"Morgan, wait!" Lucina shouted as her daughter stormed out of the tent. Immediately the blue haired lord moved to follow after her, but before she could Robin stepped forward, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to stop her.
"Let her go. I know what she's going through: she needs some time to figure this out on her own," Robin explained, his tone gentle.
"Robin, you were willing to let me kill you when you found out the other you killed my father in my own timeline!" Lucina countered sharply.
Robin winced at this, his expression telling her everything she needed to know. He knew as well as she did that she was right. Her husband had practically been suicidal after learning that the other him from her own timeline had been responsible for her father's death
The tactician signed, his shoulders slumping, "Fair point," he admitted, rubbing his forehead wearily. "Still, my point stands. Morgan needs time to herself before we try to speak to her. At least time to calm down. I don't think she's going to do anything drastic just yet."
Lucina nodded, slumping back into her chair. She hated the thought of just sitting here and doing nothing, but… well, her husband was right. Morgan deserved a chance to figure things out on her own. Time at least until she was read to speak to them.
It was then that she noticed that Robin was hurrying around the tent, gathering up his sword and tomes from where he'd left them in one corner. Before she could ask her husband was he was up to, he'd already moved to stand in front of her, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Alright then, you ready to go?" he asked, buckling his sword to his belt.
"I thought you said we were going to leave Morgan to herself?" Lucina asked, bewildered by the sudden change.
"We still are," Robin said, simply. He shrugged, then continued, "We're going to have a word with the versions of your friends from this world. They've been hiding something, and I think we can make good guess now as to what. It's past time we got to the bottom of this. Whether they want to or not." He patted the hilt of his sword to punctuate his point.
Lucina nodded, her eyes narrowing instantly. Standing she grabbed Falchion from where it sat leaned against the back of her chair. "Lead the way," she said, buckling her own weapon to her side.
Exiting the tent, the two made their way through the camp. Before they could make it very far they nearly ran head first into the Inigo from their world, hurrying in the opposite direction.
"Is Morgan alright? I saw her running away from camp, she didn't stop when I tried to call out to her. What happened?" He asked, concern plain on the swordsman's features.
Lucina glanced at Robin, unsure how much they should tell him. While it was certain they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long, she wasn't sure if any of the other Shepherds should know about Morgan's past just yet, at least not until the situation was under control. If they found out it was inevitable that others would get involved, possibly even make things worse in the confusion that would break out. Still, Inigo is Morgan's boyfriend, Lucina reminded herself, chewing on her lower lip. He deserves to know.
Apparently Robin had come to the same conclusion, turning his attention back to Inigo to address the young swordsman directly. "I think its best if she's the one to explain it to you," Robin said at length. "She's upset and confused right now, More than she's ever been."
"You're going to help her, right?" Inigo asked, seeming even more worried now. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, evidently in the direction Morgan had gone.
Lucina watched Robin opened his mouth the answer, then froze, his expression brightening up in the way it always did when he had an idea. "No, we aren't. You are," he said, feeling a hint of a smile tugging at his lips."
Lucina's stiffened, surprised by the suggestion. However a moment later she relaxed, having taken her a moment to realise what Robin had.
"M-me? But why would you-" Inigo stuttered, seeming to be even more bewildered than Lucina had been.
"Because Morgan cares about you a great deal," Robin explained to Inigo, smiling gently now. "Look, I know I give you a hard time about dating my daughter, but I would never think of doing anything to keep you two apart, not when I can see just how close you are."
Lucina stepped forward then too, putting a hand on Inigo's shoulder. "Morgan trusts you, Inigo, and right now she needs you more than she needs me or Robin," she added, keeping her words gentle just as her husband had. "Please, do this for us."
Inigo slowly nodded, his expression becoming determined. "I understand. I won't let you down." With that the young swordsman hurried off in the direction Morgan had gone, Lucina watching him go until he had vanished from her sight.
Turning to look at her husband, she saw that he too was staring after the way Inigo had departed, his face now lined with open worry. It struck Lucina just how torn he seemed over his decision to not go to their daughter first, so sure had he seemed but moments before. For all his apparent confidence, she'd often forget just how little faith he put in his own choices, no so more true when it come to those he cared about.
Reaching out, Lucina took the tactician's hand in her's, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked to her in response to her touch. Their eyes met and Lucina smiled, "this is no time for second guessing your choice, my love. I am sure Inigo will be able to help Morgan, perhaps better than we could. After all, there is no one in this world better suited to help you than myself, and you for I. The same is true for them."
At once Robin's expression softened, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. He dipped his head, nodding in thanks. "Right. Shall we?" he asked, seriousness again taking hold of his tone.
Lucina nodded, and then they set off once more.
It didn't take long before they found the alternate versions of Inigo, Cynthia, Yarne, Brady, and Owain sitting around a small campfire along with their version of her younger sister and her cousin. They were chatting quietly amongst themselves, but fell silent at their approach, turning their gaze to herself and Robin.
"Cynthia, Owain, do you mind if we speak the the others alone in private?" Lucina asked the two that had come from the same world as her.
"Why? What's going on, Lucy?" her sister asked, looking between her and Robin with open confusion, having noticed the seriousness of their expressions.
"I'll explain later, please," Lucina asked, her voice firm.
Exchanging a quick glance between the two of them, her sister and cousin quickly stood, sparing only a single backward glance before hurrying away.
"Alright then," Robin said, turning to the others as soon as Cynthia and Owain were out of earshot. "I am going to be blunt for once in my life. You five know more than you're letting on. You recognised their counterparts, and not just because they are you. Not to mention I've noticed the weird looks you've been giving me and my daughter whenever you think we aren't looking.
Lucina watched as Robin crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing in a hard glare. The five seated before them seemed taken aback, shifting nervously under the hard gaze. "Look, normally I'm not one to get angry. I like to consider myself among the more level headed members of the walking social disaster that is the Shepherds. But this is different, it concerns my family. So I need answers. Now." Lucina felt a shiver run down her spine as her husband finished, utter silence falling over the spot. The calmness at which he spoke was somehow more unnerving than anger would have been.
The alternate versions of Inigo, Brady, and Owain exchanged hesitant looks, suddenly seeming very unsure what to do. Meanwhile the parallel Yarne was doing his best to shrink away from the others, lowering his head in an attempt to go unnoticed. Only the alternate version of her own sister seemed uncowed by Robin's displayed. Though she does look confused by the whole thing, Lucina noted, perhaps for some reason she doesn't know.
"Look here, we don't need none of this," Brady snapped, breaking the silence. His eyes were narrowed. "You can't just come 'ere and tell us what to do, not when we ain't done nothing wrong and-"
"Brady, its alright. They deserve to know," Inigo said, holding out a hand to still his friend. Brady scowled, but otherwise did was instructed, sitting back down with a grumble. Turning back to Lucina and Robin now, Inigo motioned to the unoccupied log in the loose circle, inviting the two of them to join him and the others. "You might want to sit down. This will take some explaining."
Nodding, Robin sat down, Lucina following her husband's lead a moment later. Once they were settled they turned their attention to the five alternates.
"We weren't really trying to hide it, we just, we weren't sure really to react to all this… well, again," Owain started, speaking softly and without his customary flamboyant speech.
"Again?" Robin asked, arching an eyebrow. Despite being posed as a question, something about his tone seemed to Lucina as if he already expected this response. Perhaps it having already been guessed before the conversation had even begun.
All five were silent for a long moment. Then Inigo sighed and nodded, picking up from where Owain left off "We recognised the other-use's before, thats why we were so unsure. Its because, you aren't the first ones to come here from another world."
This would have come as a shock to Lucina were in not have been for Morgan's revelation. She had already suspected this, as apparently had Robin, for he did not seem any more surprised than she. Morgan's mother certainly couldn't have been the version of herself born in this world; that Lucina would only be a few years older than Morgan.
The five alternates exchanged glances, apparently having noticed the lack of surprise on her and Robin's faces. However, they then turned their attention back to them, this time Inigo speaking.
"I don't remember much about it, I was too little at the time. I doubt the others remember much either. The only one who could explain it in full would be Lucina. Our, Lucina, the one from this world," Inigo added quickly, having noticed at once the possible source of confusion given just who he was speaking too.
"I barely remember any of this. So this is really a new to me!" the alternate Cynthia chimed in, perhaps a bit too cheerfully given the circumstances. "So come on, keep going. I want to hear this too!"
Brady shot Cynthia a glare, then spoke, picking up from where Inigo had left the story. "Years ago, must'a been round close to nineteen or twenty now, future versions of ourselves appeared from a world like this one, where things were about as much of an hell as the one were sittin' in. The Lucina from that world managed to arrive right in the nick of time to save Owain's mah from some Risen. Went on to start changing' things, made the war with Plegia less bloody than it coulda been."
Just like I did, Lucina thought, an sudden emptiness filling her heart. Is this world what would have happened had I not succeeded? She had never really considered the possibility that out there lay worlds where her efforts had been in vain, where she'd failed the people she cared about. How many other worlds have I failed? Was I simply one of the lucky ones? She averted her gaze, not wanting to look at those that another her… no, that she had failed. It did not matter if it was an alternate her or not… in the end, it could have been her, and then some other Lucina would be in her place.
"I take it you did much the same, didn't ya?" Brady asked, having noted the change in her expression. Lucina jumped slightly at this, surprised by the accuracy of his guess. "Yeah, we already figured as much. Figured you and all the other use's went back in time just like the ones in our world did."
Lucina dipped her head into a nod, signaling that he was indeed correct. "If I… she… the me that came to this world..." Lucina trailed off, fumbling over just how she should refer this other alternative her. Gods, time travel. Why can't this be simpler, she mused. Robin was starting to rub off in her that regard. "Whatever the case may be, if she managed to change the Plegian war's events, what happened? What went wrong for the world to still end up like… like my future?" She grimaced as she finished, gazing out over the blighted landscape around them.
This time it was Inigo who answered her question, "For a long while things seemed alright. Almost a decade passed in peace. I don't know the details, but at some point you, well, the version of you that came here revealed who she was. She helped our parents find the future use's, which took close to a year. The rest of us were born in the time after."
"Then the war with Valm happened, a decade hence the alter-Lucina's arrival," Owain said, his tone grim. "The conqueror launched an large invasion onto the continent. It look many bloody months of fighting to drive them whence they came. Longer strife followed as our parents took the fight to them, two years of ceaseless conflict before at last Walhart fell to my uncle's blade."
"Then the Fire Emblem was stolen by Validar," Yarne added, shuddering visibly. "Chrom was killed by this world's Robin, Grima was resurrected, it all happened anyways. Just like in the future the older me and all the others came from. It couldn't be changed."
Silence fell over them as the Taugel finished, the icy chill suddenly filling the air. Lucina looked to Robin, seeing that he wore an open grimace, unease filling his amber-brown eyes. Another moment passed before the tactician shifted in his seat, opening his mouth to speak. "What happened to the future versions of you. After I… the other me became Grima."
"After Chrom died the future Lucina gathered the other uses and a few of the Shepards for an last fool attempt to get the Emblem back. We only know what the survivors told us of the failed assault," Brady answered, his expression grim. "All the older use's, Queen Sumia, both of Kjelle's parents, Ingio's pa, Severa's ma, all of them dead. Only Owain's pa and ma, along with my ma made it out alive. They said that Lucina was the last to fall, confronting Grima all by her lonesome, even completely surrounded as she was." The priest trailed off, lowering his gaze.
"What about us?" Lucina asked, glancing at Robin as she spoke. It had come to the question that they were here for. "Did the other me and the Robin of this world have…" she trailed off, unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer.
Brady nodded. "She and the Robin of got hitched two years after she told 'eryone who she was. A year later she had twins. The girl was named Morgan, and her brother named Marc."
Marc, Lucina repeated his name in her head. Gods, I have a son. It felt unreal, almost as it had done when Morgan had first appeared, knowing in that moment that she would one day have children we the man she loved. This time however the joy was soured by the knowledge of that even now he was under Grima's will.
She felt Robin grip her hand, squeezing it tightly. Looking his way, she saw that her husband's face was too awash with a confusion of emotion. Hope, joy, fear, and sorrow were all there in equal measure, so had the confirmation of Morgan's revelation struck him. Their eyes met, the two exchanging a single look that said all they needed to.
We have a son.
"Both of them vanished years ago, not long after the older Lucina died," Inigo continued, elaborating on what Brady had said. "There have been… sightings of them since then. Rumors, really. Some of said they now follow Grima, but… well, none of us know for sure if its true or not."
Lucina nodded but otherwise said nothing. They knew the truth, that the two of them had indeed become Grima's servants. No, not both of them. Not anymore, Lucina reminded herself. Morgan isn't under his influence anymore. And gods willing, neither will Marc if we can manage it.
"So what happened in your world then?" Brady asked, "that's the one thing we've not figured? Are you from before all that happened? "Before you..." he paused, eyes narrowing as he turned his gaze on Robin. "... go and kill Chrom? Go and cause all this?" he motioned around him with one hand.
Robin shook his head. "It didn't happen. Won't happen. We stopped Grima in our world. Made sure he never comes back." He paused, during which looks of surprise and disbelief fell over the faces of the five seated before them. "From the sound of it things played out in my world exactly like they did here until two years after the war with Plegia. In our world the war with Valm happened sooner, before Walhart has fully consolidated his power. Something must have changed to set things in motion earlier in my world, or perhaps to delay his invasion here."
He paused again, his expression thoughtful. Then he shook his head, as if snapping out of a tance. "At any rate, things played out differently at this point. Basilio faked his death, which let us swap out the Gemstones with fake ones in secret. When Valadir stole the Emblem, he didn't get the full thing. His magic was weaker, so I managed to stop myself from killing Chrom."
The five seated before them seemed startled by this, looks now of wonder falling over their faces. They looked to each other for confirmation, as if not sure if they should dare grasp upon this new hope, not after hope had failed them so many times before. "You mean… you mean we have a chance?" Cynthia asked, looking between Lucina and the tactician seated next to her with wide eyes. "You beat him, and if you're here then…"
"Even with the appearance of our parents from this world, we did not dare seize the fickle offer of salvation that the cruel mistress of fate has presented us," Owain continued, his eyes suddenly burning with a fire. He stood, his voice rising to a shout. "But if the great beast that has spread oblivion across these desolate lands of death can indeed fall, than by the gods shall it be so once again. My sword hand twitches once more. It yearns again for battle!"
"Oh gods, look at what you've done," the alternate Inigo groaned, shaking his head. "And here I'd started to get used to the peace and quiet. Still, I suppose it can't be helped," he grinned now, his shoulders seeming to lift up at the news.
As the excited chatter continued between the five alternates Lucina and Robin made their excuses and left them to revel in their new found hope. Afterall, they themselves now had much to consider on their own.
. . . . .
For gods know how long Morgan ran. The world around her had become a blur of sights and sounds she paid little heed. The sound of her footsteps beating against the dry, cracked earth, , the rhythm of her breathing, and the heavy beats of her heart melded together into a continues music the blotted out all other sounds. She did not care if others saw her then. She just wanted to be alone.
After what felt like an eternity Morgan began to slow, her muscles burning with each moment. Her breathing came in harsh gasps as she struggled to refill her spent lungs. Coming to a full stop, the young tactician gazed around her for the first time. She had broken free from the treeline, the sky before her free of the canopy of dead, bare branches that had hung over her but moments before. She was on the top of a steep hill, the land sloping down to reveal a wide, bare plane of patched, gray rock and dust. A world dead and empty. A world she helped ruin.
Tears spilled from her eyes, falling like rain down her cheeks. She was a monster. How could she face Mother or Father again, knowing what she'd must have done? How could she face her friends, she'd tried to kill them in this world, as if they hadn't meant anything to her? Gods, how could she face Inigo? Had she cared about him at some point in this world too? Had that even mattered to her?
Choking back a sob, Morgan staggered to the hill's crest. Dropping down, she sat there on the brink, arm wrapped around herself as she cried openly, no longer caring who heard or saw. She did not care if Risen found her, alone and helpless. She did not care if any of her friends saw her like this. She did not care.
"Morgan?" a soft voice called out from behind her, laced with uncertainty.
The young tactician jumped at the sound. Turning, she was suprised to find Inigo standing a few paces behind her. He gazed at her with evident concern, his gray eyes filled with worry.
"Go away, I don't want to talk to you," Morgan told him, turning away once more. "I'm a monster, you should find someone else. Someone else that doesn't hurt people."
"Morgan, what are you talking about? Why would you even think like that?" she heard him ask, confusion filling her voice. Out of the corner of her eye Morgan watched as Inigo stepped closer, until his now stood next to her.
"You don't understand, you don't know what I did," Morgan sobbed, burring her face in her hands.
Out of the corner of her eye Morgan watched as Inigo sat down next to her.
Morgan heart a crunch of dead leaves and grass cracking as Inigo sat down next to her. "I won't know unless you tell me. What's the matter? You can tell me you know."
Lifting her head from her hands, Morgan shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze. "I'm too scared. I'm afraid if you find out, you'll… you'll hate me. See me for the monster I... " she trailed off with another sob.
A hand brushed against her arm, its touch gentle. "I would never hate you. I promise," he said, his voice so filled with conviction as he spoke those words that it almost surprised Morgan. "Please, I can't stand seeing you like this. I want to help you, but I can't unless you tell me what's the matter."
After a moment Morgan nodded. Slowly she began her tale, retelling everything that had happened since the day before. She told him of those final moments on the clip, the flashes of memory before she passed out. She told him of the dream she'd had, a dream filled with the memories of her final moments before she'd been sent back in time, culminating in the revelation of her past.
Silence fell as Morgan finished. Inigo said nothing, his expression unreadable as he seemed to process all that she had said. Minutes ticked by, until Morgan could barely take it. Couldn't he just get it over with. Just tell he how much he loathed her now?
"Just get on with it, tell me. Tell me that I'm a monster, tell me that I should be sickened by what I must of done. Gods, Inigo, how many did I kill. I'm a murder, I'm-" she babbled, unable to contain it any longer.
"-aren't a monster, not to me." Inigo interrupted, speaking so gently that she almost did not hear him over her own tirade.
Morgan froze, staring at him in wonder. "But… how… I..." she tried to ask, words failing her.
"Morgan, what happened doesn't change anything. I didn't know you then, but I know you now. That's more important to me than anything that's already happened," he explained. Reaching out with one hand, her boyfriend brushed the tears from her deep gray eyes peered into her's understanding and support radiation from his gaze, which Morgan was shocked to see was joined by pain. Pain as seeing her like this, torn apart by guilt and loathing for what she'd done. "Don't blame yourself, Morgan. None of us hate you. Please, I can't stand to see beating yourself up like this. This isn't the Morgan I know."
Morgan blinked back fresh tears. "I wish I could…" she whispered.
"Morgan, You must have been only a kid when Grima took over, you probably didn't have a choice in the matter. You were afraid and alone, which Grima would have used to control you," he continued
Morgan nodded slowly, her heart aching at. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve his love and support. It almost would have been easier if he had hated her, decided he wanted nothing to do with her. Instead he still cared about her, despite everything, and she hadn't even considered that seeing her hurting would hurt him too. "I'll try…." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I'll try to… I just don't know if I can live with myself."
"I know you can. You are the strongest person I know," her boyfriend told her, gently running a hand through her hair. "Besides, you aren't the same Morgan who did those things," Inigo added simply, smiling.
"How can that be true, I remembered…" Morgan started to argue, only to stop as Inigo shook it head.
"Just because you were her at some point doesn't mean that the you right here and now is that Morgan. People can change, and trust me, the Morgan I know would never do the things the past you might have," Inigo explained, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Look at me for example, I used to be a hopeless philanderer, and now I've been in a committed relationship for two years now."
"You sure that's because you changed? I always figured the only difference was that you actually got a girlfriend for once," Morgan teased, the words coming on reflex. She froze, wondering at it. For a single moment she'd felt… happy… she hadn't even thought about it.
"Ah, see, that's the Morgan I know and loved and occasionally tolerates me," her boyfriend laughed, tousling her hair with a hand.
Stifling an involuntary giggle, Morgan swatted his hand away. "Cut it out, I'm not in the mood," she protested.
"Too, bad. I'm already halfway through operation 'cheer Morgan up'. Too late to turn back now," Inigo replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side.
Morgan struggled for another moment, then, realising it was hopeless, relaxed, resting against her boyfriend's shoulder. "You're soft," she mumbled a moment later, exhaustion sweeping over her all at once,
"Better?" he asked after a moment.
Morgan nodded slowly. Bringing a hand up to her face she wiped away the wetness from her eyes, a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh falling from her lips.
"Morgan, I promise you it will get better. No matter what you did before, you can't change it. All you can do is focus on being the you who you are right now, and do your best to make up for the bad things with good things. Owain would probably describe it as an 'ceaseless quest for redemption for a dark past', but I think my way was less pretentious," Inigo said, speaking softly. "There's also another other point of comfort. The way I see it, you ended up meeting me and everyone else because the old you turned against Grima in the end. You were brave, doing the right thing, and because of it you got this second chance. Don't waste it moping around,"
Morgan nodded again. For several long moments she sat there in silence, considering what he said. "You really think it'll get better? For really real?" she asked, speaking up at last. Lifting her head from his shoulder she met his gaze, peering into his gray eyes.
"I know so," he said.
"Good, Morgan whispered, leaning back against him.
For how long they sat there, gazing out over the blighted landscape that stretched before, Morgan did not know. Time itself seemed to have fallen away into unimportance. In that moment they were alone, the only two people in the whole of the universe. Then, like a broken spell, the moment faded, concerns and thoughts of the waking world again tying her once more into the here and now.
Pulling away from her boyfriend's side, Morgan sighed deeply. "We better get back to camp. Mother and father are probably worried sick about me, and I… I owe them an apology. I shouted at them and I didn't really mean it," she explained.
Inigo nodded. Standing, he extended a hand to her, Morgan taking it so he could help her to his feet. "Right then, we best get going then." The white haired swordsman smiled gently at her, half bowing and holding out an arm in invitation for her to take the lead.
Taking a single step, Morgan stopped, turning back to look at him. "Inigo?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you… I… I don't know what I would have done without you. Thank you for being there for me."
"There's no need to thank me, Morgan. I only did what anyone would have done, really," Inigo replied, his cheeks flushing in response to her worlds.
Turning back to camp, Morgan found herself smiling. It wasn't a particularly happy smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Heading back to camp, Morgan found her parents seated near it's edge, talking quietly amongst themselves. She came to a stop, suddenly hesitant to continue forward. She looked to Inigo for support, who just nodded and motioned for her to go on.
Leaving her boyfriend at the treeline at the clearing's edge, Morgan slowly approached her parents. Her parents raised their heads at the sound of her approach, their expressions at once softening as they recognised her.
"Mother, Father… I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it, and I just ran out. I was so upset and-" Morgan started to say, only to be silenced as her parents sprung to their feet, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Its alright, we're not angry at you. All we care is that you're alright. You were so upset, we were worried about you," her mother said, holding her tighter.
"I'm fine Mom, I just… Inigo helped me figure things out. See, I'm all better now." Morgan tried to wriggle out from her mother's arms, determined to show them the smile she'd put on her face.
At last managing to break free, Morgan staggered back a step, nearly toppling over if not for her parents stepping forward to steady her. Returning to their seats a moment later, they made room on the fallen log so she could sit between them.
"While you were gone we found out from the other children in this world what happened here, in your world I guess. If you want, we could tell you about it, fill in some of the blanks. That is, if you don't think it will be painful to hear or anything," her father explained, his amber-brown eyes glistening with the same compassion they always seemed to contain.
"No, its alright. I want to hear this," Morgan replied, her expression hardening as she prepared herself for the story.
It took several minutes for her parents to relay what they had been told, Morgan staying silent throughout the whole tale. When they at last finished Morgan remained quiet for several long moments, trying her best to process what she'd learned.
"So my mother… the you from this world died, huh. I wonder if that's why I could never remember anything about you before." she said, looking up at her mother's face, then to her father's "And you killed Grampa here, despite everything. I'm glad things turned out better back home... I don't think I would want to go through that again, even if I don't remember the first time." Morgan sniffed, wiping her eyes.
"Are you sure you're alright, Morgan?" her mother asked, concern clear in her voice.
"Not exactly, but I'm better," Morgan replied honestly, shaking her head. "But I'm getting better. I think… think I can live with this. Besides, I know what I need to do now, I need to make things right. Help save this world, undo the damage I've done." Morgan paused, then added. "Not just for me, but for my brother too. He must still be out there somewhere, still working for Grima. Lost like I was."'
When we spoke to the others from this world, they told us a bit more," her father replied gently, putting a hand on her arm. "Its not much, but we now know his name is Marc, and he's your twin brother,"
"Marc," Morgan repeated to herself. Gods, I have a twin. "We need to find him."
"Don't worry Morgan, we'll find him," her father assured her.
"Good," Morgan whispered. Tears began to well in her eyes, no longer able to contain the confused torrent of emotions the day had brought her. Grabbing onto her mother with one arm, her father with the other, Morgan pulled them closer to her embrace. She felt their arms wrap around her as they picked up on her intention, the two of them holding her tightly.
"Father, I just want to say… thank you. For helping me. I guess if you hadn't spoken to me back on that plateau, I probably still be working for Grima right now," Morgan said, breaking at last from their embrace. She sniffed, wiping the wetness from her eyes. "I guess I did the right thing, huh?"
Her father smiled at her, nodding his head. "You did, and because of it you caused more good than either of us even realised. Though I'm likely biased in that regard: if you hadn't gone back your mother and I wouldn't have had our wonderful daughter there to help us through the past few years." Her father paused, his expression going blank for a moment processing something. Then he groaned, burying his face in one palm. "Gods, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have come back in time. And I would have never recognised you if you hadn't come back in time I would have never recognised you during the battle. Between the two of us, we've spat in the face of cause and effect."
"I don't think we can ever escape the mess our little family as made with time. Our little paradoxical daughter completes the set," Morgan's mother said, her eyes beaming with laughter.
"Speaking of which, Morgan, I need to ask you something," her father said, his expression suddenly very serious. Then just as Morgan began to wonder what was bothering him his face broke into a sudden smile. "Can I have my book back? The one I gave you yesterday. You already have a copy after all."
"No way, you gave it to me fair and square," Morgan answered, doing her best mischievous smile.
"Oh come on, give it here," her father laughed, reaching for the pockets of her tactician's coat.
"Cut it out dad! No take backs!" Morgan said, leaning away from him flailing her arms to swat him away. Her laughter joined his as they continued to fight over the book, Morgan eventually losing her balance and tumbling back to the ground.
"Ah-ha!" her father shouted, snatching the book away. "Victory is mine!"
"Never!" Morgan shouted, rolling to her feet. She sprinted after her father as he turned to run, chasing him in circles the while her mother just sat there shaking her head in bemusement, a smile on her face.
With one last burst of speed, Morgan tackled her father to the ground, the two of them laughing as the rolling in the dirting. Seizing the book, Morgan rolled onto her back, gasping for hair between bursts of vocalized merriment.
"Why must the two of you act like such children?" Morgan's mother laughed as she walked over to where they lay, helping them both herself and her father to their feet.
"I figured it was part of our charm," the older tactician answered.
"Besides, I still am a kid. And he started it!" Morgan added, pointing a finger.
Her mother only shook her head again and sighed. "Come on, lets get you two cleaned up," leading the dirt and dust covered duo back to their tent.
As they walked Morgan continued to smile to herself. Right then she felt happy, truly and honestly happy for the first time that day. The guilt from before had not fully faded away, but it was now under control. Perhaps she could never fully atone for what she'd done, but she could strive to do better than the old her had. Inigo was right, she was not bound by her past. Nor was she bound by the future she'd once had, a future now disowned by time.
Author's Note: Whoa, this chapter ended up way longer than I expected. The exposition dump, its too strong!
So, there we have it, I have no revealed the main details behind what happened in the Future Past timeline and how it connects to the game's events. If you are still a bit confused, allow me to say this, basically the story is based on a theory that the FP timeline is basically a failed version of the Game's timeline in which Lucina and the other future kids went back in time but Grima won anyways. It was during this timeline that Morgan was born, making the Future Past world also her home timeline.
Anyhow, I am curious to hear what you guys think, so please, let me know :D
Since this chapter came out so soon after the last one, and due to school work picking up, I am planning on taking an extra week between now and the next chapter to give myself some breathing room. So yeah, expect chapter 8 in three weeks from now instead of the usual two.