(A/N: For clarification, this is in Robin's view.)
Robin tried her best to make it easier for Morgan and Lucina. It was a bit difficult when she had a hard time accepting it herself.
She managed to get a messenger to give Chrom a message so then he knew they were coming back, along with requesting that he reached out to most of the people that fought alongside them. She never waited for a reply, so she just hoped that he did as she asked.
It took a bit longer for them to reach the castle than they did leaving it. The trip still took close to four months overall, maybe a bit closer to five.
Robin was relieved when she saw friendly faces waiting for her at the castle. Most of them brought their children—good, Morgan and Lucina will have friends to talk to as well.
While Lucina had left when they reached Ylisstol, claiming that she wanted to visit a friend, Morgan stayed closely behind Robin. She didn't push him away this time, either; the close comfort of family was something she needed too.
Chrom was worried, which was no surprise. Robin didn't give him much time to question her, though.
"Is everyone here?" She asked, maintaining a calm tone.
"All of the Shepherds and a majority of the army is here, yes," Chrom replied. He almost looked like he expected to get yelled at—which wasn't surprising either. But the time to share questions and answers with him won't be until she speaks a few words to her former comrades.
"Can you round them all up and bring them to the main hall? I have a few things I would like to be established," Robin said. Chrom nodded and left, albeit hesitantly.
Robin headed straight for the courtyard. There wasn't much to do but wait. Well, wait and figure out what she was going to say. It wasn't exactly easy to explain, but Malin deserved some sort of funeral…and a public funeral would be even harder to do, with no body and piles of lies making it difficult to say anything. At least with the former members of the Ylissian army, she could use his real name, for once.
With that thought in mind, she turned to Morgan. "You can spend some time with your friends, if you'd like. You don't have to be a second shadow."
"…I just want to stay by you," Morgan replied firmly. There were times when he seemed much younger than he was…this was such a time. It vaguely reminded her of a child who wanted to protect their parent—given her history of regretful thinking, it wasn't a bad idea. Robin knew that she could never point a sword towards herself, though.
But then again, she always thought the same about Malin, and yet she agreed to take his life...
Robin was quickly brought of her thoughts by thirty-or-so people coming towards her and Morgan, all donning somewhat worried or curious expressions. Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick were among the people in the lead, with plenty of friends behind them. She could only spot one or two missing people, not including the future children that fought with them.
Once everyone had gathered close enough to hear her, she began her quickly-prepared speech, "It's nice to see everyone again—even if it's because of undesirable circumstances. I'm sure that you have heard about the death of Malin; many of you also know him as Morgan, my future son whom fought alongside us when we battled against Valm." She paused for a few moments, mostly to see how Morgan would react. This was the first time he's heard of it, after all; she would've told him shortly after her and Chrom told Lucina, if not for Grima deciding that he wanted to come back.
"We are gathered here today in his memory; I have a few things I need to say regarding his wishes and words to honor him with," Robin continued. She was expecting her voice to crack, some sort of sign of weakness…she couldn't hold her grief in check forever. "First things first, I want to clarify how he died. For now, I will just say that he died in my place…even if it was by my blade, as well. For good cause, he gave his life away. There are many legends of heroes who knew such people; those who were willing to sacrifice themselves for what they believed in and the safety of their home. It's a reoccurring theme—many times has a leader died to bring peace to their country or family. Regardless of the reason of death, however…mourning is still a difficult state to overcome, which is something everyone here has experienced first-hand.
"When the war ended, Malin stayed at the castle for a time. He left when Morgan was still young, and returned during the Grimleal War. As a result, I may not have known him as well as others did, but I do know this: he never quite felt like he belonged in this time, with the other future children. It was hard to notice until he was living at the castle, and he refused to go by any titles and oftentimes stayed away from the few visitors. I believe that was an aiding factor in his death, which I take partial responsibility for.
"Despite the lack of time spend together…I saw him as family. He was always youthful, and he never hesitated to pull me back in line. He fit right in, and I believe I speak for all of us when I say that he will be greatly missed. Before he died, however, he gave me instructions on what to do in the aftermath, concerning his possessions and how he would like to portray himself in the history books.
"First, Malin asked that all his things will be given to Morgan. His journal in particular is to be kept private, and should not be shown to anyone living outside of the castle. He explained this by saying that—due to the nature of the Grimleal War and related events—it would be best to keep it away from the public until an explanation has been determined.
"Second, he said that he wanted all records stating 'Morgan' in reference to him should be changed to use the name he died with. Immediate recall of any published history books concerning the war campaign against Valm is preferred, although it will take time to put this into effect.
"Third…he specifically requested that the peace he died for remains. Like most of us here, Malin was driven by the possibility of a brighter future—he had many reasons why he was willing to die, and many reasons why he shouldn't. To protect the latter, Ylisse will follow a policy of internal recovery and relative isolation, with the exalt's permission. This is the most important wish he made, and I intend to keep it if at all possible."
With that, she left out a small breath. "Overall, Malin was a good person. Like all of us, he made mistakes—but he improved and prospered in areas where I never could. There will be times in the coming weeks where his presence is missed more than others, but I believe that we can fulfill his last wishes and maintain a peaceful atmosphere for a majority of Ylisse and beyond, thanks to his sacrifice."
Once she was done, everyone took turns giving their condolences and left. Robin was expecting Morgan to ask questions; instead, he just stood silently, seeming to be lost in thought. As soon as everyone left, Robin headed towards the bedrooms to sort through Malin's things. Morgan stayed in the courtyard, eventually sitting down in the grass and staring absently at the ground.