(A/N: I'll get straight to the point; everything important will be in bold, so please read those parts. First and foremost, this is an AU; in no way to I claim this to be canon. Characters will likely not be portrayed accurately, and events may be described inaccurately. Like the description said, this is a prequel to my story Mini Shepherds, and as such a few chapters—especially the latter three—contain spoilers for said story. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the story!)

It was the same night they all returned to Ylisstol. It would've been a happy time, if not for Robin's sacrifice—the tactician was missing, and many people devoted their time to finding her. The trip here was full of such talk, promises to find her and assurances that she's out there. Lucina didn't have any doubts that they'd find her, but while it felt like a sort of betrayal, she had made up her mind long ago about what she'd be doing post-war.

As everyone ate, debating how they could find the beloved tactician, Lucina stayed by herself. It wasn't questioned by anyone; some people, she later learned from Morgan, had even translated it as mourning for her birth mother. But that woman hadn't been her mother for years. It sounded heartless, but she knew that her mother has been dead for a very, very long time—just as long as her father. That didn't stop Lucina from mourning her, and it didn't stop her for loving this time's Robin just as much, but it still wasn't the reason why she was on her own. She wanted to find Robin as much as anyone else—after all, little Lucina deserved a mother and father who were there for her.

Lucina finally moved from her position, sneaking away while no one was paying attention. She had a hand on the hilt of Falchion as if she was ready for an attack, although the castle itself was still and quiet save for the debates coming from the dining hall. There wasn't anyone else in this side of the castle except for the little girl she wished to visit, whose room was dark and silent.

Her infant self, sleeping soundly, wasn't disturbed by Lucina's entry. She smiled at the peacefulness of the young child, and took pride in knowing she helped provide that peacefulness. The infant would never need to know the pain Lucina did, and would never have to fight an impossible war. "Yours would be a happy future," Lucina said quietly. "Rest peacefully, knowing that your father would never leave you and that your mother will return very soon. Should we meet again, I have no doubt that you would have surpassed my skills."

She took Falchion out of its sheath, gently propping it on the wall. This awoke little Lucina, who simply stared sleepily. As Lucina began to leave, however, the girl began to cry. To avoid alerting Chrom, Lucina looked at her and smiled. "Don't be sad, now. Your father will be here shortly." This managed to quiet the child, and Lucina made her leave.

Lucina could hear the debates still going on in the dining hall. She could hear Chrom and Morgan distinctly among the other voices, them both being the loudest and most recognizable, although the former seemed to leave the conversation after a while. She was in the courtyard, nearly to the gates, when she found out why.

"Leaving so soon?"

She turned and saw her father. She wasn't surprised per se, but she still tried her best to be nonchalant, "I just wanted to take a walk."

Chrom just looked at her, clearly not accepting the lie. "You can't fool me that easily," he replied. "We haven't even been home for a full day and you're sneaking away."

"…I told you that I would leave after the war was over," Lucina said. "I've made promises and plans, Father. I won't make myself a burden."

"And I've told you that you could never be a burden," Chrom said firmly. "I'm not fond of letting you leave when we haven't even begun searching for Robin. Still…" he sighed, "I won't stop you from leaving if that's what you want. But I have only one question to ask before you go: where do you think Robin is?"

"I'd look close to where you first met," Lucina said after a bit of thought. "It seems like a good place to start, at any rate—and it does hold a special significance to her. Whether or not she has control of where she goes, I'm sure it would be somewhere she would always remember."

Chrom nodded. Lucina turned again to leave, but Chrom said one last thing that never left her: "You'll always be welcome here, Lucina. There's nothing you can do that will change that. Never be afraid to come home, whether or not you regard this place as such. No matter the time, everyone here will greet you with open arms."

Lucina muttered her thanks, but she couldn't say she agreed. It was odd; a part of her knew he wasn't truly her father (since her father had died in the future now past), but at the same time, she didn't want to let the notion go. Where she was going, however, she had no father—all she had of him was a gravestone in the ruined courtyard, and the Falchion she chose to gift to Chrom that was now in little Lucina's room. Even if she felt as though she should say goodbye to Morgan, she knew it was best to leave without witnesses. No one could miss a person they never saw, after all.

…

It had been a few weeks, and Lucina oft heard about the people living at Ylisstol. They had found Robin—albeit a bit shaken—in the same place Lucina had suggested. Some sources say she wandered there aimlessly, others said that she was placed there and protected by divine beings. Personally, Lucina was just glad that Robin had been found—it was one less thing that would harry her every day, and it gave apart of her peace of mind knowing Robin was safe and at Ylisstol.

Reminded of times now gone, of the past, present, and future, nothing kept Lucina from her journey. Mentally wishing her family here well, she made her way eastward. Hiding herself the best she could, not wanting anyone to notice her, Mount Prism was now her goal. She arrived there soon enough, and as she made her way up the mountain, she didn't need to announce her arrival for the divine dragon to know she was there.

"I see you've come, child of the future. What is the purpose for your visit?"

Lucina didn't look for anyone, simply speaking to the land in front of her. "I wish to return to my time. Since the Naga of that future brought me here, I thought you would be able to bring me back."

"A fair deduction," Naga said. "I am capable of the act of which you request. However, it cannot currently be done."

"Why not?" Lucina asked, her confidence wavering just a little. She wondered if she had been too hasty to leave the castle so soon.

"I lack the required preparations," Naga replied. "And you lack the materials that would aid you in that time."

"When will I be able to return?" Lucina ventured.

"It will be no sooner than a few years," Naga said mournfully, "And no more than two decades. I can establish a connection fairly quickly; it's confirmation of your safety that will take the longest. Your time still exists, and will exist so long as at least one person maintains a connection to that time, but it is difficult to reach. Sending more people with you will take greater preparation."

"I plan to go alone," Lucina said. "Everyone else is content to stay here, while I have had hopes to return for a long time."

"Bring Falchion when you're ready to return," Naga said. "You will need it in your time."

Mostly to herself, Lucina quietly said, "That may be difficult. It's in Chrom's possession now."
"I have no doubt that he would let you reclaim it," Naga replied.

And I have no doubt that he'll want me to stay, Lucina thought. She didn't want to go back to the castle; quite frankly, she never planned to. Perhaps, by the time Naga was ready, Lucina would think differently about the matter. She hadn't expected to need it, but she was sure of her choice to part with it. A memento of her father, given to her father; a fitting parting gift. She would only accept it again under similar circumstances.

She turned to leave, and Naga gave her a final instruction: "Come back when six months pass, and I will tell you my progress. Do not be alarmed if those you know disappear; it will be in service of a great goal, and pave the way towards your own departure."