I forgot to talk about Franklin the Innkeeper last time. He's somewhat of an OC that just sort of evolved into existence while I was writing the last chapter. More on him in the end notes. Other than that, please enjoy!
Peaceful Days
In the end, they decided to just leave the power enhancing items in the Shepherds barracks, along with Parthia, Gradivus, and a note explaining the items presence and expressing their apologies for not reaching them in time for the weapons and items to be useful.
Morgan wasn't sure if she felt relieved that the fighting was over, or disappointed that they hadn't been able to help. At the very least, all the Shepherds had returned home safely, and Morgan was thankful for that.
They returned from the barracks just in time to catch the tail end of Chrom's speech.
"I vow to do my best to live up to the ideals of my sister!" Chrom promised. "Together, we can make Ylisse into the shining beacon of peace that Exalt Emmeryn always desired it to be!"
The crowd cheered, and Morgan couldn't help but join in. Beside her, Lucina smiled warmly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Morgan thought she saw her sister relax a little.
In the days following the celebration of the end of the war, Chrom announced he would not be taking the title of Exalt, out of respect for his late sister. This did not surprise Lucina much. According to her mother, he had done much the same in her timeline, and had only accepted it later during the war in an attempt to boost the morale of the people.
He also announced his upcoming marriage to Robin, which caused Lucina to sigh in relief. Ever since her ill thought out interference in her parents relationship several months prior, she had secretly been worried that she had damaged their relationship.
The citizens of Ylisse reacted with varying degrees of excitement to indifference. Many were overjoyed at the idea of the upcoming Royal party, which Chrom had promised would be open to all of Ylisse's people, as the idea of such a celebration did wonders for their spirits after such devastating losses were inflicted on the people. During the Plegian raids that happened before and in the midst of the war, many towns and fields had been wrecked and trampled.
The nobles were much more divided on the matter. Many were furious that Chrom had chosen to marry someone of common blood, as they deemed Robin, instead of one of their daughters. Other nobles, mainly those who had been Emmeryn's closest political allies or were the parents of some of the noble born Shepherds, wholeheartedly supported Chrom's choice.
Lucina had expected this as well. Her mother had told her some of the nobles had been slow to accept her at first, but thanks to some tutelage from Maribelle she had overcome their doubts. Lucina was sure the same would happen this time around.
During this time when the castle was such a rush of activity, the townsfolk were also increasingly busy. With the help of Feroxi muscle and Plegian gold received as war reparations, the damaged towns and infrastructure was being repaired more each passing day.
Lucina and Morgan helped out where they could. It felt nice to assist with the rebuilding efforts and to work alongside the people. It felt like they were truly making a difference for once, being able to see tangible proof that their efforts were affecting something. Some of the villagers even paid them for their assistance. Lucina had tried to decline, until Morgan reminded her they still had to pay off Anna's loan.
One family had even offered them a room to stay in for a few days as thanks for their help fixing their damaged wall. It was nice of them, but it highlighted an immediate problem for Lucina and Morgan that they needed to solve sooner rather than later.
They discussed the matter of finding a more permanent residence after dinner on the final night of their stay with the kindly family, but neither had an idea that sounded feasible. They of course still had their camping equipment, but it wasn't like they could camp out in the middle of the city. It would be too easy for someone to rob them for one thing, and most folks wouldn't take too kindly to a couple of teenage girls camping on their property. Camping outside the city wouldn't work very well either. They weren't like the farmers who had to come and go each day to sell their produce or livestock at the market, so the guards might be suspicious of constant coming and going. Not to mention, they had to stay close enough to their parents to continue to watch over them. The war with Plegia might have ended far sooner in this timeline, but the Grimleal could still pose a threat to their safety. It would be beneficial to be as close to the castle as possible.
With camping off the table, Morgan suggested buying their own house, but Lucina reminded her that they didn't have any money. All the good they had earned helping the citizens of Ylisstol had gone into paying their debt to Anna. Lucina was also half tempted to ask if they could have a room in the Shepherds barracks, but that would likely involve officially joining the Shepherds, who were constantly being sent on missions to help the small towns on the outskirts of the Halidom with bandit remnants or groups of Risen. Joining would be counterintuitive to their goals of staying near Chrom and Robin, as well as not getting too close to the Shepherds for fear of their identity leaking again.
For a while, they sat in silence in their borrowed room, contemplating the problem, until Morgan jumped to her feet, startling Lucina.
"I've got it!" Morgan shouted. Lucina shushed her immediately, for fear of waking their hosts. One of Morgan's nightmares had already woken them a couple of nights ago, and Lucina didn't want to trouble the kind couple any more than they already had with their presence.
"Sorry," Morgan apologized. "I've got an idea though. We need to be close to the castle, right? Well why not stay in the castle?"
"Morgan, how would that even work?" Lucina asked incredulously. "We can't stay in the castle!"
"No, I meant, well, actually, I see why you'd be confused," Morgan explained. The words tumbled out of her in that jumbled way they did when she was excited. "I have a plan though, okay? You know how big the garden is by the cleft in the wall father made while training? The place where we snuck in last time? We could totally hide a small shelter there!"
Lucina stared at Morgan and contemplated the idea. It was so ridiculous, that it might just work.
"We'll have to investigate the spot more closely tomorrow, but yes, that idea might just work out for us. We could probably ask some villagers if we can have their leftover repair materials to build the shelter with too."
"That's a great idea!" Morgan exclaimed, before realizing she was getting loud again. "If we can find enough usable wood and gather up some tools and nails, we can use our tent canvas to seal it all together and create a nice warm and sturdy shelter right there in the garden!"
"And, we'll be close enough to keep an eye on mother and father," Lucina added. "It's basically a perfect solution. Well done Morgan. Now, we should get some rest. We'll have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."
Securing materials for their shelter ended up being fairly easy. While many villagers wanted to keep excess wood as firewood for winter, just as many were grateful for the help the girls had provided them in rebuilding, and were more than happy to give them some of their wood and bricks, not having much use for it themselves.
The difficult part was relocating all those materials to the cleft in the castle wall stealthily. Morgan doubted that the Royal guards would be willing to listen to their explanation if they were caught. Over the course of the day, Morgan and Lucina worked together to discreetly move the wood, nails and bricks they had collected to the location of their new base of operations.
Thankfully, their father had neglected to mention the hole in the wall to anyone except them and their mother, so the secret entrance had not been repaired. Morgan crawled through the narrow gap, and piece by piece, Lucina handed her everything they would need until she herself crawled through after everything was inside.
There was a surprising amount of space in the small courtyard. It was just as it had been the last time they'd been here, except now they could see much more clearly in the daylight. The bushes and topiaries of the garden were thick, and would make a good cover for their small shelter.
Together, they dragged their supplies into a corner and set to work. Morgan took the bricks they'd been given and created a small oven in the corner for warmth, while Lucina set about lashing several planks together with fabric and nails. It was difficult to work quietly, since there was naturally a lot of banging involved when building something, but mercifully, they remained undiscovered. When Morgan finished with her over, she helped Lucina put the walls of the shelter together and secure them as best they could with what they had.
This was something they had done before in the future, albeit with less processed materials and more simple rocks and branches. Morgan had plenty of practice putting together simple huts and lean-tos for a bit of shelter, although it was harder without the help of their friends. Yarne could transform into his giant rabbit form and dig out an area for added cover, and Gerome and his wyvern Minerva made for excellent muscle.
Eventually though, the two of them did manage to put together a decent shelter. It was small, which was okay since for now it was just the two of them. They had laid down several planks of wood as a floor, and stood the walls up around it before placing the remaining planks on top as a roof. After that, they had taken the canvas from their tent and lashed it over top with rope to help bind it all together and keep out the elements. There was enough room to sit up and crawl about comfortably, and even to cook on Morgan's small brick stove, but they would not be able to stand in it.
Morgan was fine with that. She had always been on the short side and didn't expect that to change any time soon, and she didn't mind cramped spaces. It came with the territory back during her pranking days when she was little, before everything had gone wrong. Morgan did notice that Lucina looked a little uncomfortable, but since they were really only planning to be here at nighttime for sleeping, Morgan figured Lucina would get used to it.
Morgan leaned back against the wall, carefully testing it against her weight. When she was satisfied that it was sturdy, she relaxed, and sat back. Her stomach grumbled, causing Lucina to jump slightly. Morgan blushed.
Lucina smiled fondly at her, and reached into her bag. "Here," she said as she pulled out a small chunk of bread wrapped in paper. "We'll start to look for work tomorrow, for now, let's get some rest," she finished before handing the bread to Morgan.
Lucina's stomach growled angrily at her.
Despite her misgivings about their tiny shelter, Lucina had actually slept fairly well. Right now, her biggest issue was food.
Going hungry was something Lucina was used to, but that never made the experience any easier. The night before, she had given Morgan the last of her bread. She would rather Morgan have something to eat. It was her job to look out for her after all. Her heart panged for her brother. Was Marc well fed? Was he even alive? She wished she knew.
Her stomach growled again, drawing her from her thoughts.
This morning, she and Morgan had decided to split up to try and find a job within the city to keep them fed, figuring that they'd have better luck looking apart than together.
Not really knowing where to start, Lucina had decided to head towards one of the taverns. At the very least, she might be able to find mercenary work. It wasn't ideal, having to leave the city for that kind of job, but at the very least, Lucina could ensure that either her or Morgan was in the city at all times if either had to leave.
"Hey! Miss Marth!" A voice called from somewhere behind her. Lucina whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice. She made a conscious effort not to put her hand on her sword.
"It is you!" The man said excitedly as he skirted around the crowds of the busy Ylissean streets. "Nice to see you again, Miss Marth! What brings you to the city this time?" Franklin the Innkeeper asked.
"Hello, Franklin," Lucina replied. "The fighting is over for now, so I'm here on standby, I suppose you could say. My work isn't done yet."
"Ah yes," Franklin nodded seriously. "Your important secret mission."
Lucina winced. The first time she and Morgan had been here since returning to the past, the talkative innkeeper had asked why they were in the city, and Morgan had blurted out that they had a "mission" to do and that it was secret. It was a clumsy and panicked response, but they'd had no choice to commit to it. It was better to let Franklin believe that they were sellswords rather than time traveling princesses anyway.
"That's right," Lucina agreed. "And now that it's peacetime, Mo and I are looking for a line of work that's a little less violent than selling our swords."
Franklin nodded again. "I can imagine the life of a mercenary isn't a glamourous one. Mighty dangerous."
The man looked thoughtful for a moment, before his face lit up. "Say! I've got an idea. Do you mind walking with me? I'd like to bend your ear but I've got to get down to the market. It's my night to cook tonight and my boy asked for some roasted apples for dessert. You remember him right?"
Lucina swallowed uncomfortably. She remembered both versions of Franklin Junior. There was the toddler she had met briefly in passing a month ago, and the soldier who had saved her life when she was twelve by giving his own.
"Yes, I suppose that's alright," she said, trying to ignore the melancholy emotions creeping up.
"Great!" The man said jovially. He turned, and checked to make sure Lucina was following him. She smiled and nodded at him, hoping her apprehension didn't show on her face. Seemingly satisfied, Franklin led her in the direction he'd come from towards the city market district.
"You're looking for a job, right?" Franklin asked as they walked. "Well, it just so happens I've been thinking of hiring some extra help. Someone to help me clean rooms and do laundry at the inn. That sort of thing. The war and the tragedy with the Exalt got me thinking that I don't spend near enough time with the wife and boy. What do you say?"
Lucina looked at him in surprise, but she quickly broke into a grin. "I would be delighted to work with you Franklin. Thank you so much for this opportunity!"
"No sweat Miss Marth," Franklin smiled back at her. "Besides, it'll be good for business. The people are talking about you, you know. The mystery girl bearing the name of the Hero King, appearing in times of danger and looking out for everyone, even the commoners. People will want to stay at the Inn she's working at."
Lucina chuckled and blushed despite herself. "Please, I'm just doing what anyone should. But if I can help them I suppose that is the role I will play."
"Atta girl," the man said. "After we get my groceries we can work out the details of the arrangement. Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where's that companion of yours now?"
"My sister? Oh, she's off looking for work elsewhere. I'm not sure where she is exactly, but I know she's somewhere in the city."
"Hmm," Franklin pondered. "I'd offer her a job too if I could, but unfortunately I can only afford to pay one person. Didn't realize she was your sister, though I s'ppose it's obvious in retrospect. You look quite similar. Perhaps we'll find her at the market then."
"Yes, I should probably find her soon anyway. She has a tendency to get into trouble when she's been left alone for too long."
A large plume of flames erupted from the market square ahead of them with no warning.
"Much like that," Lucina deadpanned. "Quickly!"
Lucina dashed ahead, leaving Franklin to struggle to catch up. Thankfully, when she reached the square, there weren't actually any enemies or problems to be found. Instead, she found Morgan standing on a large crate in the middle of the square performing magic tricks for an audience. Thankfully, she had the sense not to use the Book of Naga to do it. They did not need that kind of attention.
Lucina marched up to Morgan, pushing through the crowd that had gathered. "Mo, what are you doing?" She demanded.
"Hi, Marth!" She greeted excitedly. "I've decided to become a street performer! Watch this!"
Morgan had two tomes in her hand, the old, tattered Elfire she'd used in Arena Ferox, and her Elwind tome that she'd been using in combat as of late. Drawing magic from both, she released another plume of fire into the air and then used wind magic to guide it into various shapes, such as the Brand of the Exalt, or the emblem of Ylisse.
"Mo, that's so wasteful!" Lucina complained, "What if you need those to fight?"
"No, look! It's okay!" Morgan said. "I've already made enough money to replace them!"
Much to Lucina's annoyance, she was correct. On the ground in front of her crate, there was a bucket Morgan must've borrowed from somewhere filled with several coins of different value that easily could've bought her a new battle tome, as well as a few extra supplies on top of that. Normally, Lucina didn't mind being proven wrong, but the smug look on Morgan's face was irritating.
"Siblings," she muttered in annoyance. "Fine. So long as you're careful."
"Of course I'm being careful!" Morgan said reassuringly. "I'm always careful!"
"Then why is your sleeve on fire?"
Morgan blinked, and looked at her hand, surprised. Sure enough, a small flame burned on the end of her sleeve. She flicked her wrist, and a gust of magical wind snuffed out the flames.
"Oops," she said with a sheepish grin.
Over the next several months, Lucina and Morgan stayed in Ylisstol, keeping an eye on their parents and working their respective jobs so they could afford to feed themselves and buy equipment.
A few months into their stay in the city, the Royal wedding was held. It was a public event held in the city square, with a long parade that included several stops so that Chrom and Robin could interact with the citizens. Lucina was thrilled when her Uncle Ricken approached her on the street one day to extend a personal invitation to her and Morgan for the wedding on behalf of her father, meaning they would get to attend the party in the castle afterwards.
Attending your own parents' wedding before you were even born was certainly a strange experience, but Lucina could confidently say that it was one she was glad to have. The ceremony was beautiful. Blue banners and wreaths lined the streets, and everyone was wearing their best clothes. Lucina and Morgan had used some of their saved money to purchase simple yet elegant dresses for the occasion.
Her father had smiled broadly during the whole event, wearing extravagant formal clothes in the colours of the royal family. Lucina couldn't help but think he looked quite dashing. She also couldn't help but giggle when Robin walked down the aisle in a beautiful blue dress that complimented Chrom's outfit, and the happy look on her fathers face morphed to one of stunned awe.
Robin reached the altar, and Uncle Libra began his officiation. Lucina tried not to cry as they exchanged vows and kissed, and she tried not to be too annoyed at the gagging noises Morgan was making next to her, swatting her lightly to get her to stop. Morgan's tomfoolery aside, it was a wonderful moment. Moments like these were the reason why Lucina fought.
Later, at the after party in the castle, Lucina stood around awkwardly as nobles and Shepherds mingled. Morgan was off among them, talking and laughing loudly. She still had the luxury of a mask to hide the telltale brands in her eyes that would immediately give away her lineage. Lucina had to be far more careful, and had taken to styling her hair so that her bangs hung over her marked eye, covering the brand shining within.
She scratched her right shoulder idly, where her other brand was hidden under the sleeve of her dress, and swirled her drink around in its cup, feeling incredibly out of place. She looked over to where her parents were sitting, basking in each other's presence and enjoying simple physical contact with each other. The sight caused her to smile slightly.
She herself had also been popular that night. Several Nobles were curious about the mysterious "Lady Marth", and many of the Shepherds had come by to talk and thank them for the delivery of the power enhancing items and the recovered Archanean Regalia. The non stop social interaction had left her exhausted and far outside of her comfort zone.
"Heya, Marth," a voice said from right next to her, startling her and nearly causing her to drop her drink.
Glancing around quickly to check who was in earshot, Lucina took a moment to compose herself before turning to face her aunt Lissa.
"Hello, Aunt Lissa," Lucina whispered. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You don't owe anything," Lissa replied cheekily. "Do I need a reason to talk to my future niece?"
"I suppose not," Lucina conceded. "But please, be careful with your words. I don't want anyone finding out my true identity. Especially not before I've even been born."
"Yeah, I bet that'll be soon, right?" Lissa teased. "Anyway, I thought you looked lonely over here, so I wanted to come and hang out with you. Besides, I doubt anyone will think it's weird for us to be talking, considering we're about the same age. Geez. That's a weird thought in and of itself, huh?"
"Mhm," Lucina agreed, a little absentmindedly. "I thought much the same when I first arrived. Though to be honest I'm not exactly sure how old I am anymore. It was hard keeping track of time where I am from, and though my birthday has come and gone since I arrived here, I am still not sure exactly how old I am, chronologically speaking. I suppose it's simpler to just say I am seventeen, based on the number of birthdays I've seen."
"That's sad," Lissa empathized. "I wish you didn't have to deal with strange questions like that. It must be confusing."
"It can be," Lucina admitted, "but I'm used to it. My birthday hasn't really mattered to me in a long time, and I imagine many of my companions would feel the same."
Lissa shook her head. "That still doesn't make it right. It's tragic, Lucina. You shouldn't have to deal with it alone. You know, the offer still stands to join up with the Shepherds. Chrom and Robin would love to have you, as Marth and as Lucina."
Lucina grimaced. "That's kind of you, Aunt Lissa, but now is not the right time. Maybe someday, but not yet."
Lissa sighed, and reached up to grasp Lucina's shoulder reassuringly. "Just keep it in mind that you can rely on us if you have to, okay? Now, I'm sorry for bringing up depressing topics. Why don't we talk about something more interesting?"
"Like what?" Lucina asked curiously. "You mentioned last time that I'll have a son one day, right? What's he like?"
"Haha," Lucina giggled. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you a little. He's quite the character, you know."
Life attained a semblance of normalcy after the wedding. It was a bit of an adjustment, having been raised a princess, but Morgan found that she liked performing in the street and doing odd jobs for coin. It filled her with a sense of accomplishment to know that her efforts were making a difference, be they to entertain people or to help them with chores. It certainly let her explore more of the city than Lucina's stuffy laundry job at Franklin's inn. Morgan did have to admit that Lucina's job had some nice benefits as well. Every now and then, Franklin would invite them to have dinner with his family, which was nice. It had been a long time since Morgan had experienced something so domestic.
Morgan had known the city fairly well before it had fallen, but there were a lot of new and different things to explore. Some of the infrastructure was different than she remembered, though she wasn't sure if that was because of how young she was the last time she'd seen the city, or if it was because things had changed between now and the time she was born.
At the moment, Morgan was simply enjoying the sights as she returned from picking up some supplies for their dinner that evening from the market. Carefully making her way to the hidden cleft in the castle wall, Morgan crept through it with her satchel and scurried towards the shelter as the sun began to dip behind the castle walls. Inside, she found Lucina already home, sitting with a fire tome in one hand and a piece of parchment in the other, a small flame flickering just off to the side so that she could read its contents.
Lucina had never been confident in her magical talents, but Morgan had always privately thought otherwise. Perhaps she didn't have the raw talent for it that she and Marc or their mother did, but she was certainly capable enough to cast low to moderate difficulty spells without trouble. Morgan was also quite sure that Lucina would be an absolute terror on the battlefield with access to a Levin sword. Unfortunately the one they should have inherited from their mother was lost when she had gone missing.
Resisting the urge to pull a prank, Morgan made sure to make enough noise as she entered so that Lucina would take note of her presence.
"Hey, sis," she said when Lucina looked up from her papers. "Whatcha reading?"
"It's a letter," Lucina said, her expression somewhere between concern and excitement. "A merchant from the desert in the southeastern part of Ylisse staying at the inn mentioned she was looking for Marth, and Franklin brought it to my attention."
"Well, what's it say?" Morgan asked curiously.
"It's from Laurent," Lucina replied in a tone of disbelief. "He says he's been stuck in the desert for a few years now, staying at an oasis village. He says it's practically impossible to cross by yourself and that he's been trying to barter passage with a merchant caravan, but nobody wants to take him. He finally managed to convince one of them to bring a letter to Ylisstol just recently."
"That's amazing!" Morgan cheered. "That means our other friends could be in the past as well! They can actually be found, Lu!"
"I'm excited too, Morgan, but I'm worried. Laurent said he's been in the past for three years already. I fear he may have experienced hard times by himself for so long."
"Oh," Morgan deflated. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him!"
"We will," Lucina agreed. "But we'll need help. We need multiple people to cross the desert safely. I think we're going to have to ask father for help."
Morgan grimaced. Something about having to ask for help from her father didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on why she felt like that.
Lucina handed Morgan the letter to look over. The writing inside was definitely Laurent's. Nobody else used as many big and complicated words like that, with the exception of his mother. Also included was a map with the location of the oasis village he was stuck at marked on it. She examined it carefully, but found nothing else, and looked back up to see Lucina watching her expectantly.
Seeing she was finished, Lucina took the letter back and placed it in her bag. "I have the day off tomorrow," she said, "so I'll go and seek an audience with our father. Will you like to come with me, or will you be working?"
"No, I'll come," Morgan answered. "Perks of having no schedule."
They set about preparing for the next morning as the conversation ended, and soon turned in for the night. The next day, they dressed quickly and left the shelter, taking a roundabout route to arrive back at the proper castle gates.
They explained their reasoning to the guards, and were asked to wait for a moment for someone to arrive to confirm them as Marth and Mo. A few minutes later, the guard returned with Sully in tow, looking mildly annoyed at having been pulled away from training the new recruits, but equally curious to see what they wanted.
Apparently satisfied, for now at least, that Kellam and Stahl could handle training the new recruits while she was gone, she offered to officially escort the pair to see Chrom. Sully clapped them each on the shoulder as they arrived at the doors of the audience chamber, where they were instructed to wait for Chrom to arrive.
"Nice to see you two again," Sully said. "Do me a solid and go easy on Captain Chrom though. He's stressed today, apparently Robin fell ill this morning."
Morgan shared a concerned glance with Lucina. "Do you know if she's okay?" She asked.
"Don't you worry about Robin. She's an egghead, but she's tough. I guarantee she'll be fine. Now, I've got to get back to the knuckleheads I left in the training grounds, but next time you're in the neighbourhood, swing by the Shepherds barracks. It was swell of you to bring presents. I'd like to drink you under the table to return the favour!" Sully guffawed loudly at her joke as she walked back down the hallway, and Morgan chose not to mention that she hadn't yet reached the legal drinking age in Ylisse.
Lucina and Morgan stood in awkward silence in the empty room. Several times, Morgan opened her mouth to say something, but ended up closing it again when she couldn't think of anything productive to talk about. They waited for quite a while, which Morgan expected, since their audience was rather out of the blue. Most people had to schedule them in advance or come on the specific day that was set aside for them, but it seemed that they had accumulated some prestige with their deeds.
Eventually, Chrom entered the room from the door at the back, and made his way to his seat. Sully had been right, he did look stressed.
"Good to see you two again," Chrom said after a moment. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"It is good to see you as well, milord," Lucina began. "We've come to you with a request, if we may be so bold."
Chrom laughed dryly. "Please, just Chrom is fine. I know we're at the castle and everything but the two of you are basically honorary Shepherds. Though if you insist on being formal then Prince Chrom is fine. And don't worry about the favour. I told you once before that I owed you one, didn't I? What do you require?"
Morgan wasn't surprised by Chrom's answer. In fact, it was exactly the answer she had expected.
"When we last spoke, I believe I mentioned we had allies that could help. We managed to ascertain the location of one of those allies. The problem is that he's stuck in the oasis village in the desert to the southeast. We were wondering if we could borrow some supplies and soldiers to go and rescue him?"
Chrom looked at them sympathetically. "I still don't fully understand your mission or your goals, but we do owe you for saving us," he said, "so I would be glad to send some of the Shepherds and a small caravan to help you find your friend."
Morgan had also expected Chrom to be willing to help them. From what she remembered of him in the future, he was a kind and generous man. What she didn't expect was the feeling of unease that kept crawling up when she saw her father. "Perhaps it's because he's so young?" She thought. Morgan could remember that sometimes he would let his beard grow out. Maybe it was because he couldn't grow a beard yet. No. It was probably something deeper than that.
Putting the growing feeling of unease out of her mind, Morgan returned her full attention to the conversation, and listened to her father tell them when and where he would send the Shepherds to meet them. The details were quickly decided upon, and just as quickly as the meeting had started, it was now over.
"I wish I had more time to talk to you," Chrom admitted, "but I want to get back to my wife. She was ill this morning, but seems to be fine now. I want to check in with the healers to make sure she's alright."
Worry and love battles in Chrom's expression as he spoke, and despite her uneasiness, Morgan, was glad to see that her parents were just as in love as she remembered, even if she had pretended to be grossed out by it at the wedding. It was comforting to know there were constants in this new timeline. She even had an idea as to what might have caused her mothers illness. After all, a certain event was coming up about 9 months from now.
"Hey, Lu," Morgan whispered as they were being led out of the audience chamber, "do you think that mother is pregnant with you?"
Lucina stumbled slightly, and her face turned white, giving Morgan a good laugh.
The next day, after Lucina had told Franklin she would be gone for a couple of weeks, Lucina and Morgan met with the caravan Chrom had assembled for them just outside the city walls. Among the group were Ricken, Maribelle, Nowi, Vaike and Miriel, although apparently Nowi was just tagging along so she could visit Donnel at his village, which was in the same direction they were traveling.
Ricken seemed to be pleased that Chrom had given him a task as 'important' as helping out Marth and Mo, while Maribelle looked less than pleased about having been pulled away from her duties. Morgan suspected that Aunt Lissa had pushed Chrom into assigning her on the mission in an effort to make her get closer with Ricken, as she remembered being told stories of similar things being done by the Aunt Lissa she had known growing up.
Morgan noticed that Miriel and Vaike kept to the back of the group as they traveled, mostly just talking to each other. Like a few others amongst the Shepherds, they had become a couple shortly after the end of the war. Ironic that the most recent Shepherds couple would be helping to retrieve their own future child.
Aside from an encounter with a lone, wandering Risen that had somehow avoided detection, the trip itself was uneventful. Morgan and Lucina talked with the Shepherds, explaining in more detail why they needed help. Once they understood that a friend of theirs needed help, the Shepherds were happy to give their assistance.
"It's our job, ain't it?" Vaike had said. "Besides, we owe you one. I got to try out the legendary Parthia bow 'cause of you, so we'll call it even."
They set a moderate pace, and the group made good time. Within the week, they dropped Nowi off at Donnels village, said a quick hello, and then reached the northern edge of the southern desert.
Morgan remembered reading once that the desert had come into being long ago, during the time of the schism when Grima had first risen up and laid waste to the land, back when the continent was still called Archanea. The monster's attack was so devastating that much of the geography had been completely altered, and it was the reason why much of Plegia became the desert it was in the modern era. Not only that, but technological and magical innovation had nearly been reset, so much information had been lost.
The journey through the desert itself was the hard part. Unlike Plegia, this desert wasn't broken up by plains or other biomes. Mercifully, the desert itself was small, and only they only suffered through two more miserable days of travel to reach its center, where a bustling oasis village sat.
Morgan looked around curiously as they rode into the town, watching as people moved about their daily business. There was something strange about the place. The air shimmered with an almost magical energy.
"Hail, travelers!" An armed man said. "What brings you to our village?"
"Hail, good sir," Maribelle spoke before anyone else could open their mouths. "I am Lady Maribelle Themis of the Shepherds. We are here on behalf of Prince Chrom of Ylisse responding to a request for aid from a young man in this village. Are you a guard here?"
"Yes, Milady," the man said. "The name's Jackson. You must be looking for that mage boy, yeah?"
Maribelle looked to Lucina, and motioned for her to step forward. Morgan rolled her eyes. Aunt Maribelle never changed.
"That's correct, sir," Lucina said. "We received a letter from a merchant from a friend of ours. We've come to help him."
"No worries," said the guard. "I can bring you to him. He's probably holed up in that tent of his by the oasis. Poor kid fell from the sky a few years back. Nobody's sure where he came from, and he won't tell us, but he's sharp as a nail. Solved a bunch of problems around here, and he figured out a way of bringing water up to the surface with magic. Mighty impressive. Come on, I'll show you the way."
At the mention of falling out of the sky, The Shepherds all looked at Lucina and Morgan. None of them had been present the day they'd arrived in the past, but they must've been told about how they'd appeared from a glowing hole in the sky. Morgan didn't react to their stares, and followed Lucina as the guard led them through the village.
As they walked, Morgan took in the sights that the oasis town had to offer. While she hadn't really had much time to take note of the scenery in Plegia, she could still see a lot of similarities that must've been a universal aspect of life in the desert. There was a kind of unique beauty to the place as well. It was surprisingly lush surrounding the oasis itself, and despite the harsh sunlight, Morgan didn't feel that uncomfortable.
Before long, they came across a tent set up by the water in the shade of a palm tree.
"Here we are," Jackson said. "I've gotta get back to my post now, so I'll leave you to it. Glad to see that the kid is finally gonna be able to go home though. Safe travels, Shepherds!"
"Well?" Maribelle asked. "How do you wish to proceed, Marth?"
Lucina looked thoughtful. Morgan was struck by a sudden urge to laugh at how Lucina looked with that expression on her face while it was half hidden by her hair, in the style she wore to hide her brand.
"Marth, if you want, I can go in and get him?" Morgan suggested. "Less harm done if he blurts out my name in recognition than yours."
"That's fine, Mo," Lucina said, ignoring the odd looks the Shepherds were giving them. They were quickly becoming masters of ignoring those glances, with how often they received them, "but try not to let that happen if you can help it," she finished.
Morgan nodded. "You got it!"
She sauntered up to the tent, and knocked her knuckles on the frame pole.
"…Come in," someone inside said absentmindedly.
Morgan pushed through the tent flaps. Inside she found a young man in mages attire sitting at a workbench writing in a journal by candlelight. He had a familiar appearance, but he was also different than Morgan remembered.
"Has there been a response to my letter?" Laurent asked.
"You could say that," Morgan said cheekily.
"I'd prefer a more certain answer if- wait a minute, is that? Mor-"
"Hup, hup, hup!" Morgan interrupted. "My undercover name is just Mo, thank you very much. Some of the Shepherds are outside waiting for us. We came to get you! Surprise! Also, you look older."
Laurent put his quill down and stood. In three quick strides he had crossed the tent and pulled Morgan I to a hug, surprising her. His shoulders shook, and after a moment, he pulled away. Hiding behind the brim of his hat, he removed his glasses and wiped at his eyes.
"You have no idea how thrilled I am to see you, Morgan," Laurent said in a hushed voice. "These past few years have been tremendously difficult. Is Lucina with you?"
"Yep. She's outside. She's still going by Marth by the way, just so you know to call her that when you see her."
"Of course, of course," Laurent agreed. "It is imperative that our identities remain a secret so as not to interfere with our parents' lives. I trust you've done a good job concealing yourself?"
"My lips have been sealed as if someone used the Fire Emblem on me," Morgan promised. "Now come outside! We're here to help you get to Ylisstol, and there's a lot we need to catch you up on."
"Very well," Laurent complied. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Hmm…" Morgan thought. "Oh, your mother and father are among the Shepherds that came with us to help. They're together, but not married yet. I figure you should know that, so you can brace yourself for when you see them. Lu and I had no time to prepare ourselves, so I know you'd appreciate the opportunity."
Laurent looked longingly at the tent flaps, beyond which Lucina and the Shepherds were waiting.
"… I can hardly fathom how strange it must be to see them so young," Laurent murmured. "I am sure that it would provide many fruitful avenues of study…"
"Of course you're more focussed on the science," Morgan groaned. "Focus up you nerd, and let's go!"
She grabbed his hand and yanked it, pulling him outside behind her.
"Hi everyone!" Morgan said cheerfully as she walked back outside. She squinted, shielding her eyes from the sun as she dragged Laurent outside, who was stumbling in an attempt to stay upright. "This is definitely our friend!" She confirmed. "Mission accomplished!"
Lucina stepped forward and steadied Laurent, and Morgan laughed. It felt so good to finally reunite with one of their friends after over a full year of being apart. She missed the others dearly, and hoped they would find them soon.
"Ahem," Maribelle interrupted. "Are you going to introduce us to your ally, Marth?"
"My apologies, Lady Maribelle," Lucina said. "This is…"
"You may address me as Merric," Laurent finished when Lucina trailed off. "I am a mage by trade and scientist by passion. Well met, brave Shepherds. I've heard tell of your illustrious accomplishments even here."
Laurent sounded remarkably composed when he spoke, but Morgan could tell by the way he refused to look at Miriel or Vaike that he wasn't quite as cool headed as he let on.
"Hey, isn't that the name of the mage who fought alongside the Hero King?" Ricken asked.
"Indeed," Miriel confirmed. "The advancements he made with wind magic are said to be exemplary."
"Then I shall do my utmost to live up to your expectations," Laurent replied.
With the Shepherd's help, they packed up Laurent's belongings in record time. Miriel spent much of her time attempting to engage Laurent in conversation about the various mysteries of the world around them, but Lucina could tell he didn't want to talk very much.
Later, after they had resupplied and Laurent had said his goodbyes to the villagers, he confirmed Lucina's suspicions.
"I do not wish to interact with my mother and father presently," Laurent said. "Not if I cannot do it as their son. It is too painful, otherwise."
Lucina could understand that. Every time she spoke to her own parents the scared little girl inside her desperately wanted to reach out and hug them.
Still, it was nice to have him back. As they traveled, they quietly traded stories of their adventures since they had split up. A little belatedly, Lucina realised that Laurent was older than her now. Laurent had been in the past for three entire years before Lucina and Morgan had landed. He had been somewhere around fifteen when they had escaped from the future, now that nearly four years had passed, Laurent must have been close to nineteen years in age, while Lucina estimated she was somewhere between seventeen and eighteen.
It was a sobering thought, and Lucina felt guilty for forcing her friends to make such sacrifices in order to follow her in her final hope of a plan that Naga had provided.
"Laurent, I'm sorry I put you through this," Lucina tried, "I pray you-"
"Lucina," Laurent interrupted. "Each and everyone of us chooses to fight of our own free will. We follow you because you're our friend before our leader. Let that fact set your mind at ease."
"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself, Lu," Morgan insisted. "I feel like a broken audio tome."
Lucina let out a small puff of air in mirth. "Alright, you've made your point. No more beating myself up."
They continued to talk about what they'd been through as they walked, sometimes talking with the Shepherds as well when they had questions and deflecting them as best as they could, especially when it came to questions about why Laurent's hat was exactly the same as Miriels.
Another week and half of travel saw them return to Ylisstol with only a short stop to pick up Nowi from Donnels village. Lucina and her companions separated from the Shepherds after entering Ylisstol. The Shepherds went straight to the castle to report back to Chrom, while Lucina and Morgan led Laurent in a roundabout path towards their base at the cleft in the castle wall.
"Tada!" Morgan said proudly as they showed off the Shelter they'd created. Lucina held her breath, waiting for Laurent's reaction. As one of the smartest people she'd ever known, Lucina valued Laurent's opinion, and she was curious as to what he would have to say. Laurent was silent for a couple minutes, which wasn't great for Lucinas nerves.
"Do you mean to tell me that you two have spent the past year living in this waist high, ramshackle hut in the castle gardens?" He finally said.
Lucina and Morgan shared a glance.
"Well when you put it like that it sounds really stupid," Morgan complained.
With Laurent's help, the three had enough money combined to purchase a small house with two bedrooms adjoining a common area and tiny kitchen. Laurent applied for a job at the Ylisstol School of Sorcery and Science soon after arriving in the city, and after he showed them a concoction of flammable chemicals that exploded in a dazzling array of colours when launched into the night sky, he was quickly accepted. It was an idea he had while discussing fire and its properties when burning various substances with his mother on their trip. He was sure to cite her as a research partner on his official papers.
Lucina and Morgan also returned to their respective jobs as well, and between the three of them, managed to bring a substantial amount of gold. Most of which went towards preparing for the coming Valmese invasion.
Already, rumours were spreading of conflict on the neighbouring continent of Valm among the common folk. This caused Lucina a fair amount of concern. The Valmese invasion was coming early. In her timeline, it had taken years before the Conqueror had subdued Valm enough to be able to launch an invasion fleet to attack Ylisse.
Morgan suggested that perhaps some of their allies had landed in Valm, and were trying to change events there like they had been doing, albeit unsuccessfully, while Laurent thought it was more likely caused by a ripple effect from the changes Lucina and Morgan had already caused. Either way, the window of opportunity was closing fast, and Lucina redoubled her training and work in order to be as prepared as possible for the coming conflict.
As the months moved by, Lucina became so focused that she didn't even realize that April had arrived. If she had aged linearly and done a better job of keeping track of how much time passed in the future, she would be able to celebrate her eighteenth birthday soon. If Morgan and Laurent hadn't surprised her with a small cake on April twentieth, she would have forgotten entirely. Still though, it was nice of them.
A few weeks later, Lucina excused herself for a walk after dinner, allowing her feet to carry her in whichever direction they chose, leaving her mind free to wander. The past two years of peace had been wonderful. They had found Laurent, experienced the feeling of safety for the first time in several years, and had actually had the chance to relax. Unfortunately, Lucina knew it would be ending soon, as the rumours of conflict had only grown worse over the past few months. Soon, war would once again arrive at their doorstep.
Eventually, Lucina found herself back at the cleft in the wall where she and Morgan had stayed until Laurent had made them realize how flawed that plan had been. On a whim, she crawled through it, and entered the courtyard. The shelter was still there, albeit now it was just a wooden frame. Lucina walked out into the gardens and sat on a bench, closing her eyes. For a peaceful moment, she simply existed. She was not Lucina, ex-crown princess of a destroyed Halidom, she was not Lucina, leader of the second generation of Shepherds, and she was not Marth, the last symbol of hope for a dying world.
For once, she felt like she was just Lucina. A daughter, an older sister, and a friend. The girl with the weird sense of fashion, and the last one to get the joke.
She sighed, and felt at peace, despite the crushing weight of her chosen path.
"Oh!" A voice said. "I didn't expect to find you out here."
Lucina tried not to jump, and turned to find her mother standing under the archway leading into the courtyard, carrying something in her arms. It had been a long time since Lucina had actually spoken with Robin. With the exception of passing greetings when they happened to cross paths in town, the last time Lucina had truly spoken to her was during Robin's wedding, over a year ago.
"Hello, your grace," Lucina greeted. "My apologies for coming in unannounced. I only wished for a moment of peace, and this was the only spot I could think of."
"I don't mind," Robin promised. "I assume that Chrom still hasn't had that hole in the wall patched though. And please, we've had this conversation before. You don't need to call me anything fancy. I may be Chrom's wife now, but to the Shepherds, and to you, I'm just Robin."
Lucina smiled. "Forgive me Robin."
Robin walked into the yard and stood by Lucina. "Do you mind if I sit?" She asked politely, giving Lucina a sense of deja vu.
"No, I don't mind," Lucina said.
Robin sat down beside her, and Lucina realized that the bundle in Robin's arms was actually a sleeping baby.
Lucina stared in muted shock, confronted with the sudden realization that she was looking at herself.
"Is… is that your daughter?" Lucina managed to ask.
Robin smiled warmly. "Yes, she is. This is Lucina. My Little Light."
Lucina's throat constricted. This experience trumped every single odd thing she'd ever seen or done, including all of the crazy pranks and schemes the twins had come up with when they were children.
"… She's cute," Lucina said after a moment, feeling as if she had to say something.
"Isn't she?" Robin asked rhetorically. "I never knew that I could love someone this much. I'm so grateful to Chrom for bringing me into this wonderful family."
Lucina felt tears well in her eyes, but she willed them not to fall.
"I understand that feeling," Lucina said. "I too feel incredibly fortunate to have a family like the one I was blessed with."
Robin gazed at her knowingly. "I know you travel with your sister, but you must miss your parents as well, I imagine."
Lucina nodded, tipping her head back to look at the emerging stars to hold back her tears.
"I can tell you have endured loss," Robin continued. "I haven't forgotten your warning either. I don't know what you've been through, I promise, I'll fight for both you and my daughters sake to keep whatever future you seek to avoid at bay."
Lucina gave Robin a watery smile. "Thank you, Robin," she said. "Hearing you say that warms my heart."
Sorry it's late. This chapter just did not want to be written. I knew exactly what I wanted to happen but finding the words was tough. Sorry if it's rough as a result. Anyway, first things first; housekeeping. I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I've outlined my story plans very concretely for up to the next 12-14 chapters, depending on how long some of them end up, some might get merged from two to one chapter, and because of this I know exactly when Marc will finally reappear in the story. The bad news is that Marc won't appear until chapter 20 at the earliest, or chapter 22 at the latest, towards the middle of the Valm arc a few chapters before the confrontation with Walhart begins. I know. It's a long time to wait, and several commenters expressed their desire to see him again soon, but the way I've planned everything out, that's the way it has to be. Also, no Outtakes from the Outrealms this time, but I do have a funny idea for the next chapter.
Some of you may be confused as to why Laurent is here so early. Well for one thing, someone has to tell Lucina and Morgan that they're morons for making a shack inside the castle. For another thing it shortens the amount of chapters I have to do later and also I couldn't find a good way to justify the Shepherds leaving the fight in Valm long enough to get to the entire opposite end of the Ylissean/Archanean continent, so they're gonna get him now. Someone needs to tell the Exalted children that they're idiots, and who's more qualified than Laurent? He already does it in his supports with Lucina when he makes her go and get an injury checked out. Fun fact, Laurent really did invent Fireworks in universe. After experimenting with fire and chemicals in his supports with his mother, he creates the first fireworks. I just altered it a little here.
Next, I'd like to talk about Franklin (and Franklin Junior), since I forgot last time. My exact thought process when writing the Innkeeper was "hey, what if this random Innkeeper became a recurring character with an actual name and personality, wouldn't that be funny? Oh! It would be even funnier if he somehow tied into Lucina's trauma from the terrible future!" And so, I picked a random name, and Franklin was born. Lucina didn't know him in the future, but his son, referred to simply as Junior by his fellow soldiers, was about six years older than Lucina. He had just become a knight at an incredibly young age in Ylisse's military when Chrom and the Shepherds went out to stop Grima and never returned, partially due to the ever increasing demand for able bodied soldiers due to ongoing war and Risen attacks. He would die a couple years later saving a young Lucina's life (about 12 years old at the time) not long before the Halidom finally fell to Grima. So basically he's one of the many who died for Lucina in the future and is another person she's fighting for.
Fun stuff!
I tried to include some lore headcanons and cover a bunch of basic stuff for the time skip, so let me know what you think! That's all for now. I'll see you sometime around June 15th with the next chapter! (Also, I am literally begging you guys, please, gimme feedback. Even if you tell me I suck it helps me get better and improve my ideas.)