Chapter 1

As Lon'qu marched through the grand cavernous corridors of Fort Regna Ferox, the sounds of swords clashing and shouts reached his ears, the metallic cacophony familiar to him from all the years he had spent in battle. To his right was the training arena where Regna Ferox's soldiers regularly trained and completed their military drills, demonstrating why the Northern fortress and its troops were so highly regarded for their prowess in combat. It was a large domed area, sheltered from the harsh climate and weather that often plagued the geographic area, and vaguely resembled the large fighting arena where the annual tournament for determining power amongst the Khans was held. The same tournament where he had first encountered the Shepherds of Ylisse and had first caught glimpse of the peculiar white haired tactician within the small rag-tag group. How many years had that been, since that fateful encounter had changed his life? Soon after he had been thrust into their ranks as well as the looming war against the Southern nation of Plegia, fighting by their side and lending his lethal sword to their cause. Lon'qu scratched his jaw and stretched his neck, suddenly feeling very old despite still being Basilio's inferior.

He stopped, looking past the corridor's archways into the arena, looking for a specific soldier amidst the chaotic yet organized array of soldiers and fighters. For a brief moment Lon'qu regretted that his son had not inherited the same shade of his wife's hair and instead had taken after him with his dark chestnut locks, making him that much harder to find. Ah, there he was. Markus, his young son who had grown up far too fast before his eyes, who much to their surprise had taken after his father more so than his mother, choosing to study the blade rather than spend his time pouring over books and texts of old. His son was in the middle of the growth spurt that all boys experienced as they grew from boys into men, so that now he was taller than Robin and nearly his own height. Lon'qu warmly recalled the time when Robin had first taken notice and had found humor in the fact that she was now the shortest in their family; even Mark's twin sister was just barely an inch taller than her, as Robin often blamed him for gifting his great height to both of their offspring. At the youthful age of fourteen, Mark had already shown remarkable prowess with the blade, a similarly crafted one to Lon'qu own that he had gifted to his son as a birthday present just two years prior. Lon'qu was sure that he would some day become a expertly skilled swordsman, and yet still he held a tender longing in his heart for his son to stay young and not grow old as he had. It felt as if it had just been a blink of an eye since he was holding his newly born son tight against his chest while his wife gave him a beaming and also tired smile as she cradled their sleeping daughter against her bosom.

Those had been simpler days, he now realized, when he did not yet have to worry about keeping the children away from his sword, which leaned against the wall beside the spot where they hung their coats; or consoling his weeping son after he had gotten his first minor cut from his first training blade; or even when he had to help bandage the spot on Morgan's arm that had been turned raw after she had snuck out at night to practice with his bow in just her shirtsleeves. She had been so brave too, trying her best to hold in the hot messy tears that threatened to cascade down her cheeks, so afraid that he would scold her or tell their mother of her frivolous nighttime activities. Instead he had just held her until all her tears were spent, taking care to not bother her freshly bandaged arm, and promised her that soon once she was better to take her out and teach her how to use the bow, just the two of them. Morgan had later fallen asleep in her father's arms, exhausted and calm once more, and Lon'qu had to silently carry her upstairs, cautious not to wake his wife or his son as he ascended the stairs to tuck her in bed.

After a short time, Mark saw his father silently watching him from the corridor, looking at him as though he was just a small child. He quickly sheathed his sword, his blue myrmidon coat fluttering behind him as he ran towards him, a large grin spanning his face.

"Dad! How long have you been standing there?" he asked eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of the tall and imposing form of his father.

Lon'qu stared at his energetic son, the faint image of Mark as a wide-eyed toddler latched onto his pant leg fading away into the young man before him. He had to admit the boy's ceaseless energy had to have come from his wife. "You've been working hard," he said, swallowing as he came back to reality. Although he was Basilio's champion, he did not often have much time to spend teaching his son one-on-one. "But there are still a few things I have to teach you yet."

Mark pouted his lip, a telltale trait he had picked up from his mother. "Come on Dad, I'm almost done with my training! What more do you have left to teach me that I haven't learned already?"

The stubbornness was another one. Lon'qu felt the hint of a smile touch his lips. "I would meet you in a sparring match and maybe then your view might change," he responded, patting Mark's shoulder.

Mark rolled his eyes, begrudgingly allowing his father to teasingly tousle his hair as he always had since he was little. "Is mother still feeling ill? She looked a quite pale this morning."

Lon'qu nodded, his stomach turning as he recalled how his wife had complained about her stomach feeling queasy and nausea plaguing her that morning. Not even a bowl of simple porridge had eased the sickness, causing Lon'qu to forbid her from leaving their quarters until she was feeling well again. Not to his surprise he was met with Robin's signature pout, albeit a weary one, before she reluctantly agreed to his words, sinking further into the mound of pillows that he had helped set up for her prior to his leaving that morning.

"Yes, unfortunately. I am concerned though that she has not been able to keep much in her stomach all day. The last thing we need is for your mother to grow even thinner because of a simple stomach flu. Perhaps it is best if you and your sister limit how much time you are around her. We don't want either of you catching what she has." He gave his son a stern look.

Mark sighed. "All right, I just hope she recovers swiftly."

Lon'qu nodded. "As do I." A thoughtful expression reached his face. "Perhaps we should find you a bite to eat and then fetch your sister. She may like to take some soup to your mother and briefly check in on her. I know she would appreciate it."

Although it was highly insignificant, there was a small bit of pride he held that his daughter had inherited his skills at cooking, even if they were rather average. Robin had never had any real interest for matters in the kitchen, so Lon'qu had become greatly appreciative when his daughter was old enough for him to teach her how to peel vegetables and make soups and stews. Lon'qu thought back fondly to when he would help usher her up the stairs, her small feet treading carefully so not to spill any of the soup they had made together as she took it in to Robin, who had worked herself too hard and had fallen under the weather. The look on his wife's face was close to tears as she watched Morgan's small form slowly walk into their bedroom, her cheeks round and puffy as she maintained all of her concentration on the steaming bowl.

The two men headed towards the library, no doubt where Mark's sister would be spending her time that day. Like her mother, the girl had taken to learning pouring through the books in the library, thirsting to learn all she could about the history of the world with hopes of someday traveling the continents as her parents once did years before. To neither of their surprise, Morgan was hunched over a table in the corner, stacks and stacks of books on either sides of her and a cold, empty cup of tea at her side. Her snowy hair was messy and falling out of their pigtails, and she didn't even seem to notice as they approached her. Lon'qu looked away as Mark circled around his sister until he came up behind her, his hands held up, ready to pounce. A short scream was elicited before she clapped a hand over her mouth, glaring daggers at her brother while he held his side, bursting with laughter at her reaction.

"You're too easy! When will you ever learn?" Mark exclaimed, still cackling until Morgan sharply punched him in the shoulder and rounding on him.

"Won't you ever give that up? Aren't you getting a bit old for dumb tricks like that?" she hissed, enjoying the obvious fear in her brother's eyes as she clawed at the front of his uniform. "One of these days I'm going to whack you upside the head with one of these! Maybe that will finally teach you a lesson!" She gestured at the towers of books surrounding her.

Mark once again put on his pouting face and glanced over at their father, who seemed to be silently fiddling with the tassel hanging from the sword at his side. "Come on Dad, tell her it's just a silly prank! Even mom liked to tease you when you were younger, didn't she?"

Morgan looked over at their father, just now noticing his presence, and saw that his face had suddenly turned an amusing shade of pink, his eyes now averted towards the ground. She abruptly stood up, giving her brother another hard whack.

"You. Are. Insufferable!" she said through gritted teeth before marching over to his father, smiling sweetly. "Hi Daddy, what made you decide to stop by?"

Mark glowered at her change of tone, rubbing his shoulder painfully as he walked over to join them. He couldn't help but knock his hip against hers, making her go unbalanced.

"Will you two cut it out?" Came their father's stern voice, becoming increasingly annoyed at the twins' antics. Both of them dipped their heads, ashamed at their behavior, muttering quick half-hearted apologies.

Lon'qu pinched his nose, trying to refocus. "Morgan, your mother is feeling unwell. Do you think you could fetch a bowl of soup for her? Or at least take her something? We were on our way to the kitchens."

Morgan's face immediately brightened and she retrieved a few books and her empty teacup. "Of course, I would love to bring something to Mother!" She was the first one out the door of the library, leaving Lon'qu and his son left stunned in her wake.

It proved to not be difficult for Morgan to quickly whip up a brothy soup while Lon'qu observed her and Mark hungrily devoured part of a loaf of bread and cheese. Occasionally she would look back and smile at him, as if searching for his approval that she was doing the right thing as she sliced carrots, celery, and onion and swiftly dropped them into a boiling pot. When Morgan had been little, Lon'qu had been astonished at how her smile easily resembled his wife's. She had the same tender look on her face whenever she would look towards her father, her face beaming. It never failed to melt his heart.

As the trio made their way towards Robin and Lon'qu private quarters, their footsteps gradually grew softer so not to disturb the resting Tactician. Morgan walked much steadier compared to her childhood days as she carried with her a tea tray with a bowl of soup and a steaming cup of herbal tea. Lon'qu quietly pushed the door open, allowing the twins to quietly slip into the room, their eyes moist with concern for their mother, who had always been such a bright and vibrant light throughout their childhood and still.

Robin lay propped up against the numerous pillows that formed almost a wall against the headboard of the bed. Her white, almost silver hair was disheveled but a few of her signature braids held their form, pulled away from her face and back into a messy bun. Robin's chocolate brown eyes turned to them as they entered, and a warm smile came to her lips as she watched her beloved family file in one by one. Mark hastened to her side, taking a seat at the opposite edge of the bed and leaning towards her to brush the loose strands of hair from her face. Morgan knelt down next to Robin, shyly putting the tray on the bedside table.

"Oh my sweet darlings, what a surprise," Robin said somewhat hoarsely, her throat raw from emptying her stomach multiple times that morning but her face was kind as she looked between her two children with motherly care.

"Daddy suggested I make you some soup, I hope it helps your stomach," Morgan said gently, pushing the tray towards her.

Robin's eyes lit up and she reached out to caress her daughter's hair, so much like her own. "Thank you, Morgan." Her gaze then moved to her husbands, and somehow her expression became even softer. She held out her hand and he slowly approached until she held his hand in hers. "You're so considerate."

Lon'qu flushed despite the fact that his wife had always reserved such an expression only for him even before they were wed. Her eyes were like warm honey, glinting at him with the slightest hint of mischief while her lips tweaked into a knowing smile. He sat down against the edge of the bed, adjusting the blankets so that he did not drag them away from her but did not remove his hand from her grasp.

"Y-you look better than you did this morning, mother," Mark said shyly. It had frankly frightened him at how pale his mother had been when he checked on her before he departed for training.

"I'm feeling a little better, I suppose," Robin responded, her eyes traveling between the three of them. She reached for the spoon accompanying the bowl of soup that Morgan had provided and took a tiny sip. "This is delicious as usual, my dear. Thank you for making it for me." She continued to stroke her daughter's hair until Morgan moved closer, partially on the bed and resting her head against Robin's.
For a short while there were no words spoken as they let Robin rest at her leisure and she enjoyed the company of her husband and children. A faint bit of color came back to her face after having finally put something in her stomach that she could hold down and she felt so much warmer now that she had company close to her. Finally she pushed herself up some more and rested her hands in her lap. Her eyes hardened slightly, and all three of them knew this was their mother as she normally was, not weak and unwell but strong and with a fiery passion burning in her breast.
"There's actually... something I've been meaning to tell you all," she started, looking first at Lon'qu and holding his gaze for a long moment. After gauging the looks of the members of her family, she quickly waved her hands reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm not actually suffering from anything." She did not miss how her husband's face had darkened and his fists tightened around the blankets, his knuckles turning white. Her children's faces had always turned into ones of alarm and panic before nervously settling as they listened intently to what their mother had to say.

Robin opened her mouth, hesitated, and then closed again. Her eyes did not leave her husband's. "I actually have been feeling off the past couple of weeks, but nothing serious. It wasn't until a few days ago that I started feeling worse than before. Today however, I was able to confirm what I had been wondering since it began." Robin took a deep breath, holding it for a second before she released. Her gaze did not waver. "I'm pregnant."

"You're… joking, right? Right, Mom?" Mark's voice faltered as he spoke, unable to believe what she had just said.

"W-wait wait wait, you mean to say that you're going to have a baby?" Morgan stuttered, her eyes wide in shock.

The only one who hadn't spoken was surprisingly, or not surprisingly, her husband. Lon'qu's had turned sheet white and his eyes were frozen on hers as his mind tried desperately to process the newly released information. Robin took his hand in hers, running her thumb over his thick knuckles while the tiniest of smirk curled her lips in amusement.

"Lon'qu? Dear, are you all right?" she asked tentatively. When he still did not respond, Robin giggled, looking between the twins. "He wasn't like this when I told him I was pregnant the first time, you know. Well, okay his reaction was similar when we found out you were twins, but that's understandable."

Lon'qu finally snapped out of his stupor and blinked, his eyes drifting over his wife's covered body as if looking for some kind of hint or confirmation that this was or wasn't real. Robin reached out and touched his cheek, smoothing over the fine lines that creased around his eyes.

"I guess you could call this round two, huh? And just when I was starting to think our children were all grown up and no longer our little babies anymore," she cooed, patting both her children's heads.

"B-but I'm too… I'm too old to be a father again," Lon'qu managed to utter, his hand raking through his dark hair and scratching at his temple.

"Darling, you've been a father, and now you'll be a just as wonderful father to this little one," Robin said reassuringly, much to little avail. She tried her best to ignore his statement about being old. Was she too old to have another child? Obviously not if she was in her current condition.

Robin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Now if I recall, didn't you claim that you were 'too old' for me before we got married? You almost talked me out of marrying you! And didn't you also tell me that I deserved a younger man to settle down and have children with?" The twins turned to their father, aghast at their mother's claims. With a sigh, Robin tightened her grip on his hand. "Look, it's not like I'm a spring chicken anymore either. But now we have a baby on the way and we'll face this new hurdle together. And after all, we have the children to help us out this time as well."

Morgan grinned, hugging her mother's arm. "Of course, and I am more than excited to help our new little baby brother or baby sister around and teach them all sorts of things."

"That's right! And we'll help you every step of the way Mom. We'll take good care of you!" Mark exclaimed triumphantly. Suddenly he slapped Lon'qu on the back, nearly knocking him over. "And way to go Dad! Who knew you still had it in you!" Lon'qu simply glowered, clearly not amused. "Or should I call you old man?"

Morgan's hands clasped themselves over her mouth trying to stifle laughter while Robin's eyes narrowed at her son. "Okay, enough. He's still your father, Markus." Mark shrunk into himself, totally not ashamed at himself. Morgan was still giggling. There seemed to be some twin telepathy transmitted between them, as both of them knew that Mark would still call Lon'qu old man behind his back from now on.

"Come on little dude! It's your old man! Let's go, run to the old man!" Mark knelt down and held onto his little sibling's arms, urging them to run towards their father. The exciting sounds of baby pitter patter filled the corridor as they ran towards the weary swordsmaster crying "Daddyyy!"

Robin approached from behind, looking on proudly at her baby running towards their father. She walked up behind her husband, wrapping her arm around his side and resting her head against him. She looked up, her fingers weaving their way through his thick, dark hair.

"Looks like you've got some more gray coming in," she teased, spinning a lock around her index finger. "Maybe one day you'll have more silver in your hair than me."

Lon'qu stooped down so he was at an even level to receive the young child, feeling his knees creak. Gathering the small child in his arms he stood back up, tucking them over his shoulder. The small baby cooed in delight as they snuggled into the crook between their father's neck and shoulder. A smile touched his face he gazed down at the baby, then over at his teenaged children. Something turned over in his stomach as he saw his future stretched out before him.

"I'm going to need all of your guys' help though for the time being," Robin said, looking between the members of her family. Absentmindedly a hand fluttered over her abdomen as she spoke. "I'm afraid it's been a long time since I went through this all the first time." Her gaze slid over to Lon'qu and her heart swelled with joy.

"Would you two mind giving us a moment, please? I'd like to speak more with your father privately," Robin said reluctantly. As much as she didn't want her children to leave, she also had some words for her husband.

Lon'qu swallowed hard, fearful his wife was going to bring her wrath down upon him for his near silence. Instead Robin smiled and patted the spot next to her, encouraging him to come up and be near her. Lon'qu slowly slid closer until he was close enough that Robin could grab at the front of his uniform and pull him down to meet her awaiting lips. He had to admit that he had been craving her touch since her being unwell and fear of catching whatever bug she seemed to have had brought him back to those mournful days and months following the defeat of Grima at Robin's hand when the bed was cold and empty beside him. If he had to guess the last time they had been properly intimate was when… well they had apparently gotten themselves into their current situation.

Robin had always loved the way that her husband melted into her, once of course they had breached his fear of intimacy with her. She loved the feeling of his weight upon her, the heat and friction that blossomed between them, and the way he nipped at her neck and knew the planes and crevices of her body like an open map. She let out a stifled giggle when she felt his large hand press against her belly, searching for any sign of the growing life planted in her womb. Lon'qu was careful with how he positioned his body in order not to crush her and taking caution as he skirted around her abdomen with his touch. His fingers grazed her waist, her hip bones, marveling at the space upon her body where she had carried their two grown children and now was carrying a new one. His lips followed, filling in the gaps and marking the areas below her rib cage, under her navel, and where her pelvis disappeared beneath the band of her trousers.

Robin knitted her fingers into Lon'qu's ebony hair, gasping as she felt his dry lips brush over her tender breasts, still hidden beneath the fabric of her nightshirt. "I-I'm sorry I kind of… sprang this on your so suddenly. I just found out a couple days ago." Her head tilted upwards as he began kissing down her neck, loving the feel of each breath reverberating through her throat. Things were heating up faster than she meant them to even though she craved his attention and was soaking it up like a sponge. A low growl rumbled through his chest as Robin reluctantly pushed him away just enough that she could look into his eyes and their rushed breaths washed over each other. Robin reached up and grasped the sides of his face, a nervous laugh spilling from her lips.

"To be honest I was afraid of telling you because frankly I'm just as afraid as you are." She planted a light kiss onto the bridge of his nose. "I was trying to be strong and reassuring for the kids, but Lon'qu, should we be doing this? We're not… we're not as young as we were when we had Morgan and Mark, and I know this will place more stress on both of us with a new baby and all, and I know there's more risks for women my age to carry a child to term…" She trailed off, realizing she was now rambling and Lon'qu was staring at her, hard.

"You–" He stopped himself, the words caught in his throat. "You are strong, you have always been so strong. We may be getting older and this may have been… unexpected, but we'll figure this out, just like we did after your return." He spoke haltingly and half his words were choked in his throat, but it reminded Robin of how this shy, awkward man who was afraid of women had spoken just the same, his words equally as sincere as they were now, and his dark eyes boring into hers, speaking the truth.

Robin's hands found that spot below her navel, layering her hands protectively over it, and Lon'qu did the same. "This is ours. And we can do this," she murmured. Her eyes were lowering slowly, hinting at her fatigue.

Lon'qu turned over and laid down beside her, one hand still resting on her abdomen and the other clasping her hand between them. "Am I really that much of an old man?" He grumbled, the thought still lingering in his mind.

Robin just laughed quietly, not yet drifted off to sleep. "Maybe we should start to call you Papa instead." She only caught the sound of more grumbling, lulling her fast asleep.

Notes:

1) In this story I imagine that the age gap between Robin and Lon'qu is 4 years, so that they were 22/26 respectively when the twins were born and now they are approximately 36 and 40 now. (He is such an "old man")

2) It always seemed rather logical that Robin has twins since there is a male and female version of Morgan in the games and it doesn't seem fair that Morgan takes after the other parent's class but in their dialogue they want to follow in Robin's footsteps... (why not both?)

3) Morgan hurts her arm because she was missing the cuff/guard on her arm to protect her against the bow string. (Reference: The Ranger's Apprentice series?)

4) Y'all can probably guess what the gender and name of the new baby will be...