Daughter
Here comes baby!... Number two? Waaaait a second-_-...
Pardon me for bending the rules of the canon universe, I just feel that the avatar should have had twins. Besides, is it really so far-fetched to say that the Morgans could be siblings? One just never made the journey back in time? The Future Past DLC kinda even goes there in a suuuper roundabout way. At least, I like to think so.:P
So, ya know... Enjoy my creative liberty. I sure did, LAWL.
:3
...
After weeks of roughing it out in the wilderness, the Shepherds finally came upon a bustling village high in the Feroxi mountain range, and thanks to their well-known reputation as well as their close connection to the East and West Kahns, they were welcomed with open arms and free board. Of course, Chrom still insisted that everyone pay their fair share; they were soldiers, not celebrities as some would have believed. Regardless, they were just happy to finally be back in the warm glow of civilization.
It was a typical mountain village, quaint and charming, right down to the last cobble stone in the street. The alpine air was cool and refreshing and served as a reminder as to why she loved Ferox so much. Not everything in the country radiated power and violence. This particular village in general seemed more of a relaxing vacation spot than a place for breeding strong warriors. In fact, it resembled an Ylissean village so much that she just had to see if the shopping was on par as well.
Throwing on her coat and linking arms with Henry, Robin dragged him from the inn and out onto the main street. It had been some time since she was able to spend any money freely and Henry had mentioned wanting to visit some hole-in-the-wall shop that was dedicated to the occult. If Morgan hadn't already disappeared with Owain and Inigo then they could have made it a family outing. As long as he was back in time to have supper with them she didn't mind though.
Midday saw a crowded street, Shepherds intermingled with the locals, entering the various shops and eateries. Street performers were set up all over, showing off their tricks and talents to any who passed by. One such performer had a book opened at their feet as they contorted small amounts of fire into whimsical shapes and designs. Robin could just barely make out the form of the young performer in their black, hooded cloak as their high-pitched voice wove some magical tale over the 'ooo's' and 'aww's' of the fairly large crowd. If only the crowd would shove over a little then she would have a nice spot to view the show. Even Henry had trouble seeing over the top of the crowd and he was a full head taller than her.
"Let's go, we'll come back when there's not so many people." She said, tugging at his sleeve to catch his attention.
"Mmm, you think if I were to yell "Fire!", anyone would actually flee? Then we could enjoy the show!"
"Please don't, I really don't want to get caught in a stampede." She giggled, pushing him away from the performance and down the street.
"But it would be funny! Even better since the performer is actually using fire!"
"Hilarious," said Robin, straight-faced as ever. "Now, come on, there's this cute little candy shop that I've been dying to visit."
Without further interruptions, Robin linked arms with her husband once again and lead him to their destination. It was packed, obviously, but they still managed to squeeze their way in. The walls were stacked from floor to ceiling with shelves of colorful, sugary candies, barrels were scattered about, filled to the brim with wrapped goodies, and a store employee was even spinning fairy floss near the front window. It looked like a scene out of a child's daydream and if the store hadn't been so overpopulated then Robin would have been running about like a kid in a literal candy store. Speaking of which... She had barely made it halfway through the store when she overheard Gaius's excited voice talking loudly somewhere in its depths.
"For the love of-, just shut up and take my money, damnit!"
Robin couldn't see him through the throng of people but she could imagine him throwing all of his soldiers pay at a bewildered clerk, all for a small bag of candy. She didn't even try to hold back a laugh at the very ridiculous but highly probable thought.
Shaking her head, Robin moved deeper into the crowded shop, stopping every now and then to examine some of the more peculiar confectionery. Through pure instinct, she reached a hand out to grab a hold of Henry but when she accidentally brushed another customer, she realized that she had lost him somewhere in the crowd. She craned her neck to scan for anything that resembled her husband and when she caught a glimpse of his messy, white head on the opposite side, she relaxed. He wouldn't leave without her, she knew, but just knowing that he was nearby was comforting. Turning back to her examination of some finer chocolates, she nearly jumped when he was suddenly at her side again.
"Hey, Robin, get a load of THESE!"
Holding open a box right under her nose, Robin sniffed the pleasant aroma of maple. She took the box from him to get a better look.
"They smell wonderful! What are they?"
Inside she saw small squares of what appeared to be amber colored glass, smooth on the outside but cracked and bubbly on the inside.
"Some sort of hard candy," Henry said, taking a square from the box. "But look at what's INSIDE of them!"
Taking the sweet-smelling square and holding it against the light, she almost dropped it when she recognized the outline of a small spider frozen in the center.
"They're full of spiders?! Why would anyone eat these?!"
"Not just spiders! Some have crickets and worms, too! Isn't that gnarly?!"
"Ugh, that's just too weird for me." said Robin, handing the box back to him and scrunching her nose. "Why would anyone want to ruin a perfectly good piece of candy by adding bugs to it?..." The things people come up with...
"Can I buy them?" He asked, a hopeful grin spreading from cheek to cheek.
"Henry, you can buy whatever you want, but if you do then you have to eat it. Don't let it go to waste."
"Haha, I bet I can get Gaius to eat them. Maybe even Morgan..."
"Heh, good luck. He has your hair, your face, your laugh, AND your palate. The only thing he inherited from me was my wits so, you know, he's too smart to fall for that."
"Ooo, is that a challenge? Because I like games." He grinned evilly.
Under normal circumstances, Robin would have dismissed any silly ideas he had in regards to their son but she couldn't resist the urge to see his face when Morgan inevitably won the challenge for her.
"Just...don't get him sick. And NO cheating! You are forbidden from cursing him, especially just to win a so-called 'challenge'."
"Hahaha, geez, give me SOME credit, babe! I would never curse my own son!"
He turned his back to her so he could head to the counter to pay for his diabolical treats. Robin watched with amusement as he fought his way through a gang of small children raging from a sugar-high. Despite him being a stranger to them, one little girl grabbed for his cloak and threw it around herself to hide from her friends. Robin wasn't too surprised when he merrily laughed off the girls antics and took one corner of his cloak to twirl it around the children. It always warmed her heart to witness just how gentle he was when it came to kids. So much so that she would often fantasize about the day when Baby Morgan would be a part of their lives. Too bad they still had some time to go before that particular fantasy was made real... Once the children lost interest in him and he paid the clerk, Robin sidled up to curl her arm into his.
"Shall we?" She asked, squeezing his upper arm affectionately.
"Yup! Ooh! Can we go to that one shop now? The one that had that cat skeleton in the window? I bet there's all sorts of rare dark magic in there!"
Robin lolled her head as she groaned. "Oooooooh...alright. But then we're heading into that women's boutique. I'm in need of some new under garments, if you know what I mean..." She finished with a wink.
He leered wolfishly. "Oh, I know what you mean, alright. Time to get a new girdle, huh?" Which won him a playful punch to the arm.
"RUDE! You're lucky I'm incompetent in the curse department or I'd curse that treacherous tongue right out of your mouth!"
"Ahahahaha! You don't know any curses, silly..." He drawled as he flicked her on the tip of her nose. "Look at you, trying to be scary and all, ahaha!" He continued their trek down the street.
She flicked him on the ear. "I said I'm incompetent, not lacking, you ASS! How's THAT for a curse, Mister Magician?"
He stopped in his tracks. "Huh, did you feel that?"
She eyed him, surprised by the sudden change in topic. "Feel what?"
"That...tickling sensation, kinda like when maggots are crawling over your skin...almost as if... SOMEONE...were trying to CURSE me..." He jumped in her face, mocking smile on his lips. "How strange that you didn't feel it! Hahaha." Then he pranced away, Robin rushing after him in minor irritation. She only caught up to him when he stopped at the entrance to a rather gloomy looking shop.
"You can be quite terrible sometimes, you know that?"
"Hehe, yeaah... But you love it!"
She chuckled and silently agreed with his conclusion as she followed him into the dark shop.
It was empty of customers, quiet and eerie in how lonely the place felt. A single lantern lit the back half of the shop while natural light just barely poured in through stained and dusty windows at the front. It smelled of must, old age, and the faint scent of something she only ever encountered on the battlefield.
Henry immediately left her side to browse through the stores bizarre stock, leaving her to stand awkwardly at the door. Not feeling completely at ease amongst the dark artifacts and depressing atmosphere, Robin's inner tactician took hold of her senses and she noted Henry's exact position to her before wandering cautiously in. She instantly felt the presence of the shopkeeper glide up behind her.
Before the wizened old man could offer his assistance with a toothy grin, Robin quickly brushed him off.
"I don't need any help, I'm just looking."
She turned away from him, drawing her coat tight around her front when she felt the pervy old mans gaze follow her backside. Henry was too engrossed in analyzing a collection of daggers to be paying any real attention. Why did she agree to come in here, again? Oh, right, because she wanted to be a part of her husbands many interests. The things she did for love...
Once she was well enough away from the leering shopkeep, Robin moved to look over the contents of a glass hutch. She recognized the skulls of a dog(most likely a wolf), some large feline, a rodent, and... A human? She dropped her gaze a shelf lower. There were vials of odd-colored liquids, each labeled with something different, the most strange being water, mercury, and blood. Oh Gods, Henry would want to stay in that shop all day... Dropping her eyes down to a third shelf, she had to catch herself when she saw a book. It appeared old and weathered, the cover, rough and cracked like leather. A cord bound the book together tightly before being tied off in a sloppy knot. She almost reached a hand out to run a finger over the rough bindings until she noticed a notecard indicating that it was actually not leather but human skin. She immediately walked away from the hutch.
Instead, she moved closer to get a better look at the ominous figure of an iron maiden. It was tall, clunky, and made of dark stone. The eyeholes stared soullessly down at her, terrifying her like no other monster could. Robin shivered, having to remind herself that it was just a torture device and meant her no real harm... Yeah, right.
"Ho-ly HELL! Robin, I'm buying this!" Henry shouted, shaking her from her horrific reverie.
He was standing at a bookcase, waving a small grimoire around his head to show her just what he was talking about.
"What is it?..." She questioned while heading in his direction. She noticed the shopkeep following behind her and stood as close to Henry as she could get without jumping into his arms. The old man still kept leering.
"It's dark magic! Really rare stuff, too!"
Robin took the grimoire from him to view it better. The title appeared as gold appliqué lettering on a deep purple cover, but even with both Henry's and Tharja's tutelage, she still was unable to make heads or tails of the ancient runes. As far as she was concerned, the language of dark magic was mumbo jumbo to her. Something that struck her as odd ever since she discovered that she was Plegian.
She handed the book back to him, slightly disgruntled at her inabilities. Henry caught on.
"It's called 'Goetia'." He stated matter-of-factly. "With this, you have both the power of demons AND angels! How wicked is that?!"
Without another word, he reached into his satchel and dropped the allotted amount of money for the book into the shopkeepers gnarled hands.
"Wicked indeed. Now, let's go. This place is giving me the creeps." Robin asserted, not bothering to check the volume of her voice even though the shopkeeper was still within earshot. All it took was one good shove to send Henry out the door and they were gone, leaving the dusty old shop of horrors to time and distance. Robin didn't dare look back as they hurried away.
"Boy, am I glad to be out of there. The ambiance was suffocating, like death and depression was a physical force in there. And that old man was beyond creepy..."
"Really? I totally didn't notice..." Henry replied, stowing away his new book into his shoulder bag. "But then again, I feel that all the time, so it's nothing really new to me."
Robin was well-aware of the physical and psychological effects that dark magic had on its wielders. Henry and Tharja both described similar feelings to what she felt back in the shop just now, and while the both of them swore that they knew how to handle them, Robin still didn't like the fact that they willingly chose to be miserable. Not that either of them would ever fully admit to it; Tharja because she was prideful and Henry because he just didn't know any better. But then again, he had told her time and again about how happy he was when he was with her...
"Yeah, well... That's enough dark ANYTHING for one day. Besides, we still have that boutique to visit." She said, ridding her mind of unpleasant thoughts by replacing them with feelings of giddiness.
Henry's cheeks warmed a tiny bit. "Haha, oh yeah, I forgot about that!"
Keeping a firm hold on his hand to prevent him from slipping away(he was going into that boutique whether he liked it or not), Robin made haste down the street, weaving in and out of other shoppers, eventually coming upon a well-lit, pastel-colored, extremely womanly store. Henry put up the smallest amount of resistance upon crossing the threshold, pulling back in her grip slightly to only realize that he had no say in the matter. Accepting his fate with a lopsided grin, he strode forward to walk level with her, any signs of embarrassment washing away. She gave him a flirty smile, as if to say "Good boy".
The floor was packed but it certainly wasn't empty either. Woman moved to and fro from garment to garment, others looking over their reflections in mirrors. Lissa and Maribelle stood with their backs turned in one corner of the shop, admiring a display of jewelry and baubles.
"We'll just avoid them..." Robin thought, leading Henry further back towards the lingerie section.
"Unfortunately for you," she said, turning to wink at him. "I'm not here for girdles."
He merely laughed off her comment as he eyed the selection of brassieres. "Is this what you need?" He asked, holding up a satiny, yellow bra decorated with tiny, pink bows.
"Yes, but I need something a little bigger. You can't honestly believe that'll fit me."
"Haha, oh yeah! You are a bit top heavy." He chuckled as he placed the piece back on the rack and lifted another one to show her. It was a soft green with white lace, a single ribbon flowing down from between the cups. "How's about this?"
"Bigger."
"Okay... What about... This?" He held up another for her viewing. It was much bigger than the last two and was made of silky pink fabric, small flowers dotting the edge of the cups.
Robin shook her head. "Bigger."
Henry huffed. "Geez, how big do you need?" He queried, shrugging his shoulders and throwing his palms out, the bra still held in one hand. "Does this store even carry anything bigger than this?"
"Oh, Ha Ha, you're so funny. I can't exactly help it that my chest is so-"
"MOTHER! FATHER!"
They both circled on the spot as Morgan came bounding through the boutique, unabashed and unconcerned that it was in fact, a ladies boutique. Robin quickly snatched the bra from Henry to hide it behind her back.
"Morgan! What are you doing in here?! This isn't a place for boys!"
He doubled over to catch his breath, raising a finger in a very Henry-like manner. He pointed timidly at his father, as if Robin didn't already know that Henry was also male.
"He's helping me! With...something..." She gasped, having half a mind to reprimand her son for his cheekiness.
"I've...been...looking for you!" He wheezed.
"Slow down! Can't have you hyperventilating in a women's lingerie store, what would everyone think?! I'll tell you what they'll think, they'll think you're a pansy! And no son of mine is ending up a pansy, haha!" said Henry, reaching out to grab Morgan by the shoulder. Morgan struggled between taking deep breaths and laughing.
"Sorry...b-but...there's something...you both need to see!"
Robin raised an eyebrow at her son.
"Like what, exactly..."
Morgan smiled. "Like my sister!"
...
The three of them hurried frantically through the still bustling street as they made their way back towards the inn. Morgan was in the lead with Henry hot on his heels. Robin held tightly to her husbands hand as she trailed behind him, heart pounding at the prospect of having another child. And a girl! What was she like? Was she like her? Or like Henry? From what Morgan told them briefly back in the boutique, she was his twin and looked similar to him but unlike him, she actually had all of her memories. She even recognized him when he passed her by on the street. Luckily, Owain and Inigo had been around to corroborate her accusations("You left your sister with Inigo?!" Henry had exclaimed). Apparently, she had been the street performer playing with fire magic and they hadn't even known. There was definitely no way she was ruining this family reunion with a fainting spell.
Finally reaching location zero, Morgan turned around to proudly reveal his twin sister. Owain and Inigo parted as a young girl bolted forward to fling her arms around Henry.
"Daddy!" She cried, exerting so much force into the embrace that Henry stumbled backwards, causing Robin to place both palms on his back to catch them.
"I've missed you so, so, soo much!" She wailed, tightening her grip on him and failing to notice her mother was right behind him. "You always told me that we'd be together again! All of us! And I never gave hope, not even an ounce! I just kept smiling like you taught me to and now I have you again!" Her voice cracked with happiness between sobs and Robin couldn't take it any longer. She peeked her face around Henry's shoulder, smiling shyly at the girl.
"Mama?" The girl ventured, a look of recognition and disbelief mixing together on her young face. "It's you... IT'S YOU!" Robin nearly cried herself when the girl made exactly the same face that Henry made whenever she walked into the room. Excitement, happiness, and pure love.
The girl released Henry to latch on to Robin, tightening her hold on her like she was never going to let go. Morgan hadn't even told them her name and yet Robin loved her. She had short, wavy hair in platinum, the same round eyes as her mother, and a smile that lit up everything on her face, just like Henry.
Robin wrapped her arms around her daughter, allowing her to bury her face to her chest and to sob happily at finally being with her mother and father once again. Henry stayed quiet, save for a chuckle, and watched the scene unfold with pride and protectiveness etched into his features. Morgan moved to stand next to his father, mirroring the familial sort of oneness that made the four of them a family. A family that stretched across time and space, but still a family just the same.
As the young girl continued to hold onto Robin for dear life, she mumbled. "I've missed you, mama... It's been so long... Longer than daddy, even..."
Unable to hold it back, a single tear ran down Robins cheek to disappear into the girls crown of platinum-blonde locks. She cradled her closer to her chest to kiss the top of her head, her own lips spreading into a joyous smile and feeling positively blessed.
"I know... I know..." She soothed, not minding at all when the girl gripped tighter at hearing her voice for the first time in years. "Remind me, love, what did we name you?..."
Robin could feel the girls mouth crack into a wide smile of her own against her exposed skin. She didn't say anything for a while, merely humming and rocking back-and-forth in her mothers arms. Finally, she answered softly...
"Marc..."