It was a sunny day in Celica Harbor, formerly known as Valm Harbor. A certain pair of Shepherds had been dropped off in the city only a few hours ago. Robin and Morgan were, once again, wearing rather ridiculous outfits, hand picked by the younger girl to hide their identities.

"Hey, look at this, Morgan!"

"Dad..." said Morgan, lowering her head and reaching her free hand for her hood, before realizing it wasn't there. "Isn't the hand holding thing kinda sorta reserved for... Romantic couples? I mean... Especially since we're only like, a few years apart in age..."

"I don't care who it's 'reserved' for." he responded. "You will hold my hand. This city is crowded, and when you ran off like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I just... I saw something cool, and I wanted to surprise you."

"Really?" Robin asked. "Well, what was it?"

"I don't know, because you pulled me back before I could get a good look! I'm sure it was like... Really cool, though! And you'd have loved it!"

Robin couldn't help laughing. "Well, next time you see something cool, tell me, and we'll check it out together. Look at this." he said, handing her a newspaper. "'Exalt Chrom of Ylisse to announce new Minister of Plegian Reconstruction.' How about that?"

"Huh. Who do you think it is?"

"Well, it'll have to be a Plegian. That's going to be the only way to bridge the gap between the two countries... Let's see... Chrom would sooner die than appoint Gangrel to any sort of government position, unless, of course, that position carried a high risk of death or dismemberment. Tharja, Noire, Inigo, and Henry have zero experience in politics. You and I would know if it were either of us. Which leaves Aversa as the last Plegian we know..."

"...It's weird, but... She's not actually a bad choice." added Morgan. "The woman knows politics, she's been an adviser to two previous kings, she'd even technically be the next heir to the throne, after you and me..."

"And for what it's worth, I do think that, despite her past, she can be trusted. We can't blame her for her service to Validar, with the brainwashing and all. Even with her flaws, she's a good person at heart."

Morgan smirked at him. "Awwww!" she teased. "You have a soft spot for your little sister, don't you?"

Robin rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not sure 'my father killed her parents and brainwashed her' counts as siblings..."

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

"...Doesn't matter if you are or not." he sighed. "The Ylissean nobles would never let Chrom appoint her anyway. What with her being a veteran of a war against Ylisse..."

"So the new minister of Plegian reconstruction will be..."

"Some idiot noble with a rich father, a decent reputation, and no knowledge of politics, yes." Then he let out a small laugh. "And a complete lapdog for Flavia and Chrom. I still don't think those two trust Plegia."

"Hardly fair of him..." she grumbled. "I mean, of all the Plegians the Shepherds recruited, only, like, half have actually tried to kill him... And, y'know, you were hypnotized! You get a pass!"

Robin cringed. The whole "attempted murder while hypnotized" thing was still somewhat of a sore subject for him. Still, while Morgan had a lot of good qualities, tact was not one of them.

"Yeah... That was... What's the paper say, Morgan?" said Robin, desperately trying to change the subject. "I only skimmed it."

"Direct statement from Chrom:" she began reading. "'We are entering a transitional period. In about six months, my advisers and I, along with representatives from the nation of Plegia, will begin drafting a new constitution.' Pretty standard political stuff... Plegian military severely limited, monarchy disestablished, blah blah blah... Ohh! Look at this! The author is talking about grandpa's, and I quote, 'complete silence on the rumors of Sir Robin's return.' Hah, seems like we've not been too stealthy!"

"Awww, he's waiting for me!" said Robin. "That's sweet of him."

"Huh?"

"Six months before they begin drafting a new constitution is more than enough time for me to return to Ylisstol." he explained. "He expects me, as his top adviser, to help him. That's why he's not confirming the rumors, anyway. If he told the truth, it'd look like his government is waiting for my return to build Plegia's government. He'd look weak and dependent... It's all political."

"...But if you're right, his government is waiting for you."

"All the more reason he's gotta stay silent!" he laughed. "At the same time, he's not directly denying the rumors... He wants them to spread. He wants Lucina to hear them... Anything else in there of interest?"

"Hmmm... Nope... There's just-"

She stopped mid sentence as she turned the page.

"Dad. Look. At. This."

Morgan handed the newspaper to her father, turned to the local section. He smirked as he read the play announcement she was referring too.

"...I suppose," he said "we could take a night to relax. Catch a show..."

"A dashing tale! A tale of heroics! Of love! Of war! Of loss! A tragedy! A comedy! A romance! The story of the man who sacrificed his life... To save the world!"

The audience let out an audible gasp as Robin and Morgan took their places in the theater. It was a packed show. Apparently, this acting troupe, the Chon'sin Twelve, were renowned throughout the Valmese continent. And very, very, popular. Robin was flattered that such a well known group was performing a play titled "The Brave Shepherds."

"See the heroes of the war against Grima! The saviors of the world!" the narrator continued. "The newly Exalted King of Ylisse, Chrom! The swordswoman with the gift of foresight, Lady Lucina! And, last, but certainly not least, the loyal tactician, the High Deliverer, the late Sir Robin! Watch the three heroes and the rest of the Shepherds as they take on incredible odds!"

The audience erupted with cheers. Somewhere in the middle of it, a voice called out proclaiming that Robin was still alive.

"Who said that?" asked the narrator. "About Robin?"

"Me!" a man called back. "Sir Robin lives! I saw him the other day!"

"What's your name?"

"Walter, sir."

"Walter, eh?" the narrator questioned. "Now, that's not a Chon'sinese name, is it?"

The audience burst into laughter. "Walter" was probably one of the least common names in Chon'sin.

"Er... No, no it's not." responded Walter.

"Of course it isn't!" the narrator shot back, grinning. "Well, Walter, if there's one thing you gotta learn about Chon'sin plays, it's that, even if Sir Robin were alive, we'd never let something as silly as facts stop us from performing a good tragedy! Everyone loves a great story!"

Once again, the audience cheered and laughed.

"And now," said the narrator, speaking over the still unruly audience. "We implore you to quiet down and observe, a beautiful story, independent of any 'rumors,' ladies and gentlemen... The Brave Shepherds!"

Robin was shocked at how quickly the audience had calmed down. He then watched as several actors made their way across the stage, covered by darkness, clearly supposed to be Chrom, Lissa, and... Himself.

They were fairly accurate representations, besides a few minor nitpicks. Chrom's actor being shorter than Robin's, for example. Still, the attention to detail on the costumes was incredible! The actor playing Robin had spared no expense fashioning himself an authentic Grimleal robe, and Lissa's actress must have spent several hours getting her hair to stand like that. Chrom's actor had even gotten the Brand on his right shoulder!

Then, lights shone on the stage, generated by mages dressed in black standing off to the side. 'Robin' was lying on the floor, and 'Chrom' and 'Lissa' walked onstage. 'Lissa' quickly tripped over 'Robin.'

"Chrom!" she called. "There's a man lying here on the ground!"

"I see a woman next to him, too." 'Chrom' snarked back. "Well, don't just sit there! Help him up!"

"Then, in Naga's name, we shall set the very seas themselves ablaze!" shouted the actor calling himself Robin. "For every two ships we have, we shall set one in flames! Ram them into the enemy's navy! Begin evacuating the ships in the front lines, and load the oil onto them!"

"...It was closer to two fifths of the ships..." muttered the real Robin.

"Gods, he's either mad or brilliant!" declared actress Lucina, more to the audience than to any other character. "You heard the man! Today, we send Walhart's dogs back where they came from!"

Lucina, in this play, had been made into not a princess from the future, but a travelling mercenary who happened to be able to see the future. Most of the public hadn't believed the time travel rumors.

"Mom has never sounded like that!" whispered Morgan, chuckling. Still, despite the artistic liberties taken in the name of entertainment, the show was quite brilliant. Morgan and Robin both loved the performances.

Then the orchestra started up, with fiery, passionate battle music accompanying a fight scene, as 'Lucina,' 'Robin,' and 'Chrom' fought off Valmese soldiers. Mages dressed in full black costumes contributed brilliant sparks to the show, while at the same time remaining mostly hidden. 'Virion' fired arrows with fabric on the ends every which way. The arrows could likely still hurt someone, however. It was a testament to the skill of all involved when 'Virion's' arrows narrowly missed the extras, who then collapsed on the floor.

But by far the most impressive part of the spectacle was a 'Nowi' costume operated by several actors. The dragon roared and shot large chunks of ice (actually orbs of light generated by the mages) at the helpless Valmese.

Morgan's eyes drifted to the orchestral pit, looking over the musicians as they played with more feeling than any she had seen before. Except, perhaps...

"...Dad, look over there!" she said, pointing. "...Is that Brady!?"

The unmistakable face of Maribelle and Vaike's son loomed in the string section. It had to be him, what with his blonde hair, hunched stance, and signature scar over his right eye. He played his violin with more skill than he ever had while in the army, never missing a single note.

"I... Dear Gods, it is! We'll have to meet up with him after the show!"

"For Ylisse!" shouted 'Robin,' charging at an enormous fake dragon head peering in from the side of the stage.

"For Chrom!"

He struck another blow.

"For the Shepherds!"

One more blow.

"Most of all... For Lucina!"

He plunged his blade into the giant prop. It writhed around in pain before striking 'Robin' and knocking him to the ground. It then let out a horrible screech and fell to the floor, lifeless.

Well, as lifeless as a puppet could be, anyway.

'Lucina' charged in from stage right and grabbed 'Robin' in her arms.

The real Robin, at this point, mostly tuned out from the play. As much as he had thoroughly enjoyed the show, watching his loved ones mourn him, even as a recreation, was painful. Still, he could hardly fault the theater for that. It was, to them, a completely impersonal story. He did, however, tune back in just in time to see the curtain drop over 'Lucina' passionately kissing 'Robin' goodbye.

The audience broke into thunderous applause as the actors came in front of the curtain and took a collective bow. Robin looked to his right to see Morgan clapping and wiping tears from her eyes.

"That was... That was so sad!" she said. "Dad! Did you hear you? And then mom!?"

"I uh... Yeah, very sad, wasn't it?"

Morgan brought her father into a hug.

"I mean... Not... Not as sad as the real thing, of course, but still..."

He sighed. "I uh... Don't really remember much about the battle. Most of it was lost in a rush of adrenaline. And... Dying kinda overrode anything about the battle before it..."

"It was one tough fight." responded Morgan. "No permanent injuries, but... The healers were busy after that battle. ...Mom got a pretty nasty scar out of the whole ordeal."

"Yeah. Lissa told me. Across her chest, right?"

Morgan nodded. "She healed fine, thank the Gods."

"I... I should remember that... I remember fighting Grima... Parrying his blows, but just brief flashes..."

He closed his eyes in thought.

"...The battle plan. I remember it vaguely. We had four... Was it five? No... Four teams... And then..."

He shut his eyes tighter and placed a hand to his forehead.

"I can tell you about it later." Morgan blurted out quickly. "We've got a violinist to catch! Come on!"

Robin looked back at the orchestra pit to see the musicians taking their leave. Before he had a chance to say anything, Morgan grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the seats.

"Bradyyyy! Brady Brady Brady Brady! Look over here!"

The violinists had nearly left the theater when Brady heard the call.

"Sounds like you've got yourself a fan, eh, Babyface?" remarked a tall, dark haired woman next to the musician. "Go on, say hi! She might be cute!"

Brady groaned and turned around. "Yeah, whaddya- ...Morg!? That you!?"

Brady's answer came in the form of a hug. "Brady! It's been so long! You did so good! I heard you playing and I was all 'wow he's improved that's crazy he's so good when did he get so good why didn't he ever tell me he was so good!'"

"Heh... Uh, thank you, Morgan!"

"What, no introductions?" asked the dark haired girl. "Your friend has... Quite the interesting fashion taste."

"Oh! Right! Sorry." responded Brady. "Elle, this is Morgan. Old friend of mine. She was a character in the play, actually! She's a Shepherd!"

"Morgan... That's... Wait. THE Morgan!? The one you told me about!? Robin's daughter!?"

"In the flesh!" declared the blue haired girl proudly.

"Milady, forgive me." she said, falling on her knees. "I-I had no idea I was in the presence of m-my queen. My name is Eleanor."

"...Your what, now?" asked Morgan.

"She's a Plegian." commented Brady. "And a staunch royalist. She also knows the whole story of the Shepherds, time travel and all."

Ah. That explains it.

The war had divided Plegia into two main groups, both politically and religiously. One group, known as the nationalists, had decided that the death of Grima meant that Plegia no longer had a god, and supported a new government led by a confederation of Plegian states. The other group, the royalists, had decided that killing a god made you the new god. They were, therefore, rather irrevocably in favor of finding Robin, or his closest living relative, and appointing them as the new ruler of Plegia. This was in spite of the fact that very few members of the general public knew about Robin's heritage.

And Eleanor, under the belief that Robin was dead, had instead appointed Morgan as her ruler.

"Y-your Highness, I-I assure you that the P-Plegian monarchy shall be restored, with you at the helm. U-until that day comes, and forever after, I am your h-humble servant."

"Let's... Not, with the serving thing. I'm not a queen. I mean, like, technically I'm a princess but I'm like fifth in line for the Ylissean throne and there really is no Plegian throne anymore soooo-"

"But there can be!"

"I'm... Not really interested in ruling anyone?"

Eleanor's jaw dropped. The poor girl was stunned.

"Told you." added Brady.

Desperately wanting to avoid awkwardly being named queen of any further countries, Morgan turned her attention back to Brady.

"Okay! So! Brady! I've got something to show you!" said Morgan, pulling out a rescue staff from her bag. "May I re introduce to you, slayer of ancient dragon god things, chief tactician of the Halidom of Ylisse, the one, the only... Robin!"

Morgan moved her staff, and a green orb appeared, bringing Robin into view next to her.

"Oh! Hi, Brady!" he waved.

"Ta-daaaa! Now with one hundred percent less Grima!" the young girl added cheekily.

"Morgan thought it would be fun if I made a bit of an entrance so... Rescue staff!" said the white haired man.

"...You're... Robin..." said Eleanor.

"Last I checked, yeah. You're a friend of Brady's, I take it?"

"...The... Dead... Robin..."

"Turns out being dead was more of a temporary inconvenience."

"Wha... Buh... I-I..."

"She's the first chair violinist for this little troupe. And a huge fan of yours. Name's Eleanor." said Brady. "Hell's bells, though, the rumors were true! Robin lives! Chrom sent me a letter, talkin' about how you came back and your whole journey now, but I'll be damned if it ain't somethin' to see you in the flesh! I didn't quite believe Chrom's letter, at first!"

Eleanor, at this point, fell back on her knees. "M-m-my liege!"

"...Erm... Can you... Stand up, please? And call me Robin?"

"Y-you're the Godslayer! Y-you w-w-would... So casual!?"

...I knew there was a reason I wanted to stay incognito...

"I'm Robin. Just Robin." he sighed. "That was a fantastic performance you all put on! Very impressive!"

"We're, uh, kinda in the middle of taking this play all throughout the continent." said Brady, pulling a flyer off the wall next to him and handing it to Robin. "Sorry 'bout all the little factual inconsistencies. I didn't write it. I... Did help 'em out with the costumes, and I managed to convince them to take out some of the more... Glaring missteps."

"Don't apologize!" demanded Morgan. "You were great! Really! Brady, there's so much we've gotta catch up on!"

"I can stick around for an hour or two..." responded Brady.

"Dad! Do we have time?" Morgan asked her father.

"Sure we-"

...And that's when he noticed it. So THAT'S what this is about. Robin recognized that look. He'd recognized when Morgan subtly moved herself closer to Brady, her excitement to show Brady her staff magic... Which, now that he thought about it, was Brady's preferred branch of magic.

Robin knew his daughter well enough to recognize her developing a bit of a crush.

...How to handle this... She'd probably not want her dad sitting in on a pseudo-date...

"I mean... I dunno, Morgan. We've gotta leave pretty early in the morning..."

"Pleeeeeeeease! Please please please please please!"

The puppy dog eyes. She really knows what she's doing...

"Well... I'm going back to the inn." he said. "You can come with me, or hang out with Brady for a while, if you think you won't be too tired in the morning..."

"Of course not!" she cheered. "I won't be too tired! Goodnight, dad! I'll see you in a couple of hours!"

"Don't stay out too late! It was great to see you again, Brady!"

"Goodnight, Robin!" said Brady, shaking his hand.

"Sorry I couldn't stay too long. Just felt it appropriate to congratulate you on an outstanding show. Goodnight!"

As he walked away, Robin considered whether or not he would be morally justified in following them, Tharja style. It would be Morgan's first sort-of-date, after all. ...On the other hand, they were both responsible enough... Decisions, decisions...

"W-w-wait!" called Eleanor, finally regaining her voice and rushing after Robin. "Y-your Highness! Do you need anything? A bodyguard? A violinist? A secret lover? Your Majesty! Wait!"

Once she was out of earshot, Morgan burst into laughter. "Pffft! HAH! A secret lover! Did you hear that, Brady?"

"...You're not worried?" the priest questioned as he took a seat on the rail of the orchestra pit.

"About my dad!? He practically worships the ground my mother walks on! He'd never betray her! The- the very idea of it! Bah hah hah HAH!" Morgan laughed as she sat next to him.

A smile came across the violinist's face. "Heh, I missed this. The happy-go-lucky Morgan, I mean. It's great to see you back to your old self! It's just... Last time I saw ya..."

"...Brady, the last time you saw me wasn't exactly the happiest moment of my life." she reminded him. It was just after she'd lost her father, after all.

"I... Yeah." he said simply.

"Speaking of that time... I... Never said thank you. For, y'know. Saving my mom's life like you did."

"No need for thanks. I was a healer. It was my job."

They both recounted that final battle vividly. Lucina's desperate charge towards Grima, him striking her down, and Morgan carrying her unconscious body back to the first healer she saw as Robin faded away in the distance. Even after spending the entire day treating the injured, the thing that stuck out most in Brady's mind was seeing Morgan's robes stained with Lucina's blood.

"Still..." she leaned over and hugged the blonde. "Thank you. If you hadn't been there..."

He awkwardly reached over and patted her shoulder to comfort her.

"You'll find your mom, Morgan. I'm sure of it."

The two chatted for a while, reminiscing about their time in the army and discussing all that had happened in the year since they'd last seen each other. Apparently, Brady had joined the Chon'sin Twelve about four months ago, shortly after his other self was born. The name was really a misnomer, he explained. When it had started as a troupe, there really were only twelve people, and they were all from Chon'sin. But the group exploded in popularity and hired an orchestra and extras from all over the world. The original twelve actors remained and played most of the big roles, but the "International Seventy-something" didn't have quite the same ring to it, so the old name stuck.

Morgan talked about her time in the castle for a few months, and then later leaving for Regna Ferox to look for Robin. She explained how she'd supported herself by performing magic for people. Sometimes she'd just put a tip jar in a crowded street and perform a fireworks show. Rarely, though, she'd work as a medium to contact dead friends and family members for people. It was a fantastically difficult ritual to conduct, but very lucrative. Luckily for Morgan, even without Grima's power, her father's side of the family had an incredible affinity for dark magic. The fact that her magic couldn't contact Robin had been the one thing assuring her that he'd come back.

It wasn't long before Brady needed to catch up with the other musicians and head to the next destination. So he walked Morgan back to the inn, said his goodbyes, and headed off.

The next morning, Robin and Morgan would leave for the Mila tree, and Brady for some city on the other side of Valm. Even though they couldn't visit long, Morgan had been thrilled to see an old friend. It was sort of... Normal, for her. If nothing else, it was a temporary return to how things had been during the war. She was looking forward more and more to a full return to form.

Well, a return to form sans war.

Said return to form was creeping closer and closer. The Mila tree was only a few days away, and from there, with Tiki's help, Robin could find out exactly where Lucina was. It would be perhaps a few weeks more, at most.

Robin had a plan beyond just finding out where she was. He wasn't entirely sure how well it would work, but he did have a plan.

He always had a plan.

So, even ignoring this author's note and counting all others, this is my longest chapter by far. I didn't get it published as soon as I had wanted, but I hope it turned out okay!

I like Morgan with Brady. I know it ain't the most popular pair for her, but I like it. He's sweet.

Not much more to say except I really like the chapter I'm working on where they meet up with Tiki, which should be out in a couple weeks ish... Depending on whether or not I choose to go for another Paralogue first. I do HAVE at least two more Paralogues I'd like to do. Not sure where I'll put them, though.

Review responses!

To KimranReech: Well, it's important to remember that A) Anna didn't actually do much fighting in that chapter, B) Robin wasn't so much at his limits as he was completely misusing his powers, and C) Robin started the chapter by being interrupted in the middle of a powerful ritual from Lute's tome. He was already more than a bit drained, as it were.

To Moray: Mostly I intended Anna bringing up honor as a response to Robin faking a surrender. She expected him to follow more rules, even if she isn't as concerned about it herself.

To Dane Namor: Part of me felt that in writing a Robcina fic I was almost obligated to include a "Chrom finds out" chapter. :P Ah well, I had a lot of fun with it!

To Sean: Heh, I did toy around with that idea when I was first coming up with ideas for the fic. I eventually decided that it made the whole situation even more uncomfortable for all involved and chose not to follow that route.

...However, if you'll note the dates I give in this chapter about Brady's birthday, at least one of the Shepherds was pregnant during the battle with Grima in the universe of this fic. :P

To everyone else: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for reading this, reviewing it, all you guys do. It's because of you guys that I try and make this fic as entertaining and interesting as possible, and, even if I sometimes fall short of what I'm hoping for, it's all you fans that inspire me to keep writing and improving! You're all FANTASTIC!