Author's Note: Okay I lied, this has been my favorite chapter to write so far. To make up for last week's shorter chapter, this one is almost twice as long and jam-packed with content! Although, quick trigger warning, there is a mention of implied rape in this one (although it is just a quick mention…but it's also a pretty big plot point), and that's one of the reasons I decided on rating this story with an M. But other than that, I hope you all enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated and if you liked to chapter, give it a follow and get notified when the next chapter is up!

The sound of metal crashing against metal echoed over the field. Lucina, trying to parry her father's vicious slew of attacks, had finally gotten her father to a stalemate, their blades screeching as neither could overwhelm the strength of the other. "Wow," Chrom huffed, "you're starting to get pretty good at this."

Smirking, Lucina replied, "Oh, father, you're much too kind, but…" remembering her previous fight with Morgan, she rose her boot and sent her heel into her father's gut, sending him flying across the field, "perhaps 'pretty good' is a bit of an understatement!"

Hacking and trying to regain control of his breath, Chrom gasped, "okay, maybe you're right. But did you really have to hit me that hard?"

"Maybe not, but it was pretty funny anyway."

"Gods, you're just like Lissa! Not as delicate, though."

They both laughed. Neither of them could even begin to imagine that they would ever be able to laugh together before. They cherished this moment dearly.

Ever since they had first met each other on the hilltop field, they had been training nonstop; Naga's power kept them constantly energized and hydrated and healed any wound they received almost immediately. There was no need for breaks when they could spar like this endlessly, and besides, Lucina found it fun being able to spend time with her father. They had spent more than a month in Naga's realm.

Lucina was also a fast learner, a fact that Chrom would comment on often. Techniques that took him months to master took her mere days, and although she kept asserting that she had already figured out most of the basics back in the woods when she heard his voice, he was convinced that it was a natural predisposition. True, when she had first displayed the little knowledge she had of swordplay, it was only barely passable (it was effective, but definitely not efficient), but Chrom knew that all she lacked was someone to teach her in proper. And now that he was able to mentor her, she had all the tools she needed to become a great swordswoman. She had all the pieces, it just took a bit of help from Chrom for her to put them all together.

As Chrom pushed himself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off of his trousers, Naga's voice echoed through the sky. "Like father, like daughter. So, Chrom, what do you think?"

"She picks things up fast, that's for sure. Her technique is so clean, it's strange to think that she just began to learn swordplay. It's like she's been doing it her whole life!" He glanced at his daughter sheepishly.

Blushing, Lucina stammered, "O-oh, it's…I can't be nearly as good as you, father. I still need to work at it."

He neared Lucina, sheathing his own Falchion. "That's nonsense, Lucina. Your fluidity, strength, and even your general battle smarts…you're absolutely amazing!"

"He's right, Lucina," Naga's voice resounded, "true, it's only been a month, but I sincerely believe you are capable of much more than you give yourself credit for. You are powerful, Lucina, in more ways than one."

"But…"

Before she could say anything, Chrom interrupted. "Let's try this: we'll spar one final time. I promise, I won't hold back, but only under one condition: you have to fight as if your life depends on it. Right now, we'll fight with the intention to subdue, but you must have the mentality to kill. Do these conditions sound good to you."

Nodding, Lucina drew Falchion before her, readying her stance. "That's acceptable to me, father."

Smiling, Chrom did the same. "Good. Then let's get this started." Without hesitation, he unsheathed his Falchion and, twirling it until its point faced his foe, lunged towards Lucina. She quickly brought her own blade to her side, deflecting her father's blow, and turned to move behind him. In one swift motion, she swept at her father's legs, to which he rolled out of the blade's path. As he turned to face her, he used his momentum to throw the edge of the blade towards her torso. She blocked the blow, but the strength of his swing was enough to knock her off balance and throw her to the side.

Lucina prevented inertia from taking its course by driving Falchion's tip into the ground, stopping her from flying any further. Again assuming an offensive stance, she leapt towards her father, a flurry of swift blows puncturing the air around them. They hacked away at each other, neither capable of successfully landing a blow. They both jumped backwards, staring each other down. Lucina rose her blade up next to her face, pointed toward her opponent. "You're a good teacher, father."

"Thanks," he began, "I really do try my—" before he could finish, Lucina lunged forward, swinging down her sword. "Woah, hold on!"

Lucina's assault didn't end. "Sorry, there's no 'holding on' in combat, father!" Her slashes were succinct and efficient, but it was an elbow to his face that brought Chrom to the ground. His Falchion flew from his hands out onto the ground. He brought his hands to his nose as he groaned in pain. Suddenly, the point of a familiar blade was jutting towards his face, and his eyes widened. And there she was, Lucina, his daughter, standing before him on the other side of the sword.

As Naga's power brought the ache in Chrom's nose to subside, he smiled. "Well, I guess you showed me, huh?" Lucina offered her hand to her father helped to pull him up. "It's nice to know that your child is better than you. It's reassuring, almost."

Naga's voice sounded through the air once again. "I think you've been here long enough; it's one thing to spar with a willing partner, but a true battle is something different entirely."

The smile on Chrom's face faded into a stern look. "That's right, Lucina. I might have taught you everything I possibly can, but not everything I've shown you is guaranteed to work against every enemy. You need the experience of the real world. I'm not able to guide you in every possible situation. At some point, you need to be able to make split second decisions based on your own judgement."

"Perhaps it's time we send you back home, Lucina."

"Wait!" Lucina shouted. Chrom raised a brow. "We've spent this whole time solely for training but…I've never known what it was like to have a father before now. Can I just…spend some time with him? Talk with him maybe? I know I might never have this chance again…so please, could you grant me just a little bit of time to speak with him as a daughter?"

Thankfully, Naga smiled upon her again. "Of course, take the time you need. Whenever you are ready to return home, just call for me."

Her voice almost whisked away, leaving the former exalt and his child alone in the silence.

"So, father, what was life like before I was born? Sure, I've asked aunt Lissa thousands of times, but I want to know your perspective too." The pair sat on the steps leading down to the shrine.

"Well…" Chrom scratched at his chin, "Ylisse didn't have an active military, so we formed the Shepherds—we were just a small group of soldiers that went around the kingdom to make sure that people weren't making any trouble. My older sister, Emmeryn, she really hated fighting, but we had to have some kind of policing force, you know? And that's where we came in."

"Do you still remember everyone?"

"Oh, definitely. There were a lot of…um, let's just say 'personality,' within the group. Of course, there was me and Lissa, but we also had our personal knight, Frederick, travel with us."

Lucina nodded, "Yes, I remember aunt Lissa telling me about him."

"Oh? Did she also tell you that he loved to be a stick up our asses? They called him Frederick the Wary for a reason…he'd literally clear pebbles out of the way for us. He was suspicious of literally anyone who'd even look at us…that man just wouldn't take a break!"

They both laughed. "What about mother?"

A look of regretful nostalgia filled his eyes. "Sumia…damn, I could never forget the day she saved me from an onslaught of archers. She swept me off my feet…literally. She swooped in on her pegasus and plucked me off the ground before I could get myself killed. I honestly owed her my life. But…I wasn't able to protect her like she protected me. It was only a little after you were born when she died…if only I had been a little more careful…"

When Lucina realized that her father was pained by his own words, she decided to change the subject. "What about the other Shepherds? What were they like?"

Chrom's face lit up once again when she asked him. He told about Vaike, who had forgotten his weapon on his first expedition. About Sully, the tough cavalier who fought with passion and ferocity. About Stahl, who could eat an entire camp's worth of food in one sitting. About Henry and Tharja, two Plegian mages who defected from their homeland to fight for the Shepherds. About the prim and proper Maribelle, and the perfect pegasus knight, Cordelia. He told her of Donnel, the young farm boy who wore a pot on his head in battle yet quickly became one of the strongest members of their group, and of Nowi, the Manakete who looked about two thousand years younger than she actually was. Of Ricken, the young mage who had an obvious crush on Lissa. Of Panne, the Taugel woman who could morph into a beast (a beast of a bunny, that is). Of Gregor's quirky personality and of Miriel's academic prestige. He even talked about Kellam, the armored knight that, for some reason, could never be found. Though she knew the Shepherds were long gone, Lucina felt as if they were greeting her themselves the way Chrom talked about them.

But there was one person that Lucina noticed was not mentioned. "What about Robin?"

The light began to fade from Chrom's eyes. "Robin…ah, well. She was a talented tactician."

"That's all?" Lucina asked. "You spoke so highly about everyone else…why not Robin?" Chrom's eyes filled with a sadness that Lucina recognized as a sign of incurable pain. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, "I shouldn't have asked."

"No," Chrom said, "you deserve the truth. I'm sorry I wasn't able to muster the courage to tell you up front." He took a deep breath and followed with a long, strained exhale. "What I said before was true—Robin was one hell of a tactician. She was able to see through our enemies' plans with ease, and she helped us out of more than one troubling situation. She was absolutely incredible. But her true identity was something that none of us could have guessed. She was the child of a man named Validar, a Grimleal who aimed to resurrect Grima. Robin was born to be the vessel for which Grima would take form, and so he had a certain amount of…influence…over her." He looked towards the ground one final time before looking into Lucina's eyes. "She began to lose control of herself. She started becoming Grima. And many of the Shepherds became skeptical, especially Frederick. But I believed in her…she had been loyal to us for so long, it would have been a disservice not to. And in what was to be our final battle with Validar…she lost control again. It costed the lives of every single Shepherd, save for Lissa, who stayed at the castle watching over you. Grima gained full influence over her…and honestly, the thing I regret the most is that, just like with Sumia, I couldn't save her."

"You're…you're not upset with Robin?"

Chrom scratched the back of his head. "Hm, well, not exactly. Robin was no less a victim than anyone else who died that day. While I cannot excuse the death of my friends, I know that in the depths of her heart, she valued the Shepherds just as much as I did. If she was truly able to control it, this wouldn't have happened. I can't blame her for something that she wasn't truly responsible for. The person who killed me and my friends was no longer Robin, so I can't really be upset with her. It wasn't really her fault."

Nodding, Lucina faced her father, "I understand. I see why you were so respected as a leader, father. Trust creates the foundation of a bond, and I can tell that your bond with Robin is something that cannot be broken."

"Is?"

"Yes. Even now, your bond exists with such impressive strength. Like I said, it cannot be broken, even in death."

Chrom looked towards the azure sky. "Damn, Sumia, if only you could see your daughter now. Naga granted us with one incredible child." He turned back to Lucina. "Well, I don't want to keep Lissa waiting…she gets impatient when she's anxious."

"Wait!" Lucina exclaimed, "I have one more question for you."

"And what would that be?"

"There's a boy named Morgan. He keeps claiming to be my brother…that you're his father…but mother died right after I was born, correct? He must be lying, right?"

Chrom grimaced once more, unable to look Lucina in the eye. "No…he's not lying." The puzzled expression on Lucina's face was enough to prompt a more thorough explanation. "Unlike the rest of the Shepherds, Robin…or Grima, I should say, kept me alive. She used some strange type of magic…she used no tomes, just the words of her mouth. It found me unconscious and numb, and soon after, I found myself locked in a cell, unable to move or even feel my body. She kept going on about needing another vessel once Robin's body began to deteriorate. About how the mixing of fallen and exalted blood would be the ultimate mockery to Naga. And so, before she killed me…she…she ensured that I provided her with a child. I couldn't fight against it…whatever magic she used on me kept me incapacitated—I couldn't move, I had not control of my own body. And so, until the day she confirmed that she was pregnant…she forced herself upon me every night. Gods, I hope that Sumia could forgive me. I hated every moment of it…it might've been the closest thing to hell that I've ever experienced."

In silence, he reflected, and Lucina noticed that he held his breaths even longer. So Morgan truly was her brother. This definitely explained the brand he bore, but…for some reason, for the first time in her life, Lucina wished that she had gotten a half-truth.

"Ah, so are you prepared to return home, Lucina?"

"Yes, Lady Naga."

They had returned to the shrine, and stood in front of the old, weathered statue. Lucina turned to her father one final time. "I'm going to miss you…I'm glad I had this chance to see you one final time." She threw her arms around him, and he began to stroke her soft tresses. A part of her wished that this moment could be eternal, but she knew that she had to return to her world, for the sake of everyone who lost their lives battling the darkness.

"I believe in you, Lucina," Chrom whispered gently with a smile, "and I just want you to know that I love you. It's been eighteen years since I've been able to say that."

They were hesitant to break from each other's embrace, but soon enough, Lucina loosened her grip. "Well, Lady Naga, I think I'm ready to go."

Her motherly voice almost seemed to cradle Lucina. "Of course, dear."

A circle of holy light began to circle around Lucina, and slowly, she began to vanish. "Hey, Lucina," her father called out to her, "make sure you tell your aunt Lissa I say 'hi.' And…tell her that I'm sorry for breaking our promise."

Lucina nodded. "Of course. Goodbye, father." Her form faded away with three final words. "I love you."

A smile, as pained as it was, was painted across Chrom's face. "I love you, Lucina."

She was glad that a smile was the last thing she was able to see on her father's face as she was transported back to her own world.

Chrom turned to look back at the statue behind him. "She's really something else…"

"She's much like the man of that statue," Naga interjected, "even Tiki noticed it."

As Chrom began to vanish from existence, he said, "Yeah, I think she could give the Hero King a run for his money. But thank you, Lady Naga. You've watched over her for all her life, even when I couldn't. And now, I can finally say that I acted like a true father. So, thank you. I left Lucina with quite the destiny…I'm glad I was given the opportunity to help her."

"You're quite welcome, Chrom. Lucina is strong…everything rides on her now. You've done well to make sure this runs smoothly."

His form was almost entirely dematerialized. "I believe in her. The future truly is in her hands." And with that, he vanished, leaving Naga's voice unaccompanied by anyone.

Lucina's eyes flashed open; in front of her was Tiki, her fingers still pressed against her forehead. "Lucina, are you okay? You were out cold for a few seconds." Lissa was right behind her, supporting her by the shoulders.

"A few seconds?"

"Time in Naga's realm flows much more quickly than it does here," Tiki explained, "so, was your time with Mother pleasant?"

Lucina nodded quickly. "Yes…it was wonderful."

"What happened?" Lissa asked.

She turned to face her aunt as she released her shoulders from her grip. "Well…in short, father says 'hi,' and he says that he apologizes for breaking his promise. I'm not entirely sure what he was talking about, but—"

"That dummy," Lissa interrupted, "did he really think he had to apologize for that? Of course I'd forgive him!" Tears filled her eyes, and Lucina took her aunt into her embrace.

"Father is doing well. He's doing very well. He taught me many things while I was with Naga. I'm going to fix this world, I swear it."

And so, there they were, atop the Mila Tree. The last remaining Shepherd and the woman who swore to bring balance back to the world.

But for now, Lucina tried to engrave the sight of her father's smile into her mind.