"It was a bleak and dreary night. Veiled threats clawed at our feet in the ever shifting ground while dark and foreboding rain clouds hung overhead next to a crescent reddened moon. All the while, a restlessness was in the air that suffocated the very breath we drew. The deeper we traveled, the more we felt it clamp down on us. Our senses dulled to where we lost the feeling of touch. Water brought from home tasted like rusted slime, and from afar we could hear the shrieks of depraved beasts soon to welcome us."

"Our enemy's aim was clear. He sought to break the courage of our brave Shepherds with his trickery and foul magic since he could not stop our march forward with steel or fire. Illusions surrounded us on all sides of silhouettes with scarlet red eyes as we perilously journeyed closer to the grand volcano known as Origin Peak. Halfway there, the sky threatened to break in two as a violent thunder bellowed in the swirling vortex of winds above. The taller among us were almost sucked into the gushing tornado from its sheer force, but we held our ground with the weight of our armor and the valor in our hearts."

He paused for dramatic effect and exclaimed, "It was a sight not seen since the days of Marth. Friends bonded together from hardship with their steps absolute in their aim and cause. No obstacle or vile deceptions would deter them from marching forward knowing what was at stake. Not even the wails of a dragon the size of a mountain."

A little voice gasped in shock. Her stuffed animal in the shape of a sheep squished against her chest with her arms held around it tightly and threatening to undo its stitching. Her heart pounded rapidly while chills ran down her tiny back, and she could only look up in terror as she anxiously awaited to hear more about the soldiers and their struggle.

"Hearing that accursed cry, we then charged knowing the odds were not in our favor. We were outnumbered in a place far from home with each step bringing us closer to a monster capable of killing us in one breath. It would take more than resolve and hardened steel to finish the job, but in reality I had a weapon even deadlier than that by my side. At that moment, I was proud to have the greatest band of heroes the world has ever seen with me."

"They helped you slay the dragon?!" She squealed in anticipation.

"Indeed, your mother and sisters were counted among them."

"Robin too?"

"Erm, yes he was there as well. Anyways! We cut through countless enemies in our way led by a wicked witch. A seemingly never ending horde that surpassed any challenge we had faced before. Skeleton champions, warrior mages, and undead axemen from days of old threatened to block our path as far as the eye could see. That is until we reached the place where we could teleport to the dragon's back with the help of Naga on our side."

"And then what happened?!" The bluenette cried, jumping from the seat of her bed.

"The dragon was fierce and every bit as big and frightening as the stories told. His scales were covered in a depthless fog with an aura that sapped the life out of us all. He tried mightily to stop us where we stood with sinister magic and more of his minions. Not that it did him any good as we dispatched those threats. Your sister sprinted forward, raised her Falchion in the air, and slashed into the foul beast's neck with Robin and I making strikes of our own. His ear piercing hollers let us know we had struck deeply, but seeing as we were facing the harbinger of evil, Grima would not be put down so easily."

The tiny princess gulped in dread with her vivid imagination picturing the whole scene. Her knees weakly able to keep upright as she listened on while her stuffed companion was fortunate it had not popped into pieces from her vice grip.

"Just then, a torrent of black swords fell from above. Luckily, your mother came from behind and pushed me out of the way from the heinous attack while lashing out at Grima with the weight of her weapon and words. Growing desperate, he summoned even more undead. His back was now almost completely covered in Risen and Shepherds alike."

"But that didn't stop you!" She cried passionately while raising a fist in the air.

He grinned and said, "Yes, my friends held their ground and gave us the time we needed. We continued to strike at Grima with all our strength and broke through his armored hide. The roars of the beast grew wilder and panicked as fear overtook him for the first time in a millennium. He was alone with no more parlor tricks left to play while I had my family and best friend next to me, ready to put an end to it all. I then raised my hands above my head, planted my feet, and saw my sword glow a bright blue as I readied to bring it down one final time. Then-"

"Then you slayed the dragon! Saving the whole wide world and stopping evil from ever hurting anyone!" She exclaimed while shouting to the rooftops for all to hear about the fantastical exploits of her heroic and legendary father.

"Um, yeah. Something like that." Chrom said not having the heart to correct his jubilant and celebrating daughter as she paraded around him. "B-but it is not important who struck the finishing blow. It was a joint effort that required all of us. It would be better to say we all defeated Grima rather than focusing on any one person. Whoever that might have been …"

"Wohoo! All the shepherds are all amazing heroes and my daddy is the bestest of them all!"

The Exalt would be lying to say his head did not swell with fatherly pride as his daughter cheered despite the misunderstanding. Her admiration struck the doting father deeply and brought a joy that no riches or power ever could. "I'm glad you think so, but remember this, Lucy. A leader can only be measured by the great men and women who follow them. No one person alone can do everything by themselves."

"Right! A hero has to have friends they can count on and take care of!"

"That's correct. To earn the respect of others, you have to be there and listen to them. It is what separates a leader from the tyrants we fought."

She nodded happily and asked with her hand still pressed to her stuffed animal, "Do you think I can be a hero somesday like you?"

"Of course. I know in my heart you will surpass me in every way."

"No way!" She stumbled back in awe. The idea itself seemed beyond the realm of possibility. This was her legendary father they were talking about after all.

"It is true, and it will not take a great evil in need of vanquishing, either. Being a hero comes in several forms, and not all of them involve the sword."

"Hmm? You mean, you want me to learn another weapon?" She torted her face and said confused, "But I thought one day I would get your sword."

"That's, uh, not what I meant. Helping others in need and doing good things count just as much, if not more, than defeating bad guys."

"Oh." The aspiring hero thought it over. Her dad did often refer to their group as caretakers. "But I will still get your sword when you are done from being the bestest hero ever, right?"

Chrom knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. A solemn vow in his voice as he proclaimed, "Of course. When that happens, you will get more from me than one sword and a world of troubles. I promise you that."

She didn't fully understand what he meant, but her eyes immediately lit upon learning what she wanted to hear and ran forward to give her dad a giant hug. "Thank you, daddy! I will make you proud!"

Chrom caught his daughter mid jump and wrapped his arms around her. Seeing her joyful face, the Exalt secretly wished that he could bottle this moment forever so that time would never steal it away. "You already have."

"Hehe." The young princess giggled as she loved hearing that. "Can you show me some of the moves you used on the big bad dragon?"

"I can show you a couple, but I do have to leave soon."

"Awwww." She pouted wanting more time with her dad. "Do you have to talk to the mean nobles again?"

"Not this time." Chrom said relieved. "I meant to tell you before the story, but your mom and I are going to be gone for a little while. As will the rest of the shepherds."

"You are leaving again?" She cried alarmed. "Does that mean we are in danger?!"

"Nothing of the sort, but being a leader means I have to check on our citizens and make sure they are safe. To do that I have to see them in person."

"Can't I go with you?" The young princess pleaded desperately with wounded puppy eyes. "Pretty please!"

In turn, the Exalt's heart melted, not wanting to turn her down. If he could have thought of a reason, he would have done anything to prevent disappointing those sweet beady eyes. "I'm sorry, Lucy. Not this time. One day I'll show you the entire haildom and the people we are entrusted to protect. You'll just need to be a little older first before I can do that."

"Nnng." She grunted knowing he had important duties that always took them away from playing together. "We won't see each other for a long time then."

"It will be quicker than you know." He offered to try and cheer her up. "Just a few weeks."

That did little to console the energetic filled girl as a single day to herself felt like it took an eternity to pass. "You sure I can't come?"

Chrom patted her on the head and said, "Lucy, your birthday is coming up soon. We will be back by then and I'll bring you back something really special to make up for it, okay?"

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely."

The young princess reached forward to give her dad another hug and knew she would have to be strong if she had to endure such a wait. "Okay, I'll train super hard while you are gone! Before you know it, I'll be strong enough to go with you to do all sorts of hero stuff!"

"Atta girl." He said grateful to have such brave daughters. "I know you'll be well-behaved too. No sneaking out of your room unattended or creating mock battles in the garden."

"Aww. But how else will I train to get stronger?" She asked while raising her tiny head in alarm.

"You'll think of something. I'm sure. Just do me a favor and don't get too big on me while you're gone. You've already grown so much."

…

The Exalt found it difficult to leave, but he eventually tore himself away and let the young adventurer replay the events of the story in her own vibrant imagination. While neither wanted things to end, the praise and adulation he received from his number one fan always refreshed him from the many trials that came from leading a kingdom. It was also a welcome change from the unending teasing that he would endure from his friends and family. Especially from one devilish and fully grown grandchild who need not be named.

"Have fun?" A voice called out from behind as he absentmindedly walked the castle halls.

"Eh? Oh, Sumia! Fancy meeting you here. I was just looking for you, actually."

"Is that so?" She questioned in a harsh tone. "Fortunately I was able to catch up with you then. I was worried we had lost you to the pantheons of history."

The Exalted blinked a couple of times in confusion and said, "I'm not sure I follow."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Our daughter, Chrom. She is far too young to be hearing those stories you tell her. It could give her nightmares."

"I did try to steer her away, but she kept insisting to the point where I couldn't say no. You know how it is. Lucy loves to hear anything about our battles or facing off against dragons."

"I'm aware of that. Like you should be aware not to overly embellish those stories. At her age she has no way to tell the difference between what happened from the complete fiction of a hopeless father."

"My goal was not to dramatize it." He muttered in his defense.

Sumia gave a skeptical glare and said, "Really? Remind me. When exactly did we overcome tornadoes with the valor in our hearts?"

Chrom winced and said, "You heard that, huh?"

"That and every other cheesy line. Brandish claims and acts of heroics I would expect to hear from Owain, not our level headed and sensible king."

The ruler ducked his head and said, "Yes, well, Lucy seemed so captivated when Owain disappeared for a couple of weeks and came back with those convoluted stories about mythical nations. I may have embellished a little to meet her expectations."

"She's four." Sumia shot back.

"Soon to be five!" He cried with a fraught worry. "Has time really slipped through our fingers so quickly?"

Sumia ignored the dire tone in his voice and said, "The only thing that has slipped is that thing inside your skull. You have nothing to worry about in terms of gaining her love or attention."

"I'm not afraid of that." He insisted. "I just want her to be proud of her old man. I only have this moment for so long."

"You are not old, and Lucy holds the same reverence for you as her older self. None of that has changed a day. How many times must I tell you this?"

"I know that." He muttered while believing that to be true in his mind with his heart less convinced. "But our oldest has grown up and her gaze turned elsewhere. As much as she is excited to see me, it has been a long time since she saw me as the brave superhero she once imagined when we fought together."

"She would have to learn some day that you were a dense, bumbling oaf with a head sewn on backwards half the time." Sumia chided in dismay.

"That's why you married me, wasn't it?"

"I'm a hopeless romantic, of course I was charmed by you." Sumia said reducing her stare. "And it shouldn't come as any surprise when our daughters also fall for someone like Robin who shares your idealistic streak. You are only making things worse for yourself the more you try to hold on to them so tightly."

"What do you mean?" He asked clueless.

Sumia rolled her eyes again and said, "Remember, little Lucy adores those exaggerated stories you tell her. So what do you think will happen when she learns about the details you left out? Like how Robin struck the final blow and was willing to give up his life so that we might all be safe. Only to return before the moon had time to change phases due to his bonds with us all and to keep a sacred promise to his wife. Might she overly romanticize and revere that story, too?"

Chrom's stomach sank, and he stammered in dread, "I haven't thought of that."

"Of course not. Because you are too busy trying to be the apple of her eye!"

He gave a long pause and said ashamed. "… I just want to make her happy after I failed in the past. Her smile means the world to me and it is a father's joy to see the way that she looks at us as some heroic figures. Same with all of our daughters."

"Then stick to your daft self without a sense of direction. It was enough for our two oldest, and Lucy and Cyndi will feel the same way."

"Maybe you are right." He relented knowing he was not himself whenever faced with the prospect of leaving his daughters behind.

"I am always right." She asserted confidently. "Lest you want to be responsible for the suitors they fall in love with, you will do well to listen."

Chrom gritted his teeth with a jagged arrowhead in his stomach. "Can we not talk about suitors? I'd still like to believe that I can find some way to stop time." He claimed after having seen it done once before.

"Well you better have a plan in place then if you stay down this road. People like you and Robin are a rare breed. There are far fewer shepherds out there compared to wolves who play the part. Even less who would be able to keep up with our high-flying and strong willed daughters."

"They are something else, aren't they?" Chrom said with pride.

"For an oaf, you can at least do some things right." She smiled and took him by the hand. "So come, let's get packed. I don't want to be away from them any longer than you do."

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, another combination of father and daughter were having a moment of their own. Both of them fixated on the table in front of them as they discussed events similar to the ones described by their devoted and sometimes foolhardy king.

"Alright Morgan, here is the scenario at hand. We are in the forest and night is fast approaching. Visibility is low and it is safe to assume moderate fatigue from marching most of the day. With supply wagons and wounded slowing us down, we have to travel in convoy formation. The road we are taking also sinks into a channel with ridges on both sides about fifteen feet above us.

"Prime spot for an ambush. The forest also makes it difficult to use our pegasi so we should have them dismount." Morgan said analyzing over the map. "Did our scouts not run by this area in advance?"

"Yes, and we have not heard back. Last report was several hours ago." Robin listed off mechanically and stone faced. "Bandits did make this forest their home several years back, not that there have been any recent reports of activity."

Morgan shifted forward in her chair to get a better view of the wooden pieces that her father had placed just moments before. All of them were detailed in their carvings and hand painted to clearly denote their roles. "We should spread out the formation then. Put watchers on all four corners and reduce the area they can attack from. Archers should also be positioned to be closely along the edges of the road so they can return fire on the opposite ridges."

"All well and good. What of the king and queen?"

"What of them?" She asked looking up to her father. "They should be cloaked and indistinguishable from the rest of us. The enemy will likely suspect they are in the decoy carriage."

"Our enemy could have an informant among us." Robin said dryly. "Chrom is also not the most subtle in his mannerisms. He could be easily recognized with time. Especially if we have slowed down to adjust our formation. Also arousing suspicion."

"Better to arouse suspicion than be unprepared." She retorted, tapping her fingers on the edge of the table while in deep thought. "We also would not slow down. If anything, our pace has to speed up. The quicker we are out of there, the better."

"Is that all?"

"No. We would need to reinforce the spears on the front and back to ward off any attackers from trying to encircle and keep us in the firing zone." Morgan said moving the figurines on the table to match her idea. "If we are ambushed there are only two ways out."

"One way out." Her instructor said while forcefully placing a rock behind their makeshift wooden army. "A rolling boulder just sealed off our exit behind us."

"What?! Then we need to move! Have everyone charge forward!"

"So we are going to run headlong into the ambush, instead?" Robin questioned, expressing his doubts.

"No, we wouldn't-"

"Archers!" Robin shouted at the top of his lungs while sounding a war horn he had formerly concealed underneath the table.

Morgan's eyes popped wide open and her heart nearly stopped from the deafening noise that bounced along the walls of their war room and vibrated back at her in all directions. The tactician's attention and eardrums were briefly misdirected until she looked back at the table and now saw archer figurines along the edges of the ridge and pointed at her army. "Shoot!"

"Come again?" Robin asked hurriedly.

"Huh? I said to shoot at them! They are attacking us, no?"

He frowned and said, "Morgan, you are in the middle of an ambush. No one is going to hear you between all the shouting, horns, and flying arrows."

"I, I know that." She gritted her teeth and mentally lashed out at herself. "I would have to run forward then. Get everyone's attention to charge. We can't stay there."

Robin grunted while threatening to topple her miniature replica on the table with his hand, "And the archers who have you pinned down?"

"Miriel and the rest of the mages should be shooting up fires and lightning by now to give us cover."

He briefly withdrew his fingers and said, "What else?"

"Shields out. Either using rocks or wagons as cover where we can. Meet them with arrows, more fire, javelins. It doesn't matter if we hit them so long as we don't give them a clear line on us."

"Very well, you've got a row of swords and veteran soldiers awaiting you at the end of the firing zone." He said inspecting the table. "Tough to say how many. Highly unlikely to be mere looters or ragged forest bandits."

"Maybe a mercenary group? Or foreign army?" She muttered out loud looking for any clues about her foe or its size and composition.

Robin steered her thoughts away and said "We can worry about motives later. You are about to be shot in the back if they keep you on the road. Galloping horses can also be heard closing on our position and they should be joining our little party before long."

"Seems a spearhead is our only option, then. Puncture on one side of the line and keep moving forward so the archers can't shoot us without hitting their own men. Frederick and Stahl should be able to lead that attack."

"Did I mention they have mages acting in support of those fast approaching knights?" Robin mentioned casually while putting more pieces on the table. "The ones that can attack from long range. Also a few regular and dark types for good measure."

"Of course they do." Morgan shot a suspecting glance at her father which did little to phase him, "You and mother would act in support then. Noire and Laurent snipping mages where they can with Owain and Severa acting as a rear guard. We don't need everyone to escape. Just enough to let us deal with the archers on the ridges."

Robin adjusted the formation of their army to match her specifications and said indifferently, "That's a risky gamble. If we are outnumbered they could overwhelm and trap either the main force or our vanguard."

"Not the vanguard." She explained believing that to be a distraction. "They can leap from the ridge and back to the road if need be to rejoin the main group."

"You intend for your mother and I to break our legs from the fifteen-foot fall?" He asked warily. "Is that how you treat us after all our time we spent together and the meals we fed you?"

She grimaced and said, "It's not ideal, but there has to be some wagon or a large bush to jump on. Anything to lessen the fall. Besides, if you do your job and clean up the archers then we can ferry you back with grandma or Cynthia once it is clear. "

"Unnerving, but somewhat viable." He made note while gingerly putting the figurine of his wife and himself in harm's way. "You should know if you get either of us killed, you are grounded."

"What else is new?" Morgan asked, still focusing all of her attention on the board. Her army was spread thin and the flow of battle continued to reveal gaps in her line that needed to be addressed. "Where is Henry? I don't see him on the field anymore."

"I don't know. He wandered off." Robin mentioned blankly.

"Wandered off?!" She asked in dismay, "In the middle of an ambush?"

Robin simply ignored her and moved other pieces on the board while she looked at him in disbelief. "You are the one that took your eyes off him. There is no telling what he is going to do if you fail to give him a direct order that he is willing to follow. Don't worry, later on you'll probably find him reading next to a pile of bodies and pools of blood. Most of it his own."

"But I need him now to help cover the knights you just rudely added to the field!"

"Me? I'm fighting a bunch of archers and trying to keep the feeling in my legs per your orders."

"Fine." She huffed with her nails digging into the table and mounting pressure from all sides. "Kellam then."

"Also not on the board." He replied with an open hand that crossed the width of the battlefield.

"That doesn't mean anything. He is still there." Morgan cried having had enough of his games.

"Hmm? Oh, you are right. He is there." The white haired instructor muttered while placing an armored unit in the depths of the skirmish. "Huh, I wondered how we missed him."

Far from amused, the tense tactician found her position increasingly untenable despite her added knight. She could only plug holes so fast before her father inevitably added new ones. Worse, each unit added in the fog of war seemed to counter her existing force, and she would have suspected foul play had her father not crafted his opposing force beforehand. "Ah! I got it! Have Nah clear space in manakete form."

"That's one way to get all of the archers' attention, I suppose." He figured not making full sense of her idea yet.

"Exactly! I just need to buy a little more time until we can put our fliers in the air. Keep Libra nearby undercover in case any arrows pierce her scales."

"Done and done." He said taking stock of the new position. "I guess that just leaves the assassins now closing in on Chrom and Sumia's position."

"Come on!" Morgan cried out in frustration. "That is not fair and you know it."

Robin smirked and said smugly, "I could have added Risen if you wanted to make this feel more like my old encounters."

"Assassins are perfectly fine, thank you." She grumbled with a few choice words under her breath. "Move Gaius and Panne to cover against them. I can act as an emergency reserve if needed."

"Are you sure that is wise? The front line is looking very shaky. Much like Sumia in high heels."

Morgan put a hand to her forehead and said anxious, "I know, I know. I just need a little more time to-"

"Your mother just got hurt, as well." He added with a saddened frown.

"Whuh?" Morgan asked stunned, not making sense of his words. "I don't understand. Mom wasn't in all that much danger and I made sure to factor in other units that could have been in hiding. How could she have gotten hurt and where were you in all this?!"

Robin's relaxed and indifferent tone suddenly grew deathly serious as his whole body language and facial expression became rigid and stiff, "Are you sure these are the questions you should be asking right now?"

"No." She pivoted her attention to the chaotic board with threats on all sides and she was left with no choice but to use her last resort, "Quick, get Cynthia to fly over to get her out and-"

Before the order fully left her mouth, a sense of dread overtook her as she immediately regretted her decision. Coming into her view was an unobstructed archer left on the field who could easily turn their attention on her aunt in mid-flight. Her father noticed it too and only further confirmed her fears as he said grimly, "I apologize Morgan. I left out another detail when I said your mother got hurt. It is a flesh wound, nothing serious enough to warrant a rescue op."

"Oh." She paused with a silence eclipsing the room. A stinging apprehension in her chest from the realization that she had acted rashly and without context. "... I guess I should have asked that first."

The older strategist withdrew his hands from the table and closed his eyes with a sigh. By now his concerns were elsewhere wondering if he had been overly harsh in his simulation or unfair in involving her mother. His daughter being an adult these days didn't mean it would be any easier to confront her family being in danger. "It's fine. I think that is enough for today. We will end the battle here."

"Wait, what?!" Morgan cried out in terror. "No, I know I made a mistake but I have this under control. If you just give me another minute then I can turn things around!"

He shook her off and said, "You did well, Morgan. Better than any tactician I know. The conditions were against you and yet you held your ground and found a way out of what should have been certain defeat. I would expect nothing less given your talents and quick thinking."

"But we can't end it here! Grandpa, mom, Cynthia! They are all in danger!"

Robin moved behind his daughter and placed his hands on her shoulders with care. "They are unharmed, as are the rest of the Shepherds. It's a 50-50 on if Cynthia's pegasus will make it, but there is no telling how it would truly play out. A mistake, yes, but not a catastrophic one."

She tensed up and said bitterly, "It doesn't sit any better. Cynthia would be devastated if that happened and it would all be my fault. I don't know if I could face her after that."

He frowned and gave one last glance at the archer ready to let his arrow fly into the pegasus princess' mount. The oversight being unmistakable with the luxury of hindsight. "We play a harsh game, Morgan. A necessary one, but a dark one all the same. Whether you made the right decision or not, it is a real risk that could have happened."

"I am aware of that." She acknowledged hunched over with unsteady hands grasping on the table. "But it still feels awful. I want to redo my mistake and forget it ever happened."

"As much as I'd like to do that myself on my own mistakes, neither of us can." He said with a rough sigh. "What would you have done if it was Cynthia herself who was in danger?"

Morgan grimaced and said, "I don't want to even think about that."

"... I see. Then are you sure you want to do this?" Robin asked with a heavy tone. "I am not forcing you to be in command."

"Of course I do! I just don't want to lose anyone either!" She cried out in a rush. "I want to protect everyone! Including Cynthia and her mount!"

"We all do." He stated while turning her around to take her gaze away from the table, "But we may face a real enemy on our trip, and in some cases they are evil in nature. No wishful thinking is going to get them to lay down their arms."

"I understand that and I'm not walking into this foolishly. I know the risks." She declared having prepared herself mentally for all this.

"Do you? Because it's not like the stories we tell." He said while kneeling down and grabbing the sides of her arms. "Good does not defeat evil with the power of our hearts. Good endures evil because it is willing to fight and sacrifice against it. Especially when the cost is everything we can possibly give. That is what it takes."

"But you found a way to reduce the costs!" She exclaimed wanting to do the same.

"Only just." Robin said with a heavy heart knowing that some shepherds were unable to return to their homes or see the future that had been rewritten. "That does not change that I was willing to accept the price. Your grandmother, aunts, cousins, the shepherds. A part of me could never truly accept it. The other part knew that if forced to choose I would make that call. Anything to protect Chrom's mission."

"Even mom?" Morgan asked not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

He didn't have the heart to look her in the eyes and said weakly, "Morgan, I've lost Shepherds trying to protect everyone all at the same time. If you are unwilling to take the risks when they are needed, then you have no one left you can use to defend when the time calls for it. There may even be a day where you have to put your mother and I in that position knowing luck might not be in our favor. Do you think you can do that?"

"... I'll have to have faith that you and mom can overcome it!" She cried with unwavering determination. "But I won't let my mistakes put anyone in danger either!"

Robin nodded solemnly and said, "In that case, take a good look at the table. Rather than forget, memorize every detail. Every position, every enemy, every inch of land fought over, and every broken blade or missed arrow. Replay it until you are so sick of thinking about it that you are sure that there is no possible way you could ever get put into that position again. Only then will it sit with you."

"Okay." She said quietly. As much as she wanted to turn away from her mistake, a part of her knew she couldn't. That would only make the gnawing at her chest grow all the worse and leave the battle unsolved. "I think the obvious problem is I panicked and made a stupid decision without thinking."

"A lot led up to that." Robin said, offering his guidance. "If you know an ambush is about to take place, the best option is to avoid it entirely. But if you can't, that doesn't mean you have to wait for your attacker. Chrom and I have knowingly walked into our share of ambushes, and most of the time we had an exit plan and a counter strategy beforehand."

"I did have one, but it seems I got bogged down."

"Probably from trying to do too much. You have a professional army under your command. All of them know what to do when they are under sudden attack. Trust they can take care of the initial response themselves while we focus on directing traffic and preparing the counterassault."

"And Henry?" Morgan asked not seeing how she could foresee his untimely disappearance.

"Henry is a bloodlust seeking psychopath who makes a surprisingly good father. Either you direct his path or he will do it himself. Knowing that helps in moments when you need him."

"Kind of like how Owain tends to overextend himself. Which is why I made sure he was in the rear guard."

"Exactly. You have more exposure to Lucina's friends so you know their habits better. Make sure to do the same with the rest of the shepherds if you expect them to follow you."

"I do. It's just a little hard with Henry since he can be so unpredictable."

"At first he can be, but the trick with him is to give him direction from the start. Once his path is set he is actually pretty low on my list of shepherds to worry about. Inside that strange craven mind of his he can figure out the rest himself. More technical fighters like Gaius or support from our clerics often need a higher touch on positioning and not being overwhelmed."

"Seems like that is the opposite advice you gave of trusting the army to be able to handle the first few moments of an ambush."

"What can I say? When dealing with people there are exceptions to every rule. Except when the exception is an expected exception to the rule. Then you just have to accept that you have no idea what will happen."

"... Not confusing at all." She deadpanned with her mind spinning.

"If it were easy, we'd be out of a job." He joked and patted her on the shoulder. "That is why we have to be cold and calculating in our decision making in battle while also being personable and approachable at camp to fully understand our army's full potential. As you will one day experience, the emotional toll is just as challenging as the mental one when having to compartmentalize the two."

"Were there ever points where it overwhelmed you?"

"All the time. It is not an easy sight seeing bodies of mangled soldiers halfway to the Styx River, or seeing soldiers with their earlier lunch on display. If you see things like that long enough the light in your eyes starts to dim and your reasons to step forward disappear. Luckily, I had Chrom and later your mother to keep me tethered. Just as you should know you always have us if you ever need it. This is not a job you can shoulder alone. It will consume you if you try."