Morgan and Robin - Regaining Custody
Day 193, past midnight
"Azura?"
"..."
"Azura."
"Corrin, I can still see the moon's silhouette over our heads. That makes it, at the very least, one in the morning."
"Yes, but I also have a question."
"It can wait."
"..."
"..."
"Azzurraaa..."
"...What?"
Shifting in her cot, Corrin stretched her back and hiked her thumb at Morgan, who was sleeping soundly on her bed.
"All the future kids know something about Morgan. But in the camp, it's as if they have never met her before."
"...So?" Azura yawned, before sitting up as well to meet her white-haired friend.
"I can't help but think that Morgan has an even darker past than the colleagues from her time."
"It's certainly possible," Azura agreed. Looking at Morgan and the content smile on her face, Azura felt an odd chill knowing that the girl could have just been through hell a few days ago.
"It's certainly comforting to know that she has no memory of it, if that's the truth," Corrin admitted.
"I hope she'll figure out the stuff she wants to know in due time," Azura began, straightening her hair with a brush.
"I wonder who her mother is," Corrin whispered absently, causing Azura to smile.
"We have a few ideas on that mystery, dear Corrin." Catching the implications, Corrin threw a pebble at Azura, striking the dancer on the shoulder.
"Rude. You'd think a princess like you would act more civil around her child."
Even though it was dark, Corrin made attempts to hide her growing blush. But it was gone as soon as it came, being replaced with a slight scowl.
"If that truly is the case, then I must have been a horrible mother in the future she came from. I don't think Morgan would think so highly of me if she remembered I abandoned her as a child."
"Corrin..."
"Well! That's enough of that," Corrin replied quickly, changing the topic. "Good night, Azura. Good night Felicia, I know you're listening in."
"Oh. Sorry Milady."
"Good night, Corrin," Azura yawned, slumping back onto her mat.
"..."
"Good night, Morgan," Corrin added under her breath.
My mother would do anything for her child. So too will I.
Day 201, dawn
Seeing his cloak not on his body made Robin double take every single time, especially since he was wearing it. But after a while, Robin would smile every time Morgan would wave, run up to him, and give him a hug in front of whoever was around. After being greeted by his supposed child to the point where it became almost routine, Robin finally decided that he take his role as Morgan's father seriously.
And that meant keeping her under his steadfast watch.
Granted, her memory was still relatively scrambled but the tactician had more than enough proof that Morgan was his child. Like the children that came before, Morgan bore something close and unique to her, which was the tactician's cloak. That, along with a bag of loose-end items including Robin's original handbook of battlefield strategy: 'Operational Tactical Placements,' or OTP for short, made sure to displace any doubts to their kinship.
The dilemma of her mother's identity on the other hand was something that was not so simple to agree with.
His primary guess, no thanks to Chrom, was Corrin.
Robin had no problem with this, as shallow as the thought was. Corrin was an amazing woman despite her odd upbringing. Still, he was immensely worried for Morgan should his hypothesis prove correct. On one hand, Corrin was a fighter from a foreign land where she would eventually return. Underneath her youthful exterior was the fatigue of a princess with nothing but hope to drive her forward. Yet, being a leader of the Hoshidan and Nohrian body, she was a hardworking, selfless, and most of all, considerate person that bore the weight of two countries on those young shoulders. This was a princess just discovering the mantle of responsibility, and it fit her like a glove.
At times, at least.
To be fair, the commanders tried their best not to put anyone in a tight spot during combat, but many a time, even after the planning consensus before each battle, Corrin had agreed to taking the ass end of Robin's more aggressive strategies, often pitting herself against elements four or five more times larger than hers to aid another element in battle. She did not so much take it in stride as she just took it with a shrug, as if she had been used to being in such grim odds. Would she handle the responsibility of being Morgan's mother the same way? Not because of her sense of duty, but because she had never refused a task?
Only time would tell, Robin decided. Maybe he was right, but then again, there were more women than just Corrin out there.
Great. Now I sound like Laslow.
"Now... to find Morgan."
Ever since she found Morgan in the Ruins of Time, Corrin took custody of the tactician-to-be, allowing Morgan her previous cot while she, Felicia and Azura bunched up on their own. While he didn't mind the idea of Morgan making new friends, especially with how ill-acquainted he still was with her, Robin had it set to reclaim his future-daughter for his own benefit.
Conjuring up a plan to get Morgan to sleep in his tent from now on to 'not bother the commander,' the other Commander of the Shepherds began his expedition to pillage Corrin's tent and steal the child inside.
Actually, better wording could be used, but Robin was never one to weave eloquent words anyway. Morgan would just have to wake up detained in her own father's tent.
Maybe not detained.
He had a couple questions he wanted to ask, regarding a variety of things. One of them being Morgan's 'mother.'
Perhaps being detained and questioned was an accurate description.
Thus, at the crack of daybreak, Robin ignored his daily morning run and headed right to Corrin's tent, all-the-while followed by a motley team of Chrom and Lissa for reinforcement.
Of course, Frederick paused his sparring with Hana to assist his liege assist Robin, and upon realizing the situation developing, Jakob stopped polishing the weapons to defend Lady Corrin's tent.
"Chrom, batter up," Robin whispered as he waved nonchalantly at the butler, causing Chrom to motion likewise to Frederick.
"Distract the guy," Chrom ordered.
Frederick simply bowed curtly and intercepting the man, grabbed Jakob around the shoulders and turned him with an iron grip, Not allowing the butler to retort if he tried. Pulling a steaming kettle out of seemingly nowhere, Frederick fluidly poured two cups for himself and his companion. Jakob tried to get away, but the knight was not to be swayed.
"We're getting the girl off your lady's hands," the Ylissean assured. After a while, Jakob sighed and acquiesced to Frederick's redirection.
"I suppose it was to happen eventually. Though, it could've happened sooner than later. That child talks more than half the army combined. But if not milady's tent, then whose?"
"Her father's."
Jakob immediately frowned at the mention of Robin.
"Oh. That one. Well, she is his 'daughter from the future' after all."
"Do the rumors around camp interfere with your work then?" Frederick asked, not one for gossip but still concerned.
"What?" Jakob asked innocently, already fearing the implication.
"A future child who already knows her father, and is already in the vicinity of her potential mother-" Jakob quickly shut him up with a wave of dismissal.
"No. Not one bit. I will not let even that sway my devotion and duty to Princess Corrin. As honorable as Robin might appear at first glance, Lady Corrin is my liege, not him, nor his daughter. Or... their daughter, if it is to be such..."
"You..." Frederick realized. Jakob shrugged scratching his head nervously. He wasn't denying anything, after all.
"I have served Lady Corrin for all my life, even since I was a child. But my vow to her is as her servant, not her equal, as painful as it must be. However, nothing stops me from having an opinion regarding her circumstance."
"You have qualms over Commander Robin's competency?" Frederick asked, watching Robin enter the tent hesitantly.
"Not as a tactician or a strategist, in that right he is unrivaled. But as a father and a husband to Lady Corrin? Will Robin perform as aptly, that is a question I must consider."
"What makes you doubt his aptitude for that?"
"Well, he lost custody of one child, even if from the future. Lord Chrom knew nothing of Laslow until he found us on the Hoshidan Plain. What's to think that Commander Robin has another child running about somewhere, forgotten and lost?"
Robin knocked on the tent post, and after hearing some stirring, stepped back. Felicia opened the door and scowled at the early sun, but upon seeing Chrom and Lissa behind Robin she immediately regained composure, attempting to bow but only banging her head on the tent post.
"Uwaha- Lord Chrom! Princess Lissa! And Commander R-robin?" Robin bowed meekly and pointed inside.
"Just grabbing my... daughter."
The words felt very strange coming out of his mouth, especially since he had known the girl for little more than a week.
"S-she's inside!" Felicia exclaimed, opening up the tent and unwittingly letting all the sunlight in. Corrin was sleeping face down, her cheeks mushed against her cot and while a thin trail of drool pooled around her chin. Next to her, Azura stirred with a stifled snore, shifting from her side onto her back as her hair at this point was just a tangled blue sea of disaster. On the bed, Morgan hugged her coat like it was an animal, stuffing her face into it while a faint trace of a smile was visible on her chapped lips. Robin tip-toed between the two sleepers and picked up Morgan bridal style off the bed. Although Morgan stood a head below Robin, she was surprisingly heavier than she appeared and Robin almost tripped on the way out as he completed his heist.
"She'll be staying with me now, is that okay?" Robin asked, not really caring for the answer. Felicia smiled faintly, more so at the scene of Robin being father-like than at her friend leaving the tent.
"You have a-a wonderful daughter," Felicia admitted, her hands behind her back as she kicked the dirt with a sad smile. "It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it? Holding them in your arms... Even if they're already teenagers."
"That's right," Chrom sighed, thinking of his granddaughter. "You're Soleil's mother."
"Yes," the maid replied, not sure how Chrom was going to react.
"I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world," Chrom replied, a rare moment of satisfaction coming over his tone.
"Thank you for making her feel welcome here," Robin replied with a sincere nod, causing Felicia to blush. Turning, he frowned slightly at Chrom and Lissa's grin, no doubt as a result of seeing Robin's newfound caring, fatherly side.
"Shut up," Robin fumed, stepping off.
"Well, our work here is done! Chrooommmm let's get breakfast!" Lissa called to her brother, to which he agreed, letting himself get dragged to the mess hall.
"Grab me two plates, Lis?" Robin asked, gesturing to the body in his arms for whom the second plate was for.
"Sure thing Robin!"
Not so quick to forget the prank Lissa had played on him earlier, Robin kept the princess under his iron fist, forcing her to run errands for him on a whim. Robin insisted that the cleric would attend to his busy work lest he personally devote time to creating some for her, so getting breakfast was nothing big in compared to the revenge Robin could dish out. With a grin, she skipped over past Chrom, grabbing his arm as she pulled him towards the smell of food.
Morgan groaned as she rolled over in her bed, sunlight beaming directly into her face. With a yawn, she rubbed her eyes, glancing at the bookshelf across from her as-
"Waaiittt... Where am I? This isn't Corrin's tent." Glancing around, she noticed a chess board on the bedside, along with a weapon and coat rack by the doorway.
"It's mine," Robin called out, gesturing for his daughter to eat breakfast with him by the main table, a steaming plate causing Morgan's stomach to grumble. She grinned as she rolled out of Robin's bed, taking a seat across from him as she dug into the food.
"Hey Dad!" she blurted, mouth stuffed with a bit of everything.
"Good morning to you too," Robin replied with a smile. Morgan nodded happily and wiped her mouth.
"So, how'd I end up here?" The girl asked with curiosity.
"I took the liberty in kidnapping you from Corrin's tent," Robin explained, taking a nibble from the bread as he watched Morgan eat.
"Don't let her know, but your bed is a lot comfier! I'm gonna miss 'em," Morgan mused, twirling a sausage link with her fork before eating it. Robin laughed and leaned back with a yawn.
"You'll still be allowed to hang out, I don't mind. I just need you for a couple things."
Morgan leaned in, intrigued.
"Are you going to teach me strategy now? You promised we'd go over strategy and I will take thorough notes and-"
"Haha, I'm sure you will. But first, I just need to get some answers out of the way."
"Sure."
"It's about your Mother, and..."
"And what," Morgan asked, concern growing in her tone.
"...My p-potential wife..." The teenager grinned at the older man's blush, to which she waved off.
"Y'know, you must only be like 4 or 5 years older than me if what they're saying is right. If I wasn't such a darling daughter, I would probably fall for your cuteness-"
"Don't finish that thought," Robin warned, causing Morgan's grin to be stifled against her shielding hand.
"Anyway..."
"Alright, so I'm your father, there's no doubting that," Robin started, "But as to who mother is, we have no clue... So we'll just have to do some... guesswork."
"Oh?" Morgan scratched her white hair thoughtfully, anticipation making itself apparent on her face.
"So there's two possibilities, scratch that three," Robin began, "I talked with Lucina and the others from the future, yet among the number they are missing, you are not among them." Morgan cocked her head in confusion.
"So you're saying they don't know me?"
"Either they didn't know you, or you didn't exist in their timeline in the first place. Which leads me to my other conclusions."
"Which are?"
"Perhaps, gods help me I might kill myself if this actually happens, I end up with one of the future kids themselves."
"Ew..." The thought of Lucina or Cynthia as her mother weirded Morgan out. Then again, like in this timeline, they were only a few years younger than Robin, so it was actually plausible. Robin read her mind and sighed.
"I hope it doesn't come to that, honestly. Lucina is a lovely woman, but..."
"Who said anything about Lucina?" Morgan goaded, leaning in mischieviously.
"I did just walk into that," Robin sighed, placing his head in his hands in defeat. "But you understand my drift, yes?"
"Lucina's not my mom, as much as you want her to be. Got it."
"..."
"And what's the third option?"
"Say you're not Ylissean," Robin offered. Morgan stared to the ceiling in wonder and phased back to reality.
"That... Actually..."
"Midori, Percy, everyone else... Wait..." Morgan paused.
A couple weeks ago, while the Shepherds were on the move, reports of portals opening and closing within a few hours had been shared by multiple towns. That, combined with the arrival of some future Ylisseans and some other children like Percy Midori, children not belonging to any of the Ylissean Shepherds, created a whole new realm of possibilities.
Soleil and Ophelia already knew their parents, but yet their existence was just as confusing as the aforementioned two. With the arrival of Morgan, perhaps the Hoshidans and the Nohrians were in the very same situation that the Ylisseans had encountered. Maybe Naga had allowed them to change their fates too, in a world where they would collide with the wars of a foreign nation?
The Risen that accompanied the portals seemed to verify that, at the very least.
Back to the task at hand, there was a possibility that Morgan may have fallen out of such an irregularity.
"You think I'm Nohrian or Hoshidan?" Morgan asked, catching onto Robin's hunch.
"You might, like I said it's just a possibility. Albeit, more plausible than the second, for sure, and a lot more comforting."
"So who do you think we can assume? Being my mother, I mean."
"Well, aside from the reason that we needed to find the other kids before it's too late," Robin started, "I need to see who's still... single." It was a blatant lie, of course. Robin already suspected it was Corrin. However, there were more than a couple women from Hoshido and Nohr that were quite easy on the eyes and could pass as potential wiv- Nope. Corrin had to be.
Robin wanted it to be.
"Dad, there's easier ways to seduce the fairer sex," Morgan giggled. Robin fumed at her blunt language, still smiling at her humor.
"Who taught you to talk like that?" he muttered in pity.
"You did, of course. You didn't exactly mince words so I thought your vernacular was natural until we came across a village where you and Mother would... would-"
Robin lit up, seeing how Morgan was about to name-drop who she remembered from her past...
"Wait, I can't... seem to r-remember that anymore..." Morgan whispered, almost shocked. In a matter of seconds, she went from bright to crestfallen, her lip quivering in a very genuine fear. Robin winced and immediately embraced his daughter tightly, even as her tears replaced the brightness in her eyes.
"Why can't I remember?!" she cried out hoarsely, her hands shaking until they caught onto Robin's. "Dad..."
"Hey, it's alright. Shh..." Morgan buried her head in her Father's cloak, shivering quietly as her fork and spoon fell back onto her plate.
"I-I... How am I supposed to know if whoever you pick is actually Mom? What if... I pass her and you make the wrong choice and... and-"
"I know we'll make the right choice," Robin assured, holding her tightly. "Together, I promise. That's why I need your help, Morgan. Once we find her your memories will come back and we'll be a family. Okay?"
"O-okay..." She whispered, hugging her father tightly. They locked eyes for a split-second before Morgan nestled her head in Robin's chest again.
In that one instant, I saw that same, pure hope in her eyes. Just like Corrin.
Day 201, morning
"Commander Corrin, as much as I enjoy my Midori's company, I must request we find a better place to keep the younger children besides... here." Kaze complained, gesturing to his daughter. In the last ambush, Midori had her arm turned into a pincushion as she blocked a Valmese volley from hitting her father. Kaze, no doubt, had immediate qualms to having that incident repeat itself.
"She'll be fine, I promise. And as for the other children, we need to find as many as we can before it's too late," Corrin sighed, not liking the plan too much either.
"Besides, where would we leave them? Back on the ships? The safest place for them is with us, like it or not," Corrin added. Kaze nodded with a sigh, agreeing with that logic after a while.
"I... I agree. Speaking of finding the others, have you found your child yet?"
"Your jokes are getting better," Corrin laughed.
"I was not joking," Kaze insisted. "Midori tells me of a white-haired youth that can shift into a dragon. She's recovering her memories bit by bit and one of them is of a shape shifting child younger than her."
"Huh?" There's others like me?" Corrin asked with a start.
"Not others like you... Others that share your bloodline, meaning your child," Kaze corrected.
"Impossible, I haven't even-"
"Those are the same words a mother or father has said every time we find one of the children," Kaze reminded. Corrin recalled Olivia, Cherche, and so many others saying that phrase. Now it was her turn, apparently.
"You see?"
"That can't be. We've been in interaction with the Ylisseans for less than a year and aside from Subaki and Cordelia, nothing has happened."
Morgan included, every child had some account of their parents, at least one side of the family for starters. Soleil and the other royals knew both.
"...Yet." she added, quietly.
"Then perhaps this dragon-youth will answer our questions, once we find it?"
"Well, considering we're similar in facial structure and general body... structure-"
"Are you calling me flat?"
"Ugh."
"Haha, just kidding, I get what you mean, Dad!"
"Oh, I hope so. Now where was I? Ah, not only are our physical traits pretty similar, but so too are our magical ones! Actually, you have quite a bit of a lead on me, if your display against Corrin was anything to show for your potential."
"Thanks!" Morgan happily yipped with a smile, enjoying her father's compliments. "I think."
"From what I've observed so far, the future child shares talents and skills with their parents. Whether this is due to genetics or their upbringing as a child, it clearly shows from what the others have suggested. Lucina is an agile swordsman just like her parents. And even if we don't know Cherche's husband, Gerome inherited a proficiency with flying."
"So whoever mom is..."
"So assuming that my hypothesis is correct in that the parent and child share inherent aptitudes," Robin explained, "We'll have to narrow things down by seeing what you can and can't do."
"You think Mom was a skilled swordsman and magician?"
"Not just a mage... Something far more innate. Not even I could pierce terrain with a thunder spell. No one can, actually."
"But that was a Thoron! Of course it w-"
"That you cast out of a fire tome," Robin reminded.
"Oh... So I guess Mom is an insane magical user."
"Or it's something more than just magic."
"How can magic be something more than magic?" Morgan wondered. Robin laughed and opened up his drawer.
"I found this in the ruins where Corrin found you. Recognize it?"
"I'll have to see it first," Morgan complained, prompting Robin to realize he still haven't given her anything yet.
"Oh. Here," Robin chuckled as he pulled out a grey stone. "This is... your first test. Go outside and hold it. Something may happen, so maybe..."
"What exactly is it?" Morgan asked, hesitating to grip the rock.
"It's... you probably shouldn't know yet."
"But Daaddddd..."
"Trust me," Robin repeated.
"What am I supposed to do with this if I don't even know what it is?"
"Just go outside and yell or something," Robin groaned.
"Hey! This is a dragonstone, isn't it? Corrin has one of these... OH!" Morgan shrieked suddenly, Robin wincing in response.
"Co-Yes... Yes she does." Robin didn't want to reveal his suspicions just yet, so he held his tongue.
"You're saying Corrin might be my mom?" Morgan exclaimed with glee, grinning as she gripped the dragonstone tightly, snatching it out of Robin's hand. So much for that.
"Yay! I know how a dragonstone works, I've watched 'Mom' enough times!'"
"I see you took my hypothesis well..." Robin sighed, rubbing his neck with a grin as Morgan ran outside.
"HYYYAH!" Morgan shouted, lightning crackling around her fingers. Rubbing her head in confusion, she did it again, but nothing happened.
"Did you..."
"...Awh."
"Try it again?" Robin offered, holding it up like Tiki or Nowi would when they used dragonstones.
"Why'd you grab this anyway? If it wasn't with me when I came to, then why do you think it's mine?"
"A dragonstone keeps a manakete's carnal desires from overtaking their human mind. I figured, with Azura's suggestion... IF you are the child of Corrin and I, that's her dragon abilities that now flows in your blood. Due to circumstances, your powers might be even more realized. Azura, she helped me out with this dragonstone for that reason. She somehow knew this might happen, and she helped me unlock this dragonstone at the temple. I've kept it here ever since."
"So you had Azura keep that secret for a week? You absolute madman! You know how much she hates keeping secrets..."
"It's worth it if this works, isn't it?"
"Oh... Oh! So she knows you like Corrin!"
"She guessed."
"Oh man, now I've definitely gotta get this to work! One more try!"
"Alright. But no matter what happens, we'll work it out, okay?"
Morgan nodded, and gripping the dragonstone tightly, screamed with all her might as she thrust it skyward.
"HIIIYAH-" She was interrupted when a bolt of purple lightning shot out of her fingertips towards the sky, splitting the branches overhead and in front of her. The lightning arced out, even causing the earth to shake and the sky to slightly darken. An ominous purple rift manifested next to the neighboring town, sucking dirt into its visible rift, where a still of a grassy hill interior flickered inside, just like the other Risen portals.
"Well, that's... Something."
Frederick and Corrin ran to Chrom's position inside the war tent, where the Exalt was napping beneath the table. Not easily phased by the loud crack and the village nearby being warped apart by dark energy, the hero of Ylisse slept soundly.
"Lord Chrom!" With a boot to the rear, the Exalt immediately rose to his feet, banging his shoulder against the table and tipping everything over.
"Agh... what?" The prince blurted out, blue hair a mess.
"There's a huge portal opening up, not unlike the one the locals saw when we went through the river town," Corrin explained. "Could be another future kid."
"That means another fight... Dispatch the Shepherds, we'll have to go while it's still open!" Chrom ordered.
"Right. Let's go then," Corrin insisted. Opening the tent door, she quickly jumped backwards as Robin passed inches in front of her, trailed closely by Morgan.
"Sorry about this guys, I think I just opened a portal to the pocket dimensions!" Morgan called behind her, holding what appeared to be...
"Is that..." Frederick began.
"A dragonstone?" Corrin questioned.
"Commander!" Cordelia and Subaki called, flying in lazy circles above. The two were currently on patrol duty, so it was natural they had first eyes on the anomaly.
"What is it?"
"We didn't find any children from the portal!" Subaki yelled, banking downwards to land.
"Anything at all?" Corrin yelled upwards.
"Commander Corrin's fighting off some sort of new enemy! She's holding them from leaving the portal! Robin and Morgan are on their way now!"
"Huh," Corrin echoed, waving her hand. "I'm right here. What are you talking about?"
"Wait. What?" Subaki wondered, landing and dismounting. "We just saw you in your dragon form protecting the villagers. Was that... not you?"
"Probably not," Corrin assured. "But I think I have an idea what. Kaze was just telling me of another dragon that Midori remembers from her memories. That dragon holding down the fort may just be the one from the future, if it came with that portal. You said that it looks just like me when I shift?"
"Yeah," Cordelia affirmed.
"And considering you're still here," Subaki realized, gesturing to Cordelia as she landed next to him.
"We should probably catch up to those two troublemakers," Corrin finished, already pulling out her dragonstone to assist.
