"How very disturbing…"

"How very curious."

The two Plegian step-siblings observe the room. A Risen is laid out on the examination table. Mages clad in heavy robes and equipped with sharp equipment surround the Risen and begin dissecting it. Robin averts his eyes in disgust, trying to stomach his nausea. Aversa stares in intrigue and makes note of what she sees.

"If the insides wiggle around, should we be CAW-tious?"

Henry prods the body of the Risen with his tome. He's promptly escorted out of the examination room by the researchers. Robin and Aversa watch as their ambassador is tugged along and thrown out the door.

"Thank you for trying to put up with him. I know that he's difficult," Robin says to the researchers. They nod in silence and continue their dissection. Eerie groans reverberate in the room as the Risen voices its own discomfort.

Grima was gone from the world. Robin made sure of that. Yet even though that disastrous god had vanished, his followers had not. The Grimleal still plagued Plegia. They reach for those who suffered through Validar's actions and claimed that if they had only followed him without hesitation then they would be happy. There have been reports of an increase in their followers as a result of this. Thankfully, the increase is minimal. Unfortunately, it is still a problem. Those in the Grimleal practice the art of Risen alchemy, creating more of them through magic. In some cases, there are a few who continue experimentation on humans and turn them into Risen. Robin had hoped that the cult would dissipate when Grima disappeared. And even though it did affect them, it seemed that it wasn't enough.

Plegia was left to fend for itself in the post war era. Chrom knew that the country needed a leader to bring prosperity to its people. He also knew that it couldn't be him. So Robin was appointed as Plegia's current King, serving alongside Aversa to bring prosperity to the country. Step one was to revive the economy. Plegia in recent years never had that great of an economy, what with the only means of sustaining the country coming from spoils won through war. Through trade relations with both Ylisse and Valm, things worked out for the country. In the first year of Robin's return, he pulled Plegia back to the meager state of affairs it was when Gangrel was in charge. In the second year, he brought it up higher and helped create a better reputation for Plegia. Step one was complete.

Step two was to cull the Risen once and for all.

"Robin, the researchers have finished."

Aversa tugs on his robe for his attention. He had been going over the journals written by the researchers as they were in the midst of their dissection. Robin goes over to the table and examines the body. It no longer writhed, but the eyes stared at him.

"Gods, she's just wants us to kill her doesn't she?"

"She's no longer alive," Tharja explains, "so don't feel too bad."

"Even so," the tactician muses, "I wish this woman hadn't succumb to such a thing."

The dark mage scoffs. "Don't worry, we've confirmed that they don't feel a bit of pain. She's just annoyed and probably embarrassed."

Does that really necessitate the death stare?

One of the mages pull out a parasite to show the two. This was presumed to be what causes someone to become a Risen. In all their research, this elusive parasite had always vanished in a puff of smoke before they could extract it. With Tharja's help, they figured out how to use magic to trap its existence in stasis. They didn't know it at the time, but this day would mark the beginning of Plegian research on temporal magic.

Aversa examines the bug. After a few seconds, it crumbles to dust. The magic had worn off. Yet, a few seconds was all the sorceress needed.

"I'll get to developing magic to effectively destroy this bug from the inside," she says. "This will make Risen extermination easier."

"Could it prevent Slumbering?" Robin asked.

"We can only hope so."

The "Slumbering" phenomenon is a term coined by Robin and Chrom after the two had a discussion following their encounter with strange Risen. The ones who resembled humans only resembled their looks, but during a certain campaign they could swear they heard the beasts thank them for being killed. Chrom jokingly suggested that "maybe there's some sort of transformation sequence."

"Wait… Perhaps a period of time where the human fully assimilated into a Risen?" Robin suggested at the time. Chrom raised an eyebrow.

"Hold on, don't tell me you actually think that may be the case?"

"Slumbering" describes how humans have a period of time before their true selves "fall asleep" (another joke by Chrom). Once this period had finished, the result is a mindless being who had "Risen".

Of course this only applies to Risen created through the use of humans. Robin remembers how Henry created a whole army of Risen with the use of one of their arms. That was something entirely different.

At the very least, we can ensure that no human has to be sacrificed again.

The mages had finished cleaning their equipment. Robin was left alone in the room. He looks over the Risen once again and sighs.

"I'm sorry."

He stabs the exposed heart. As the body crumbles away to dust, he saw that the Risen had smiled in her last moments. Or, maybe it was just his imagination.

"Uncle Robin!"

In the castle foyer a tiny, bubbly, adorable girl runs up to him and tries to hug him. Robin gets down on his knee and returns the affection.

"Lucy! You didn't tell me you were coming today." The young princess smiles.

"I wanted to surprise you!"

"She means she missed you."

Robin turns to see Chrom. The two kings greet each other with an embrace. Lucina pouts in embarrassment and lightly hits her father.

Ylisse's brave Exalt had found an abundance of free time in his own country. This was only made possible by the devotion of his loyal subjects. Those who work directly for House Ylisse had appointed themselves in charge of responsibilities that Chrom no longer had to worry about. Legal jurisdiction? Taken by Ricken. Training and management of troops? Frederick has quite the regiment. Public relations? You'll receive a wonderful smile from Stahl. Servant management? The name of the Head Housekeeper is the regal Maribelle of Themis. In the past, Emmeryn had an unstable and untrustworthy group of so-called "Vassals". There were only a few of them who really sought out her own interests and the interests of the Ylissean people. Chrom, in a sense, was lucky. Eventually, his staff had been fully replaced with those who showed great promise to Ylisse's future.

Robin, on the other hand, hardly has the time to rest. Aversa eases his burdens by taking on as much as he allows her to. Even then, he has much to attend to. Sometimes alone, as most who work under him at the castle are more than just "sketchy". Many are former Grimleal, and have openly admitted to him that they only serve him in hopes of Grima's return. Others are political prisoners saved during the campaign against Walhart. The few who show loyalty to Robin are those of the younger generation who look towards a brighter future for Plegia. And thankfully, the Plegian allies he befriended during the wars openly support him. Henry, their quirky ambassador, alleviates his fears regarding relations with outside nations. Tharja, head mage of the Plegian forces, upholds her own responsibilities with research of Robin's request and that of her own. Gangrel somehow managed to captivate those he oppressed once again, and serves Robin as an advisor. He may be an unruly, unpredictable and very violent advisor. But, he is well-intentioned.

Robin deals with the rest. His only regret is that he lacks the time to connect with the public. According to Chrom, though, it seems that he holds their favor.

"Your work so far has caused a noticeable change in the socio economic stability of the nation. Everything really is getting better."

"Wow, I never thought you'd use the words 'socio economic' in any circumstance!"

Small moments of reprisal like now are blessings to him. Especially when he gets to spend it with his best friend and his adorable niece.

Robin adored Lucina a lot. She brought back memories of her future self. The confident, stoic, yet caring princess. He was able to see her marvel at all the things of the past that she never experienced, and he was able to see her newfound resolve that came as a result. Robin was mystified by Lucina. Her ability to preserve under all the pressure was amazing. Her stubborn dedication to her friends and family was admirable. Robin found himself spending more and more time with her, and eventually formed a relationship he'd only ever made with Chrom. They started confiding fears, doubts. Their hidden desperations, their secret nightmares. Robin used to agonize over his responsibilities as tactician. The aftermath of every battle was another night where he'd stay up reviewing his insufficient orders. Lucina never felt satisfied with her performance in battle and used to stay up later and later, to the point where all she had left was little to no time for sleep.

Even to this day he still wonders how the two were able to survive this long. But through their shared desire to become better, they were able to pull the Shepherds to victory over a fallen god and bring peace to the world.

Robin hopes to watch his niece grow up in the peace Lucina strived to give her.

"Uncle Robin, are you okay?"

"Hm?" He looks down at her. She shifts around her seat and points at his face.

"Your eyes have those dark circles that Mr. Gaius has whenever he's out for a long time."

Robin glares at Chrom who simply returned a nervous smile and a shrug. It seems Gaius has more on his plate than he deserves.

"Uncle Robin has just been a little busy lately. But getting to see you, Lucina, makes it worth the time." Lucina's smile widens.

"How's the Risen research?" Chrom asks. Robin shrugs his shoulders.

"We're making headway. But nothing is definite yet. Right now, I think Aversa knows best in developing the magic we need."

"Hey, progress is progress. And you've done a lot of it in the last few years."

Robin smiles. He needed the affirmation. Lucina tugs on his sleeves.

"Where's Morgan?" she asks. And as if it was perfectly calculated, the doors at the entrance swung open in a dramatic fashion.

"You called?!"

Flower petals shoot up from behind, decorating the background. The amber light of the sunset enters the doors and fills the lobby.

"Here she comes! That beautiful, powerful, all too adorable idol of Plegia!"

From the doors, a dark silhouette appears. Clad in robes that matched the dark elegance of her father's, it was Lucina's favorite hero!

"Morgan, the Vibrant Sorceress of Plegia appears!"

Morgan rushes into the room and scoops up Lucina into her arms.

"I just got back from an epic battle, and I'm dangerously low on health! Lucy, I need you to heal me with your hugs!"

"Yes ma'am!"

They snuggle with each other, smiles bubbling from their faces. Both Robin and Chrom honestly believed they saw an aura of light coming from their faces.

"I promise I'll clean up all the petals, Uncle Robin!"

Robin was pulled into a gentle embrace from behind. He turns back to see Cynthia smiling as brightly as ever. Now it made sense as to why Morgan entered with the explosion of flowers.

It truly was moments like these that made Robin happy to still be alive. This future that he had sacrificed himself for, this future that couldn't have come without his death. Who could say that he still belonged here? Did he deserve the happiness he has now?

Everyday he thinks of these things. But everyday he sees his friends, his family, and finds a way to smile through the hatred he feels for himself.