Author's Notes:
Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post, but I found myself with far less time for writing as it was the end of summer and I had to prepare for going back to school. Buying things, moving in, getting used to the new schedule, etc. was taking up a lot of my time and energy.
Morgan will be much younger than the one in the game, because I feel that would make more sense. In the actual game, it's possible for Morgan to marry someone, which is why she needed to be 'an adult', but there's no such limitation for this story.
That's all I have to say for now, here's chapter 38:
Undisclosed Time and Location…
A young girl and her mother were currently crouching behind a cracked pillar within Naga's shrine. They both held their breath, desperately trying not to get found.
The mother grabbed her daughter's shoulders. "Listen to me, do you see that gate over there?"
The young girl snuck a peek and saw what looked like a door with a silky, lime green membrane stretched across it. "I think so, mama…"
"When I tell you to, I want you to run as fast as you can. No matter what, you have to make it safely across it." Her mother continued.
"But mama..." The young girl began to protest.
"Please, listen to me." Her mother pulled the girl into a hug. "I'll be right behind you. Just… trust me."
"O...ok mama…" The girl sniffled. "I'll listen to you."
"All right." The mother nodded. "Run. Now."
The girl took off as fast as she possibly could towards the gate. Several Risen in the area reacted to the sound of her footsteps and instantly turned towards her. One even got within striking distance, but was stopped when a sword suddenly protruded out of its chest. The Risen's head turned 180 degrees, exceeding what a living human would be capable of doing. It swung its axe arm around, turning its torso in order to attack its assailant. The swing managed to cause the assailant to dodge backwards. This action caused her hood to fly off, revealing the face of an older Lucina.
Lucina snarled and swung her Falchion again, this time killing the Risen for good. She snuck a quick glance towards her daughter, who was standing in front of the gate by now.
"Hurry up, mama!" The girl shouted. "Quickly!"
"Jump through the gate, Morgan!" Lucina shouted back. "Mother will be right behind you! Hurry, before it's too late!"
"I'll be waiting for you then, mama!" The girl known as Morgan replied as she leapt across the gate.
Lucina breathed a sigh of relief. She could focus on killing the rest of the Risen within the shrine now.
Moments later, an utterly exhausted Lucina was on her knees, leaning against Falchion, which was being driven into the ground point first. Her breathing was heavy.
She heard a figure approach her, but it didn't cause her to panic. "Is she safe?" Lucina asked.
"Yes." Tiki replied. "She is well on her way into the past. Into a more favorable timeline. And as we agreed, Naga will alter her memories so that what she remembers about you will become fuzzy at best. In fact, the only memories she'll retain are the happy ones of her father."
"That's good." Lucina panted. "Thank you, Lady Tiki."
"No, it wasn't me." Tiki shook her head. "It was the doing of Naga."
"Yes, you're right." Lucina chuckled. "I was such a fool… thinking everything was over… thinking that the crisis of my own timeline had been averted… I should have known that Grima couldn't have just disappeared all of a sudden."
"Not all hope is lost…" Tiki tried to reassure her. "Naga tells me there is still one more timeline where there is a chance that Grima can be defeated. As long as there is still one more timeline, then there is still hope. After all, Grima's power doesn't allow him to time travel, even with the assistance of all five gemstones. His raw power may be overwhelming, but all we need is to have one timeline where he is defeated in order to restore peace."
"It's a shame that I could not be there to help or witness his defeat then." Lucina sighed. "You're sure I cannot follow Morgan into the gate?"
"No." Tiki shook her head. "Your body would not be able to handle it. Traveling back in time once is draining enough. Doing so a second time could quite literally erase you from existence. I know it's not quite as comforting as you'd probably like, the fact that you were able to perform the Awakening for Naga a second time is already quite an accomplishment. It quite possibly saved your daughter's life."
"Then I have no choice but to believe in the shepherds of that timeline." Lucina sighed. "At the very least, I was a good enough mother, I guess."
"Unfortunately, we will have to stop this conversation." Tiki said regretfully. "Robin… no. Grima is approaching."
"Y-you're right." Lucina grunted as she forced herself back onto her feet. "Once upon a time, it might have been Robin. But I refuse to believe that Grima is the same man I love. And I guess I'll have to settle for seeing Robin one last time… even if he's in the form of a monster."
Lucina hobbled out of the shrine. Outside, a large storm was brewing. The sky was covered in dark clouds, and occasionally, a purple lightning bolt would strike the ground near the shrine. She continued moving forwards, knowing full well that she was walking towards her inevitable death.
In the distance, she could see the humongous figure of Grima slowly flying his way towards the shrine. His six wings moved rhythmically, and if the dragon hadn't been the envoy of death and destruction, Grima could almost be described as majestic. His six red eyes blinked on occasion, eerily flickering from within the dark clouds.
"I suppose this is my penance." Lucina mumbled. "Robin… seeing you like this fills me with so much pain… so much regret. For the last decade or so, you've treated me so well… and you were an excellent father. But I only repaid your kindness with betrayal. Even if everyone else turned on you for being the Fell Dragon's vessel, I should have been the one person to never leave your side. Perhaps… if only I had done things differently…" Lucina's eyes began to well up with tears. It had been a long time since she had cried. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had done so. "Perhaps… perhaps you wouldn't have turned towards the Grimleal. And perhaps you wouldn't have become the monstrosity you are today."
At this point, Grima had reached the shrine. His six eyes seemed to pick up on Lucina's location. Realizing that she was alone, the Fell Dragon roared in anger.
"Don't worry," Lucina smiled, even with tears still streaming down her face. "Morgan's safe."
Grima roared again, but Lucina couldn't tell how the dragon was actually feeling. Had it been Robin in control, even if he were furious at Lucina, he would be happy to know their daughter was safe. To be fair, hating Lucina would be completely justified, as she HAD attempted to murder him when he was still a human. And if it were truly Grima in control, then making him angry and not letting the dragon get his way would be her final victory against him. Either way, it was a win for her to let the dragon know.
Lucina dropped Falchion. She had learned a long time ago that the sword, which had only been blessed with the Awakening ritual using four gemstones, would be nigh useless against the god-dragon. She lifted her head towards Grima and closed her eyes in acceptance.
Lucina didn't even flinch as Grima's jaws lunged towards her, seeking to devour her whole.
Shepherd's Camp, Valm Harbor, Present Timeline…
Lucina sat up from her bed, panting.
Robin, who had been asleep next to her, sensed Lucina's movement, and slowly sat up as well. "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing." Lucina shook her head. "Just a nightmare."
"Nightmare?" Robin asked as he wrapped her in a hug. "You're shaking. Was it really that bad?"
"I… the details are a little fuzzy." Lucina nodded numbly. "I don't remember much… but the last thing I remember was…" she choked back a sob. "I was standing face to face with Grima. The last thing I remember was Grima's jaws flying towards me… he was just about to devour me… and then I woke up."
'She's scared…' Robin realized as she was explaining the dream to him.
"Hey, it's all right." Robin comforted her. "It's just a dream. You don't need to focus on the terrifying thoughts. You don't need to be afraid either. I know it might be hard after having a nightmare, but try to get some more sleep. I'm going to be right here next to you after all."
The two slowly laid back down on the bedroll. Feeling that Lucina could use some more comfort, Robin wrapped an arm around her waist. He was cautious at first, but seeing no adverse reaction from Lucina, Robin quickly relaxed.
"Do you ever have trouble falling asleep after a nightmare?" Lucina whispered.
"Yeah." Robin admitted. "Sometimes, I'm not able to fall asleep at all."
"I guess I'm not the only one then." Lucina muttered.
"Don't think about it for now." Robin suggested. "Just close your eyes and try to sleep."
Lucina obliged, and although it took a while, she eventually was able to fall back into a steady slumbering state.
Robin, however, didn't fall asleep quite yet.
'She describes Grima like a monster. And I can't really just… not believe her.' Robin thought to himself. 'But when Grima spoke to me in my dreams, he seemed… civilized. Does this mean that his behavior was just an act?'
Robin sighed. 'No, wait a minute. Beings like Naga and Grima… they have three parts to them. Miriel confirmed it herself. And in my dreams, Grima made it clear that it was only the consciousness that was talking to me. Does this mean Grima only turns into the destructive Fell Dragon once all three of his parts are assembled? Is that what we have to prevent? If so, how do we do that?'
He shook his head slightly. 'There's no use thinking about that now. I really don't have enough information to make these conclusions yet. Perhaps I'll be able to figure it out in the near future. For now, I should be getting some sleep as well.'
A few moments later, two sets of rhythmic breathing filled the tent as both inhabitants slept relatively soundly.
Next Day, Valm Harbor…
Robin was busy overseeing the loading of their ships. There was plenty to do, and plenty to bring back to Ylisse. Many of the crates that the shepherds were loading contained necessary supplies that they had bought for the trip, but many others contained gifts that the citizens of Valm Harbor prepared for them. The general consensus was that the quality of life at the Harbor had been elevated by quite a significant margin since the shepherds defeated Valm and Walhart.
Soft footsteps scrunched across the sands as Lucina ran towards him. She had a small, brown purse hanging near her waist.
"It's quite the bustling town today." The princess said when she reached him. "You can feel the excitement in the air!"
'"How was it?" Robin asked as he looked up from the checklists he was busy working on. Chrom had given the next generation of shepherds the day off so that they could go visit the town. Not only had they been recently brought together again, but he also figured they could use some time to enjoy themselves without the stress of saving the world resting upon their shoulders.
He was slightly taken aback by what he saw. In Lucina's hair was a light blue flower with a bright yellow center. He smiled at how beautiful it made her look.
"It was great!" Lucina beamed at Robin's reaction. "I think some of the street vendors recognized me. They kept approaching us and offering us free stuff."
"Including the flower?" Robin pointed at it.
"Yeah!" Lucina smiled. "The florist said it was called a Morning Glory or something like that. She told me it complimented my hair well. Cynthia got one as well. You should've seen how happy she was."
"And why is that?" Robin chuckled.
"We never really had flowers in the future." Lucina sighed. "They just didn't have enough sunlight to grow. Flowers as colorful as this one just didn't exist. Which is why seeing them now makes them all the more precious to us."
"I'm sorry." Robin facepalmed. "I… shouldn't have even asked."
"No, no!" Lucina shook her head. "It's fine, really. I can't really hide from it. Instead, it just means I need to treasure these moments even more."
"That's a very… sophisticated outlook." Robin replied. "What's in the bag?"
"Oh, this?" Lucina reached down and picked up the purse. "I think they're just some cosmetic stuff. I'm actually not sure about everything in here, but I'll ask mother about it later. It was a gift as well. Does it look cute?"
"Very." Robin nodded.
"Really?" Lucina looked almost surprised at the response. "I don't know… it just looks kind of… plain to me. Like, there's no bright colors or patterns or anything."
"No, I think it looks fine." Robin insisted. "Even if the colors are a little dull, it really makes you look mature. Really bright colors don't have that same effect."
"Really?" Lucina furrowed her eyebrows.
"Yeah." Robin nodded again.
"Well, I'll take your word for it then, I guess." Lucina shrugged. "I'm going to go find Cynthia and the others again. But before I go... "
She handed Robin an object wrapped in deli paper.
"What is it?" The tactician asked as he set his stuff down in order to unwrap it.
"It's a cookie." Lucina responded. "The bakery we visited had them, and I thought they were so delicious that I should get you one as well. I mean… you all are still working hard while the rest of us are just having fun…"
"Thank you for thinking of me. Really, it's no problem. You all deserve it anyway." Robin chuckled. "And I wouldn't want to keep your friends waiting. Why don't you go back to them then? We can talk some more once we get on the boat."
"Sure." Lucina nodded before turning around and running back towards the town. She turned and waved at him. "See you later then!"
Robin smiled and waved back. Once she climbed up the steps and off of the beach, Robin took a bite out of the cookie Lucina gave him and returned to work.
Hours Later…
It was well into the afternoon when the shepherds were finally able to set sail. Say'ri stood on the shore and tearfully waved them goodbye until she was but a speck in the distance. Afterwards, she got on a horse and began the long ride back to Chon'sin.
Once again, the shepherds were treated to the sight of an open ocean. All of Lucina's friends were understandably amazed, having never sailed the open ocean before. They enjoyed it far more than the shepherds had on their first voyage. Afterall, they didn't have the war with Valm looming over their heads. All of the problems of their future, including Grima, seemed a lifetime away.
Robin leaned on the gunwale as he looked off into the distance. He was deep in thought, and the open ocean seemed to aid him in the process. Coupled with the sound of the waves as they rocked against the boat, he entered an almost trance-like state.
He began to tune out the sounds of his friends laughing and having fun on the other side of the boat.
'Lady Tiki talked about how we need to gather all five stones in order to perform the Awakening.' Robin thought to himself. 'Thanks to Say'ri and Basilio, we now have our hands on four of the stones. This means that all we're missing is one of them, so I guess in a sense, our next objective is pretty clear.'
He gripped the gunwale as an unusually large wave crashed against the ship. 'Even though the general objective is clear, the details on how we're going to find it isn't. We don't really have any leads on where to even start searching. We'll probably have to have a meeting on the subject when we get back to Ylisstol.'
"...Robin! Hello!? Uncle Robin?" A voice directly behind him called as he felt a finger poking his back. Robin clumsily turned around to see Cynthia standing there. "I've been calling you for a couple of minutes now! How come you're ignoring me?"
"S-sorry." Robin sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I was just… thinking. I must've not heard you. Did you need something?"
"Well, I was just wondering something." Cynthia grinned. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Robin shrugged. "About what?"
"Well…." Cynthia smiled mischievously. "From what I gathered, many of my friends' parents actually haven't gotten married just yet. Apparently, father is giving them some time off to go do that when we get back to Ylisse."
"Yeah, that seems fair." Robin nodded. "What about it?"
"Well I was wondering if you were going to marry big sister Lucy!" Cynthia blurted. Robin was taken completely off guard as his cheeks instantly flared red.
"Th-that… I think it's still a little bit early to be thinking about marriage." Robin stammered. "And besides, we haven't really gotten to spend much time to get to know each other yet."
"YOU might not have, but Lucina's known you for over ten years!" Cynthia replied. "And we all know that it's what she wants. She's not very good at hiding it. And it would mean the world to me, as well as the rest of us. You see, in the future, Lucy carried the burdens of all of us on her shoulders. Sure, we were all there to support her, but she helped guide us here. None of us would be alive if it weren't for her. And also, I'm her sister, so naturally, I'd want her to be happy. But in our timeline, I don't remember ever seeing her smile. Truth be told, I've never seen her as happy as she is now. Really! You would make her so happy if you proposed to her."
"You're asking a lot of me." Robin chuckled.
"Well, what's the hold up?" Cynthia asked. "Is there a reason you're afraid to ask? Do you not love her?"
"Well, love is a strong word…" Robin began. "I do really like her though…"
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "And you think that with a little more time, your feelings might change? If you're not absolutely sure you love her, one day you might end up disliking her?"
"N-no… not that…" Robin sighed.
"Then what?" Cynthia pressed. "I KNOW for a fact that Lucina would say yes if you asked. She WANTS you to ask. So I hope you're not hesitating because you're worried about being rejected."
"What would your father think?" Robin asked.
"Oh….." Cynthia nodded in understanding. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I already asked him. He said that it's up to Lucina. So really, his opinion is irrelevant. And that means… you have no reason to wait! But don't tell him I told you that."
Once again, Robin sighed. "All right, all right. I'll think about it. Is that good enough? It's not like you're asking me to deliver a letter or anything, you know. This is a decision that would affect the rest of my life, and the rest of Lucina's."
"Hooray!" Cynthia cheered. She turned around and began to walk back towards where she had come from. "All right, remember to come down for dinner. I can't wait until you're my brother in law! That'll be exciting!"
Robin stayed put for a few more minutes, so that he could think things over. However, seeing as his concentration had been destroyed, he heeded the call of his stomach and went downstairs for dinner.
Later that night…
The sun had just set. While most of the shepherds remained below deck, he preferred to be out under the night sky. While it could certainly be enjoyable to join his friends for cards or perhaps conversation, all while eating, drinking and being merry, but at the same time, it was extremely rare for him to have a moment of peace and quiet while aboard the ship.
He found himself stargazing once again. It was a pretty natural thing to do at this point. Staring at the night sky helped him think, but when his thoughts drifted off, he would usually snap back to attention, finding that he'd been analyzing constellations and formations of the night sky in a trance like state. It was as if his mind knew that it needed to take a break and do something other than think about battle tactics or politics every once in a while.
The soft creaking of the floorboards which indicated that someone was coming up from below deck brought him back to reality. He turned around to see Lucina approach him.
"I thought I'd find you up here." The princess hiccupped. She slowly made her way over to him, but it was clear that her steps were a little bit wobbly. "You've never been the type to party very hard."
"Have you…" Robin chuckled, his voice tinged with concern. "...been drinking?"
"Not a lot." Lucina waved her hand dismissively. She eventually found her footing and leaned on both Robin and the gunwale for support. "Apparently, at Valm Harbor, one of the breweries insisted on gifting us a keg of mead for our efforts… and pretty much all the others mirrored their actions. So now… *hic* we have a few kegs of mead and beer with us. Pretty much everyone was drinking. I only had a single drink though."
"A single drink?!" Robin blinked a few times. "How strong was it?"
"According to… *hic* Vaike… it's nothing out of the ordinary." Lucina explained. "Apparently I'm just that weak to alcohol. But you should have seen… *hic* Aunt Lissa… she drank just one as well, but passed out. Uncle Lon'qu had to carry her back to their room."
"I… don't know what to make of that." Robin admitted. "I guess never to feed her alcohol? Although, I'm surprised you were allowed to drink in the first place. Didn't Chrom have anything to say about the matter?"
"Well… *hic* he was against it at first… but Stahl argued that it wasn't really fair for the 'adults' to drink in front of us, considering in this timeline our ages didn't differ by too much… and then… *hic* Vaike declared that no son of his would teetotaler. After that… well… father caved. At least, for most of us. He insisted that Cynthia didn't drink." Lucina giggled at the memory. "Cynthia protested at first, but she changed her mind after tasting one sip of father's beer. You should have seen the look of disgust on her face. She ran over to me, complaining that father had played a prank on her and filled his mug with pegasus urine."
"That WOULD have been funny to see." Robin admitted. "Although… what's more surprising is that Vaike knew what a teetotaler was. Perhaps Miriel's book knowledge is beginning to rub off on him a little."
"No, it was nothing like that." Lucina giggled. "It was actually Laurent who told him the word he was thinking of. Vaike actually tried to explain it with several more sentences, actually. But nonetheless, Laurent seemed to be an expert in drinking, despite us never having alcohol in the future."
"How so?" Robin asked.
"Well… *hic* although I don't think father is necessarily weak to beer, it seems that Laurent would actually be able to drink him under the table." Lucina explained. "By the time I had left, he already had like three or four drinks, and he seemed as alert as ever."
"Hmm... " Robin thought for a moment. "Vaike's son. Makes sense."
"Honestly… I can't understand… why…. *hic* you all enjoy drinking so much." Lucina admitted. "Naga, I wish these *hic* hiccups would stop. Ugh… I feel sick..."
"I think it's kind of cute." Robin chuckled. "But maybe you should stay away from alcohol in the future."
"You really think so?" Lucina asked. "And… *hic* yeah…"
Although most of the sound from downstairs were muffled up on the deck, occasionally, someone who was louder could be heard somewhat clearly.
"Oi! Country bumpkin!" they heard Gregor shout. "No good, this is. Friend is only on second drink, no? Cannot be getting the drunk now! Look at bride! Maribelle just fine after three! Cannot be getting outdone by pretty little lady, yes?"
"Gimme a break, ya big oaf!" Donnel retorted. "We ain't got anythin' like this back on th' farm!"
Robin and Lucina made eye contact. They simultaneously began to laugh at what was no doubt happening below deck.
"If you're… *hic* I mean… if you want to go join them, go ahead." Lucina told him.
"No, it's fine." Robin insisted. "I could always join them later. For now, I think I'd rather stay up here and enjoy the peace and quiet… with you."
"Thanks…" Lucina murmured before wrapping an arm around Robin's. She closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder.
They stood in silence for a while.
"Kind of reminds me of our previous boat trip, doesn't it?" Robin finally asked.
He received no response. Looking over, he realized that Lucina had fallen asleep. Her breathing was regular, and was snoring at a barely audible level.
"REALLY weak to alcohol." Robin chuckled. "Guess it's up to me to bring her to bed."
The tactician scooped her up and began to descend the stairs. In order to reach the bedrooms, he had to pass by the commons area, where there were still some shepherds drinking and having fun.
"Nya ha! There he is!" Henry laughed and pointed in his direction.
"Where have you been all evening, Bubbles?" Gaius asked. "It's not too late, come have a drink!"
"I'll be right there!" Robin promised. "But first…" He made a head motion, gesturing to the princess that was asleep in his arms.
"Right, right." Gaius immediately nodded and turned back to the others, still in a drunken stupor. "The old ball and chain needs to get attended to first."
"Gaius!" Maribelle exclaimed, her face flushed with color. "That is not a proper way to refer to a young maiden!"
"Sorry ma'am!" Gaius took another large gulp of mead. "Won't happen again."
"Much better." Maribelle nodded curtly.
The others sitting around chuckled a little, and surprisingly, Robin saw a grin on Maribelle's face as well.
'It's been a long campaign.' he thought to himself as he approached his room. 'Feels like only yesterday Maribelle was treating Gaius with disgust and contempt. But something definitely happened between the two. Nowadays, they seem closer to being best friends than enemies. If they weren't already engaged to others, I'd even suspect they got together themselves!'
After placing Lucina in bed and covering her up, he was rewarded with a murmur of contentment from the sleeping princess.
Robin smiled at her sleeping figure, before retreating out of the room and returning to the commons area.
When he sat down, he realized just how few people were left. Furthermore, the gender ratio drifted significantly from the expected fifty-fifty. In the entire room, Sully and Maribelle were the only ones still sitting, and it was clear that Sully was almost at her limit.
"Only the heavy hitters are left." Stahl explained, after seeing Robin's confusion. "Everyone else either had had enough or became too drunk to continue. Lissa and Olivia had an especially hard time."
"You know what they be saying!" Gregor laughed. "Tiny people can't be holding down the drinks!"
"That is something that I recollect being mentioned by the adults in the future." Laurent said. Although his face was flushed, his words were not slurred. "However, this hypothesis proves to include a myriad of substantial flaws, considering it doesn't apply to the likes of Sir Frederick or mister Henry. The former seems to struggle more than anticipated, whereas the latter still seems to be fine after indulging the entire evening."
"Nya ha!" Henry laughed. "Us Plegians are quite good at drinking, really. Tharja's even better than I am, actually. But she's never really liked social gatherings. The only reason I know she's better at drinking is because Robin and I would be the ones to drink with her, in private. Speaking of, Robin is actually the best drinker out of all of us. No matter how much, he still seems to be fine. The only time Tharja was able to beat him was when Robin was in extreme distress about the former King Gangrel decapitating some what he believed to be innocent Plegians.
Meanwhile, other shepherds were also having conversations simultaneously.
"I don't get it!" Sully complained, still resting her head on the table. She pointed at Stahl accusingly. "I swear! This motherfucker has a bottomless pit for a stomach!"
"She tried to outdrink her hubby." Gaius chuckled. "Only Maribelle was able to accomplish that. Well… Tharja and Lissa too, I guess. But they won by default. Lon'qu and Libra don't drink. What killjoys."
"Can it!" Sully roared at the ex convict.
"Honestly, I don't understand how you guys are still drinking." Chrom mumbled. Just like Sully, he was resting his head in his arms. "I swear, alcohol has no effect on any of you."
"Oi, is nothing!" Gregor laughed. "Gregor just getting started!"
Robin chuckled and poured himself some mead. Honestly, he enjoyed the taste immensely. He nodded in approval, and began to down the drink with vigour.
"Ay!" Gregor laughed excitedly. "Finally, we are having someone who can still drink! Come! Gregor have contest with you!"
"Are you sure?" Robin chuckled. "You've already had quite a few drinks. It won't even be a contest!"
"Oi, oi!" Gregor protested. "You are making with the understimating of Gregor! Gregor show you what he made of!"
"Alright," Robin shrugged. "You asked for it."
The remaining shepherds that weren't plastered all gathered around the two and cheered as the pair guzzled down mug after mug of mead and ale.
"Chug, chug, chug, chug!" Vaike chanted as he pounded on a table with his fists.
Robin and Gregor drank mug after mug, slamming the empty ones on the table when they were done. Gaius had a silly grin on his face as he refilled Gregor's mug every time he was done, and Henry did the same for Robin. They had each finished six mugs so far. Considering how much Gregor had already drank that night, it was already an incredible feat. However, Robin didn't even seem any different from when he first started drinking.
"Heh heh!" Gregor let out a little laughter while Gaius refilled his mug for the seventh time. "Gregor not be having so much of the fun for long, long time! Skinny tactician really can drink!"
"You're not too shabby yourself!" Robin complemented. "But it looks like you're running out of energy. Your words are starting to slur, big boy."
"Gregor is fine!" Gregor declared, even though deep down, he knew he was beginning to lose. "Can go on for another hour!"
"Well then you might as well admit defeat now." Robin taunted. "Because I could do this all day!"
Gregor guffawed as Gaius returned with another drink. He instantly began to down it, and Robin imitated this action as soon as Henry got back. A couple more drinks later, Gregor finally had enough.
"Ok, ok, Gregor yield." He finally declared, resting his head on the table. "Robin very good at the drinking."
"I told you, it wasn't a fair contest." Robin chuckled, still feeling alert enough. "Maybe some other time, we'll compete when we're both completely sober. The result may not have ended so far in my favor."
"Next time," Gregor agreed. "Next time."
"Oh man, he's gonna end up with the largest hangover tomorrow." Stahl noted. "Vaike, help me get him to his room."
"All right, fine." Vaike conceded as he shakily walked over. "It's… late anyways. Time to go to bed."
"Sleep well!" Robin wished everyone as the shepherds began to disperse. Soon, everyone was gone and inside their rooms. Robin was the only one up, not counting whoever was navigating the ship.
"You stink!" he could hear Nowi exclaim from within her room. "Why do you always have to drink so much? You know I hate that smell!"
"Oi, Gregor sorry. Gregor sorry." Robin heard the Hero's muffled reply. "Gregor sleep on floor tonight."
Robin chuckled. He poured himself one last drink and ventured above deck once again. He made his way to the back of the ship, where Anna was busy navigating the ship.
"So, has the festivities died down?" Anna asked as soon as he approached. "It sounds much quieter down there."
"Yeah." Robin confirmed. "Pretty much everyone's gone to bed by now. Are you sure you're fine with sailing the ship by yourself?"
"It's fine, and it'll only be for half the night." Anna replied. "And besides, this means no one would say a thing about me sleeping in tomorrow. Thank goodness we're on the trip too, we don't really have any responsibilities to take care of out here. Although, I'm really happy that you care for me." She turned to face him and gave him a smile.
"Well, who is taking over your shift the second half of the night?" Robin asked out of curiosity before taking another sip of his mead.
"Lon'qu." Anna simply stated. "Which gives me some peace of mind. He always takes these things seriously. There's little to no chance he won't be on time for the shift swap. If anything, he'll be a little early. Although, I AM a little worried. Is he able to handle things? I know he's still not completely recovered."
"I'm sure he'll be alright." Robin shrugged. "He has the constant attention of Lissa anyways. There's no way he won't make a full recovery. And he was healthy enough to help us load the ships."
"I guess you're right." Anna agreed.
"So... do you drink?" Robin asked.
"Not really." Anna admitted. "I've never really liked the taste of beer.
"Well what about mead then?" Robin asked as he offered his mug to Anna. "Here, try a sip."
Anna blinked a few times really fast. 'Is this… happening?' she wondered to herself. There was no way she would let such a rare opportunity pass by.
"Sure, give it here." Anna reached for the mug. She raised it to her lips and drank. Surprisingly, it tasted a lot better, in her opinion, than what she was used to on her frequent travels. And although drinking from the same mug as Robin was not quite as intimate as what Lucina probably got, at this point, Anna would take it. Beggars can't be choosers, after all.
"What did you think?" Robin asked as he took the mug back.
"It was pretty good." Anna smiled. "Thanks. I really needed that."
"No problem." Robin took a sip. "Well, I'd better turn in for the night as well. When you're done, if you want, there's still some left in the kegs. Help yourself to some before bed."
"Yeah." Anna replied as Robin began to walk down towards the rooms. She pulled her jacket tighter around her as a sudden gust of cold wind made her shiver.
Now that the sun had set, it was considerably more cold, but Robin barely even noticed. In fact, he actually rather liked the change in temperature. He leisurely made his way downstairs and cleaned up after all the shepherds' mess. It took a little more time than he had initially expected, but finally, he made his way towards his room.
Just as Robin opened the door, the ship suddenly rocked violently for a split second, causing him to almost fall on his face. Fortunately, he caught himself with his arms before doing so, but it created enough of a noise to cause a disturbance in the room. Lucina rolled over in bed, clearing not fast asleep anymore, but not completely awake either.
"Sorry…" Robin muttered to her, although he doubted Lucina could hear him.
He changed his clothes and climbed into bed as well. Not soon after climbing in bed, he felt the sensation of Lucina pressing her nose into his back.
"Did I wake you?" Robin whispered. "Sorry."
"...cold…" Lucina murmured.
"What?" Robin shifted his body slightly and looked over his shoulder. Even with the room mostly dark, the small bit of moonlight that snuck through the window enabled him to see that Lucina was slightly shivering.
"...cold…" Lucina whined as she nuzzled her face into Robin's back. "I'm… cold."
Hearing this, Robin shifted some more until he was completely facing her. He wrapped on arm around her midsection, over her arm and covered the back of her head with his hand. His other arm snuck through the space between the pillow and Lucina's shoulder and neck. "Better?" he whispered into her ear.
Lucina didn't respond, but he could feel the movement of her head, nodding as she shifted around so that she was as comfortable as possible.
Robin smiled. After a few more moments, the activities of the day finally caught up to him, and he felt himself slipping into the realm of dreams.
Afterwards…
The next few days didn't see much activity. The shepherds kept themselves busy and entertained as much as possible while they sailed. The fliers among the shepherds instantly became the most popular people as one of the most exciting activities was flying around the open ocean. Besides those who were afraid of heights, such as Gregor, it was a pretty exciting activity. The feeling of the sun on your back and the wind in your face while you soared over the open ocean is not easily replicable.
One extremely popular topic among the shepherds was what they would do when they got back to Ylisse. After all, there were so many of them that were looking to get married in the very near future. Chrom had agreed to give all of the shepherds some time off once they got back to the garrison so that everyone could officially become married. However, then came the topic of who would get married first.
Cynthia had very innocently suggested that they should go in descending order based on who loved their significant other the most, which lead to some extremely interesting arguments. Ricken and Kellam didn't have anything to worry about, and so they simply sat around laughing to each other at their friends' dramatics. These arguments lasted for several days, as the shepherds fought over who got the first spot, and in turn, who didn't deserve the last spot. The matter was finally resolved when Robin suggested that they get married in the order that proposals happened. He hated to kill off the other shepherds' fun, but decided that it was better not to drive everyone apart.
Still, even after Robin's intervention, it was still a hot topic for the future generation shepherds. After all, they were one of the few that were able to witness the paradoxical event of their birth parents finally tying the knot for the first time. The only other way is if they were born out of wedlock, but usually such relationships never ended up in marriage.
While Lucina secretly hoped that she and Robin could also get married when they got back to Ylisse, she understood it was not very likely. Still, she was able to enjoy spending most of the time in the following days in close proximity to Robin. He didn't have much work to do, and she was unable to train on board the ship. As a result, they had plenty of time to talk and grow closer to one another.
Finally, the day came where the shepherds docked in Regna Ferox again. Flavia welcomed them home with open arms, and threw them a homecoming party. This time, the shepherds had to maintain their appearance, and everyone only drank as much as they were comfortable with. People like Lissa, Lucina, Ricken, Donnel and Olivia settled for non alcoholic beverages and helped serve drinks to the others instead.
The mood was not as great as a normal Feroxi party, as noted by Olivia and Lon'qu, but Robin found it reasonable. Many of the Feroxi probably hadn't gotten over the fact that Basilio was gone. However, this was no reason for him to not enjoy the party to the fullest. And he could tell Chrom was thinking the exact same thing.
After staying at the capital for one night, Chrom bid Flavia farewell and the shepherds began to march back to Ylisstol. Although the shepherds hadn't needed to march is quite some time, their spirits were high as they completed the home stretch.
When they finally reached Ylisstol, it became apparent that they would need to renovate the shepherds' garrison. With the addition of all the future children, there would not be enough housing space. While many of the shepherds could now share a room with their spouse or future spouse, there was also the matter of training equipment, dining hall space, as well as other considerations.
For the time being, Chrom found a way to house as many people as possible in the castle. As a result, the shepherds were a little bit split as half of them lived in the garrison and the other half temporarily lived in the guest rooms at the castle. For now, though, Robin just wanted to settle back in his library and take a nice long rest. He decided to do exactly that right after dinner. Right after he settled back into the room, he realized that Lucina had followed him in.
"You're not staying at the castle?" he asked her.
Lucina shook her head. "I'd rather stay here. With you."
"Are you sure?" Robin asked. "You'll have more sleeping room at the castle."
"I'm sure." Lucina insisted. "I'm used to it by now, after all."
"All right then, I don't mind." Robin shrugged. "By the way, there was something I wanted to ask you."
"What… what is it?" Lucina's breath hitched for a second. He couldn't be about to ask what she wanted him to ask, right?
"It's about your friends." Robin replied, causing Lucina's heart to sink. Although still important to her, it wasn't quite what she had wanted him to ask her. "How many of them are we still missing?"
Lucina mentally counted them. "Let's see… there's Inigo, Severa… and Owain. So… three, I guess. I hope we didn't leave them in Valm."
"Yeah, me too." Robin nodded. "Although, I'm sure they'll show up in no time."
"Yeah, I hope so," Lucina agreed.
"Why don't we get some rest?" Robin suggested. "We have a few busy days coming up. Multiple weddings to attend."
"Yeah." Lucina laughed as she climbed into bed. "It's rather hard to believe. I'm about to witness some of my friends' parents getting married."
Robin soon joined her, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he fell asleep in the shepherds garrison, the first place that felt like home since he had lost his memories. However, so much had changed. He had regained some of his memories, and probably most importantly, the mysterious Marth that he had previously fawned over is now his girlfriend. He was quite content as he fell asleep.
Life was good.
The next few days were extremely busy for all of the shepherds. Chrom found himself having to deal with a mountain of paperwork that had piled up during the Valm campaign. Sumia immediately went to go check on baby Lucina, and to her relief, the small princess had been doing quite well despite not having her parents around. The maids in the castle had done their job. Cynthia was also quite excited to meet baby Lucina, although Cynthia often didn't know what she should refer to the baby as. Sometimes she would call the baby 'big sister', and sometimes she'd call the baby 'baby sister'. Regardless, Sumia found it hilarious to watch.
The rest of the shepherds weren't exactly lounging around, either. Many of them had weddings to prepare for, and they had agreed, by Chrom's request, to keep their weddings on a smaller scale. The shepherds who either weren't getting married, or had already gotten married were busy helping prepare for the weddings. They were shopping for food, buying clothes, decorating the garrison and more.
Robin found himself busy in the kitchen for most of his time on most of the days. Although he received some help from some of the more competent shepherds, everyone had made it clear that it would be for the best if Robin was the chef for each and every one of the weddings. Robin didn't mind cooking, which was why he didn't bat an eyelash at the suggestion. It gave him a legitimate enough reason to not think about military tactics or politics for a few days.
The weddings, although small in scale, were still exciting. The shepherds ate and drank as they celebrated the union of pairing after pairing.
Although extremely tiring, the next few days passed in the blink of an eye. Robin now found himself collapsed on his bed, finally finished with the last round of cooking. He had decided to retire a little early, and the rest of the shepherds were still eating and drinking. He felt happy for his friends, but sometimes, he did need a break from all of the commotion.
There was a light knock on his door.
"Come in!" Robin called.
The door opened, and Chrom walked in. He turned to make sure no one was following him, before closing the door with as little commotion as possible.
"How'd it go?" Robin asked.
"Great." Chrom replied. "Frederick just returned from meeting with him. He's delivered the supplies so we should be good for another couple of weeks."
"Fantastic." Robin nodded. "And he's recovering fine?"
"Yeah." Chrom sighed. "Still injured, but he'll make a full recovery with the medical supplies we've provided. He'll be ready for action in a week or so."
"Good. He's going to be vital in our plans." Robin said, feeling satisfied.
"But there's more." Chrom continued. "According to Frederick's report, there's been signs of Risen at the Ruins of Time."
"The Ruins of Time?" Robin asked, having never heard of the place.
"It's on the northern Ylissean border." Chrom explained. "I just heard of it as well. Apparently within the ruins there is a legacy of the Divine Dragon. It may be the final gemstone that we're looking for. And although it's only a possibility, we don't really have any other leads. In addition, we can help the civilians in the area by removing the Risen."
"Yeah." Robin agreed. "When do we plan on leaving?"
"Tomorrow." Chrom sighed. "I'm going to have to break the bad news to everybody."
"At least you waited until all of the weddings were done." Robin chuckled.
Next Day, Ruins of Time…
"Here it is." Chrom declared as the shepherds made it to the Ruins of Time. "Naga, we can see all of the Risen crawling around the shrine from all the way over here."
"Well, it seems our work is cut out for us." Robin shrugged. "Time to find the treasure the old fashioned way." He turned around to address the shepherds. "Listen up! We need to comb the ruins up ahead for what could possibly be the last gemstone to the Fire Emblem. I've checked out the opponents' formation, or rather lack thereof. These Risen, although well equipped, are not commanded by a leader. So you can expect them to act irrationally. This can potentially make them act without regard to their allies. As long as we all act with absolute caution, we should have no problem in dealing with them. It's just like any other Risen cleanup operation that we've done a long time ago."
The shepherds voiced their understanding, and they began to execute their standard front to back fighting formation. The heavily armored shepherds led the charge, followed closely by the other melee fighters. The mages and bow users were at the rear, firing off spells and shooting arrows at the Risen from a distance.
The Risen acted without regard to anything except killing whatever was in front of them. This meant that they, more often than not, put themselves in situations where their lives were at risk. But they didn't care, or rather, they weren't capable of caring. The only thing that mattered to the brainless undead was doing as much damage as possible to their opponents. This made the shepherds' vanguard's job a little more difficult, as they were forced to defend themselves from endless barrage of assaults. However, the ranged shepherds were having a field day. They had openings left and right to pick off their opponents, many of which would have never occurred if their opponents had even a sliver of self preservation on their minds.
It didn't take too long to clear out a large area of the Risen. Because they evaporated into dark colored smoke when they died, there was a stark difference between an area covered with Risen and an area they had already cleared. Especially since the water flowing in the channels around the shrine were unnaturally clear and pristine. They were making good time. No one had suffered any major injuries yet, and the Risen were being mowed down systematically.
Suddenly, a large beam of light struck the center of the shrine, instantly killing the Risen standing there, and knocking away any that were a slight distance away. The light became blinding for a second, before revealing a bluish green colored eye. The shepherds had to look away and cower behind their shields, Robin found Lucina and covered them both with his cloak. Finally, the light dissipated in a shockwave that killed a few more Risen.
"What… what was that?" Lissa asked after the dust had settled.
"Light magic." Libra replied. "In both Ylisse and Valm, the number of people who can utilize it is extremely low. And the number of people who can create light tomes are even fewer. And there hasn't been much incentive to learn it. Most people who have an affinity for it would rather just learn how to use staves, which is arguably a much more effective use of their abilities. It is a rather weak type of magic… at least when cast on humans. However, I imagine that it would be effective against these undead monsters. Even the clergymen refuse to do any research on how to create such tomes."
"Look!" Nowi pointed towards the center of the shrine.
A little girl wearing a cloak that looked somewhat similar to Robin's own slowly got up and cautiously looked at her surroundings. She couldn't have been older than Cynthia. There was a light blue colored tome in her hand. "P...Papa!? Mama!? Where are you?"
Several of the Risen nearby took notice of the girl and began lumbering towards her.
"Ah! It's you guys!" The girl cried out in alarm as she dodged from an axe strike with almost inhuman reflexes. She flipped away from her assailant as she seemed to reach her hand into an invisible pocket in the middle of the air. Instantly, she maneuvered behind the Risen Warrior and slashed it in the back. The Risen instantly exploded into black vapor.
Many of the other Risen began to charge her. As she fought, Robin seemed to realize that in her hands was either a purple shortsword, or a really long purple dagger. However, with how short the girl herself was, she was wielding it like a one handed sword. She began to dart around, expertly dodging the Risen's attacks while slashing with her own weapon. Robin's eyes widened as he realized the similarities between the girl and Lucina. Her hair color… her fighting stance… even the way she chose to dodge around her opponents' swings seemed identical to a certain future princess.
"The eye…" Chrom breathed, seeming to reach the same conclusion. "This girl… she must have come from the future."
"Shepherds!" Robin declared. "Fight our way towards the girl! We need to get to her before the Risen do!"
The girl's ears seemed to pick up on Robin's voice. "Papa?" she wondered aloud. She scanned the battlefield, ducking and weaving away from the Risen's attacks as she did so. She finally was able to make eye contact with Robin, and instantly recognized him.
"Papa!" The girl exclaimed. She began to try and fight his way towards Robin. "Get out of the way you big uglies! I need to get to my Papa!"
"What!?" Chrom wondered aloud incredulously. He turned to Lucina. "I didn't say anything about Cynthia, but this is ridiculous. How many children have you neglected to mention to me?"
He stopped when he realized that there was a look of shock on Lucina's face as well. "I… I don't know who that is father!" Lucina protested.
"What!?" Chrom couldn't believe it. "Then who is she!?"
"I suppose we'll have to ask her ourselves!" Robin exclaimed as he fired a Thoron bolt at the Risen, clearing some space in front of the shepherds.
"I suppose so." Chrom sighed. "What a headache."
It took a little bit of time, but eventually the shepherds fought their way over to the girl. By then, most of the Risen had been cleared out from the shrine. Although they hadn't made their way all the way around the shrine, the Risen from the far side had charged towards them, so the shrine was all but empty at this point.
When the girl approached the shepherds. She put her sword and tome away and ran towards the location where Chrom, Robin, Sumia and Lucina were gathered. "Papa!" she exclaimed as she ran with open arms.
Chrom flinched, expecting the worst. He awkwardly opened his arms, expecting a hug from another future daughter. However, the girl instead charges into Robin's unprepared arms, making Chrom look a little bit foolish in the process.
"Oh Papa!" The girl exclaimed. "I finally found you!" she took a good look at his face. "Oh my goodness! The air here certainly agrees with you! You look at least a decade younger!"
"M-me?" Robin asked, not quite believing his ears. "I'M your father?"
"Of course, silly!" The girl giggled. "Who else would I be talking to?"
Robin took note of the Exalt's brand in the girl's right eye. He snuck a look at Chrom who was glaring daggers at him. Robin chuckled nervously. "Uh… are you sure you have the right person? You're not making a mistake, are you?"
"Why are you acting so weird Papa?" The girl giggled. "It's me, Morgan! Light of your life, Daddy's little girl, and all that. Don't you remember?"
"Who is your mother, do you remember?" Sumia asked the girl.
The girl put an index finger to her lip in contemplation, before keeling over and clutching her head in her hands. She screamed in pain from the headache.
"Woah!" Robin knelt down and comforted her. "Take it easy. Don't try to force anything."
"I… I don't remember!" Morgan sobbed. "I can't remember my own Mama!"
Nearby, Lucina had her mouth covered with both hands in shock. There were too many things she didn't understand. If this girl truly was Robin's daughter, then that meant that Robin had a child with someone. That hurt her enough, but on second glance, she realized the girl looked like it could be her sister, and she didn't know how she felt about that. Did Robin have a child with Lissa? But the girl looked nothing like her aunt. Either way, she felt that her heart was about to break.
"Wait!" Morgan declared. "I remember something!"
"What is it?" Robin asked.
"My mother… she taught me how to fight with a sword! Yes, I know that!" Morgan exclaimed. "And she had a very special sword too! It looks kind of like mine!" She pulled out the shortsword she was fighting with earlier. Upon closer inspection, Robin realized that it looked like a smaller version of Falchion, only instead of silver and gold, it was purple and black. And instead of the tear shaped hole near the hilt, there were six smaller eye shaped ones.
"Does it… by chance look like this one?" Chrom asked, drawing Falchion.
Morgan got up and looked at it. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "It was exactly like that one. Identical, even!"
Suddenly, she grew a little suspicious. "Wait… if you have her sword…" her face paled. "Oh no! What happened to my Mama!?"
Chrom, Robin and Sumia all looked at each other. Chrom had an accusing glare, Robin with a scared look, and Sumia with a silly grin plastered across her face. The three stood in absolute silence for a second or two as the implications sank in.
"EEEEEEEE!" Sumia shrieked, finally breaking the silence and tackling the girl in a hug. "Oh look at her Chrom! She's so precious! Look at our granddaughter!"
"G-granddaughter!?" Morgan asked in shock. "Are you… are you grandma? B-but… you look so young, grandma!"
"Yep!" Sumia was almost crying tears of joy. "I have to be the youngest looking grandma on the planet!" She gestured towards Lucina. "C'mon dear, don't you want to meet your daughter?"
Morgan broke the embrace and looked over to where Sumia was gesturing. Seeing Lucina, she ran over to her. "Mama? Mama!"
Lucina was still numb with shock. She didn't know what to think. She was a mother? But that would mean this girl had to come back from the future in yet another timeline. And why couldn't Morgan remember her then? There were still so many questions in her mind.
But then she realized what was probably the most important detail to her. If she was Morgan's mother, and Robin was Morgan's father, then she was THEIR child. It was literally everything she could have wanted. Not only did she have a child with Robin, but this all but assures her that the two of them had gotten married in at least one timeline in the future. And if that's the case, then it was possible for the two of them to get married in THIS timeline. Lucina returned Morgan's hug happily.
"So I'VE got a question." Chrom shook his head. "...Dear… tactician… How is it possible that YOUR daughter is MY daughter's daughter?"
"Uh…" Robin had a look on his face that read 'please don't kill me'.
Chrom sighed. "I'm just messing with you. I know you don't have a choice in the matter if they come back from the future to see you. I just wasn't expecting to become a grandfather so soon… but at least it makes Sumia so happy."
"Oh Chrom!" Sumia exclaimed, as if on cue. "Isn't it wonderful? We have a GRANDDAUGHTER now!"
"Yeah, yeah." Chrom grumbled. "Let's just comb the ruins and go home. This is all a great big headache."
Robin quickly nodded. And the two of them went to go help the other shepherds, who had long defeated the rest of the Risen and was beginning to search for the treasure.
Meanwhile, Lucina and Sumia lavished Morgan with attention and affection. Even considering all of the weddings that had recently happened, neither of them had looked quite so happy in a long, long time.
Morgan: HP: 80% Str: 55% Mag: 80% Skl: 65% Spd: 65% Lck: 25% Def: 25% Res: 50%
Class: Tactician
Age: 12