father, tell me how you and dad met.
you smile softly at her , at lucina , at your daughter , and then you look out at the stars glittering above your camp . it’s quiet , and peaceful . and perhaps now is a better time to tell her than before . ( if only slightly — you still have so many things looming over you ; decisions to make , wars to win , worlds to save . ) ( you hadn’t wanted to tell her before because she’s got a better head on her shoulders than you ; it doesn’t exactly paint your decision-making skills in the best light . ) ( but you don’t regret a single decision you made . you helped a stranger then , and you would do the same again , any day . ) so yes , you will tell her . after you tease her first , of course .
you look back at her , a mock-serious expression on your face . ❝ i don't know if i should do that — after all , i did win that fight . ❞ you can’t hide the teasing adoration in your voice , nor can you entirely hide the quiet laughter that comes after . ( quiet , because you don’t want to wake him . after all , he needs his sleep — he doesn’t get nearly enough . ) ( you know he worries about you ; you just wish he would understand that you worry about him , too . ) another smile as you shake your head . ❝ alright , i’ll tell you — but keep in mind that i’m your father , so you’re not allowed to laugh . ❞
a pause , and you think back to that day ; it changed your life , and you hadn’t even known at the time . ❝ lissa , frederick , and i were coming back to ylisse , and there , in the middle of the road , was a man . ❞ you close your eyes and tip your head back to the sky , continuing in a soft , loving tone . ❝ he was the most handsome man i’d ever seen , and there he was — asleep , in the middle of a road . ❞ another quiet laugh . ❝ i’m just glad we got to him before any unsavory people did . he had no idea where he was , or who he was — but he knew who i was . ❞ you know he doesn’t believe in fate , in predestiny , but you can’t help thinking that’s what it was . ❝ frederick didn’t want to help him — you know how he is . but i just . . . couldn’t leave him there all alone . i felt like i had to , like i was supposed to — and not just because he was handsome . ❞ you open your eyes and smile down at your daughter . ❝ frederick was kind of mad at me for it , but . . . you know me . i can’t leave someone helpless . we were just going to help — we weren’t going to keep him — but then we had to do battle , and his instincts were . . . well . you’ve seen him . ❞ the wonder in your voice is nearly palpable . ❝ he’s incredible . i knew i had to have him — er , as a tactician , i mean . ❞ your face flushes red as you pointedly avoid eye contact .
❝ anyway , after that it was just . . . falling in love , day after day . because it wasn’t really love at first sight . ❞ you add . ❝ i thought i could love him , maybe , someday , but my driving impulse was just . . . he needed help . and i could help him . ❞ your voices goes impossibly soft , impossibly tender , as you look back at your daughter . ( at robin’s daughter . ) ❝ and i’m glad i did . so many good things came of it . ❞ things might be odd , right now — but they’re good . you wouldn’t change it for the world . ( you love your family more than words could possibly describe . )
