Only two thoughts crossed her mind immediately: if the sense of familiarity in the grim landscape was well-placed and, if it was, how she would now be addressed. She would be Lucina here, the exalt and leader of the land. She was one of the brave heroes that had left in search of a way to change the future, and hopefully she wasn't one of the only two that returned.
Becoming more focused, she looked for her brother. Morgan—as he would be called here, and what he had been called in the past—was observing the area. Unlike Lucina, he served no special role; he was simply Morgan, at least for now.
"Are you all right?" Lucina asked. She wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to confirm, but it would give her peace of mind or urgency depending on his response.
"Yeah," Morgan replied, although his voice betrayed him with a small bit of pain. "I'm fine."
Lucina just looked at him. She knew he was lying; yet, at the same time, it was a small comfort. By now, Morgan knew that he shouldn't lie to her if it was serious—with that hope, she assumed it was something that a few medicinal herbs could fix once they found a camp. "There should be a settlement nearby," Lucina said. "With any hope and luck, there are people in them."
Morgan nodded, and Lucina led the way. Using memories from nearly two decades ago, she knew where each camp or settlement (which only differed based on their security and how long they stayed) was roughly located. At the very least, Ylisstol had been decided as the meeting place should there be no other close camps; settlements were few and far between when much of the land was crawling with Risen.
The closest camp was nearby, but unnoticeable. Lucina almost would have gone past it if not for the silent chatter of people and a faint light in the growing darkness. She put her hand on the hilt of her sword—that she remembered was Falchion, thanks to her counterpart's kindness in giving it to her—just in case they weren't friendly. Those suspicions vanished instantly when she saw a pegasus walk out from the camp, and the person who followed after it.
"Aw, come on, stop walking away! Mother wouldn't want you to get hur—" Cynthia stopped mid-sentence when she saw Lucina and Morgan. "Holy cow, is that Lucina?" She hadn't put her mask back on from when she took it off for the Mini Shepherds, so there was nothing hiding the fact. Cynthia cautiously came closer, lightly poked her, then immediately threw herself at Lucina. "It is you!" She didn't let go, instead saying louder, "Guys! Lucina and Morgan are back!"
Slowly, close to fifty people came from the camp. Among them were those who traveled with her to the past and those who stayed behind. As the former crowded around her, some of the latter bowed quietly saying things such as "We awaited your return, Your Grace."
Lucina wasn't sure what she wanted to ask first. There were so many things she wanted to be sure of, so many things she wanted to know; she decided to begin with the simple question, "Where did you all go?"
"Naga asked for our help," Nah explained. "She wanted us to test if it would work. There wasn't guaranteed safety, but we figured it was worth the risk if you could get here."
"You were willing to possibly die to make sure that Lucina could get here safely?" Morgan said.
Severa nodded. "Well, yeah; she's Lucina."
"This world needed her," Gerome agreed. "We were more than willing to endanger our lives so she could get here safely."
"…I have no words, truly," Lucina said, smiling. "Although you all did give me a bit of a scare. I wondered if you had come here, but I didn't think it could be possible."
"It took quite a while before you came," Laurent noted. "We never lost faith, of course, but some people were beginning to think you wouldn't return."
"But behold! A divine light once again shines on this godforsaken land!" Owain declared.
"At the very least, news will get around quickly now that you're back," Inigo added. Cynthia let go of Lucina, and they all took a step back.
Proudly, Kjelle asked, "What do you want us to do now, Lucina?"
"I'd like a report on anything that I've missed," Lucina said, addressing everyone. "Grima is no longer a threat; as such, I'd like to help the world rebuild as quickly and smoothly as possible, as my father"—out of habit, she almost used his name, which wouldn't fit the situation—"would have wanted."
There wasn't a single protest. Before the group could go far, however, Morgan came a bit closer to Lucina. "Which one of us is sharing the whole 'I don't have memories' thing? It'll probably be better to get that out of the way sooner rather than later."
"I can explain it," Lucina offered. Morgan nodded, and Lucina looked back at the crowd. "I'd like to announce one thing before we separate. As a side effect of our journey to another time, Morgan lost his memories of before he arrived there—most of you are unfamiliar to him. This does not mean that you have to speak with him like a stranger; simply that he doesn't yet know your names and faces. In a few short weeks, however, I can guarantee you that it'll be like nothing changed."
"Nothing needs to be different," Morgan said. "I just don't vividly remember a whole lot about living here. I've heard stories, but I'm always welcome to hear more. The only difference now is that I won't be able to join any reminiscing sessions as a fellow daydreamer."
Most of the group seemed to understand; Lucina knew that, at the very least, those who traveled back with them would still act as if nothing had changed. They had already adjusted, as Lucina had, to the fact that Morgan couldn't remember. Although odd at first, it was no longer a barrier—she hoped that it wouldn't become a barrier for anyone else.
They all went to the camp, expending a bit more provisions than usual to make a small feast. As they ate, they would swap stories; what Lucina had done after the war in exchange for how the people reacted to Gerome's arrival, short tidbits of Morgan's castle life in exchange for a grand tale from Severa, Inigo, and Owain. In the morning, they headed out to Ylisstol, where Lucina planned to watch over and participate in the revival of the world.
Lucina took pride in knowing that she helped make her time better, while preventing another time from sharing the same fate. She would cherish her memories of that time's Chrom, Robin, Lucina, and Morgan as if they were here. Her main goal was to rebuild a broken world; but, perhaps, she could find a way to speak with Chrom or Robin face to face, now that she was ready but unable. She didn't regret the years it took to get to this point. She was home at last…and the landscape had never seemed so beautiful.
(A/N: This is the last chapter of the story! To clear up any confusion, this last chapter is after Marth and Malin leave in chapter 41 and 42 of Mini Shepherds. When I wrote Mini Shepherds, I had intended for it to actually tell the reader about what happened to the other future kids—this story does it instead. I hope you enjoyed the story!)