(A/N: This one is in Robin's view. The rest is explained in the bonus.)
When Cynthia and Gerome came back a second time, Robin was hoping for good news. And her hopes were proved true; the two of them came saying that the war was over. She expected some sort of retaliation. A part of her didn't want to believe anything else.
But three months after Cynthia and Gerome delivered the news, all of the kids returned. She was glad to know they were all okay.
Robin didn't see anyone new, though. Nor did she see a man that resembled Morgan. She asked Morgan about it—he said that Malin departed from their group before they got to Ylisstol. She would have tried asking for more information, but she didn't want to sound desperate.
A week after everyone returned, she went to the castle library. She didn't have any particular goal. She just wanted to wander.
Sometime just before dinner, Frederick came in.
"I'll be down to eat in a little while," Robin said, placing her finger on the page to mark her spot and looking up at him. "I just need to finish this page."
"Someone wishes to see you," Frederick replied.
"Send them in and I'll get to them in a moment." Robin looked back at her book and continued reading. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Frederick bow, stepping aside to let someone else in, and after a quiet request by the visitor, he left, closing the door behind him.
Robin finished the page, put down a piece of paper to mark her place, and closed the book.
And when she looked up…she saw Morgan. The Morgan she fought alongside with. The Morgan that helped her make a childhood for herself. The Morgan who left years ago with next to no warning.
He smiled a bit shyly. "Hello, Mother. It's…been a while."
"That's an understatement," Robin replied. She didn't mean to sound bitter—but that's how it came out. "You're Malin?"
"Yeah," he said. "I would've stayed Morgan, but that would've confused Little Morgan once he grew up."
"You left before Morgan could even remember you," Robin pointed out. "Do you know how worried I was? You just…left. Took all your things and gone by the morning. A week before you left you were talking about how you couldn't leave. And then you give me a letter saying that you couldn't stay? I was worried that you had gone off to investigate Keira."
"I had," Malin admitted. "Well, not at first. I knew that it would be confusing for Little Morgan if I stayed. I'm a bit surprised that Lucina doesn't remember me. Not sure about Owain."
"Did you, or did you not, go chasing after a woman who doesn't exist?" Robin asked.
"Sort of," Malin replied. "I went to Plegia for a while, looked at the records. I was looking into the Grimleal, too. I attended one of their rally ceremonies. I was going to come back to warn you, I swear. But then I met Little Morgan and Eisso and Kenzie and the others, realized I was late, and just hoped you were okay." He paused, looking at her. "And now you probably hate me."
Robin stood up. "I don't hate you. I'm just doing what any mother would do and worried about you. I thought you died. And I was blaming myself for it." She walked over to him. "I still think of myself as your mother. And it concerned me when you left, when I thought that you always wanted to stay. We would have thought of a way to reduce confusion. You, your father, and I."
"…right," Malin said. He started going through his bag. "Oh, and the reason why I was so late is because I was working on this." He pulled out a well-bound book. It looked homemade. He handed it to Robin, and she took it.
"Can I ask what it is?" Robin said.
"It's how I think my childhood played out," Malin replied. "My memories haven't returned and I don't think they ever will. So I spent some of my time writing it. When I learned something new—which was rare because I haven't seen any of the others since we defeated Grima—I would change it. What you now hold is the bound and spellchecked final product. It isn't very cheery, though."
"I wouldn't expect it to be," Robin said. She sat it on the desk. "I'll read it as soon as I'm able."
"Thanks," Malin said. "Oh, and…Mother?"
"Yes?" Robin asked.
"Would it be okay…if I stayed?" Malin said. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to call you Mother and you wouldn't be able to call me Morgan, but—"
"I'm not sure why you have to ask," Robin admitted. "There's still plenty of rooms in the castle; plenty of space to spread out. Everyone would love to have you back. And I don't think the kids could have had just a nonfatal campaign without you. It would take some getting used to, but if you want to stay, no one will stop you."
Malin smiled, considerably more cheerful now. "Thank you, really. I'll try to make up for all the worrying I caused."
"Simply agreeing to stay at the castle was enough," Robin replied. She walked over to the door and opened it. "Now, let's get some dinner before your father sends someone to bring us there.
Malin nodded and followed her out. It might take a bit of explaining for everyone else, but Robin was glad that he was back.
(A/N: This is the last update for this story. I hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you for reading.)