(A/N: I read through some chapters of A Mini Shepherd's Promise to figure out stuff for this chapter, and can I say: I love what I did with this family. In my opinion, you can tell that I got more comfortable with them after the second or third story. But without further ado, please enjoy the chapter! The next one will be the actual start to the last arc.)

The kids came home about a week into the new month—and the kids had plenty of stories to share. Morgan and Owain actually came into the castle shouting about a 'victorious loss' as they put it; Lucina kindly translated it into a more realistic battle during lunch that day. Chrom looked a bit disappointed that they lost, but he still gave them all his praises for doing well. Robin was glad to hear that Morgan was so excited that he got to have some practical experience without any losses if he couldn't succeed.

After lunch, Robin finished up whatever work she still had. It didn't take too long, so she ended up reading the better parts of a book that gave her a combination of happiness, pain, and sadness. She wrote it with her future son—she didn't have complete proof, but given the circumstances and the way he wrote the letter, she assumed that he had left to ascertain the details about the woman they had wrote into the book to fill the role of 'Mother.' She didn't believe that such a person existed—not the exact way they created her, at least—but he was an optimist…if not tired of being cooped up at the castle watching the kids.

She spent some time in her room reading, skimming over whatever parts she wasn't proud of and smiling at the good parts. At some point, someone knocked on her door and came in. "Hey, Mom?" It was Morgan, so she looked at him. "I was wondering if we could go over tactics for a little while. I want to see…" He trailed off as he realized that she was holding the book, and he said, "But you look a bit busy. Tomorrow, maybe?"

"I'm not doing much," Robin assured him. She closed the book, put it on the desk, and stood up. "Besides, who am I to deny someone when they want to improve?"

"Normally when you have that book out you get…broody," Morgan noted a bit hesitantly.

"It's all right, Morgan—now come on. We can't practice if we're standing here."

Her smile seemed to assure him, and they went to the tactics room together and started setting out all the pieces. "I want to try to recreate the battle," Morgan explained. "So three units on the enemy team, seven on the ally team. We'll need….five swordsmen, two lance users, two mages, and a healer."

Robin nodded and got the pieces out. "The commander in both cases would be swordsmen, right?"

"Yeah."

A lot of the pieces they used for tactics were improvised—chess pieces colored blue or red, with stripes of a certain color to show what kind of unit they were. The commanders were always the king pieces, while the rest varied based on what they had at the time. Robin controlled the enemy soldiers in this case, providing reminders when Morgan needed them.

After going over what actually happened, Morgan rearranged the pieces again and started musing about what he could have done instead. After a while, he said, "I actually want to ask you something, if you'd be okay with answering it? It's not actually related to this."

"Go ahead," Robin said warmly. She moved one of her pieces, and he pushed one of his forwards in response.

"What…is in that book, anyway?" Morgan asked hesitantly.

She smiled—if only because he knew that it wasn't always a welcome topic, so he must've been mustering up the courage for a few minutes. "It's something I wrote with a friend," she said as she moved one of her pieces. "It's more-or-less just a basic idea of what my life might have been like, since I don't remember."

"So like a fictional past?" Morgan asked curiously.

"Mhm. It was a little bit before we fought Grima… The friend stayed for a few years after the war—he helped me and your father after you kids came along."

"Oh! That person that Lucina said looked over us when we were really little?"

"Yes. We were close."

"...How close?"

Robin had to pause for a little bit to figure out what she wanted to say. With a little smile, she decided on it. "I'd say something like a son, actually. He couldn't have been that much younger than your father and I, but he always acted like I was his mother."

Morgan's curiosity seemed to grow at this. He looked up from the pieces for a moment to look at her. "If he was like a son to you, was he like a son to Dad too?"

Robin laughed, thinking about the memories. "Yes. He was a bit closer to me, but he extended the behavior to your father as well. It's a shame he isn't around the castle anymore."

"If he was still here," Morgan ventured, "And he acted like a son to you and Dad…do you think he would've acted like a brother to me and Lucina?"

"I have no doubt about it," Robin replied with a little chuckle. She leaned back in her chair a bit, smiling. "Lucina remembers him a little bit, but sometimes I wish he had stayed for a few more years just so he could talk with you more. You two would get along so well."

"You can try to figure out where he is and invite him to the next reunion?" Morgan suggested.

"That's the thing," Robin said. "We don't know where he went. That letter you were given a few months ago? That was from him. He's still out there, but we don't know where exactly…and he could be home by now."

"Where does he live?" Morgan asked. "It can't be in Ylisse, or you would probably know where he is."

Robin sighed now, more wistful than anything. "He lives…away from here—or at the very least, he lives where the rest of his friends are. We know he's alive, and we know he's safe. At this point…I'm satisfied with that. We may never see him again, but I can finally say I'm alright with that." She looked at Morgan and smiled kindly. "After all, I have you."

Morgan smiled and laughed. "Aw, thanks Mom." He glanced back at the chess pieces. "And thanks for telling me, too."

"Of course," Robin replied. "Shall we continue?"

"Yup!"