Chrom
As soon as his feet hit the dry land, Chrom reached out to steady Robin. His hands closed around nothing but fresh air.
His arms fell limply to his sides.
His eyes were burning from his tears, but Robin was gone now, truly gone, and all the fight was seeping out of him. He could not sob like Morgan was some way behind him, or utter sombre words of celebration like the Shepherds. The only thing he felt capable of doing was falling to his knees and never rising, but he could not, would not, show what his wife's death meant to him in front of his soldiers. He was stronger than he had been the first time he'd lost someone he loved. Robin had taught him how to be.
So he stood still and looked out to sea, where the fell dragon's body was slowly dissipating. He let the weight on his chest silently crush him, piece by piece.
They'd achieved what had been deemed impossible, but it had come at a high price. The woman he loved, the woman who'd saved his life, the woman who was behind their victory...wasn't with them.
But he couldn't shake away the feeling that she was. He'd always been able to feel Robin's presence near him without having to look. Now it felt like she was hovering close by. In fact, it felt like she was right beside him...
He turned sharply to the side. No one was there. It was just his grief playing tricks on him.
Then invisible arms tightened around his torso in a fierce hug, there and gone again.
His heart skittered as if Robin had really been pressed against him. Surely he could not be imagining the tingling sensation spreading across his skin.
And surely he would know in his heart if Robin was really gone. Wouldn't he?
He turned to the Shepherds. Frederick and Sumia were huddled close together, watching him in despair. Cordelia was in Stahl's arms, her shoulders shaking violently. Lissa was crying, too, her face buried in Lon'qu's chest so that she did not notice the shine to his own eyes. Cherche was trying to comfort her distressed-looking wyvern. Gerome was standing beside her with his own, his head turned towards the two figures on the floor.
Lucina, her legs still drenched in blood, had Morgan in her arms. She murmured soothing words to her younger brother as he cried, always being the carer despite the sorrow in her eyes.
Chrom strode towards them, his chest tightening. He was not the only one who needed his tactician. Thanks to her, he was still alive. He was still the leader.
It was not Lucina's time to take his place.
He pulled his children up from the floor and into his arms. Then he rested his chin on Lucina's head. "You don't have to stay strong anymore, my little princess."
Lucina sagged against him with a sob, her cries even louder than Morgan's. The sound broke Chrom's heart.
Why did you do this, Robin? Why did you go?
Someone else joined their hug for a fleeting moment, her head resting against Chrom's chest. Lucina's sobs juddered to a halt, catching in her throat as she looked up. Even Morgan stilled. They could feel it, too.
The person left again.
Lucina blinked, her red-rimmed eyes full of confusion. Chrom stepped back and squeezed her shoulder. "It's time for us to go."
Lucina nodded, putting her arm around Morgan. He was too lost in his tears to understand what was going on. Chrom let his gaze linger on them.
Then he turned away and yanked the two halves of his heart together again. All the Shepherds were watching him now.
"The war is ended, my friends," he said. "Never again will the fell dragon trouble this world. I owe you all far more than words can ever repay. Especially Robin, who gave herself to save us all." His breath caught. "To save all the worlds to come."
"P-poor Robin," Lissa said. "After everything she did for us..."
"Don't cry, Lissa," Chrom said gently. "We'll see her again, I'm sure of it. Remember what Naga said? That Robin would survive if our ties were strong enough. This isn't over. I believe Robin is out there...somewhere."
Morgan's crying quietened. He looked up, a glimmer of hope in his expression. But it quickly vanished.
Chrom knew that his children could feel Robin's presence, even if they were afraid to believe.
He had never been afraid to put his faith in Robin. Not when he had found her in that field, not when the plan to save Emmeryn had failed, and not even when she had revealed that she'd been destined to kill him.
He certainly wasn't going to lose faith now.
"I'll find her," he said. "Even if it takes me the rest of my days, I will find her."
"You're right!" Lissa forced some brightness into her voice. "She has to be out there somewhere. We'll find a way to bring her home, even if we have to search every open field in this whole stupid world!"
"I believe the same, milord," Frederick said. "Robin is too strong to simply disappear. It falls to us to look after the realm until she returns."
"Yes." Sumia leaned against her husband. "I know she's alive. All the more reason to work hard between now and her return!"
"I can feel it, too," Stahl said. "Robin is out there, waiting for us."
"Too many times now have I watched loved ones give their lives for me," Cordelia said, straightening her back. "I must hold on to faith that this time will be different."
"She did what she had to do," Basilio said. "That's the mark of a true warrior! She'll be back. I'd bet my sweet, brown arse on it!"
"Leave it to Robin to take responsibility for all of us," Flavia said. "If she cared for us that much, I hope she knows how we still need her."
Lucina and Morgan exchanged a glance. Lucina gave Chrom a small nod.
"Thank you," he said. "Robin has secured for us all the most precious gift: a future. Now it falls upon our shoulders to protect what was given. When Robin returns, I want her to see what her sacrifice bought. And, Robin, if you can hear me...you will always have a place here with us. Remember that."
He paused, hoping to feel some sort of response from her again. All he felt was his heart hammering painfully in his chest.
But as they started to walk in the direction of the distant Dragon's Table and their carriages, a gentle voice whispered something on the breeze. The sound was so quiet that it was barely there.
"Thank you. Take me to my body, so that I may walk amongst you again."
***
The eight days it took to get to the beginning were the longest eight days of Chrom's life.
It was worse than when they had retreated from Plegia after Emmeryn's death. It was worse than when they had travelled towards the Dragon's Table, chasing after the Fire Emblem. It was worse than when they had hurried towards Mount Prism, trying to pry the world from Grima's grasp.
They'd travelled almost without pause ever since the fell dragon's demise, and on the fifth day, they'd reached their carriages. On the seventh, they had arrived at Castle Ylisse. Chrom had ordered almost everyone to stay behind, including Lucina and Morgan. He'd told them that he trusted no one else to look after their realm while it was so fragile, but that was not strictly true. The real reason he'd left them behind was that he thought he knew where Robin was, and he did not want his children to be upset by the state he feared they might find her in. The long journey was starting to fill him with doubt. The sense that her spirit was close by did not necessarily mean she was still the same Robin he had known.
In the end, he'd only allowed Frederick, Sumia, Lissa, and Lon'qu to come with him. They'd spent the time talking sadly about their memories of Robin, but Chrom had not uttered a word. He watched the world outside the window at all times, the seat beside him left empty. They were almost at their destination, and he was waiting.
Finally, on the eighth day, the scenery around him grew painfully familiar. The carriage rumbled down the uneven road they'd walked a few years ago when they had been in town to deal with Plegian brigands. He could still hear Lissa's request in his mind. Can we take a shortcut through the field? I've got blisters the size of eggs!
The carriage stopped next to the gate they had walked through to make their detour, and Chrom threw the door open so hard that it almost fell off its hinges.
He leapt out and strode to the gate. He didn't bother lifting the latch. He just climbed over it. By the time his friends had all disembarked the carriage, he was sprinting across the field.
The exact spot where he'd found Robin was framed in his mind, painted in vivid watercolours. His nerves heightened with every step he took towards it. Of course, it would make sense for her to be awake and moving after eight days if she was alive...but Chrom knew that she was here. He could almost sense her calling to him.
At last, he saw her.
She was lying on her back, her legs straight and her arms by her sides as if she was a doll someone had arranged neatly on the ground. Her head didn't loll to either side but was turned up to the sun. Her white-blonde hair had been released from its pigtails and fanned around her in perfect symmetry. Her eyes were closed. She was still.
Chrom's heart swelled at the sight of her. He pushed himself across the last of the distance between them, and, at long last, dropped to his knees at her side. He laid his head down on her chest, relief making him need to touch her.
But there was no movement beneath him.
No breathing. No heartbeat.
Everything he had felt a moment ago came crashing down.
"No," he whispered.
It couldn't be like this. She was here. He could feel it.
The grass swished behind him. "Chrom?"
"She's not breathing, Lissa."
He could hear the footsteps of the others now, but still no heartbeat. Lissa murmured something to them, and though they hadn't been talking before, a heavy silence fell.
Tears gathered in Chrom's eyes. He hadn't spilled a single one since he'd started his journey to find her. He'd thought he had been prepared for anything: to find her somewhere else, to find her without memory again. But not to find her like this.
Yet he could still feel her, standing right next to him. So why –?
He gasped, suddenly feeling a change beneath him. Was that...a heartbeat?
Yes.
He listened to her heart find its rhythm for a few moments. Then he lifted his head up, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Robin?"
She took her first, shuddering breath and coughed. The seconds ticked by at an agonizing pace as he watched her.
Finally, her eyes opened.
She looked at them all, her eyes unseeing until they landed on Chrom. Then they focused. The old, indestructible magnetism between them flickered to life, and he bent closer to her again until their noses were touching.
She smiled weakly. "You came."
"Of course I did," he said.
With effort, he drew away and got to his feet, then took his gloves off and repeated the gesture he had made the first time they'd met here. "Give me your hand."
She lifted her right hand and placed it in his. It was smaller and frailer than it had been before, but it was also ungloved, and he relished the way her skin felt.
He pulled her to her feet and looked deep into her eyes, his smile widening. "Welcome back. It's over now."
Then he pulled her against him, unable to help himself anymore. His lips found hers. She tasted sweet and pure, but a tiny hint of their final battle still remained: the blood, the smoke, the steel. It was the way that she'd always tasted, with small variations.
When they came up for air, he ran his hand down her cheek and sighed. "I've missed you so much, Robin. It's only been eight days, but it felt like a lifetime."
"I also missed you," she murmured. "I miss Morgan and Lucina, too. Where are they?"
"At the castle, milady," Frederick said. His voice held a touch of familial warmth that even he could not hide.
"Then the castle is where we shall go, right now," Robin said.
She stepped away from Chrom, but her weakened knees buckled. He caught her and swung her into his arms, carrying her towards the carriages. She blushed, but she didn't bother to protest. She only smiled affectionately and rested her cheek against him.
He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"The best I've felt in a long time," she replied, her beautiful brown eyes twinkling. "I feel...purer than when I first woke up. I don't think I'll get any of those awful headaches again." Her smile grew wider as she lifted her right hand up. "And I don't have the Brand of the Defile anymore."
Chrom's reaction to smile back at her was automatic, his heart filling with pride. That brand had not been a curse. It had enabled Robin to take care of them all through her selfless actions. Now, it was his turn to take care of her. Everyone was going to be so happy to see her when they reached the castle – especially Morgan and Lucina. His smile grew just thinking about it.
"Brand or no brand, I love you," he said. "I always have."
"And I have always loved you, Chrom." Her eyes drifted shut with exhaustion, but the smile stayed etched onto her face. "I will always love you."