Recovering Lost Ties

The sun shined its light upon an open field on a warm spring day. A cooling breeze caused the grass to move in waves across the landscape. Forest surrounded the field on all sides, and a single tree stood near the center of the field. In the shade of the lone tree, two figures sit watching the clouds roll by. One is a man, he wears a tan tunic and matching trousers; over that a black hooded robe with gold and purple trim. His snow-white hair moved gently with the breeze as his eyes scan the contents of a tome. This is Robin, tactician for the Shepherds, a militia force dedicated to protecting the people of the Halidom of Ylisse. Led by Chrom, Ylisse’s Exalt, the Shepherds have saved Ylisse and the world itself from falling to the forces of evil.

The other, resting under Robin’s free arm, was a young woman. She wears a yellow dress with an apron over that. Her blonde hair was tied into twin pigtails and her green eyes looked up at the sky with wonder. This is Lissa, Chrom’s little sister; she may not look it but she’s also Princess of Ylisse who served as a key healer in times of trouble. The two have known each other for a few years now, ever since she and Chrom found him lying in a field with no memories except for his name and battle knowledge.

He joined the Shepherds and helped them in their fight against Gangrel, King of Plegia and Walhart, Emperor of Valm. During the fight with Walhart the pair had grown especially close and a few weeks before defeating the conqueror, Robin asked for Lissa’s hand in marriage. She gladly accepted, but the wedding had to be put on hold. A new threat, Validar and his Grimleal followers threatened not just Ylisse, but the world itself as he attempted to resurrect the demonic dragon Grima. It was then that Robin was revealed to be Validar’s son and was raised to be the vessel for Grima’s return. Despite it all, with the help from Chrom and the others, Robin found the courage to fight against the sorcerer. The Shepherds fought bravely but failed to stop the revival, so they took the fight to Grima with some help from the divine dragon Naga. Her wisdom revealed that Chrom’s sword Falchion, endowed with its full strength and power, would be able to strike Grima down and send the dragon into slumber for another thousand years. An alternative would be to have Robin himself deal the final blow, but that would mean his end as well since he and Grima are linked by blood.

Robin was steadfast in his decision to finish Grima himself, but Chrom was even more stubborn about it, refusing to lose his best friend. In the end, Grima felt Falchion’s sting and Robin lived on with Lissa at his side. Peace had finally fallen over the land and Lissa and Robin were making the most of their time together, some days training, others not really doing anything, but they were together and for Lissa that was enough. The past few weeks seemed like a blur as diplomatic procedures, and wedding plans, overtook the Shepherds’ lives. Thankfully, Lissa and Robin had the opportunity to slip away and spend some time alone outside the walls of Yllistol.

Lissa loved moments like these: nestled in Robin’s embrace, with no one around to bug them. It gave Lissa time to just take in another day with her husband-to-be as she sighed with content.

“Everything okay?” The tactician asked

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Lissa said, “I guess it’s just all finally coming together. A few more days and we’re getting married.”

Robin chuckled and stood up, adjusting his coat and holding out his hand. Lissa grabbed it and stood up with Robin, leaving the shade of the tree to bask in the open sun. Taking a short walk to the center of the field, Robin tucked the tome under his arm and took Lissa’s hands in his own, the two of them exchanging smiles. Robin told Lissa that her smile is one of his favorite things about her and when he looks at her, it’s like looking at his other half; like she completes him. Lissa has grown to feel the same way, as Robin has provided a firm resolve and confidence coupled with Lissa’s own optimistic and carefree attitude. The pair have seen plenty of hard times, but as they embrace in the middle of the field, time seemed to stop for a while if only to cherish the moment.

Robin looked up at the tree they were just sitting under, and noticed a branch move in an odd manner, like something had just jumped off of it; something or someone. His embrace tightened around Lissa.

“Hey, you all right?” She asked but got no response

Robin continued to study the tree, watching the motion of each branch. He started to think it was just the wind until he spotted a glimmer coming from within the tree for a split second. Another second later, he saw what the glimmer was.

Lissa felt Robin’s grip tighten a little more and saw his hand glow and crackle with energy. An instant later, Lissa felt herself get swept to the side as Robin unleashed a Thoron attack at the gap in the tree branches, letting out a cry of exertion and, from the sound of it, pain. She looked over to see his Thoron strike through the tree, causing it to catch fire; soon after, a hooded figure, lightly armored with three blades on each of his gauntlets and a quiver of arrows on his back, an Assassin, fall dead out of the tree.

Lissa’s eyes widened at the sight of the quiver and looked at Robin. She gasped at the arrow embedded in his left shoulder, which Robin sharply removed and tossed aside causing him to drop his tome out of pain.

“Are you all right?!” Lissa exclaimed

“Yeah,” Robin grunted, “my arm stings a bit though, can’t move it much either. Grab my tome, I doubt he was alone.” Lissa picked up the tome, its pages glowing in her hands as Robin pulled a Silver Sword from inside his coat.

“Figures the one time I forget my staff and you get hurt! Oh, I feel so stupid!” Lissa cried

“Relax, let’s just take it slow and get back to the castle.”

Lissa nodded and they began to head back to Yllistol. Aside from the sounds of the burning tree, the peaceful quiet had turned to eerie silence. The two of them turned to face even the slightest of sounds, Robin with sword and Lissa with spell. Robin was focused but he could tell that Lissa was a little freaked out.

“Who was that? Why was he here?” Lissa asked

“I don’t know. Maybe Validar has a few followers left, or maybe someone wants Ylissian royalty out of the picture.”

“Quite a pretty penny on the lass’ head;” said an unknown voice, “shame my mate won’t be able to see me collect the bounty!”

All of a sudden, another assassin jumped out and rushed straight for Lissa.

“You won’t touch her!” Robin yelled, rushing just as quickly as the assassin. Lissa fired off a Thoron bolt, but the assassin dodged it and continued to dash towards her. Robin crossed swords with him and was able to push him back but his onslaught continued. The two swordsmen clashed repeatedly while Lissa kept firing Thorons at him, but the assassin dodged each and every one of them. The duel raged on and Robin could tell that his opponent was starting to tire out. The assassin gave it one more try; rushing straight for Lissa with sword raised. Robin charged right for him, his blade raised also. The duelists made contact and cleared out just as quickly; Robin stood up and the assassin fell forward, having been dealt a finishing blow.

Robin looked over at Lissa with a confident smile, Lissa was relieved but soon her look of relief turned to one of fear as she pointed at Robin’s tunic. Concerned, Robin took a step towards her and felt a sharp pain in his left side, dropping his sword and clutching his side. He looked to the spot where Lissa was pointing and saw a large red stain on his shirt that felt warm to the touch. Lifting his hand from the stain, he found blood, his blood, all over his hand. Robin looked at Lissa again, her eyes filled with tears; he tried to move again but felt lightheaded and soon found himself falling back.

Time slowed down as Robin fell to the ground. Dropping the tome and running to catch her husband, Lissa screamed out his name as he collapsed right before her eyes.

"ROBIN! NO!"

Kneeling down to look him over, Lissa tried anything to save him. She saw his chest move, so he was still alive, but she didn't know for how much longer. The gash in his side was rather large and he was losing a lot of blood fast.

"Please Robin, don't die!" Lissa begged, "Please! Don't leave me!"

Lissa got no reaction at first and she feared the worst. All of a sudden, Robin started coughing and his eyes opened.

"It's going to take more than this flesh wound to kill me, you know that." He said

"Flesh wound, my foot! You need serious help!" Lissa yelled frantically

"Lissa, calm down. We aren't far from the castle. Go and get Libra or Maribelle. I'll be fine until you return, just hand me my tome."

Lissa found her center in Robin's voice and did what he said, giving him the Thoron tome and then standing up to go get help.

"Don't worry," Robin said, "we've been through worse. I love you."

"I love you too." Lissa said as she headed for Yllistol

As she neared the trees, the entire forest suddenly burst into flames almost simultaneously. The intense heat and thick black smoke blocked the way and caused Lissa to back away. She looked around, trying to find some way out to get back to the castle. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a silhouette amongst the inferno.

"Hey! Hey mister!" Lissa called out, "Please! Robin needs help!"

The shadow seemed to hear Lissa but instead of moving or responding, Lissa heard laughter; sinister laughter that sent a chill up her spine. The man waved his hand and the flames parted slightly as he approached. He stepped out onto the field and made Lissa do a double take. He looked exactly like Robin, except for his eyes; this Robin's eyes were filled with hatred and a will to watch the world burn. Lissa had seen those eyes only one other time.

"You! But...But how?! My brother..." Lissa began but was cut off by more laughter from the Robin double

"You honestly thought that glorified toothpick could kill what can never be slain? I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am Grima and I WILL destroy this world!"

Suddenly a golden bolt of energy shot out from behind Lissa and barely missed Grima. Lissa looked behind her to see Robin had rolled over and shot another Thoron to defend her.

"Over my dead body." Robin grunted

Grima simply smiled and with a wave of his hand, disappeared in a wave of smoke. An instant later, Grima reappeared right in front of Robin and kicked his wounded side, causing him to drop back down.

"That’s the idea." Grima said with a smile on his face

Before Robin could react, Grima pinned down his good arm under his boot causing him to drop the tome. Grima picked it up and the book burst into purple flames. Tossing aside the embers, he looked down at Robin and held his hand over his face. Lissa had no idea what to do; Grima should be gone! Chrom killed the Robin copy and Grima should be asleep for another thousand years. Lissa ran up to him and tried to move him off of Robin, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. Grima scoffed and treated her like nothing, focusing his attention on Robin. Soon a ball of purple energy formed in his hand; Lissa looked down and saw purple vapors coming off of Robin and collecting in the ball in Grima’s hands.

“What are you doing?!” Lissa asked

“Taking what’s rightfully mine; this fool still holds some of Grima’s power. Extracting the power is painless but it’s as vital to his survival as the blood that flows within his veins.”

Lissa's eyes widened and she moved with even more panic than before, first trying to push against Grima’s whole body then trying to pry his foot off of Robin or trying to pull Robin out from under him but nothing worked no matter how hard Lissa tried. Eventually, she just broke down next to him and started crying as Grima continued to siphon Robin’s powers away.

“No! Robin!” She wept with her head in her hands, “Please, Robin! Don’t leave me! I don’t want to be alone!”

She continued to cry until she felt a hand grab hers. She looked over to see Robin grasping it, a tear on his face as well.

“I’m…I’m sorry Lissa. I couldn’t protect you, some husband I turned out to be.” He said dejectedly

“Don’t say that!” Lissa replied, “I love you, I’ll always love you!”

“Just…Just promise that you’ll never forget that. Grima can never take that away from you.”

Robin sat up as best as he could and Lissa leaned in; wiping away a tear Robin and Lissa shared a kiss before the purple vapors stopped flowing from Robin’s body. They released each other as Robin slowly settled back down on the ground, closing his eyes as his last breath left his lungs.

Lissa couldn’t help but cry just a little; the man she had grown to love, the man she was going to marry, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with…was gone.

“A touching moment,” Grima said stepping off of Robin’s body, “but now that he has met his end, I will bring about THE end.”

Raising his hand, a beam of purple energy shot into the sky. The wind picked up and the smoke from the fire mixed with the clouds to create a swirling vortex, and from the center, six giant wings descended carrying the body of the gargantuan dragon Grima. Lissa felt like she should run, she wanted to run, but her body stood still in fear. Then the dragon set its sights on the field, its maw opening to breathe its deadly breath.

“Welcome Lissa,” Grima said as the flame formed in the dragon’s mouth, “to the end of the world.”

The Fell Dragon launched a column of black fire towards the field engulfing all.

Lissa gasped sharply and awoke in her cot, sitting up she looked around. Her bags were lying on the ground on the other side of the tent, and she could feel the cold sweat on her forehead.

“A dream? That was all a dream?” She asked herself

Hearing the hustle and bustle of the camp outside, it appeared that it was in fact all but a nightmare. She soon remembered what had happened a few long weeks ago. Validar had succeeded in resurrected Grima, so the Shepherds took action against the dragon. In the end, Grima was defeated but at a cost. Robin had chosen to sacrifice himself to truly end the terror of the Fell Dragon. While everyone is glad that the threat has been purged, the loss of Robin weighed heavily on the Shepherd’s hearts, Lissa in particular. Even though they were back in Ylisse, something inside told Lissa that without Robin, it just wasn’t home.

“Mother?” Said a voice causing Lissa to jump a little

Looking at the entrance to her tent, Lissa noticed a person she did not before. Almost as tall as she was, she was dressed exactly like Robin, even her eyes showed the same compassion that she had come to see in his. It was Robin’s future daughter Morgan; she along with other children, such as Chrom’s daughter Lucina and Lissa’s own son Owain, had traveled back in time to stop their own grim future from occurring, a future where Grima had sent the world into discord.

“Mother?” Morgan asked again, “Is everything all right?”

“Of course Morgan,” Lissa replied while rubbing her eyes, “why wouldn’t it be?”

“Well, I heard you mumbling in your sleep. You must’ve been dreaming about Father again.”

Lissa was somewhat shocked. Truth be told, Robin was the only thing she dreamt about for the past month but no one could really blame her. Still, after the first week or so everyone seemed to drop the subject and didn’t bother Lissa about it.

“What…What makes you say that?” She asked

Morgan smiled and said, “You’re holding the locket again.”

Lissa looked down and sure enough, her left hand was holding on to the locket that Robin gave her all those years ago when she lost her older sister Emmeryn. A simple silver chain held a golden pendant engraved with the Brand of the Exalt and a small sapphire in the center. Lissa took a minute to open the locket as Morgan entered her tent; on the left side, behind the Brand, was a picture of Emmeryn. On the right side, Lissa had asked Libra to paint a portrait of Robin which she had set in the locket at a local jeweler’s two weeks ago. Even though it was just a picture of him, it helped Lissa to be able to see Robin’s face again. Looking over at Morgan, Lissa saw that she too felt comfort in being able to see him.

“You’re your father’s daughter all right.” She chuckled and hugged Morgan before getting out of bed

“Come on,” Morgan said, “let’s get some breakfast.”

After breakfast, everyone in camp enjoyed the day doing various activities. Normally, Chrom and Lissa would be out looking for Robin with Frederick. Naga explained that if Robin’s bonds with everyone were strong enough, he could return to them; Lissa and Chrom had been checking every open field they could find, unfortunately coming up empty-handed. Today however, they had other plans. Chrom had promised Owain that he’d practice sparring with him today, so the two swordsmen had set up a ring a little ways away from camp. Lissa was doing what she did best: sitting under a nearby tree, watching her brother and son train with her daughter sitting next to her, her nose stuck in a book just like her father.

It was a calm day in Ylisse, the Shepherds having returned about a week ago. Despite many wishes to return to their homes, everyone agreed to at least honor Robin’s sacrifice at Yllistol beforehand; today is just one of a few to provide rest and recuperation from the long travel. Lissa watched the clouds roll by from under the shade of the tree, wondering when Robin will return. Looking down at Morgan, she giggled to see her daughter fast asleep leaning up against her. This sight made Lissa feel a little drowsy herself as the warmth of the afternoon sun covered her like a blanket, and soon she drifted into slumber along with her daughter.

“Lissa…” said a voice in Lissa’s head stirring her from nodding off

“Did…did someone call my name?” She quietly asked the air

Soon a butterfly fluttered its way onto the tip of her boot, closing it wings as it rested.

“A butterfly?” Lissa asked

“Go back Lissa.” Said the voice again

Lissa looked around, Morgan was still sleeping and Chrom and Owain were still sparring. The only other thing around was the butterfly, was it the one talking to her?

“Go back and find me.” This time Lissa started to recognize the voice

“Wait,” Lissa said, “this voice…” The butterfly then turned around and opened its wings, painted white as snow with six purple spots that almost resembled eyes. Lissa’s mind suddenly flashed back to something Robin told her many years ago, not long after the death of Emmeryn.

“Some cultures see butterflies as the resurrected souls of the deceased.”

“Find me at the place where it all began.” Said the voice one more time before the butterfly took off

“He’s back?” Lissa asked with widened eyes, “HE’S BACK!”

Lissa’s sudden outburst caused the others to look at her and Morgan to wake up. Getting up quickly to stay with the butterfly, she picked Morgan up and ran over to Chrom and Owain.

“Guys, Robin’s back!”

“What are you talking about Lissa?” Chrom asked

“We’ve got to follow that butterfly! It’ll take us to Robin! Morgan and Owain, you let everyone know that he’s back! Come on Chrom!”

Before her brother could say anything, Lissa was off and running after the butterfly.

“What am I going to do with her?” Chrom asked

“That is a question I cannot answer milord. But, in an optimistic sense, Lissa seems extremely sure of this ‘butterfly guide’ of hers,” Frederick replied, “it is certainly better than wandering aimlessly through empty fields.”

“Right, best not to leave her alone then.” Chrom said, soon running to catch up to his sister with Frederick close behind

Lissa stayed a good pace behind the butterfly, weaving around trees and going up and down a few hills. Soon Chrom caught up but Lissa was more focused on following that butterfly. The thought of seeing Robin again lit a spark in Lissa’s soul as she came up to a rather large hill. As she climbed the hill, she began to lose track of the butterfly and by the time she made it down it was gone. The grass was fairly low so Robin should have been visible if he was lying down here; but as she looked around she saw no sign of him. Chrom made it down to his sister soon after and could feel how her heart had sank; she was so happy to think that Robin was back.

“Lissa…” Chrom said trying to comfort her, “I’m sorry. Let’s look around a bit; I don’t think we’ve checked this field yet.”

Lissa heard what Chrom said but was thinking about something else. This field seemed familiar to Lissa, the trees, the grass, and then she noticed a road off to the side leading to what appeared to be a small town. She recognized it as Southtown, the first place they took Robin after they found him. Lissa had found the very field where they first found Robin! If they couldn’t find Robin here, Lissa didn’t know where else to look. Turning to Robin, Lissa nodded and the two of them began to search. The field was fairly large so it would take some time but Lissa would scour the entire field herself to find Robin.

As Lissa and Chrom searched, Frederick soon joined with word that the others should arrive by sundown and began to aid the pair in their search. The minutes passed and the hours soon followed as the sun glided across the sky, finding nothing as usual. Lissa’s heart became heavy once more as the thought of never seeing Robin again. Then, Lissa remembered what Naga had said; if Robin’s bonds with her and the others were strong enough then he would return. Lissa began to wonder, maybe Robin is already on his way back but he’s just lost. He might need something to help find his way home.

She quietly clasped her hands in prayer, listening to the wind and whispered, “Please Naga, please bring Robin back to us. We all miss him: me, Chrom, Morgan, Owain, everyone. We all want to see him back with us.” “Please,” She asked once more as a small tear traced down her cheek, “bring my love back to me.”

She opened her eyes and soon felt the wind pick up, blowing leaves off of the nearby trees. Chrom and Frederick noticed as well as the leaves began to seemingly pile up not to far away from them. The trio stood in silence for a moment as the wind died, waiting for something to happen.

“Thank you Lissa.” Said the voice one more time

Turning around, Lissa spotted the white butterfly floating towards the pile of leaves. It stopped and rested on her cheek for an instant, then headed to the leaves once more. For a split second, Lissa saw that the butterfly was carrying a drop of water, and then realized that it actually picked up her tear. A minute or two later, the butterfly made it to the pile and nestled itself deep within. The silence continued until a flash of bright light came out from under the leaves, causing all three to look away. As the light faded, the breeze returned and the leaves slowly left the mound. Lissa, Chrom and Frederick looked on as the leaves peeled away from each other and underneath the pile lay a figure. As the figure came into view, Lissa could feel the biggest smile grow on her face. It was a man, he wore a tan tunic and matching trousers; over that a black hooded robe with gold and purple trim and his short messy hair was as white as snow.

Chrom and Lissa quickly ran up to be certain, and sure enough it was the same man they had spent the last month looking for. It was Robin, who had finally returned home. Lissa was trying hard to stifle her joyous laughter and hold back the tears, but she noticed that Robin wasn’t moving too much.

“Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING.” Lissa said, not noticing her choice of words

“What do you propose we do?” Her brother replied as the pair started to hear him move

“I…I don’t know…” They soon noticed that Robin had woken up

“I see you’re awake now.” Chrom said

“Hey there.” Lissa said with a giggle

“There’re better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand.”

As Chrom helped Robin to his feet, Frederick motioned over to Lissa and the two of them headed back up the hill. Coming over the top, Lissa saw that everyone had made it here from camp. Morgan and Owain were at the front of the pack, looking at Lissa with hope that she found him. Lissa felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked at everyone and nodded, and the smiles just blossomed on everyone’s face and looked over the top of the hill to see Robin standing with Chrom. Almost immediately, Owain threw Morgan on his back and started sprinting down the hill with everyone following behind, Lissa included. Seeing Robin embrace his kids put a smile on Lissa’s face as everyone welcomed Robin back, and a few even spoke to Lissa. Olivia and Sumia both gave Lissa a hug, having both found love in Chrom and Virion themselves it was good to see Lissa reunited with him. She gave another hug to Owain and Morgan before getting whisked to the side by her good friend Maribelle.

“Oh I am so happy for you! Now we can plan the wedding! Naturally we’ll hold it in Yllistol and I’ll be your maid of honor. Chrom will clearly be Robin’s best man and we could have Libra preside over it, I think Robin would like that.”

Maribelle continued on but Lissa was off in her own little world. This past month had seemed like an eternity for her, but now Robin was back with them. She had looked around a little before Maribelle pulled her aside, but she couldn’t find him. Then, she looked behind Maribelle and saw Robin down on one knee with that warm smile she’s come to know and love. She could feel her throat well up as the tears started to build. Running past Maribelle, Lissa lunged into Robin’s arms, feeling his embrace as if she hadn’t for years, tears of joy streaming from her face.

“Oh Robin…I…I missed you so much.” Lissa cried

“I missed you too Lissa,” He said as he wiped away a tear from her cheek, “but I’m back and nothing is going to keep us apart ever again. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” She said as they resumed their embrace.

Lissa’s dreams have been filled with thoughts of what she would do without Robin by her side ever since she lost him. But now, she can cast those thoughts aside; for Robin has returned to her and she was never letting him go.