9

At the celebrations, Chrom sat near the head of a long table, at its head sat Flavia, and to his side, his sister… well it should have been, but it seems like just her clothes made it, along with Morgan.

When he tried asking what was going on, she simply replied with a "Oh you know", and Chrom already knew not to bother inquiring further when Lissa was involved.

He turns his attention back towards Flavia only to see her yelling with Basilio which at this point might be the fourth or fifth argument they've had this evening. Chrom enjoys parties and celebrations as much as the next person but it feels like at this point it's been going on for hours. The dimly lit hall with its high dark ceilings that disguises the time of day doesn't do much to help either.

"Alright, I'm going to find Robin now" he says mostly to himself as it's not as if Flavia will hear him.

"I'll go with you!" Morgan cuts in, scanning the area for a moment. Chrom can't work up the energy to ask but shrugs and waves her along.

It feels like it's been some time since he and Robin spent time together. Between him and Sumia and Robin with Morgan they've been apart for quite a while in the past week or so, and this might have been the first time he's been alone with Morgan, who is far from the usual member of the Shepherds.

"So… have you been enjoying your time with us?" he asks a bit awkwardly, not knowing what else to say with the girl as he navigates the busy hall.

Morgan, who is far from the usual girl, takes it in stride though "Of course, tacticians are always preparing and looking forward to war, thanks for bringing me along!" she chirps.

Chrom gives her an odd look and isn't sure what to think, Robin's outlook is quite different than his daughters devil may cry attitude, though she's shown her worth more than once so he decides to let her be.

"Well, we'll be heading back to Ylisse after this, so I hope you'll decide to come with us as well."

"I mean, if father's going then I'll go too."

Meanwhile Vaike a few tables down turns to Stahl and laughs "Chrom's losing it...

He's asking Lissa if she wants to come with us back home." he Snickers, shaking his head

With a blank look on his face, Stahl looks down at Vaike who's resting his head on the table. Miriel stares at him in disdain and is about to rebuke him before Lissa speaks up "Don't bother, I'm going to go grab Morgan"

-o-

Across the great hall Marth leans against a large wooden column, ever since the small slip up earlier she's decided to keep himself at a distance, instead keeping an eye on Lissa, after all, Morgan will need to retrieve her own clothes eventually…

And seeing Lissa get up from her seat she pushes off, ready to follow. It only takes a moment to spot where she's heading, standing side by side is Chrom and Morgan, what he's doing with her she rather not know.

-0-

"There you are, why are you hanging out with my brother? I thought we were pranking Robin" Lissa states approaching the two.

Chrom, now relieved to be saved from the awkward situation, nearly sighs "I'm not the one who's been… what're you wearing?… wait forget about that, leave Robin alone, he deserves some relaxation"

"So, he's in his room? that's where he's been hiding?" Morgan asks assuming he'd be hanging out around Chrom.

She had to admit she was enjoying the atmosphere some, so she didn't mind the detour, though scanning the room and seeing the masked swordsman navigate the crowd she quickly grabs Lissa

"Uh, let's get going then!"

"H-hey, what were you two talking abo-" she yelps, getting pulled off.

… 'well, I tried' thought Chrom walking off himself.

-0-

Morgan was guessing she had about 5 minutes in the hallways before that crazed masked swordsman could catch up, and not wanting to explain to Lissa that she was just a decoy, she continued to briskly drag her along, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious she was in a hurry.

"Morgan? What's the rush? It's not like Robins going anywhere" she says struggling to keep up in her borrowed sandals, the cold air eliciting a shiver whenever a draft hits her. "On second thought let's get this over with…"

The two bursts through the wooden door at the end of the hallway causing a bit of a scene inside the room as they pile in.

"Boo!...? Wait, did we have a plan?"

"Father! Hey who's this?"

"Morgan! Lissa?... Am I getting pranked?"

"Am I?..."

-0-

-A different side of the story-

After exchanging some polite courtesies with the hosts and partaking in a bit of food, Robin slipped away from the crowd, unable to keep up with the endless energy of everyone else. Maybe he was an old man he thought idly while heading back to his room, the thunderous sounds of the banquet slowly fading into the background. Entering inside his room, he turns to shut the door but sensing a presence behind him…

"Who's there!" he demands, turning quickly. "If it's Lissa so help me g…" it was not.

"I was wondering how close I could get before you finally noticed", a smooth voice sounded from across the room.

Out from behind a changing screen steps a woman "But finally I have you all to myself" her lips gently upturned at the ends.

Robin, at this point, exhausted, tries to quickly analyze the situation with the obviously Plegian woman. Was she an assassin? Maybe she could let him go, Gangrel was dead… or maybe this isn't about the king but rather something to do with the Plegian religion, she did look like a dark mage with that outfit after all… where had he seen it befo-

She interrupts his thoughts while taking another step closer.

"You must be tired, you haven't even gotten into a defensive position yet, you don't need to think so hard about this though, we've been traveling together for quite a few days now."

"W-we have?..." the tactician mumbles, admittedly he has been a bit preoccupied, from Morgan to Emmeryn and finishing the war to meet many new recruits.

"Ah... Well, I apologize Mis-"

"Tharja... and no need to apologize, I've been watching you very closely, every day, so I understand better than most what you've been going through" she says, her voice dropping an octave, sounding a bit deeper as she takes another step closer.

The odd comment doesn't register with Robin as he continues trying to regain his thoughts, something about the woman seems very familiar…

"O-oh… that's good… so uh, what can I do for you…" he pauses, wondering when Tharja closed the distance as she lays a finger on his lips"

Robin, going a bit wide eyed is pulled back to reality as the woman gazes into his eyes…

"that's it!" he exclaims loudly snapping his fingers

Tharja, taken aback, wonders why he just snapped his fingers in her face… well she knew why he does that but…

"Did you just come to the realization of something?" she asks, taking a step back for now.

"You… are you Morgan's mother?"

"...What" Tharja balks, not having expected this outcome… from her 'Robin reconnaissance' she knew about the hidden relationship with the girl but wasn't aware that the mother was unknown… she had assumed the mother was just dead, given there's a war going on...

Tharja wasn't sure if this made things easier or harder… but regardless the mood had been demolished, an awkward pause now hung in the room that made even the dark mage cringe.

"Uh…" she stammered, a bit at a loss for words now, she had been planning this for days, she wasn't ready for this.

Luckily, saving her, the door violently swings open

"Boo!...? Wait, did we have a plan?" shouts Lissa quickly flying in, nearly running into Robin

"Father! Hey who's this?" ask Morgan quickly slamming the door shut.

"Morgan! Lissa?... Am I getting pranked?"

"Am I?..." Tharja mumbles, distraught now at the situation, places a hand to her face.

The chapter no one was waiting for. I had this and some other chapters saved and I found them. I doubt anyone's reading or interested in this anymore but I figure i'd post it just in case.

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Is the FE FF landscape all just three houses now by the way?