Ruins of Time…
As it turned out, the "Legacy of Naga" was not the fifth gemstone. After scouring the entire shrine, the only thing close to resembling a treasure was a vial of what appeared to be a drop of translucent golden liquid. The shepherds had almost missed it, and if it weren't for the fact that Vaike accidentally bumped his elbow against a hidden magic sigil, they would have missed it entirely.
Thankfully, the shepherds' resident scholar, Miriel, was able to trigger the sigil and activate a sequence that brought up an eloquent glass case that had apparently been stored in a hidden compartment just under the floor tiles of the center of the shrine. The previously indistinct tiles circling the shrine had suddenly begun to glow as well. Under some investigation by Miriel, she was able to identify the language as Altean, and after a long period of intensive investigation, was able to piece out that the message said something about the altar holding the "Tear of Naga". Whomever consumed said tear was said to become blessed by Naga to have the strength of a thousand men.
Things instantly became awkward after that. No one knew what to do with it. Whomever drank it would indubitably have a surge in power that would leave the rest of the shepherds in the dust. At least, that's what all of them presumed.
Robin had made the first suggestion that Chrom take it, since he was their leader. Chrom had instantly refused. He felt that he was already in a decent position, and the tear should be given to someone who could make use of it better.
Sumia had then suggested they give it to Frederick, so that he could better protect her husband. And although Frederick was more than fine with those arrangements, he felt that he didn't deserve such generosity for doing absolutely nothing. Furthermore, he insisted that he could not be awake and on guard at all times, so having more capable people to defend Chrom was more important. He actually agreed that Chrom should be the one to have it, but his liege said no, so what more could he say?
Many other shepherds were suggested, but they all refused. Vaike said he didn't need some sort of enhancement drug in order to fight well. He would train of his volition and get better that way. Lon'qu said something extremely similar.
Gaius turned down the offer, saying that he was an ex felon. There was no point in giving something so valuable to someone like him; he was just happy to be able to clear his name by helping the shepherds.
Lissa was going to accept it, but was convinced by Maribelle to also turn it down, citing that it was the noble thing to do, since everyone else was giving the opportunity to the others.
Panne and Nowi didn't take it, being unsure that it would even have the intended effects on them, since they weren't human. Tiki assured them it would still work, but even then, they still turned Chrom down.
Cordelia also refused, because if Chrom wasn't going to take it, there was no reason she deserved it either.
Gregor said he would rather just get paid a larger salary, and also didn't take it.
Neither Sully or Stahl wanted it, for fear that it would pull one of them so far ahead of the other that they would no longer be able to train together.
Even Ricken refused it, saying that he was an adult, just like everyone else. And if no one else is taking it, then he would abstain from it as well.
When it finally came around to Miriel, so also passed, stating that according to the shrine, it would increase the drinker's STRENGTH. Although her translation may not have been perfect, if this was the case, then there was no need for a bookworm like her to be the one to drink. No one could really argue with that.
Then came the future children. Lucina was the one to decide that probably one of the original generation of shepherds take it, since they were, first of all, their parents, and, second of all, the heroes in their childhood. There's a chance that the shepherds of their timeline had also stumbled upon Naga's Tear. And if they took something that was meant for their parents, it could possibly cause an even more premature death.
Everyone was still scratching their heads, trying to figure out what to do with it.
"You could always give it to me." Anna suggested. "I'll be able to find someone that's willing to buy it. We could stock up our treasury by selling this one item!"
"No!" Chrom, Robin, Lucina and Tiki all exclaimed simultaneously.
"That is one thing we are NOT going to do." Chrom shook his head. "This is a treasure left by Naga herself. If none of us will use it, at least it means that no one could use it for ill purposes. I can only imagine the devastation it would cause if the Grimleal got their hands on it."
"I think we all forgot someone!" Lissa gasped. "Robin! We should let Robin have it!"
"That's not a bad idea." Sumia nodded. "I think everyone is fine with that arrangement."
"Strategically, it would make sense." Frederick nodded. "A couple of years ago, I would never entrust something so precious to someone like him, but he has proved to be trustworthy through and through. Furthermore, a boost in his power could mean he would require less time investment in his physical and combat training, and more time on devising strategies to keep everyone safe. It would be to the benefit of all of us."
The shepherds all voiced their consent. What Frederick was saying had a lot of truth to it, after all.
"Wait, I don't need it!" Robin protested. "Honest! Someone else should have it."
"But you're the one everyone WANTS to have it." Lissa smiled. "C'mon! Just take it!"
"Even if you don't drink it, at least keep it safe." Chrom shrugged. "Because I sure as hell can't ensure the safety of a small, fragile vial while fighting, and our regular storage convoy isn't safe because Anna could secretly sell it off to someone and not tell anyone about it."
"Hey!" Anna protested. "I would TOTALLY not do that! Well… if the price was high enough… all right, fine! No objections!"
Chrom chuckled. "But still, you should consider using it for yourself. As Frederick said, it would be for the benefit of everyone if you were the one to use it."
Robin sighed. He took the vial from Chrom, opened it, and brought his face closer. He instantly put the cap on it and began to retch. He was beginning to feel similar to the sensation he felt at the top of the Mila Tree. Only this time, everything felt much more intense. He keeled over, struggling to hold in his lunch.
"If that's how it's gonna be, I think I'm GLAD I'm not the one that has to drink it." Lissa giggled. "Just look at him!"
"My bet is that it doesn't taste sweet at all." Gaius absentmindedly shrugged as he tossed a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "Sorry Bubbles. Take one for the team."
Lucina knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his back. She continued to look at him with concern. Morgan soon followed her mother's actions and squatted down next to Robin as well. "Papa? Papa what's wrong?"
"It's just… as soon as I got a whiff of it…" Robin gasped. "...it's horrible…"
Morgan took the vial from Robin's grasp and uncapped it. Cautiously, she waved her hand over the vial, towards her nose. Morgan scrunched up her face and handed the vial back to him. "Oh yeah, that's definitely real awful… I can understand why you reacted like that. But… now that I took some time to think about it… a SMALL... itsie bitsie part of me actually thinks it smells pretty good."
"All right, you've piqued my interest." Gaius chuckled. He got up off the ledge he was sitting on and walked over. "Let me have a go."
Morgan obediently handed the vial to the sweet-toothed thief, and Gaius took a smell as well.
"Huh?" Gaius made a puzzled expression. "Are you two trying to pull one over me? This thing doesn't smell like a thing."
"It's probably because all of the candies you've eaten!" Cordelia chuckled. "It'll interfere with your sense of smell."
"No, I'm serious! It really doesn't smell like anything!" Gaius protested. He held the vial towards his wife. "Here, you try!"
Cordelia rolled her eyes and did just that. However, she was surprised by her husband's honesty. "Hmm… you're right. I really don't smell anything."
"Really?" Nowi asked. "Then how come it got such a large reaction from Robin? He's not faking it again, is he? Gimme!."
Nowi sniffed it, and it left a confused expression on her face. She capped the vial and handed it back to Robin. "That's weird… it doesn't smell like nothing… but it doesn't smell bad either. It smells… almost pleasant. But the smell is really weak."
"Quite an enigma." Miriel furrowed her eyebrows. "Perhaps this requires further investigation."
"Whatever." Lissa stretched. "Now that we found out that this isn't the gemstone we're looking for, why don't we head back to Ylisstol?"
"Yeah." Chrom agreed. "This whole trip has been a wild goose chase. And we don't have any leads on where the final gemstone is either. I guess it's back to square one."
Robin placed the Tear of Naga into an Astral Plane, and the shepherds began to march back to Ylisstol.
That Evening…
The shepherds took the addition of Morgan fairly well. The original generation was so used to it by this point that she was just another child that came from the future. The future children, although surprised that Lucina is a mother now, could understand, given that they had traveled back in time themselves. In fact, besides Robin and Lucina, the two people who were most affected by Morgan's appearance were Chrom and Sumia. Chrom was understandably fazed by the fact that he was suddenly a grandfather, even though he was barely into his twenties. Sumia, on the other hand, was overcome with joy that she had a granddaughter, for the very same reason.
Surprisingly, Morgan was taking the truth quite well, considering how young she was. After all, from her perspective, if her Papa told her she had come from the future, then she must have come from the future. It would also explain why he looked so young as well.
That night, Morgan sat with her parents at dinner. She had a plethora of tales to tell about her time with Robin, but strangely, she couldn't remember much about Lucina as her mother. This made Lucina feel quite troubled, as the possibility that Morgan actually isn't her child began to creep slowly into her mind. None of her friends had forgotten anything about their parents, so why was it that Morgan doesn't remember her mother?
Regardless, everyone else was convinced that Lucina is the mother of Morgan. After all, she bore the very same brand that Lucina had, only in the opposite eye. And although it slightly troubled them, she bore the Fell Dragon's brand on one of her hands. It was also on the hand opposite to Robin's, which solidified the fact in everyone's mind but Lucina's that Morgan belonged to both herself and Robin. And it wasn't like Lucina disbelieved it. She just had a small bit of doubt in her mind.
Cynthia was surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, attached to Morgan. She had previously been the youngest person in the group, but the addition of Morgan removed that title for her. Furthermore, she was now technically an aunt. And because the two of them were still relatively similar in age, Cynthia had taken it upon herself to befriend her niece, and show her around camp. She had burst into Robin and Lucina's tent, excited about everything that she had just experienced, from the Pegasus stables to the training grounds.
"Papa!" Morgan exclaimed as she ran up to Robin, tackling her father in a hug. "This place is so exciting! The pegasus feathers are so soft! I've never seen anything like them before!"
"I'm glad you're having fun." Robin chuckled. "Are you staying here in our tent tonight? We'll have to find you a bedroll then."
"Nuh uh." Morgan shook her head. "I'm going to go sleep in aunt Cynthia's tent!"
Robin looked at Cynthia, who gave him a cheeky smile and held up two fingers in the shape of a V.
"Hmm…" Robin gave Cynthia a look.
Thinking that she sensed her father's disapproval, she quickly gave her father puppy dog eyes. "Please papa? Can I?"
"Yeah. Sure." Robin nodded. "If that's what you want."
"Really?" Morgan's face lit up. "Yay! Thanks papa!"
"Make sure you don't cause her any trouble then." Lucina added.
"I'll be extra careful mama!" Morgan exclaimed, before hugging her as well. "I love you too mama!"
Someone cleared their throat from outside the tent.
"Come in." Robin called.
"My gratitude." Libra bowed as he entered. "I thought I might be able to find young Morgan here. I came to return her tome."
The clergyman presented a blue-colored tome to Morgan.
"Oh hey, my book!" Morgan took it from him. "Thanks!"
"No, thank you." Libra smiled. "It helped me quite a lot."
"Why'd you have her tome?" Robin asked.
"I was curious about the nature of it." Libra explained. "And upon closer inspection, I have confirmed my suspicions."
"What is it?" Lucina asked.
"That is in fact the holy tome Genesis." Libra said with a serious expression. "It is known more commonly by Ylisseans as the Book of Naga."
"The Book of Naga?" Lucina gasped. "And Morgan is able to use it?"
"I'm confused." Robin furrowed his eyebrows. "How come I've never heard of it before?"
"Genesis is a legendary holy tome that is one of the treasures of Ylisse." Libra explained. "Much like Exalt Chrom's Falchion, Genesis is a weapon blessed by Naga herself. However, it isn't as widely known among the populace, because there hasn't been a mage capable of wielding it for many centuries. Even the late Exalt Emmeryn, Naga bless her soul, who had the proper affinities for wielding light magic could not bring forth the magic contained within its pages."
"And you're saying that Morgan is an expert on light magic?" Lucina asked.
"Hey, that's pretty impressive, kiddo!" Robin patted Morgan on the head affectionately.
"Are you proud of me, papa?" Morgan giggled.
"Yeah." Robin smiled. "Very." Morgan beamed at his response.
"Wh-what about her sword then?" Lucina asked. "Do you know anything about her sword?"
"I'm afraid not." Libra shook his head. "Although, by the looks of it, it seems to be a Plegian artifact. The mark of Grima on it seems to prove as much."
"I thought as much." Lucina murmured. "That's exactly what I was worried about."
"Watch it!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Robin's right here!"
"W-wait!" Lucina hurriedly waved her hands in front of her face. "I… I didn't mean it like that! It just came out without thinking! I didn't mean to bad mouth your home country!" She snuck a peek at him, expecting a disapproving look, but instead, Robin only looked confused.
Behind Lucina, Cynthia made eye contact with Robin. She pointed at her sister and rolled her eyes, as if to say 'see, I told you so'.
"What are you even talking about?" Robin asked. "What does being worried about the mark of Grima have to do with bad mouthing Plegia?"
"W-well…." Lucina touched the tips of her index fingers together while averting her gaze at him. "My sword… and my father's sword… the Falchion is proof of Naga's favor. So I just thought… if Morgan's sword is the same, but for Grima, then that would mean…" Her voice began to slowly trail off.
"Don't fret, princess." Libra consoled her. "Although the wielder of Falchion is said to curry Naga's favor, what it really means is that it can only be wielded by one born into the bloodline that she blessed. You are in the Exalt's bloodline, meaning that as long as the sword finds you worthy, you'll be able to wield it. I imagine the same is true for the Plegian sword. Only one born into the bloodline that Grima blessed, or rather, some say cursed, may wield it. This bloodline should be the Plegian royal family."
"So you think it has more to do with Morgan's bloodline instead of her fealty to the Fell Dragon?" Lucina asked.
"I imagine so." Libra nodded. "There is no need to worry. She is clearly skilled with a blade. If the sword were to stop working for her, we could easily replace it with another weapon. Just because she is the blade's owner doesn't mean she can only side with the Fell Dragon."
"Yeah… I hope that's the case…" Lucina murmured, still not feeling quite convinced.
"Wait." Robin put a hand on Morgan's head, ruffling her hair slightly. "I have a question for you, kiddo."
"What is it papa?" Morgan asked.
"Both the sword and this tome… Genesis…" Robin began. "You can use both of them, right?"
"Yep!" Morgan replied. "Feels like my own arm and leg!"
"Isn't Naga completely opposed to Grima and everything he stands for, and vice versa?" Robin asked, this time turning to Libra.
"For the most part, yes." The clergyman replied.
"So then I think we've figured it out." Robin snapped his fingers. "If she is able to use both of them, then it shouldn't have anything to do with her intentions. If we assumed that her intentions mattered, then she should only be able to use one or the other. But this is clearly not the case. Based on what I've just heard, it probably only has to do with the fact that she has the blood of both Ylissean and Plegian royals running through her veins and nothing to do with whom she chooses to fight for."
"Truly, a phenomenon that is unique to our times." Libra nodded. "A sign that it is possible for both sides to join together and bear fruit from the union. Miss Morgan here is truly someone very special, being able to use both a Divine tome and Fell Blade at the same time."
"Makes me wonder what else you're capable of." Robin smiled, patting Morgan's head once again. "Next time I see him, I'll ask your granduncle Walhart to see if Valm has any Regalia that only THEIR royalty can wield. Maybe they have a lance… or perhaps a bow or something you could try."
"That sounds amazing!" Morgan exclaimed happily while the other three people present sweatdropped.
"W-well Morgan…" Cynthia interrupted. "We should probably be going to bed now. It's getting awfully late after all."
"You're quite right." Libra nodded in agreement. "I should be taking my leave as well."
"All right. Bed time then." Morgan hugged each of her parents one more time before leaving with Cynthia. Before exiting the tent, Robin swore he saw the Pegasus Rider wink at him.
Robin sighed. "Well I'll get ready to sleep then." he grabbed a towel and moved towards the exit. "I'll be right back."
Lucina nodded, evidently still thinking about Morgan's mysterious circumstances.
With Robin…
As Robin left the tent, he slowly made his way towards Henry, who was just finished with boiling a pot of water. The Sorcerer was pouring the scalding liquid into a few buckets to cool.
"Henry," Robin smiled. "Just the guy I wanted to see."
"What can I do for ya?" Henry chriped. "Did you want some water? I just finished killing everything and anything that might have been in it. Nya ha!"
"Actually, some water would be nice." Robin chuckled. "But I also wanted to pick your brain."
"Pick my brain?" Henry laughed. "I suppose you'll need to find an axe to split my skull open then!"
Robin gave him a look.
"That was…" Henry cleared his throat, turning serious. "That was a joke. What did you need?"
"I was wondering if you knew of any weapons sacred to the Plegians." Robin finally got to the point. "The Ylisseans have Chrom's Falchion, and I just learned that there's also the Book of Naga."
"Hmm…" Henry cupped his chin. "Well I do know of a couple. The most famous one is Naglrath. The scythe that you use."
Robin nodded. "And?"
"And…" Henry furrowed his brows. "Well, I suppose there's the dark tome Goetia. But I wouldn't consider it on par with something like the Ylissean's Book of Naga. It was developed by Plegian Sorcerers, and due to its complex nature and the advanced sigil crafting necessary to create it, only one copy was ever made. However, even the best of our Sorcerers can't even begin to compete with a divine being like Naga. It's definitely stronger than something that's standard issue in the military, such as Thoron or Bolganone, but not quite as strong as the Book of Naga. And the third… it was only something I had heard of, mind you. It was a shortsword, rumored to be created from one of the Fell Dragon's fangs…"
"That's the one." Robin nodded, pointing directly at Henry. "Do you remember the weapon's name? Any other details?"
"Yep." Henry nodded. "If I recall correctly, it's named Epilogue, the Journey's End. My best guess is that it's durability and strength is on par with that of Falchion. However, this is just a theory, because the weapon was apparently lost at some point or another. Why?"
Robin smiled at the Sorcerer. "No reason. Thanks."
Henry shrugged. "All right. I can't ever guess what's brewing up in that big brain of yours."
Robin quickly finished washing up and headed back to his tent. Lucina was still sitting up in their bedroll when he walked in.
"You haven't slept yet?" Robin chuckled. "Aren't you tired?"
Lucina shook her head. "I was waiting for you."
"For me?" Robin changed out of his clothes before heading over to her. As soon as he laid down, Lucina snuck underneath one of his arms and rested her head on his chest. She sighed in contentment as Robin enveloped his arms around her.
"It's been quite a day, huh?" Robin sighed. "This morning felt like two eternities ago."
"Yeah…" Lucina mumbled. "But I'm so glad that it happened."
"You're not surprised by Morgan's arrival?" The tactician asked. "Not concerned? Don't you have a lot of questions on your mind?"
"Yeah, I have a lot of questions." Lucina admitted. "But truthfully, I took some time to think about it, and I think the arrival of Morgan is the single happiest event I've experienced since coming back from the future."
"Really?" Robin chuckled. "I didn't realize you were that attached to her already. I suppose it's a mother's instinct, after all."
"No, it's not that." Lucina giggled. "Actually, I'm struggling to deal with the fact that she might be my daughter. I don't think it's clicked for me yet. I don't think I think of her the same way Sumia… mother thinks of me."
"Well, at first it was difficult for her too." Robin sighed, recalling the events. At the time, the whole reveal was extremely frustrating for him to deal with, but because the two of them were together now, the memory no longer bore such a negative connotation. "I remember Sumia thought Chrom was cheating on her with you at first."
"Y-yeah…" Lucina mumbled. If Robin were a betting man, he would've put everything he had on the fact that she must have been blushing at that moment.
"Although..." Lucina continued. "The reason why the introduction of Morgan into my life brings me so much joy actually has nothing to do with, well, Morgan. It's more of a selfish reason, really…"
"What do you mean by that?" Robin asked.
"Are you really going to make me spell it out?" Lucina whined. This left Robin confused, causing a moment of silence as he tried to figure out what she could possibly be talking about.
"It means that the two of us had a child!" Lucina finally blurted. "Naga, how could someone so smart be so dense?"
"O-oh…" Robin chuckled awkwardly. "Does it really mean that much to you? I didn't realize you wanted to be a mother that bad."
"My point exactly!" Lucina complained. "I'm just happy because if the two of us had a child, it means we were probably married in Morgan's timeline. And that confirmation gives me hope for the future. Not only hope that I have a chance to lead a happy life, but also I know that there must be a way that we CAN beat the Fell Dragon."
"Y..yeah…" Robin sighed. "You know what? You're right. Now that I stop and think about it like that… a future together could be nice… once all of the fighting has stopped."
The outburst must have taken a lot out of Lucina, because she grew quiet afterwards. Robin, who was contemplating many topics, including Morgan's story, Lucina's feelings, and the topic of defeating the Fell Dragon, also didn't say much. A million thoughts seemed to be circulating through his head, keeping him awake for nearly another hour.
Finally, his thoughts reached the fact that Lucina had expressed that she would love to spend their futures together. Robin was immediately reminded of the conversation he had with Cynthia on the boat. If he were to ask for her hand, she would gladly give it to him. Robin knew that. But he still felt slightly uneasy about the whole thing. He didn't want to get married after such a short time of being together, but he decided that it was best if he at least told Lucina his intentions.
"There's something I have to ask, Lucina." Robin finally said out loud, not realizing how long it had been since she had said a word. The only response he received was the sound of Lucina's steady breathing.
"Figures she'd be asleep." Robin chuckled. "I suppose I'll have to tell her another time then. Know that you have given me a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'll treasure and cherish you forever."
Robin finally allowed himself to close his eyes and clear his mind, and shortly after, he joined Lucina in a deep slumber.
Ylisstol…
Once the shepherds reached Ylisstol, they were able to have some time off to relax. Many of them had recently gotten married after all, and so for these shepherds, they all planned their various honeymoons. None of them had the luxury of taking a long break from duty, but anything was better than being at war.
This also gave Morgan the time to adjust to her new surroundings. Although the castle and the shepherds garrison did little to jostle her memories, the entire experience was extremely enjoyable for the young girl. She was especially excited to find out that apparently her mother was a "princess". And her happiness was contagious. The other shepherds, future children, and even the castle staff all benefited from the energetic and optimistic young girl.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Although it wasn't obvious during that time, Robin soon began to realize that his relationship with Lucina had progressed significantly throughout the duration. The only thing that had made him realize how much closer they've gotten was when he overheard some of the commoners gossiping about the two of them as they walked through the streets of Ylisse. Only then did he realize that he was walking through the streets of Ylisstol hand in hand with their princess in a fashion that closely reminded others of a happily married couple. And it had felt so natural that he didn't even notice when Lucina had slipped her hand into his.
Now at this point, the commoners believed that both Lucina and Cynthia were members of the Exalt's family. After all, they each had a brand of the Exalt to prove it. However, what none of them guessed were that the pair of girls were actually Chrom's daughters. Instead, the general consensus was that they were the Exalt's cousins who had returned to Ylisse from a distant land. This wasn't too much of a stretch for most citizens to believe, because there was one other relative of Chrom's who resided in a distant land that many of them knew about.
As a result, Robin was able to self reflect that his relationship with Morgan as her father had improved as well. He always put aside some of his time in order to teach her, and Lucina found that it was reminding her immensely of her own childhood. The bond between mother and daughter improved as well, due to Lucina allowing Morgan to train in swordplay with her. And through this experience, Lucina was able to reach some surprising conclusions about her daughter as well.
Lucina concluded that it was unlikely that Morgan could have been Cynthia's daughter. The way she fought with a sword resembled too closely to that of hers and her father's. And seeing that Morgan insisted it was her mother that taught her swordplay, this affirmed in Lucina's mind that Morgan was indeed her daughter from the future. This at least gave her some peace of mind.
Furthermore, Lucina realized that although their styles and stances were extremely similar, it was indeed Morgan's own style, much like how her style differed from her father's. While Chrom wasn't slow like Kellam in a massive suit of armor by any means, he was certainly the slowest fighter of the three. However, he compensated for this by having more power behind each strike. And while Lucina had always prided herself on her speed, she found, to her dismay, that she was actually in between Morgan and her father. In fact, while practicing, she noticed that Morgan seemed to be able to land a hit on a training dummy twice as fast and twice as often as herself. Even considering that her weapon was shorter and therefore lighter and easier to swing faster, there shouldn't have been a reason why Morgan was twice as fast as her. And although the attacks proved to have far less power behind them, the gashes in the dummies proved that it would be extremely effective in silencing less armored enemies at lightning speeds.
The weird thing though was that when she got practice swords for both herself and Morgan so that they could spar against one another, Lucina found herself keeping pace with Morgan. This frustrated her to think that Morgan may even be holding back when fighting her. She concluded that the difference in speed must have something to do with Morgan's unique weapon.
Finally, the day Robin had been expecting drew near. He had been helping Morgan learn some more advanced mathematics in the castle library, when Frederick came to find him.
"Robin, we've discovered the location of the fifth gemstone." The Great Knight told him somberly.
"Good news." Robin nodded.
"Perhaps… I can give you the details on the way to meeting milord." Frederick suggested.
"Yeah, I'm coming." Robin got up, but not before rubbing the top of Morgan's head. "Study hard, kiddo. I'll come back as soon as business is finished."
"No problem!" Morgan beamed. "You can count on me Papa!"
Robin got up and left with Frederick for Chrom's private meeting room.
Chrom was busy pacing around the room when Robin arrived. He looked extremely relieved when Frederick brought Robin into the room.
"We got a response." Chrom sat down immediately as Robin mimicked his action. Frederick slowly closed and locked the door, so that they wouldn't get interrupted. "It's just as you told us."
"Plegia?" Robin asked.
"Plegia." Chrom nodded. "Frederick just came back with an invitation from the Plegian King. Validar says he and the Plegians been safeguarding Sable for generations. He'd like to present it to me in person. So now the question is, knowing this is a trap, what do we do?"
"We walk straight in." Robin replied. "Make no mistake. We NEED this gemstone in order to perform the Awakening, correct? And if we do anything else, Validar will think we're suspicious about his intentions."
Chrom nodded. "You're right. Lucina made it clear the Awakening ritual will not be enough if we perform it with only four gemstones. But if we walk straight into his trap, what's your plan? I'm sure you're thinking of a way to get the gemstone AND get out unscathed."
Robin looked over his shoulder. He gestured to the door towards Frederick. "Check." he told the Great Knight.
Robin and Chrom sat around as Frederick opened the door and checked the area outside. When he was done, Frederick came back in and closed the door once again.
"All clear." Frederick nodded.
"It's time to put Basilio to use." Robin told Chrom. "There's a reason we had him remain in hiding, after all. You gave him the money, right?"
"Yes." Frederick nodded. "The last time I met with him, I gave it to him personally. Along with the instructions on what to do with it. I will be honest, I hadn't understood what it was all for until now."
"Good." Robin nodded. "We need you to send a messenger to Validar saying that we're accepting his invitation. But because of everything we had to set aside for the Valmese war, we need some time to get some of the paperwork and bureaucratic stuff out of the way. We'll arrive in Plegia in around a week."
"Got it." Chrom nodded.
"We need to notify Basilio as soon as possible." Robin continued. "He needs to swap the fake gemstones with the real ones on the Emblem the night before we leave. Expect this, Chrom, and leave the Fire Emblem in your room the night before. Keep it in an obvious place so that Basilio can swap the stones easily."
"Sure." Chrom nodded again. "And once we get to Plegia?"
"Well, here's the risky part." Robin sighed. "We're going to have to accept that Validar will get his hands on the Emblem."
"And… why is that?" Chrom furrowed his eyebrows.
"Based on the visions I've been receiving in my dreams, he's going to have some way to try and take control of my mind." Robin explained. "And basically, he's going to force me to take the Emblem from you and give it to him. Now I'm sure that without the assistance from the power of the gemstones, there is no way for a mind control spell to completely control me, considering my resistance to magic. However, I've never encountered any spells like that before, so I might be vulnerable to it the first time. When that time happens. I want you to put up a fake struggle. Just let me pry the Emblem from your arm."
"But… what if you can fight the mind control?" Chrom asked. "Why would we even need to take this risk?"
"I'm going to fight it with every fibre of my being." Robin responded. "But I can't be sure that I'll know how to fight against something that I'm completely unprepared for. And I know you're going to feel bad about being parted with the Emblem, but the actual Emblem doesn't hold any power. If needed, we can actually craft another one. The real power comes from the gemstones, which we'll still have."
"I… see." Chrom nodded. "I can't say I LIKE this plan, but if that's what you think is the best idea, I'll go along with it. But… I just don't understand why we need to even go if all we're going to be doing is giving up the Emblem."
"The Emblem is much larger than a single gemstone." Robin reminded him. "Validar could literally hide a gemstone anywhere in the castle. Even if we were to remove him from power, we'd have to search for ages just to find it, assuming he even leaves it in the castle in the first place. But the Emblem… there's only so many places that he could keep it. Chances are, he'll try and keep it on himself just to be safe, kind of like you, especially since he'll believe that all five gemstones are there already."
"That gives me a little more comfort, I suppose." Chrom sighed. "All right, I trust you."
"If Validar uses this spell on my mind once, I'll be able to adapt to it so that I cannot fall prey to it a second time." Robin assured him. "We can catch him by surprise the next time. But for it to work, we can't let anyone else know. Otherwise, Validar's spies might catch wind of it from somewhere we don't even know."
"I'll get the preparations ready then." Chrom nodded. "Let's discuss some of the other details then..."
The meeting lasted for another hour before everything was sorted out.
One week later…
The shepherds were marching towards Plegia for their fateful meeting with the king. The more they marched towards Plegia, the drier and hotter it became. Soon, they had left behind the lush grasslands of Ylisse and entered the barren deserts of Plegia. On their way towards Castle Dolhr, they passed by the skull of a large, six eyed dragon.
Despite it being the middle of a hot and dry desert, Lucina felt shivers run through her body at the sight of it.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked with concern after noticing her reaction.
"There it sits… that great skull." Lucina replied. "I saw it once, when Emmeryn was sentenced to die. It just… it reminds me of… him."
"You mean Grima." Chrom said plainly.
Lucina flinched at the name. "Yes. The Fell Dragon. A cataclysmic war ushered his return. And people say he fed off the souls of the dead before turning on the living for nourishment. Whether these bones are the actual ones or just an effigy, I cannot say. But I know that we cannot let that monster come back to life."
"We'll stop him, Lucina." Chrom sighed. "That's a promise. The future can be changed, and you've proven it already. Together, we'll change the course of history."
"I want to believe that." Lucina sighed as she mumbled to herself. "I want to believe that more than anything… Because if it's not true, then we'll all be dead soon."
As the shepherds walked through the halls of Castle Dohlr towards the meeting room Validar had prepared, Robin leaned in towards Chrom. This would be the last opportunity where he could safely whisper to Chrom. Validar had only allowed four people from their party into the meeting room for concern of space, so Chrom had selected Frederick, Robin, Lucina and himself. The rest will wait outside the doors once they arrive.
"I checked with my Hekseer." Robin whispered to him. "There are armed men throughout the building. All of them with hostile intentions."
"So I guess we were right." Chrom nodded as his gaze never wavered. "Can you find a route of escape?"
"Already done." Robin cheekily replied.
"Well I'm glad I didn't have to fight against YOU in our war with Plegia." Chrom chuckled as he shook his head in disbelief. "History would be written completely differently."
They paused their conversation as they arrived in the meeting room. Validar had a wicked grin on his face as he greeted them with Aversa standing next to him.
"Well met, milord." Aversa curtsied.
"Prince Chrom!" Validar exclaimed. "Welcome! We're so glad you made it back from Valm victorious and in one piece!"
"It's… nice to see you again." Chrom hesitantly nodded. "I was told you had something you wished to give me?"
"My, my!" Validar shook his head in mock disappointment. "No time for courtesy? I was just about to offer you all some tea! Such impatience… do you really want it that badly? This… concerns me… The Fire Emblem and the Gemstones are… treacherous artifacts. A fact that Plegia and the Grimleal know all too well."
"Sadly!?" Lucina fumed. "You speak ill of when the first Exalt used them to save humanity from the destruction of the Fell Dragon!?"
"Yes I do, intruder!" Validar spat.
"In...intruder?" Lucina was slightly taken aback.
"Prince Chrom, I would advise you control your mutt." Validar sighed as he ruffled his pauldrons. "This is getting me more worked up than I'd like. If disobedient dogs cannot be controlled, the Grimleal will be happy to dispose of her for you."
"You wouldn't dare!" Chrom raised his arm in front of Lucina protectively.
"Of course, of course." Validar laughed. "I only jest."
Then, he turned serious. "Give me the Fire Emblem. Give it to me… NOW!"
"You mad scoundrel!" Lucina exclaimed. "That's… that's a declaration of war!"
"It doesn't matter what it is." Validar retorted. "I only care about one thing. Give me the Fire Emblem NOW!"
Chrom looked like he hesitated for a moment. "...Never."
"Well, then I guess this parley is over." Validar chuckled.
The other entrances to the room burst open, and in rushed several Plegian soldiers, all armed to the teeth for combat.
"This way!" Robin exclaimed as he blasted the door they had came in from with a bolt of Thoron. He first ushered Lucina out of the newly created hole in the door before covering for Chrom and Frederick as they fended off the Plegian soldiers assaulting them. In the matter of half a minute, all four of them had safely left the room and reconvened with the shepherds. They made a break for the exit.
"Robin had an escape all planned out…" Aversa admired. "How clever of him. Even a mage prepared to cast a spell could not hope to flash cast Thoron that fast. He's truly talented."
Validar only chuckled in response. "If he only had half the wits of his father, he would know they've already lost."
Validar turned around. "I'm taking the shortcut. Are you coming? We'll be there in time to see whether or not their ragtag group can make it past all of our elite soldiers."
"I'm right behind you, milord." Aversa smiled as she followed after him.
With Robin…
Robin and Chrom led the shepherds as they ran through Castle Dohlr. As they did so, Robin had a nostalgic feeling, almost as if he'd ran through these exact same halls before, which of course, he had.
"This way!" Robin urged everyone as he turned right down another hallway.
"Everyone stick close together!" Chrom called. "If you see an armed Plegian, stick a sword through them first, and ask questions later! Call if anything is wrong!"
"We're almost out of the castle!" Robin reassured everyone. "But there are SOME soldiers ahead. Everyone prepare for battle!"
As if on cue, a Plegian Berserker and Swordmaster appeared in front of them as they turned another corridor. Without coordinating anything, Chrom slashed down the Berserker, while Robin cast a Ruin spell at the Swordmaster to prevent him from attacking Chrom while he was vulnerable. The Swordmaster was forced to dodge backwards, and was not expecting Robin's scythe to suddenly lunge towards him, cleaving the man in two.
Behind them, Maribelle cried out in alarm. Robin turned back to see her narrowly dodge a dark spell.
"What kind of imbecile would throw an attack like that one?" Maribelle cried in dismay. "It was such a bone headed move that I almost ran straight into it."
"That's a Mire spell!" Henry offered. "They have experienced Sorcerers. Probably hiding a good distance away!"
"What do we do?" Ricken asked. "We can't exactly fight back if we can't even see them!"
"The disadvantage of Mire is that it has an absurdly low accuracy." Robin recalled off the top of his head. "There should be a few moments where you can see exactly where the spell will hit before it actually does damage. As long as you remain alert, no one should get hit by these spells. On the off chance that you DO get hit, call for me immediately. Regular staves may not work on the wound."
The shepherds continued to push forward towards the exit, dodging Mire spells left and right as they did so. This was clearly the place that was understaffed, possibly because it was so far away from the meeting room. Maybe the Plegians didn't expect them to find their way here?
Occasionally, they would run into a few Plegian guards or soldiers. However, after dealing with Walhart and his military might, fighting these Plegians felt like fighting children. That's not to say the Plegians were weak. While their combat prowess may not be much weaker than the average shepherd, they simply lacked the practical experience to properly match the Ylisseans.
Kjelle raised his shield in front of Cordelia so that a Plegian Assassin couldn't hit her with an arrow. Miriel blasted the Assassin with an Arcfire, burning the man to cinders.
Nearby, a Sorcerer blasted Vaike with his rapid firing Waste tome. However, the Berserker didn't even flinch as he danced around every spell.
"Yer just simply not good enough to hit Ol' Teach!" Vaike exclaimed.
This gave Gregor the opportunity to flank the distracted Sorcerer, gutting him with a stab of his sword.
"Oi! Muscle Man!" Gregor called."Is no time for goofing, yes?"
"What do you mean!?" Vaike protested. "I was distracting the guy. How else could you have snuck on him that easily?"
"Hmm…" Gregor cupped his chin contemplatively. Eventually he laughed. "Ha! When you put that way, Gregor say good job!"
Vaike grinned and gave the guy a thumbs up before rushing to find someone else to take on.
Once the shepherds understood the general direction they needed to go, Robin changed from leading the pack to being more in the middle of the shepherds, calling the shots.
"Gerome, archer at your 7 o'clock direction. Stahl, go cover our right flank. Panne, take Tharja to the back. There are a couple Berserkers coming at us from that direction." Robin surveyed the battlefield and rapidly called out directions.
He noticed something as they ran by a couple of the rooms. There were some boxes with locks on them. Since locks weren't exactly cheap to make, whatever is inside must contain some value to justify having a lock over it. 'May as well.' he thought to himself. 'We're here anyways.'
"Donnel, I want you and Gaius to go raid that room." Robin gestured with two fingers. "There's a Sorcerer inside, possibly one of the Mire users. Take him out, and loot whatever is valuable."
"I'm sorry, Bubbles." Gaius blinked, thinking he didn't hear that correctly. "But did you just tell me to LOOT the room?"
"Do you not know how to do that?" Robin said in mock surprise. "You break into the chests, take whatever valuable… it's pretty simple really."
Gaius grinned from ear to ear. He twirled a set of lock picks with one finger. "Consider it done."
The two went off the pillage the pockets of the Plegians.
Robin continued to give orders. "Nah, blast a hole through that wall. No… not that one, but it's fine. Noire! You see that Sorcerer over there? He's too far away for anyone to hit... except with a Longbow! Take him out. Assassin straight ahead, keep him off of us, Lon'qu! Lissa, Laurent got hit by a stray arrow. Tend to the wound right away please!"
He let his guard down for a second and almost walked straight into a Mire spell.
"Robin!" Lucina cried in alarm. She dove the tactician, knocking him out of the way of the spell.
While the pair was down, a Plegian Assassin jumped out from the shadows in an attempt to strike them while they were down.
"Papa! Mama!" Morgan cried as she rushed forward. She swung Epilogue with a reverse grip, knocking the Plegian's strike trajectory off and immediately swung her arm back the other way. This time, she had flipped Epilogue into a regular grip and slashed the Plegian's throat.
Immediately afterwards, she flipped out of the way of a Waste spell. Morgan sheathed Epilogue mid flip and took out her Book of Naga. She raised one hand towards her assailant, and the Sorcerer was surrounded by a ball of colorful light before it exploded, killing the man instantly."
"Damn…" Brady muttered in awe. "That kid sure don't pull no punches."
Morgan wiped her brow in relief after seeing that both her parents were safe. "Whew!"
Speaking of, Lucina was now lying atop of Robin with her head resting on his chest.
"You really didn't have to do that." Robin sighed. "I appreciate it, but you're only putting yourself at risk. Even if that attack hit me, it wouldn't have harmed me that much."
"You could have gotten though, and that's reason enough." Lucina replied as she got off of him. "I… since I know things went downhill in the future ever since my father died… I think things might be the same if YOU die. So I don't want to take any risks. Even if I were to die, history can still change for the better. But if you or Chrom die…"
Lucina began to trail off. Robin grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're not allowed to say that."
"...I…" Lucina began.
"Your life is not worth any less than any one of the shepherds. And that's including me and your father." Robin told her seriously.
A call jostled him from the seriousness. "Robin, we need you over here!" Gaius exclaimed as he appeared to be hauling something in a bag tossed over his shoulder.
"We'll talk about this later." Robin made eye contact with Lucina once again. "For now… please… stay safe."
Lucina bit her lip as Robin ran off. After a brief moment of reflection, she picked up Falchion and rejoined the fray.
"What did you find?" Robin asked as he approached.
"Some gold, a weapon or two, a bunch of dark tomes…" Gaius began to fumble through the contents of the sack. "Are we keeping all of it?"
"You can drop any metal weapons you find." Robin told him. "Everything else… keep as much as possible."
"Got it." Gaius gave a thumbs up to indicate his understanding. "There's a few more rooms with boxes to crack open. I'll have Stumbles hold onto all of this, and I'll make another run with ol' Tin-head."
"Stay safe." Robin nodded.
Suddenly, Gaius dodged a bolt of lightning that would have struck where he was standing a moment ago.
"Hey, I recognize that attack…" Gaius squinted his eyes accusingly. He didn't find who he was looking for, so he decided to yell to everyone instead. "Hey Red! Don't think I didn't see that! This isn't a time or place to play games!"
"What are you talking about?" Anna called back from the other side of the battlefield. "I haven't done anything. Whatever you're talking about, it really wasn't me this time."
"Don't mess around with me!" Gaius exclaimed. "I know you're the only one with a weapon that creates electricity like that. Even Lightning tomes don't look like that one. There's no one else here who could've done that."
"THAT'S where you're wrong." A Plegian voice chuckled.
Robin turned to see a Plegian Berserker wielding a large axe with a blade shaped like a bolt of thunder.
"What you tasted was my Bolt Axe." The Berserker cackled. "I am Algol, a faithful member of the Grimleal and General in the Plegian army. I'm sorry, but I can't let any of you leave here alive."
Robin drew out his scythe and turned to Gaius. "I'll keep him busy. Warn the others towards the front and the to our back to be careful. There could be more of them trying to flank us."
"Got it." Gaius nodded before he blinked away.
Algol faced Robin. "Oh ho! I think I recognize that weapon. Now tell me, what would Plegian royalty be doing mingling with the Ylisseans of all people? Don't you know that we are bitter enemies?"
"The only enemy in my way right now is you." Robin responded coldly as he flourished his weapon.
"Well, orders are orders." Algol shrugged. "It don't matter if your a prince or a pauper. I'll have to present your head to King Validar myself. Prepare to taste the devastating lightning from my Bolt Axe!"
A bolt of lightning streaked towards Robin as the Berserker raised his axe. However, Robin just stood still. There was no need for him to act. Algol looked at him, expecting Robin to crumple over in pain. Instead, Robin simply brushed the attack off like it was nothing.
"I...impossible!" Algol stammered. "That was a direct hit."
"Weak." Robin stated.
"W-what!?" Algol exclaimed. "Are you trying to mock me!?"
"I meant exactly what I said." Robin explained. "Your attack is weaker than Anna's. My guess is, you probably got your hands on a Bolt Axe and thought you could use it to distinguish yourself from all of the other Plegian Berserkers. But my guess is, you haven't had very much training in magic, which is why although it looks intimidating, it's no stronger than if I were to use a basic Thunder spell."
Algol paled as Robin hit the nail on the head.
"I suppose it is my turn then." Robin twirled his scythe around. "I don't have time to waste on the likes of you."
As expected, Algol, who had spent a lot of effort into refining his magic since receiving the axe, did not do so well in close range combat. This was his downfall, considering as a Berserker, it was supposed to be their strong point. It took Robin less than thirty seconds for Algol to turn from very much alive to very much dead.
Robin knelt down and picked up the Bolt Axe. "Lissa!" he called.
"What is it?" Lissa ran over, staff ready. "Did you get injured?"
"Not this time." Robin smiled. "This is for you."
Lissa took the Bolt Axe from him. "Woah! What's this weapon? It looks so strange!"
"That's a Bolt Axe." Robin explained. "It's just like Anna's sword. You're the only shepherd that is both well versed in magic and axes. It's yours. It'll help you protect yourself a little better."
"Wow, THIS is a Bolt Axe!?" Lissa exclaimed. "I love it already!"
"Figure out how to use it first." Robin chuckled as Lissa ran back towards their main group.
As they continued to fight their way through the Plegians, eventually their enemies' numbers began to dwindle.
"Almost there!" Chrom called to everyone in encouragement. "The exit is just-"
Before Chrom could finish his sentence, Validar and Aversa appeared in front of the exit, blocking their path forward.
"Run as you like." Validar grinned. "You can't escape fate! Don't you know that? Now give me the Fire Emblem. You can do it freely, or it will be taken by force."
"Just try it!" Chrom dared, brandishing Falchion at the Plegian King.
Validar only chuckled. "I won't need to lift a finger… Robin! Seize the Emblem and give it to me!"
As if on cue, Robin felt a voice buzzing in his head. An alluring voice, calling him to obey it. Robin felt… quite underwhelmed. 'This… this is it?'
Still, Robin needed to put up a charade. They still needed that fifth gemstone, after all. He fell to his knees, pretending he was in pain. In order to make it more convincing, Robin held his head with one hand while the second one snuck within his robes and pulled out a small knife, which he drove into his leg. This time, he let out a genuine roar of pain.
"Robin!" Lucina exclaimed when she heard him. She turned towards the noise and froze.
Many other shepherds did the same. They saw Robin slowly get up. When he turned his head towards them, they saw that his eyes were glowing, with energy flickering out like two purple flames. His breathing was ragged. This was a scene that they had seen before.
If Validar really understood the situation, he'd realize that Robin was just faking it. The proof was directly in front of him: the glyphs and sigils on Robin's cloak flashed and flickered wildly as it fought off the arcane and unholy spell that Validar had cast. However, Validar saw Robin's enraged visage and viewed it as proof that his spell was working.
Robin turned towards Chrom. To his credit, he did an excellent job of pretending to be surprised.
"Uh…" Chrom chuckled nervously. "Robin?"
Suddenly, Robin tackled the man. Frederick instantly rushed over to try and 'help pry him off'. The three of them struggled for about a minute, greatly exaggerating the severity of the situation. While the shepherds looked on in horror, Validar had a smirk on his face.
Finally, Robin pried the Fire Emblem from Chrom's arm and tossed it towards Validar's feet.
Validar, feeling quite satisfied, snapped his fingers, and Robin felt the voice in his head stop. And so he stopped struggling as well.
Validar inspected the Emblem and placed the last gemstone, Sable in its socket. "Very well, my child. The table is almost set. And with my gemstone, I can perform the ritual that will rouse Grima!"
With that, he and Aversa warped away, just as fast as they had appeared.
"What… what have I done?" Robin panted. "Chrom, I'm… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was like… I couldn't control my actions"
Chrom had to suppress a grin at his friend's act. "Look, I know you are. But it's not safe here. We need to focus on getting out of here first." Chrom turned to the shepherds. "We'll address this problem later. First, we need to get everyone out of here."
The shepherds all seemed to agree. Even though the event clearly shocked them, they would have time to consider it after they were all safe.
Lucina, along with all the other future children, as well as all of the shepherds, had a million thoughts running through her head as the shepherds made their way out of Castle Dohlr, morale lower than ever.
Author's Notes:
Alright, I've finally made the transition to leaving my notes at the bottom of my chapters. I started keeping them at the top at the beginning, because I hadn't really thought about the issue. And as time went on, I kept it up there for esthetics reasons. But I think it probably makes more sense for you to read the chapter first and then read the notes in many cases.
If you played the game, you'll know that the game is drawing towards an end by this point. In other words, the finale will be coming in just a few chapters. And I won't give anything away, but I have a thing or two planned for the story. Stay tuned to find out.