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Cynthia had known since the beginning that she would have no place in Chrom and Sumia's family in this timeline. Things were hard enough for them ruling a post-war Ylisse even without a teenage daughter from the future, and besides, they had baby Lucina to care for. It was only right that Chrom and Sumia would be allowed to focus on the joys of new parenthood. Lucina – the one from the future, or Cynthia's timeline, whichever you preferred – held a similar sentiment, and had openly talked about going on a journey across the land rather than staying with the Ylissean royal family. It reasoned then that Cynthia would do the same.
She hadn't talked about her plans for after the war as much as Lucina had, save for with Chrom. Cynthia had been honest to him that she knew he wasn't really her father – blood ties aside, the man who had fathered Cynthia and Lucina had been killed by Grima in their doomed timeline. Cynthia didn't want to be a bother, really. She knew she could be a bit much, and not everyone appreciated her endless energy. So she had told Chrom she would leave, so that he may focus his love on his real children. Little Lucina and the Cynthia yet to come. He had seemed sad, but in the end, Cynthia knew it to be the right decision. She'd been nothing but a bother to him, anyways. Chrom hadn't asked for an overly attached, hyper-active teenage daughter who was only a few years his junior, yet Cynthia had insisted on taking his time where she could. She knew she had been selfish. But it had been her only chance to experience what having a family would be like, so she hoped Chrom would understand, and forgive her.
...Cynthia really hoped that the her that would be born in this timeline could be the kind of daughter Chrom could be proud of. He hadn't exactly warmed up to Cynthia's attempts at bonding with him, or looked particularly happy with the way she carried herself, unlike he did with Lucina.
...Well, it was useless to think about that now! Queen Sumia had recently announced her pregnancy, which meant the curtain call for Cynthia. There was little else left for Cynthia to do than to hop on her pegasus and be on her merry way. Chrom and Sumia probably appreciated how much quieter the castle would be now.
It... would have been nice to say goodbye, but Chrom and Sumia had looked so excited over the arrival of the new baby, and... It was only fair Cynthia give her alternate self her rightful place in the spotlight!
So yes, everything was quite alright. Cynthia had kept her word, and like a graceful heroine, left the scene when her time had come. No use thinking about what could have been.
As for what would come next for Cynthia, she was still in the figuring out phase. For now, she would stay the night at an inn, and hope that some great idea struck her in the morning.
But even though she was trying to rest and relax, her mind kept wandering back to her parents – both the ones who had died, and Chrom and Sumia still alive in this timeline. The yearning to be part of that family was still there, but Cynthia would have to get over it. Somehow. She had plenty of good memories; those would have to be enough.
Deciding a small walk would be in order to calm herself, Cynthia headed for the yard in the back. It was a nice evening in early spring, the first bit of ground starting to show from underneath melting snow banks. Cynthia had just breathed in her first proper breath of the earthy scent revealed from underneath the snow when the backdoor to the inn was slammed open. It was one of the cooks, and something about the angry look on his face told Cynthia he wasn't here to announce that supper was ready.
- What on earth did you do?! The cook growled as he marched towards Cynthia.
- I'm sorry! Cynthia said reflexively, before her brain caught up to her words. - Err, what am I apologising for?
- You've got the Exalt himself looking for you! The cook spat. - How on earth does a little girl like you get herself into such trouble the Exalt of Ylisse would personally come out to buttfuck nowhere looking for you?!
A chill ran through Cynthia's spine. Chrom was here? Looking for her? Cynthia tried to think what she had done to warrant him searching for her, but try as she might, she could not think of anything. On the contrary, Cynthia had tried to be on her best behaviour, but... Maybe her “best behaviour” was a little different from what was generally considered appropriate. Either way, the cook sounded really mad, which had to mean... Chrom was probably upset too. Even if Cynthia could not remember it, she must have done something to anger him to the point of coming after her personally.
The thought had Cynthia's stomach knotting with anxiety. She didn't want her last memories of her father--- err, Chrom to be of him being upset at her. She was having a hard time as it was to let go, and to have to see Chrom's anger on top of it... Before she could stop herself, Cynthia dashed to the other side of the yard and hopped the fence, ignoring the cook angrily shouting after her. Cynthia didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get away before Chrom could find her.
Behind the inn was a thick forest, with enough trees that Cynthia felt fairly okay about her chances of hiding even without leaves or shrubs to provide additional cover. She made sure to stick to paths left by the townspeople so that her foot prints wouldn't stick out, and utilising uncovered soil where she could see some. The part of her that wanted to be a hero felt ashamed for running, but a bigger part of her, the little girl afraid of disappointing her father, insisted she was doing the right thing. It wouldn't do well for either Cynthia or Chrom to have their shared memories sullied by an ugly confrontation before Cynthia left forever.
After running until she was out of breath, Cynthia slumped behind a particularly large tree. She should be far away enough that even if Chrom had come after her, she would surely have shaken him off by now. And yet, Cynthia didn't feel victorious in the slightest. If anything, there was a clump in her throat, like she was on the verge of crying, but she forced herself to breathe slowly to calm herself. There was nothing to cry about. She would hide away, and in time, Chrom would forget about whatever it was that had caused him to come after her. He'd go home, and once little Cynthia would be born, he'd forget all about big Cynthia, and that would be that.
For some reason, the thought didn't exactly make Cynthia feel any better.
Just as tears began prickling in Cynthia's eyes, she heard a voice in the distance.
- Cynthia! Where are you?
Cynthia's chest tightened. That was Chrom! How could he have tracked her down so quickly?! As Cynthia did her best to regain control of her breathing, it suddenly struck her: if she left behind no tracks in the snow, then the only logical conclusion for Chrom was that she must have used already existing paths. Thus, finding her was as simple as following the commonly used paths in the forest, with a helping of luck on the side. Oh, why did she not think of that sooner?!
The spiral of self-deprecation was close to sucking Cynthia in, until a bit of rationality shone through in her brain. If Chrom really could follow her tracks to her location, he wouldn't have to resort to calling out to her. Peeking out from behind the tree, Cynthia realised she was right: as Chrom stepped into view some twenty metres away, he was looking around frantically. The tree cover here was sparse enough that the snow had melted away, allowing Cynthia to sneak into her hiding place without leaving tracks. If Cynthia just stayed put, there was a chance Chrom might continue on deeper into the forest and miss her completely.
With bated breath, Cynthia observed Chrom from her hiding place. He walked further into the forest, looking around in every direction – but for some reason, he didn't look angry like Cynthia had expected. If anything, he had the demeanour of a lost child.
- Cynthia? Are you out here?
Cynthia's heart started beating faster. Chrom definitely didn't sound angry, either. If anything, he'd sounded... worried? But Cynthia couldn't allow herself to relax just yet. There could be various reasons for Chrom's tone of voice, but the fact remained that Cynthia had resolved to depart from her family with grace. She could not fold just because Chrom sounded more agreeable than she'd anticipated.
Chrom looked uncertain as he turned his head around, staring at the ground and then the forest around him. He then dashed into the opposite direction of Cynthia's location, and Cynthia almost thought she was safe before Chrom returned, his boots sending mud splashing as he called out again:
- Cynthia! Please, answer me! Cynthia?
There was a more desperate tone to Chrom's voice now, and it was tugging at Cynthia's heart strings. Maybe it was just her wishful thinking, but he really didn't sound like he was out here to scold or punish her. But still, she wouldn't reveal herself. She'd made up her mind about leaving, and that was that. Even if it stung, Chrom would get over it in time.
- Cynthia! Cynthia, where are you?
Chrom was running to the opposite direction from her again, and Cynthia was grateful for that. The longer she heard that desperation in his voice, the harder it was for her to remain put. But if she were to pop out of her hiding place, Chrom would surely change his tone and chastise her for hiding. The cook had said that Chrom was out here to punish Cynthia for something, right? So Cynthia shouldn't be fooled.
- Cynthia!! Please...!
Cynthia's heart jumped at his voice, but she wrapped her arms around her legs and steeled herself. Those had NOT been tears cracking Chrom's voice. There was no way he was so desperate to find her that he would be brought close to crying. Why would he cry for her, anyway? What was she except a child he'd never asked for, some ditzy girl born to a timeline that had nothing to do with him?
Having ran back closer to her, Chrom was looking around again, but his demeanour was more defeated. He bit his lip, before bringing his hands next to his mouth and calling out again. His voice was much weaker, the tremble more obvious now:
- My little pega-pony princess? Cynthia? Won't you please talk with your father?
The words were like an arrow through the heart, leaving Cynthia trembling all over. This had to be a trick. There was no way this Chrom would unironically call her by that pet name. He must have only done so to get her to break and step out of her hiding place. Even though just keeping tears from breaking free was a struggle, Cynthia told herself she just had to stay put, just a little bit longer, and then Chrom would go away and leave her be and---
And then Chrom called her name again, the tears in his voice too obvious to be pretending, and Cynthia couldn't keep going on like this. She didn't want to hear the pain in her father's voice anymore. Besides, she was supposed to be a heroine, right? Would a heroine be covering in fear, hiding away from her fate? If Chrom really was doing all this to chastise her, then... the best thing Cynthia could do was to accept her punishment. Even if it would hurt, even if she would cry, nothing good ever came out of avoiding the consequences of your own actions.
And so Cynthia stood up, and walked out from behind the tree. She couldn't quite muster the courage to hold her head high, instead staring at the ground as she walked towards Chrom's general direction. Immediately, Chrom spun around in her direction, and dashed towards her.
- Cynthia!!
- H-Hi, Father... Cynthia said meekly, as she took a deep breath. Whatever Chrom would say next, she was determined to accept it without crying, at least.
But instead of harsh words, as soon as Chrom got next to Cynthia, he captured her in a tight hug.
- Oh thank the gods, Chrom whispered as he held Cynthia. - I was so afraid I'd lost you...!
The words refused to register in Cynthia's brain, and she remained stiff in Chrom's embrace, confused above all else. Before she could make any sense of the situation, Chrom withdrew from the hug, his hands on her shoulders as he looked her in the eye.
- Cynthia, please, there's something I have to say, Chrom said, and for a moment there, Cynthia thought this would be the beginning of his scolding. But instead, Chrom's voice remained earnest as he continued: - I'm so sorry. You'd told me you were thinking of leaving after the war, and I never took the time to hear out your worries and reassure you. All the time you were trying to bond with me during the war, I scolded you instead of appreciating our time together as the treasure it was. I've taken your love for granted, and for that, I'm truly sorry.
Although Cynthia heard the words, the meaning didn't quite click for her. What was Chrom doing, saying such things to her? What was the punchline supposed to be? Because there was no way he actually meant all that he was saying, to all the sudden be saying all the things Cynthia had so desperately wanted to hear, without there being some catch to it.
- I know this must have hurt, and I can't take away the pain I've caused with my thoughtlessness, Chrom said. - But please, don't go. Just give me one more chance. A chance to prove that I can learn to be the kind of father you deserve.
- Wh-what are you saying? Cynthia croaked out. She felt like she was going to faint.
- I want you to come back home, and for us to be family, Chrom said. - I know I've messed up, but---
- But weren't you mad at me? Cynthia asked. She... didn't quite remember where she'd gotten that idea, but it had to be true, right? - Why would you want me to come home if you're mad at me?
Chrom stared at her stunned for a second, his mouth ajar, before he shook his head profusely.
- No, never! Why would I ever be angry with you? Chrom said, and gave Cynthia a pleading look. - Please, believe me, Cynthia. You're my beloved daughter. And I'd love nothing more than for you to come back home and for us to be a happy family again.
It took a few seconds for this to sink in, and for a burden to be lifted from Cynthia's shoulders. No, more than that. It had all been a misunderstanding. Not just today, but everything. All the time Cynthia had thought Chrom would be happier without her, it had been just the opposite. Chrom wanted them to be family, too. Cynthia didn't have to leave. She would always have a place to call home, with her father and mother by her side.
Against her earlier determination, tears welled in Cynthia's eyes and she burst out crying as she hugged Chrom tightly. Burying her face against his shoulder, Cynthia cried loud and long, but through it all, Chrom showed no hint of discomfort. He held her steadily, patting her back and telling her it would be okay, just like Cynthia vaguely remembered her father from her own timeline doing way back before his untimely demise. And when Cynthia finally quieted down, Chrom wiped the tears lingering on her cheeks, before parting from the hug and offering his hand.
- What do you say? Let's go home, Chrom smiled warmly. - Your mother has been so worried for you, and besides... It wouldn't be right to let little Lucina and little Cynthia to grow up without their big sister.
With one last sniffle, Cynthia nodded, as she took Chrom's hand in hers. The touch was warm and comforting, and when seeing the tenderness on Chrom's face, Cynthia managed a tentative smile in turn. And so hand in hand, father and daughter walked back to town, ready to start their journey back home. Cynthia's grand heroic adventure could wait a little; for now she wanted to be daddy's little girl for just a while longer.