The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 123
Ghosts of the Tactician
The ice caves felt colder today. Of course, Morgana knew they were not any colder than they usually were. Many enchantments and charms were in place to regulate the temperature within the ruins and caves she called home. A steady temperature was crucial to her and her followers' work. While there was always a nip in the air, it was never overpowering, until today. But the cold she felt did not come from the air, or the frozen winds that whipped against the ruins, caves, and the cliffs beyond the ruins; they came from her own heart.
My son is dead.
Her room stayed dark for days after she learned the news. Aversa returned not long ago, having remade the dangerous crossing over from the Valmese coast via a friendly Feroxi sea-captain who was quickly becoming a rich man transporting strange people between the continents. Before she managed to leave Valm though, she heard a rumor that she told Morgana with all of the spite she could muster.
Robin, Ylisse's Tactician, a hero of the Plegian war, fell in battle at Demon's Ingle. Consumed by the volcano's fury in a sudden, violent eruption of ash and fire.
She grieved for him. How could she not, he was her son. She sacrificed everything she knew to save him from a terrible fate. One worse than death in her mind. In Plegia, when she was still married to Validar, she was the High Priestess of the Grimleal. Revered and beloved by the followers of the Fell Dragon. Admired for her enormous power and vast wealth of knowledge on all subjects of magic, both dark and light. All of that; all of the power, the wealth, the admiration, she gave up trying to save her son, Robin. She even gave up her adopted daughter to save him. An action she still regretted terribly.
What has it all amounted to? She thought bitterly as she knelt before an empty fireplace, black soot lining the cold stones in front of her.
She sniffled as the cold in her quarters penetrated her bones, not due to tears. She already cried all of her tears in silence days ago. She kept herself locked away from all of her followers, all of her helpers during this time. Especially away from Aversa, who seemed to relish in her grief.
I should have never left him. She thought, head bowed as another cold wind blew in through the open balcony doors, looking out over the vast ice fields to the north, Robin should have been by my side now, helping me build the Ark. Helping me face down the evil Validar wishes to unleash on the world.
But she left him. At the time, it had been for his own safety. Validar had been chasing them for years, ever since she spirited Robin away in the dead of night when he was just eleven years old. Ever since she learned Validar's true intentions for her child, and grew fearful of the monster he would turn her boy into. Somehow, he tracked them down, no matter where they ran to.
Eventually, Morgana came to the determination that he was tracking her, not Robin. She left him in Ylisse, a few years after they first went on the run. The one place where Validar would be hesitant to try and look for Robin, due to the power the Naga-spawn held in the region. What better place to hide someone like her son than in the shadow of Grima's sworn enemies. It worked for a time, but then Robin had to display his brilliant mind and wellspring of skill to the Prince of Ylisse.
He had to join a military instead of continue hiding.
Could she really blame him for that though? A few more years after she left him, she sensed him in duress and immediately transported herself to him, along Ylisse's southern coast. She found him wreathed in dark power the likes of which she could barely imagine. It took a tremendous amount of energy and effort to seal away whatever was breaking through her son's mind and body. She had no doubt it was the Fell Dragon, attempting to accelerate his rise. In order to prevent that, Morgana sealed her son's mind. Locked away memories of everything he once had. He would never remember her, his old life as a son of Plegia, all he would know was his name and a few spells she made sure to let linger in the back of his thoughts. Just so he could defend himself if necessary.
It should have been enough. Yet, in the end, it was not. Grima could not be reined in forever. Eventually, he would have broken free. Morgana only hoped she could find a solution to the problem before that happened.
Now, she would never even get the chance. Robin was dead. Grima was possibly dead with him, but Morgana did not deal in possibilities. Alfred made sure the ark's construction continued while she grieved. It would be the human race's last hope if all goes dark in the world.
Everything has already gone dark in mine. Morgana thought, closing her eyes and feeling a tear drip down her cheek.
A knock sounded on her door. Not the first one in the many days she had kept herself locked away. She answered it like all of the others, with silence.
Leave me be. She thought, keeping her eyes downcast, looking at the closed spellbook in her lap and brushing her hand over the cracked leather cover.
The knock sounded again, and she replied with nothing. She heard some muffled voices beyond the door. One voice she recognized as the posh tone of Alfred, her second in command and brilliant helper. The mage who managed to crack the enigma of the Artifact. He stopped by to give her updates on the Ark and Artifact every so often, but he knew to give her space. So he could not be the one demanding to see her by knocking twice.
A second muffled voice snarled angrily at Alfred before slamming against her door, bashing it in with brute force. Morgana didn't even raise her head as she heard boots clicking against the stone floor.
"Well, look at that." Aversa sneered, turning to look at Alfred as the older mage carefully shuffled inside, "The Witch is not ill, just broken. How pathetic."
"Miss Aversa I would advise-"
"That is Lady Aversa to you, old man. I outrank you in every metric: power and intellect."
"I-I wouldn't be so certain of-"
"Oh, and initiative it seems." Aversa continued, cutting off Alfred once again, "Now, seeing as I am stuck here, already viewed as a traitor to the land I held dear, it means I unfortunately have to cooperate with you heretics until I can figure out some way of either hiding from death, or cheating it." She whipped her furious gaze to Morgana, "You have hidden yourself away from me long enough. I demand answers."
Alfred took a nervous step back at Aversa's forward tone. Morgana remained silent and still.
"Not speaking?" Aversa growled, taking a few aggressive steps towards the kneeling Morgana, "You refuse to tell me why you practically sent me to my death as well!? Oh, it was a simple mission to capture a Manakete. I fail to see how that is relevant to your science experiments, but whatever. You didn't kill me when you captured me, so I guess I owed you. But it wasn't just any damn lizard. It was one of the MOST powerful Manaketes possibly in existence. On top of that, there were others after her. Powerful foes that are servants of the Fell Dragon. Did you know any of this?"
Silence.
Aversa's face twisted into a snarl. She spun around and yanked Alfred by his collar.
"What about you?" Aversa growled, "You're her second, what did you know about the Manakete?"
"Lady Aversa please calm yourself." Alfred replied, calmly.
"Calm myself?" Aversa grit her teeth, "How? The life I had is long gone because of you sorry lot. I can never return home. I can never regain my former titles and status. I am an outcast, a traitor, and a heretic. Unwillingly so, I might add." Dark magic flared to life in her free hand, "So give me my damn answers, old man. Before I decide to test some spells on you."
Alfred's eyes widened. Aversa smirked evilly.
Good. She thought, I have made my point. Now he will ta-
The temperature within the room plummeted. Alfred's face paled. Aversa furrowed her brow as she sensed tremendous power building up inside. A pressure pressed down on her body, making her feel small and weak. A sensation that caused anger to build up within her. Aversa loosened her grip on Alfred's collar and turned around.
Morgana was no longer kneeling. She was standing, facing Aversa, head still bowed. Her spellbook hovered in the air in front of her body, pages flying rapidly from cover to cover. Aversa swallowed hard as any thoughts of forcing answers out faded in her.
"You… dare… threaten one of my followers?" Morgana whispered, "After what I have done for you?" Morgana raised her gaze, green eyes now blazing with yellow light, "If it was your brother, he would have been grateful for what I have done. Yet you spit in my face, ungrateful child!"
"Ungrateful-" Aversa worked her jaw back and forth, "Ungrateful! After what you have done to me!?" With a furious roar, Aversa let a pulse of dark magic rocket out of her, causing all of the furniture in Morgana's room to tremble, "You, Witch, tore-"
The floors shook beneath Aversa's feet. She heard Alfred audibly gulp. The old man quickly shuffled back to the door, face paler than a ghost as the temperature continued to drop in the room. Glass cracked on the balcony doors. The bedposts across the room splintered as raw pressure grew within the small space. Soot swirled from the fireplace as a great darkness swallowed the room whole, making Aversa seem insignificant before it.
It took the Plegian mage a moment to realize where this raw power was coming from. Her dark eyes stared stunned at Morgana as the Witch's eyes blazed brighter than the Plegia summer sun. Veins become visible as they crisscrossed the Witch's face in dark blue lines. Dark magic pulsed around her, making the wooden furniture crack and the stones shake. Aversa's jaw fell open as she beheld the full might of Morgana the Black, rendering her shaking in her boots.
She provoked the High Priestess, and now she expected a swift death. Aversa swallowed hard, gulping down her terror and replacing it with stubborness. She rose back to her full height and glared at Morgana, defiant against her fury.
For a few more seconds, the entire room shook. Alfred squeezed his eyes shut. Aversa could hear him muttering a prayer under her breath. She was tempted to do the same as she waited for Morgana's retribution.
It never came. Morgana's shoulders sagged as the pressure within the room dwindled. The quaking ended, and her stature seemed to decrease before Aversa. The violent, yellow glow in her irises faded away, receding to their normal, emerald color. The fury that filled the Witch's gaze turned to quiet sadness. Weary, half lidded eyes looked at Aversa as the shadows receded in the room.
"I am sorry, Aversa." Morgana whispered, shocking her adopted daughter, "It may not be enough, but I truly am sorry."
Morgana swallowed hard and quietly shuffled towards the glass doors to the balcony, gingerly closing them as she tried to keep shards of glass from digging into her palms. They closed with a quiet click.
"You may leave, Alfred." Morgana breathed, "I will find you in a moment."
Alfred quickly bowed and rushed away, closing the door to Morgana's room shut behind him. As it clicked closed, Aversa narrowed her gaze, suspicious of Morgana's every move. The Witch uttered a heavy sigh as she bowed her head.
"The Manakete you were after is an ancient one. Likely alive during the time of the Hero-King Marth." She began, "I was uncertain of how powerful she really was, so I could not provide you accurate intelligence. As for…" Morgana took a deep breath, "the other parties involved, I had no idea they would be there."
Aversa's scowl remained, "You think an apology will suffice?"
Morgana shook her head, "No, an apology will never suffice for the mistakes I have made, both recently and long ago." Aversa's face softened a bit as Morgana pursed her lips. The Witch folded her hands in front of her, "But that is all I can offer. That, and a place to be safe from your father. Of course, that is only if you want it. I won't require you to stay any longer if you don't wish to."
Aversa observed Morgana as the older woman visibly aged several years. The Witch quietly padded back over to the unlit fire, gathered a small flame in her right hand, and flicked it onto the unburnt bundle of logs sitting in the sooty stone. Warm firelight filled the room, chasing away the intense cold was chased away.
A pit remained in Aversa's gut as she silently watched Morgana sink into a lone chair near the fire. Her spellbook hovered back into her hands, as if the Witch gently pulled it over with an invisible thread. As soon as it brushed over her fingertips, Morgana cracked the pages open and started studying the words within. Her signal that she wanted this conversation to end. Aversa was more than happy to oblige.
Without a word, the dark mage turned on her heel and strode out. She quickly made her way down the cold stone steps back into the main, icy antichamber, where the Ark was being constructed.
Progress on the Ark was starting to slow, partially due to Morgana's melancholy, and also due to the new complexity of figuring out how to make it airtight. Both Alfred and Morgana hypothesized that simple pitch and tar would not work when flying through thin air at fast speeds. So many mages were in the process of trying to magically seal the craft. At the same time, Alfred was hard at work with the artifact, trying to find a way of producing air artificially so that people inside of the strange project could breath.
Or, Alfred was supposed to be in the small chamber where the Artifact rested, doing his work. Instead, Aversa noticed the old man waiting for her at the base of the stairs. The Dark Mage's scowl returned as she strode by him.
"Morgana would never harm you." The old man said, making Aversa screech to a halt.
He shuffled past her, one hand waving for her to follow him. She silently walked alongside the older mage until they entered the Artifact's chamber. The thing still puzzled Aversa. She had seen it once or twice and could not understand what in Grima's name it was. It resembled an enormous squid, but made of metal instead of flesh. It's body was filled with wire and lightning instead of blood and bones. Several bulbous glass eyes rested around the round head of the thing, which made it appear even more alien than it already was.
Alfred sighed as he reached for a tool and broke open the hard outer carapace of the Artifact, near one of its eyes. Aversa folded her arms as she stood across the examination table from him, one foot tapping against the icy floor.
"You brought me here for a reason." Aversa snarled, patience running thin.
"Hm? Oh yes." Alfred cleared his throat, "Pardon me, sometimes my mind runs to my work and I lose my original line of thought." He glanced up at the ceiling, "What was I saying again?"
"Something about that Witch, and harm."
"Ah yes." The old mage rolled up his dark sleeves as he placed his tool deep into the head of the Artifact, "Morgana would never harm you."
"It seemed like she intended to." Aversa sniffed indignantly.
"Oh, she certainly considered it." Alfred remarked with a slight smirk, "I haven't seen her that furious in over a decade." He prodded at some wires, eliciting a few sparks, "Not since your father told her of your brother's true purpose in fact."
Aversa furrowed her brow, "True purpose?"
She recalled something that Manakete, Tiki, told her when they were on the run from the Deadlord. The lizard said something about Grima and one other inhabiting Robin. It made no sense to Aversa. The Fell Dragon would not debase himself so much that he would willingly reside inside of a human; the equivalent of a fleshy meat sack to his majesty. He certainly would not dwell within someone who closely resembled a dumb puppy.
"You don't believe it, do you?" Alfred asked.
Aversa huffed, "I believe in what has been written and proven. Grima is far too powerful to be contained within a mortal form."
Alfred uttered a loud laugh, "So you've been led to believe." More sparks fluttered out of the Artifact, "There are many lost secrets within the Grimleal. Well… more like hidden rather than lost. Removed from the archives in order to preserve the order's power and integrity. Only the Chief Archivist and the High Priest could observe such texts. Seeing as how your mother-"
"Heretic." Aversa corrected with a snarl.
Alfred nodded, "Yes, she was called that. Ironic how the person that knows the absolute most about Grima, Dark Magic, and Fell Magic would be called such a thing. Don't you agree?" He set one tool aside, wiping his hands off on an oil stained cloth beside the Artifact, "Meanwhile, your father always rode on her coat tails. Granted, he was a most impressive mage. Had an appetite for knowledge. Certainly would have made an impressive archivist himself, if he wasn't so ambitious and power hungry. Alas, a peaceful road such as that was not to be. Then again, his bloodline meant he would assume a much grander purpose than a mere bookkeeper."
Aversa furrowed her brow, "Bloodline?"
"It goes along with Grima needing a vessel to return to existence." Alfred hummed, "Your younger brother, Robin, was to be the chosen one, so to speak. Validar's bloodline had grown strong enough to accomplish it, all he needed was for the boy's magical potential to be enormous. Morgana's blood gave him that potential. Rather interesting given her more common birth." Alfred tossed the towel to the side and looked hard at Aversa, "Despite Robin's importance to everything, your mother cared very much about you." He laughed a little bit, "I remember when you were brought in from the streets. A little shriveled up thing, you were. Pity is not a common emotion in the Grimleal, but Morgana took pity on you. Infuriated Validar in doing so, but her word kept him line. After all-"
"Bloodlines and power." Aversa nodded.
Alfred smirked, "You're starting to get it." He turned away and moved towards a table laden with different tools, none of which Aversa could identify, "Your father went along with it eventually. He saw potential in you, obviously. He was always very good at identifying powerful mages at a young age." He snickered lightly, "I mean, there was this one little one he brought in when he was hunting your mother and brother. A dark haired brat from the dunes. Grima, she was magnificent. Had many interesting conversations with that one. I can only hope she grew powerful enough to survive the Plegian war."
Aversa grit her teeth, "Now you are just talking to hear yourself talk. What does this have to do with the Witch and me?"
Alfred glanced over his shoulder at her, icy blue eyes twinkling.
"Pity is a rare emotion among dark mages, Lady Aversa. Your mother has it in spades. It was pity that saved you as a street urchin. Pity has saved you once again, from both her wrath and Validar's wrath. Now, that may sound insulting-"
"It is." Aversa frowned.
"But even the most insulted of mages knows that pity is better than death." Alfred lowered his gaze at her, "If Morgana really wanted to, and I'm certain for a moment she did, she could have annihilated you with one swipe of her hand. But… she's already lost one child. One she sacrificed everything, including her relationship with you, to save." He picked up a thin metal rod and brought it over to the Artifact's domed, armored head, "She doesn't want to lose you all over again. That's probably why we're still working."
He ducked his head low in order to look at some of the inner workings of the Artifact. Aversa frowned as she pondered Alfred's words.
"I thought we were still working because she believes the Fell Dragon to still be a threat?"
"Oh, he most certainly is." Alfred winced as he reached deep into the Artifact with the rod, "You think a little fire and brimstone will kill him? He's our god for a reason."
Aversa snorted, "Our god." She looked up and down the artifact, "I doubt a god would want to kill its followers simply for failing one order."
Alfred shrugged, "Validar and this Hierophant want to kill you. I'm of a mind that Grima is not necessarily keen on those two speaking for him. Perhaps they are furthering their own agenda, and not his?" A shower of sparks spat out from the Artifact, "We won't know that until those two are beaten and Morgana gets her hands on them. If that ever happens."
His metal rod touched something within the dome. Aversa's heart skipped a beat as she heard a sharp whine come from the Artifact. Alfred froze on the other side of the table, arm still inside of its head.
"That's new." He muttered.
The whine cut off sharply. A blue light winked on inside of a knob on the side of the head, project light over Aversa. Aversa squeezed her eyes shut as she was nearly blinded by the sudden, bright light.
"Argh!" She growled, throwing a hand over her eyes, "Shut it off."
"Even if I could, I won't." Alfred remarked as Aversa carefully cracked an eye open.
"Why?" She asked, irritation building in her.
Alfred pointed at her, "I believe we have stumbled upon a solution to our air problem."
Aversa furrowed her brow in confusion as Alfred took a step back, observing something on the wall behind her. Aversa stepped out of the blue light and glanced at the wall. Her mouth fell open as she saw an image being projected onto the wall. Like a painting made of light. They were schematics too… the best she could describe it was a ship. A great, triangular behemoth. The projection winked and a more detailed image replaced the initial one, showing something labeled Life Support Systems.
"Well then," Alfred's eyes twinkled as Aversa stared at him, shocked, "Time to work on this breakthrough."
It was a dream Lucina felt like she had many times before. Ever since her and her friends passed through the time portal, escaping their ruined future and arriving in the past, dreams of the future war haunted her mind. There were dreams where everything was exaggerated. Where Grima would cover the entire sky, blotting out clouds, smoke, and the stars with just his head as he towered over her, making her shake like a leaf. And there were dreams that were exceptionally vivid. Memories relived as she slept.
This time, she knew it was a memory because she heard voices. Usually, in the hyper exaggerated dreams, there were no voices. Just images and terrors.
She almost would rather that than to hear the voices. At least those terrors did not invoke pain filled thoughts whenever they reared their ugly heads.
She could hear several familiar ones as her eyes remained closed. Could feel soft grass beneath her, brushing against her palms. A faint breeze swept over her slumbering form, making leaves rustle nearby.
A playful laugh chirped nearby, forcing her eyes to flick open. She lay in a clearing in the woods beyond Ylisstol. A blue sky sat over her head. White puffs of clouds drifted lazily along the wind, passing over the forest canopy with grace and patience. A beautiful day in the future. Likely one of the last.
She grimaced as she sat upright, her body aching from the sensation of laying on the ground. As she sat upright, she caught sight of five children sprinting into the clearing from a path in the woods.
At the lead was a short, blue haired girl with her hair tied up in two little pigtails. She had to have the most loud, boisterous laugh of the bunch. A literal ball of energy, bouncing from one foot to the other without a care in the world. Behind her, sprinted a blonde haired boy wearing a bright yellow outfit. He carried a wooden sword in one hand as he chased after the blue haired girl. Huffing after them, struggling to keep up, was a girl with midnight black hair and emerald eyes. Finally, Lucina recognized a younger Luke and herself bringing up the rear.
Me and Luke must be about ten or eleven. She thought with a soft smile. She glanced over at Cynthia and the other two members of her Justice Cabal, That would make them around eight.
What memory was this again? Gods, there were so many she had a hard time keeping them all straight. This was clearly a happy memory. Which meant Maul was probably not around yet. Luke did not look sullen or beaten up, and Lucina appeared to be more of a princess than a warrior, flaunting an aqua colored dress that did not keep grass stains off very well.
"Slow down!" Her younger self huffed as she chased after Morgan, Owain, and Cynthia.
Cynthia spun back around, twin pigtails twirling with her, "Too slow, Luci! WHA!"
Owain slammed into her, tackling her to the ground.
"Huzzah! The villain of our adventure hath captured the hero at last. I shall smite thee with Misseltain and conquer the world!" Owain declared, quickly rising to his feet and placing his foot on the small of Cynthia's back, pinning her to the ground.
"Oh no!" Morgan gasped, "Whatever shall we do?" She turned to Lucina and Luke, "Our brave hero's sidekicks must step in to save the day!"
Lucina chuckled to herself as she watched her younger self fold her arms and lift her nose in the air, very much in the way Aunt Maribelle taught her to do.
"A princess cannot engage in such things."
"A princess also shouldn't have grass stains on their clothes." Luke snickered beside her. He cleared his throat, "Beware, fell villain!" He pointed a finger at Owain, drawing his friend's attention, "I, Kage, knight of the great Queen Cynthia, shall dispatch of you at this very moment."
"Ha ha!" Owain stepped away from Cynthia, "Tis a shame that thou appears to be weaponless."
Owain let out a yelp as the Force flared to life around Luke. Misseltain, or it's wooden cousin of the actual blade, shot free from Owain's grip and landed easily in Luke's waiting hand.
Luke grinned and shrugged, "It appears that you are the one weaponless, vile- er- person."
"Smooth." Morgan deadpanned before chuckling. Her chuckling sputtered when she noticed the younger Lucina frowning at Luke, Owain, and Cynthia's action, "What's the matter, Luci?"
Lucina huffed, "Father and mother are leaving to go to Regna Ferox. They won't let me come with. I have to stay behind with Aunt Lissa."
"Auntie Lissa is staying behind!?" Cynthia cried with delight, "Yay! It's going to be fun at the palace!"
"Tis always fun at the palace when the Justice Cabal is on the march!" Owain declared, throwing his arms over Cynthia and Luke's shoulders, laughing the entire time.
Morgan chuckled with them, but again, Lucina was not amused.
"Cynthia, you need to stop this childish nonsense. We're royals. We need to start acting like it."
"You're ten." Morgan remarked with a wry grin.
Lucina sputtered, "I-I- and you're only eight."
"Yup, I am." Morgan shrugged, grinning wide as a sparkle danced in her green eyes, "So that means, I can play all I want and no one has to tell me otherwise. If anyone does tell me otherwise, well…"
A small pulse of the force smacked into Lucina, flipping her dress up over her head. Lucina's arms flailed while Luke blushed furiously. Owain, Cynthia, and Morgan fell over laughing.
When the younger Lucina managed to yank her dress back down, she glared at Morgan, red in the face. The older Lucina, meanwhile, simply chuckled softly at their antics.
Gods… that feels like a lifetime ago.
And it really was. Even the war with Plegia, which for Lucina was only two years ago now, felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed in just those two and a half years. She could hardly begin to fathom how much had changed in the past ten. She had grown up, significantly at that. Her more princessy ways were cast to the side due to the harsh world of the future and the teachings of her master, Ben Kenobi. She traded dresses for swords. Exchanged a snooty attitude for leadership and determination. The cruel future forged her into the person she is today. Those harsh lessons helped her survive and thrive, both then and now, in a past so different from the one she grew up hearing stories about.
Her eyes focused on Morgan. She was always the prankster, the schemer, the head of the Justice Cabal. Cynthia was the face of it, Owain and Luke the brawn, but the brains belonged to Morgan. She meticulously planned out every plan as if it were a battlefield strategy. That kind of attention to detail made her so valuable during the war with Grima. She swiftly rose up as a tactician and assisted her Master, Sir Frederick, and Exalt Lissa in planning the war effort.
Always way too smart for her own good. Lucina smirked as the memory rippled like water in a still pond, fading to black as the ripples faded.
When she opened her eyes again, she was staring up at the ceiling of the Shepherd's Barracks. The blankets on her bunk were thrown all over the place, leaving her head, her right stump, and her left foot uncovered. Part of the blanket dangled down onto the floor, showing just how much she tossed and turned during the night.
Lucina winced as she stretched her one good arm over her head. Her cybernetic was currently in Themis, being improved by Dooku. Apparently the Count was not only miffed about her damaging the outer shell during the battle; he was also appalled by his own shoddy work that it would even come close to being damaged at all. The socket for the cybernetic remained over her stump, since removing that would be an exceptionally painful process. But she gladly let him take the arm to improve.
Hopefully he'll make it more comfortable. She thought as she swung her legs out from her cot and rested her bare feet on the stone floor.
Her blue eyes looked out the window at the crystal clear skies over Ylisstol. They drifted down to the training yard just outside of the barracks. Ever since the end of the war with Valm, few Shepherds occupied the yard. The war had been so exhausting for all of them that they all decided it would be best for them to spend a week or more recovering. All of them followed this, except for Lon'qu, who continued to train relentlessly in the yard.
Lucina nodded as she watched him chop what was probably the third straw dummy of the morning to smithereens. She could see her Aunt Lissa watching him.
Lissa had been one of the biggest worries during the crossing home from Valm. Her wounds were healed as best as they could be at the time, but they were so foreign in nature, making them difficult to properly tend to for Libra and the other clerics. Thankfully, Lissa knew the type of wound all too well. After all, Lucina suffered from a similar one at the end of the Plegian War.
Her chest burned as she remembered that pain. One hand reached up and brushed the scarred flesh beneath her night shirt. Even with the best healers and elixirs, the scars would never fade completely. Such a fact bothered her for some time, but in the wake of Valm, she was simply grateful she was alive, and that her family survived.
Now, she had a new mission in place. Grima likely still lingered somewhere in the ether, his spirit roaming for a host. Tiki certainly believed the volcano did not consume him, and Lucina sided with her immediately. She had seen Grima personally in the future. Stared him down as he stormed the battlefield. Ash and fire would not kill that demon, only delay and possibly annoy him. She would have to keep her eyes out for any sign of his reemergence. In the meantime, there were several of her comrades still missing.
Yarne, Kjelle, Nah, Gerome, and Morgan: none of them had made an appearance. No sign or word of them reached her ears. It was not unsurprising. The world was a vast place with many unknown, lost, and undiscovered places dotting the continents of Valm and Archanea.
Then there is that one continent of legend. She thought as she slipped out of her night shirt and started to get dressed for the day, Jug- something. I'll have to consult Laurent on that. Perhaps some of them wound up there? If it even exists.
Then there was Laurent's hypothesis; one that worried her tremendously. It was entirely possible that what was left of her friends wound up on other worlds entirely. Many of her dreams hinted at this, especially in regards to Morgan.
Her mind wandered back to the first vision she had of Morgan as she tightened her blue jerkin over her torso and slipped on her boots. That vision caused her great anxiety, compounded by these sudden memories in her sleep of the pair together as children.
"Call me Ragana."
She was still convinced it was a trick. Morgan was far too kind, fun loving, and intelligent to allow herself to fall to the dark side. She cared way too much for her friends and family. She witnessed what the dark side did to Luke, through Maul, and wanted nothing to do with it in the future. Going so far as to avoid using the force entirely in favor of normal magic. Why would the Force show Lucina a vision of one of her best friends steeped in the dark side?
I need to speak to Master Ben.
Lucina tightened her belt around her waist, feeling slightly naked without the weight of a sword against her hip. She was near Ylisstol, so there was no need to carry around a weapon. Not with how strong the Halidom was becoming thanks to her father's rule. Besides, she was just walking to Ben's house. He would sense any trouble first and make sure it did not get past his little cottage in the woods.
As she stepped out of the barracks, she heard Lissa lightly laugh as she got close to Lon'qu, making the Feroxi swordsman uncomfortable. But he did not run off like he used to do. He also did not push Lissa away like he usually did ever since Chrom made him her personally bodyguard. Lucina chuckled to herself as she turned away and strode through Ylisstol.
You might be on the way, Owain.
She ignored most of the hustle and bustle of Ylisstol as she made her way out of the city through the main gate. Once outside of the city, she took a deep breath and turned onto a dirt trail that led into the southern forest.
Ben's cottage was only a few miles outside of the city. Close enough that he could rush to the city if he was needed, but far enough away to provide him the privacy he craved. Of course he did not get that privacy at all. He still had a pair of tenants residing in a much larger tent outside of his cottage, near the small stream that ran by it.
Lucina paused in her approach to the cottage as she heard some scuffling from within the tent. There was a loud bash, the sound of pots and pans clanging together, a snarl, followed by a growl. Gaius bolted out of the tent. Just before he could escape the exit, a furry hand reached out and snatched him by the back of his shirt.
"BLUE, HELP!" Gaius cried before being yanked back into the tent.
Lucina arched an eyebrow.
What did he do this time?
She strode up to the tent and raised her fist to knock. She blinked, and smacked her forehead. It was not very easy to knock on a tent after all.
"Um… Gaius?" She called, "Panne?"
More shuffling, another muffled cry, the sound of someone being shoved into the ground; then Panne poked her head out. Lucina raised an eyebrow at Panne's appearance. Her hair was a mess to say the least. As were the bits of fur she could see. Even more puzzling was the… well… not irritated expression on her face.
That's cause for concern. Gaius always annoys her. Lucina thought.
"What is it, man-spawn?" She asked.
Lucina did not take offense to Panne's address. It was how she talked to everyone, except for Gaius. Somehow the thief managed to get onto a first name basis with the Taguel.
"Is everything alright?" Lucina asked, trepidation filling her as she heard Gaius groan inside of the tent.
Panne smiled, "Everything is fine, Gaius is just… well-"
"Being Gaius?" Lucina said with a light chuckle.
"In a way." Panne nodded, "I asked him to chase me. He refused when I explained to him why."
Lucina felt even more confusion build in her, "Uh…."
"Are you here to see Ben?" Panne followed up quickly, keeping the rest of her body hidden behind the tent's doorway.
"Yeah." Lucina nodded slowly. She tried to peek past Panne. Her eyes widened when she saw Gaius lying on his back, shirt yanked open, in a daze. She sucked in her lips and nodded, "Yeah… um… just going to-"
"He's alone if you're worried about the other man-spawn. The Sunshine one." Panne explained, "Her and Snicker-spawn went to the magic academy together."
Snicker-spawn?
"Hey… you're using my nicknames." Gaius mumbled deliriously.
Panne sighed, "If you'll excuse me."
"Uh yeah… sure?" Before Panne closed the tent, Lucina stopped her, "Panne, um… don't do anything rash, okay?"
"Rash?"
"Just uh…" Lucina blushed a little bit, "Gaius is a weird guy."
"I'm very aware of that."
"And he takes different things at very different paces. Keep that in mind."
Panne blinked, furrowing her brow in confusion for a moment before nodding, "I think I know what you are saying." She sighed, "Very well, it appears I misread a situation. Not the first time with you man-spawn. Your customs are all so strange. Normally, if a male presented a female Taguel with a rather nice gift, such as a large portion of a hunted meal, that was a sign that-"
"And I'm going to walk away now." Lucina laughed nervously, "Maybe Gaius would be up for going to the candy shop?"
"Did she say candy shop!?" Gaius's head jerked up from the floor.
Panne sighed, "A good suggestion. Have a good day, man-spawn."
She ducked back into the tent, leaving Lucina a little flush in the cheeks.
"Uh… you too? I think?"
Lucina turned away from the tent and quickly moved to Ben's door. She glanced over her shoulder at the tent one more time, noticing how no one emerged from it. Her cheeks flushed one more time before she quickly shook her head and knocked on Ben's door.
"Come in!"
Lucina quickly stepped inside. Ben was sitting in a chair near the window, a book in his lap. One Lucina recognized from her mother's bookshelf.
"Oh, Lucina." Ben softly closed the book and set it to the side, "I had a feeling you would show up today."
Lucina smiled a little bit, striding over and sinking into a chair across from him, "Good read?"
Ben nodded, tapping the cover of the book, "Wyvern Wars… very entertaining. Outlandish, but fun." He got up and moved over to the small pantry he had on the other side of the room, "Hungry?"
Lucina thought for a moment, "A little bit."
Ben pulled out a pair of apples. He tossed one to Lucina and kept the other for himself, biting down into it and letting out a satisfied sigh.
"I can never get over how good everything tastes here." He mumbled before swallowing.
Lucina chuckled, "The food at the Jedi Temple was that bad?"
Ben shook his head as he returned to his chair, "The food at the temple was fine. Food on a Venator class Star Destroyer was not. Military rations don't have the best of flavors available."
Lucina furrowed her brow, "Venator…" She mumbled before her mind was slammed with realization, "Wait a moment."
"Yes, Owain nicknamed Severa after a spaceship."
Lucina chuckled, "Oh, Owain. He has no idea. He thinks its some grand, heroic title of great power."
Ben shrugged, "To be fair, with one Venator I could have won the entire Valm war in a few days. So he's not wrong about the great power bit. I wouldn't call them grand though. They were always a bit stuffy. But being on a ship with several thousand other soldiers and officers, along with all of the equipment, leaves little room for privacy."
Lucina's eyes widened, "Several thousand?"
"Oh yes, Venators are massive." Ben nodded, "Not the biggest ships that exist, but still very large."
Lucina smiled to herself, shaking her head a little bit before bringing the apple to her lips, "Don't mention the large part to Severa." She bit into her apple as Ben laughed.
"I'll remember that." Ben nodded. He quickly finished off his own apple and tossed the core into a nearby waste bin. The Jedi Master then folded his hands in his lap, "So, what brings you here Lucina? I recall you wanting to talk to me back in Chon'sin."
Lucina nodded, wiping some apple juice from her lips with the back of her hand, "Yeah…" She swallowed, "I did. But you said it was probably a good idea to wait until we got back home and weren't so overwhelmed by… everything else. At the time, that was a little upsetting. But, considering everything that happened, I'm glad you suggested we do that. It gave us all time to settle down and process everything."
Ben nodded in agreement, "Certainly." He leaned back in his seat, lounging in it like he used to do in the Jedi High Council chambers, "What did you want to talk with me about?"
Lucina pursed her lips, "There's… a problem. Well several actually." The fingers on her left hand tapped against her thigh, "I am worried about my friends; the ones that we still haven't found." Ben furrowed his brow as she spoke, "There is a possibility that they are still wandering and we just haven't run into them yet, as we did with the others. But… Laurent brought up a theory that they may have wound up on other worlds." Ben inclined his chin as she mentioned that, "That they might not even be able to be found anymore."
Ben nodded, "I can see how that would be concerning. I feared that I was in a similar situation with Luke, for a time." He took a breath, "Do you believe you will be able to find them?"
Lucina closed her eyes, "I don't know." She pressed her lips into a thin line, "You always told me that instinct is how the force speaks to us. Well, that and our feelings. Unfortunately, my feeling is that Laurent is correct."
Ben narrowed his gaze at her, "There's more to that conclusion than instinct, isn't there. It's unlike you to give up so readily on searching for them when you could easily."
Lucina gulped, "Yeah." She brushed some of her blue hair from her forehead, "I have been having strange dreams, Master. Visions perhaps." Ben's brow furrowed further, "You always told me to be wary of such things because they can be easily manipulated."
"They can be." Ben nodded, crossing his legs and resting his arms on the armrest of his chair.
"At first, I discounted them as just that. Manipulations from something in the force. I mean, the dark side has been so thick recently that it has been warping my ability to see things through the force."
"Dooku and I have felt that as well." Ben confirmed, "It is eerily similar to what I felt in the force during the waning days of the Jedi Order. You are correct to be wary of these dreams and visions, Lucina. When the Force is as clouded as it is, nothing can be certain."
"That's the thing about this." Lucina continued, "Most of my dreams have been memories. Specifically of a certain person. And prior to those memories surfacing, I had a pair of distressing visions about her that I know are not memories. It makes me believe this to be more concrete than what I want it to be."
Ben nodded his head, brow furrowed as he listened to Lucina. He could sense an enormous amount of conflict within the young Jedi. Her hand kept opening and closing in her lap, wrapping tight around her half eaten apple, then letting it rest on its own with her hand cradling it.
"Lucina?"
"Yes?"
"You are not mentioning something. If this is bothering you so much, and you want my advice, I'm going to need to know every angle of this situation."
Lucina uttered a heavy sigh, "Naga, you always know when I am holding something back." She pursed her lips, "At least I know you are good at keeping secrets. Because this one must remain between us."
Ben furrowed his brow, his own worry starting to grow as he listened to the Princess.
"The dreams… they revolve around Robin's daughter."
Ben's eyes widened, "Oh."
Lucina nodded, "Robin survived the Valm War in the future. He went on to marry and have a daughter. Her name is Morgan. She… she is so much like him. Sharp as a tack, intelligent, and powerful. A bit more scatterbrained." Lucina continued with a light laugh, "But that's because she's young."
"Is she force sensitive like Robin?" Ben asked, curious.
"Yes." Lucina said, "She is… so powerful, it boggles my mind at times. She didn't like using her force abilities though. She preferred the magic her mother and father wielded."
"Her mother was a mage?"
Lucina bobbed her head and back and forth, "Not exactly. She's very, very powerful but-"
"It's Tiki, isn't it?"
Lucina looked like she just ate a lemon, "How did you-"
Ben chuckled a little bit, "The only time I had ever seen Robin go redder than a tomato was when he was around her. Those two got along really well. Now you mention a future daughter with great power, and I assumed-"
"You assumed correctly." Lucina said with a slight smile, "Lady Tiki is- er- was Morgan's mother. You can see why I want to keep this between us. With Robin's death, Lady Tiki will never… you know..."
Ben's face saddened, "I see. It is a similar situation to Sakura's then?"
Lucina nodded somberly, "It is."
The Jedi Master wiped his mouth his hand, glancing out the window as a pang of sadness hit him.
"Robin would have made an excellent father." He breathed.
Lucina grimaced, "Even after everything we learned about him?"
Ben's eyes darted back to her, "He was just as unaware of it as we were, Lucina."
Lucina flinched, "R-right. I just-" She uttered a heavy sigh, "I have a hard time separating him from Grima now, since they were essentially one being. Now that I know that, and given Morgan's lineage, I am even more concerned that the visions I have seen are not tricks of the Dark Side."
Ben furrowed his brow, leaning forward in his seat.
"When did you see them?"
Lucina swallowed hard, "The first vision I had was just before Dooku gave me my new arm. I was meditating and my consciousness was somehow transported somewhere else. It was… a cold, metal room. A residence of some sort, very martial in design. And Morgan was sitting there." Lucina's bit her lip, "Her eyes weren't green anymore. They were bright yellow." Ben's face saddened, "She acted like she did not know me. Like she genuinely did not recognize me as her friend. Not only that, but when I said her name, she grew angry. Ordered me to call her Ragana, not Morgan."
"Strange." Ben breathed.
"Very." Lucina agreed, "And worrying. There's no room made of metal in this world, that I am aware of at least."
Ben brushed his beard, "You said it was cold, and militaristic in design?"
Lucina nodded.
A heavy sigh slipped from Ben's lips, "Laurent may be correct then. What you described sounds similar to what my quarters looked like aboard a Star Destroyer."
"A Star-what!?" Lucina cried.
"A Venator class Star Destroyer." Ben clarified, raising a hand to calm her down, "They don't destroy stars; they fly around them, so to speak. Destroyer refers to the type of vessel, since they are meant for attacking and the like." Ben paused as he raked a hand through his beard, "It sounds like Morgan was on one of those when you saw her."
Lucina nodded, "I think I understand. Why do you think she did not remember me? Why would she hate the name her father gave her?"
Ben pursed his lips, "You said her eyes were yellow? Not their normal color?"
"Yes."
Ben sighed, "That is a sign of deep immersion in the dark side of the force." Lucina paled, "That is why Maul and Luke both have such a… condition." Ben continued carefully, "Although, Luke is a strange case because he is actively trying to avoid the Dark Side now."
"But Dooku doesn't-"
"Dooku knows how to conceal it." Ben interrupted, "Very well too. Make him angry enough, and it will emerge involuntarily."
Lucina's face fell, "So you're saying that…" She grit her teeth and shook her head, "No, I refuse to believe that. Morgan would never-"
"Luke would have never too, right?" Lucina's looked down as Ben spoke. She saw his face sadden significantly, "Anakin… well… you get the point I am trying to make. The fall into the dark side, once committed to fully, is not as gradual as you might think. It is a swift drop. It sounds to me like Morgan has thrown herself completely into the darkness."
"But it could still be a trick, right!?" Lucina asked, desperation thick in her voice.
Ben nodded, "It could. But you are also having recurring visions of her, yes?"
Lucina drew back in her seat, "Yes." He whispered, "There was… one more that was not a memory. It happened when you and Dooku were-" She visibly shivered and glanced at the metal socket over her right arm.
"Ah, I see." Ben replied.
"Yeah," Lucina gulped, "That one was even more confusing. I did not just see Morgan. I actually did not see her at all. I saw you and Luke. Your blades were drawn. We were standing on some platform, surrounded by massive towers. Two voices spoke to both of you. I can't remember what they said, but I knew one was Morgan. She was excited to be fighting you."
Ben furrowed his brow, "And the other voice?"
Lucina became deathly quiet, "That one… that one was different. I've heard it once before. I can't remember what it said, but it was… deep, artificial." Ben's drew back in his seat as she spoke, "I distinctly remember its breathing. It was loud and labored. Gods, I can still hear it echoing in my head."
Concern washed over Ben's face. The Jedi Master rose from his seat and walked across the room, one hand brushing over his beard as he went to look out the window that faced the dirt trail leading to his cottage. Lucina's gaze followed him as he paced away from her.
"What is it?" She asked.
Ben bowed his head a moment before looking back at her, "I've heard that voice as well." Lucina blanched, "In a nightmare when I first arrived to this planet. It melded with your voice, and called me Master."
"M-melded." Lucina gulped. Her eyes immediately darted to her socket, "You don't think that I become some… strange, machine like thing do you!? That's why I could not see it or Morgan?"
"No." Ben quickly shook his head, "I won't let that happen to you." He quickly crossed back over to the room as she shot up from her seat, "Lucina I-" Ben hesitated, "I'm not entirely sure what to make of these visions either. But it sounds like Laurent may be correct about where your other friends are. We of course need to keep a sharp eye out for them, but if they are beyond the atmosphere then we will never find them."
Lucina swallowed hard, fighting off some tears.
"As for Morgan," Ben took a deep breath, "That is a mystery that will require plenty of meditation. I will assist in any way I can, but… Tiki has a point when she says we should assume the worst. That way we can prepare for it."
Lucina nodded, sniffling a little bit, "What about the other voice?"
Ben expression grew even more worried, "I will worry about that." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Right now, Lucina. You need to concern yourself with growing in your abilities and possibly finding your other friends, okay?"
Lucina sniffled again and nodded, "Yes, Master. It's just… hard." She finished with an exasperated sound.
"Nothing in life is ever easy." Ben replied, "Especially when it comes to the life of a Jedi, and a Princess." Lucina laughed under her breath at that, "If you need to speak about anything else, you can always come to me. You know that. For now, meditate on these visions. Try to clear your mind of your worries associated with them so you can observe them with a clear, objective perspective. That will help unveil some details you may have missed."
A knock sounded on the door.
"Hey Benny!" Gaius called from the other side, "Some Royal Guard is here for ya. Said something about Princey wanting you to help him and Tiki with Robin's things."
Lucina's eyes widened, "O-oh!" She wiped at her eyes, quickly brushing away any tears that threatened to fall, "I am so sorry, Master. If I knew that you were about to-"
"You have nothing to apologize for." Ben said with a gentle smile, "A fellow Jedi comes before the few possessions Robin had." He walked over to a small wardrobe against the wall, reached inside, and withdrew a new, brown cloak, with his lightsaber hiding in a pocket inside of it, "You are more than welcome to join us. It might help give you some closure."
Lucina thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe even distract you for now?" Ben added as he walked over to the door, throwing his cloak over his shoulders.
Lucina smiled a little bit, "Not a bad idea."
Gaius knocked again, "Benny! This guard is giving me the side-eye!"
Ben rolled his eyes, threw the door open, and started his journey to the city by berating the thief for trying to steal the guard's dagger.
This had to be one of the hardest things Chrom ever had to do. He had led men into battle, written letters to families of those fallen soldiers, done his best to be a great husband and a great father, fought a million man army with a ragtag army of his own; none of that compared to entering his late best friend's quarters within the Exalt's palace.
Everything was kept clean by the palace staff while they were gone in Valm. Not a hint of dust lingered on any of the furniture. Granted, there was not much furniture to begin with. Robin did not have many personal possessions. The tactician was always so busy. He never had any time to treat himself to anything material. The one exception was the large bookshelf he had near his bed.
The Palace had a library, but Robin insisted on keeping his own personal collection of spell books, tomes, and tactical volumes. According to him, it let him focus on his work rather than running back and forth between his room and the library.
Always trying to be efficient. Chrom thought as he walked up to the bookshelf and glanced at the titles along the spines of the books.
Several of the spines were not cracked, never opened by the tactician. Most of the books like that were spellbooks. Robin had not only been a brilliant tactician, but an incredible mage as well. Whenever he was not studying tactics, or training, he was attempting to perfect his spellcraft. Chrom recalled how he came home one day with a mountain of spellbooks cradled in his arms, bought from the Red Beret Seller, Anna.
He never got a chance to read them all. Chrom thought with a heavy sigh, turning his gaze away from the books to his friend's cluttered desk.
Notes were spread out all over the desk, exactly as Robin left it when they set out for Valm. A half full inkwell rested on top of several pages of tactical notes that Chrom could hardly make sense of. Robin often thought faster than he could write, which made some of his notes nonsensical to anyone except himself. With the inkwell and pages of loose paper, were several more books. One that was open was a tome called Bolgannone. A fire spell from the looks of things.
I don't remember him ever using that one. Chrom thought as he glanced at the strange diagrams within the book.
He tapped his hand against the desk then sank down into the well worn chair in front of it, blue eyes roving over the room.
"This won't take long." He sighed.
Part of him did not want to do this. Part of him really wanted to leave this room alone. It was Robin's room. Sumia and Chrom set it aside just for him when the Plegian War ended. While living here, he became a part of their family. Sure, he was away with Ben on a grand adventure to find Lucina and Luke for the better part of two years between the Plegian and Valm wars, but that did not matter in the end. Robin became part of Chrom's household. Now that he was gone, the palace seemed emptier. Even Sumia said as much.
But it all had to go. If Chrom let Robin's personal effects remain any longer, then the pain would never fade. The wounds they all felt when he passed would not heal. The process of moving on was going to hurt, but Chrom knew he would never forget his friend. The man that helped him save the Halidom twice, that fought with him at every major battle in his life, and that stood by his side through great times and terrible times.
The doors to Robin's room opened. Chrom raised his gaze to see Tiki, Ben, and Lucina all walking in together. Ben swallowed hard as he entered Robin's room, eyes roving over the place.
"I actually never came here." Ben muttered as he quietly walked over to the bookshelf, "We all weren't on the best of terms when he moved here."
Chrom nodded as regret filled him, "That was a mistake, by all of us."
"Agreed." Lucina sighed, striding over to the window and looking down to the training yard near the barracks, "Lovely view."
"You can have it if you want, once we get Robin's…" Chrom patted his legs as he remained seated, "Once we take his stuff out."
Tiki moved over to Robin's closet, throwing it open. Not much was in there either. A few extra sets of shirts and pants hung on pegs over a small chest with the latch locked. Tiki furrowed her brow and reached for the chest. As her fingers brushed over it, she felt a strange power buzzing around it.
"I'm sure the library or the academy will take the books." Ben muttered, "Tharja will want her pick of the litter."
"Her and every other mage." Chrom said with a small laugh, "That might end up being the hardest part. He loved those books."
Lucina flicked her eyes down, still conflicted over being in this room. On the one hand, her friend lived here. Someone who traveled to the otherside of the world to make sure she did not get killed going after Luke. A man who supported his friends every chance he could, and fought with everything he had to make sure the future was a brighter place.
On the other hand, this was technically the Fell Dragon's room as well. This room housed the very enemy she had spent nearly her entire life trying to defeat. He lived here, with her parents. Dined with them, laughed with them… played with their newborn daughter.
Lucina's jaw clenched tight. Before she could continue that line of thinking, she heard a sharp hiss, followed by the dull thunk as a hunk of metal hit the floor.
"What in Naga's name are you up to, Tiki?" Ben asked, brow raised as he watched her melt the lock away from the small chest.
Tiki's ears twitched as she looked at the chest. She tilted her head to the side, studying it a moment.
"Did Robin keep secrets?"
Lucina wanted to say yes, he was the Fell Dragon after all. But… he was never aware of that personally. At least, that is what Ben, Tiki, and Chrom believed. Part of her suspected his amnesia was a fabrication. A way for him to get close to the Fell Dragon's enemies. But if he really did mean them all harm, why would he fight so hard in wars for them?
He was the Fell Dragon. She thought, So why do I feel so… so uncertain about this.
"Not really." Chrom replied. He looked past Tiki at the chest in her hands. The Manakete set the chest down on Robin's neatly made bed, "I've never seen that before."
"Neither have I." Ben muttered, eyes narrowing at the chest.
"What do you think is in it?" Tiki wondered out loud.
Ben shrugged, "Dirty pictures?"
Tiki's face turned bright red. Chrom laughed. Lucina simply took a deep breath and watched them investigate.
"I think Robin would die of embarrassment if that was the case." Chrom laughed.
"That's probably why it was locked." Ben chuckled with Chrom.
Before they could say anything else, Tiki yanked the chest open. Lucina's heart jumped to her throat as a wave of dark side energy poured out of the chest. Chrom took a surprised step back as a penetrating cold took over the room. Tiki frowned, green eyes glued to an object within the chest. Meanwhile, Lucina could feel Ben's mental defenses go up. An action she emulated.
Tiki reached into the chest, braving the darkness and cold coming from it. Inside was… another box. A small, rectangular box with gold trim. Unassuming in appearance, intentionally so. When Lucina saw it, a sharp breath rushing into her lungs.
"Naga…" She gasped, chest rising and falling as she stared at the Reeking Box.
"What is it?" Chrom asked, swallowing hard as the shadows deepened inside of Robin's room.
Ben furrowed his brow, "I'm not sure. But it is-"
"This is something I did not anticipate." Tiki muttered, moving her fingers to the box's latch.
"DON'T OPEN IT!" Lucina cried, making Tiki freeze.
Chrom whipped his gaze to Lucina, "Why not?"
Lucina marched forward, forcibly yanking the box from Tiki, surprising the manakete in the process. The Princess quickly shoved the box back into the chest, then slammed the chest shut. She latched it for good measure. As soon as the metal latch closed, the cold and darkness inside of the room receded. The Dark Side of the Force shrank away as warm sunlight returned to the space.
Lucina's shoulders rose and fell in heavy breaths.
"I knew it." She growled, hands tightening around the lid of the chest. She turned to look at Tiki, Ben, and Chrom, "The bastard was a liar."
"Hold on!" Chrom exclaimed, a twinge of anger flashing on his face, "Where is this coming from? What is that thing?"
"That is a reeking box." Lucina snarled, "A tool the Fell Dragon's servants use to summon a horde of Risen." Chrom paled as she spoke, "Considering what we know about Robin, I think it is safe to assume that he-"
"If he was going to use that to harm your family, Lucina, then why lock it away?" Tiki interjected, her calm voice cutting through Lucina's furious tone and Chrom's worry, "For that matter, if Robin was aware of being the Fell Dragon, why would he sacrifice himself? Why would he fight on your side when it would be easier for Grima to just wipe you all out as soon as Robin could?"
"I-I-" Lucina grit her teeth and uttered a frustrated snarl, "I don't know! But that box is incredibly dangerous. Where the hell did he even get one!?"
"I can answer that, Blue."
All four of them twirled around to see Gaius sauntering in, a lollipop dangling from his lips. He gave the chest a casual glance, sighing as he pulled the lollipop from his mouth.
"Damn it, Bubbles. You told me that they knew about it." He muttered, shaking his head. He wagged his lollipop at the chest, "Bubbles found that during the Sandstorm. In one of the huts we took shelter in."
"Sandstorm?" Lucina questioned.
"Ah." Ben nodded in understanding, "We were helping Anna find her sister. She went missing on a caravan route in Plegia. The route took us through an abandoned village. We were caught in a sandstorm as we passed through and were forced to take shelter. Myself and Tharja got separated from Robin and the others."
"Yup, all of us except for Bubbles thought you were dead." Gaius commented, "Underestimated ya then, Benny. Never doing that again." He stuck his lollipop back into his mouth, nestling it inside one of his many cheeks, "Bubbles got pissed at me while we hunkered down. Stunning revelation, I know. So he stormed off to a different room in the hut we stayed in. I found him after he cooled off. He was reading something…" Gaius's eyes darted over to a bookshelf, where he spotted an old, dusty tome with sand embedded in the cracked leather binding, "This!" He snatched the book from the shelf, "Bubbles was reading this."
He tossed the book over to Ben. Ben caught it and cracked it open, studying the first few yellowed pages. The ink was faded after years of neglect, but he could make out just enough to realize what he was looking at.
"This looks similar to Robin's spellbook." Ben muttered, surprise lacing his voice.
"Bubbles said the same thing. He considered it a personal mystery for him." Gaius jammed his hands into his pockets, "In fact, he thought that entire hut looked familiar. Gave him some weird nostalgic feelings that he couldn't fully explain. Of course, while he was explaining all of that I got bored and started looking for something shiny."
"You are like a damn bird." Ben groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, shiny means valuable. Don't blame me for having an eye for it." Gaius retorted, "One thing I can tell ya about strange places like that hut, is that they usually keep precious stuff in hidden places. I managed to find a hidden hole in the wall. Bubbles helped me get into it, and we found two of those boxes. One of which had been opened already."
Ben's eyes lit up, "That's how there were Risen in the area!"
"My thoughts exactly." Gaius nodded, "Bubbles took the box. He wanted to figure out what made it tick so that he could learn how to destroy them. Apparently, that Aversa lady had one at the final battle in Plegia and tried to open it, but Bubbles stopped her. So obviously, the one in that chest caught his attention very quickly."
Tiki furrowed her brow, turning her attention back to the closed chest.
"Prince Chrom, do you believe anyone in your Magic Academy could decipher the box without releasing the threat it holds?"
Chrom rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know. Ben, do you think Tharja-"
"She would love to see this." Ben muttered, nodding his head, "Her, Henry, Laurent: those three would have a field day with it."
"No!" Lucina snapped quickly, "It needs to be destroyed!"
"How?" Tiki pointed out, "If we destroy it, could it still unleash its power? What if conventional means of destroying it does not work? What if the box is enchanted so that an even worse outcome occurs if it is destroyed? What if it is cursed? These are the questions we need answered in order to handle it properly." Tiki picked up the chest with one hand, making Gaius pale, "Master Kenobi, shall we head to the Academy?"
"Master," Lucina pleaded, "Please just…" She uttered a heavy sigh, "Make sure that it is destroyed as soon as Tharja figures out how."
Ben nodded, "Of course." He glanced at the chest dangling from Tiki's right hand, "The less of the Fell Dragon in the world, the better."
Ben muttered a quick goodbye to Chrom before following Tiki out of Robin's room. Chrom, Gaius, and Lucina remained for a moment. The two royals still stunned that Robin had such an evil object in their home while Gaius appeared completely relaxed.
"Come on you guys." Gaius groaned.
"Wh-what?" Chrom stammered, putting his hands on his hips.
"Bubbles would never hurt ya."
"Yeah well-" Lucina caught herself as she nearly blurted out the secret she swore to keep back in Chon'sin. She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, "I need to meditate."
She stormed past Chrom and Gaius. As her footsteps faded down the hall, Chrom let out an exhausted sigh.
"Naga dammit." He muttered, massaging his neck, "I've got enough to worry about as it is."
Gaius nodded in agreement. The thief silently dug into a pocket then yanked out a blue lollipop. He held it out to Chrom.
"Blueberry for Papa Blue." He said, giving Chrom a quick pat on his shoulder before walking out.
Chrom lingered a moment long, lollipop sitting softly between his fingers. He twirled the sweet, glancing around Robin's room once more. More sadness filled him, but also a lingering sense of betrayal. He grumbled to himself, unwrapping the candy and jabbing it into his mouth.
He shook his head at the thought of Robin wanting to harm his family. Chrom knew his best friend. He knew that Robin just was not capable of hurting him or his family… right?
"What were you up to with that box, Robin?" Chrom sighed.
He turned on his heel, walked out of the room, and closed the doors with a soft click.
Dagobah was a world constantly shrouded in shadows and mist. The swamp world reeked with the stench of decomposition, muggy air, muck, and filth. It's surface was always foggy, making the planet ideal for predators that used smell and hearing instead of sight to hunt their prey. One would think that the little green alien shuffling along the soft, muddy ground would be an easy meal for those predators.
Yoda chuckled to himself. Those predators knew better now. During the first few weeks of his exile, many of those animals tried to make a meal out of him. Judged him by his size, they did, and they paid the price for it. Their hides helped him make nice, warm blankets for his little hut, hidden deep in the dense swamp world.
Even though the carnivores of this world knew better than to trifle with him, Yoda did not make a habit of wandering far beyond his hut. He may be able to fend for himself, but that did not mean a predator couldn't catch him by surprise. It has happened before, and Yoda knew it could happen again. However, something drew him further than he usually roamed. A feeling in the force made him hobble deep into the swamp, to the point where he could barely see the flickering firelight within his hut behind him.
His green ears twitched as he stopped walking, gnarled cane sinking a few inches into the muck beneath his three toed feet. A dark, oppressive wave in the force slammed into his small form. Yoda closed his eyes and placed a hand to his wrinkled head, letting a small groan slip from his lips as the Dark Side of the force howled around him.
He was used to this sensation. The reason why he chose Dagobah to hide in, and not a Jedi world like Jedha, was because of the very sensations he was feeling. Yoda did not like to boast, but his presence in the force was massive. It was a bright beacon in the waters. A signal that he was indeed alive. Something he did not want the Emperor to find out.
Dagobah's darkness hid his light. At times, it gave him some duress. The planet's darkness wanted to break him. It wanted him to surrender to the dark side of the force. Whispers of vengeance, sorrow, pain, and anger constantly slipped into his long ears through the force. Centuries of being a Jedi, of following the light, helped Yoda fend those sinister thoughts off. The Force was his ally, and it did not want him succumbing to the same lust for power that consumed so many others before.
For some reason though, this pulse in the force felt different. It was not a subtle whisper, trying to seduce him into giving into the darkness. It was an enormous, pain filled howl. As the howl ripped through the air, Yoda could sense hundreds of creatures hidden by the swamp and the mist scurrying away. Terrified by the sound rippling through the force.
Yoda combated the sudden wave of darkness by allowing the force to flow through him. His mental defenses, sharpened and strengthened after centuries of intense study and meditation, stood strong against the howl. After a momentary lapse of pain, Yoda's eyes opened again.
A long frown formed over his lips when he realized where he was. Sitting in front of him, as if the planet's dark maw itself had opened to devour him whole, was the Cave. A discovery he made not long after he arrived on the planet. It was a place filled with dark side energy. The Dark Side was so dense inside, that it threatened to consume anything and everything that dared to descend into its depths. It was a black pit, filled with nothing but the darkest of thoughts, the most sinister of scenarios and the most fell powers.
Rarely did it release anything from its clutches. Even rarer did it literally spit out an unconscious body.
Yoda remained where he stood, large eyes carefully studying the young human male lying on his stomach in front of the Cave.
He had seen many humans during his long life, many strange ones for that matter. Although, the strangest were relegated to his younger days. In his old age, he did not get out very much. But he did not recall humans as young as this one appeared to be having snow white hair. On top of that, he was wearing something that looked strange, even to his ancient eyes. Even stranger still, the boy smelled like burnt meat and brimstone. Some holes were burnt through the purple and gold coat that rested on his shoulders.
"Hmm…" He shuffled towards the unconscious man and stared a little closer.
A soft sound came from Yoda's lips when he reached out with the Force. The boy was brimming with the dark side of the force. It did not just cover him, wreath him, or swirl around him. It penetrated him to his very core. Every fiber of the boy's being hummed with powerful Dark Side energy.
His first instinct was to leave him lying there. Anyone this powerful in the Dark Side was someone he should not bother with. Someone like him had to already be long gone, relegated to the Dark Side's enslavement of the mind.
As Yoda turned away, a voice whispered in his mind. The voice of his new master.
"Bring him inside, Master Yoda."
Yoda uttered a weary sigh, "Last time I listened to you about powerful children, destroy my order it did."
"This one is different." Qui Gon Jinn's voice replied, as calm as ever.
Yoda harrumphed, "Different. Hmm… same thing said about Skywalker, you did."
"Look closer."
Yoda bowed his head. Usually Qui Gon was a pleasant person to have around. Their conversations about the force kept the monotony of the days away for Yoda. Gave him some sense of companionship.
Other times, like now, he wished the ghost would be quiet.
Yoda turned back to the white haired boy. He closed his eyes and dove into the force once more, determined to follow Qui Gon's advice… and maybe prove his fellow Jedi Master wrong. As he sank deeper into the waters, he could feel the boy's massive presence reverberating like a great tremor. Yoda's brow furrowed as he sensed something strange within the boy. It was as if his presence in the force was not his own. It felt split. Multiple beings were having a great tug of war for the boy's soul.
Interesting…
Yoda opened his eyes. Perhaps Qui Gon was correct. This one was different.
With a wave of his hand, the boy floated off of the ground and drifted through the air after Yoda as the Jedi Master hobbled back to his hut. It was a good thing he had lots of blankets. The boy was much bigger than him, he was going to take up a lot of space.
And a lot of my blankets.
And chapter! The first of what I would call a mini arc of interlude chapters. There is a lot that is going to happen during Arc 3, and I want to use this mini arc to set it all up. Also, it is way too fun writing these smaller character moments. They are much more in my wheelhouse than the massive, epic battles in my opinion. So… with this chapter, we got to see Morgana and her reaction to Robin's "death". Also touched a little bit on her backstory, and Aversa's backstory for this tale as well. Then we got to find out what ever happened to that Reeking Box Robin picked up waaaaaaaaay back during the timeskip. I didn't forget about that one lol. Just had a hard time figuring out a way to fit it back into the story until now. And finally, Master Yoda has officially arrived in this story. This is gonna be good! I'm excited!
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this story! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!
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