Here's my next project: Some good 'ol fashioned family fluff! Something we don't see enough of here. This is a series of pieces, focusing on future children and their interactions with their parents. There are going to be pairings well-liked with the fandom, but rarely focused on. All of these pieces take place within the same 'timeline,' namely my 'Matchmaker' timeline.
This first chapter is a novelization of the Ch. 13 scene with Cordelia as Chrom's wife. Refer to 'Matchmaker' if you want background on the pairing, but if you're willing to roll with it, it's not a necessary read to enjoy this story. After this, the focus will shift to other pairings. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Awakening
Chrom found himself staring at a Risen assassin. He didn't have time to react, didn't have time to move. Though Robin dug into her cloak for her tome, he knew she wouldn't be fast enough.
"Father, no!"
What?
A body shoved him out of the way, long indigo-hair flashing across his vision. Marth...what was Marth doing here? Swords clanged together, and the assassin hissed. It vanished into the night.
Marth caught her breath, as he processed what just happened. She sheathed her Falchion, turning to face the lord. A smile crossed her face, "Thank the gods your safe!"
Chrom stared at her. "You called me 'Father,'" he said.
Marth flinched, "Did I? I..." She straightened, "Perhaps we might speak privately?"
He had no idea what was going on, and he was more confused by Marth than ever. "Perhaps we should, yes."
Robin let them go. Chrom expected her to reappear once she finished with her most urgent post-battle duties. He and Marth retreated to a clearing that offered them privacy. The swordwoman across from him gazed at the ground. She shook her head,
"I don't even know where to begin..."
"I already know you're not 'Marth,' though I've nothing better to call you," Chrom said. Marth was likely a name she had taken on, though for what reasons, he didn't know. "But I'll ask nothing of you that you don't wish to reveal. Whoever you are, Ylisse owes you a debt beyond repaying."
"Thank you," Marth lifted her head, "I think I would prefer you know the whole truth."
"As you wish."
"Here..." Marth gestured to her face, "Look closely and all will be made clear."
She took a deep breath. She walked up, and past Chrom, stopping close and turning. He examined her face. What did she want him to-
He gasped. In her left eye was... "That's the Brand of the Exalt..." She was of the exalted lineage! But that didn't explain...
A memory, of his newborn child in the castle. With her brand in the exact same place...
Gods above... "Lucina..." He whispered. How...? He looked down at the sword hanging at her side. The Falchion. Marth had been fighting all this time...Lucina had been fighting all this time."You deserved better from me then one sword and a world of trouble..." He whispered, "I'm sorry..." Sorry for not protecting her, for making it so she didn't have to take up the Falchion.
Tears gathered in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She shut her eyes and lowered her head, quiet sobs shaking her. What had she gone through? What had happened...to his child? He brought his hand to her face. Her eyes snapped open as he wiped away one of the tears. She met his eyes, buckling under some great pressure.
"Oh, Father!" She threw herself at him, hugging him tight, as if afraid he would disappear at any moment. He returned the embrace, placing a hand on her head as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Whatever she had been through, she was here now. He would protect her, keep her close.
Lucina cried and cried.
Chrom looked at the blue-haired girl in front of him, feeling an intense mixture of pride and affection. Her head lowered, she sniffled, and dried tear tracks remained, but she had calmed.
"Better, Lucina?" He asked.
Lucina nodded, rubbing her nose, "Yes. Father...I'm sorry. It all just rushed back at once..."
"Father..." Chrom whispered. He thought it would be a long while yet before he heard himself called that. Hearing it now felt odd, but lifting.
She flinched, a glimmer of fear in her eyes. Fear of what? "Should I call you something else then?" She asked, her voice timid.
He shook his head, giving her a reassuring smile, "No, it's just strange to my ear...I like it."
He was rewarded with a smile from her, and his heart warmed, "...Father!" She giggled, "Heh heh..."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "Hah! Yes, it will take some getting used to." This would all take getting used to. Lucina...his daughter...Fully grown and standing as strong, proud young woman before him...
"I'm sorry-Chrom?"
"Hmm?" The two of them turned at the new voice. Robin had caught up to them. She stood, her expression concerned. "Oh, Robin," Chrom said, "What is it?"
"It's just that..." she began, "You two are out here alone and Marth is...crying." She made an anxious gesture, "This is how ill rumors are born."
Chrom became aware of Cordelia, standing with her back to them. She muttered to herself, while fidgeting,
"It's alright Cordelia...it was nice while lasted...Just stay strong..."
"Cordelia?" He ventured, feeling a touch of concern, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" She insisted, without sounding very convincing, "Just mourning the end of a dream...She's very beautiful and I should have known it wouldn't last forever..."
Now he understood. "We need to tell her, Lucina," he informed his daughter.
Lucina nodded, "Of course."
Cordelia whirled around, "'Lucina?' But that's..."
"Cordelia," Chrom began, keeping his voice calm, "This will come as a shock but...I'll just say it," he gestured to the younger girl, "This is our daughter."
Cordelia froze. Her face scrunched in anger, "What!? What sort of cruel joke is this!?" She demanded.
"It's true Cordelia," Lucina said, "Look closely. Prove it with your own eyes by looking into mine."
Cordelia stepped forward, leaning in to examine the girl's eyes. She gasped, "That's the Brand!"
"The same Brand carried by all House Ylisse's bloodline," Chrom confirmed for her.
"Lucina's eye is exactly the same way..." Cordelia said, more to herself.
"You see now?" He asked.
She shook her head, "No, I don't. I really don't. If she's here..." her voice rose "Then what about our baby? Is she alright? Did something happen to her?"
"Peace, Cordelia," Chrom said.
"Your baby is right where you left her, and perfectly safe," Lucina said, "I am her from another time. From a time that is yet to be."
"You mean...the future?" Cordelia asked, her tone confused.
Lucina nodded, "Yes, more than ten years hence. After history takes a dark and most destructive turn..."
It was an incredible and dark tale. Of a future of destruction, of the only hope being a group of time travellers who had come in order to change the past for the better.
Cordelia hardly believed it. And yet...she couldn't deny the proof right in front of her.
She stood in front of Lucina...in front of her daughter. It was all so surreal...
"You are truly...my daughter...?" She asked.
Lucina nodded, "Yes. I swear it."
Cordelia took in Lucina's form. "You've grown up to be so strong and beautiful..." Cordelia whispered, "It truly is wonderful to see..."
"Thank you...milady."
Cordelia's lips quirked upward in amusement, "Milady? Do you not want to call me 'Mother?"
Lucina's form became far more fragile. She had gone through so much. So much pain and loss... "I...thought you might mind." Lucina admitted, an odd note in her tone.
Cordelia shook her head, "Of course not! I love you so very dearly..."
Lucina sniffed, and tears formed in her eyes, "Oh, Mother..."
Without needed further provocation, Cordelia came forward. Lucina closed the gap, and Cordelia pulled her tight. Lucina shivered and sobbed in her mother's arms. Cordelia tightened her grip. This was no dream, no joke, but true reality. Her daughter was here, and no matter the circumstances of it, Cordelia swore to herself she would be there for Lucina from then on.
"I'm so proud of you," Cordelia whispered to her daughter, "So very proud..."
"I've missed you more than you'll ever know..." Lucina choked, burying her face in her mother's shoulder.
Cordelia stroked Lucina's hair, running her hand through the dark blue locks. She placed her head on top of her daughter's, as the two of them took comfort in each other's presence.
Originally, there was a piece of dialogue that was a reference to 'Matchmaker,' but I decided to omit it and make the piece more standalone.
I have wanted to make a novelization of 'Marth No More' and the surrounding scenes for ages. Now that I have it out of my system, I can focus on fluff.
The title refers to the 'gathering' of the future children.