Chapter 1

Robin bolted into a sitting position, clamping down on the scream about to escape his lips as his long white hair flew about at the movement. The last thing he needed was to wake his daughter or wife again. Breathing heavily the former hero-tactician leaned forward and held his head in both hands, letting out a ragged sigh.

Of course, this behaviour didn't go unnoticed by the form sleeping at his side.

"The nightmares again?" Lucina asked sleepily, rolling over and propping herself up on one elbow.

Robin nodded, silent for a moment before he realized that they were sitting in the dark.

"Yeah," he answered, letting himself fall back onto his pillow.

It had been three years now since Grima had died. Three years of struggling to rebuild the world left shattered in the wake of the fell Dragon's short-lived return. Nearly an entire generation of young men had died during the Plegian Liberation Wars and the Valmese Independence War, and many still looked to the Shepherds for leadership, such as the teenagers and children currently in Robin's care as he taught them tactics. He'd made off better than some of his friends, though; Chrom and Sumia, Say'ri, Virion and Basilio and Flavia were all world leaders now. Frederick, Cordelia, Libra and Tharja were all sandbagged by their own responsibilities now, too. Robin had managed to dodge almost every responsibility that had been thrown at him, but the dreams still remained.

No matter what he did, he couldn't escape from the dreams.

"Which one was it this time?" Lucina asked, moving closer and settling onto his chest.

Robin smiled a little at his wife's half-asleep question. She, too, was still assailed by the occasional nightmare of the future she had escaped from, but it was nothing compared to the ones Robin suffered from. At least twice a week he was waking in a cold sweat, and at least once a month he still woke screaming, even so many years after the fighting had stopped.

He reasoned that dying twice and coming back tended to do that to a man.

"I was falling again," he said softly, wrapping his arm around Lucina and stroking her hair with his other.

Lucina sighed happily as Robin ran his hand through her long blue hair and down to her shoulders, no doubt already drifting off again.

"It was just a dream," she reminded him gently.

"I know," Robin whispered. "Go back to sleep, dear."

Lucina nodded slightly, the movement little more than a twitch of her head, before her deep, rhythmic breathing signalled she'd drifted off again.

Robin couldn't help but smirk as he realised he'd been trapped again. He suspected she did this to him on purpose after his nightmares, using him like a pillow. He couldn't get up without waking her, so it motivated him to try and get back to sleep rather than slink off to his study.

Giving another sigh Robin settled in for another night of staring at the ceiling and stroking Lucina's soft hair as sleep eluded him.

The next morning Robin gave a monumental yawn as he shuffled into the small living area in what had once been the fort's commander's quarters, shrugging his coat higher up onto his shoulders. It was still early in spring and the winter chill had yet to retreat fully; not that it ever fully retreated this far north, but it had stopped snowing for an entire week, so Robin called that a sure sign that spring was upon them.

He scoffed and grinned a little to himself, shaking his head as he nudged a kettle closer to the fire. He and his school had only been there a few years and already he knew the weather patterns like a local. It was amazing just how fast one caught on to local weather tells once they stopped moving around constantly. This was honestly the longest period of time he could remember that he'd spent in one place, and it was a good feeling. It was nice to feel like he belonged. Not that he didn't feel that way in Ylisse, but here he'd made his own home, on his own terms, so it was a different feeling.

With another yawn Robin held his hands out over the fire, attempting to warm them from the oppressive chill.

"Rough night, sir?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.

"Yeah," Robin answered without turning. "I don't get much sleep anymore. What about you? Getting used to the cold yet?"

A young woman in a plain black tunic stepped around towards the fire, cradling two steaming cups of tea. Her dark tan skin was at odds with the pale complexions of the locals, and her long, straight black hair was pulled back from her face in a tight ponytail. She smiled at Robin as she gave him one of the cups.

"I'm doing just fine, sir," Robin's chamberlain, the former Plegian freedom-fighter-turned-Royal-Guard Sahiri, chuckled. "But I think you might want to look at getting more rest. That kettle's still empty. Here, sir; drink this while I get started on breakfast."

Robin blinked down at his cup of tea before nudging the empty kettle back away from the fire.

"I knew that," he muttered lamely as Sahiri laughed, moving to start cooking breakfast.

Robin sunk into one of the chairs at the small wooden table, taking a long sip from the cup; it was a blend of tea that Virion had sent from Rosanne, one that they had drank together whenever they had played chess. Sahiri mysteriously always seemed to know which flavour of tea he wanted on any given morning.

The young Plegian woman was Robin's, for lack of a better word, Frederick. She was his maid, chamberlain, clerk, school administrator, fort guard captain, and basically anything else he needed doing. Apparently Mustafa had ordered the old Royal Guard Captain Algol to send someone with Robin, even after he'd abdicated his claim to the throne, and Sahiri had jumped at the idea. To make matters worse, she'd even spent a year in Ylisstol while Robin and Lucina had been travelling, training under the surly Knight-Commander of all people on how best to be of service to Robin.

He guessed that her overbearing attitude was the Knight Commander's way of spiting him for all the years he'd made Frederick's life hard by ignoring Ylissean social protocol while he'd been the Shepherds' tactician.

"You know you don't have to make us breakfast," Robin said, simply to break the silence.

He knew nothing would come of it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sahiri giggled a little in response as she measured out some oats.

"I know, sir Robin," the younger woman answered him. "But I like doing it. Plus, if I'm being entirely honest, I make myself a little while I'm up here, too."

"I knew you had to have an ulterior motive!" Robin declared, standing as he was overcome with his victory.

Lucina chose that point to make her entrance, leading a bleary-eyed young girl by the hand as she chuckled at her husband's antics.

The little girl was Robin and Lucina's only child, and all of four years old now, had been given the name Emmeryn in respect to Lucina's late aunt. They had chosen the name not only out of respect, but also due to the fact that Morgan was Say'ri's daughter, not Lucina's; it simply hadn't felt right to call the child Morgan, too. Her long hair was blue like her mother's, and matched the Brand of the Exalt that sparkled in her left eye. She looked up at the two other adults in the kitchen and smiled before opening her mouth to give a mighty yawn.

"Good morning, Sahiri," she said. "What is all the screaming about so early?"

"Sir Robin simply realised something that has eluded him for more than a year," she answered cryptically, moving to help Emm into her seat.

"And good morning to you, young miss. Your breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," she added as she lifted the toddler into her higher chair.

"'Mornin Sahiri," Emm mumbled before letting out a huge yawn.

"Thank you, Sahiri," Lucina said graciously as she took her seat at the small table. "Won't you join us?"

Robin's brow shot up as Sahiri shot him a 'see what I meant?' look before giving Lucina a small bow.

"It would be my pleasure, my lady," the former Royal Guard said.

After an uneventful breakfast Robin grinned happily as he leaned back against the table, preparing to watch his students piling into the small room he used for his classroom. It had once been the fort's command centre, and was still occupied by a long and wide wooden table covered in maps and small figures representing units on a battlefield. He'd hung a few tapestries up that Lissa had sent to him; apparently Ylissean officers got given these things when they lead during a successful campaign. The colourful images on them were master-class level work, but they just didn't fit in with the décor of his office, so he had hung them up in his teaching space to remind the students of the real-world application of what they were learning. One wall was lined entirely with books on tactics, at least five copies of each. Anna had practically salivated when he'd given her the order, but Chrom had insisted on paying for them and a lot of the school's resources as a 'wedding gift' for his daughter. Not that Robin or Anna were complaining, though.

The door opened, snapping Robin back to the present.

The first to enter the room, as always, was the first official student he'd picked up for the school, the Chon'sin noble-born warrior Mari'ko. She had actually petitioned Robin to take her on as his apprentice while he and Lucina had still been honeymooning in Valm. Petitioned might have been putting it lightly, though; pestered incessantly until Robin gave in and sent her ahead of them to Aversa was probably more accurate. Funnily enough, the quietest of his students was also the most stubborn and persistent. Fortunately she had a keen mind and a good grasp of tactics, not to mention the skills with a blade that apparently every single person in Chon'sin was born with, even if her skills with magic were less than perfect. She stopped in the doorway and gave a polite bow in greeting, her long, loose black hair cascading over the shoulder of her pale pink kimono as she did so, before she silently moved to stand at Robin's side.

"Morning, Mari," Robin said brightly.

"Good morning, sensei," was the teenager's carefully measured reply, before she went right back to standing in silence.

Next into the room was the local boy Rance, his mahogany skin still sheening with perspiration from his morning exercise. Being a native of Regna Ferox obviously meant that the boy was apparently impervious to the cold, meaning he walked around in little more than hide pants and a sleeveless leather vest while the others were forced to layer. Like a lot of the Feroxi Robin had met, Rance bore an uncanny resemblance to Basilio, making him think that the old Khan's jokes about 'getting around' in his youth weren't as inaccurate as he'd been led to believe.

"Mornin', teach," Rance greeted brightly. "You joinin' us on the training field this arvie?"

"No," he laughed. "Trust me when I say I've already gotten a lifetime of Lucina kicking my arse up and down a training field. The whole reason I started this school was to give her new targets to beat up on. Like… you for instance."

The two men shared a laugh while Mari'ko poked at one of the cavalry pieces on the table. Once silence settled again Robin watched the doorway expectantly, waiting for his last two students to arrive; before long he could hear the sound of running footsteps, accompanied by the usual cursing and threats.

"Move, damn your sand-loving arse! We're running late and you're in my way!"

"Oh, so I should move out of your way and be even later? Yes, that's a brilliant idea. Why are you not at the top of the class again? Oh, right. You're an idiot."

"Oh shut up and- master! Good morning!" a tall, muscular blonde boy said, snapping to attention when he realised Robin was watching the door.

A smaller boy with dark purple hair bordering on black and wearing a familiar mage's tunic elbowed around the other boy, glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Sorry, master. Isaac overslept and-"

"Galle, shut it!" the blonde boy hissed.

"Enough," Robin sighed. "Take your places. I'm not punishing you, but I'm telling both Lucina and Aversa not to take it easy on either of you this afternoon."

Both boys visibly paled as they hurried to take their positions at the table. Robin was no slouch when it came to discipline, but rather than waste his energy on punishing his students he would rather them have the sense beaten into them during their practical skills classes. Rance snickered a little at the outcome, while Mari'ko simply watched on with the same neutral expression she always wore. Nothing ever seemed to phase the girl, no matter how hard Robin or the others tried.

"Right," Robin said, clapping his hands together. "Who wants to learn about the best way to flank cavalry with infantry and limited support? Too bad, because that's what we're covering today."

"Goody," Rance muttered under his breath as the students crowded around the table.

Lucina took a deep breath of the frigid spring air, a small smile rising unbidden to her face as she set up the practice swords for that afternoon's class. The practice space was just outside the fort's walls near the woods, where there was plenty of space for whatever weapon or magic was being used could be utilized fully. At Robin's insistence they had made sure a creek was nearby, too. In case of fire-magic-related mishaps.

Lucina's smile grew a little as she carried the practice weapons from their box over to the rack.

Five years ago her life had taken a dramatic right-hand turn, and a number of things she never thought would happen actually had; starting, of course, with the defeat of Grima and the establishment of a lasting peace. Now she had a family, a home, and a future with the man she loved. It was mind-boggling that less than a decade ago she didn't think to even be able to survive as long as she had, let alone fall in love and start a family. She had spent more time smiling in the last few years than she had in her entire life before returning to the past.

And she definitely never would have guessed that she would be teaching swordsmanship to a future generation of young tacticians. But that was her life now, and it was sweeter than anything she had ever known. Not since her childhood had Lucina felt such levels of happiness and contentment.

A sound from behind her made the time-traveller glance up, her whole body tensing up as reflexes honed by a lifetime spent fighting kicked in.

"Peace, man-spawn," a giant brown rabbit easily as big as a bear said as it stepped out of the woods.

"Hello, Panne," Lucina said, placing the practice blades on the rack and dusting off her hands. "How does the day find you?"

The giant rabbit sniffed, sitting up on its hind legs and looking at Lucina with deep red eyes. As Lucina watched the rabbit shrunk down to the size of a human, transforming into a woman with long brown hair and matching patches of fur on the backs of her arms and her exposed shoulders. Two long brown rabbit's ears hung down from the top of her head, and while her eyes had taken on a more human appearance the irises were still the same deep red colour.

"Bored," the last full-blooded Taguel shape-shifter admitted. "I wish to sit in on your training."

Lucina grinned, letting out a small chuckle.

"I'm sure the students would love the chance to be pummelled by someone new," she laughed. "But where are Gaius and Yarne?"

Panne quirked her head, knowing instinctively that the younger woman was talking about her younger son, rather than the time-traveller that had come back from the future with Lucina.

"Yarne is in Ylisse with himself," Panne said crouching down next to the rack of practice weapons. "He likes the city, and it is good for him to become accustomed to being around the other man-spawn. Gaius is… indisposed."

Lucina nodded. "Then I welcome your expertise, Lady Panne."

The Taguel woman sniffed, glancing up at Lucina out of the corner of her eye.

"You persist on that title when we are practically family?" she asked curiously.

Lucina shook her head in response.

"Morgan is not my daughter," she explained. "And technically, the older Yarne is not your son. However, I merely do it because I know it irks you."

"You have spent far too much time around Robin," Panne deadpanned when she saw Lucina's sheepish smile.

Lucina just laughed, and before either woman could say anything else a dismayed cry went up from the direction of the fort.

"Oh hells no!" Rance groaned loudly. "Not again! Every time the bunny-lady shows up we get our arses handed to us, and I'm sick of the bruises!"

Lucina burst out laughing again as the other two boys in Robin's advanced class, Galle and Isaac, let out similar groans. The one girl, Mari'ko, didn't even flinch as she walked over and picked up a practice sword, looking at Lucina expectantly.

"Galle, Isaac, try not to kill each other while you warm up," Lucina ordered. "Mari'ko, I'd like to work on your footwork a little more today before I start with the boys. Sorry, Rance. Looks like you're going to be sparring with Panne first."

The young Feroxi let out another groan as he reached for a second practice weapon, balancing one in each hand.

"Good," Panne nodded as she sprung to her feet. "He is the heaviest one and flies the furthest."

"Please tell me she's joking," Rance moaned to Lucina.

Panne leaned forward, transforming back into her rabbit form and stepping back towards the forest.

"She's not joking," the young Feroxi boy sighed, hefting his wooden weapons. "Just… don't break anything this time. I'm sick of that healer in town, and I'm pretty sure he's sick of seeing me."

That afternoon, while Lucina was busy beating the stuffing out of Isaac and Galle with wooden practice weapons while Mari'ko and Rance sparred in the background, Robin found himself with nothing to do for a change except wander around the halls of his fort, occasionally watching them from the window. He stopped, snickering to himself a little as Mari'ko dodged to one side and Panne barrelled into Rance while the Chon'sin girl danced out of the Taguel's path. He wasn't sure when she had arrived, but he knew that Lucina loved the help with her classes.

Aversa was teaching the third class basic combat magic on the eastern side of the fort, the one that faced the ocean in case someone lit themselves on fire again; Robin had made sure that both practice areas were close to water for that reason alone. Lucina had Robin's first class, the students closest to graduating in Robin's opinion, for fencing practice; there wasn't much more she could teach them, but it still helped to keep their skills sharp. All of which left Sahiri, who had graciously offered to take the second class out into the forest for some survival training. They probably wouldn't be back until well after nightfall, either.

Meaning that Robin, for the first time in a long time, had nothing better to do than wander around and spend time with his daughter.

"What do you think, honey?" he asked, looking down at the girl walking along next to him. "Feel like going for a stroll into town?"

"I wanna go see Anna!" Emm said excitedly, racing ahead a few steps.

Robin cringed at the thought of dealing with the plucky merchant, but fortunately Emm didn't see his reaction. She loved to go and see the energetic woman that always doted on her, even if it meant Robin had to spend a lot of money on whatever cockamamie merchandise Anna was peddling at the time. Last time he had braved Anna's shop he'd wound up paying for a share of her cousin's merchant route out to the eastern shore, peddling merchandise along the way, and he really, really didn't want to get dragged into more business with the Anna family.

"I didn't want to go that far into town today…" Robin began to groan.

Emm spun to look back at her father, and as soon as Robin saw her smile any resistance he had to her idea instantly dissipated.

"Alright, let's go see Anna," Robin sighed, pushing the hair out of his face.

He would never admit it, but Robin was defenceless against his daughter's smile. It was the same one Lucina got very, very occasionally, which meant he had yet to build up a resistance, and his carefree child could use it all the time to get whatever she wanted.

"Yay!" Emm cheered, grabbing onto Robin's hand and beginning to drag him towards the fort's gates.

The marketplace in Nauta was right on the docks, literally the furthest point in the town from Robin's fort in the woods. The small fishing town was one of the oldest in Regna Ferox, right on the north-eastern tip of a small spit. Apparently a lot of whaling had gone on earlier in the town's existence, but for some strange reason the locals had switched to more traditional fishing instead. However, in the two years since Robin had made his home and started his school in the town there had been a rapid increase in people moving to the area, not to mention the construction around the town to accommodate all the new arrivals. Anna had said something about him being good for a local economy since people trusted him, but he was still a little weirded out by it.

Like always the marketplace was bustling with people; dockworkers and sailors, fishermen and other tradesmen all going about their business while merchants tried to hock their wares. He exchanged greetings with a few familiar faces as Emm attempted to pull him along, the girl giving up after a few steps and dashing off ahead.

Robin found himself grateful for the fact that at least it was a nice day out, blue skies above with just a hint of winter's chill still on the wind. Emm seemed happy with the change, at least, running and spinning happily in her winter clothes with her arms outstretched as the wind blew through her blue hair. Robin found himself grinning, his daughter's good cheer contagious.

"Dad, c'mon!" Emm pouted, crossing her arms and glowering at the slower man.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Robin assured her. "I just… need a chance to mentally prepare myself…"

The little girl disappeared into one of the storefronts, and as Robin stepped onto the small wooden step and pushed the door open his ears were assaulted by a familiar squeal.

"Emmy!" Anna cried happily as she lifted the smaller girl into a giant hug, her voice so shrill it made Robin wince.

"Miss Anna!" Emm responded, returning the hug.

"Morning, Anna. And no, I did not bring my wallet," Robin greeted, closing the shop's door behind him.

"Liar," Anna snorted. "I can hear you jingling from here."

Robin grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. "Just… be gentle."

Anna winked, plopping Emm down on the countertop and holding her index finger to her cheek in her signature pose. In fact, she was still wearing the same red and yellow travel clothes she always did, too. In fact she hadn't aged at all in the last five years.

"Oh Robin, you know I'm always gentle," she practically purred.

"I'm telling Lucina," he deadpanned in response, crossing his arms and sinking to a hip.

Anna blinked a few times before laughing nervously. Lucina was, unsurprisingly, a little territorial when it came to Robin, something that Anna and Tharja had both learned early into their married life, much to Robin's great amusement at the time. Anna's chronic flirting made dealing with her that much easier.

"Discount?" the merchant said, smiling weakly.

"That's more like it," the tactician laughed, clapping his hands together.

"Yay!" Emm said, clapping in emulation of her father.

"Yay," Anna repeated with much less enthusiasm as she lifted Emm down to the ground.

"I've got some new inventory in the green-marked boxes out the back I think you might like," she added to the little girl. "If you find something nice I'll teach you how to haggle while your daddy pays for it."

"Kay!" Emm said, darting off like a shot.

Robin shook his head and chuckled, moving to lean against the countertop.

Anna's shop was a general store; there were all kinds of things, from preserved foods to hardware supplies and clothes. All of it was laid out on the first floor of the building, with a small flat above it for the self-proclaimed 'merchant queen's' quarters.

"So… while you're here…" Anna said, sidling up to Robin with her abacus already in hand.

"Yeah, yeah, just take it," Robin groaned, plopping his small coin purse down on the countertop.

He did need to look into ordering a few things anyway… even if Anna was the merchant equivalent of a shark in bloody water at this point.

"So how's business?" Robin asked idly almost an hour later.

They had been doing some serious 'negotiating' for the supplies Robin wanted, and while his wallet wasn't quite as empty as he'd been expecting it was still far lighter than when he'd come into the store. Anna was just running the last of her numbers now, triple checking her work so that neither she nor Robin would be out of pocket. Robin hated to admit it, but at least Anna was a trustworthy merchant.

The red-headed woman mumbled something incoherent, adding up numbers and doing math in her head at the same speed Robin came up with tactical responses.

"It's good," she said at last, tapping one final bead across her little abacus before setting it down. "Like I said, you do wonders for a town. More and more people are moving here, and I'm perfectly set up here on the edge of the market to cater to everyone! I knew following you around for so long would pay off in spades! I'm thinking of getting an addition done out back, making my living space a little bigger."

"You'd just fill it with more stock…" Robin chuckled.

He was going to say more about her insane hoarding habits, but he trailed off when he saw the group of armed guards walking through the marketplace. Which was strange, considering that Nauta only had a volunteer civilian militia rather than a dedicated platoon of town guards.

"What's going on?" Anna asked, instantly pulling two daggers out from beneath her counter and handing one to Robin.

"I dunno," he muttered, before shouting over his shoulder, "Emm honey, I need you to stay in that back room until I come get you, okay?"

"Kay!" was his daughter's immediate response.

Apparently she had found something really interesting back there. She hadn't been out to bug Anna or Robin since she'd disappeared.

The two Shepherds crossed the store, stepping out onto the street without even a hint of hesitation. Robin wasn't training the way he used to, but he didn't doubt he could take all of these guys with one hand tied behind his back. Anna was no slouch, either, so he knew they'd be fine.

"Gentlemen!" Robin called out to the soldiers. "What seems to be the problem?"

As one the soldiers, all Feroxi men Robin noted, turned to look back at the two foreigners stepping into the street behind them. There was a tense moment of silence as they eyed off, before it was broken by a familiar voice.

"Robin!" a woman called out. "I've been looking everywhere for- gah, dammit, get out of my way!"

Pushing to the front of the soldiers was an older woman in red and silver armour, her tan skin at odds with her messy blonde hair. A massive two-handed sword was strapped to her back, its golden blade glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

"Flavia?" Robin asked, lowering his guard. "What's wrong? And why do you still have Ragnell?"

"Later," the reigning Khan said brusquely. "I need to talk to you now. And it's important."

Flavia looked flustered to Robin, which was a rare sight indeed. Outwardly she looked the same as always, but her shoulders were tense and her posture stiff, and she wasn't smiling her usual confident grin. Something was very wrong.

"Okay, okay," Robin said, turning back to Anna's store. "Just let me get Emm and we can… uh…"

He stopped, Anna and Flavia behind him staring at the spectacle on the merchant's doorstep. Emm was looking up at them from beneath the rim of a leather skull cap at least twice her size, cradling a large morning-star in her arms so heavy it looked like she was about to collapse beneath it.

"Daddy I want these ones," she said to the stunned adults.

Flavia burst out laughing, slapping Robin on the back before doubling over and holding her sides; a few of the closer Feroxi guards were chuckling along, too. Anna just laughed nervously, bending down to take the morning-star from the child.

"I thought I put the weapons in the red-marked crates…" she muttered, holding the mace and grinning guiltily at Robin.

"Well, she's definitely her mother's daughter," Robin sighed, bending down to pick the small child up.

"You can have a mace when you're older," he told her. "But… you can keep the helmet."

"At cost," Anna pitched in.

"Yay!" Emm cheered, throwing her arms up as the helmet wobbled on her head.

Robin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the table in his office. Beside him Lucina was standing with one hand cupping her chin, the other supporting her elbow as she thought about their predicament. Across from them Aversa looked similarly perturbed, but held back on her usual sarcasm as Flavia, in the chair next to her, looked fit to burst. Anna just watched the proceedings from the back of the room, Emm sitting comfortably on her lap completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere, still fiddling with her oversized helmet. Sahiri was out keeping the students busy, so Robin would have to catch her up on events later.

"The whole town?" Robin asked again.

Flavia grunted and nodded, crossing her arms.

"The bastards came in, killed the guard and took over," she spat. "It's in my territory, so the oaf doesn't want to send any of his warriors to help. Which is fine anyway, because I've got plenty of bodies, but…"

"Then why come to us?" Lucina asked at last.

"I have a guess," Aversa drawled, rolling her eyes.

"I can't lead every squad at once," Flavia admitted sourly. "We're still trying to rebuild the clan armies. There's just not enough officers left to go around. I was hoping a few of your kids were ready for some field experience."

A sizeable army of bandits had moved from the south, burning villages before assaulting and taking over the logging city of Silva in one night. The city guards were all dead, and Flavia was chomping at the bit to retake her city. A lot of lumber, one of the main sources of income for Eastern Regna Ferox, came from Silva, not to mention the fact that bandit attacks like this had become much more common in the unrest during the whole Valm Liberation Campaign. Army deserters and criminals always made the trek north to the unforgiving forests of Regna Ferox, where the southern nations had no authority. Most became bandits, returning to their home nations as plunderers and ending up arrested and executed anyway, but a few remained in Regna Ferox to cause trouble. Trouble that Robin's students weren't ready to deal with yet.

"Absolutely not," Robin said without a second thought about Flavia's request. "They're good, and some of them have seen combat, but they're not ready for command yet. I understand this is a problem, Flavia, but these kids aren't soldiers. They're tacticians."

The Khan twitched, leaning forward to glare at the tactician.

"You understand?" she growled. "My people are dying, Robin! For Naga's sake, I grew up in that town! Don't you dare try to tell me you understand!"

"Alright, poor choice of words," Robin said calmingly. "Look, I didn't say we wouldn't help, I just said that the kids weren't ready for command yet."

"So…" Flavia prompted.

"I'll admit my students need actual field experience," Robin explained, standing up. "Therefore I'll bring my advanced class with me and advise your army myself. Objections?"

"None," Flavia said with a predatory grin, her mood doing a full one-eighty. "That's far better than I was hoping for, honestly."

"We'll advise your army," Lucina amended her husband, placing one hand on his shoulder.

Robin glanced up to her, and she gave a confident nod. She had that look in her eye that Robin knew better than to argue with, so he simply shrugged and grinned back at Flavia.

"Right, well, you have fun with that," Aversa sighed lazily. "I'll keep your seat warm until you get back…"

"Oh, you're coming, too," Robin added as an afterthought.

"Oh joy," Aversa groaned, rolling her eyes. "How did I know you would say that?"

"I'm in, too!" Anna volunteered from the back of the room.

"Me too!" Emm piped up.

"I think you're a bit young yet, squirt," Flavia laughed over her shoulder. "But I like your enthusiasm."

Robin grinned wider, stretching out his neck as he reached back for the rapier sitting on the sideboard beneath his window. It was a beautiful sword, similar to the one Chrom had given him when they had first met, but of an even higher quality. Its deep blue scabbard matched Lucina's hair, no doubt done on purpose by her father, and just beneath where the hilt sat on it the Mark of Naga, the symbol of House Ylisse, was carved.

"Emm honey, you stay here and watch the fort," he said as he strapped the weapon to his hip. "Keep Sahiri and the others out of trouble, okay?"

"Okay," the girl mumbled dejectedly before perking back up. "That means I'm in charge, right?"

"You and Sahiri share the top spot," Robin said with a grin. "But not my office."

Lucina walked over and took the girl from Anna, lifting her up and holding her.

"Why don't we go and find Sahiri to tell her that you'll both be in charge?" the blue-haired woman said as her daughter smiled happily.

"Sure!" Emm agreed.

The mother and daughter duo left the room, Anna practically swooning at what she obviously found to be an adorable display.

"She's such a well behaved child!" the merchant crowed. "I want one!"

"Make your own, then," Robin scoffed, crossing his arms and sinking to a hip. "Besides, it's an act. She's too smart for her own damn good."

"Yes, especially considering the toddler outsmarts the hero-tactician on a daily basis," Aversa drawled.

Flavia burst out laughing at this information, Anna trying and failing not to do the same. Robin cast a withering glare at his sister, who gave an innocent shrug before grinning into the corner, trying to hide it by facing away from him.

"Yeah, yeah, real funny. Everyone get your things together," Robin said irritatedly. "Flavia, we'll meet you at Silva. Do not, under any circumstances, assault the city until we meet you there. Understood?"

"Aye, commander," the Khan said with a sarcastic salute.

"Aversa, I want you to meet Anna at her shop and travel with her. Lucina's going to join you, too. Get to the city first and start organizing Flavia's troops. I'll come after with the students once you have a handle on things."

"Right, right," Aversa groaned. "Make us do all the work."

"I don't mind a little work," Anna said excitedly.

"But it's gonna cost you," she added with another wink at Robin.

"Doesn't it always?" he sighed, sinking back into his chair. "You all have your roles. Go on. I have some lesson plans to write up for Sahiri before I leave."

The three women left the room quickly after that, already switching into work-mode as they discussed the journey to Silva. Now that he was alone Robin let out a sigh, massaging his temples and wishing to Naga that Chrom could be here with him. With deft movements Robin pulled the back-up lesson plans he kept on hand for just such an occasion out of his desk and sat them on top of his table.

"I assume you got all that?" he asked the empty office after a moment.

"'Course I did, Bubbles," came the reply from the shadow of one of Robin's great bookshelves. "That Khan speaks pretty damn loud. I'd be surprised if Panne hadn't heard her outside, too."

A thin, lanky man with ginger hair stepped into the light streaming in from Robin's window, his sleeveless dark leathers and pale flesh covered by a thick travelling cloak. Gaius gave Robin a reassuring grin as he leaned against the teacher's desk lazily, letting out a theatrical sigh.

Since Grima's defeat Gaius had gone back to a life of barely-legal work, something that Chrom and Robin both pretended not to notice. In fact Robin knew that Gaius made his hideout in Nauta somewhere with his wife Panne, if only because Panne spent a lot of time helping Lucina with the tactician-students' physical training. The tactician pretended not to notice the sheer amount of stolen goods in the marketplace, too, mostly because the trade-off of the duo often working as his eyes and ears when something happened in the world was totally worth it. Say'ri and Morgan had Seiko and her network of spies. Chrom had Frederick running an official intelligence network now with the previous Knight-Commander, the retired Cullen, as its head. Robin had the sugar-addicted pseudo-thief and the Taguel's web of contacts.

"Then I assume you already know what I'm about to ask you to do?" Robin asked, emulating the man's grin as he rose out of his chair.

"Something stupid, no doubt?" Gaius sighed.

"Yeah, but we both know you love stupid," Robin chuckled, giving the thief a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I want you to get there ahead of the girls and case the town. Find where the bandits are hiding, try and get some resistance happening; they're Feroxi, so it won't be hard to rile them up. But I need intel above all else. Think you can handle it?"

"You know what I want to hear," Gaius said expectantly.

Robin sighed, stepping back from the other man and running a hand through his hair.

"I'll tell Lucina to make a batch of those honey-cakes before we leave," he said, feigning defeat.

"That's more like it," Gaius clapped, hopping off Robin's desk and walking to the door. "Maybe you should'a stuck with politics, Bubbles. You sure know how to motivate people."

Robin just laughed and shook his head as the occasional-thief-occasional-spy slipped out of his office, leaving only a faint aroma of sugar in his wake.

"Didja hear the rumours?" Rance asked excitedly, wincing as he eased himself into an armchair. "Bandits in the east- argh, damn that bunny-woman!"

"Man, she kicks your butt every time," Isaac snickered across from him.

Opposite the two boys Mari'ko sat, silently drinking her customary evening tea and listening intently to the conversation.

The three students were sitting in the small common room they shared; a converted officer's space that had once housed the fort's junior officer staff at some point back when Ylisse had occupied that part of Regna Ferox. A small fireplace crackled in one corner, and four armchairs were arranged facing one another around a low table that the students could study or relax at.

"That's not the point," Rance said, leaning forward. "We're talking our first real mission, here!"

"You should not be so quick to seek violence," Mari'ko said in a soft voice, possibly speaking for the first time that day.

"She spoke!" Isaac gasped, Rance guffawing along with the boy as Mari'ko rolled her eyes.

She was always quiet; at first the three boys had thought that she couldn't understand them and there was a language barrier, but after a while they realised that she only spoke when necessary. No matter how often Rance hit on her.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, anyway," Galle said, walking shirtless out of his room as he dried his hair. "We're probably just going to be watching."

Rance huffed, leaning back in his chair and wincing again with a swift local curse as the Plegian boy stood near the fire.

"Ah! You know for a Plegian, you're pretty pale," the Feroxi pointed out with a grin.

"And for a Feroxi you're especially stupid," Galle replied without skipping a beat.

"C'mon guys, let's not fight," Isaac sighed. "For a change, anyway. We're shipping out tomorrow, save the negativity for the bandits."

Mari'ko nodded slowly before taking another sip from her tea. Galle rolled his eyes, frowning and letting his towel rest around his shoulders.

"Aw, I'm only playin'," Rance snickered, before growing serious again. "But do you think we'll actually, you know, be on the front lines?"

"One track mind," Galle muttered, rolling his eyes again.

"A tactician leads from the front where they can adapt strategies as needed," Mari'ko quoted softly, placing her now empty cup on the table.

"I'd take that as a yes," Isaac said, breaking into a grin. "I'm actually kinda excited, too. Nervous, but excited. Wasn't Morgan our age when she joined the Shepherds?"

"Yup," Rance sighed. "She got the one-on-one experience with Robin. Maybe that's what I need? A little one-on-one time."

"What, with Robin?" Isaac asked curiously.

"No, with Morgan!" Rance said excitedly. "She's a fine lady! I'd love to get a little one-on-one time with her, if you catch my meaning!"

Galle and Isaac both groaned and rolled their eyes. Mari'ko sighed, the motion little more than the act of exhaling on her, before she gracefully rose to her feet and cast a glare down at Rance.

"Rance no baka," she said before spinning on her heel and disappearing into her room.

"What did she just call me?" the Feroxi boy asked, raising one eyebrow as he watched the girl leave.

"I think the called you… baked?" Isaac guessed, scratching his head.

"She called you an idiot," Galle said, prodding Rance in the side of the head before turning to Isaac. "And you're not much better. Both of you get some sleep, we have to be up early tomorrow."

With that the Plegian boy turned and returned to his own room, now sufficiently dry after standing next to the fire.

"Who died and put you in charge?" Rance called after the other boy.

Isaac shook his head, reaching for the communal chess-board they all shared. Robin insisted that playing chess would help their tactics, but all it really did was help Isaac's self-esteem when he beat Rance every night they played.

"Fancy a game?" Isaac asked innocently.

"Fancy a chess-board shoved up your arse?" Rance growled, raising one brow.

"I'll wager my rations at tomorrow's camp," Isaac prompted.

Rance stared at the Ylissean boy for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly before he blew a breath out his nose.

"Fine. But I'm playing white this time."

Robin stood at his window that evening, leaning with one arm against the frame and looking out over the dark forest. The moon was hidden by clouds, making the night outside of the lights of the fort almost impenetrable. A small shiver went up his spine as it brought to mind memories of the last time he was enveloped in darkness…

The sound of small shuffling feet made Robin glance up from the window as Emm wandered into the room, freshly bathed and ready for bed.

"Daddy?" Emm asked sleepily. "What'cha looking at?"

"Just the forest, honey," Robin said softly.

Right now Lucina would be bathing herself after helping their daughter wash, so he would need to distract her for a little while. Emm nodded, wandering over to the window and standing on her toes to look out of it with him. They stood there silently watching the forest swaying in the night breeze, Robin crossing his arms and leaning with his back against the window frame while Emm rested her chin on the sill.

"It's spooky," she said eventually.

"What's spooky about it?" Robin asked.

"The dark," Emm replied. "It scares me."

Robin smiled and placed his hand on Emm's head.

"It's nothing to be scared of," he explained. "There's nothing out there in the night that isn't there during the day."

Emm stepped back from the window, looking up at her father and shaking her head.

"I like the night. I'm scared of the dark."

Robin raised an eyebrow before crouching down to his daughter's level.

"What do you mean, honey?" he asked softly.

Emm looked down before she held her hands up in a sort of bowl-shape. Robin had seen her do this before while Aversa had been teaching the toddler the earliest forms of mana manipulation. She could make a few sparks or embers already, even blow a few breezes. It was impressive, but not unheard of for gifted mages to start so young.

But much to Robin's surprise a small wisp of purple smoke flared to life between the girl's hands. Her face scrunched up as she focused for a few seconds before the dark magic flickered and lashed out, snapping at her fingers. With a yelp she drew her hands back and the spell blinked out.

"See?" she asked, looking up at Robin with teary eyes.

He nodded, pulling her close into a comforting hug and rubbing her back.

"Aw, is that why you don't like the dark?" he asked.

Emm sniffled and nodded into his chest.

"Well that's because Dark Magic isn't something to be playing with," he told her. "How long have you been able to do that?"

"I dunno," she said sulkily. "… it's easier than nature magic."

"It is for me, too," Robin explained. "But it's not without its cost. I'll let Auntie Tharja explain it properly next time we go to visit, but until then you have to promise not to use it, okay?"

Emm nodded again.

"I promise. But… what about Auntie Aversa?" she asked. "She's a sorcer… sorcer…ess too, right?"

Robin couldn't help but smile as his daughter tried to wrap her mouth around the difficult word.

"She is," he said. "But I'd rather you learn it from Auntie Tharja. When you're old enough I'll even send you to her school for a few months to learn it properly if you want."

Emm nodded, thinking carefully.

"So all I have to do is not use it for now?" she asked.

"Yup," Robin said, ruffling her hair a little. "That's it. Do nothing and you'll be fine. Just stick to helping Sahiri while your mother and I are gone and forget about Dark Magic until you're older."

"Kay," Emm said, her smile returning.

"Now why don't we surprise your mother by getting you into bed before she comes back from her bath?" Robin asked, grinning a little as he rose to his feet.

"Kay," Emm said, hopping a little. "But you have to read a story first!"

"Alright, alright," Robin conceded, leading his daughter to her room. "What do you want tonight? Wyvern Wars or…"

"A Beginner's Guide to Tactics!" Emm said excitedly.

Robin stopped for a moment before smiling down to his daughter.

"Okay, A Beginner's Guide to Tactics it is!"

"Emm's starting to realise she can cast Dark Magic," Robin said without preamble as he stepped into his and Lucina's bedroom later.

Lucina looked up with a shocked expression from where she was brushing her hair on the edge of the bed.

"Is she okay?" she asked, standing and tossing her brush aside.

"She's fine," Robin said soothingly. "I explained to her that she shouldn't use it until Tharja teaches her how to do it properly, and she promised she wouldn't."

Lucina let out a breath, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

"Good," she said. "I'd honestly prefer she not learn it at all, though."

Robin grinned sadly, running a hand through his hair and over behind his left ear. The skin was blackened and cracked under the hair behind his ear, a side-effect of over-use of Dark Magic. Tharja and Henry both had it, too; Tharja on her back near her right shoulder and Henry around the scars that the Deadlord Simia had left on him. It was the price all combat Dark Mages eventually paid, consumed by the very magics they wielded. Fortunately, though, Morgan and Noire had been thus far spared the disfigurement that came with using Dark Magic for extended periods.

"I know," Robin sighed, moving and settling down on the bed next to his wife. "But she's a curious girl. She's going to do it anyway, so we may as well make sure she gets the best training possible so that nothing goes wrong. The last thing we need is for her to lose a finger or something playing with forces she doesn't understand."

Lucina nodded, leaning over to the side and resting her head on Robin's shoulder.

"She's my daughter, after all," he added. "And we've both seen how good Morgan is with Dark Magic. We knew this would happen eventually."

"But it's so soon," Lucina sighed.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, winding down from the day and basking in each other's company before Robin chuckled a little. Lucina glanced up to him curiously, only making him smile more.

"I just spent half an hour reading Emm the introduction to A Beginner's Guide to Tactics," he said by way of explanation.

Lucina let out a small laugh, standing and retrieving her brush.

"Well, she is your daughter," she repeated before giving him an expectant look. "Now, are you going to brush your own hair or…?"

Robin winced, hands automatically going to cover his shoulder-length white hair.

"Woman, keep that death-machine away from me," he said, scooting further along the bed.

"Do we really have to do this every night?" Lucina asked exasperatedly. "We have to be up early tomorrow to march. We don't have time for this. Brush it or cut it."

"I choose death!" Robin declared.

"I can arrange that," Lucina deadpanned, glaring at Robin and holding out the brush.

Robin shook his head, crossing his arms and taking on the same tone his daughter used when she was being difficult.

"Make me," he pouted, sticking his tongue out at Lucina.

Aversa resisted the urge to sigh as she moved towards the suite Robin and his family used, shuffling through the papers and reports that Flavia had had delivered. The Khan was right that she had plenty of soldiers, but had managed to omit the part about having literally no command structure for her forces.

Usually Aversa would have had no problem organising troop rosters and squad divisions, but she had only done such for the Plegian army. Regna Ferox was known as a more… free-spirited nation, and she didn't want to put the effort in only to have it go to waste.

Which was how she found herself slinking into her brother's suite to ask him a few questions regarding the usual Feroxi army organisational method.

She crossed the sitting room that branched off into the two bedrooms and the bathroom, noticing with satisfaction that the fireplace was still warm, so Robin wouldn't have been long retired. She would just poke her head into his room, ask a few questions and…

"Get off me, demon-woman! Stop! Stop before you tear my head off!"

"Oh shut up before you wake Emm!"

"Help! Help! Somebody-ARGH!"

Aversa blinked, wondering what kind of depravity her brother and his wife were getting up to as she nudged the door open.

Robin and Lucina looked up like startled deer, clad in their pyjamas and flushed from exertions. Lucina was straddling Robin, the tactician trying desperately to keep her hands off of his head, a hairbrush hanging off his head in his dishevelled hair.

"Sis, save me!" Robin cried, desperately trying to wriggle out from under his wife.

"I don't even want to know," Aversa said, pivoting and closing the door before she left the suite.

"No! Don't leave me!" he cried after her.

"You're worse than a child!" Lucina practically shouted. "Just let me brush your hair!"

"Nooooooooooooooo!" Robin shouted, his cry echoing through the fort and into the night.

AN2015: I would like to state, for the record, that I had never heard of the 'Rance' games before I named the character in this story. I actually worked with a guy named Rance, and he was a nice guy, so I decided to name a character after him in this story.