.

"Just wait for me to get a little taller... okay?"

.

.

The peace that the halidom of Ylisse had enjoyed for two years met an unfortunately swift end.

Its neighbor, Plegia, had apparently gotten restless in the ceasefire since its previous ruler, the Mad King Gangrel, had been defeated. News of a rising empire across the sea also threatened Ylisse and its northern ally. The newly crowned Exalt could not remain in the castle when his people needed him, and so he marched with his forces and closest friends, the Shepherds. It was unorthodox (not to mention highly dangerous) for the ruler to lead the fight from the frontlines, but he wasn't the first to have done so. The Hero-King of legend had stood with his soldiers, brave and just.

It was Chrom's hope that, if (gods forbid) war broke out once more in the future, he wouldn't be the last.

Out of this band of closely knit and sometimes eccentric soldiers, two in particular are important to this tale.

And it all starts with an innocent question to a time-traveling warrior...

"Marth - ah, sorry," the ginger-haired young man immediately apologized for his mistake. "I don't know your real name."

"Lucina," offered the princess.

Her navy locks could belong to none other than a person of Exalted blood, and if anyone had doubts they only had to peer closely at her left eye for the mark of Naga to prove it. It was strange meeting this young lady, especially since Chrom had begrudgingly left the infant Lucina of the present behind, in the hands of a nursemaid. She was calm, steady, and treated everyone with utmost respect. Anyone could see she was worthy of the title "lord."

Looking a bit embarrassed that a girl whose presentime self wasn't even two-years-old was still taller than him, Ricken continued sheepishly with his question: "Lucina, did you know me? In the future?"

"Or me," piped up a brunette in dark mage garb. Curiosity of the future was contagious.

Lucina thought carefully on her answer. "Vaguely," she admitted, lips curving downwards. "All of the Shepherds were... gone, in my time."

"Oh." Saddened by the news, Ricken apologized once more. "Sorry I asked."

"It is all right." It was a bit disarming to hear Chrom's daughter be so formal, considering the man leaned towards more common vernacular. "Battling against Grima and his scourge, we became our own family."

Eyebrows rising, the other woman parroted, " "We"?"

"The next generation."

"Wait, there are more of you?"

This question caused Lucina's frown to morph into a confused one. "Is it really so surprising? Many of the Shepherds settled down and started families."

"They did?"

Indeed, most, if not all, had found companionship in the camp. Several were dating, and a few had even proposed. But the concept of having children threw both Ricken and his intended - Maygen, the brunette beside him - for a loop.

"Yes."

Both Shepherds shared uncertain glances.

Catching this, Lucina's head tilted a fraction. "You mean, you two haven't...?"

There was a wealth of questions hidden in that unfinished sentence. Face burning brightly, Ricken blurted, "No, we haven't - I mean, we've -"

"We're engaged," Maygen cut in, a bit better at controlling her embarrassment. But her gaze fell as she muttered, "Does... that mean we have...?"

Despite trailing off, the princess understood, and a nod was her answer.

"Gods..." Thin fingers sought purchase on Ricken's cloak. Maygen murmured, "I can't believe I... that I'm a..."

"And I'm a..."

Falling silent, both of them tried to wrap their heads around this shocking discovery. To commit to one another was one thing... but to have a child to raise and care for was terrifying. The brunette looked like she was trying not to have a panic attack. Her fiance wasn't faring too well, either.

This time, it was Lucina who apologized. "I didn't mean to alarm you. I suppose, because my own father recognized me, I had thought you were already aware."

Ricken swallowed. "No. We haven't talked about having k-kids."

"I'm not sure I'm ready for a child," the brunette whispered, taking a deep, steadying breath.

"Oh."

It was strange to get such a short, lacking response from a seemingly well-educated young woman. It sort of shattered the image of "perfect, untouchable warrior" that had been sitting on everyone's minds for the past two years.

Pursing her lips, Lucina went on more carefully, "Then I suppose it was smart of me to warn you both. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you would have reacted to meeting the two of them."

The man's face grew paler as his fiance took a turn at blurting out her shock.

"There's two of them?!"

.

This series was written for a challenge on WriterVerse using various prompts, most from a prompt-table challenge. It's fairly slice-of-life-y, has three OCs (one adult and two future-gen), and lacking in plot, but hopefully someone will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Let me tell you, any excuse to write mushy family moments is a good excuse.

-Dragon