Say'ri clutched at her side and tried to think.
There were procedures for these things. She had studied them since she sat on her mother's knee. Even before she learned to hold a sword, she was taught the true art of noble blood. And now that she needed it…
The blue haired man in front of her glanced left and right.
"Are you alright? That looks like a nasty cut."
Naga have mercy. It seemed her savior refused to give her the time for a proper response. Her formal thanks could wait. For now, Say'ri would speak as a soldier and a woman. The monarch would have her turn in time.
"Fie! I would hardly speak of this scratch at a tea ceremony. I owe you my thanks, sir. I am Say'ri, the heir to Chon'sin, and the leader of what resistance still stands against the tyrant sweeping through our lands."
The man jabbed his hand forward like a farmer reaching for a cow. Say'ri gingerly reached for it. Whatever this man's name and nature, he was her savior in a time of need. His kindness should be accepted with gratitude.
She was just glad that she hadn't gone with anything more formal. Full ceremony for a peasant would be… barbaric.
"Chrom. I'm the commander of this motley army, and grateful for any support I can find."
"I doubt you will require much assistance. If the Ylissean wardogs trust you to lead them, you must be a formidable man indeed!"
"Ylissean war dogs?"
"Aye! We saw the ships burning from the harbor. The mightiest armada in the world, sunk to the bottom of the sea. To command such soldiers to victory…"
Chrom shook his head.
"I only lead because I was born to it. If you want to know who was behind that victory, you'll want to talk to Robin."
Chrom stuck out his arm to point towards a figure in the distance. His uncovered shoulder showed the blue mark of Naga.
Say'ri winced. It seemed she had… misunderstood a few details of Ylissean etiquette. Perhaps it would be best to follow his advice, before she further embarassed her nation with these mad assumptions.
"I thank you, prince. Is this… Robin…occupied?"
Chrom chuckled.
"Always. Don't let that stop you. He'll want to know everything he can. He can work miracles with almost nothing, but he'll need to know how close to nothing he is first."
"My thanks, prince."
"He'll also want to have a healer look at that gash. I'm sorry, but he worries. About everything."
"Aye? We may all be safer in his hands, then. They say a mind careful in small matters may be entrusted with grave ones."
"Well, we can hope. I've been trusting Robin with almost everything these days."
Say'ri nodded and walked for the robed man. A smaller figure in a matching robe chattered near him. Say'ri could only snatch a few words from the air, enough to recognize the voice as belonging to a small girl, and enough to hear the word 'Father' half a dozen times. Perhaps this 'Robin' was a holy man. It would not be a surprise, given his wisdom. Naga spoke best to those who served her, it seemed.
The man was speaking to his companion.
"No, that won't… did I ever speak to you about a campaign in Valm? If I had any brilliant ideas then, I need them now."
"Not that I can think of, father. Well…"
"Well?"
"You did once say anyone who started a land war in Valm was a damn fool."
Robin winced.
The girl nodded.
"And you looked exactly like that when you said it! Same old father. Oh! But you said after that he'd be less of a fool if he stuck to rapid strikes. A large army is slow to respond…"
"But a smaller force can retreat before they arrive."
"Yup. 'Hit 'em where they ain't, and let 'em die on the vine'!"
"Did I say that? I suppose I have some gift for a memorable phrase after all. It's a start. Let me think…"
Say'ri took a step closer. The man's robes had elaborate markings for a man of the cloth, but foreign lands could hardly be expected to maintain Chon'sin's respect for the austere. After her folly with Chrom, it would be a poor choice indeed to be anything less than formal.
A name would be too forward, to be certain. A title would have to serve in its place.
"Father?"
Robin didn't turn.
"Not now, Morgan. I'm busy talking to… Morgan."
He leaned towards Morgan, then turned away.
"No. Gods. You wouldn't remember. Well. Life is full of surprises."
He turned to face Say'ri.
"You were... Say'ri, weren't you? Gods. I can't say much for my manners right now. And, I should tell you now, I'm even more of a mess when it comes to memory. But if you need anything, I'll move heaven and Earth."
"Aye? You are a generous man, father."
Robin smiled.
"More guilt ridden than generous, I'm afraid. But also pressed for time. If you want to talk about… anything, I'd be glad to hear it later. If you have anything that will help against Walhart? That we can talk about now."
"Of course, father. I lead the resistance against the tyrant…"
Robin's eyebrow shot up.
"Impressive. I'm proud of you. I'm sure…"
"Fie! For a princess of Chon'sin, far more would be too little."
"Princess of…"
Robin lifted his hand to his face.
"Oh, gods. I'm a polygamist. As if I didn't have enough to worry about."
Say'ri tried to keep her face level. It may be that the priest was engaging in some Ylissean greeting ritual, or some deep mark of respect, or there was some other reasonable explanation. Still. Asking for an explanation would not cause too much offense. The man must have some simple meaning, some phrase that would make everything clear.
Hopefully.
"Pardon?"
"Well, unless your mother was a dragon…"
"No. Ha! If she and father were of that exalted race, I doubt Walhart himself would have dared fight them. No, they were cut down like any other of mortal flesh."
Robin exhaled in relief.
"Oh. Gods. Forget I said anything. Not that… I'm sorry for your loss. That is… just shove my boot in my mouth and save everyone some time."
Say'ri had been wrong. There was no phrase that would make anything clear again.
"Par...don?"
"It's nothing. None of it means anything. Just… tell me what we have to work with."
Say'ri frowned.
"A scattered few, I fear. Too many dynasts are cowed by Walhart's might or seduced by the jangle of coin. In private they denounce his tyranny, but they do not dare stand with us."
Robin nodded.
"Nobles are the same the world over, unfortunately. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Mayhap I can provide something. Prior to your arrival, it was an idle fancy, but now… Aye. It has merit yet!"
"I'm listening."
"Valm has long worshipped Naga, and even Walhart hesitates to crush all vestiges of the belief."
Robin nodded.
"So we find a few influential priests, use the church for soft pressure without showing our hand…"
Say'ri shook her head.
"Nay. Our foe styles himself as more than the gods. Mere priests would never change that. But the Voice?"
"Who?"
Say'ri stepped back. She knew Ylisse had different customs, but this…
"I beg pardon, sir. I did not know there were any in Valm who did not know the Lady Tiki! The daughter of Naga herself, she has served as oracle and high priestess since time immemorial! She slumbers now, but should she be roused... "
Robin nodded.
"The voice of a god could rally support like no-one else. It's as good a place to start as any."
He turned back to face his assistant.
"Morgan?"
"Yes, father?"
The girl's head whipped towards Robin with the speed of a crossbow bolt, knocking her hood from her face and showing… gods.
Robin looked from Morgan to Say'ri and sighed.
"There was a reason for the hood. It's hard for a manakete to travel inconspicuously."
Morgan smiled.
"I still say we could try…"
"And no, Morgan. I don't think we could convince Chrom to try 'traveling so conspicuously that no-one believes what they're seeing… until it's too late.' Even if I thought it was a good idea."
"Which you have to admit, it is."
Say'ri's head shook a little. Robin grinned.
"It seems our companion here doesn't agree. You're…"
Say'ri fell to her knees.
"My lady!"
Morgan looked down at Say'ri.
"Uh… present?"
Robin sighed.
"After a few months, you'll stop being so impressed with dragons, Say'ri. Nowi alone…"
Say'ri shook her head without lifting it.
"Mere dragons, mayhap. But the sacred figure before me? Fi! A priest should never place low a holy treasure."
"Holy?"
"I cannot grasp in what manner such a divine being would come to our presence in the hour of our greatest need, but the contemplations of gods have always been beyond the lot of mortals."
Robin sighed again.
"Pretend I'm a child, then. I'm certainly not a priest."
Say'ri looked up at Robin and almost glared. How could a man be so blind?
"Look at her eyes! Her face! You stand before the granddaughter of Naga, the child of the Voice herself!"
Morgan looked at Robin. Robin stared back. For a minute, neither spoke. Finally, Morgan emitted some strained noise halfway between a cough and a chuckle.
"Good news, father! We now know exactly who mother is!"
It took less than an hour for Robin to track down what passed for high command with Chrom's army and shove them into a tent together. It took much more time before they could stop arguing enough that he felt he could actually get to the meat of the matter.
He'd say that times like these, he missed Emm, but that would imply there were ever times he didn't. Just another thing he and Chrom had in common, along with a fervent desire that everyone else in the tent would just shut up and what looked like a matched set of pounding headaches.
When the noise had finally died down from an active volcano to a friendly neighborhood forest fire, Robin cleared his throat.
"I'm… I'm sure that you're all wondering why I brought you here. At least, all of you except for Say'ri, who informed me… gods. I'm sorry. I didn't have a plan for this."
Basilio slapped his knee.
"Ha! I knew there was something out there that could surprise the little sprog."
Say'ri turned to glare at Basilio.
"Fie! Hold your tongue, sir! We are scarcely children, treating the most pivotal of moments as an excuse for infantile jests! If you respected your station…"
"What station? Until next time the tournament comes 'round, I'm just another set of boots and an axe. No reason I can't take it easy."
"No reason except respect for the station of others! If you hold so little regard for the title and the lands you claim to serve, I can imagine how you were stripped of your position. My own brother, damned traitor though he may be, still holds more honor than…"
Basilio reached behind his back.
"I may not be a hoity toity type, but if you're saying I can't back it up when it counts…"
Say'ri turned to face Flavia.
"Can you silence this… person, Khan Flavia? I fear it would not be my place to chastise another's subject."
"I'm not sure anyone could. The oaf couldn't keep his mouth closed with glue."
Basilio turned to face Flavia.
"Well, this oaf also managed to keep the throne for longer than you've been a Khan!"
Robin took in a deep breath. He'd never been much for yelling in council meetings, and even on a battlefield he prefered to leave that to Chrom, but it seemed he'd have to try for it. He'd…
"GRROAR!"
Robin swiveled to see a massive dragon behind him, bellowing her lungs out. Before he could even respond, her black leather wings were fading into the sleeves of a greatcoat, the massive horns near her jaws snapped back into pointed ears, and the fangs were gone, replaced by a wide smile.
"I think they're listening now, father!"
"...Thank you, Morgan."
Robin turned to face his audience.
"Err… you're all familiar with our newest recruit, Morgan?"
Virion nodded.
"The… energetic young woman we found in the ruins shortly before we left on this little expedition? Of course. She claims to be your daughter, although how such a charming young woman could have a father so ill versed in the latest fashions remains a mystery. "
Chrom shot Robin a quick look before turning back to the crowd.
"And there's the fact she's a Manakete. Even in Ylisse, they're a rare sight."
Robin nodded. He still remembered Vaike's jokes about Nowi and Robin's… 'relationship'. Gods, that was unpleasant.
Then Morgan threatened to eat him, and everything settled down. If Robin wasn't feeling proper parental affection before that moment, he certainly was after.
"Well, with some help from Say'ri, Morgan and I have determined the answer to one of the mysteries of her past. Morgan's mother is…"
In the back of the room, Robin could see Lucina's lips moving, cutting off his words before he could say them.
"Lady Tiki."
"Err… yes."
The room erupted. Even Morgan's sensitive ears seemed unable to decipher anything from the din, and Robin wasn't going to try.
After a few moments, the noise settled enough to pick up individual voices again. Robin nodded for Chrom. The man was his best friend, after all. If anyone deserved an explanation (other than Robin and Morgan, of course), it was him.
He was also the only other person in the world who had firsthand experience with his daughter being at least as old as he was. Something else to bond over.
Chrom nodded back.
"You're saying that the young woman in front of us, the same one who suggested rations of bear gizzards, is the, gods it's hard to even suggest it. You're saying her grandmother is Naga."
"Yes."
"The same Naga Ylisse has worshipped longer than it's been a country. The Naga whose blessing runs through the veins of every rightful heir to the throne."
"Yes."
"And there isn't some other Naga she could be related to."
"Believe me. If there was, I would have mentioned it."
Chrom sighed.
"I'd say gods help us, but considering present company…"
Morgan beamed.
"I'm being helpful already! I know. I'm too kind and generous."
Say'ri rose from her seat in response and stepped forward.
"Indeed, my lady. Ha! With the gods themselves at our side, even the tyrant Walhart must flee! Even now the people of Valm..."
Robin shook his head.
"Are being told of a mad dragon come from foreign lands plotting their destruction. The Voice and Naga are a few thousand years too well embedded for anyone, even Walhart, to turn the whole of the public against them. A stranger claiming their mantle? We might as well say that Virion is Forseti's long lost nephew. We'd have the same credibility."
"But any who set eyes on her must recognize her inherent divinity!"
The room went silent. Morgan looked up at the ceiling. Lucina looked at the floor. Robin coughed again.
"At any rate, you suggested that we would be best served to retrieve the Voice of Naga. I thought it had merit before this little revelation. I still think it does now."
Virion smiled.
"A true romantic after all. I doubt any noble soul could resist such a duty in the name of love."
Robin turned to Virion.
"Romantic?"
"Of course. What else could you call a man facing an empire for the sake of his secret lover? Torn apart by lost memories, only to come together in the fires of war. Perhaps it's a touch overplayed, but not all of us can be as refined as..."
Robin smirked.
"As refined as you are?"
"If the beloved son-in-law of Naga wishes to compliment a humble student in the art of romance, far be it from me to deny him."
Lucina shifted from one foot to the other in the back of the room. Robin took a deep breath.
"Lucina, in the past you've had insights the rest of us missed. Perhaps you could…"
Lucina frowned.
"I fear I cannot."
Robin frowned back. Of course. It was never that easy. Well, that's what came of trying to abuse future knowledge for personal convenience.
"If you cannot, then you've done more than enough already. Thank you. I… suppose that was the bulk of what I had prepared. I'm sorry to end things so abruptly, but if we're going to attack one of the most heavily guarded locations in Valm before Walhart can reinforce it, I need to start planning our attack yesterday. Thank you all for your time, I'm sorry for any troubling theological implications, and if..."
Chrom stood up.
"If any of you are planning to put more strain on our tactician, he has enough of it already."
Chrom nodded and left the room. The rest of the crowd followed. Say'ri stopped by the door.
"If my lady needs anything…"
Morgan looked up from her sleeves and shook her head.
"Nope. Fine!"
"Do not trouble yourself on my account. If there is any sacrifice I could make for the daughter of the Voice, I would make it gladly. Aye, even death itself would count for little compared to…"
"Still fine! 200% fine! You can go!"
"If my lady insists…"
Say'ri bowed low to the ground and left the room. Morgan smiled at her as she left.
When she was gone, Morgan stopped smiling. She also stopped standing, collapsed into a curled up ball.
Robin took a step towards her.
"Morgan?"
"I'm fine, father. Fine, fine, fine…"
"No. You aren't. What's wrong?"
Morgan looked up.
"I really shouldn't be a goddess."
Robin didn't say anything for a moment. All the responses he could think of ranged from somewhat to incredibly insensitive towards his daughter, who was not in any condition for banter. Finally, he leaned down next to her.
"Oh."
"I know! Everyone needs everything from me, and I can't disappoint them, and it's not like it used to be! Remember when I was just your psychotic daughter? No-one expected anything from me. I mean, I was brilliant and charming and everything, they expected that. But if I did something stupid, or made a mistake, or just goofed off, it was okay!"
"And now…"
"Now I'm, like, the most important person in the world! Say'ri expects me to fix everything somehow, and she'll tell everyone, and everyone else will expect me to fix everything. And you know what? I can't. I mean, maybe some day…"
"Of course. Some day."
"But now, you're supposed to be the most important person in the world!"
Robin's spine jolted straight.
"WHAT?"
Morgan looked at Robin and lifted her left eyebrow. She was smiling again.
"You're father, father! The most brilliant strategist Ylisse has ever seen!"
"I know you think the world of me…"
"And every word of it true! See, before ...this, I could just let you handle things. If I wanted to help, I could help, but if I was in trouble, you'd be there. You could fix everything, and I wouldn't have to worry. Like with the boats!"
"I admit, that was a bit clever."
"Yep! So, I knew we'd be alright. But now I'm a god, and I have to worry about things, and you can't fix it."
Robin tried to smile.
"No. I can't. But you know what?"
"What, father?"
"I barely could fix anything before."
"You're just being modest."
"Mostly, I'm being terrified. I've gotten things wrong. People, good people, have died because of me. Every mistake you can think of, I made it, or one close enough to be its brother. I know I look prepared, and if you'll allow it…"
"Always!"
"Alright then, I'm sometimes brilliant. But if I didn't have Chrom and the Shepherds at my back, it wouldn't mean anything. I'm only human. I've been just as terrified as you are. And you're already better at faking confidence than I've ever been."
"Really?"
Robin nodded.
"It's half of what a good leader needs. I always relied on Chrom for that, but you managed it today in front of an audience like an old pro. I'm proud of you, Morgan."
"Thank you, father. But..."
"But you're still my psychotic daughter, and I still won't trust you to handle any long term plans without adult supervision. Goddess or no."
Morgan went from smiling to beaming.
"You know, father, I might be older than you are."
"So is Nowi. And I don't trust her unsupervised either. Come on. I'm sure that you have some awful strategies you're just waiting for me to shoot down."
Morgan nodded.
"The worst, father! First can we get a few very angry badgers? We just need..."
Blood trickled down the tree, branch to root. If you ignored the color, it almost looked like a spring rain.
Lucina still couldn't ignore the color. It was odd. All those years of battle, all that pain. She assumed that she was too weary to even notice death any more. But so many bodies polluting a place this holy…
It was good to know her heart was still beating, even in the ghost of the past.
"What are you looking at?"
Lucina turned to face Morgan.
"Nothing of importance. It was… quite a battle today."
Morgan nodded.
"Three divisions of air cavalry, elite armored units, one of Valm's top generals… yep. Checks out. Walhart did not want mother waking up. I guess she's not a morning person, huh?"
"I… would hardly venture to accuse her of such things."
"Buuutttt... you know it's true. And I guessed it's true! I am great at guessing."
Lucina stepped back.
"I just met her today. I couldn't… I just felt..."
"Then why are you out here?"
"What? I… you and your father agreed that it would make everything more difficult if Tiki woke up to meet her daughter. I just offered to stand guard with you, so that Say'ri could speak to your mother."
"Uh-huh."
Lucina looked Morgan in the eye, and couldn't help but notice her smirk. It wasn't a cruel smirk, but it was far, far too confident for anyone to be comfortable around it. Lucina looked away.
"It's not important."
Morgan kicked a rock into the air and caught it.
"No, but if I know your father, my father, and Say'ri, we're going to be out here for a long time. Which means we can afford to talk about things that aren't important. If we only talk about important things, we'd just stand here staring for hours, and that's boring."
"Well…"
"And, just so you know, if you don't tell me I'm going to make things up."
"Err…"
"And then I'm telling your father."
"You wouldn't!"
"Wouldn't I?"
Morgan's smile moved from charming to sinister by inches. Lucina sighed.
"I doubt father would believe you."
"See? Doubt. It's already creeping in! I could tell Chrom that you were secretly in love with father, and that…"
"WHAT?"
"Or you could tell me why you know so much about mother, and I promise I won't tell anyone without explicit permission. It's really your choice. Aren't I generous?"
"Not particularly."
"Okay. Find another goddess who won't threaten you with smiting for refusing her whims. Because, on the scale I'm working with, this is very generous."
Lucina frowned.
"I think that would qualify as abusing your position, Morgan."
"...It was a joke."
"Oh. Ha?"
Morgan smiled.
"Exactly the response I was looking for. So, can I get a story?"
"I… suppose I could tell you a few things. If you promised to keep them private."
"I do! I mean, even if I remember them. Which is not guaranteed. C'mon! Stories!"
Lucina sat down.
"Well, I'm not sure it's a story, exactly. I… you know Chrom died when I was young. My mother tried her best, but with the plagues of Risen… she was gone too, sooner than she should have been."
"Oh. Um, if you don't want to talk about it…"
"It's long past, Morgan. When mother died, Lady Tiki… she never claimed to be a substitute for lost family, but she was there for us… for me. She stood with us until the end. And now… all those years come undone."
"So, you spent more time with her than I did? ...would it be bad if I said I was jealous? Because if it would make you feel any worse, then I'm not jealous."
Lucina looked down.
"...You were there too."
Morgan jumped forward to sit about three inches from Lucina's face.
"Really? Was I this charming with my memories? More charming? I need to measure these things! I bet I had ALL KINDS of clever sayings!"
Lucina smiled.
"Mostly, you burbled."
Morgan fell back onto her hands and threw back her head.
"Burbled? Aww, there's no way I can use that to impress father."
"Well, for an infant, it was very impressive. Most dragons can hardly make a sound until the end of their first century. You managed a few coherent words. You even said my name once. Err… or close to it."
"Oh. Wait. Wait. That… oh! That's why you were so surprised to see me. I assumed it was just the dragon thing, because that was all everybody else talked about. But that didn't really work, since if I was from the same future as you were, you'd know that already… huh. I should either get charts or a headache."
Lucina refrained from saying that most people around Morgan were using both before the end of the first conversation. It hardly seemed polite.
"I can't say I understand everything either. But you have been a boon."
"More use than a tiny dragon crawling on everyone's heads, right?"
"Considerably more use. I doubt we could have managed this last battle half as cleanly without your assistance. You've grown into an admirable young woman."
One who chewed on Lucina's hair much less than she had when she was an infant. That fact may not have had the same useful implications as gaining a tactician and a dragon in one, but Lucina appreciated it almost as much.
"Really? Was… was father proud of me then, too?"
Lucina looked down.
"I thought we'd… discussed your father's role."
Morgan tilted her head like she was trying to dislodge some errant memory, but the tilt became a shake before it produced any results.
"No. Unless you're using the royal we, I mean. You probably have, but I didn't hear it. I know he didn't come back with you since we don't have an emergency backup father available, but…"
"He went missing on the same day as my father fell, and with them the last hope for victory. Grima returned not long after. I know he would have been happy to see you, but he never had the opportunity."
"But I remember him."
Morgan didn't say it like an argument. She wasn't angry. She just appeared to have noticed an oddity in the nature of the universe, and was determined to poke at it until it made sense or the universe broke.
It was disturbing how little she seemed to care which one came first.
"Are you sure? I… doubt that he could have survived without…"
"Exactly! That's why it's so weird. I'll try to narrow things down, but… still tricky. Way trickier than just planning for a military campaign. ...Which I told father is what I would be doing. Uh, if he asks, you can tell him we did that, right?"
Lucina nodded.
"I might ask you to return the favor at some point. There are things I would rather not mention to father until the proper time."
"Got it. Um, mind answering a few more questions for me? I mean, they might be important. For tactics."
"If it would aid in our battles ahead, of course. What do you need to know?"
"What's mother like?"
Lucina almost slapped her head. OF COURSE Morgan would ask about that. Of course that's why she asked for stories.
The girl smiled more than Lucina ever had, she laughed and joked, she kept up morale in the middle of a warzone, but… she lost things that mattered to her. The same as everyone else. And unlike Lucina, returning to the past wouldn't bring it back. Lucina sucked in a breath.
"I scarcely know where to begin."
"Well, we could start with what Say'ri told me about her. She's the voice of Naga! Ancient and revered. So, not like me."
"How do you mean?"
"Probably not the kind of person who just goes out and has some bear meat, right? I'm not saying we won't get along, you're really serious and you're great, but that might be... um, you should do a lot of the talking. So she doesn't get mad."
Lucina shook her head.
"I wouldn't describe her as… entirely serious."
Too many raspberries. Too many threats of eating people with just the hint of a smile to let them know she didn't mean it. Too many jokes.
"Oh. That's good. Because I really couldn't be serious all the time."
"Neither could your mother. She was much like you, Morgan. Including the sleeping habits."
Morgan smiled.
"We'll get along great, then?"
"Wonderfully. I'm certain of it."
"Even if she and father don't… because…"
Morgan shook her head with great force.
"No. I'm not going to worry about it. Father and mother loved each other, right? It will be fine. I mean, Chrom and Sumia didn't have any trouble just because you showed up, right?"
"Err…"
Morgan waved her hand casually.
"Exactly! Happy, healthy marriage. So we'll all be fine. And we probably should do some of the war plans I lied to father about so I can have lied to him a little less."
"That might not be a bad idea."
Morgan nodded.
"Exactly. You're the best little sister I could ask for!"
Lucina slowly turned to face Morgan.
"Little sister?"
"Well, yeah. You looked after me when I was a baby, and mother looked after you, so, in the absence of other siblings, I'm claiming you as a sister."
"Little?"
"Um, Lucina, I'm probably hundreds of years old. Trust me. You do not want to be the older sister."
Nah sat beneath a tree and tried to focus. It was too long since she communed with Naga. Well, there had been a few panicked requests in that rickety old mansion, but that didn't count for much. Anyone could beg a god not to let them die. What she and Naga had normally was different. Deeper. More serious. Fitting a dragon, the ancient and wise guardians of knowledge.
"Dum da dum! Diving hero strike!"
Emphasis on tried to focus. It was much more difficult when Cynthia was yelling ridiculous things at the top of her lungs flying right overhead. At least she wasn't begging Nah to play at the moment, but she made up for it by flying louder than ever before. Weren't pegasus supposed to be graceful?
Nah glanced up. As much as it threw her off to talk with Cynthia, trying to think while Cynthia was yelling would be even worse.
Well. That would explain why it was so loud.
Cynthia's pegasus was nowhere to be seen. Instead she was riding on, gods help them all, a dragon a mere ten feet above her head. The dragon looked down.
"Hi Nah!"
The dragon looked up.
"She's one of you and Lucina's friends, right?"
Cynthia didn't quite nod and didn't quite shake her head, evening the two out in a gesture that seemed closer to a mild seizure than anything else.
"She came back with Lucy and me, sure, but we don't talk as much as I'd like. She's serious."
"Oh. Right. So you didn't talk to her about me?"
"No…"
"Just a second."
The dragon's scales slid into armor, her snout faded into a nose, and a girl who looked about Cynthia's age glided to the ground in front of Nah. She smiled and opened her mouth.
"I'm…"
That was when Cynthia crashed into the ground.
The girl winced.
"Uh, sorry Cynthia. Guess we need to practice the dismount, huh?"
Cynthia staggered to her feet and nodded.
"It hardly looked heroic."
"Well, I think the fact it left you vulnerable to followup attacks is more important. I mean, if it looked bad and it worked, that would be different. Uh… you might want to see Lissa. Just in case."
Cynthia gave a thumbs up and stumble off towards the healer's tent. The girl turned back to face Nah.
"I think it has potential, anyway. I'm Morgan. I don't think we've talked yet."
"We haven't."
Under other circumstances, Nah might want to. Whatever else Morgan was, she was another dragon, and probably not as immature as Nowi had turned out to be. There might be something worth learning, even with the little Cynthia incident arguing against that. But at the moment, Nah was busy. Too busy to try for a conversation with someone who Cynthia considered a peer.
Morgan smiled. It seemed like she disagreed.
"We probably should do something about that. A good tactician knows the troops under her command!"
"I was in the middle of something, Morgan."
"And knowing what you're in the middle of may be crucial in battles ahead."
"How?"
Morgan shook her head.
"Nah, I can't tell you HOW a future battle will go. That's why I need to know everything I can now. After all, if I need to know then, I probably won't have the time to ask. I wouldn't ask if I thought it was a waste of your time."
"Uh-huh."
"I mean, if it was a waste of your time, it would probably also be a waste of my time, and that's twice as inefficient. I'll just observe and take notes."
"Silently?"
Morgan nodded, her lips sealed shut.
Nah looked away. Well, she'd had an audience before. It wasn't like Naga would mind much. Nah closed her eyes.
"Great and wise Naga, heed my prayer!"
"Um, Nah?"
Morgan had stopped being silent. Nah wished she was surprised, but she'd spent too much time around Cynthia for this kind of thing to be a novelty.
"What is it?"
"You can just talk to Naga from anywhere? Does she talk back?"
Nah opened her eyes and turned to face Morgan.
"Morgan, you're a dragon."
"Well, yeah. I remember that much."
Nah puffed out her chest. It was time for a speech, then! They both had a heritage to live up to, and if Morgan didn't know, it was Nah's place to tell her.
"We're very spiritual beings. Naga is a very busy goddess, but she still has time to talk to all her children."
"And grandchildren?"
Nah looked to Morgan and tried to pick up her scent. A manakete could tell someone's true motives from their scent. It was a delicate art, but Nah thought she had it down fairly well.
Morgan smelled like… wet dragon. And not much else, for good or ill. Perhaps a slight flowery smell, but that could have been soap.
Nah tried to take control of the situation again. She just had to answer the question and she could move on.
"Erm, all Manaketes are her children. Naga is the most sacred deity for all dragons, and she…"
"But their children would be her grandchildren too, wouldn't they? That seems like it would be pretty confusing."
"I didn't think of it that way. But if I had to… she watches out for her grandchildren too."
Nah tried to sound confident when she said it. Really, she didn't have any formal instruction on the topic. She'd spoken to Naga, and sometimes Naga talked back, but it was unreliable at best, and she hadn't exactly talked with many other dragons about it. Mother was useless for this kind of thing, and she hadn't spent nearly as much time with Tiki as she would have liked.
As for Morgan? Whatever else you could say about her, it seemed she knew even less than Nah did about… about a lot of things.
It would probably be best to cut off before she asked a question Nah couldn't come up with an answer to.
Nah turned away and closed her eyes.
"If you're done, I can go back to communing with the goddess."
"Right. I'll take notes. And be quiet."
Nah opened an eye for a second to make sure Morgan's mouth was shut, then resumed her prayers.
"Great and wise Naga, heed my prayer!"
Nothing from Morgan, but Nah felt a weight to the whole room, and the air smelled like lilacs. Someone else was going to speak soon. She was just waiting for a cue from Nah.
Nah worked through her standard prayers. Thanks for her survival when so many others weren't so blessed, prayers for patience (always more needed when Cynthia was around), and for enough to get by. No response for the standards, beyond a slight feeling of… bemusement? It was hard to tell what Naga was thinking some of the time. Nah just had to be content that she was there.
After a little more of the standard, she moved onto the day's specific concerns. Nah tried to choose her words carefully. After all, Morgan was another dragon, and might even be a good friend some day. A little time with Cynthia wasn't enough to condemn her. If Nah was honest with herself, mother wasn't the most mature either. There was always room to grow, room to mature.
Nah kept at the arguments. She might be able to convince herself of something sooner or later. But before she could get to any kind of conclusion, a voice rattled her brain.
"You've met my granddaughter, then."
Naga sounded a little amused. Well, she was a goddess. No reason she would miss the earlier conversation just because Nah didn't address it to her..
"Err, yes. I tried to explain how we were all your children."
"But not all in the same sense."
"Of course. Lucina is your daughter in a different way than I am, but you watch over all of us. You don't have 'granddaughters'. You..."
Nah paused. Naga was… laughing. Just a little, but that was more than Nah had ever heard from her before.
"I don't have granddaughters."
"That's what I tried to tell her."
"Just granddaughter."
Just like that, the weight was gone, the smell was gone, and Nah was alone in her thoughts with Naga's last words echoing. What did she mean by...
Oh. Oh.
Nah opened her eyes and turned to Morgan. Morgan started and looked back.
"Err… was Naga talking about me? Am I in trouble? Because I would have written if I knew what to write. And I'd spend more time with mother, but she and father just started dating, and I didn't want to put more pressure on them..."
"I don't think you're in trouble, Morgan."
"Yet. We still have most of the day to go, and Cynthia had more ideas. I'm not sure all of them will… work."
Nah nodded.
"She keeps asking me to do ridiculous things. Honestly, we're dragons. We don't have time for playing games. In case she didn't notice, we're in the middle of a war."
"She doesn't notice a lot of things. But sometimes, that helps. Conventional thinking is a crippling weakness for a tactician. That's what father says, anyway, and he might be the smartest person in the world. At least, for this kind of thing. If I do something obviously insane and it works, maybe the only reason people thought it wouldn't work is because they never tried it."
"Really? Is that why you let her ride on your back?"
It was undignified, of course. But if it helped, it helped. Nah smiled. What was she worried about? Obviously, her mother was a one-off. Morgan was just more proof of the dignity of dragons. She was even willing to sacrifice her pride in pursuit of victory.
What more could you hope for from the granddaughter of Naga?
Morgan smiled. Nah leaned in closer. Obviously, she had wisdom to impart, like her mother and her grandmother before her.
"Well, that. Definitely that. It's not like I've always thought it was unfair for wyverns to have all the fun."
Nah sighed. So much for wisdom.
"Oh."
Morgan shrugged.
"If it makes you feel any better, I could keep lying. But we're young and we're going to outlive more or less anyone. We might as well look stupid now. It's not like anyone will still be alive who remembers it when we have dignity to lose."
She was alone on the top of a hill. A small figure, even by human standards, a first glance might miss seeing her. But once you saw her, you could never miss her again. Anyone could see her grace, carried through century after century. Her wisdom, even in silence. The woman on the hill was an icon, a marker for all the dreams of the long centuries, all the hopes of the human race. Her eyes were closed in meditation, but her spirit was close at hand, and her nose…
Her nose was blowing snot bubbles.
Say'ri sighed. Fie. There were times she suspected those of Naga's blood lived primarily to disappoint her expectations. Between the Voice and her daughter, it was a wonder she managed to keep any of her faith intact. But she had pledged her loyalty to them, and more than that, the Lady Tiki was a friend. Say'ri had few enough in this strange land. Best to cherish the ones she could find.
Sadly, being a friend carried less pleasant responsibilities. If she had her freedom, perhaps she would leave the Voice to her sleep. But she was Empress now. The higher the station, the greater the responsibility, the greater the power, the fewer routes open. There was no choice but the one before her. Say'ri walked next to her friend.
"Mmm… Mar mar… it's so nice, but... I'm sorry, but...there's someone else. No, don't…"
Say'ri gritted her teeth. It wasn't her place to judge the voice of a god. She grabbed Tiki's shoulder and shook it. There were more important matters than dreams.
"My L… Tiki. Your daughter has need of you."
"Oh? Did she ask for me?"
Tiki shifted in place. For all her virtues, she still seemed… uncomfortable with motherhood.
"No. But she… her father is absent, and she has been… clouded. She shows less than her usual cheer and energy."
"She only runs around the camp five times a minute instead of ten?"
Say'ri smiled.
"Aye, Tiki. It is a cause for gravest concern. I feel she could use her mother's presence."
Tiki stood and stretched her arms.
"Will you come with me? I still haven't spent as much time with Morgan as I should. I just…"
"Fie! I'm sure you will have time soon enough after the wedding."
Tiki started a little and blushed.
"I…"
"Have no fear. I will not share your little secret. Sir Robin is a lucky man. And after this night ends, the world could use a new dawn, with the Voice of Naga standing before them, joining in our revelries. Ha! I worried that you would grow too close to me, and here you find a man worthy of your heart!"
Tiki blushed again. Say'ri smiled. It was a hard thing for her to lose the Voice Of Naga, the lodestar for her upbringing and the soul of the world, but she gained a friend in return. Looking back, she couldn't say she came out the loser in that particular bargain.
They found Morgan in a tent far from the main camp. She uncurled and rose to her feet when Say'ri came in through the flap.
"Hey auntie Say'ri. Hello mother! I just… there's a lot to plan for now. Sorry, but I don't have time to talk. Maybe later?"
Tiki frowned.
"You didn't seem to be planning."
Morgan's smile wobbled.
"Curling up and sobbing was totally for strategic purposes, mother. I know it might not seem that way, but I… I really should have thought of a better lie before I committed."
"What's wrong, Morgan?"
Morgan took a step back.
"You love me, don't you?"
"What?"
"I mean, I know we haven't spent as much mother daughter time as we should, but you still loved me when you got to know me, right? I mean, personally, not just as part of my inherent sunny lovability."
"...Of course I did, Morgan."
"Good. I mean, mother daughter days would get pretty awkward if you didn't. Um, followup question. Is… it's unconditional love, right? Special, family style love. If I did something bad, or father did something bad, you'd still love me, right?"
"Did you do something, Morgan?"
Morgan shook her head.
"No. Err… nothing that you'd find out about, at least. I just want to know. Because I don't always show it as much as I'd like, but you're really important to me, and… I don't want to lose you."
"If you didn't do anything, why are you asking?"
Morgan skewed her face into a perfect mask of "Are you kidding me" with a side of "Seriously, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?". After a few seconds, she sighed.
"You saw what happened, right? Father is Grima. He's distracting himself so he doesn't have to think about it as much, but I caught him trying to figure out how to break up with you. And I'm his daughter."
"And mine."
"Well, yeah, which is why I'm checking if you still love me. I mean, if I can't count on my own mother, then I can pretty much rule out anyone else trusting me ever again. Just father and Morgan, together again. Or, well alone again. Alone together again."
Tiki stepped back.
"Why would you think I would hate you, Morgan?"
"Well, Lucy tried to kill father not that long ago when she thought he was just going to kill uncle Chrom. I think a little distrust is to be expected. Or… a lot of distrust. I mean, I got a little distrust from people when the only reason was amnesia. They probably have more distrust now."
Morgan paused, and scratched her chin.
"You… still haven't said if you love me in spite of everything. I'm not trying to put any pressure on, or trying to rush you. I just work better with full information. And I'd be a lot happier without you hating me."
"I don't hate you, Morgan."
Morgan smiled.
"I… I think I can work with that. Thank you, mother. I'll do my best to earn your trust."
"Earn it?"
Morgan nodded.
"I know I'm a risk right now. Not a liability, but a risk. I might trust me, and I know Chrom… well, I'm pretty sure Chrom trusts anyone who hadn't tried to kill him, and at least… five people who have. Most people need more before they'll work with someone who might destroy the world."
Say'ri looked to Tiki. The voice's eyes were clouded. Her daughter took a step closer.
"It's not your fault! Really! Look, this is a me and father problem. And father and I will find a solution. It's not like you're the one who might wipe out all of humanity. You don't…"
Tiki shook her head.
"I was thinking of Mar-mar."
"Oh. Is this a what-would-not-quite-as-good-as-Father-do thing? Because I've talked to Lucina about him, and, err… can we not do what he would do? He seemed a bit… stabby."
"He was always kind to me."
"Great. But, again, you weren't going to blow up the world. I think…"
Tiki shook her head again. Morgan's eyes bulged.
"Wait. You almost blew up the world? Why did I only listen to father's stories? World exploding stories are even more interesting. Is that how you were established as a major religious figure? I bet people were a lot less likely to argue with you when they remembered that."
"I didn't like it, Morgan."
"Well, the other people on the exploded remains of what used to be a planet probably liked it even less. Or would have liked it less, I guess, since we still have a planet."
"I was locked away for fear of what I could do, what I would do. I lived through constant nightmares of the world burning, of tearing through friends, helpless to stop. I was told that I was a monster."
"Well, at least you had the good times to look back on? I mean, you had your mother and father growing up, before the blow up the world thing started to be a problem."
"I had nothing. No memories of family. No wider world. No hope that anything would get better. Gotoh told me I was a threat to the world..."
Morgan frowned.
"He sounds like a jerk."
"Gotoh was one of the great sages. He saved humanity long before I was born, and he…"
"Can still be a jerk. Total jerk, even! I mean, if we hadn't been around, some future history book might talk about how Walhart was great to stand against Grima, but he'd still be a jerk."
Tiki looked down for a second, and sighed.
"Looking back, he might have been a jerk."
Morgan pumped her fist.
"Called it!"
Then she tilted her head.
"Buuutttt… it didn't end there, since you're here, and the world is not destroyed. What happened?"
"Mar-Mar. He saved me. When he came, he let me run and play again, have friends. And… lose them. But it was better to have them than to cry in the dark, dreaming of damning the world. I would never want that again. And I would never want it for my daughter."
"Mother? You're… misting up. Should I get a tissue? Or a bottle for the tears? They've been useful before..."
"I love you, Morgan. No matter what. We'll get through this together. As a family."
Tiki hugged her daughter tight to her chest. After a second, Morgan hugged her back, and started sobbing in return.
Say'ri watched them as silence fell over the tent. The Voice and her daughter leaned on each other, sharing their pains and fears without the barrier of words. After a few moments more, Morgan smiled.
For once, she didn't have anything to say.
(Author's Notes: Well, another day, another chapter. Or, well, another month. I can't say I bring the fastest updates, but I like to think they're usually worth the wait.
This time came about from thinking about how, if Morgan's Tiki's daughter, she's a major religious figure. Half the world worships her grandmother, but nobody blinks at her claiming to be, you know, a demigod. Now, it makes sense in the game, since that's a lot of new dialog to write for one of dozens of possible parents for the Morgans, but hey. Opportunity. Plus, it was a chance to write Say'ri, who I've mostly ignored so far. In fact, if you check back, I'm pretty sure I didn't give her one line in any of the previous chapters. Wasn't by intent, but these things happen.
I think I should have done a better job of linking the parts into a coherent whole, if I'm being entirely honest with myself. I mean, I thought the parts worked, but they don't link up as neatly as, say, last chapter.
So, as always, thanks for reading, hope you liked, and remember that claiming to be an ancient dragon god without at least three independent testimonials is still a misdemeanor in most states and provinces. Please claim massive and terrifying power responsibly.)