”
“Mine? Well, Chrom is a true leader,” Robin replied, a smile forming on his lips, “he is a caring man, and I see him as a brother. You are right, Lucina, in saying the world would be robbed of a great man.”
Robin chuckled. “I don’t know where I would be in this world without Chrom.”
With that, Lucina steeled her resolve, removing Falchion from its sheath. She pointed it steadily at the man’s chest. “ Robin, I... Please, forgive me…”
Robin recoiled, “Lucina?!”
“Stay where you are, Robin! I have no choice. I must kill you,” yelled Lucina, her previous doubts gone.
Robin could only stand still, in shock of Lucina’s actions. “What?! What madness is this?!”
Lucina responded, “In my future, you... You are my father's murderer.”
“No! That's insane! Why would I kill Chrom?” Robin screeched.
“I was not certain myself, until now... I knew he had been killed by his closest friend. Having witnessed your bond with him, I doubted it could be so…” said Lucina.
She sighed and looked away. ”But today's events make it clear. You are at Validar's mercy. I suspect it's he who forces you to take my father's life, and very soon…”
Robin began to move closer to her. “Lucina, wait.”
“If my father is right, then we can change our fates. If this dark future is to be averted, sacrifices must be made. I am sorry, Robin! I know this is murder, I... I know that…” stuttered Lucina.
In an attempt to calm her down, Robin told her, “Lucina, you don't have to—”
His words were cut off by Lucina stepping closer and lightly pressing the tip of the sword to his chest. “Don't make it harder! Don't resist, and your death will be swift and painless. If you hold any love for Chrom, then let this be done…”
Knowing that Lucina was set in her thoughts, Robin began to steer the girl away from a course he knew she would come to regret.
“Lucina, listen to me. This isn’t who you are,” whispered Robin, “you are not a murderer.”
“What do you know of me?” Lucina fired back, voice filled with unintentional venom.
“I know that you are a caring woman who loves her parents, brother and friends,” Robin soothed. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “And as much as you know you have to kill, you hate it, just like your father and mother hate it.” He squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring notion. “Both your parents hate violence. They despise it. Both Chrom and Olivia kill, but they do it so the future may succeed. Both of them show immense remorse for those who they end.”
With Robin’s words, Lucina’s earlier doubts re-infected her mind.
Why can I not kill him? He is Father’s killer, and all the facts are staring right at me, so why can’t I end his life so that the future may be saved?
With her qualms, Lucina realised how close Robin was to her.
I can’t kill him because he is like an uncle to Inigo and I. Though we aren’t blood related, he treats us the same way an uncle would.
Upon realising this, Lucina’s shoulders began to shake, and she tried her best not to let her tears fall.
And even if he is an uncle, he is closer than that. I didn’t recognise it till now, but Inigo and I bonded with him in the future, to the extent that he is a second father to us.
With that crucial missing link, the puzzle formed, and all of Lucina’s barriers broke down, and the princess let out one strangled sob before bursting into tears. She felt Robin pry Falchion out of her hand. Then he brought her into a comforting embrace.
“Shh, Lucina. It’s alright,” soothed Robin, “let it all out.”
“I-i-it’s n-not a-a-alright,” Lucina stuttered, “I t-t-tried to k-k-kill you!”
Lucina was unaware of how long she had spent crying into Robin’s arms, and when she had gotten a hold of her emotions, she broke away from him and looked away. She was scared, embarrassed and most of all guilty of what she had nearly done to the man in front of her. He was still smiling at her.
“Uncle Robin...why are you helping me?” Lucina asked, crestfallen, “I tried to kill you, so why are you still doing this for me?”
Robin walked closer to her and squeezed her shoulder in a comforting manner. “Lucina, I am doing this because I care for you, as much as I care for my wife and daughters.”
“But you have every inclination to hate me and push me away,” Lucina replied, still unable to look up.
“Lucina, listen to me,” said Robin, “I won’t hate you for what you tried to do, nor will I hold you responsible for it.”
He brought his hand to her chin, and moved her head to face him, whilst rubbing away the stray tears that marked her face. “In your fear of the future coming to pass, and losing Chrom, you did something you would normally never do. Your actions were based on your fears, nothing else.”
He kneeled down to grab Falchion and return it to her. “So, dry those tears, and show me that smile that we all love.”
Lucina began to laugh, and looked up at Robin with a vibrant smile on her face. She was rewarded with Robin chuckling and giving her a light embrace.
“Thank you, Uncle Robin,” Lucina stated, “thank you for forgiving me.”
The man said nothing, and simply ruffled the girl’s hair.
“So, shall we go back to camp?” asked Robin, starting to make his way to the tent he occupied with Cordelia.
Lucina nodded, but before the two of them could make any significant distance, Chrom stepped out of the forest. Lucina gasped and Robin stopped dead in his tracks, both of them realising that their entire confrontation had been seen. Fear began to sweep through them, as neither could pick up on Chrom’s emotions, or his thoughts on what he had just witnessed.
Robin, ever the tactician, reacted quickly. “Chrom, before you make any assumptions, let me tell you what actually happened.”
“Robin, shut up!” bellowed Chrom, “I can make the assumptions myself.”
He pointed towards Lucina, and the hairs on Lucina’s back bristled.”Lucina, come with me. I want to have a chat with you.”
Lucina looked at Robin with an expression of panic etched onto her face. When she got no response from Robin, and upon hearing her father growl, she hastily followed Chrom.
The moment Lucina entered the tent with Chrom, she saw her mother looking at her with an unreadable expression.
Chrom immediately turned on her. “Lucina, what were you thinking?!”
Lucina, who was still scared, tried to respond. “Father, please try to under --”
Chrom banged his fist on the table, and Lucina recoiled, scared at the sight of her father. Her father, who normally presented a caring and loving expression, was now replaced by a man shrouding himself in anger.
“Chrom, please calm down,” Olivia said, moving behind her husband and placing her hands over his own.
Chrom shuddered at the touch of his wife, and after taking a couple of deep breaths, looked at his daughter. “Lucina, I don’t need to understand anything, I found Inigo in the forest, and he told me everything of the meeting you all had.”
Lucina gasped. “So, you know what happened with Severa and Gerome?”
Chrom nodded. “Yes, I know that Severa nearly killed Gerome, and was stopped short by Morgan crying. I also saw all of what happened in your confrontation with Robin.”
Lucina began to tremble, looking for a way to tell her father what had truly happened. But, if he knew everything, what chance did she have? Lucina shot a look at her mother, but the dancer only looked at her with the same indecipherable expression.
“Lucina, why did you even think Robin would kill me?” Chrom asked, clearly agitated by what his daughter had done.
“I was scared, Father,” Lucina replied, her expression forlorn, “I was scared that when he stole the Emblem, that you would die at his hands.”
Lucina took a shuddering breath. “In the future, all I knew of your murderer was that they were your closest friend. After Robin’s actions at the Plegian Castle, everything fell into place.”
“Lucina, you clearly knew that Robin was being controlled by that snake. And even then you thought he was guilty?” inquired Chrom.
Lucina shook her head. “Laurent thought so too. But, it’s not only that, with him being able to be controlled by Validar, he could easily kill you.”
Chrom sighed, his agitation growing by the second, “Lucina! Robin would never kill me. There had to be something else driving you to want to kill Robin.”
Lucina looked up at her father, her previous fear showing on her face. “Grima. I knew that after you were killed, Grima was resurrected and with what Robin did in Plegia, I thought that he would bring that future upon us.”
“So, you thought that Robin would kill me and then, with me dead, he would resurrect Grima?” Chrom asked.
Lucina nodded, but before any of them could continue, they heard footsteps, and saw Morgan and Inigo come inside. Lucina gasped at the expression on Morgan’s face. Despite the tear tracks on her cheeks, Morgan was red with anger and her lips were set in a thin line..
“Lucina, d-did you t-try to kill Father,” Morgan asked, her voice trembling, “e-even a-a-after all your d-doubts d-during the meeting?”
Lucina looked at Morgan, her face showing true remorse. She saw Morgan’s lips move in an attempt to say something else, but the words seemed to have failed the aspiring tactician. Shooting one final look at the future exalt, Morgan ran out of the tent.
“Morgan, wait!” Inigo shouted, “come back!”
Chrom sighed, worried at the sudden turn of events, “Inigo, leave it be.”
Inigo had second thoughts, but upon seeing the glare from his father, he hastily kept quiet.
Chrom looked back at his daughter, and all his anger had evaporated “Lucina, you swear you acted purely out of fear?”
Lucina nodded, not trusting herself to say any more. She looked up at her father and mother, and was shocked to see both of them smiling at her. Her shock doubled when both Chrom and Olivia crossed the space of the tent, and gave her an embrace.
“Lucina, it’s ok. Your father isn’t going to die anytime soon, and I won’t allow him to die on my watch.” Olivia soothed her, “and you can expect Robin to ensure Chrom won’t die.”
Lucina melted into the embrace of her parents before starting to cry. Her cries became even louder when her brother joined the embrace.
Knight Paragon: Cordelia
Cordelia was in her tent relaxing. After an exhausting day of scouting the areas surrounding the camp, Cordelia had trudged back into her and Robin’s tent before collapsing onto the bed. Noting that Robin was yet again absent, Cordelia groaned.
Even though he is busy with the war, I wish he would be able to spend a bit more time with me.
She knew that her daughters were also missing the attention that Robin gave them. Knowing that complaining would get her nowhere, Cordelia opened up Ribald Tales of Faith War. After Sumia had heard her woes of not being able to spend any time with Robin, her friend had lent her the book. Cordelia’s expectations of the story were completely out of order. She had borrowed the book under the assumption that it was some tacky romantic novel. The redhead did not expect lavish tales of princes and princesses falling in love with one another, and copulating in such… detail. However, for all her surprises, Cordelia could not deny that the novel still held its entertainment, and she continued reading. But before she could become fully engrossed in a very detailed intimate encounter between a couple, she was stopped short by Morgan scrambling into the tent, completely out of breath.
“Morgan, what’s wrong?!” Cordelia said, hastily hiding the novel lest her daughter’s innocence be tarnished.
“....Where is Father?!” Morgan asked, scanning the room.
Cordelia kneeled in front of her daughter, and placed her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “Morgan! Calm down, and tell me what happened.”
Morgan took a couple of deep breaths before pushing her mother onto the ground and hugging her tightly. “Lucy tried to kill Father. I overheard her talking to Uncle Chrom and Aunt Olivia.”
“What?! What do you mean?!” Cordelia screamed, a tone of venom entering her voice.
Morgan got off her mother and helped her back to her feet. “Lucina had a meeting for all of us, and she said what we should all do about Father, after what happened in Plegia.”
Cordelia was about to interject, but Morgan held up a hand, forestalling her mother. “Let me finish. Everyone was disagreeing on k-k-killing Father or not. I was scared the entire time, and Severa was fuming with anger.” She sighed. “Things eventually got heated, and then Gerome suggested he would kill Robin himself.”
Cordelia bristled in anger, and her fists clenched.
How dare they suggest such a thing? They know nothing of his diststate of Plegia. They know nothing of his fear of his parentage. They know nothing of the guilt he experienced after Emmeryn died, and after he was forced to steal the Fire Emblem. He is proud of his service, and would rather die than betray Chrom and Ylisse.
Cordelia was brought back to her senses by her daughter. “You can probably imagine how Severa reacted then.”
Cordelia nodded. She knew her daughters well enough, and knew that Gerome was lucky to not have died.
“What happened next?” Cordelia asked.
“About that, I have no idea,” Morgan replied. “Inigo took me away, due to how distressed I was, and when we went by his tent, we overheard Uncle Chrom talking to Lucy.”
Morgan paced around the room. “Apparently, she acted on her fears, but was unable to kill Father.”
Cordelia sighed in relief. “Morgan, please go find your Father. I have to go and have a chat with Lucina.”
Morgan wanted to interject, but one look at her mother’s face silenced her. She knew that look, and was scared for Lucina.
Cordelia felt like she was drowning in a tide of emotions. On one hand, she could understand Lucina’s actions, as she too never wanted to lose a loved one. However, on the other hand, the pegasus knight was also angry towards the future princess, as Lucina’s fears could have resulted in Cordelia losing Robin. Cordelia had first gone to Lucina’s tent, and upon not seeing her there, decided to go to the training grounds. True to her guess, she could hear the rhythmic thud of wood hitting wood, and saw Lucina training against a dummy.
“Lucina, may I trouble you for a spar?” Cordelia called out.
Lucina jumped, disturbed by the sudden interruption to her training regime, When she turned around, fear flooded her, and she turned white.
Naga damn it all. She probably found out everything from Morgan. This...this isn’t good.
Taking a few moments to regain her senses, Lucina took a deep breath. “....Sure, Aunt Cordelia.”
Cordelia nodded her thanks, and went to grab a lance from the boxes. Taking a second to ensure that the weight of the weapon was close to her actual lance, Cordelia returned to the area in which Lucina was waiting for her.
“First touch?” Lucina asked, taking on her battle stance.
Cordelia nodded, before assuming her normal stance. Before Lucina could respond, Cordelia lunged forward, aiming the wooden lance at the princess’ heart. Lucina clumsily managed to parry the strike at the last minute, but was pushed back a couple of steps. Cordelia waited for the princess to get ahold of herself before moving in for another strike. Lucina, who was now ready, managed to block the strike before attempting to swing at Cordelia’s shoulder. The pegasus knight leaped out of the princess’ range, and then went to sweep Lucina’s leg. She succeeded in her attack, and Lucina hit the training floor hard.
Taking advantage of the situation, Cordelia moved in to stab at the princess’ neck. Much to the dismay of the redhead, Lucina managed to quickly get back to her feet and had parried the weapon. Cordelia groaned in dissatisfaction before moving in for a feint at Lucina’s stomach. To her pleasure, the princess did not pick up on her plan, and she quickly changed her strike, hitting the wooden sword out of Lucina’s grasp before sweeping at Lucina’s legs again. As the princess fell to the ground, Cordelia brought her lance to the princess’ neck, securing her victory in the spar.
Lucina chuckled. “Good work, Aunt Cordelia. You managed to --”
Her words were cut off by Cordelia slapping her lance against Lucina’s rib. She looked up, and was shocked to see Cordelia’s face devoid of the calmness she had seen a second ago.
Cordelia struck the princess again, this time aiming at her shoulders. Lucina groaned in pain, and knowing she was unable to protect herself, Lucina hoped that the strikes would soon stop.
Cordelia, calm down! Robin isn’t dead, Lucina was scared, and acted on her own fears.
However, Cordelia failed to regain her senses and stabbed her lance at Lucina’s legs, she was rewarded with a loud crack. Before she could hit the princess again, she felt a force collide with her, pushing her onto the ground. Cordelia closed her eyes and grunted, as she felt the air escape from her lungs. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to see Robin laying on top of her, a look of worry etched onto his face.
Robin cupped her cheek, and whispered. “Cordelia, please calm down! This isn’t who you are.”
He brought his head closer to hers. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, and I will never leave you, Severa or Morgan alone.”
Cordelia felt tears prick her eyes, but before she could let them flow, she felt Robin’s lips on her own. Cordelia was shocked at first, but soon responded by wrapping her arms around his, and holding him close. After Robin broke the kiss, Cordelia tightened her hold on him, positioning her head in the crook of his neck.
“I’m sorry,” Cordelia muttered, her words muffled, “I don’t know what came over me.”
Robin brushed his hands against her cheek. “Shh, it’s ok Cordy. You were scared that you could have lost me. Like Lucina, you acted out of fear.”
He began to stroke her hair. “This is why despair is destructive. Once one falls into the pits of despair, they can end up doing something that they will regret for the rest of their lives.”
Robin got up, bringing Cordelia with him. The moment she got up, she clasped Robin’s hands, and looked around to see that Lucina was being healed by a distraught-looking. She acknowledged Lucina thanking Morgan, before the princess informed her daughter to go and search for Severa. Morgan smiled, before departing the area.
“Lucina, I am terribly sorry for hurting you,” Cordelia muttered, unable to look Lucina in the eye.
“Aunt Cordelia, it’s okay,” Lucina said, smiling at her aunt.
Lucina walked closer to her and hugged her. Cordelia gasped in shock then returned the embrace.
“You were scared at losing Uncle Robin, so all your actions were out of fear,” stated Lucina.
She broke from the embrace, and looked at her aunt with a vibrant smile. “And if Uncle Robin can forgive me for my actions, it would be hypocritical if I myself did not forgive you.”
Cordelia chuckled and ruffled the girl’s hair. “Whilst I want to completely forgive you, Lucina, I cannot do so before addressing something.”
Robin grasped her hand tightly, in a silent message to drop the topic and move on. Cordelia seemed unperturbed by it, and looked at Lucina directly. “Lucina, do you know of the tale of Marth and Katarina?”
Lucina shook her head. “No. I know the tales of Marth, but don’t know anything beyond the Shadow Dragon war.”
“Well, I suppose I should start with telling you who Katarina was,” Cordelia stated, “Katarina was an assassin who was sent to kill Prince Marth.”
Lucina recoiled in shock. “What?! You can’t be serious!”
“She’s right, Lucina,” interjected Robin.
“I suppose I should be more specific,” continued Cordelia, “Katarina was working as a person training to serve Marth prior to her attempt to kill him.”
Lucina gasped in shock, unable to process the information that she was hearing. The future exalt knew that the Hero-King was loved by his people, and was a beacon of hope. That was why she had originally decided to don the persona of the Hero-King. And now, she was hearing that he had an assassination attempt against him? The mere idea was scandalous at most. And that a person serving Marth had tried to kill him made the entire situation more problematic.
“...What drove her to want to kill Marth?” Lucina spluttered.
“She was acting on the orders of a lady called Eremiya, who forced Katarina to pose as a prospective officer to the kingdom, and then kill Marth.”
“So, why did she fail?” Lucina queried.
“On the first day of her training, Katarina ran into a man called Kris, who would become Marth’s closest friend and bodyguard,” Cordelia responded.
The redhead took a moment to recollect her thoughts. “Katarina bonded with him, seeing him as an easy way to get closer to Marth. However, she did not expect to form a deep friendship with Kris.”
Lucina managed to put two and two together. “So, her friendship with Kris made her attempt on Marth fail, I assume?”
Cordelia nodded. “After that, Kris vowed to hear the actual story and also vowed his loyalty to Marth. Marth said that he too wanted to meet with Katarina.”
“Marth wanted to talk with the assassin?!” Lucina shouted, shocked by the notion, “what would drive him to do such a thing?”
“Trust, Lucina, trust,” replied Cordelia, “Marth knew Katarina’s heart wasn’t committed to her task, so he wanted to see her side of the story.”
Robin decided to interrupt. “Eventually, more assassins were sent after Marth, all of them hailing from Eremiyah and her service. These assassins failed to get to Marth, and Eremiyah eventually killed them as a result of their failures.”
Lucina could only nod in silence as she heard the story, unsure of where it was heading.
“Eventually, Marth and Kris managed to find Katarina. Kris talked to Katarina, and he was able to convince her to lay down her arms and defect to Marth’s army,” Robin continued.
Lucina was left speechless again. She knew that enemies would stop fighting if they saw no reason in doing so...but for them to defect was another matter.
“So, Kris, who was happy that he was reunited with his friend, took her to talk to Marth,” Cordelia said, taking the story into her own hands. “Here, Marth forgave Katarina for her past actions and welcomed her into the army.”
Cordelia chuckled. “Kris and Katarina were soon married, and gave birth to a line of tacticians, which eventually led to Robin.”
Lucina gasped. “Uncle Robin is a descendant of Kris and Katarina?”
Robin nodded. “It was something I found out after the war in Plegia, and it is ironic considering I am now serving Chrom.”
An eerie silence moved in the air as Cordelia finished the story. The moment the story had ended, everything clicked into place for Lucina, and the princess silently berated herself. She saw herself as an insult to Marth, as even though she took on his name, she could not reciprocate his ideals. She did not manage to show trust in Robin, unlike Marth, who managed to show his trust in Katarina. Lucina sighed in disappointment.
“So, you see Lucina, your entire persona as the Hero-King is insulting to Marth,” Cordelia scathed, jolting the princess’ senses, “how can you call yourself a descendant of Marth, when you can’t even show basic trust in Robin?”
Lucina could only respond with silence and stared at the floor. She knew what her aunt was saying was within reason, and she could see no fault in her words. She chastised herself for not living up to the standards set by her ancestors.
“Aunt Cordelia, I...I’m sorry. I... should have known better,” apologised Lucina, “my actions are blasphemous, considering what Marth did in his time.” Lucina sighed in resignation. “With all you have said, you and Uncle Robin have every reason to shunt me away, and if that is the case, I will accept it. My actions do not deserve to be forgiven.”
The princess knew that her apology wasn’t much, but she hoped that her aunt would realise she regretted her actions. She was an insult to Marth: nothing more, nothing less.
After a few moments of tense silence, Lucina heard her aunt sigh, and was shocked when she felt Cordelia embrace her.
“Lucina, listen to me. Whilst I wished you had given Robin leeway and shown him some trust, your common sense was overridden by your fears.” uttered Cordelia, “and whilst you didn’t reciprocate Marth’s ideals, you were still unable to kill my husband.”
Cordelia tightened her hold on Lucina, ”You are your own person, Lucina. You do not need to define yourself by the standards of other heroes from the past. By not killing Robin, you show yourself to be a person with a kind and gentle heart.”
“Cordelia is right, Lucina,” interrupted Robin, “you are one of the most caring people I have gotten to know, and I would be damn proud to call you my own daughter.”
Cordelia nodded and smiled at Lucina, her smile sending a silent message that she agreed with her husband’s words
Upon hearing those last words from Robin, and seeing Cordelia’s smile, Lucina’s shoulders shook for the third time that night, and before she knew it, she felt herself crying. She felt Cordelia rub her back in silence. Robin embraced both of them.
When Lucina broke from her aunt and uncle’s embrace, she saw both of them smiling caringly down at her. Their smiles were different this time, as they were similar to the ones that her mother and father gave her. Lucina then realised that Robin and Cordelia spoke truly with their claims of seeing her as their own daughter.
“Aunt Cordelia, Uncle Robin,” Lucina whispered, “thank you. Thank you for forgiving me, and most of all, thank you for those caring words.”
The couple only responded by smiling even more brightly at Lucina.
“Do you want us to accompany you back to your tent?” Cordelia asked.
Lucina shook her head, “No. I am fine. Morgan managed to heal all the injuries, so I am in a normal condition.”
Before she left, Lucina embraced her aunt and uncle again. After Lucina had left, Robin moved to face his wife, and brought her into a loving embrace.
“Cordelia, you never fail to impress me,” Robin chuckled, “your actions with Lucina prove that I married the right woman.”
Robin began to stroke her hair. “I love you, Cordy, and it will take a lot to make me leave you or our daughters.”
Cordelia could only smile, and bring her hand to cup Robin’s cheeks, before resting her head on his forehead. She lost herself staring at her husband’s bright and vibrant brown eyes for a few moments, before moving in to kiss him deeply. She kept him close to her, basking in the comfort and warmth he gave her. The two eventually broke apart after an undecided amount of time.
“....I should probably go and finish the plans for the upcoming battle.” Robin said.
The tactician attempted to walk away, but was stopped by Cordelia gripping his hand tightly.
“Robin, please leave the work alone for one night,” sighed Cordelia, “you’ve been lost in your duties, and you are yet to spend a lot of time with me. I miss your company, so please stay with me for one night.”
She was rewarded by Robin turning around and hugging her tightly again, “Sure, darling. Anything for you. I am sorry to have --”
His words were cut off by his wife placing a finger on his lips. “Robin, shut up. I have you all to myself for one night, and that means a lot to me.”
Robin laughed quietly, and walked hand-in-hand with his wife to their tent.
“So, what do you want to do, Cordy?” Robin asked, as they entered the tent.
He moved to face his wife, and was shocked when his wife pushed him onto the bed. She kissed him deeply, letting her tongue roam the inside of his mouth. Her constant reading of Ribald Tales of Faith War had made her crave her husband’s touch and attention . Robin, ever the tactician, responded quickly, and began to kiss Cordelia’s neck, The redhead elicited a soft moan, before Robin managed to overturn her. After a bit of fumbling around, the couple were fully exposed to one another. The two then lost themselves in a night of tangled sheets, Cordelia was glad to say that the night was one of the best she had experienced in a long time.