Long Since Lost

Warning: Reader Discretion is Advised!
The following contains themes of Snow Means Death, Time-travel Romance, and probably a few other tropes I'm missing. The following disclaimer is as follows: "I claim dis." Now despair because GameFAQs couldn't stop voting "7".

Lucina knelt in the snow, looking at the headstone. She knew, perhaps more than anyone, what it meant to be alone. She grew up- having lost her father and mother at a very early age, and was forced to close off her emotions to protect herself. Every day of her life had been filled with anguish— that was until four years ago. Four years ago, this day, she had come to terms with something: she wasn't alone. A man filled her heart with warmth, and brought down the barriers she had to construct around her heart. He had shown her what it meant to be alive, and formed a bond with her, one that she as she lay in his arms, thought would last for the rest of her life.

She had always been hopeful- never once believing that they'd fail, that fate would see it's way. But she also understood that she had to be realistic, and that her happiness may not last- for the world had a twisted way of ruining what she had. But that man wouldn't hear it- he'd do anything for her: he was the one that concocted the plan that would allow her to stay with her family, so that she'd never be alone again; he was the one who promised he'd always be by her side, no matter if she chose to stay or not.

But perhaps more importantly, he was the one who blessed her with a fine young daughter. A girl who's energy was unrivaled, whose love of life was unparalleled. A cheery, optimistic daughter- a little blue haired girl who was nary the spitting image of the man she so loved. Even if this girl originally brought her fear, Lucina warmed up to her- the assurance that she'd be able to live her dream. It was to be a happy ending: the family formed across time, living in a peaceful bliss for the rest of their days.

She choked back her tears as she looked at the name etched in the headstone, placing a pair of white flowers by it, flowers that showed she remembered, that she cared. For long years before her journey, she refused to cry- for the time where she lived, humanity had gotten to the point where they no longer counted the dead: her friends, her family, those that cared for her, all perished in the flames of war, and not a tear was shed by the princess. Looking at the grave, she thought for a moment, perhaps, it was better that way, but she chased back that thought, remembering words she'd always keep to her heart.

There were few things she expected to have, and yet he had given them all to her, and for a time, she thought things would keep getting better. He quickly became her reason to save the world, and the more time she spent with him, the more she thought that perhaps he was more determined than her. When they met their daughter, they were one of the happiest, if not yet married, couples in the world, and they thought that they'd stay that way.

However, fate would not have it. It was a dreary day, much like this one, in the snow covered plains of Ferox, where she felt the worst pain she ever did until that point. Her eyes flashed back up to the headstone, her fingers tracing the name, "Here lies Morgan Lowell, daughter of Sir Robin and Lady Lucina Lowell. May her cheerful smiles always be remembered. Rest in Peace dear child." While it was horrifying to lose her parents, worse was it to be a parent who'd have to bury her child. A single miscalculation, a single misjudgment, and a single wrong order, sent the poor child to her death. Robin never forgave himself for it, and neither did she.

She looked to the sky, remembering the exact moment Morgan was taken from her. A group of Risen were headed for a village as they were resupplying nearby. When word that the Risen had torn apart the Feroxi guard, Chrom ordered the Shepherds to protect the village. These risen- they had grown exponentially in strength over the two years since her arrival, and were now all but the same menace that had reduced her world to rubble. Despite the warnings given by those against the battle, Robin and Chrom set forth a plan. But it wasn't good enough— and Morgan found herself overwhelmed. As the front began to collapse, Robin found himself having to make a hard call: to give his daughter reinforcements or merely order Lissa to heal everyone. It was then in that crucial moment, that he made the grand error. The next enemy offensive saw Morgan completely outmatched, and both her and Owain slain in a matter of moments.

They never did recover Owain's body, most likely he had fallen into the icy river and been washed out to sea, but Morgan was found swiftly by Lucina. She could still hear Morgan's pained cries, having had received a mortal wound to her chest, and she could still hear Morgan's agonized last words, "Mother… I love you…" By time help had arrived for them, Morgan's heart had stopped, the girl's life cut short- and Lucina was in tears once more, having had her daughter perish in her embrace. That night, little could be done to console her or Robin, they simply sat together, weeping, cradling one-another, and wishing it wasn't real. Soon thereafter, Morgan was brought here, and laid to rest. A memorial was held for her and Owain, and while the graves were empty- at a request from Lucina herself that Morgan be cremated rather than buried, as to not have to deal with the idea of a Risen bearing her daughter's face, it still was a thing she never wished any go through.

Robin soon after redoubled his efforts, and so did she. While the bright girl the army knew as Morgan was dead and gone, Lucina was reminded, after finding that her Aunt Lissa was pregnant, that there would come a time, where that bright girl's face would look her in the eyes once more. Morgan was lost, but not forever, Lucina reminded herself. When the war was over, after she and Robin were given a proper wedding, she'd eventually give birth to a Morgan of her own, much like the her in the timeline that the Morgan she knew hailed from.

However, when the war drew towards a close, Naga's words burned Lucina like fire. Grima could not be destroyed. A choice fell before Robin, her beloved, and by a twist of cruel fate, the very man who in her time had ruined her life- and taken everything from her: for he was none other than the avatar of Grima. A fell warning came as the final battle drew near- Robin having drafted a plan to kill Grima, but Naga warned them: it would take his life. Her father tried everything he could to stop his friend from the plan, and she wanted more than anything to as well, but in the end, she remained silent, unable to tell him what she felt.

She again found herself staring at snowflakes as they fell from gray skies. It wasn't long after warning that she'd experience yet another great loss. They fought hard and long atop the Fell Dragon's back, and soon came a final moment. Perhaps Robin knew she might try to stop him, that she didn't doubt- he ordered her to help her mother beat back the Grimleal. But there was no stopping her from hearing the Fell Dragon's scream. She soon found herself running- much like the day she heard Morgan cry out, and watched as Robin's magic blew Chrom aside, then a powerful blast fell upon the visage of the Fell Dragon. She was so far away there was nothing she could do.

Robin merely turned and smiled back at the Princess as his body evaporated into nothing. She was surely his last thought. She cried out in such despair even the surviving Grimleal took pity on her, as the Shepherds rounded them up for arrest. Cheerful words from her father and the others didn't abate the pain in her heart. The Fell Dragon was gone for good, her future secured, but she only wanted to cry. Fate had again taken everything from her, like she was some grand cosmic plaything- Robin represented a beautiful future for her, and now he was gone.

She did her best to keep up hope: she succeeded in saving the world, but the cost at which it came, was far too high, and again her heart turned to ice. She would stay in Ylisse, and vowed that she wouldn't ever give up hope that one day, he'd return. That was four years ago. The search parties, the missions with the Shepherds, never stopped, but he still couldn't be found. And every day, she'd say a prayer for him, and hoped that one day she wouldn't kneel before this grave alone, but with her beloved husband and her newborn daughter with her. But somehow, in her heart, she knew that may very well be too good to be possible. For her family, and her happiness, were long since lost, claimed by fate.

There was little else to be said, she knew loneliness better than anyone else.

Author's Note: I hate, hate, hate Robin's ending.