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Robin’s head pounded. Her stomach had ceased growling and now twisted in on itself in painful cramps. The endless, sprawling plains blurred before her eyes, which drooped with exhaustion.
“I . . .” she croaked, carefully lowering herself to the ground. “I need to rest.”
Sleep as deep as the ocean washed over her swiftly, drowning her in its depths.
“Chrom, we have to do
something
.”
Robin’s vision was still dark, sounds were muffled and unclear. But she knew those words, that voice.
“What do you propose we do?”
She opened her eyes. She
knew
that voice.
“Er . . . I don’t know!”
Blurry though they were, she knew those figures. She would know them anywhere.
She had to be dreaming.
They finally looked at her.
“I see you’re awake now,” the figure to the left said.
“Hey there,” said the other with a chuckle.
“There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know.” He reached out to her. “Give me your hand.”
This had happened before. She was dreaming. She
had
to be.
But that hand felt so real as she grasped it, and it pulled her up.
“Chrom?” she said.
His eyes glistened with tears, and he smiled at her. “Welcome back. It’s over now.”
“Chrom!” Robin threw her arms around him, and he was there. He was real. He pulled her close to him and squeezed her tightly.
Everything she had refused to feel since she found herself back in this world came to the surface at once. The loneliness, the hopelessness, the fear that she would never see her family again. But that was gone now. He was
here
.
“I missed you,” she mumbled into his shoulder, trying not to cry. “So much.” She pulled back to look at his face again. His beautiful face. “How did you find me?”
“We’ve been taking search parties out every couple weeks,” he said, still looking amazed that she stood in front of him. “You’re about three days north of Ylisstol.”
“That close?” Robin said. She had made it that far?
Chrom nodded, and her heart swelled.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
“I’m just . . . I’m really happy,” she said. “And hungry. And dehydrated.”
He turned to the side. “Lissa--”
“On it!” Lissa ran off to the horses just a short way away.
“Thank you!” Robin called after her. She turned back to Chrom. “How’s everything back home? How’s Lucina? And Morgan?”
“They’re good, everything’s good,” he said. “They’ve missed you.” His fingers brushed against her cheek and settled there. “I’ve missed you.” He pressed his lips to hers, and she met him with a smile. The thought of reuniting with him had spurred her forward on her journey home. She loved this man, and that he was here with her now made her heart feel as if it were about ready to burst.
“Ahem.” The sound made Robin jump and turned to its source. Lissa stood holding out a canteen and a several pieces of jerky.
Robin blushed. “Sorry,” she said, taking the food and water.
Lissa grinned. “It’s fine. Go back to being all lovey-dovey.”
But any romantic inclinations had left. Robin sat down on the grass and chugged down the water in the canteen, stopping only to tear off bits of the jerky and swallow them nearly whole. She had spent months drinking from dirty rivers and streams and eating berries and leaves and what little she was able to hunt. Compared to those meals, this simple food was a feast.
“So . . . what happened?” Chrom asked once Robin’s voracious eating had slowed, sitting down beside her.
She hesitated. “You mean with Grima?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.” She stared at the half-eaten jerky clenched too tightly in her fist. “I’m not sure how long I spent with her. Nothing existed. Not time, not light. Only her screams.” She shuddered, the bloodcurdling noise still ringing in her ears after all this time. “I’m not sure what her torture was, but mine was listening to her pain.”
“Robin . . .” Chrom’s brows were furrowed with deep concern.
She smiled as wide as she could, pushing her time with Grima out of her mind. “But then I was on Prism Mountain, and I heard Naga’s voice telling me that the requirements had been met and that I could return home. I’ve been making my way back ever since.”
“How long was that?” he asked.
Robin’s bones ached with the memory of walking, endless walking, the hem of her coat tattered with nocks to mark the days, but it still not being enough. She was certain there were days she missed entirely because the exhaustion was too much to push through.
“Well, how long have I been gone?” She shoved another stick of jerky into her mouth and swallowed it.
Chrom’s face darkened, and his voice was low and pained. “Nearly a year.”
Her breath caught in her throat. A year? “Not that long,” she whispered. “Two months, maybe, but not a year.” She thought of her baby, who had been so tiny, nearly a year older. “How much have I missed?”
Chrom gave a wan smile. “Lucina has started to speak and walk. For a several months now.”
Robin’s heart sank. She had missed a
year
of her daughter’s life, so much development. Would Lucina even recognize her when she returned?
Chrom grasped her hand and met her gaze. “I told her about you every day,” he said, as if reading her mind. “About how much you love her, about how you wanted to be there when she said her first word and took her first step. I . . . don’t know if she’ll remember you, but I tried my best.”
She patted his hand. “I know you did. Thank you.” She inhaled as deeply as she could and let herself feel all the sadness and disappointment and shame that she missed such important moments. And with the exhale, she let those feelings go. As much as she could, anyway. “Well, I don’t want to miss any more,” she said. “Can we go?”
Chrom stood up excitedly. “Yes, of course! Let me just make sure the horses are ready to go.”
“Okay.” Robin pushed herself off the ground as Chrom began murmuring to the horses about food and water and energy levels.
“Hey, Lissa,” Robin said, turning to her.
“What’s up?” Lissa said.
“I realize that I haven’t actually said hello to you or thanked you for coming to find me,” Robin said. “It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, it’s just . . .” Her gaze drifted back to Chrom.
“No, no, I get it,” Lissa chuckled. “If I hadn’t seen my husband for ten months, I would also shamelessly make out with him and ignore his little sister who’s standing right there.”
Robin’s eyes widened, and she looked to Chrom in a panic. “I didn’t think we were that bad!”
Chrom’s attention had turned back to them some time during their conversation, and now his brow furrowed as he looked from her to Lissa. “Neither did I.”
Lissa stared at them as if they were idiots who had no sense of social graces. Chrom’s steely expression broke into embarrassment and horror. “Really?”
Lissa cracked a smile. “Nah, I’m kidding.”
“Lissa!” Chrom groaned.
“What? That was funny!”
“No, it wasn’t.”
Robin giggled. She had missed this.
Chrom gave Lissa a final eye roll, then patted his horse’s neck. “They look good to go,” he said. “Shall we be off?”
“Yes, please,” Robin said.
“Great,” he said. He held out his hand to help her into the saddle. She took it and placed her foot in the stirrup. It started shaking so badly that she couldn’t find purchase and nearly fell flat on her back. And it wasn’t just her foot; she was shaking everywhere. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to still her body.
Chrom took her by the waist and hoisted her up onto the horse. His hand lingered on her back. “Do you need more food?”
“Yeah, I think so,” she breathed, leaning forward, trembling fingers pressed against her forehead.
Chrom reached into the pack and pulled out more sticks of jerky. “I’ll make sure you get some real food soon,” he said.
Robin nodded, taking the jerky. She chewed it slowly, hoping that her body would process it better if she wasn’t scarfing it down.
Chrom sat behind her on the horse and grabbed the reins. He looked to Lissa, who had already mounted, and with a flick of the reins, they were off.
Robin fought against the lump in her throat that threatened to turn her into a blubbering mess.
She was going home.
Chrom smiled. Robin had fallen asleep nestled in between his arms, and now she was snoring softly.
It was a miracle that they had found her. After so many months of searching, only to come back with nothing, people were starting to lose hope that she would ever return. They told him that he should give it up, that Robin was gone and wasn’t coming back. “Take the life she gave us, and
live
it,” they had said. And as much as Chrom hated to admit it, he had begun to think that maybe they were right.
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry I lost faith in you,” he whispered.
Lissa yawned. Chrom looked over at her and noticed her eyes drooping.
“You tired?” he asked. “Should we set up camp for the night?” The sun had already set, and the horses were probably tired; it was a good idea.
“Yes, please,” Lissa sighed.
As they reined their horses in, Chrom rubbed Robin’s shoulder gently. “We’re stopping for the night,” he said.
Robin’s eyes fluttered, but didn’t quite open, and she moved as if to dismount on her own.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he chuckled. He hooked his arm underneath her knees and pulled her up to his chest. Swinging his leg over the horse, he hopped down.
She had lost a lot of weight. With her big coat, it had been hard to tell by just looking, but holding her, she felt tiny and frail, like he might break her if he held her too tightly. How long would she have survived if they hadn’t found her? To think, Robin surviving the ordeal with Grima only to die of starvation trying to get home. Chrom grimaced at the idea and put it from his mind. She was here now. That was what mattered.
“Lissa, could you . . .” He wriggled his shoulder, and she nodded, walking over to unclip his cape and lay it out on the ground. “Thanks,” he said with a smile.
Lissa gave him a thumbs-up as she flopped onto her bedroll. “G’night,” she mumbled.
“‘Night.” Chrom laid Robin gently onto the makeshift sheet, then laid himself down on the other side, a foot or two away from her. As he shut his eyes, he heard a shifting, then felt something press up against his arm. He cracked one eye open. Robin had curled up beside him, a contented smile on her face. Chrom sighed with happiness and let his eyes drift closed again. He could hardly believe it, but after so long, she was home.
Chrom was aware of something resting on his face before he was fully awake. It was warm and rough, but also gentle and familiar. He opened his eyes to see Robin’s face just inches away from his. It was her hand resting on his cheek. Of course it was.
“Hey,” he said with a grin.
She smiled back. “Hey.”
“What’s up?” he said, glancing at her hand.
“Just making sure you were real.”
He twisted his head to kiss her palm. “I’m real.”
She giggled and kissed his nose. “I know. But with the starvation and the exhaustion, I figured hallucination wasn’t that far off.”
“How are you doing now?” he asked. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah,” she said. “A lot less tired, a lot less scared. I am hungry, though.”
Chrom pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll make you some food.” He walked over to the horses and dug around in the packs for the cooking supplies.
Robin walked over to him as he set up the pot. She snapped her fingers and a flame burst from her palm. She held it underneath the pot and watched the water and oats start to simmer.
“So what’s everyone been up to?” she asked.
“The Shepherds are still the Shepherds,” Chrom said. “But with how peaceful everything has been, there’s not much Shepherding to be done. Most people are taking this time to focus on themselves and their families.”
“That’s good,” she said, grinning. “Anything exciting happening there?”
“Vaike and Maribelle got married some time ago. There might be something going on between Miriel and Virion? But it’s hard to say if that will go anywhere. And . . .” Chrom looked at Robin excitedly. “Sumia’s pregnant.”
Robin lit up. “She is? That’s wonderful! She’ll be a great mother.”
Chrom nodded in agreement. “She’s been watching Lucina while I’m away. She’s really good with kids.”
Robin smiled. “I’m glad things are going so well for everyone.” Her eyebrows furrowed suddenly, and she turned to Lissa. “Wait. Isn’t Owain older than Cynthia?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Lissa said. “But I guess not.”
“Or the birth order of the Shepherds’ children is mixed up because this is a different timeline,” Chrom interjected. “That’s the theory most of us are running with.”
Robin turned back to Chrom, an excited and mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Does this mean Morgan might have my hair color in this timeline?”
Chrom raised and eyebrow. “You’re still on that?”
“A little bit, yeah.”
He chuckled. “I guess it’s possible.”
“Sweet.” Robin peered into the pot. “I think it’s done.” She closed her hand, extinguishing the flame. She took spoon and gave the porridge a final stir, then pointed towards the packs on the horses. “Could somebody bring me the bowls?”
Chrom went over and returned with them. “I can serve up, you know,” he said, handing them to her.
“I know,” she said. “But all you’ve been doing is making sure I’m okay and that I have everything I need, which is wonderful and so sweet. But I would like a turn. Let me serve you.” She scooped porridge into one of the bowls and gave it back to him with a grin. “Figuratively and literally.”
Chrom sat beside Robin as she handed Lissa a bowl. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” he said.
“You might have mentioned it,” she said. “But it’s been a while.”
The memory of the last ten months came flooding back. The heartache, the loneliness, the feeling that an important part of him was missing. The pain of remembering was almost like a knife to the chest, or a Thoron bolt to the gut . . .
Robin squeezed his hand and smiled as if she knew how he had hurt. She had probably felt the same.
“I love you, Chrom,” she said.
He pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you, too.” His voice trembled.
“You don’t need to worry anymore,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Robin was still reeling from this morning’s breakfast. Plain porridge had never tasted so heavenly. It sat in a happy lump in her stomach, and she reveled in the feeling of being full.
“Wait a second,” Lissa said. “You’re telling me
no one
recognized you?”
Robin chuckled. “To be fair, I had to climb all the way down Prism Mountain before I came across anyone. I didn’t really look much like a queen.” She looked down at her stringy hair and tattered clothes. “I still don’t.”
Chrom leaned over her shoulder. “You look like a queen to me,” he said, and he kissed her cheek.
“You’re such a dork,” she laughed. “But it was probably good no one recognized me. If there were any Grimleal remaining, they’d probably have tried to kill me on the spot for destroying Grima.”
She noticed Chrom tense up at the mention of people trying to kill her. She placed her hand on his knee and rubbed it gently.
“Man, that would have sucked,” Lissa said.
Robin chuckled at her levity. “Yeah, it would have. But that didn’t happen, thank goodness. And now I’m here with some of my favorite people, and I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier. I mean, I’m sure I have, but . . .” She sighed. “It’s been awhile.”
Chrom murmured a sound of agreement. “That war took a toll on all of us, one far greater than we deserved to pay.” He was quiet for a moment, but Robin sensed that something was troubling him. He was stiff, almost unmoving, despite the rocking of the horse.
“Robin,” he said.
She looked back at him. “Yeah?”
“Thank you,” he said. “For everything you did to help us with the war, but especially for . . . for sacrificing yourself to end Grima. I know I was hurt and angry at you for making that decision, but I realize that wanting you to stay was selfish of me. I do think you made the right choice, and I’m grateful that no one will ever have to face such horrors again. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said. “But I’m sorry as well. I shouldn’t have made that decision without telling you first. You didn’t deserve to be blindsided by that.”
“Perhaps not our finest moment as a couple,” Chrom said.
“No, certainly not,” Robin chuckled. “But ultimately, I think we did the right thing.”
“I agree. No one should ever go through the same horrors we faced. Grima needed to be destroyed. For good. I’m glad you had the presence of mind to realize that.”
“Well, I’m the tactician, aren’t I?”
“And an absolutely brilliant one, at that.”
“Babe,” Robin said, tapping Chrom’s knee to get his attention. Without waiting for a response, she smacked it again. “Babe! Is that . . .”
“It is.” She could hear the smile in his voice.
Ylisstol sat on the horizon, and the silhouette of its castle reached out over the rest of the city. That was her home, where her children and friends were, and after so long, she was finally almost there.
She felt the sting of tears in her eyes, and she rubbed them away. It was not the time for that. “It’s not that far, huh?”
“No,” Chrom said. “If we’re fast, we could get there by nightfall.”
Suddenly, despite having travelled at a snail-like pace for the past few months, the horses’ pace seemed too slow. And how could she sit so passively when she could
see
how close they were. “What I wouldn’t give for teleportation,” she mumbled.
“We’ll get there soon enough,” Chrom said.
“Sure,” Robin said, unconvinced.
But Ylisse did scoot closer on the horizon faster than Robin had assumed. The sun had only just barely started to set when Chrom to Lissa to go on ahead and tell the palace of their arrival, and soon enough, they were arriving at the walls of the capital. A guard stood by the entrance made for when the royal family needed to come and go quietly, and he took Chrom and Robin’s horse as they dismounted. The guard knocked on the door, and a familiar face opened it.
“Welcome home, milady,” Frederick said.
Robin playfully punched his chest a few times. “What’s up, Freddy, my man?”
He chuckled. “It’s good to have you back, Robin.”
She smiled. “It’s good to be back, Frederick.”
“This way, please.” He led them into the dark hallway, once again assuming the role of retainer and knight, which Robin allowed him for a time. But after a while, the desire to catch up was too great, and she jogged up beside him.
“So, Frederick,” she said. “Chrom tells me that you and Sumia are expecting a baby. You must be excited.”
Frederick’s hard expression melted into a rare moment of tenderness. “We are,” he said softly.
“You two will make wonderful parents. I can tell.”
“Thank you, milady.”
The dark hall gave way to a large room of the palace that almost glowed as the setting sun shone through its windows.
“Mother!” The word echoed throughout the room, and Robin spun and saw the smiling faces of her children, eyes sparkling, as they ran towards her.
The tears finally broke through and poured down her face. “Morgan, Lucina!” she cried.
They crashed into her, nearly knocking her over. She pulled them close, squeezing them as tightly as she could.
“Mother, I think you’re crushing me,” Morgan said, but still he buried his head into Robin’s shoulder.
Robin chuckled. “I’ve missed you both so much.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Lucina said. Her voice began to tremble. “Thank you, Mother. Thank you so much.”
“I would do anything for you, you know that.” She lifted up her daughter’s chin. “You shouldn’t have had to go through what you did back in your world. I wasn’t about to let it happen again.”
Lucina nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“I know the me of your world wasn’t as strong as she needed to be,” Robin said. “But she raised the strongest, bravest young woman I know, who I couldn’t be more proud of.” She kissed Lucina’s forehead.
“Mother, Mother!” Morgan said, and he squared his shoulders and stood straight up. “I’ve gotten taller!”
“Look at you!” Robin exclaimed, placing a hand atop Morgan’s head and sliding it over to her own head. It hit just above her brow. “You’re almost as tall as me now!”
He nodded proudly. “And I’ve been practicing with Virion, so I bet I could probably beat you at chess, too!”
Robin laughed. “We’ll see about that.”
Chrom watched from afar as his wife and his children laughed and smiled, and tears filled his eyes. For all the relief they had felt after Grima had been destroyed, there hadn’t been a whole lot of happiness. But now that Robin was back . . .
He could have just stood there watching them forever, but the scene wasn’t entirely complete. He walked across the room and down the hall. He opened the door to the nursery, and a blue head of hair popped up from behind Sumia’s shoulder.
Sumia turned, following Lucina’s gaze. “Ah, Chrom!” she said. “Welcome back. How--” She halted as she saw the look on his face. “You found her?” she whispered.
Chrom could only nod as Sumia rushed over to him.
“That’s wonderful news!” she exclaimed. “You’ll have to tell me all about it, but I imagine you two want to see your daughter.” She smiled down at Lucina who was reaching out for Chrom, saying, “Dada, dada, dada!”
“Has she been good?” Chrom asked as he took his child from Sumia.
“An absolute angel,” she said.
He smiled at Sumia. “Thank you again for all your help.”
“Anytime, Captain.”
“ . . . and then I . . .” Robin trailed off as Lucina tapped her on the shoulder and pointed behind her. She turned in that direction.
Chrom walked in, carrying little baby Luci. “Are you ready to see Mama?” he said as Luci patted his face over and over again. He giggled. “Yeah, let’s go see Mama.”
Goodness, but she had gotten big. Robin’s tiny baby was now very much a toddler. “Hi, sweetie,” she said, reaching out for her.
Lucina finally looked towards Robin, recognizing that Robin’s words had been intended for her. And there was . . . nothing on her face. No recognition, no excitement. Robin froze. She had expected this. Every logical part of her told her that this was inevitable, unavoidable. But her heart wanted so badly to see her daughter’s face light up with joy when she saw her, and for her to have no reaction hurt greater than any wound she had sustained in battle.
Chrom’s smile began to fade. Luci turned to him, a confused look on her face.
“You remember Mama, right?” Chrom said. His voice was strained.
Lucina gave Robin a questioning glance. Then another look at Chrom. “Mama?”
“Yeah,” Chrom said. “That’s Mama.”
Luci began to bounce up and down in Chrom’s arms, and she reached out for Robin. “Mama, mama, mama!”
Robin scooped her up in her arms and held her baby tightly to her chest. Luci giggled with delight.
Robin felt a gentle hand on her back. Chrom was there beside her, with Lucina and Morgan close by. She wished she had the words to express her happiness, but there were none. So she leaned into Chrom’s arms, and Morgan and Lucina wrapped them both in a warm embrace.
Maybe Robin didn’t need words. Maybe all she needed was this. Her family, her home.
They joy of it all hit her again.
She was home.