Continuity

by flovver

Morgan notices the weird hooded people that constantly visit her parents. Determined to find out what's going on, she enlists the help of her half-willing, half-unwilling brother. Needless to say, shenanigans will ensue.

I enjoy Fire Emblem. Not much to say.
Obligatory disclaimer of "I don't own any properties in here and this is solely done for enjoyment".

I wrote this in between chapters of 100 Tales, when I was running out of inspiration. What more could I do but to turn to my favourite series.

Yay lighthearted epilogue stuff.

Enjoy.

---

"Morgan, what are we doing?" A twelve-year-old Inigo mumbled, trailing behind his boisterous younger sister hesitantly, his hazel eyes flitting around, his hands fidgeting, wrapped around themselves. The ten-year-old Morgan snorted, rolling her eyes at her older brother, shooting him a silly smirk as well.

"I told you. We're finally going to get down to bottom of those strange people that keep visiting mom and dad! I mean, don't you want to find out who they are? They visit nearly every month, and they're really close to mom and dad, it's freaky!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands outward in a wild fashion, her face pulled into a wide expression. Inigo whimpered, glancing down at the ground.

"Still," He squeaked, "Why are we going to spy on those people? You remember the last time we tried doing something mom and dad didn't like. We were grounded for weeks! Besides, how do we know it isn't someone like uncle Chrom, one of those Shepherd people," Inigo finished, trying to dissuade the younger girl from going through with her scheme. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"Please, this isn't like trying to sneak out and explore the red light district, which was a pretty bad idea," The pink-haired girl admitted, "It's just harmless spying. Also, if those guys were really a Shepherd, or whatever, then why haven't any of our friends mentioned them? I'm pretty sure their parents were Shepherds too," She argued, a determined expression on her face. Inigo winced at the facial expression. He'd seen it before. It was a face that told him that Morgan was steadfast in her belief. She was going to continue her plan of action, no matter what.

"So, are you in it with me, bro?" Inigo furrowed his brow, about to deny her request. He'd been dragged along on Morgan's escapades before, alongside many friends, too many times to count. As her older brother, he was always the obvious choice to bring along. This would've been fine, if it weren't for the fact that Morgan didn't always have the most squeaky-clean ideas, as shown with her brilliant idea of sneaking out in the middle of the night to visit the red light district, despite the fact that Inigo, the oldest of that group, was barely eleven at the time. He sighed in resignation. Even if he wanted to refute her claims, and outright state its absurdity, his own soft-spoken behaviour would guarantee that he wouldn't deny his sister's wishes. He was simply too much of a pushover to deny anyone of their requests; a problem which he'd been trying to remedy. He glanced up, only to be met with Morgan's pleading eyes, which shimmered with a bit too much sparkle. He sighed in defeat. The problem was going to continue for one more day.

"Fine, I'll come with you," He said glumly, as the pink-haired prepubescent began cheering, her hands clenched into fists, and she began hopping up and down in place, whooping in the air and garnering a few strange looks, which she was unabashed by. However, the snowy-haired boy cleared his throat. "But!" Morgan immediately ceased her cheering, "If we're caught, you'll take responsibility, alright?" He asked. Morgan nodded vigorously, not caring about what he said. Inigo sighed; obviously, Morgan probably wasn't going to follow his instructions, but it would be reassuring to hear her nod in affirmation nonetheless. Besides, he was too elated at the fact that he managed to choke out the statement, as introverted as he was

When Morgan saw that her older, snow-haired brother go silent, she took it as a sign for her to begin. She cracked both a grin, and her knuckles. "Alright," She said, "Now, I heard that those weird, hooded people are visiting the bar that Miss Sully runs. C'mon, if we hurry, we can catch them!" She exclaimed, grabbing onto the boy's hand and beginning to yank him along, nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process. Inigo gasped frantically as he was being dragged by his younger sister, matching her pace so the younger girl didn't yank his shoulder out of its socket. Along the speedy trip, he began firing protests at her.

"But... We're only kids, Morgan! There's no way that Miss Sully or Mister Kellam will let us in. Also, we're not even sure if they're still going to be there!" He protested. Morgan rolled her eyes and scoffed, shooting Inigo an exasperated glance afterwards.

"Kjelle will get us in somehow. She owes me one, after I got that sword that dad had stashed away in the attic. If not, well..." Morgan shrugged, "We can beg our way in!" She said. Inigo stared at his sister in perplexity and slight awe, but didn't press her further, as they continued sprinting down the streets, passing by many familiar faces, such as the baker they often bought from, or the group of five children who were currently playing in the streets, shouting jovially and laughing, as well as shooting them some hellos.

Some were a bit too familiar. Inigo suddenly screeched to a halt once he suddenly spotted a familiar figure walking down the sidewalk, a few paces away from them, yanking Morgan back with him. She yelped at the suddenly halt in motion, shooting Inigo an accusatory look. Inigo jerked his finger upward, taking Morgan's attention with it. Her eyes followed the invisible line, settling on a purple cloak, emblazoned with familiar golden symbols, and she let out a strangled cry of surprise.

"Inigo? Morgan? What are you two doing here?" Robin asked curiously, his hazel eyes staring at them in confusion and amusement. Inigo stiffened at his father's eyes, as gentle as they were. Morgan, however, was unabashed.

"Oh, we're just going to Kjelle's. There's not much for us to do," She said smoothly, though she laced her tone with dull boredom and exasperation. She'd grown better at white lies, which was a far cry from Inigo, who could barely sputter a simple half-truth without losing his cool, or even her eight-year-old self, who stumbled over her words often. Robin studied their facial expressions thoroughly, before shaking his head. Evidently, he knew there was more to it, but he couldn't exactly reprimand them for something that they hadn't done yet. All he could do was give a few words of warning.

"Be careful," He said finally, hoisting up a large bundle of ingredients, all packed neatly into a wicker basket. "And come home early, alright?" The tactician asked, receiving two head nods in response. Seemingly satisfied, he continued plodding down the road, somewhat struggling under the weight of the basket. Inigo stared at it in perplexity, a suspicious detail immediately setting off a signal in his mind. He turned to Morgan slowly.

"Morgan, do we have any people coming or anything tonight?" He asked, staring at the pink-haired girl with a look of confusion and slight terror. Morgan shook her head, her sharp black eyes suddenly taking an interested look. Inigo continued his thought. "Uh, dad has a lot of food in that basket. Like, more than we can eat for a while. I was just wondering," He admitted, closing off the thought. Morgan shrugged her shoulder. The strange amount of food that Robin had bought, while strange, didn't immediately require their attention. What did require their attention, however, was the set of mysterious figures that were supposedly at the bar run by Sully. The pressing matter blaring in her mind, she tugged Inigo's arm once more.

"C'mon, let's go!" And with that small bit of urging, they took off once more, running as fast as they could. They wove through the busy streets, bustling with people of various countries, market stalls, each leaking an attractive scent and exotic items, houses of various quality, and even a formal appearance by Exalt Chrom, though the two children didn't have time to say hello to their godfather. Soon, after some non-stop, fast-paced travelling that passed by rather quickly, Inigo and Morgan stood side-by-side, staring at the rickety old building in front of them. Inigo turned to stare at Morgan meekly.

"Uh, Morgan, are you sure this is the place?" He asked quietly. Morgan nodded her head.

"Yeah. That's what Kjelle told me, anyways. In fact... Hey, Kjelle!"

Morgan began shouting the tomboy's name repeatedly, slowly turning around in a 360 degree circle, as her black eyes scanned for any sign of movement that would signal her presence. Finally, after a period of shouting, a teenaged grey-haired girl emerged from the shadows, simultaneously groaning and scratching at her eardrum, as she slowly glided over to where Morgan and Inigo were standing, a peeved look on her face.

"Man, could you keep it down? I was having a good hammock nap, too," She mumbled the last bit to herself, before resuming her glare. Inigo shrunk at her sudden cast gaze, but Morgan remained unmoved. Finally, after she was satisfied with intimidating the two younger children, she sighed, staring at them with an annoyed olivine eye. "Whaddaya two squirts need?" She asked coarsely, anticipating a quick response. Morgan was quick to fufill, if only not to annoy the much more thuggish girl.

"We need to get into your parents' pub. Can you help us get in?" She inquired. Kjelle clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"That might not be the best idea, for me. Last time I was helping a kid get in to grab some booze, my ma caught me. I was stuck cleaning out her horse's stable for two months, and, news flash, it ain't the best thing in the world," She said, grimacing at the distant memory. Morgan's eyes went wide, as Kjelle continued. "So... no can do, squirt." Morgan quickly leaned in, staring at the teenage girl with the puppy dog eyes children were so well known for. It actually caught her off guard; Morgan wasn't the type to use them. She made her point succinct, as her eyes glistened with moisture, and her disposition growing depressed; Inigo could see the mock storm cloud forming above her head, as she spoke.

"C'mon, Kjelle, just this once! You won't owe me for that cool sword I snuck outta our attic anymore, either," She pleaded, her lower lip quivering. Kjelle made an odd choking noise, surprised, quickly muttering something which sounded along the line of 'So that's what you're gonna use it for', before sighing, simultaneously shaking her head as a form of acquiescence and bemusement.

"You squirts are gonna be the death o' me. Alright, let's go. Follow me," She grumbled in defeat, beginning to walk towards the right side of the bar, while motioning the two siblings towards her. Inigo blinked.

"W-wait, you're actually going to help us?" He stammered up. Kjelle shot them a disgruntled look.

"Yeah, unless you two take too long. C'mon, We need to hurry. My ma's quick to spot people who shouldn't be here," She warned, continuing her pace. Morgan and Inigo shared a glance, before scrambling after the older girl, as she came to a stop, kneeling down and studying a window. She scanned it thoroughly, as if searching for a detail, as she spoke, making small talk. "Now, I discovered this thing a while back, while I was cleaning out our cellar. I ain't sure if it was a mistake made by the builders of this joint, or just rust or something like that, but..." Kjelle pushed on the window in an odd fashion, as if trying to rip it in half, despite the fact that it was made of glass and that it was only one window.

A loud crack suddenly sounded, and Inigo yelped at the noise, as Kjelle grinned, before continuing her previous motion, her motivation doubling. It wasn't long until the window had been pried off its frame, resting neatly against the rotting wood of the pub, and creating a tunnel into the door. She glanced at them. "Piece o' cake. This'll lead us to the cellar, where they keep the booze and stuff. Follow me," Was all the girl said, before shooting her feet out from under her to turn her position into one of lying on her back, before propelling herself through the short window. A soft thud echoed from the cellar, signalling them that Kjelle had hit the ground. "C'mon!" was heard. Though it was muffled from the distance, it was definitely Kjelle's voice. Morgan and Inigo exchanged a glance.

"You first?" Morgan asked lamely.

---

Kjelle heard a loud crash behind her, accentuated with a loud squeak of pain. She knew, from the reaction and noise alone, that Inigo hadn't stuck the landing particularly well, and the mental imagery of the boy flat on his face elicited a couple of chuckles from the teenager, though she did her best to muffle it, using the sleeve of her tunic for assistance. Another crash suddenly occurred, and this time Kjelle had to look, turning around 180 degrees instantly, her olivine eyes already adjusted to the dark and damp atmosphere of the cellar. Her oculars were instantly met with the sight of Inigo, lying flat on the ground, his limbs twitching slightly. Above him, Morgan stared dazedly, not sure of what had happened. She hadn't realized yet that her older brother had broken her fall, albeit unintentionally. Kjelle felt a mix of sympathy and amusement; Morgan was not light. On the contrary, she was rather heavy for a ten year old, which Morgan always attributed to "pure muscles", followed by some silly gesture that earned her a bop on the head.

It was only a little bit of sympathy, though. It was mostly amusement. She broke into snickering, as Morgan realized what had happened, and mumbled a thanks to her older brother for breaking her fall, which only earned her a pained gasp as she stood up, looking around with astonishment. "This is what a cellar looks like, huh? It's..." She snorted sharply, and immediately retched in response. "It smells terrible!" she choked out. Kjelle chuckled, immune to the horrible stench.

"I don't think this place has been cleaned since I was forced to; five years ago!" She laughed in response to Morgan squirming uncomfortably, as the pink-haired girl suddenly took great heed in making sure her boots didn't step in any unknown materials, a feat which was nearly impossible due to the sheer amount of it scattered all over the place. Behind her, Inigo got up, in a daze, his body somehow lacking any of the repulsive material on the ground. Kjelle figured the wind that leaked through the foundation was enough to blow the material futher towards the lone staircase. It wasn't long, however, before the snow-haired boy glanced around the room and turned slightly green, though not to the effect that Morgan had.

"Man, I feel sorry for whomever has to, uh, step foot in this trash dump," Inigo commented sympathetically as he began making his way towards Morgan, who was still taking great lengths to keep her boots intact, easily outpacing the pink-haired girl by a kilometer. He glanced to his left, and spotted the rack of liquor bottles stacked neatly on a customized wooden fixture, marveling the amount and variety of the bottles. "That's a lot of drinks," He mumbled, yanking the younger girl from her pace with a huff, and hauling her over to the ladder that lead upwards into the main pub, where Kjelle was waiting impatiently, tapping her shoe on the ground.

"Finally. Could ya take any longer, miss priss?" She asked snidely, ignoring any response that they would've put out, and staring up at the hatch which led into the pub. She waited before both siblings were aptly prepared and listening, before she continued. "Now, that trap door up there leads to the pub. Corner o' the bar, in fact. Now, you're just gonna poke your head out, there, and make sure no one sees ya. Else, your butt'll hauled outta there faster than Owain in a funeral home," She chuckled at her own joke, before resuming her glare on the two. "Alright, now, when you're done, get back down here, and we'll shove ya through that window. Sounds good to ya?" She asked, slightly menacingly. Neither Inigo nor Morgan replied, prompting a grin from Kjelle, who looked up at the grimy, muck-stained ladder. "Sweet. Which o' you chumps wanna go up?"

In the end, Morgan decided to go up, swallowing down her repulsion to the gross material, for the sake of discovering the identities of the hooded figures, and satiating her own curiosity. With an audible gulp, she attached her hands to the ladder, before slowly stepping on the first ladder rung, still disgusted by the sticky material. Kjelle twitched in annoyance at the incredibly slow pace, as she slowly trailed up the ladder, growng more confident with each step. Finally, after about ten minutes, she climbed up the ladder.

Which was approximately seven rungs high. Kjelle snorted, but didn't comment, as Morgan began poked her head out of the trap door, and began scanning the pub's floor. After about seven minutes of Morgan glancing around, Kjelle was getting annoyed. "You find anything?" She called upwards to the pink-haired girl, who didn't respond. She seemed fixated on a particular position, as she wasn't taking her eyes off. In fact, she was leaning as far as she could, trying to pick up a conversation that was taking place. Whilst this was happening, Kjelle turned to Inigo. "Do you know what your sister's lookin' for?" She asked. Inigo hesitated, before speaking.

"Uh, something about some weird, hooded figures that, uh, visit our parents," He mumbled, staring at his younger sister, who was still staring in the same spot, with an intense gaze. Kjelle blinked.

"You guys see 'em, too?" She asked in confusion. Inigo gave the black-haired girl an odd look, so she elaborated on her previous point. "Those hooded guys. I see one stop by our pub at least once a month. Can never get a good look at his face, so it's always weird to see them, standing so outta place. You guys see em too?" She repeated. Inigo's inner intuition suddenly kicked into motion, trying to match his new information into a mostly blank puzzle. After a moment, Inigo nodded to confirm her suspicions, and Kjelle exhaled. "That's weird," She commented, as Morgan finished her peering and began slowly making her way down the ladder.

"Hey! Whaddare yew kids doin' thur?!"

Kjelle blanched, and she immediately turned back to the window. A disgruntled, scraggy man, who looked like he was under the influence of liquor, was glaring at them, waiting for his question to be answered. This was bad. The man would eventually attract attention, and then they'd be busted, not to mention the fact that their escape route was compromised. This had never happened to her before, mainly because the kids she smuggled in usually just snatched some old, rotting liquor, and leapt back out the window without being seen. This only left one option.

"Change of plan, squirts. Get up the ladder and get your butts out the pub as fast as you can. Dodge all the hands grabbing ya, and run like hell!"

Maybe it was the curse that she stuck on the end of her sentence. Maybe it was her sudden, urging tone. Maybe it was just them, being startled suddenly by the order which she barked out, but the two siblings complied immediately. Morgan, who was halfway down the ladder, immediately scrambled back up, pushing the trap door upwards, and launching out of it, shouting at the top of her lungs as if she was atop a steed, immediately dashing through the rickety pub, as if the ground was collapsing from beneath her. Kjelle, with her strength, pushed Inigo upwards, sliding him up the ladder with ease. He yelped in surprise, but didn't question her movement. Once he was at the top, he latched onto the rickety boards, scrambling up onto the floor and crawling through the mess of people, who were now tripping over themselves with shock or to grab the pink-haired mischief maker, or staring in confusion. Finally, Kjelle was last, clambering up the ladder like a monkey, slamming the hatch behind her soon afterwards, and turning back to face the opposite side of the pub.

She was met with chaos. Drunkards and patrons were shouting in surprise and bafflement, as the pair of children began gliding through the limbs of the disgruntled people who had a bit too much to drink, evading them with ease, as the drunks began tripping over themselves, their motor coordination being completely thrown off by the alcohol in their body. Crashes sounded, and the rotting wood, tainted with mildew, splintered under their weight. Kjelle watched in awe as both Morgan and Inigo dodged the rest of the patrons, bursting into the clearing outside their pub, before turning to stare at the black-haired teenager. She saw Morgan throwing two thumbs up, bouncing up and down excitedly, and Inigo mouthing a thanks, before the pair of siblings rushed down the dirt path, most likely chasing after the figures they were talking about.

"A-hem."

Kjelle glanced up, to see her mother, Sully, staring at her in disapproval, a twinge of annoyance in her red eyes. She had her arms crossed, and she stood firm. Beside her, she could see her father slowly dragging the unconscious patrons, propping them on the chairs. Sully exhaled in aggravation, rubbing her temples with her fingertips, before resuming her stare, which had multiplied tenfold in force, giving the appearance of a demon in cavalier armour. "What thehell are you doing, young lady?" She asked incredulously, her temper flaring up. Kjelle gulped; she was going to be in heaps of trouble, there was no questions about that, but she didn't feel any regret or annoyance. Something told her that Inigo and Morgan were onto something big, so she could excuse them throwing her to the wolves, just this once.

She stared up at her much taller mother, her face lacking regret of any kind. She grinned impishly, and tilted her head.

"Nothin'."

---

"Haah... Haah... I'm beat... hey... can we... stop?"

Morgan glanced behind her, meeting eyes with a fatigued Inigo, whose chest was rapidly rising and falling, and his face turning slightly blue. Obviously he was out of breath; his frantic, clipped breathing were dominant in her ears, as if her conscious wouldn't let her ditch her older brother. She was torn, however, between continuing her pursuit of the pair of hooded figures, or to stop and allow her snow-haired sibling a chance to rest. Finally, her empathy and common sense won over, and she screeched to a halt, Inigo following suit soon after. He leaned over, resting on his knees in relief, as he began taking in oxygen. Morgan had a look of regret on her face. She'd dragged Inigo along for this entire trip needlessly, and he was suffering due to her impatience and hyperactivity. Worried for her brother's well being, she backpedaled a few steps to where Inigo was currently resting, supporting himself on his knees.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern, her black eyes studying her older brother cautiously. Inigo shot his head upwards weakly, nodding moments afterwards, and Morgan sighed in relief, before turning around. Her eyes fell slightly, as she realized that the pair of hooded figures had disappeared, but she turned back. Even if she deluded herself as much as she wanted, she couldn't leave her older brother behind. Her parents had taught her too well for that. Morgan laid a hand on Inigo's back, as his breathing became less erratic, and more steady, and deeper with each breath he took. Eventually, after five minutes of breathing, Inigo straightened his posture, throwing one hand into his slack's pockets, and resting the other approximately where his heart was, and Morgan clapped her hands. "Alright, we've got to catch up to those two people. C'mon, bro!" She said urgently, grabbing onto Inigo's hand. Inigo, on the other hand, waved it off in favour of voicing his idea.

"Wait a sec, Mor. They could be anywhere by now, because of our break," Inigo's face showed guilt at being the primary reason for their unnecessary pause. In fact, it was strong enough to pause his speech for a few seconds, though he continued on afterwards. "They might not even be in Ylisstol. I think we're best off asking people if they've seen them, try and match their steps," Inigo advised, his voice still strained from fatigue. Morgan grounded to a halt, the idea slowly beginning to make more and more sense, as she thought about it, and she smiled, her brother's penchant for strategy poking through his taciturn disposition. She might've been better at improvised tactics, created in the spur of the moment, but he was better at premeditated strategy, thought over a long period of time, and it showed. Inigo's probably right, Morgan reasoned to herself, so she smiled at her older brother.

"Alright, what do we do then?" She inquired, tilting her head. Inigo scratched his chin, and he furrowed his brow, his eyes drooping shut. Morgan could see the cogs in his brain beginning to spin, heating up, and she couldn't help but let a snicker escape from her. The way that Inigo was positioned made him a dead ringer for their dad, which was strange considering he acted like their mom, in contrast to her, who had their mom's appearance, yet their dad's personality. Inigo suddenly snapped his fingers, surprising Morgan in the process and cutting her thoughts short. He turned to his pink-haired younger sibling, a corner of his mouth tilted up.

"I've got an idea. Those two guys were headed in the direction of the main square, right?" Inigo questioned. Morgan nodded in confirmation, glancing off towards the road where she saw the pair disappear to. Inigo continued his thought, "Well, they had to have passed in front of full view of everyone. Didn't we see a bunch of our friends messing around, or something? I bet they saw them," He said, clapping his hands. Morgan furrowed her brow, molding her brain to follow her brother's thought process. Now that Inigo mentioned it, she did recall seeing four or five of their friends, hanging around the stalls. Maybe they'd seen them, according to Inigo's plan. Grinning, she nodded her head, before grabbing onto Inigo's arm.

"C'mon, let's go!" She said excitedly, beginning to pull Inigo along the road, leaving dust in their wake. The trip was much smoother, as neither Morgan nor Inigo had to dodge a bunch of drunkards, and they were soon in the main marketplace of Ylisstol, lined with oak stalls, roofed by striped canvas awnings, tied together with rope. Inigo turned in circles, as, everywhere, people were conversing, catching up on the latest details in the others' lives, the shouting of stall owners, trying to push their product, the various noises produced by the objects, and, above it all, the shouting of someone right behind him.

"RADIAAANT DAAWN!"

Inigo suddenly blanched, his eyes going wide, as the voice was extremely familiar to him. By the time that he figured out who it belonged to, Morgan was already one step ahead of him.

"Move!" She shouted, shoving her snowy-haired brother out of the way, before leaping in that direction herself, throwing her body in that direction. The two crashed into the dusty roads of the main market of the capital, creating a small storm of dust in their wake. Behind them, a pair of feet slammed into the ground, followed by a muttering of "Attack missed!". Both Inigo and Morgan recognised the owner of the voice, as four more pairs of feet ran up, the sounds mismatched and distanced. Morgan turned around, and her eyes instantly recognized the group of five kids, who were all circling around them. One of them, a raven-haired girl with her hair tucked into two braids, had reached them first.

"Oh, gosh, Are you guys alright?" She exclaimed, her emerald green eyes sparkling with fear. Morgan nodded, hoisting herself onto her feet, before brushing herself off, grabbing onto Inigo's hand and yanking him up as well. She turned back to the brunette girl, alongside the rest of the group, who were berating the first boy for sneak-attacking the pair of siblings in the first place, who was murmuring apologies as well. Morgan grinned as she recognized the faces, one by one.

"Hey, Owain, Cynthia, Nah," She blinked, as the latter two faces suddenly fully sunk in her mind. She furrowed her brow. "Severa? Lucina? What are you guys doing here? I didn't think you guys would be here," She said confusedly, staring at the pigtailed ivory-haired girl and platinum-brunette heiress. Lucina shrugged, keeping an eye on the more rowdy crowd members.

"Mom told me to babysit Cyn for the day," She said simply, pointing towards her younger sister. Cynthia blew raspberry in response, before immediately ducking under Owain's fantasized sword swing, which was actually a swipe of a broom handle in reality, "And I couldn't get her to stay at home," She finished. Severa scoffed in response, a much different disposition on her face than Lucina's simple state of dull acceptance. Instead, she had a sense of slight hostility and defence, yet with an air of comfort around her.

"Feh, I've got nothing better to do. Brady, Gerome and Noire are all out on trips with their parents, and I've got no clue what Laurent or Kjelle have been up to. They've been acting all high and mighty ever since they turned thirteen," The ten-year-old griped, glancing back at the group she was with. "So, it was either hang out with them, hang out with you," She pointed to the pair of siblings, "Or do nothing all day. Frankly, I went with the least worst option," She sniffed. Inigo winced at the jab, but didn't say anything.

"So, what are you guys doing?" Nah questioned, peering at them curiously, her emerald green eyes shimmering. Inigo immediately clammed up once the five pairs of eyes turned onto them, prompting Morgan to take over conversation. She glanced around furtively, before speaking in a subdued tone.

"There's a bunch of hooded people that we're chasing," She said, embellishing their escapades, "And we need to follow them, ay-sap. Did you guys see them?" She inquired, leaning in curiously. Owain gained a look of recognition, and he opened his mouth to speak, his arms already thrown into an extravagant pose.

"Ah yes, I saw two mysterious figures, falling under your description, off yonder an-!"

"What Owain's trying to say is we saw them run off towards the woods, towards Southtown," Nah interjected, much more helpfully. Owain deflated, his spolight stolen, as Morgan and Inigo exchanged a nod, before turning back.

"Thanks, Nah, Owain, the rest of you guys. We've gotta run and catch up with those guys. We'll see you around!" She said, before beginning to lead Inigo away. Immediately, however, Lucina cut them off, her hands crossed across her chest. She looked much older than a twelve-year-old should, though it didn't help that she had a sucker stick swinging in her mouth, lolling from side to side. Morgan leaned back, surprised by her sudden appearance. "Uh, Lucina?" She questioned. The platinum-brunette heiress sighed, scratching your head.

"You guys are going to go into the forests too, aren't you?" She said. It was phrased as more of a statement than a question, and the look on her face didn't show confusion, it showed dull annoyance. The expression didn't go away, as Morgan's mind was blank on lies. Besides, Morgan didn't think that any of the lies could work on Lucina, anyways. It probably didn't help that Inigo, behind her, was wringing his hands shamefully, as his eyes flitted about. Lucina sighed, miffed, as she scratched her cheek.

"Don't you remember all the stuff that our parents told us about the forest?!" She asked incredulously, her hands moving crazily to accentuate her movements. Morgan rolled her eyes. She knew the stories, alright- her mom told her so many times about the bandits, the shadows, and the undead, which she'd encountered. Frankly, she believed it was bull. The tales seemed so blatantly stupid, that there was no fathomable way for them to occur. However, Lucina's statement gave Morgan an opportunity to both rub her the wrong way, and persuade the platinum-brunette-haired girl to either leave them alone, or drag her along for the ride, and she seized the opportunity with both hands. Immediately putting it into action, she rolled her eyes, as she spoke.

"Puh-leeze. I doubt any of that stuff is true. It's probably just crazy stories that our moms and dads invented to keep us away from the stuff. It's probably harmless," Morgan scoffed, staring at Lucina with a hint of arrogance and mockery in her eyes and tone. She saw Lucina tense up, and she decided to continue. "I bet there's nothing scary even there," She said, waggling her finger. She saw Lucina's hands clench, as she tried to keep her cool, and she inwardly grinned. Lucina was too easy to egg on. She sighed, before turning to Inigo, who was still staring towards the ground, trying to make himself as small as possible. She grabbed onto Inigo's arm, and beginning to yank him away. "Alright. We're gonna go, and try to catch up to those hooded guys. You're welcome to come along... Or are you too scared?" She asked.

It was the final nail in the coffin. Morgan let a triumphant grin edge onto her face. If there was one thing that Lucina couldn't stand, it was being called a chicken. Her impassive face turned into a slight glare, and Morgan felt a competitive flame spark inside her. Lucina turned back to her little sister, who was currently dodging her cousin's broom handle sword.

"Cyn, are you okay if I go with these two on their wild goose chase?" She questioned briskly. Her younger, blue-haired sibling turned, unperturbed.

"Yeah, sure. Don't blame me for anything wrong that happens though, alrigh- woah!" Cynthia slipped in the midst of her sentence, her feet sliding upwards and landing backwards, laid out flatly. Everyone winced as she landed with a thud, momentarily putting up a thumbs up afterwards, to let everyone know that she was alright. Lucina exhaled, before turning back. "Your challenge is accepted," Lucina declared. Nah blanched, the scene unfolding already familiar to her. She quickly walked in between the two, shaking her head.

"Ohh, no," The pseudo-manakete said, drawing out the syllables of her previous statement, "You two are probably gonna kill each other, and that's if the things inside don't kill you first! There's no way you guys are going alone. I'm in it too," She said decisively. At this, Inigo finally decided to open his mouth, albeit in surprise. He quickly shut his hanged jaw, before beginning to speak.

"Uh, Nah, that's not a good idea," He stammered up, garnering the attention of the three girls. He squeaked under the sudden spotlight, but steeled himself to finish. "I mean, if those things that, uh, our parents told us about are true, then it's dangerous! You might get hurt!" He finished. Nah blushed slightly at his concern, before shaking it off, and cracking a smile.

"I'll be fine, alright? Besides," She paused to fumble around her tunic's pockets, shifting around her red cape, before reaching into her pocket, rustling around it for a few seconds, and yanking out a stone. The green, uncut stone shimmered in the light, and the entire group marvelled at it.

"You've attained the abilities of your ancestors?! Not fair!" Owain cried in disbelief. Nah blinked.

"Uh, yeah, actually," She said, muttering a few words of disbelief under her breath, before turning around to the other children in a braggart's pose, holding up the stone as high as she could. "Anyways, my mom finally decided I was ready for my first dragonstone!" She said, puffing her chest out, as the others 'aahed" at the beautiful object. "It's about to break, and apparently it probably won't turn me into a full dragon straight away, but it's pretty to look at!" She admitted, pocketing the stone and turning back to Morgan's older sibling. "So, I'll be fine. If anything, I'll be protecting you guys," She said, reassuring the others. Morgan cleared her throat impatiently.

"Guys, time's ticking!" She complained, tapping her wrist as if a watch was there. The others nodded amongst themselves, before turning to the others. "Anyone else want to hop aboard this journey?" She asked incredulously. Owain, Cynthia and Severa all exchanged glances, before shaking their heads. Morgan nodded, before turning to the group that was coming. "Let's go."

---

Inigo's eyes moved from tree to tree, as he fearfully gazed at the shadows, as if something was stalking them, preying on them, and they were about to strike. His body was tensed up in anticipation, and he clutched the heavy tree branch he held with a deathly grip. He heard rustling from behind him, and he shrieked, leaping skywards. Morgan groaned as she watched her older brother jump into the air in terror at the slight noise, before grabbing his elbow in a bid of soothing him.

"Bro, calm down, it was probably just a few squirrels, or something," She said soothingly, her voice surprisingly gentle for her hyperactive demeanour. Inigo took a deep breath, before he shot her a thankful smile, his hazel eyes shimmering with both fear and solace from her actions, as well as a few more emotions that Morgan didn't care to pick out. He decided to respond after a few moments.

"Thanks," He said gratefully. Morgan gave her brother two thumbs up, as Lucina cleared her throat from the front of the group, studying the map she was looking at with an intense gaze, as she clutched it with both hands. From Inigo's perspective, it looked rather well made, with neat, clear shapes, colours, and large labels, though he couldn't see much of it from the near back of the group.

"Alright, we're about two miles into the forest, which is eight miles long. Those two people are probably a lot faster than us, and they have a pretty big head start. We have to keep going," She said, pointing towards the direction of the trail. Nah blinked, an immediate concern pressing into her mind. She quickly voiced it as soon as it popped into her mind.

"Uh, no offence, but how are we so sure that those two guys followed the trail? I mean, there's no reason for them to. They could easily just cross the bushes to one of the dozens of clearings, and go from there," The pseudo-manakete pointed out, trailing at the back of the group. Lucina had an air of irritation around her as she responded.

"Do you have any better ideas?" The platinum-brunette girl shot back, her branded pupils staring at the manakete with annoyance. Nah shook her head, and Lucina muttered a 'thought so', before returning back to her map. "Anyways, we should just keep following this path. We don't want to get lost in here: we didn't bring any food with us," She said. Morgan whistled at Lucina's cool head and leadership abilities, as the group of four prepubescents kept walking down the path. As they continued, Nah decided to begin whispering to Inigo.

"What's all this about hooded people, anyways?" She inquired, whispering so her question wasn't heard by the two girls at the front of the group, who were in the midst of debating over a symbol placed on Lucina's map. Inigo looked embarrassed for a split second, before he proceeded to answer.

"Well, uh, we saw these weird people in hoods, constantly visiting our parents," He mused nervously, still keeping a death grip on the tree branch, which visibly shook in his hands. Morgan's comfort was reassuring, but some lingering terror remained in his mind, as he realized that the situation they were in was rather dangerous. "She got, uh, curious, and now here we are," He finished. Nah made a noise of understanding, before her brow furrowed once more.

"Wait, why are you coming along? It's your sister's idea, right? You could easily just walk away from this," She said, narrowing her eyes at the introverted boy. He flinched, before glancing at Morgan, his gaze softening up in the process. He turned back to the pseudo-manakete, a sheepish smile on his face, as he scratched the back of his head.

"I guess I just don't, uh, want her to get into trouble by herself. At least I can help her out of some, uh, dangerous stuff. After all, it's what older brothers do," He explained glumly. As his response, Nah cracked a smile.

"It's good that you actually look out for her, y'know. I mean, it's better than Cynthia and Lucina. Those two bicker as much as Lucina bickers with Morgan," She said, turning to the two, whose initial debate had escalated into an agreement, culminating in their squabbling at that very moment. Inigo could make out bits of it, and he assumed that they were fighting over the map that Lucina currently held. Nah continued her point. "Anyways, it's kinda nice that you make sure your sister isn't totally on her own," She finished. Inigo blushed at the praise, before continuing his stride, which was more confident than before. It was a subtle difference, but one that Nah caught nonetheless.

As they continued walking, Morgan couldn't help but shoot another grin at Lucina. "Y'see, Lucy? Not a single monster, zombie, shadow, or whatever in sight. I was right, our parents were just making tall tales," She boasted, briskly walking forwards, jabbing the older girl's side, and retreating back. Said older girl shot Morgan a look of exasperation, before turning back to her map.

"We should be close to the mouth of the forest. After that, we can head to Southtown, which is a few more miles. We have to hurry though. At the rate we're going, and the time we left, I don't think we have much time for anything other than some lunch, and the walk back," She said, ignoring Morgan's boastful remark. Inigo began sweating, as the realization that they would have to walk the rest of the day sunk into his mind.

Rustle... Rustle...

The group of four children all froze, the sound suddenly screaming from the darkness of the brush, even though it was a diluted, quiet movement. They all glanced around frantically, trying to silently gouge the source of the noise. Morgan gulped nervously, now eyeing Inigo's tree branch with slight envy. Nah clutched the frail dragonstone in her hand, and she inwardly calmed herself, mentally preparing to transform, if the situation required it.

"rrrRRrRRaaghh..."

Inigo was physically trembling now, and Morgan furrowed her brow, trying to locate the source of the noise, as well as the creature who was creating it. Lucina took a deep breath, shooting Morgan a look of disbelief.

"Not a single monster, huh? I think that begs to differ," She said, her voice trembling, as she tried to put on a brave front. Morgan was a too mortified to reply, as she continued her scouting movements. She heard a thump, far away from their location. A pause, before another thumping sound. This one was much louder, signifying that it was closer to them. Morgan gulped, before she voiced her findings. The others glanced at her fearfully, before looking amongst themselves.

"I guess we should run as fast as we can, towards Ylisstol. If we can outrun whatever it is, we should be fine, alright?" Lucina advised nervously. The other three decided to take her advice, the thought of finding the hooded men far in the back of their minds. The fear of the unknown took precedence in their minds. They were kids, after all. They quickly began racing back towards the northern edge of the forest, back into their city limits. Throughout it all, Morgan kept a mental tab on the general area of where the growling was coming from.

"rrghhhaaahgh..."

"Raaaahhh!"

Morgan blinked. Then her eyes widened. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears, as she spoke another warning. "Watch out! There's another one!" She advised urgently, keeping her pace. The others tossed various worried glances at her, but decided to take her warning seriously. Morgan wasn't sure if it was because her tone carried an undertone of urgency, or if it was because her facial expression, for once, wasn't in an ebullient expression. Either way, she didn't care.

"ARRGH!"

Morgan's black eyes suddenly widened, her ears registering the noise. It was a roar, different from the other two ones. And, worst of all, it was closer than the other two. Time seemed to slow down for the ten year old once she realized where it came from, as she desperately tried to rush forward, her arms outstretched. The red glowing eyes shimmered in the darkness, flashing open right beside Inigo, seemingly peering right at him. None of them noticed it, as they were all focused on their sprint. None, except for Morgan.

"Duck!"

Inigo turned in paralyzed confusion, his pupils constricted and fearful, as he tried to find who shouted the command. He was met with Morgan, flying towards him, pushing him forwards. The sudden, forceful motion knocked the snow-haired boy off balance, propelling his weight forwards. He stumbled over the uneven path, his boots catching on on a bump. It sent him him sprawling to the ground, his arms flailing about, and he crumpled to the ground. In front of him, a pair of red eyes glimmered in the darkness. Soon, the entire figure appeared, as all four children turned to stare at the monster which had suddenly appeared, the darkness seemingly letting go of him.

Morgan flinched as the creature emerged in full view. The creature was hideous, with purple flesh rotting off its skin in copious amounts, revealing the muscle and partially exposed veins. It had its jaw horribly misshapen and stretched into a snarl, its rotted, yellow teeth about ready to fall out of its mouth. It had tattered, red-ish clothes, associated with Myrmidons, and it had a steel sword, partially corroded, in its grip. Lucina retched at the horrid appearance of the decomposing creatures. Morgan, on the other hand, was more concerned with a different aspect about the creature: the terrifyingly accurate manner in which he was holding his sword. She quickly sprinted by Inigo, latching onto his hand, and yanking him up, spurring him to keep on sprinting.

Nah turned back from the spectacle, only to screech to a halt. In front of them was another creature, as grotesque and disgusting as the one which nearly took out Inigo's head. The only difference between them was the difference in clothing. This one had equally as decomposed as the first one, except it had clothing much more barbaric and revealing. It also hefted a large axe over its shoulder. The first thing that came to Nah's mind exploded out her mouth.

"SCATTER!"

With little other alternatives, and creatures closing in on them, they had no other options. They broke off into separate groups and diverted from the trails, disappearing into the foliage, riddled with trees. With hollow shrieks, snarls and wails, the rotting figures chased after the children, each with surprising amounts of vigour and speed.

---

Lucina panted as she leapt over the large slab of rock, her short, rapid breathing filling her ears, as she tried to fill her lungs with oxygen. She could hear the slow footsteps behind her, reminding her of the creature that hounded her every movement. Keeping her branded pupils firmly entrained on the path she was taking, flitting off to the sides to ensure that she wasn't jumped by another creature.

As she was running, she couldn't help but wonder what exactly was happening. What were those creatures, anyways? They seemed to be a gross, exaggerated version of the creepy creatures that Owain and Cynthia would make up on a tangent, during the camping trips that they would go on when they were younger. There were a few differences, obviously. For one, these were real. They were actual walking creatures, and dangerous ones at that, with the weapons that they carried.

As the platinum-brunette heiress kept on evading her pursuers, another thought invaded her mind. The creatures, while odd and fantastical, were a dead ringer for the stories that her father and mother would tell her, in order to dissuade her from running through the forest. They also described them when they were describing the stories of how they met during the Second and Third Ylissean-Plegian war, and they were completely identical. Lucina's suspicions slowly gnawed at her brain, though she managed to subdue them for the time being, as she climbed onto a fallen log, balance on it, before leaping off and continuing her sprint. She felt herself tire slowly, and she realized in dim dismay that her stamina was slowly running out. She needed to find someone quick, or else she would bite the dust here.

That wouldn't be good for the first in-line to become the exalt. Especially not when the only other heiress couldn't care less, and tripped more times than there were hours in a day.

Why did she decide to come along with them, anyways? She knew that Morgan's ideas never ended well. She's seen it first hand, when she tried to sneak into the Red Light District, alongside Inigo and Morgan, and their loud squabbling had nearly gotten them kidnapped by a few child slavery smugglers. If they hadn't managed to slip by their clutches, along with the help of a lot of luck, then who knows where they could've ended up today, instead of in Ylisstol. She knew that it wouldn't end well, yet she did so anyways, solely because Morgan had egged her on, preying on her superiority.

Would that make Lucina gullible, or Morgan crafty?

She wouldn't know. In any case, she was interrupted, by a sudden voice streaming into her ears. A high-pitched, melodious humming that flew through the air, obviously meant to pass the time. In any case, it didn't belong to Lucina. That was the main thing. There was someone else, traversing the Southtown forests. It meant hope. Hope that she wouldn't be cursed to die in this forest. The platinum-brunette girl quickly rerouted her path, in hopes of stumbling across the source of the voice, whilst keeping an eye out for any of the creatures, which trailed farther behind her. Thankfully, she wasn't horrid at running, due to the multiple errands she ran on a daily basis, created by the lack of free time that her parents had, due to being... well, the rulers of the kingdom. In any case, her pace far outmatched the creatures, whose snarls were sounding, some distance away. Soon, the voice sounded again, this time forming words instead of a song.

"Well, I hope they're doing alright..."

Lucina's face broke out of her impassive expression, blooming into a sunny grin. She was saved. The chances that someone was walking through the dark forest alone was a highly improbably one, with all the bandits and brigands setting up shop along the paths. If they weren't alone, then they were almost guaranteed to be armed with some sort of weapon, for their own protection. It might not be sufficient to fully hold off the horde, but she didn't care, as long as they could minimize the danger that she was in, as well as help locate the other three.

With that thought, the princess burst onto the dirt path, where someone was currently strolling along. She made sure that her entrance was as loud and obnoxious as possible, without actually wasting her breath on forming a loud plea for help. She did this via stepping on multiple twigs, and making sure to stomp her feet as loud as she could.

Unfortunately, Lucina forgot that adding extra steps, besides running, increased the amount of effort required. The sudden burst of extra exertion took its toll on the already fatigued girl, and she sank to her knees from exhaustion. Thankfully, her noisy entrance was heard, as the second figure doubled back to check on her. A gasp sounded.

"Lucina?!"

The voice recognized in her mind as Miss Olivia, Morgan and Inigo's mother. A smaller portion of her mind wondered why the pink-haired woman was walking through the Southtown forests, but the larger, more preceding portion of her mind was too thankful to question it, preferring not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Olivia was an exemplary swordswoman: she could easily hold her own against a full squadron. In fact, rumours abound from the second and third Ylissean-Plegian wars, that she had done just that. It was a far cry from the gentle, introverted woman's personality, though Lucina noticed a bit of mischief in her personality, stashed away. She turned her head, to see the woman kneeling, supporting Lucina's slight frame. After a few minutes of her, regaining her breath, Olivia decided to speak.

"Lucina, what are you doing in these forests? Didn't your parents tell you it's dangerous here?" She asked, freezing up as soon as she heard snarling, a few ways off. After a long pause, she spoke once more, "You've seen those Risen, haven't you?" She asked. Lucina furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar term. Risen. She supposed that it was what she called those creatures, and she nodded in response. The woman tensed up, before grabbing a sword, cast of shiny silver, from the scabbard tied to her right hip.

"Stay here, unless you see more of those things. If that happens, come to me, alright?" She ordered sternly. Unable to argue, she simply nodded, watching the pink-haired woman disappear into the foliage, seemingly a fire to her step. For the next twenty minutes, Lucina could only listen, as she heard the sounds of anguished screams, all coming from the 'Risen'. They all melded together, to creature a sort of harmony, if cacophony could be considered as such, and soon, a rancid, foul odour began wafting from the direction where Olivia disappeared to. She immediately crinkled her nose. It smelt horrible! The stench was worse than rotting, decomposing farm animals, which she dealt with on a daily basis, due to working on Nah's parents farm often, carrying out chores for them, but this smell easily surpassed it by a mile, . Soon, Olivia walked out of the same portion of the forest where she'd entered, the odour, and a bit of the rotting flesh, clinging to her clothes, which she now eyed with distaste.

"A shame," Olivia mourned, "I'm rather fond of these clothes," She then turned to Lucina, who was now standing up, slightly recovered from her long sprint. "All right," she said sternly, a steel edge to her eye, "Explain what you're doing here, Lucina," She ordered. Lucina flinched at the tone, which seemed reminiscent of Miss Sully. It was as effective as that comparison implied, and it immediately got the twelve-year-old to speak.

"You see, Miss Olivia," she began, "Morgan wanted to follow these people in hoods and cloaks. Apparently she and Inigo have been following them all day, or something. Owain told them that they were heading towards Southtown, and they decided to follow them," Lucina explained, a far-flung expression in her eye. Olivia blinked, a confused look on her face.

"What are you doing here then?" She questioned.

"Um... I was... kinda... tricked into it by Morgan," Lucina admitted sheepishly, a nervous grin on her face, as she scratched the back of her head wearily. Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes, though she didn't reprimand her further than that, instead choosing to pursue a different line, as a sinking feeling in her stomach began growing.

"Did anyone else come with you?" She questioned, her voice taking a nervous edge to it. Lucina glanced down nervously, before answering, her hands wrung together shamefully.

"It was me, Nah, Morgan and Inigo, Miss Olivia. We were separated earlier, and I don't know where they are now," She admitted, glancing down shamefully. Olivia's heart froze, and her blood ran cold. Her greatest fears were confirmed.

Her two children were in danger.

She grit her teeth, before turning to Lucina.

"Lucina, take me to where you remember them last," She demanded, her voice fiery. Lucina audibly gulped, before silently nodding, leading the pink-haired woman. She didn't even have to ask, to know the obvious. She was in majour trouble. They all were. She could just hear her mother and father shouting at her, swearing to ground her for life, or the smug expression that Cynthia would definitely wear, as she would stand across from her older sister, her arms crossed and her posture confident. The only thing she could do now was make sure that Olivia, in her rage, wouldn't wind up injuring her.

As she lead the woman along, the only thing she could think about were the rumours about Olivia, and how she had supposedly single-handedly destroyed platoons of enemy soldiers, and realizing exactly where they came from. The rage and concern emanating from was almost tangible, and it crawled down Lucina's spine, like the monster that hounded her nightmares.

Hell hath no fury like a mother, worried for her children.

---

Morgan hazarded a glance backwards as she kept running, the sounds of two pairs of pounding footsteps thrumming in her ears. The paths behind her were empty, and there were no sets of glaring, glimmering red eyes leering out at her. No stretched, rotten, hands reaching to grab at their hair or clothes to yank them back. The pink-haired girl did a few more takes, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating the lack of enemies, before holding up a hands. "Haah... Alright... There... shouldn't be... anyone chasing us... we should be good to take a break..." She panted out, belatedly feeling a thrum of pain in her chest, beginning to branch downwards into her stomach and legs. She hadn't realized how tired she was, combined from all the physical exertion from the earlier hours. A few paces ahead of her, Nah's upper body immediately went slack as soon as she heard the signal to stop, rooting her feet to the ground and crumpling forwards, resting her entire body on her knees.

"You... don't need to... tell me twice..." She said tiredly, though with heaps more energy than Morgan, who had collapsed to the floor in a vain attempt to regain her breath. The two children paused for a few minutes to silently gather the oxygen back into their lungs. Soon, however, Nah whirled on Morgan, a peeved expression on her face. "Morgan, what were those?!" She snapped in anger. The younger girl held her hands up in defence, too tired to put up an eloquent defence.

"I... I'm not sure..." She said, still out of breath, "They looked like... zombies of some kind... They kinda resembled those things... that our parents told us about," She finished, beginning to accumulate the oxygen in her lungs once more. Nah opened her mouth to protest, before her points began sinking in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more Morgan's observations made sense. They did bear an eerie resemblance to the childhood horror tales told by their parents. Nah shot Morgan an annoyed glare. "Morgan, did you have to get us caught in a forest, apparently haunted by zombies?!" She demanded in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest. Morgan didn't argue. She had brought the situation on them, and she knew it. Nah sighed in exasperation, before turning around, trying to discern their surroundings. "I think we should start making out way back to the path, and go back to Ylisstol," She said decisively. Morgan was quick to protest.

"Ho-old up there, Nah, you're a complete idiot if you think I'm just gonna leave my brother behind in this place. Especially with those weird... things creeping about. I say we find him," She said firmly, grasping onto Nah's elbow. She shot the younger girl an annoyed look, before glancing around nervously at the shadows of the forest, making sure that another of the zombies didn't sneak up on them whilst they were in the midst of the argument.

"Morgan, if we don't find someone to help, then he's definitely dead. At least at this point, Inigo might be able to outrun those guys, and maybe get out of the forest completely on his own. However, if we can't get help, then we're all dead. Not just Inigo. Me, you and Lucina too! Now, let's hurry, Morgan!" She urged on. However, as much as Morgan wanted to believe in Nah's train of thought, to make it a reality, the ten-year-old knew it wasn't going to happen. Inigo was barely able to run for five continuous minutes earlier; the chances that he could outrun the creatures was next to none. If she ditched him now, then he was almost certainly doomed to his fate. She sighed aloud, before shaking her head, staring at the pseudo-manakete.

"Nah, I'm sorry, but I just can't leave my brother in this forest. Not without knowing that he might die. I've... I've gotta find him. You go on ahead, I'll keep looking for both Lucina and my brother, alright?" She said dully, before turning and dashing off, ignoring Nah's shouts of protest. The raven-haired girl watched, bewildered, as Morgan's dash turned into a full-on sprint, and her figure disappeared, engulfed by the darkness.

The raven-haired girl stared at the space where Morgan disappeared, with a blank expression. She stood there, internally debating what she was going to do, as she heard the girl grow farther and farther away, apparently not tuckered out from the previous, copious amounts of running she had previously done. She stared, glancing between two opposite sides of the forest. She stared, before her more emotional side won her over. "Damnit," She muttered under her breath, as she began chasing after Morgan, albeit at a much slower pace.

---

Inigo's breaths were short, clipped and erratic. They puffed in and out of his lungs quickly, yet consistently, but did little to remedy the crave of oxygen that slowly spread throughout his body, constricting his chest, and sending his gait into a zigzag pattern, looping around trees and hedges. Despite his lack of stamina, he kept his sprint up all the same, unphased by the burning feeling his chest, solely due to the creatures chasing him doggedly, trailing his every step.

"Errrrrhrhhhhhaaaagh"

Inigo coughed in surprise, though he didn't interrupt his breath intake. That snarl was much louder than it had previously been, and it seemed to be approaching. Panicking now, he lengthened his strides, despite the extra exertion that was shoved onto his body. The adrenaline and fear of dying outweighed his lack of physical ability. He didn't know how far ahead he was, but he definitely didn't want to glance back, and possibly see an arm reaching out towards him, grabbing at his features. The terror of not knowing how close he was brushing with death was much more profound than if he looked back. In either case, he realized he was running out of time. Fast. He knew that, simply put, his physical strength and stamina would simply give out, and he'd be dead meat. Worse yet, he might even trip on an exposed root of rock, sending him sprawling, and finishing him off that way. He needed to find a way out of the forest. Even brigands would be more preferable to the creatures he was being hounded by. At least they had a sense of humanity. These things were just... brutes.

As the snow-haired boy continue his sprint, he couldn't help but feel a set of eyes resting on him, gauging his move. They seemingly followed his movements, as he slowly and inconsistently evaded his attackers. However, the snow-haired boy just chalked it up to hallucinations, incited by exhaustion. Heck, Inigo knew that his stamina was wearing out, much faster than he originally thought. It felt as if his heart was going to explode and burst out his chest. It flared with pain and fatigue, from its consistent rapid beating. The sign of low oxygen in his blood was present, as his vision started darkening around the edges, growing hazy and fuzzy. His sprint was little more than stumbling, similar to the drunkards that he dodged earlier.

Am I... Am I going to die here?

It was a grim, scary thought. One that had no place in the mind of a twelve-year-old boy, but it prevailed for once. His breath was all but gone. His lungs were about to collapse. His heart was tiring. His leg muscles felt like viscous jelly, jiggling about painfully with every step. His eyesight was slowly dimming, and he felt his pace slow to a crawl. He heard the growling edge closer once more, nearly right in behind him. However, and this was the scary part, Inigo didn't feel any fear. It was only a grim acceptance, a dull regret. He didn't feel terrified that he was about to die. He only felt tired, as if he just wanted to get it over with as fast as he could.

"Morgan... I'm sorry..." He cried softly, glancing down without any fear. He was almost certainly dead. His only wish was that Morgan got out alive.

'Hah' Inigo thought It was an odd thought. In most cases, people would curse out the person who inadvertently killed them. In this case, Morgan dragging her older brother along to the place that lead to his demise. Yet, Inigo felt no sadness. No anger. No hostility. Just a wish that he would be the only one to meet this fate. Perhaps it was because Morgan was his younger sister, and one he desperately tried to protect, putting his own well being at stake, perhaps it was just selflessness. He didn't know. All he knew was that he hoped Morgan was still alright, as he heard the creature lunge at him, ready to erase his life.

Suddenly, a gurgle of pain echoed from the creature. Surprised, Inigo turned back, stumbling backwards in the process, still breathing heavily from exhaustion. In front of him, a hooded figure stood in a swordsman stance, clutching a sword in his left hand, an air of confidence exuding from his posture. He hummed thoughtfully, as he glanced the creatures down, extracting his sword from the chest of the slain creature

"Well well, it's awfully rude to attack a youth as young as this one. Shame on you, you rotten Risen," He said, his baritone voice seemingly dripping with honey. The only reply they received was another snarl, as a few more creatures took the place of the fallen one. He groaned. "I see that you savvy lot know to attack in a group. Luckily for you," He glanced at Inigo, making the snow-haired boy uncomfortable. For some strange reason, the figure unnerved him. Perhaps it was the hard, hazel eyes, which was glazed with malice and sadness, though it was masked with an air of cheerfulness. Inigo wasn't too sure. "I managed to arrive, just on time. Now then, let's have a bit of fun. Have at thee~!" He hollered, before rushing into the throng of creatures, the golden sword glinting off of a few rays of sunlight, as it swiftly felled foe after foe. Behind him. Inigo felt a figure jostle him, and he quickly yelped, leaping forwards, glancing at the person behind him with caution. Behind him, another hooded figure stood behind him, grinning widely, with black eyes that glimmered with a mixture of amusement and concern.

"Are you okay?" The figure asked concernedly, their higher-pitched voice giving away their female gender. Numbly, Inigo nodded, his chest still puffing in and out. She grinned once more, before reaching out, a canteen in her hand. "Here, take a drink," She offered. Inigo blinked, staring at the mental canteen. He slowly shook his head, his mother's warnings blaring in his mind. The girl chuckled, before unscrewing the cap. "I see you don't trust strangers easily. Good. It wouldn't be good for you to just accept everything without question," She complimented, before taking the opened canteen and chugging a few gulps, swallowing loudly, before dropping the canteen back to its previous position, as the second figure kept swinging at the slowly shrinking group of zombies. "There. It's not poisoned. You can watch me, as long as you want, and make sure that nothing bad happens to me," She said reassuringly. Cautiously, Inigo snatched the flask of liquid. He sniffed the liquid. Odourless. He glanced down, eyeing the liquid, spotting a clear texture.

Water.

Tentatively, Inigo took a sip, smacking his palate in order to gauge if there was an odd taste-

"Oh for crying out loud, if I wanted to kidnap a few kids, I would've just knocked them out by now! This is not worth the trouble, so just trust me for once, and DRINK."

The woman's annoyed tone startled Inigo, but it got him to comply. He downed the liquid, which was indeed water, hesitantly at first, then more enthusiastically soon afterwards, once he deduced it was safe to drink. It dribbled down his chin, as he felt his body revitalize once he felt the cool liquid flow through him. Beside him, the woman chuckled.

"I guess you've been on a wild goose chase for us, huh?" She said fondly. Inigo froze, realizing that the woman had been watching them for a bit of time now, as she laughed once more. "Ah, seems like something I would do as a kid. But, in any case... What were you thinking, going into the Southtown forests?!" She shouted at him, waving her hands in the air in an embellished manner. Inigo was too busy feeling guilty at their intervention to realize the odd detail about her story, and he simply shrugged. The woman sighed, scratching her hair through her hood. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. In any case," The two glanced to where the first figure was previously standing, where he was currently yanking the shimmering sword out of the chest of another creature. Inigo gagged as the stench permeated the air. He was used to the sight and smell of dead creatures and animals, being Lucina's helping hand on the farm where she worked part time, but this... this was something else entirely. It was ten times worse than the smell of the tavern's cellar, and that was being generous. It was so overwhelming that Inigo actually turned around in revulsion. The woman, on the other hand, had a different reaction.

"Heh, smells like old times," She commented wistfully. Inigo retched at that comment. If that smell was like 'old times', then he didn't want to know what those old times were. The first figure chuckled, as he sliced through the final creature's belly, killing it on the spot. He glanced around, satisfied with his work of slaying the morbid creatures which had plagued the adolescents.

"That's not a good thing," He reminded half-heartedly, staring at the self-made wreckage. The man sheathed his sword into his scabbard, hidden away in his cloak, before they both turned to Inigo. He stiffened, before he remembered common courtesy.

"Um... Thanks for saving my life," He said gratefully, if a bit quietly, scratching the back of his head demurely. The female jabbed the male in the stomach, laughing at an unknown .

"Man, he reminds me of you when we were kids, bro. I think, anyways," She commented teasingly, as the man became slightly, and invisibly, flustered. She giggled at his reaction, before turning back to the snow-haired boy. "What's your name, huh?" She inquired. Inigo blinked, before he fumbled for the words.

"Uh, Inigo, sir and madam," He said, not catching as the two stiffened at the name. Hesitantly, the woman spoke up once more.

"What a cool name, sport," She offered up hesitantly. Inigo smiled bashfully, as the sounds of someone shouting echoed in the background, getting louder with each passing second. It wasn't long before Morgan popped out of the trees, panting heavily, as if she'd been running the entire time. Her eyes settled on Inigo, and she breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank gods you're okay, bro!" She said thankfully, sending an aside look towards the heavens. Inigo's smile grew at the sight of his unharmed younger sister, and he quickly shot her a thumbs up.

"Yeah, thanks to these nice people, I'm in one piece," He said, turning his head afterwards to meet the two hooded figures. "Thanks again, sir and madam," The female shook her head, waving it off.

"Eh, no big deal," She said nonchalantly, "I mean, if there are kids in trouble, I don't think we could exactly leave them behind," she finished, her body language still a bit tensed, though Inigo didn't completely understand why. Morgan exhaled shakily, as she walked towards Inigo, her body trembling with emotion.

"Man, bro, I thought you got torn to pieces or something by now, with your horrible condition," She joked wearily, flicking the older boy's forehead. He shrugged, as tears slowly began leaking out of her eyes. "Man, I was worried, Inigo," She said. The snow-haired boy smiled, before gesturing towards the two hooded figures.

"Thank them, Morgan," He chided. Morgan whirled on the two older figures, and bowed her head lowly.

"Thanks for helping my brother, sir and madam. Thanks a lot!" She squeaked out, the tension caused by her imagination and fears slowly deflating out of her body, as it slowly flowed out her body. The woman shook her head.

"No problemo, kid. Now," She glanced towards the sky, which was conveniently lacking any type of foliage obscuring her view. "I guess you kids are from Ylisstol, right?" Two heads nodded simultaneously, "Okay. We'll take you there, before we keep going," She decided. Inigo shook his head frantically, crossing his arms alongside it to accentuate his protest.

"Oh, no, we don't want to set you off your path. We can head back on our own," He protested. The woman snorted.

"And come across more of those Risen?" She asked disdainfully. Inigo and Morgan exchanged curious looks: was that what those creatures called? Risen? They were so stumped, that it gave the impression that they were thinking her idea over, and she seemingly smirked at them. "Alright, since that's done with, let's go-"

The woman was suddenly interrupted, however, as Nah burst into the group, though not tired whatsoever. "Oh god, you two are alright," She said in relief, "I came back to look for you guys, after Morgan just decided to ditch me. You two got me worried!" She said, her concern transitioning into annoyance. Morgan stuck her tongue out in rebuttal, and Inigo sighed.

"Well, thanks for coming back, anyways," He said. The man suddenly coughed, interrupting their spiel.

"Hate to break this up, but we should probably get going, or else we'll be caught at night. Not the best idea," He said, his deep voice still sanguine. The woman snorted.

"He's probably right. Let's go, you three," She said, gesturing them forwards.

Inigo trailed behind, as Morgan and Nah continued their interrupted childish argument, with his pink-haired sibling vehemently denying her alleged knowledge of the gruesome beasts, which was met with skepticism on the older girl's part. The female watched them, laughing at it, whilst also making sure it wouldn't escalate. He watched with the same eye, keeping his radar open for any signal that it was about to explode.

"Hey, Inigo, tell Nah she's wrong, will ya?!"

The question came from left field. It surprised the snow-haired boy so much, he physically reacted, leaping into the air out of pure reflex, and bringing his arms forward. He quickly recovered from his reaction, and focused his glazed vision on Morgan, who was gazing back at him impatiently.

"Uh, say that again, please?" He asked. Morgan rolled her eyes, but reiterated her point. Inigo blinked, before he cranked his mouth open. "Oh, uh... um..." Inigo began, fumbling for any tangible point. "Well, Nah, um..." His voice trailed off into the abyss, as he strained for words to tumble out his mouth. Nothing came out, aside from a few croaks that could barely be heard. After a period of time, he sighed, and closed his mouth, retreating farther back. Morgan rolled her eyes, before returning to the squabble that was still going on. Inigo dropped his gaze glumly, hunching over and slowing his gait.

"Well, what an odd young fellow."

Inigo's vision suddenly snapped upwards, his line of sight meeting with the male hooded figure, who had hung back, to match Inigo's sluggish pace. His ears heated up, and he glanced back down, as the man chuckled. "Now, don't feel like that was meant to be insulting. Quite the opposite, in fact," He reassured. Inigo didn't respond, choosing instead to focus on his hands, and all the marks on it, including the odd, purplish birthmark on his right hand. The man sighed. "You seem to have a bit of a self esteem issue, I see," He said. No response. The man sighed again. "Inigo, it's okay to be quiet, no one will judge you for it, but you need to learn to speak up when the situation calls for itself," He chided. Inigo's blood ran cold, as he realized the man had accurately described an issue that Inigo was experiencing.

"Uh, sir, how?" He asked, dumbfounded at his apparent knowledge. The man laughed in his deep baritone voice, clapping his hand gently on Inigo's snow-white hair, sending him stumbling forwards in the process.

"Well, Inigo, I'd tell you, but I'm afraid that you'd be too confounded by it. Heck, I'm not too sure I understand it myself," He answered cryptically, and that was that. Inigo gazed up slowly, but the man's gaze was firmly fastened on the road. He wasn't going to elaborate on his mysterious answer, and he would most likely block any attempts from Inigo to coax him into talking. Suddenly, a duo of voices echoed through the forest, bouncing and magnifying off the trees surrounding them.

"Nah!"

"Morgan, Inigo?!"

Morgan's heart both rose and sank, simultaneously. On the bright side? They were saved from their fate, and they had found Lucina. The bad side? They had found their mom. Now, normally it wouldn't be concerning. After all, Olivia was notorious for being extremely gentle and kind, seemingly unable to hurt a fly. No one realized that one rowdy, trouble-making child, and another that would go along with the other wordlessly, would force Olivia to change her demeanour, if only to discipline her children. Morgan had received plenty of stern reprimands and lectures, almost entirely made by her mother, solely due to her father's extremely lax approach to parenting. Since Robin was pretty lackadaisical to parenting, and usually let them go as they please, Olivia had to step up and guide them, chiding them when they made the wrong decisions, and punishing them when they stepped too far out of line. This happened quite often, due to Morgan's mischievous attitude.

In any case, she was not looking forward to another lecture from her mom. She audibly groaned, garnering multiple confused looks.

"What's your problem?" Nah asked incredulously. "We're getting saved, after those things nearly got us!"

Morgan shook her head, however. "No, it's not that. You see, I'm glad that we're being saved, but..." She glanced off to a certain part of the woods, where the voices were originating from, "That's our mom that's shouting for us, Nah. In case you don't know, our mom can get pretty strict," She shuddered, imagining the dangerously sweet smile that she often used when reprimanding the duo. Beside her, Inigo gulped, once the implications sunk into his mind as well.

"Oh no, mom's gonna kill us..." Inigo moaned, wrapping his arms around his body. He already knew what would happen to them. A long lecturing from their mother, while their father tries, in vain, to calm her down. In the end, she would dish out punishment, and they wouldn't see daylight for the next few months.

Alright, maybe that last bit was a tad exaggerated.

But, she still had that malefic aura around her, and that was good enough for Inigo to get scared of his normally quiet mother. The rustling grew louder, as the figures neared. Inigo spotted the ponytail on bubblegum-pink hair, and squeaked in fear. Even Morgan wavered in her feet, as Olivia walked up, with an eerily serene expression on her face. Beside her, Lucina kept up a steady pace, keeping her distance from the dancer, as if she was lit on fire. Immediately, Olivia rushed forward.

"Morgan, Inigo, I'm so glad you're okay!" She said concernedly, her arms outstretched. Quickly, she latched onto her two young children, and pulling them into a tight hug. Morgan yelped, as she felt the arms tighten around her torso, and dragging her in. She sighed. "I was worried sick, you know?" She said tiredly, though Inigo could sense the edge to her words, hiding deep under her tone. He smiled wearily, the corners of his mouth trembling.

"Th-thanks, mom..." He said shakily, his shoulders trembling. "I... I thought I was going to die..." He admitted, his voice beginning to peak in various spots. Morgan craned her head to glance at her older brother.

"You're crying, Inigo," She noted. Inigo gingerly touched his cheek, and felt it moisten, presumably from the tears. He gulped. "I guess you're right, sis..." He choked out, the tears flowing down his cheeks, as he tried to rub them away. Olivia hushed her older child, before glancing up. Her eyes focused on the two hooded figures, and they sharpened.

"It's good to see you two again," She said cautiously, still keeping a firm grip on her two children. The woman nodded, her body language guarded.

"You as well," She responded curtly, gripping the hem of her sleeves tightly. The man remained silent, gingerly feeling the handle of his golden sword; his nervous habit. Olivia sensed the direction that the conversation was going to take, and she adjusted her word choice accordingly.

"I take it you saved my son and daughter?" She asked.

"Correct."

Olivia sighed, as she listened to Inigo's slight crying die down into small sniffles. Slowly, she moved her hands to clasp over both, smaller hands, one from each child, and she slowly stretched back to her feet. "Thank you for that. I will take my, and my friends's, children back to Ylisstol. You can continue travelling towards wherever you were going beforehand," She said, holding on to Inigo's and Morgan's hand. The woman nodded, before turning to her companion.

'We'll be doing that. Have a nice day, miss," She said, beginning to walk back, towards the opposite direction they had been previously going. The man was quick to follow, leaving the forest into a dead silence. As the two nearly disappeared completely into the brush, Morgan couldn't stop her mouth.

"Wait!"

Both figures turned around simultaneously, where Morgan stood, her mouth agape, and her hand still clasped around her mother's. She stood for a few seconds, before glancing down shyly. "Uhm... thanks again, for saving my brother," She said finally, sinking into taciturnity, for the first time in her life. The others stared at her in disbelief, unable to process that the boisterous, loudmouthed girl was actually silent, instead of shouting at the top of her lungs. The woman chuckled.

"Not a problem, Morgan," She said fondly, before disappearing into the foliage. The man nodded silently in affirmation once more, before following the woman into the foliage. Olivia sighed, before she turned to where Nah and Lucina stood, understandably silently on the matter.

"Alright, you two, let's get you guys home," She said sweetly, her mind storming up the appropriate disciplinary maneuver that she was preparing to dole out on the two children in her care. Morgan gulped, her mother's true train of thought glaringly obvious to her.

She was screwed.

---

Once she was sure that the coast was clear, the woman sighed in relief, grateful to have gotten out of that uncomfortable situation so cleanly, and without mishap. Morgan's face showed the relief clearly, as she pushed back the hood, freeing her snow-white locks which flowed slightly passed her shoulders. "Man, talk about unexpected," She muttered to herself, scratching her head. Behind her, Inigo laughed, freeing his own, pinkish hair from his cloak. He walked up to his younger sister, and jabbed her in the ribs.

"They acted exactly us, when we were children, y'know?" He noted, putting his hand on his chin thoughtfully in a silly manner. A brief pauses ensued between them, before Morgan tilted her head.

"Really?" She asked. Inigo's grin abruptly faded, and he winced, deciding to clam up, instead of commenting on the potentially harmful subject. As they continued walking in dull silence, another thought peeked into Inigo's mind, which he decided to voice to his younger sister.

"Man, I can't believe we were trailed by our younger selves. I can't even believe that mom and dad even had us, yet!" He said incredulously, waving his hands to accentuate his disbelief. Morgan giggled in response, before she furrowed her brow, thinking over extensively.

"I mean, it's been fourteen years since dad killed the Fell Dragon," She realized, quickly reminding her older brother soon afterwards, and sending his mouth agape. His shoulders slackened, and his tongue hung from his jaw. Obviously, he hadn't realized the time go by so quickly. He quickly readjusted himself, and scratched his bubblegum tresses.

"Man, it's been that long? Sheesh," He said, dumbfounded by the revelation. Morgan laughed once more, as the conversation delved into silence once again, as the pair of siblings kept walking, leaving the forests and reaching the dirt paths to Southtown. As they kept walking, Morgan couldn't help but remember an odd detail that she had noticed, pertaining to the younger version of her and her brother.

"Inigo, did you notice that their hair was a different colour than ours? Their eye colours, too," She said observantly. Inigo nodded in confirmation, confused by Morgan's train of thought. She continued, once she had her older brother's confirmation. "Well, it's kinda weird. That means that they're not exactly gonna be us," She noted, elaborating on her worries. Inigo blinked.

"Isn't that good?" He wondered, to astonished looks from his younger sister. Inigo decided to elaborate. "It means that they're different than us. The ones who had to fight every day of our lives," He reminded. Morgan's eyes widened, as the realization sunk in. Nevertheless, Inigo continued. "They're different. They're proof that we changed the future when we came back. The young Lucina and Nah, too," Morgan nodded in understanding, his message successfully conveyed, "They'll live happily, without the danger of the Risen, and the death of their parents," Inigo's voice took a raw edge to it, and Morgan glanced at him concernedly. He quickly shook out of his stupor, before shooting her a grin, to alert her to the fact that he was okay. He didn't pursue his point any farther, however, more content to leave it there. Morgan laughed.

"I guess you're right," She conceded, turning back to the direction of Southtown.

Suddenly, a loud, sharp growl pierced the air, setting Inigo on edge. He quickly drew out his golden sword and transitioned into his stance seamlessly. A laugh put his fears on edge, however, as Morgan chuckled, waving her hand in the air in order to dissipate his fears.

"Sorry about that," She said cheerfully, patting her belly, " I'm still hungry, since we couldn't stop by father's house for some grub," She finished. Inigo rolled his eyes, his stance relaxing as he drew himself together once more, the threat instantly dissolving from his mind.

"Who's fault was that, deciding to try and avoid the apparent spies, who were just two children. Ourselves, nonetheless?" He asked amusedly, sheathing his sword. Morgan rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, lets grab some food before sun's out," She ordered, sprinting off towards the direction of the town. Inigo laughed, before following suit.