Morgan opened his eyes. He was lying face up. The sun lighted right to his face, so he tried to cover it with his arm. Despite he had slept, Morgan felt exhausted. The weather was hot, and the young boy didn't feel like moving.
"What am I doing here?" Morgan asked himself. Then, he suddenly remembered what happened last night, the drinking, the games, and the tears.
The realization made him sit abruptly. Which was a mistake because he felt a terrible headache.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed while trying to press his head with both hands.
"Please, mother. I don't want to wake up yet" someone beside Morgan complained.
Morgan looked to his right and saw Inigo, lying face down, still asleep.
"Inigo, you have to wake up. We have business to do" Morgan told him while shaking the prince with one hand.
"Uh… what? Wait, Morgan?" Inigo asked when he finally woke up.
"Welcome to reality" Morgan told Inigo. He was observing how the young prince sit in confusion.
"Did I do something stupid or embarrassing last night?" Inigo asked while rubbing his eyes.
"You don't remember?" Morgan asked with incredulity.
"I never do" the prince answered. Morgan noticed that Inigo looked really wasted, that made him remember how he saw him cry yesterday.
"Nah, we just were playing" Morgan limited his answer.
"Great. Normally I get emotional when I'm drunk. I'm glad that this time wasn't like that" Inigo sighed in relieve.
"You were cool" Morgan assured.
"Well, then. Let's go back to the palace" Inigo said and then he stood up.
Inigo offered his hand to Morgan, the second one took it, and the prince used his strength to help the tactician to get up. Then, both walked in direction to the palace, leaving behind two bottles of rum on the sand.
They passed through the city; it was more alive than yesterday when they arrived. There were a few more people outside, apparently, they were going to work or to do some tasks.
"By the way, how are you feeling, Morgan? After all, this is your first time getting drunk" Inigo asked.
"I'm tired and my head aches" Morgan answered. Inigo giggled, remembering his first experience with alcohol too.
"Don't worry, you just need some water and food, and a shower… and new clothes" the prince suggested.
"That would be great, before my next conversation with Aversa" Morgan commented.
"Do you think you can handle it?" Inigo asked worried.
"No, but I have to know anyway" Morgan answered.
Finally, the two boys arrived at the palace. Climbing the stairs was an ordeal for both. Being covered in sweat, hungry and thirsty was not a good combination. Every guard that passed by, noticed the bad state of the teenagers and looked at them with pity.
The guys managed to get to the top. As soon as they entered the palace, they crossed paths with Owain and Severa, who were walking through the corridor, holding hands…
Inigo looked away in discomfort, and Owain quickly let go Severa's hand. Severa got confused by Owain's action but decided to let it go. Instead, she focused on the other two guys.
"Where have you been? We were worried about you!" Severa questioned. By her look, Morgan realized that she was really concerned.
"Yeah. I was about to confront all Plegia's army just to know a clue of your location" Owain spoke.
"No, you were not" Severa contradicted him.
"I'm sorry. Last night, we just went out for a stroll. But somehow, we ended sleeping in the sand" Morgan explained.
"Somehow?" Severa asked.
"Look, we are okay, you see? Stop questioning" Inigo ordered Severa in an angry tone.
"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" Owain asked Inigo in a calmly but nervous way.
Inigo realized that everyone looked at him strangely. In fact, he was surprised too. He didn't know where that anger was coming from.
"Sorry, I'm just hungry and thirsty. I need a rest" Inigo apologized while rubbing the back of his head and looked to the floor.
"Well, let's go back to our chambers" Severa suggested. Then, she started walking.
Morgan and Inigo followed her, but Owain didn't move. Inigo turned and asked him "aren't you coming with us, Owain?"
"I think I'm going to look for Laurent, Kjelle, Noire, and Cynthia. They left some time ago, looking for you" the blonde answered. Inigo and Morgan felt guilt for worrying their friends.
Owain exited the palace and the other three went to their chambers, there were still enough food and water. There was Brady and Gerome. The two guys stopped their talk and stood up as soon as they saw Inigo and Morgan.
"Holy crap. What happened with ya, guys?" Brady asked.
"Nothing, we just decided to sleep in the outdoors" Inigo answered with no emotion. Then, he took a jar with water and started to drink.
"They both were drunk last night" Gerome stated with his arms crossed.
At that declaration, Inigo abruptly placed the jar back in the table and his posture got tense. Morgan knew that something bad was coming.
"Gerome, what are you saying?" Severa asked doubtfully.
"I investigated with the guards and servants. They saw you with bottles of rum and doing stupid things. I didn't say anything because I doubted that you would do such stupid thing. But now, all seems very clear to me. You two are the worst leaders that any army could have" Gerome expressed with severity.
Inigo turned to Gerome and approached him with a menacing aura, "then why don't you leave us and join any other army? Oh, let me guess. Nobody wants an arrogant and selfish idiot like you!" he shouted at him.
Gerome's expression didn't change, and also, he didn't seem intimidated by Inigo. He just answered him "you are so pathetic, that I don't even feel the need of confronting you" and then he left the room. Brady looked at Inigo with disappoint, then he shook his head in disapproval and left. Severa also left but with a sad look.
"Ugh, what am I doing wrong?" Inigo exclaimed with frustration while covering his face with both hands.
"You are hiding your feelings" Morgan said.
"Uh?" Inigo muttered. He let go his face and looked at Morgan, waiting for an answer.
"You are angry because you can't show that you are sad because of Severa and Owain. And also, you are ashamed for drinking last night. But you don't want to show that to your subordinates, do you?" Morgan inquired.
"Of course I can't. A leader has to be strong all the time, I can't show weakness."
"Everyone has feelings, and if you are not okay, you must be capable of telling so to your comrades. That is part of the confidence, otherwise, you will lose them, like is probably happening right now."
After saying that, Morgan decided to take a bath, leaving a thinking Inigo behind.
Morgan relaxed while resting in the fresh water, like if that just took all the nerves of the previous fight away. He emitted a large sigh at the same time as he rested his back against the bathtub wall. He looked at the ceiling, remembering that he soon will talk with Aversa again. Until now, the information that she gave him was just… informative, nothing useful that could break the curse.
"I hope that I can learn something useful today" Morgan said to himself.
Half hour later, Morgan came out of the bathroom, wearing his usual tactician's clothes. Inigo was sitting alone, he was watching a plate with some fruits, like if he had the intention of eating it. He looked depressed again. As soon as Inigo acknowledged Morgan, he stood up.
"I will take a bath too" Inigo said while walking to the bathroom.
"Are you okay?" Morgan asked him concerned when Inigo passed by him.
"Yeah."
Morgan saw Inigo's back getting into the bathroom. He was worried about him, but he could deal with him later. So, Morgan decided to look out for Aversa.
He exited the room and walked through the hall until he spotted a servant cleaning some ornaments. Morgan asked the servant for Aversa. Fortunately, the servant saw Aversa entering the library. Even though, he and Inigo had passed for every corner of the palace last night, Morgan couldn't remember where the library was located. Hence, the servant had to give him directions.
Morgan followed the instructions and after passing by some corridors, he arrived in front of a double wooden door.
"Weird, this door doesn't match with the rest of the palace" Morgan commented to himself.
Surprisingly, the door opened from the inside, revealing Aversa coming out of the room.
"That's because this is the only part that I haven't renovated" Aversa told him.
Morgan was muted, not just because he was taken by surprised, but also, he found Aversa's energy a bit intimidating.
"What? Do I have something in my face?" Aversa asked him.
It took some time for Morgan to articulate a "No", but after saying it, Aversa took a good glimpse of the boy.
"You look different, kind of distressed. Maybe I shouldn't have told you those things about your mother" Aversa wondered.
Morgan finally snapped and said "No, I'm okay. I want to know more."
Aversa nodded and answered "well, then, follow me."
Aversa guided Morgan outside the palace. They crossed a garden until they reached a small building with a pair of big wooden doors. There were two guards who bowed when they saw Aversa. Aversa greeted the guards, and then they opened the doors. Morgan looked inside the building, there were just stairs that led underground.
Aversa entered the building and took a torch of the wall. She looked back to Morgan who was still outside the building. She smiled at him, like daring him. Then, Aversa started to go downstairs.
Morgan stopped doubting and followed her. I didn't take long for him to reach her. The stairs were in spiral, and with each step, things were getting darker.
Morgan started to hear screams, lots of them. That made him fear for his life.
"Where are we going?" he demanded to know.
"What? Are you afraid?" Aversa asked mockingly.
Soon, they arrived at a dungeon. There were multiple cells that imprisoned men, crazy men that were just screaming and having erratic behaviors.
They started to walk in front of the cells. Some prisoners acknowledge them and tried to reach them, asking for freedom. Others just ignored them.
Morgan could see that at least were three men per cell, and that there was no empty cell. All the prisoners were chained by the hands. Morgan noticed that the chains had a purple light.
"What are those chains?" Morgan asked.
"I'm glad that you noticed, though, it is difficult not to notice them" Aversa said proudly, then she explained "Those are special chains that prevents people from using magic."
"So, these people are the ones affected by the curse?" Morgan asked.
"That's right. Just the ones that we managed to save, like Sebastian" she said that when they passed by the cell where the librarian was being held. Sebastian didn't pay attention to them; he just was focused on writing things in the wall with his nails. Morgan made a grimace imagining the pain that Sebastian was feeling.
All those prisoners were like a mirror for Morgan. His head started to create scenarios where he would become crazy, and even hurt his friends. Morgan shook his head to push away those thoughts, then he focused where they were going.
At the end of the dungeon, there was a wooden door. That room was more illuminated than the rest of the dungeon, Morgan could tell by the light that were escaping from the doorframes. Before entering the room, Aversa placed her torch in a sconce. Then, both entered the illuminated room.
It resulted to be a laboratory, but a decent one, unlike Tharja's creepy laboratory. The light made the room comfortable, and there were lots of bookshelves and tables full of ingredients.
There were two persons, a man and a woman. The man was bald and had dark brown skin, he was wearing like it seemed to be a black uniform. He was checking some ingredients. The woman had long straight hair, and its color was light brown that matched her skin. She also was wearing the black uniform, and she was reading a book.
The two scientists noticed Aversa, so they stopped what they were doing and approached her.
"Queen Aversa" both saluted with a reverence.
"Jamal, Iris, how was your shift?" Aversa asked them.
"I'm afraid that same as always" the man named Jamal answered.
"So, nothing worked" Aversa assumed.
"Sadly, no. But we are already thinking in new formulas that may work" Iris commented in a positive tone.
"Thank you, both. Why don't you go up and rest? I'll wait here until Diana and Valtier arrive" Aversa told them.
"Oh, there's no need of that, your excellency" Iris protested.
"It is an order" Aversa used her bossy tone.
"Of course, your excellency" Iris said while bowing.
"Thank you, your majesty" Jamal also made reverence.
Then the two scientists left the place.
"Those were…" Morgan spoke but was interrupted.
"Part of my special team of sorcerers. We are trying to find a cure, but nothing has worked yet" Aversa said.
Morgan noticed that Aversa's semblance had changed for a tired one. Out of nowhere, Aversa emitted a moan as she was about to fall. Morgan hurried and prevented Aversa from falling. All her weight was over him, and it was heavy. With all his strength Morgan helped Aversa to sit in a chair that was near table.
"Is everything okay?" a worried Morgan asked.
Aversa was holding her head with both hands. "I'm okay. Just a headache, it happens once per day."
Morgan got stunned on his place, all of that took him back in time, where his mother suffered of the same condition.
"It is the curse, isn't it?" Morgan asked.
"Yes…", for the first time, Aversa looked weak in front of someone.
Morgan took a chair and placed it close to Aversa, then he took seat. He waited some minutes for Aversa to calm down. It was the same with his mother, when she had those attacks, he could just watch with impotence and wait.
When Aversa felt the pain fade, she looked at her surroundings, making sure that nothing has changed. Because sometimes she would feel like the world is tearing apart. Then, she looked at Morgan, at his concerned face. Aversa thought that he looked like a sad puppy.
"Poor kid. How could you abandon him, Robin? Why you didn't fight?" Aversa thought.
"Are you feeling better?" Morgan asked.
Aversa nodded, fixing her posture. "So, are you ready to talk?" she asked.
"Yes."
"This time, I want to talk about me. You see, I wasn't born in nobility" Aversa declared.
"You weren't?"
"No. I come from a town in Plegia that does not exist anymore" the nostalgy could be seen in Aversa's eyes.
"What happened with your hometown?"
"Your grandfather. The first time he saw me, he knew that I had potential. So, he decided to adopt me. I didn't want to go with him, neither my family. But he killed everyone in the town and erased my memories. Therefore, I grew up, thinking that he was my father, and that your mother was my young sister."
"I can't believe it! So, you were really close."
"As I said before, our relationship was complicated. I mean, all those years during the war, she was my enemy. And then, she defeated me and somehow I survived. After that, I went to a mystical place where the truth about my origins was revealed to me. That's when I decided to join her. She was kind to accept me" with those words, Morgan could feel that Aversa really appreciated his mother.
"She always gave second chances to everyone" Morgan commented.
"Yes. She believed in everyone, just like your father."
"Fa-father!? I mean, what father? I don't have a father" Morgan said nervously. Aversa dedicated him her better 'I'm not stupid' face.
"I know that Chrom is your father, and not just because you said it yesterday by accident. I always knew that they were in love. When the war finished, I offered you mother to come back to Plegia, we could have ruled together. But she told me that Ylisse was her home. I knew it was because of him. And I didn't understand why she would do that, I mean, the man was already married and had one child. But she did, and four years later she sent me her last letter, telling me that she would disappear from everyone for a long time. And fifteen years later, you arrived at mi palace, looking for a way to breaking the curse…"
"What does that have to do with the curse?" Morgan asked in an irritated tone, he didn't feel safe with Aversa anymore.
"Everything!" Aversa exclaimed as it was the most obvious thing.
Aversa stood up and continued her explanation "I have spent years investing in a way to break the curse, but this curse is something that no human can break…"
"Then what? We should ask for help to animals? Ghosts? To god?" Morgan asked irreverently.
"To god, exactly" Aversa said.
"But there is no god, Grima was killed" Morgan contradicted.
"Oh, there is still one god, I know. The same god that helped your parents to defeat Grima."
"Naga!? Is she alive?" Morgan asked.
"Not sure, but I know they received her help. If there is a way a communicating with her, the person who knows is…"
"My father" Morgan completed.
"Exactly. You have to tell him, tell him that you are his son, tell him that you have this curse. I'm sure that if he knows, he will help us" Aversa suggested.
"No, no, no!" Morgan exclaimed while getting up. He walked away from Aversa, showing her his back.
"I possibly can't. I made a promise" Morgan muttered while remembering his mother.
Morgan's eyes widened when he felt Aversa's hands take his right hand. He looked at his right and saw Aversa kneeling behind him.
Their eyes crossed, doubts vs desperation.
"Morgan, please… I beg you. My people are dying. I am dying, and I don't want to die knowing that I couldn't do anything for my people, knowing that I couldn't repair the damage that I had caused" Aversa said while some tears fell from her eyes.
Morgan looked at the floor, feeling defeated.
"All right" he muttered.
"Thank you!" exclaimed Aversa in joy, then she got up. She cleaned her tears with her sleeve.
"But at least, let me try without telling him the truth. Maybe I can convince Inigo to ask him or something."
"I don't think that will work. But I guess it is okay to try. Just promise me that you will do everything you can to talk to Naga" Aversa asked.
"I promise."
Aversa smiled at her success. Still, she wasn't completely sure that just a boy could save an entire kingdom.
"I have to trust him. Just like you trusted me, Robin" Aversa thought.
Time later, two other sorcerers arrived at the dungeons. So, Aversa and Morgan returned to the palace.
Morgan reunited with his friends in their assigned chambers. Everyone seemed to be okay and having a good time, except for Inigo, who has alone in the balcony.
"Morgan, glad to see you. Did the queen tell you something important?" Laurent asked him.
Morgan took a moment to look at Aversa, who was walking in another direction, and then, he looked back at Laurent.
"No, nothing useful" he said in a serious tone.
Later that day, they decided to travel back to Ylisse the next day. So, they gathered all their things and got more provisions. They even got time to say farewell to Anna. Also, the Plegians suggested them another route for their return, one in which they won't cross paths with Ylisse's army.
The next day in the morning, all of them were prepared to depart. Aversa was there saying goodbye to everyone.
"Morgan, do you have a second?" Aversa asked him. Morgan nodded and they walked away from the others.
"What is it, Queen Aversa?" Morgan asked.
"Listen, I just want you to know that if you tell the truth to Chrom, and it results in him not wanting to see you ever again. Well, you can come back here. You will always be welcome in Plegia. And I also think that you could be a great ruler if you ever want to."
"Thanks, Queen Aversa. I appreciated it" Morgan told her, not wanting to think in that possibility.
Morgan left Aversa and reunited with Inigo and the others. Apparently, Inigo wanted to talk to everyone.
"Hey, guys, listen. I know that in the last days I have been behaving in an unprofessional way. I know that you are disappointed with me and you deserve a better leader. So, I decided that when we get back to Ylisse, I will ask my father for a replacement for me. I am really sorry, guys" Inigo announced.
All the Shepherds started to protest because nobody wanted Inigo to quit, even Brady started to cry.
Cynthia pushed Gerome in front of Inigo. The wyvern knight looked as if he was forced to say something.
"Listen, Inigo. I'm sorry if I was particularly rude with you yesterday, and maybe I was unfair too. You don't have to quit, you are as young as I am, and we all here make mistakes. Just learn from them" Gerome spoke.
"So please, don't quit" Cynthia asked.
"We all need you" Owain told Inigo.
Inigo didn't expect that everyone would support him. He was so relieved, because for a moment, he thought that he would lose his precious friends. Some tears menacing him with falling, but he cleaned them before it could be noticeable.
"Okay, everyone. Let's go home" Inigo said, smiling again.
This time, they changed places. The one who was driving the carriage was Kjelle, and Morgan was her co-driver. Inigo was in a separated horse, as well as Laurent. Noire, Brady, Severa, and Owain were sitting on the carriage. The ones that would never change their transport were Gerome and Cynthia, because their mounts are loyal to them.
During the trip, the guys in the carriage were talking.
"So are ya really keepin' him, Noire?" Brady asked her, while watching the girl play with her dog.
"Yes" the girl answered happy.
"But aren't you afraid that you mother will do something to him?" now Severa asked.
"I will ask for help to the children of the orphanage, I'm sure we all can keep him hidden from my mother" Noire answered.
"So, now you guys are an official thing or something?" Brady asked Owain and Severa.
"Yes, we are" Severa answered happily while embracing his boyfriend. Noire and Brady were surprised because they never thought that they would see Severa that happy.
"As soon as we get home, we will notify our parents" Severa announced, causing Brady to laugh.
"Why is so funny?" Severa asked.
Brady pointed at Owain, "you are dead meat" he exclaimed between giggles.
Even Noire giggled a bit, "yes, I don't think Sir Frederick will take this well" she said.
"Please. I am the mightiest warrior of all Ylisse. No one is better suited than me for protecting his daughter's honor" Owain said.
"Please don't tell that to my father" Severa asked ashamed.
"I think Owain is going to be okay, after all, he is the prince and a good guy too" Noire assured.
"I dunno, I'll still recommend you to have a shield with you when the moment comes" Brady suggested Owain.
"Ha, nothing scares me" Owain assured, but deep inside, he was scared.
That night they camped in the desert again. It was fun for everyone, because they got to act like what they were, teenagers. Everyone was happy, it didn't matter that the trip was such a failure, as far as they know.
At the next day, they arrived early at Ylisstol. Everyone accorded to leave the things in the castle and then, they would go with their respective families.
But fate had prepared something else for them, because as they were coming close to the castle, they crossed paths with another brigade. Inigo immediately recognize who was leading that brigade.
"Lucina!? Where are you going?" Inigo asked his sister, who has mounting a white horse along with Frederick and others Pegasus knights.
Hi, I know that this took me like forever, but here is. I also want to let you know that I'm never quitting this story. So, if again I don't update in a long time, don't think that I dissappeared or forgot about this. I also want to announce that with this chapter we just finished the second of the four main events that I had planned for this story. So, I guess we are in the middle (?, I don't know as it can be possible that the next events take more chapters than the first two. I'm proud of how far we are, and also grateful for the people who read this.
Special thanks to:
Deuce: Hi! Glad to see your comments again. Haha yes, Chrom won't be happy with that. As for Chrom and Robin, they are as good as any other parent. Sometimes they would make mistakes but is for the sake of their children. And also they didn't have good paternal figures, well Robin had her mother, but she doesn't remember a lot. Thanks for reading!
YellowHello1: Sorry for keep you waiting u.u I hope you enjoy this chapter. Poor Inigo still has to learn some things. And yes, for Chrom is kind of difficult to raise their children becuase he didn't have a good father.
Mysterious guest: Thank you for your comment! I'm glad that you liked it. Yes, that was one reason for Inigo to lead the Shepherds, and Lucina couldn't join them because she is to busy preparing herself for being the next exalt.
Thanks for reading!