A/N: It's been a while since I've done a fan fic, but I feel like I'm ready to try my hand at it once again. The character interactions and classes are based off of my first Awakening playthrough, and the pairings that I've chosen will become evident as the story progresses. For now, enjoy its beginning.
"Just who are you, really?" A young, red-haired tactician asked herself as she stood in front of a mirror. It had been a few months since Grima was defeated at the hands of her own father, Hale – in turn sacrificing his own life so that the Fell Dragon would never return again. Supposedly, if his bond with everyone was strong enough, he would eventually return. That's what Naga had said. Morgan had been among the first to gather a search party for her father, alongside a few others that could spare their time amongst the rebuilding of the world's various nations. So far, they hadn't found any trace of him; no one could recall having seen or heard from the short, black-haired tactician anywhere.
"Your father gave his life to make sure you would have one. What are you going to do for the world, Morgan?" She asked the mirror. Countless times, she had asked herself that in her head, and could never come up with an acceptable answer. What would be a suitable destiny for the daughter of the man who killed Grima? How could she possibly live up to that? As if she could hope to do as much for anyone…
"I understand that Hale's sacrifice weighs heavily on you, Morgan, but ruminating over such comparisons is highly unlikely to produce any sort of positive revelation." Morgan gasped and turned around to see her mother, Miriel, standing at the entry to the tent. At least it hadn't been someone else, which would've raised even more questions.
"Both of us have a justification for being particularly affected by it. However, you must remember that neither you nor I are the same person as he. Whatever purpose we serve cannot be the same as his. I also harbor a lingering conviction that if he was here to see either of us thinking like that, he would assure us that we do not need to have such a large impact on world affairs in order to have worth as a person." She smiled slightly and walked towards Morgan, who looked back at the mirror and shook her head. Morgan sat down on the nearby bed and let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't know what to do without him, Mother. Don't get me wrong, I love that we've gotten closer in the time we've spent together, but… he's the only memory I have from before I came to this time. I'm not ready to let him go again just yet. I still want to try and beat him in a game of strategy. He said he was going to show me what I could learn by using a Second Seal, and I was going to ask him all about how you two got married. Things like that." The tent flap opened again, revealing a black-haired mage.
"We are getting ready to move out once more. Mother, Morgan, I would suggest finishing your discussion soon." Laurent closed the tent flap and left. Miriel lay a hand on her daughter's shoulder, giving her a reassuring shake.
"I want to find him as much as you do. You should not preoccupy yourself with these kinds of thoughts again. I believe he is strong enough to return to us; we only need to continue searching." Morgan nodded and cracked a smile. She knew that much was true. They would find her father, no matter how long it took.
He had mysteriously appeared unconsciously laying in a field in southern Ylisse. According to Chrom, that was where Hale had first been found. They had already searched Regna Ferox, Plegia, and the rest of Ylisse; if they didn't find him here, they would have to start searching the entire Valmese continent. Their friends in Valm hadn't heard or seen any sign of him, but would continue to look out for him as everyone else did.
Morgan and Laurent were paired up together as they rode across the southern plains. She had learned to ride a horse around the same time she learned how to wield a sword, bolstered by the power of a Master Seal. Laurent had chosen to further augment his magical prowess, picking up healing staves with the Master Seal's boost.
"This is such a pretty place. I wonder how Father ended up here." She had been trying to fill the silence for the past hour, but her brother wasn't being very responsive. He had entered this time years before the other future children, and so was substantially older than Morgan. From what she could remember Hale telling her, he and Laurent had some trouble getting along at first since he was about the same age as his father. He didn't like being treated as a child.
"I do not know, Morgan. When we find him, perhaps you can ask. However, I don't think even he remembers exactly why it was in southern Ylisse he was found, and not someplace else. You must remember that Father's memory still had gaps in it. We may never find out all the details of his past." That was the most Laurent had said the entire ride. She guided her horse down a small slope and noticed Chrom and Lissa standing in the distance – alongside a third figure with short black hair.
"Laurent? We didn't bring anybody else with black hair, did we?" Morgan's heart skipped a beat. From this distance, it was hard to tell, but… could it be?
"Not down here, no. Why do you ask?" Morgan guided her horse to gallop over there as soon as possible. Had they done it? Had they really found him? Had her father returned after all this time?
"…funny that we should find you here, Hale. Your family was about to start searching Valm for you, and now here you stand." Chrom spoke, smiling at a man wearing the same robes Morgan wore.
"And look! Grima's mark! It's gone!" Lissa pointed at his hand, which once bore the mark of the Fell Dragon. When she got close enough, Morgan leapt off of her horse and ran towards her father.
"Father! It's you! You've finally returned!" He turned around and was greeted by his daughter squeezing him in the tightest grip he'd ever been in – and this was considering Basilio once decided to hug him right before the final battle. He also noticed Laurent dismounting with a warm smile of his own, though he clearly wasn't as ecstatic as Morgan to see him again.
"It's good… to see you too…! But you're kind of… crushing me!" Hale said to her. She giggled and looked him in the eye, tears of joy beginning to run down her face.
"I'm sorry! But… I just missed you so much. And Naga was right. We all were right. We knew you'd come back!" Hale wiped the tears from her face and returned her embrace.
"Indeed, Father. Today is a joyous occasion. I can't wait to see Mother's reaction to you." Laurent said. Hale approached him and gave him a hug; the only other time they had been that close was right before the final battle, and at that time, Laurent was not sure that he would ever be able to do that again. His smile broke into a grin as he tightened his grip on his father, surprising himself with the display of emotion.
"I've missed you too. It's so good to have you back with us." Laurent said.
"It's great to be here with both of you again. Perhaps now we can live together as a family." Hale let go of Laurent and turned to Chrom.
"Approximately how long have I been gone? Has anything important happened in that time?" He asked the Ylissean ruler.
"About three months. Most of the Shepherds have opted to return to their homes to try and rebuild their communities. We've had a few problems with bandits attacking some of the outlying villages, but nothing resembling the wars we've had to fight. It's been going very well, for the most part."
"Yeah, people have really gotten behind Chrom now! He's doing really good leading Ylisse." Lissa added. Hale considered the information and thought for a moment.
"Chrom. Has anything or anyone new emerged from the Outrealm Gate lately?"
"Not that I know of. Why do you ask?" Hale turned around and looked towards the south. Ever since he had seen it open over the Ylissean plains, dispensing Risen and a disguised Lucina, it had relegated itself to a smaller portal near the southern coastline. The Shepherds had ventured into it a few times, exploring the transdimensional worlds known as the Outrealms. Those who were there all remembered Old Hubba, the strange geezer responsible for guarding the Einherjar, card-sealed spirits which were modeled after legendary warriors from other realms. Why a man such as he was entrusted with them, no one knew. However, saving him multiple times had convinced him to give Hale a few of the Einherjar cards. He'd never really called upon their help in battle, though.
"I remember something from before I came back. It's very blurry, as if it had happened in a dream. The Outrealm Gate brought back people we had originally thought dead. I can't remember who they were, but they appeared all over the world. I believe they had come from timelines in which they had survived, for some reason or another." Chrom considered Hale's words and immediately asked the question that had popped into everyone's minds:
"You don't believe you're one of these people, are you?" Hale raised his eyebrows. He hadn't considered that possibility.
"I don't think so. My dream ended with a warm light inviting me towards it. I assume that was Naga calling me back to the land of the living. But I wouldn't worry too much about what I saw, Chrom. I don't remember any of these people being hostile, whoever they were. Come on. We should go back to Ylisstol and tell everyone I've returned."
A/N: Morgan is a Dark Knight, and Laurent is a Sage. Miriel is also a Sage, while Chrom is a Great Lord and Lissa a War Cleric. Hale is a Grandmaster. Some of them won't stay at their current classes, though. Let me know what you think. I'll try to have an update out in the next few days.