This is Our Future
It was strange waking up with almost no memories, to say the very least.
Morgan was distressed at first, but as time passed, he found himself laughing the incident off, seeing as how his own mother had such a similar experience. Fortunately she was picked up by Chrom; Morgan, on the other hand, had opened his eyes to see a dilapidated ruin filled with a dozen or so angry Risen.
There were bad days since then, of course. He would watch the other children who had come from the future, watch them bond with their families and each other. They shared their war stories and their hopes for a better tomorrow.
Sometimes Morgan felt that he had so little to offer; he had come from a different timeline than the others and found that he had very little in common to discuss with them. There was also the issue of his memories; his clearest were of his mother, who - in his future, at least - had been one of the greatest tacticians ever known. He had absolutely no recollections of the rest of his life. The faces of his friends were foggy, and that of his own father was completely lost.
Most days he could hide his misgivings behind a good-natured smile and a few jokes. His fellows would comment on how optimistic he was, even in the midst of such a terrible war.
Still, despite this, some days were too hard. He withdrew into himself, hid away in his corner of a tent. Who was he, really? What sort of life had he lived? Did he get along well with his parents and his friends? With whom did he have the best relationship? The worst? No matter how often he racked his mind, he just couldn't remember. Nothing came back.
One night, after a long series of particularly trying skirmishes with scattered Risen, Morgan found himself so fed up with his own thoughts that he wandered to his parents' tent.
He peeked past the flap, but only his mother was there, poring over her tomes while she jotted notes in the book at her side. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn't seem to notice him.
"Mother?" he asked. Robin's head snapped up, but her serious frown gave way to a smile when she saw him.
"Hello, Morgan. Come in," she said, beckoning him with a wave of her hand. "Do you need something? If you're looking for your father, he's-"
"I wanted to ask you a question. Are you busy?"
Robin hesitated, then gave him a nod. "Of course not. Go on."
"Okay." Morgan took one deep breath. Then another. He hadn't realized how much it was all weighing down on him until that moment, when they sat in the thick silence of his mother's tent. She stared after him, patient but curious.
"Do you ever feel really bad about not having memories?" he finally asked. The words tumbled past his lips so quickly that he found himself unable to stop them. "Sorry, I know it's a really stupid question, but it's been bothering me a lot lately and I-"
But Robin held up a hand, and he instantly clamped his mouth shut.
"Sorry," he muttered again, ducking his head.
"It's okay. It's perfectly normal. I felt the same for a long time. And I still do, to be honest," Robin said. She moved her chair close enough that she could reach out and place a comforting hand on her son's shoulder.
"You never seem like that," he said. "You're always so...composed."
"I suppose I'm a better actress than I thought."
Morgan chanced a look and saw his mother smiling at him. He tried to return the grin, but his felt forced and tired.
"I have memories now," she continued, "and in time you will too."
He perked up at that. "Really? They'll come back?"
"No. Well, maybe, but that's not exactly what I'm talking about."
"Oh."
"What I mean is that you'll make new ones. You'll meet so many people and grow closer to the ones you already know..."
"But everyone else remembers each other. They all came from the same future. They have things to talk about."
"And you'll have things to talk about too. We've already been through so much together. So many battles and travels... You know, the one good thing about a war is that it gives you so many opportunities to bond with your comrades," Robin said with a grim smile. "It's how I met your father, after all."
"Yeah, that's true."
"I've made much better memories since I woke up on that field in Ylisse. I don't remember what happened before, but from what I keep hearing...I don't think I want to."
"I can't help but wonder what kind of life I had before, though," Morgan said, his gaze falling once more. "Especially if I come from a different place than the others. What if you won the war where I'm from? I could help us win this one if I knew..."
"Or not," Robin pointed out. "That was another place. Everything could have been different. Or it could have been exactly the same. But this is our time, Morgan - mine and yours and everyone else's - and you've already managed to help us so much since you got here."
Morgan glanced up. This was his time? But...
"Really?" he asked, doubtful.
Robin reassured him with a nod. "Really. People like us should know better than anyone that every person and action counts."
"They do," he agreed, his smile slowly returning.
"Memories are important, but you'll make plenty more before the end of this war. Good and bad. I turned out okay, right?" she asked. "Keep your chin up, and everything will be just fine."
Morgan nodded, and his mother turned back to her books. He did feel a bit better, he had to admit. Part of him would always long for his past, he supposed, but that couldn't be helped.
"I have to focus on this future," he said, half to himself, but Robin nodded amiably.
"Of course," she agreed. "Now, why don't you help me with this? I need a good layout for tomorrow's skirmish and two heads work much better than one."
Morgan all but jumped from his chair. "I'd love to help! What do we need to do?"
"Chrom wants us to clear out another Risen infestation nearby. So let's see..."
