(A/N: This is the last chapter to refer to Marth and Malin as Lucina and Morgan, and the second to last chapter overall. I hope you enjoy it!)
He wasn't going to lie to himself; he preferred the late spring breeze and color that the past had to offer. But he would happily deal with the unsettling feeling this land gave him even though it felt like a cold winter, because this was where he was needed. Robin and Chrom had their children to help out; here, Lucina only had a few people that couldn't even always be there.
There was a council meeting held almost immediately after his return, although it seemed more like an excuse for it to only be the thirteen time travelers. Morgan guessed this based on how, instead of being asked to summarize recent events, Lucina looked at him for a few moments. "…How is everyone in the past?"
"Spill the beans!" Brady declared immediately after Lucina said it. He pounded a fist on the table. "Is midget Brady kicking butt? What about Maribelle—beatin' people up with that parasol of hers?"
"Cordelia's okay, right?" Severa asked. She quickly added, "N-not that I'm concerned or anything. She probably misses me, is all! A-and I totally don't want know what kid Severa's doing right now..."
"Do you know anything about Minerva?" Gerome said, more hesitant than the rest.
Similar questions continued to ask him to share details, but right now Morgan was a bit too focused on trying to process each one. Lucina seemed to notice the struggle, since she gave him a small smile. "You can take a few moments before you answer. Even those of us who said their goodbyes to that time still want to know of how everyone is now."
Morgan nodded, and once he found good enough answers to the many questions, he decided to answer them. "Everyone's doing good. There's still a bit of trouble, but nothing Robin thinks will stick around much longer. I didn't see anyone but the castle kids—but I did ask after everyone else." He went on to share what he knew about each of them and their parents, which was rarely anything but good news. Even Lucina seemed pleased to hear of it. He summed it all up with, "That's what I heard, at least."
"Thanks for telling us," Inigo said. He continued on a bit sheepishly, "As you could probably tell, we've been a bit…hyper, after you left."
"Poor Lucina!" Nah added. "She had to listen to all of us while she was trying to work."
"It was too distracting," Noire agreed. "We all knew you were going back…and the only thing we could do was sit around here and hope you were having a good time while we wished it was us."
"Well, I won't be leaving again until Lucina gives me permission," Morgan promised. He looked at his sister, reminded of what he had talked with Robin about earlier. "I do have a few propositions for you, though. Robin wanted to me to ask if you would be willing to let the others go back. I know you don't want a lot of people traveling to and from, but it could be for the best."
Everyone looked at Lucina with hopeful gazes as she thought on the request. There were a few minutes of silence until she finally looked up at them. "One at a time, once summer starts. I'll decide on everything else when I have the time."
Eleven variations of thanks were expressed at almost the same time, and Morgan himself smiled. "I have more to ask of you," he told Lucina. She nodded to show that he had her attention. "Can you at least consider letting us take some supplies from the past and put them to use here? Robin and Chrom already gave me their permission, and they agreed that they have enough food to spare—even clothes and building materials can be given to us without hurting their own supplies."
"We can't rely on them," Lucina replied firmly. "We might not be a striving community per se, but we are making progress. If we take too much from the past and are able to afterwards stand on our own, we'll ultimately be taking away what the people would have gotten used to by that point; it will take decades before we reach the same prosperity that this land once was. You can tell them both that I appreciate the thought, but it isn't something I can agree to." Morgan understood and didn't pursue the topic any further. After a little bit of silence, Lucina said, "Now, is that all? I planned on having a real meeting next week. If at all possible, no one outside of this tent should know about the connections to the past. Understood?" There were nods and murmurs of agreement, so Lucina took out Falchion as she did on the end of every meeting and said the parting words, "You are dismissed by Falchion's blade."
Everyone started getting up and leaving, thanking Morgan once again for sharing stories as they left. He stayed behind so he could leave with Lucina, and he proceeded to help her with her work for the rest of the day. That night at dinner, he shared stories that lil' Morgan told him while he was at Ylisstol; which were, according to the teenager, dramatized versions of the Mini Shepherds' missions over the past year. After that, Morgan penned a quick letter to the littles and their parents saying that the other twelve time travelers could come back and visit for a little while. He sent it off with the person Lucina had appointed to do so, spending the next few days waiting for the eventual reply.
Morgan was satisfied with this. The past and future were recovering from what used to ail them, and lil' Morgan's determined promise came true. Maybe, some other day, he'd petition Lucina for another trip back—but until then, he was content with letters. This, although not necessarily perfect, was considerably better than he had been before. He helped rebuild this time while encouraging lil' Morgan to do the same. Within a few years, this satisfied feeling would change to one of accomplishment at what he's done without the worry of leaving things left unsaid with the time he left behind.
