"Get 'em, Luci!" The child was holding a book, one way too large for his immature hands. He was pointing to a stuffed toy in the middle of their room, sitting adjacent to many other toys spread across the floor.
Lucina charged from behind him, a stick readied in her small hands. She was running towards the stuffed bear, aiming her "sword" at hims vulnerable belly. A weak battle cry was erupting from the girl's small lungs. "I've got it!"
She reached the bear and took it down as gracefully as a child could, Morgan celebrating from the back of her. Lucina sat down, putting the stick next to her legs. She had snuck it inside after convincing Morgan to be her tactician. Mother, and father, didn't like the idea of a muddy branch in their home. But Lucina just wanted to practice, something she was told she was too young for. She just didn't understand.
"I'm done for today," Lucina gave Morgan a glance. It didn't shock her when Morgan started pouting. He was reluctant to do this in the first place, but when Lucina told him he was going to be just like mother, he'd become overly enthusiastic for the idea.
"But we still have so many enemies to take down." They'd already "taken down" several enemies. He was trying his best to pout harder for his sister. He could get away with a lot by her.
"I'm just tired, Morg. We can continue it tomorrow." She stood to walk over to her smaller brother, patting him on the head and ruffling his locks of blue hair.
"Continue what?" It was their father's voice, and Lucina swiveled around to face him in the doorway. She was panicked. She knew father wouldn't like the idea of her practicing sword fights. And he would be sure to tell mother, who hated the idea even more.
It was getting even worse, because now their mother was walking in. She looked like she was on a mission, strutting straight into the room. She must be looking for something. She'd paused to observe the toys scattered around the floor, brow furrowing. "Goodness, what is happening here? Why is there a stick on the ground?" Robin reached the floor to pick the earthy item up.
Lucina was really feeling the spotlight now. She shouldn't have been doing this. She especially shouldn't have dragged Morgan into this. If mother and father got really mad at her, he'd cry for hours about it. "Well," she was taking a great pause, but she knew she had to confess to her parents. It was the noble, and right thing to do. "Morgan and I were pretending to fight enemies, like on a battlefield. Morgan was being my tactician." Fresh tears were building in the corner of her eyes, and rolling down all at once. "I'm sorry!"
And when Lucina started crying, so did Morgan. It was usually like this. Morgan was always a crybaby, but when Lucina cried, Morgan cried too. It must have been a sympathy thing. Or maybe it was because Lucina rarely ever spilled tears, so Morgan thought something must be really bad if she's crying. Either way, they were both turning into a mess.
Chrom and Robin shared a knowing look before crossing the distance between them and their children. Chrom bent down to comfort the older child, taking her small, shaky body into his arms. "It's okay, Lucina. The fact that your crying means you know you shouldn't be doing it." Lucina nodded her head against his shoulder. "But, it's nothing to cry about. I'm not mad. It's a first offense, though. Next time I'll hang you by your feet!" His tone was only playful and Lucina reflexively tightened her arms around her fathers neck. Chrom felt a giggle vibrate on his skin.
Robin was focused on the younger child. They'd found this dynamic worked the best over the years. Chrom comforts Lucina, and Robin comforts Morgan. She was rubbing circles up and down him small arms when she noticed exactly what he was holding. "Morgan-" she started slow. "Morgan, is that my tome?"
A cracking noise produced from the child, tears falling even more violently down his cheeks. There was snot rolling from his nostrils. He only nodded.
Robin gave him a sympathetic smile. She was fighting a laugh. "Oh, sweetheart, that's my tome, not a book- I guess that's kinda what you'd want, huh?"
Morgan was still crying harder by the moment. "It's okay baby, just ask me before you touch my things. I was looking for it, must have left it in here." Robin pried the tome from his hands, setting it on the ground. She pulled the child into a hug, soothing his back with her hands. All four of them stayed like that for awhile.
Chrom broke the silence. "They must get it from us."
"What?" Robin looked to her husband, "the crying?"
He gave a breathy laugh. "No, he was acting as her tactician, and she was using that stick like a sword. Sound familiar?"
Robin hummed as a response. It wasn't exactly nice to know that her children were glorifying war and battles. She wanted them to grow up without that being a thing that pestered their lives. She wanted them to have peace. The peace Chrom and her worked so hard to get.
Chrom knew what Robin was thinking; he felt the same way. "I get it," he placed a hand on her shoulder, still holding Lucina with his other arm. "It's just nice to know they got something from us besides our looks."
"Right." Robin returned a bitter smile. She paused for another second then decided to say one last piece. "I don't know, Chrom, they do kinda cry like you. I mean, snot and everything."
Chrom was giving her an unamused expression, but fighting a smile. Robin laughed a sweet laugh, hugging Morgan even tighter.
She was only half joking. Chrom really did get quite mucus-y when he cried.