Work Text:
Forgotten Beginnings of a Tactician
Some Shepherds had found keeping up with their normal routines while at sea difficult, Robin had no such problems. As was typical for the snowy haired tactician, he was up in the late hours, working over strategies and plans in his candle-lit quarters. Thanks to the overwhelming number of vessels the Plegian’s had “generously” lended to them, Robin had a quarters all to himself, free of the worry of keeping someone else up with his late night work. Indeed it was a boon, as planning for an Invasion of Valm based off their limited intel and accounts from Virion and Cherche would be no easy feat. Robin needed to ensure that he accounted for all possible contingencies, every plan must be as foolproof as possible, and backup plans must be devised for his backup plans. If he didn’t? Casualties would follow, and to him there was no greater failure as a tactician. He had failed Chrom once…he’d be damned if he did so again.
The seas tonight were calm, and he could take note of the ship rocking slowly beneath him (thank Naga he didn’t get seasick) and the white noise of the wind and waves as he worked. However, soon he heard another noise, footsteps, seemingly getting nearer. At first, Robin worried that it was Chrom coming to lecture him about rest again, but his fears were abated when he realized the sound didn’t match Chrom’s usual walking pattern (and no, it wasn’t weird that Robin made note of the way people walked, it could be important for a battle someday. Or that’s what he told himself, at least).
Someone gently knocked at the door.
“It’s open,” Robin said while re-inking his quill, intent on at least finishing up the strategy he was working on before turning in for the night. Robin glanced up as the door was opened. There he saw the Shepherds’ newest member, Lucina. Robin noted that despite the late hour she was still equipped with her armor (cape included) and Falchion.
“Good evening, Robin,” she said, her tone formal and her face composed. “I was wondering if I might have a word, but I see you were still working, my apologies.”
“It’s well past evening,” Robin said with a smile. “It probably is technically early morning by now. And don’t worry, I was finishing up my work anyways.” A half-lie. “What do you need?”
“Thank you, Robin. But my query is not as important as your work, I would not want to distract you from it.”
“You would hardly be the first person to interrupt me,” Robin said, thinking back to an unfortunate incident involving Cherche, Minerva, and his book on Wyvern knights. “Besides, like I said I am finishing up anyways,” he looked directly into her eyes, giving her a gentle smile. “Please ask away.”
Lucina hesitated before giving in. “I was just curious about something…I remember you and Father were close in my timeline, but you died around the same time that he did, and while there were plenty of people I could ask to teach me about my father’s past, nobody knew your past.”
“Ah…my past,” Robin’s smile turned a bit somber. “Unfortunately, I will prove useless in this query as well. I have no memories of my life before meeting Chrom near Southtown two years ago.”
“That is…unfortunate, Robin…I am sorry.” There was something on Lucina’s mind she was not saying, but Robin decided not to pry.
“I owe everything to Chrom,” Robin continued. “In truth, he probably should not have trusted me, a Plegian man near the border with clear combat experience, but he and Lissa did anyway. Chrom has shown me kindness I may have otherwise never known. It is thanks to him that I am fortunate enough to have the comrades I do in the Shepherds.” Robin gathered his thoughts for a second before continuing. “No, comrades is not strong enough. The Shepherds are my family, and Chrom is my brother.”
Lucina was silent for a while, muling over Robin’s words.
“It seems I may have misjudged you, Robin, I apologize. Good night.” And then she was gone, her cape trailing behind her.
‘If her father is too forthcoming, then she is far too cryptic.’ Robin thought to himself. ‘Oh well, I think that should do it for the evening.’ Too tired to organize his papers, he left them on his desk, making sure to set aside his quill and extinguish his candle’s flame (can’t risk setting the ship on fire, after all).
‘Family, huh?’ Robin thought, reflecting on his discussion with Lucina. ‘I wish they were still the only family I knew of.’ The thought of Validar being his father still disgusted him. ‘You are yourself before you are any man’s son.’ Chrom was right, he would not let himself be defined by a father he had no recollection of. ‘A father is only half my parentage after all, my mother certainly couldn’t have been any worse.’ And with that thought, he allowed his head to introduce itself to his pillow.
“Oh my dear Robin, please forgive your fool of a mother.”
The poor woman had made the unfortunate error of underestimating the Feroxi winter. A blizzard showered upon her from the sky as she marched through the snow on the ground. She was wearing nothing but a simple shirt, trousers, and black cloak with purple Grimeal markings on it. Her hood was up, obscuring her shoulder length hair that matched the color of the snow. Although, her cloak hid more than her hair, as under it she desperately clutched a small bundle against her in a desperate attempt to keep it warm. “At least this heavy snow will cover my footprints, but if I don’t find shelter soon, the footprints of corpses won’t matter anyway.” From what she remembered from maps, there was supposed to be a town not far from the Feroxi-Plegian border. She had originally planned to bypass it, since the chance of there being Plegian or Grimeal sympathizers was decently high, but it seemed she would have no other choice now.
Seemingly having had enough of the cold by now, the bundle in her arms began to cry.
“Shhhh, shhhh. I know love, Mommy’s here, Mommy will get you to safety, don’t worry.” In truth, the women had zero confidence she would be able to fulfill that promise, but she needed to be strong. If not for herself, then for the life she had brought into the world.
Luck had finally thrown her a bone after shitting on her endlessly, as she managed to finally reach the town not long after getting Robin to stop crying for a while. Luckily, the blizzard seemed to be keeping the townspeople inside, but she remained vigilant, making sure nobody was watching them. After wandering around, she came upon a building that looked like an inn. Shelter, hopefully. She was comforted to see that the innkeeper was Feroxi (anything that wasn’t Plegian was comforting). Seeing his guest was a shivering mess, the Feroxi offered her a room with a fireplace. It cost her more, but money was the last of her worries right now. Once she got to her room, she immediately ripped the blanket off of the bed and wrapped Robin in it. Leaving him on the bed for now, she raced over to the fireplace. Unfortunately, she was no mage, so she had to light it the old fashioned way. She pulled out the Silver sword her cloak had hidden and struck it against the piece of flint the innkeeper had provided to light the fire. She finally took off her now very wet and cold cloak and placed it in front of the fire to dry before retrieving her baby and tucking him into her chest as she sat down. Her sword laid next to her, just in case.
“It looks like we made it, my love. First we run from priests, then the weather, at the rate we’re heading we’ll be running from dragons by Saturday,” she joked. She looked down at her sleeping angel, who had a small clump of white hair on his head that matched her own. Looking at him, she could not help smiling. “But I would run to the end of the world and back if it meant keeping you safe. You are my everything, my love. My greatest contribution to this world, and my greatest reason for being. As long as I am here, nothing will hurt you, and no soul will keep me from you. Oh my sweet boy. I love you more than words can describe. My precious Robin.”
Robin opened his eyes to a much brighter room, lit by the sunlight pouring in from the cabin window. While the rays of the sun did not lay over him directly, the warm, frankly cozy, feeling he awoke with could only be paralleled to the feeling of it. As Robin’s senses slowly came back to him, he focused on this warmth and the dream that had preceded it.
‘That woman…was she my mother?’ Reflecting on the final image of the dream, her sitting before the fire with her baby cuddled close, her speech, especially her speech, magnified this feeling.
He looked over to the chair at his desk, his signature cloak draped over the back of it - nearly identical to the one the woman in his dream wore, though that one did seem a tad more pristine. Robin had always been curious as to why he woke up in that particular coat. While he thought the purple markings on it were just an interesting fashion choice, some research revealed the worship behind such markings. Still, he could not bear to part with it. It was one of three possessions from his old life he awoke with, and the old bronze sword and thunder tome had both long since been rendered unusable. As content with his new life as he was, Robin wanted to honor the man he once was, and his coat was the best way to do that. Plus, its many pouches and pockets certainly came in handy.
‘Could it be, that coat was from-’ He shook his head, ‘No, don’t be ridiculous, it was just a dream, likely spurred on from my thoughts last night.’ Yes, just a conjuration of his mind’s creation. It had been two years since he awoke in that field of flowers, and not a single memory had returned to him before, would they really do so now? That speech, though, made him hesitate to write it off. Perhaps it was foolish of him, but he wanted to believe in the sentiments behind it.
Realizing he had spent far too long in bed at this point, he pushed himself up from where he lay, put on his boots, and got up from the bed. Looking at the mess of papers on his desk, he realized he should at least organize them for later…until his stomach let it be known it had its own opinion on the matter.
‘Breakfast first, it seems,’ he thought to himself, reclaiming his signature cloak from the chair before heading out to see what he could get to eat.
Robin entered the meal hall aboard the ship. It seemed he had not slept in late, as there were many people still getting breakfast. Robin waited in the line to receive his rations. Could he have cut to the front, seeing as he was the Grandmaster of Ylisse’s army? Probably, but Robin believed that leaders lead best by example, and taking advantage of his position like that could cause some resentment from his soldiers. Plus, with the challenges he has, waiting in line hardly felt like much of an inconvenience.
The meal served today was pancakes (Gaius must be ecstatic) along with an apple and lime juice (can’t lead an army if you’re dying from scurvy). Robin picked up his food and looked around the meal hall for a seat. While normally he would prefer to sit amongst the Shepherds, today, he figured some time alone to collect his thoughts was in order. Finding an empty spot on the east side of the room, Robin took a seat and began to satisfy his hunger.
About halfway through his pancakes, he realized he had not written in his journal in a while. Setting aside his food for a moment, Robin retrieved a blue book from one of his many coat pockets and flipped it open to his last entry. While some may scoff at the idea of a man keeping a journal, it was something Robin had been doing for a while now. He had no intention of forgetting his friends and family a second time, but in case it were ever to happen, he could at least have this journal as a safety net. Plus, he found it somewhat therapeutic to get all of his thoughts out, and doing it on a page was much easier than saying them out loud.
Robin wrote about their voyage, life at sea, his concerns for the battles ahead, and his odd conversation with Lucina the night before. He deliberated for a moment on whether or not to write about the dream, but realized that it would be quite pointless to do this and ignore the one thing truly plaguing his thoughts right now. He had just rewritten his mother’s- the woman’s speech, when a voice he recognized interrupted him.
“Pardon me Robin, but would you mind if I sit here?” Robin looked up to make sure he wasn’t hearing things. Long blue hair, pretty blue eyes, blue tunic, yep that was indeed Lucina…wait, pretty eyes? Ignoring his treacherous mind for now, Lucina’s request was nearly as shocking as Tharja wanting to see him less (though he certainly wouldn’t be upset if that happened). Lucina had always opted to eat meals on her own since she joined the Shepherds.
“Of course I wouldn’t mind, have a seat,” Robin said, putting away his journal for now.
“Thank you,” she nodded, placing her food down across from Robin before having a seat.
“I’m glad to see you’ve decided to join the rest of our company, Lucina. Did Chrom finally give you a convincing pitch?” Chrom had been trying to get his daughter to spend more time with the rest of the Shepherds since her arrival. Unfortunately, his attempts have been fruitless, until now seemingly.
“No, actually. To be entirely honest, I came here to talk to you.” Lucina’s response prompte Robin to raise an eyebrow.
“Really? Whatever for?”
“I…” she hesitated, “wanted to apologize for last night. My questions did not come from sheer curiosity of your past.”
“I had surmised that much,” Robin stated.
“I see, I should not be surprised that you would be able to see through my intentions. Still, I felt that you deserved an explanation of my early departure at least.” Lucina looked around, glancing at all the other people in the Mess Hall. Frowning at them, she turned back to the tactician. “I need to tell you something that I would prefer other ears not hear. May we go to your room to discuss?”
If Robin’s interest had not peaked before, it was now. Grabbing his tray with his now cold pancakes (he could always let Gaius have them later if he didn't eat them), he stood up.
“Alright then, follow me.” The princess got up to follow him out before Robin stopped suddenly in front of the door.
“Lucina, you forgot your food.” Robin turned around to see a tint of pink reach her face.
‘Cute.’
“Oh, it’s fine, I don’t…” Lucina’s stomach took an inconvenient moment to growl. Her face was now entirely flushed.
“Go get your food, please. You can eat it in my room.” Lucina wordlessly nodded before walking at a brisk pace back towards the table.
Robin opened the door to his room, Lucina trailing behind him. Robin set his food tray down at the small table near his window, motioning for Lucina, "Have a seat here, please don’t mind the mess of papers on my desk, I’ll organize them later.” Lucina sat down across from Robin at the table.
“Robin, have I told you what my future is like?”
“I’ve gotten the general summary. If you’re referring to specifics, then no.”
“In the future, almost no corner of our world is safe for humans. Risen prowl the land as masters of all. The people cower in terror, helpless.” Lucina paused, perhaps to allow him to soak it in.
“It sounds like a nightmare come true. I can scarce imagine it…” Or perhaps more accurately, he had no desire to try to imagine it.
“It is a hell on earth,” Lucina said, gritting her teeth. She placed a hand on the table as she took a moment to compose herself. “That is why, we cannot - no - we MUST not - lose this war. Do you see that?”
“I do,” Robin nodded. “But I feel like there’s something more you are not saying.”
Lucina looked down at her food, bangs obscuring her eyes from his vision. She took a deep breath in, then let it out.
“Robin, what I’m about to tell you is something I would ask that you not tell the other Shepherds about.”
“You ask me to keep secrets from my family? That’s a tall order.”
Lucina looked back up at him, making eye contact with him. Her eyes trapped his, pulling them in like gravity. He felt as if he could not look away as her gaze pierced him.
“Please.”
If he did not know better, he would think she were a sorcerer, for whatever spell her eyes had put him under had left him unable to refuse.
“Okay then,” Lucina broke eye contact after his agreement, looking past him at the wall. Robin felt strangely disappointed. “My father’s death allowed the calamity that beset my world, and I can not allow those events to be repeated.” She paused, and Robin stayed silent. “While I cannot say for certain what led to my father’s demise, there are…rumors. It’s said that he fell in a great battle, one fought to sway destiny…And that he was murdered - betrayed by someone dear to him.” Lucina held her head high while describing this, determination blazing in her eyes. “I asked you those questions last night because you were a suspect. After all, there may be no one closer to him than you. I did not want to believe it was you, but I had to be certain.”
“I see…”
“What you told me last night has convinced me that it could not have been your doing. It would unalign with both your actions and words. So you are either the greatest actor in the world, or a truly good man.”
“I…thank you.” She nodded. “The news of a traitor is troubling..”
“Yes, we need to…”
“No, we will not do anything for now,” Robin said.
“W-What?”
“Hear me out if you would. You said yourself that your basis for this is just a rumor. We are about to go to war with Valm, one where we will be outnumbered by a large margin in practically every battle. This is hardly the time to start distrusting the few allies we have.”
“I see your reasoning, Robin, but we cannot do nothing! I can not let my future repeat itself!” Her eyes once again poured into Robin’s, pleading for him to reconsider. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand over hers. Thankfully, she did not pull away.
“Lucina, I promise you here and now, I personally will take every action I can to prevent your future from happening again. In return, I ask that you please trust me for now.” He matched blue eyes with brown and could see behind her determination was fear. Who could blame her for that, after the horrors she had described? However, the fear gave way to a new resolve.
“Okay Robin, I will trust you.”
“Thank you, Lucina. I will not let you down,” Robin said with a smile.
After Lucina left, Robin met with Chrom and the Khans to discuss future plans for the campaign. Seeing the Khans reminded him of his dream from the previous night. It appeared that his mother had been in Western Ferox. A part of him once again pointed out that he had no reason to believe there was any truth to that dream, but he was slowly coming to believe just the opposite. Putting those thoughts aside for now, Robin focused on his work. He worked until he was interrupted by Chrom telling him to have dinner with him and the others. It wasn’t like Robin was opposed to spending the evening with his friends, but he would often just get so wrapped up in his work he’d forget to. He definitely could have done without the amphibious friend Lissa introduced to his cloak, though. Where in Naga’s name she got the frog from was a problem that not even he was willing to solve.
Still, it was unfortunate that after dealing with the frog, he got roped into a chess match with Virion, then helping Cherche find a date for Minerva, and then having to deal with Tharja…well being Tharja. Suffice to say, by the time he returned to his cabin, he did not have the energy for another late night of work. Eying the mess of papers on his desk (including the new additions from earlier), he resolved he would organize them tomorrow. He placed his coat back over the chair, removed his boots, and returned to his cot, somewhat hopeful that maybe another dream like last night’s would occur.
“Momma, look!” A young child, no older than 9, hair short and white as snow was excitedly pointing out the window. His mother, who was seated on the couch, looked up from the papers and maps she was looking at.
“What is it, Snowflake?”
“There’s some kind of party going on in the square!” Robin chirped.
“Huh?” The woman got up from where she was sitting and peered out the window. The house they were staying was a good distance away from the center of town where most of the community lived, yet was perched on a hill that had a good overlook of it.(good for seeing possible threats before they see you). Indeed, her son’s assessment had been right, as a stage had been set up in town square and people were gathered around to watch.
“Must be a traveling theater group,” she clarified to Robin.
“Can we go see them Momma?! PLEAAAAASE?” Robin tried his best puppy dog eyes. She looked back out the window. On the stage, she noticed a girl that looked to be around Robin’s age with pink hair. For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine a world where her son could be free and become friends with the girl. But that world was not theirs.
“No,” she responded. “I’m sorry, Snowflake, but your mother has work to do,” she said as she walked back to her place on the couch.
“Can’t those plans for the Duke of Teethis wait?”
“It’s Themis, not Teethis dear, and no they can not. The Duke was generous enough to offer us a home in his territory, after all.”
“I know, but you’ve been working on those plans FOREVER!! ” Robin whined.
“Son, a good strategist is never finished. They plan for every contingency and create back up plans for their back up plans. If they don’t, then people could get hurt, and there is no greater failure for a strategist than unnecessary pain.” She then had an idea. “Robin, how about you help me with this?”
“You want my help? But you’re the smartest person in the world.”
“You flatter me, Snowflake. But two minds can accomplish more than one, and I’m lucky to have the smartest son in the world.”
“Alright then, Momma! I won’t let you down!” Robin jumped up next to his mother on the couch.
“I know you won't, dear.” She turned and gave her son a kiss on the forehead. “Now, the Duke wants us to help devise a plan to protect the supply lines coming in and out of Themis. What do you think the first step a good strategist would take?”
“Maybe look at the roads they’re using?”
“Very good, my boy’s already a natural!”
“Alright son, now when you parry, it’s best to do so with the flat of the blade. It will better align your wrists for a quicker counter attack,” Robin’s mother said, demonstrating by holding the flat of her blade up in a mock parrying motion. Her 13 year old son observed her carefully.
“Alright then, let’s try.” Robin prepared himself. Robin’s mother took a step back, readying her blade, then launched an attack. Robin attempted to copy the motion she had shown him earlier, but did so sloppily and far too slowly. His mother, swinging a bit harder than maybe she ought to, knocked the wooden blade out of his hands and drove hers into her son’s collar bone, knocking him onto the ground. In an instant, her wooden blade was tossed aside
“BABY!” She crouched to the ground to help lift him up. “You’re okay, right? I’m so sorry, I swung too hard. Quick! How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Ow, I’m fine Mom, you hit me in the shoulder not the head. I’m not a baby anymore. I can handle it.”
“You could be an elderly man, Robin, and you’d still be my baby. Are you sure you don’t need a vulnerary?”
“I said I’m fine, now come on, let’s try again” His mother released him, allowing him to get up and pick up his wooden sword, brushing the fall leaves off both it and himself.
“Alright son, let’s try this again. Watch closer this time.”
Later that day, Robin was studying from the thunder tome his mom had “found” for him. He had the aptitude for magic, but needed a lot more practice - right now, his thunder looked more like sparkles. He was interrupted from his study by his mother.
“Robin, I need your help!”
“Coming!” Robin left his tome on his bed, exiting his room to see his mom working on plans. “Oh, did you want me to help you?”
“Of course dear, two minds can accomplish-”
“More than one, I know,” he finished for her, taking a seat next to her.
“Now personally, I would elect that we have our archers focus on these Wyvern knights and have our mages focus on the armored units, but what do you think?”
“Hmmm,” Robin said looking at the map of the terrain. “No offense, but I think I disagree. Due to the desert conditions, the more heavily armored units’ movement will be slowed down. The Wyvern knights probably pose the greater of the two threats and should be prioritized.
“You make a good point, but…” she stopped her gaze fixed on the window.
“Everything alright, Mom?”
“Yes, how about you go back to your room now? I need to go take care of something.”
“Huh, but…”
“No but, get yours into your room please, honey. Right now.” Robin was very confused but trusted his mother implicity and so retreated to his room.
“What in Naga’s name are they doing here?” He heard his mother say before hearing the door close behind her. An hour or so later, he heard the door open again.
“Snowflake? I’m home.” Robin all but sprinted out of his room.
“Mom wha-” His mother was drenched in sweat, her pants were coated in dirt, and he noticed a reddish brown color on her boots that looked suspiciously like blood.
“Don’t worry about it, Robin. Just uh…dealt with a neighbor's pests. Look! I found you another tome.” She reached into her cloak, retrieved a green wind tome from a pocket, and handed it to him. While taking it, he noticed that her hands seemed to be covered in dried blood.
“Mom, what’s going on? You’re not telling me something.”
“Honey, have I ever lied to you before?”
“Uhhh…I don’t think so.”
“See, there’s no reason to doubt your mother. Now go pack up your things, I think it’s time we took a vacation for a little while.”
Robin’s dream the previous night seemed like a simple brain teaser compared to this night’s dream. It was clear that his mother was trying to protect him from something. Unfortunately, he could not decipher what.
‘Duke of Themis, huh? Maybe I could see if Mariabelle knows anything,’ he thought to himself. For now, the thought would have to wait, as he had a meeting with the council today. Before departing, he retrieved his cloak, looked down at the mess of papers…
And decided he’d organize them later.
Robin watched as the flames lit up the sea and the Valmese ships with them. Did he regret his decision? No, it was the right one. That did not mean he relished in the death of men though, even his enemies.
There were some positives to take away. Lucina and him worked together quite well in the battle...and well...if there were other positives, he was too tired to remember them. Robin left the bridge of the ship and headed down towards his cabin. Once there, he flopped down on his bed, not even taking off his cloak or boots, and passed out the second his head touched the pillow.
They were moving again, this time toward the nearby settlement called Southtown, in order to fulfill a request for assistance from the town’s leadership. At this point, Robin had become rather used to it. After all, his mother worked for many different clients, so it made sense they had to move around. Although, sometimes it felt like there was another reason behind it. He could tell at the very least that his mother was withholding something from him. Perhaps in some effort to try and protect him. He was an adult now though, and it was time to live his own life.
“Mother, after we fulfill this mission, I would like to go to Ylisstol.” Robin had been preparing himself to ask her this for weeks. His mother froze in her tracks
“W-Why?” she asked.
“It’s as the townspeople said in their request, the attacks from Plegia are only getting worse. Surely you can see that if something does not change, things will reach a breaking point, and soon. If Ylisse were to go to war with Plegia, I believe I could be of assistance.”
“...And what makes you favor aiding Ylisse?” his mother eventually responded.
“I believe in what the Exalt is trying to do. I’ve heard the people talk of her, and if even half of it is true, she is a wonderful leader.” Robin hesitated for a second before following up. “Mother, if you did not want me to eventually participate in warfare, why would you teach me how to use a sword, provide me tomes, and allow me to learn tactics from you?”
“So that you could protect yourself my son.” She turned to look at him. “In case some day I can not.” She looked away again. “And besides, they do not just allow anyone to become a leader in the kingdom’s army.”
“Then I will prove to them that I am the best man for the job, and even if they would not accept me, I can at least offer my strategies to one who can use them.”
“You’d do so even if you received nothing in return.”
“If there was a chance for it to save lives, I would do so without hesitation.”
“Oh my boy,” his mother sighed as she looked him up and down. “War is not a game, where you can walk away satisfied at the end. There is no glory in it. And sometimes the only way to win is for you to knowingly send some to their deaths and to spare the lives of others. Are you ready to make those decisions, to have their blood on your hands?” Robin stayed silent, stewing over his mother’s words.
“I would do what is necessary, mother,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Much as I detest it, I know you are right. That is why I will always work harder than anyone else to think of an alternative.”
“An alternative sometimes does not exist.”
“I know, but if i can save just one more life, then it is worth any amount of effort necessary for me to do so.”
“It seems your mind is made up then,” she sighed. “I had hoped I could keep you safe with me forever, but now I see that life is not one you want,” she said, placing her hand over her son’s face. “It feels like just yesterday you were my precious Snowflake, tripping over himself to show me that the leaves were starting to change colors.” She chuckled to herself. “Forgive your sentimental fool of a mother for not seeing her little boy had blossomed into a young man.” She began to tear up. “Very well then, if that is the life you desire for yourself, I will not prevent you from pursuing it.” Robin opened his mouth to respond but before he could she help up a finger. “One moment actually,” she said, before setting down the bag of supplies affixed to her back. She then removed her signature cloak and handed it to him. “Here son, put this on.”
“Uh, okay,” he said, sliding it on. He had to admit, it was pretty comfortable. He could see why his mother had used it after so many years. He also noticed that it had many pockets in it, some the perfect size to hold tomes.
“There, now you look the part of a Tactician,” she said, smiling through glistening eyes. The sun was setting behind her. “Besides, winter is coming and it gets much colder up in Ylisstol than down here near the border.” Robin wrapped his mother in a hug.
“Thank you, Mother. For everything. I can not thank you enough.”
“Oh my sweet boy,” she said, no longer able to keep her tears from falling. “Oh how I’ll miss you.”
“Where will you be going?” he asked.
“N-Nowhere, I will just miss not being able to see you as often.” Robin was suspicious, but could look past it considering his mother’s emotional state. Besides, he could not expect her to just stay in Ylisstol with him.
“Come mother,” he said, patting her on the back. “It is starting to get dark, we should set up camp for the night.”
“*sniffle* yes, you’re right,” she said, releasing her son from her hold and taking a step back.
Robin awoke in the middle of the night, which was unusual for him, as he could usually be a pretty heavy sleeper. Annoyed at the interruption of his cicadean rhythm, he was intent to just go back to sleep and readjusted himself by turning over. Just on a whim, he peeked open an eye to make sure his shuffling had not stirred his mother, who could be a pretty light sleeper, only to see…
Nothing.
The spot where he remembered his mother’s cot being was completely empty, saved for the grass. He quickly sat up and looked around to make sure he was not mistaken. But no, nothing, not even her bag. All evidence that his mother had ever been here was gone. Quickly grabbing his bronze sword and thunder tome, tucking the latter away into his new cloak, he ventured out to go find her, forgetting the rest of his possessions in his haste. He searched around the fields for hours, eventually finding himself in a field of flowers. He paused to survey the land.
“Why would she just up and vanish? It makes no sense,” he muttered to himself aloud. He then was startled by the noise of a step behind him. “Mother?” he said, turning around. He caught a glimpse of a familiar looking jacket before his vision turned completely red, clouded by a hot piercing pain in his head and the hand where his birthmark was. It was so tremendously painful that he couldn’t help but shout in pain.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“ROBIN!” His cries ceased as he was awoken by the voice, or perhaps more so the accompanying hand shaking him. Robin started rapidly breathing, adrenaline kicking in from the intense pain the dream had caused. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest like a hammer. While he could see, his vision was not in focus, but he did hear a voice.
“It’s okay Robin, it’s okay.” He felt someone place their hand over his, luckily the one that didn’t have the birthmark on it as it still ached. Slowly but surely, his breathing slowed down, along with his heart. As his vision came into focus, he saw what looked like a heavenly figure hanging over him, long blue hair framing a beautiful face. Eyes the same color as her hair pulled his disjumbled mind into them and seemed to soothe his soul. As his mind refocused and his vision cleared, he could make out something one of her eyes almost looked like…
Robin’s face turned as pink as Sumia’s armor, realizing what he was thinking.
“It’s alright, you’re safe now,” she said.
“Lu-Lucina? Wha-What are….”
“Robin!” Chrom shouted busting through the door. “Are you al-Oh! Lucina? I heard Robin screaming and raced over, but it seems you got here first.”
“I was in the area.” She looked away from her father to a very confused and embarrassed (for more than one reason) Robin. “I heard his screams and came in to see him writhing in pain and sweat.” Mentioning this, Robin noticed his hair did feel damp. “Are you feeling okay now, Robin?” Robin felt a bit awkward as both royals looked at him expectantly.
“Uh, yes, I do now. I’m sorry for the trouble, both of you.”
“I have some experience dealing with night terrors, it was no trouble.”
“Yes, thank you for helping, Lucina. I think I can take it from here, how about you turn in for the night?” Chrom offered.
“Well…” She stood up hesitantly.
“Come now, it’s been a long day for us all, you should get some rest. Robin's my best friend, I’ll happily take care of him.” Lucina again hesitated before nodding and heading out. Before leaving she turned and faced Robin again.
“Take care Robin, I hope you have some peaceful rest.”
Robin noticed a warm tingly feeling spread throughout him. A nervous, but happy feeling.
“Thank you, for both your words and especially your help, Lucina.”
“Of course, anytime Robin.” With that she turned and left. Robin guiltily felt a bit disappointed at her absence as he turned and faced his best friend.
“So, a nightmare?” Chrom bluntly asked. “Can you remember what it was? I’ve had nightmares myself, but your scream sounded especially painful.”
“Because it was especially painful,” Robin quipped.
“Do you remember any of it?” Chrom asked. Robin nodded.
“All of it,” Robin said. And he told Chrom all of it, including his dreams the two previous nights.
“I see…” Chrom said. “Do you know if these are truly your memories?”
Robin merely shrugged. “There is no way for me to know. Perhaps they’re meaningless fantasies my mind has shown me. Maybe my mother was no better than Validar. Who can say?”
“That is what your mind tells you. What about your heart?” Chrom replied.
“...That it’s true.”
“Then trust that it is true, and honor the memory of the woman they showed you,” Chrom said. “You’ve done a fine job of that already, I’d say.”
“Heh, of course you would say that. You have no choice but to follow your heart, you’ve got no brain to listen to.”
“Ha,” Chrom spat. “With wit like that on my side, why would I need one? You can do the thinking for me.” Robin rolled his eyes. Chrom responding with a hard pat on the back. “Regardless of who sired you Robin, know that you will always be family with me.”.
“I feel the same, you, Lissa, and the rest of the Shepherds are my family,” Robin said with a smile. “Although, I have to say that Lissa is my favorite.”
“Pfft, sure, until she shoves another frog down your trousers.” Both men laughed. “If you're okay enough to be making wise-cracks, I think I can take my leave then. Get some rest, I can’t have my top tactician walking around like a Risen.”
“I will try. Now get back to your wife before she gets jealous.”
“Please, she already is jealous of us.” The two men laughed again before the Lord finally left the Tactician’s room. Robin knew he should probably get to sleep, but spotted the mess of papers on his desk.
‘I really should organize those.’ He thought to himself. ‘Eh, I’ll do it tomorrow.’ The tactician rolled over and went to bed. This time, his rest was undisturbed as he dreamed of a familiar looking swordswoman with long blue hair.
The border between Plegia and Ylisse was a lot tamer than it was just two years prior. These days, if you asked the people who live near it, they would not mention seeing barbarians. Instead, a few may tell you tales of a Plegian-looking woman with short white hair. She never stays in one place, constantly moving along the border, sometimes even entering the Feroxi region. They do not know of her goals or her plight. This woman is not a nomad or a specter. She is a mother, one with a duty to keep the attention of a cult away from her son. She doesn't know if they know where her son is, as she herself can only guess. She hears stories about the new Exalt of this land and his famed mysterious tactician. The masses do not know much of him, his past a mystery to all. But deep down, she knows the tactician. When she’s awake, she is alone, roaming the deserts, tundras, and grasslands of the continent. But in her dreams, she is reunited with him. Her everything, her love, her sweet boy, her precious Robin.