Cynthia and Midori - Legacy of Heroes


Day 221, Night


Kana ducked his head under the bush he was just peeking out of, his blue bandanna covering his white hair as to reduce visual profile. Morgan had done likewise with her cloak: her hood fully raised.

"That seems to be the last of them," Morgan stated, watching the passing Shepherd patrol fade into the night. Swinging down from her perch, her boots crunched twigs as she landed beside her brother. Letting out his breath, Kana gulped as he turned towards his sister and Ophelia who was crouched behind them, cloaking their silhouettes with a spell.

"Cynthia should have met us by now..." Kana worried, scanning the dark sky for the glimmer of either the Pegasus Knight or the Wyvern rider accompanying them.

"They'll find us," Ophelia reassured, opening another tome from her knapsack. "I have a spell that I can shoot up that only my father will see. If he's mounted with either Cynthia or Gerome, they'll find us."

"Then why haven't you fired it yet?" Morgan complained, scanning the skies for her friends.

"Because Sumia is still up there with her," Ophelia whispered, pointing into the blank sky as if she could see. She could, but Morgan saw nothing but stars and black.

"She's right," Kana followed, his keener senses easily able to point out the two Pegasus Knights flying up alongside each other. "We have to wait for Sumia to get replaced by either Cordelia or Subaki on their patrol before I make Cynthia peel off for us."

"Sumia should be grounding soon, and Cynthia can come up with a plausible enough story as to why she still needs to stay aloft," Morgan thought aloud.

"And why Odin is with her or Gerome," Kana grumbled, frowning at the amount of holes the plan had already sprung so far.

"Have a little faith in us, Brother," Morgan winked, tightening her hood to cover her cold ears. Kana shrugged as he adjusted his own bandanna.

"I still don't like the fact that we're doing this behind Mama and Papa's back," Kana admitted, causing Morgan to soften.

"It's better to do this behind their back than do this without them knowing." Kana winced at his sister's bad wording, not agreeing in the slightest.

"That means exactly the same thing!" he whispered harshly in a frustrated tone.

"No, actually," Morgan replied calmly, explaining her choice of words.

"They know what we're up to. Dad is smart enough, and Mom is certainly clever enough. They just don't know when or how. They have some knowledge, but they won't piece together the puzzle fast enough. That's the difference. If I wanted this operation to stay black, we would have done everything in a less rushed manner. Mom and Dad've probably found out about now."

"I hope they don't get too mad."


Robin groaned as his untouched plate was at the back of his mind, his thoughts currently occupied by his troublesome children.

"I don't know too much about their little troupe, but they have at least five or six," Corrin stated blankly, swirling her soup idly with a spoon.

"Kana has his dragonstone, that much is apparent," Robin pieced, "But that does not explain why Morgan needed my map."

"Do you remember anything noticeable in the terrain?"

"Nothing noteworthy aside from a few dried up riverbeds where Risen tend to camp. Also a few ruins of little archaeological or historical value, as far as I am concerned. We steered clear of that and bombarded the place with fire spells for good measure. Should be just rocks and ash and crippled Risen out there." Corrin couldn't help but laugh at her boyfriend's caution.

"And here I was thinking my choices were superfluous and cautious," the princess joked, causing the tactician to stiffen. A reassuring hand on his calmed his nerves, and Robin gazed at his own in astonishment, seeing as that form of contact had never happened before.

"A trait the children had inherited, there is no doubt," Robin said with a creased frown.

"Our children," Corrin clarified for emphasis, smiling lightly at the thought. Robin relaxed as well, sharing his girlfriend's optimism.

"Such ideal parents we are," the tactician scoffed glaringly.

"They'll be fine," Corrin assured, dipping the bread into the soup and taking a slow bite, still deep in thought.

"Oh, I have that much faith in them," Robin admitted. "But they're still in over their heads."

"What makes you think that?"

"For starters, Morgan also borrowed all my expensive tomes."


Sumia dismounted her Pegasus with a light bounce, sighing deeply as she stretched her legs. Cynthia insisted she stayed in the air, wanting to accompany Gerome and Owain on a further patrol, closer to the wood line. Sumia's romantically inclined mind immediately conjured an invalid reason to her daughter's motives, but Cynthia assured to her mother that her relationship with them was purely platonic. Owain had a kid already, for Naga's sake.


"But how about Gerome? He must be dreamy underneath that mask- Not that... I think like that! It's just very romantic for a prince to hide under a stiff facade... and all... ha ha..."

"Ya know Mom, for being such a legendary hero, you really have some weird thoughts," Cynthia insulted lightly, smiling at her Mother's twisted machinations.

"Hey!" Sumia defended weakly, "You have your adventure novels you horde in your room. I just happened to have a weakness for the romantics!"

Cynthia twisted her nose with a disgusted face.

"Eww, to think that the Winged Hero was such a sap."

"Am I really that much of a hero to you?" Sumia asked seriously, circling above the landing site, trying to prolong conversation with her daughter. Cynthia simply smiled, and nodded slowly, before peeling away and bearing a heading towards Gerome's approximate location. As Sumia landed, the younger knight stifled a bitter smile.

"You have no idea," Cynthia whispered to herself, a pang of sadness wracking through her core.

"No idea."


"My dad's definitely cooler," Percy stated proudly. "He's a hero of Justice!"

"Pff, when he isn't the Hero of Falling, that is," Selkie mocked with a quiet laugh. "Besides! My dad's cooler! He's the chief of his tribe and he left his own family and friends to protect them from the enemy! Talk about a noble sacrifice! I bet your guys' Dads can't match that!"

"I can, actually..." Midori whispered, keeping her head low. "My Father can."

"Pff, of course he does. He's a ninja! That's like super cool already!" Percy complained.

"But you guys don't know his story, how he separated himself from Hoshido." Midori explained.

"I've heard your stories," Percy recalled, "How your father redeemed himself."

"It's complicated, but that's what makes him such a great hero," Midori stated with pride. "I admit, it was a bit patchy, but I remember it now!"

"Let's hear it then!" Selkie said excitedly. "I've never heard about Uncle Kaze's heroics before."

"He was actually a disgrace before," Midori explained gravely. "He was the one who could have stopped Lady Corrin getting kidnapped from Hoshido to begin with. Due to this, he was marked as a traitor and a failure to his country."

"What did he do next?!" Percy wondered, not knowing of Kaze's dark past.

"He left Hoshido's royal house of service and was exiled into the border-lands," Midori explained. "For many years he trained and lived alone, even from his own family, in hopes that soon his actions would be in service of Corrin in repentance."

"Whoa," Selkie breathed, listening keenly.

"He was captured by Nohrian troops trying to prevent a convoy from being ambushed, and was labeled as a spy, even though he had cut ties from Hoshido. On his day of execution, he found himself staring down Lady Corrin, who spared his life due to her kindness."

"Wasn't that a week before-"

"Let me get there! Anyway, my dad- Kaze later found Corrin wounded and alone in the wilderness, and brought her back to Hoshido to heal her. It was then where he pledged his blade to her service, and his life has been in her stead ever since!"

"Who would've thought that the one responsible for Corrin's sadness..."

"Would've been the one who led us on this awesome adventure and brought us all together as a result!" Midori finished, beaming with pride. "But that aside, we're all children of great parents, and it's our job as soldiers and Shepherds to live up to their legacy and honor! We're gonna be heroes too!"

"That's the Justice Cabal's mission," Percy nodded in agreement.

"And as heroes, it's our job to be everything our parents were and more!"


"There, they're heading towards the woods," Ophelia whispered, shooting off a black and purple bolt into the sky, which exploded silently but sent a rushing force of wind through the air like a gust.

"Whoa," Morgan breathed, gazing at the sky where just a few moments ago a powerful spell appeared. A few seconds later, she spotted two dark gleams streak by overhead, and the whoosh that came a millisecond later.

"There they are," Kana said, scrounging through the bushes to find the rest of Team Cynthia.

"Let's go guys!" Morgan said excitedly, taking point as Kana and Ophelia trailed behind her.


"Easy Minerva, we've been in more ominous places," Gerome whispered reassuringly, unheard by Owain-Odin. The mage stood behind him, keeping his tome at the ready while Mystletainn lay strapped parallel to his belt,.

"Where'd Cyn go off to?"

"...She's getting them," Gerome stated flatly, grasping the hilt of the ax sheathed on his back.

"Do you think our parents would get mad?"

"Yes," Gerome grumbled, not having Owain's fears. "And you're a parent, unlike the rest of us. Act like it. Your daughter is in just as much danger as you are."

"Yes but... Ophelia is greater than I... She has power not even the Chosen One could match. I do not fear for her, but I will still do my duty to protect her."

"Lissa protected you," Gerome reminded, causing Owain to smile slightly.

"Hero or not, her sacrifice will not be repeated,"tThe arcanefencer promised with a smile.

"It is not our job to change fate... but..." Gerome's composure sank a little. "My parents do not deserve another death. Hero or not, they do not need to die like a warrior."

"But sacrifice is the truest form of-"

"Would you die for Ophelia?"

"Y-yes."

"But would you leave her alone in this world?"

"She is never alone... Even without me, she is great."

"But she will miss you," Gerome retorted. "She will cry thinking of her father, cursing fate and herself for not saving him."

"Yes she will," Owain admitted. "But she will live. She will grow, and because of that, my sacrifice is not in vain."

"What of her growth, if you are not there to see it?" Gerome replied sharply, the conversation growing painfully close to home.

"I do not need to see it," Owain replied calmly. "I have seen enough of her to know she is, and will be, greater than I."

"...Then you are a stronger man than I," Gerome said quietly.

"No. When you have a child, you will understand," Owain assured, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Rustling behind him caused the two to turn from their reverie, relaxing when Cynthia walked out, followed closely by Morgan's team.

"Hey Dad," Ophelia said with a curtsy. "Are you unhurt?"

"Of course, my child," Odin stated with a relaxed tone. "And you will be likewise during this mission, so stay by my side."

"I didn't think they were that close," Morgan admitted to Kana softly.

"You'd be surprised how deeply all of us admire our parents. Even Gerome," Cynthia jabbed, but the wyvern rider merely grunted as he turned away.

"They raised me, it's to be expected," he countered.

"They were heroes too, nonetheless," Cynthia pressed, not backing down from making Gerome admit the truth.

"They all were. They are now, if anything. Even our Hoshidan and Nohrian comrades have such similar ideals to our own."

"Robin and Corrin are certainly high standards to meet," Morgan replied.

"You don't know the half of it," Cynthia muttered to herself, more at Morgan than Kana.

A few moments later, Midori's party came out of the brush, ready to go.

"We're all here," Cynthia noted, shaking with excitement.

"Our very first actual mission," Morgan grinned, briefing the Justice Cabal. "We prove ourselves today! Whatever your motives are for being here, we share a common goal! We secure this portal, not only on our side but also whatever lies beyond, and we will do so together!"

"For Severa," Cynthia whispered, unheard by anyone else but the rider next to her. "I know she's still out there."

"We'll find her. We owe her that much," Gerome said with an assuring nod.

"For our parents," Kana smiled, pulling out his stone as it resonated with the stone fragments under their feet, causing the shards to float back into place, forming a circle older than the forest itself. With a resonating hum, blue energy mimicking the one surrounding Kana's hand appeared around the structure, and soon enough the portal was reconstructed, its magical vibrations reverberating throughout the immediate woodline.

"It's... A portal... Not to the outrealms, but to our own world. A doomed future," Odin stated, calming his quaking nerves as he inhaled a deep breath, eyes closed.

"Time to figure out my story," Morgan whispered to herself.

"Enough chit-chat," Cynthia stated grandly, standing atop her Pegasus' back. "It's time to make a name for ourselves!"


Robin lay quietly in his cot, hearing the light snoring of Corrin on the other side of the room. Sleeping in Morgan's bed, the princess rested peacefully while the tactician stayed awake, still thinking of his children. They were not in danger, he assured himself. They were stronger than the Risen by far. Sighing, he got up and walked out, smiling at Corrin's undistinguished form as he passed. The night air was cold and biting, and the sky was as deep and soulless as the Risen no doubt surrounding them.

"It's a bit chilly for them all alone," Robin whispered to the sky above, taking slow deliberate steps.

Just what can they be up to out there?

Footsteps interrupted his reverie, and Robin turned to see a silhouette of a familiar ninja before he made himself seen.

"Doing rounds, sir?" Kaze asked, appearing to manifest right in front of him with a slight salute.

"At ease, and yes, I am, Kaze."

"Perhaps you may accompany me," the ninja offered, to which the tactician nodded.

"You are aware of a number of the children on their 'secret mission?'" Robin asked politely.

"Unfortunately, I was just made knowledgeable of the incident thanks to Flight Leader Sumia."

"Enough to know who's on sortie," Robin frowned lightly.

"My daughter... she tries so hard to prove herself," Kaze admitted, scratching the back of his head. "They all do, it seems."

"It's our fault for being such great role models that they aspire towards," Robin theorized, thinking of his own children who admired him and Corrin so much.

"I forget you are a father now too," Kaze laughed, drawing the attention of Sumia, also on watch.

"Robin, there's an isue-"

"I know, Sumia."

"What are we going to do?"

"I've arranged a leader's reconnaissance of the area tomorrow morning. Since it is your daughter leading the party among others, you will be accompanying Corrin, along with Kaze and a number of the parents. I think it is fitting you be the first to debrief our young Shepherds."

"Debrief?" Sumia asked skeptically.

"Scold, congratulate, and otherwise reprimand, but forgive nonetheless," Robin said after a pause.

"And if something happens? What if the night brings some issue about?"

Robin stopped and closed his eyes.

"I don't know where they are, what they are doing, and how long they will be gone," the tactician briefed, staring off into the sky towards the woods. "But..."

The tactician had never felt dread before. But now, Robin felt something new. He felt powerless.

"Well, they'll be fine."


Day 222, before dawn


Robin rose as the sun did, stretching his arms to stave off the cold. Corrin stood above him near his cot, prodding his cheek with her finger.

"C'mon. They're waiting for us."

"That's what I'm worried about," Robin admitted, rolling his feet to the ground and grabbing his coat off the rack.

Behind him assembled a number of the Shepherds, all of them parents of a child so far away, in a place unknown. Among Corrin, he also saw Sumia, Kaze, Lissa, Kaden, Arthur, and Cherche. Hearing their footsteps one by one, Robin finally smiled.

"Commanders, do you mind telling us what's happening?" Cherche asked, seeing their leader staring into the sunrise since before dawn.

"I..."

"We'll find out, won't we?" Corrin filled in, not comfortable with seeing Robin so idle.

"Then shall we find our children or are we going to wait here?" Cherche asked smugly.

"We're not going to find them," Robin replied after a long pause. A collective gasp rang out from the group, and the tactician turned to reassure his colleagues.

"We're going to welcome our heroes back home."