Chapter 17 Reunion
"Milord!"
Chrom turned to the around to the familiar voice to see Frederick literally sprinting towards him from the far end of the camp. The Great a knight came to a complete stop in front of his league and stood in his usual stoic stance. "Frederick! I'm glad to see that you made it back!"
Frederick did a short now to the Exalt. "And it is an honor to once again be in your presence. But our reunion can wait, milord. I've come with great news."
Chrom raised his eyebrow and replied, "Oh, and what might that be?"
Frederick smirked vigorously and his chest stuck out slightly more. "I am proud to say that we now have the extra troops we need to take on Yen'fay's army."
Chrom's face instantly lit up from the revelation and he let out a relieving sigh. "Thank Naga."
"Thank Naga indeed, but that is not all the news I have to share."
'Wait, there's more?"
Frederick nodded. "During our journey we came across the rest of the future children; five girls and six boys I believe."
"T-That's amazing!" Chrom exclaimed happily. "Are they in the camp right now?"
"Yes, milord. I went ahead of everyone else, but they are currently at the front of the camp with Priam's forces. His forces are around 500 hundred extremely skilled fighters that can easily best the even Lon'qu and myself. We had to have a test of strength to convince the descendant to join our ranks, and that was no easy task. If not for Gaius and Gangrel's superior speed, I believe that we would have lost against the man."
"Wait…you all fought him together? Five against one?"
Frederick closed his eyes as he remembered the horrific battle. "Yes, milord. I must say, he is truly the descendant of the Radiant Hero with that strength and skill. I could only imagine the outcome of the battle if it was one on one."
"…Well, either way, I'm glad everything worked out. Now, I believe it's time to meet these Priam and the future children." Chrom watched as the Great Knight's eyes shot open and a somewhat pained expression was plastered on his face. "Is there something wrong, Frederick?"
"T-There's something that you should be wary of about the future children, milord." Frederick cleared his throat before he continued. "Of the 6 children we have discovered, two of them are apart of the royal family. One of them being Lissa's son, and the second…being yours."
Chrom's eyes widened. "Wait…I have a son?"
Frederick nodded. "Indeed. The brand in his right eye is proof of his linage, and his blue hair is even more proof."
"…Lucina never mentioned I had a son." Chrom pointed out.
"(And I'm positive she had very good reasons not to)"
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Nothing, milord. Just thinking out loud."
"Well, whatever. Let's go to them now. I want to meet my second child as soon as possible!" Without giving the Great Knight time to say anything, the Exalt did a one-eighty and speed walked down the camp.
"…I didn't get to tell you my worries, milord…"
"Lucy! Naomi! Morgan!" The trio turned around to the call of their names and was nearly tackled by a figure that pulled them all into a group hug. "I'm so happy to see you all again!"
"Cynthia, it has been ages!" Lucina cried as she pulled the girl closer into the hug.
"It's good to finally get to see you again, Cynthia." Said Naomi as she mimicked Lucina's movement. Cynthia pulled away and looked to her friends with a toothy grin.
"You guys have no idea how long we have been looking for you guys!"
"We?" Lucina asked in a confused tone and was answered with a nod of the head from the red black haired girl.
"That's right! I have been traveling with the rest of the gang for months now! We separated when we entered the camp to find our parents though. I'm sure we can find them if we follow the most noise in the camp!"
Lucina and Naomi laughed at the girls joke. "I want to see them as soon as possible. There is so much that I have to share with them." Lucina said with a smile.
"Me too. It's been so long since I've seen them. I have so much to tell Severa!"
"Wait a minute! Time out everyone!" Morgan broke in from the side lines. "Can someone PLEASE fill me in on what's going on here? And who is this and all the other people she mentioned, Naomi?" Cynthia looked to Morgan with a furlong look, while Lucina and Naomi both looked more understanding.
"Sorry about that, Morgan." Naomi apologized. "I got so caught up that for a second that I completely forgot you had no memories."
"Wait, WHAT!" Cynthia suddenly yelped from the young dark mages words. "Morgan lost her memories?!"
Naomi nodded. "I don't know how, but she has no memory of her past…except for father and her usual sword and tactics. Sounds farfetched, I know, but I believe her."
Cynthia looked to the young myrmidon in complete horror. "That's terrible! That means you've lost all the memories of the Justice Cabel?!" Lucina and Naomi stared at the twin tailed girl with a blank stare. Was that really the only thing she cared about? Much to the princess and young dark mages displeasure, the amnesiac's face lit up.
"I don't know what a 'Justice Cabel' is, but it sounds fun!"
Cynthia's face lit up along with the amnesiac and said, "It's our sacred clan that we formed when we were younger! Don't worry about your memories, Morgan." Cynthia stuck her chest out and pounded a fist against her breast plate. "As a member of the Justice Cabel, I will see to it that you remember everything about me and your days as a Hero of Justice! Now, let's start by mimicking the Justice Cabel's heroic poses!"
Morgan nodded happily and stood next to the girl who began making weird stances. Much to everyone's surprise, Morgan perfectly mimicked the girl after every pose. Seconds later she was perfectly in sync with the twin tailed girl. "This is a lot of fun!" Morgan remarked while they continued to do pose after pose, while the young dark mage and princess watched awkwardly from the sideline.
"Wow…that…was…AMAZING!" Cynthia exclaimed as they dropped their final pose. "You remember our secret poses!"
"I-It just kinda came out, y'know?" Morgan replied while rubbing the back of her head laughing nervously.
"This is tremendous progress already! Stick with me and I'll have you remembering everything in NO time!"
"Sounds alright to me!"
No one could hear it, but Naomi and Lucina cursed as they realized they've reawakened a sleeping dragon within the amnesiac.
"Oh great mother who is the descendant of the one and only Hero King and First Exalt! I've traveled from a future plagued with destruction and terror to save your very bein-"
"Can it already, Owain! Truth be told, Im' tired of hearin' your hootnelly!"
"Nonsense! I seek to only show my mother how much I've longed for her divine presence by giving her the grandest entrances of her offspring!"
"I'll show you a divine FIST you don't can it!"
"…Maribelle, who are these two?" Lissa asked as the two blondes watched the blue and redhead argue.
Maribelle sighed and looked to the ground. "Those are our future children, Lissa. We found them while on our journey. The one with the red hair is Owain, your child, and the one with the blue, Brady, is…my offspring." They shared a short lull to observe their children. Owain began preaching about a "Radiant Dawn" or something like that, while Brady spoke in such slang that made Maribelle gag in disgust.
"They are certainly…something…" Lissa muttered, trying not to judge their children from first glance.
"Only Naga knows where that boy got such a vulgar and repulsive speech. If anything, I blame Chrom for such behavior!"
"Ma', why do ya haff to put me down like that? Im' still your so-YEOWCH!" Brady yelped in pain as his mother wacked him on the head with her parasol.
"How many times must say that you will address me as MOTHER!" The blonde growled.
"W-Why did'cha haff ta hit me, Ma!"
"Because you refuse to stop addressing me with such a vulgar speech!"
Owain took this opportunity to approach his mother. "Dear mother, it is good to see that you are away from the enemies grasp! Now that we are reunited I swear on my twitching sword-hand that I will defend you with my last breathe if need be!"
"Wah?" Lissa's furrowed her brows in confusion. "Please speak proper Ylissean, Owain. My brain can't process the way you are speaking."
"S-Sorry." The boy apologized while rubbing the back of his neck. "I get kind of carried away sometimes."
"I can see that." Lissa giggled. "Well, Owain, I'm very happy to see you! If you are my son, then I'm sure you are bound to be a great child!"
The redhead boy held his chest out proudly and hovering his hand over his face in a weird pose. "Ha! My blood comes from the Exalted family of Ylisse! I have nothing but joy and vigor from being born in such a noble family! My twitching sword-hand is gifted with the power of justice and-" Lissa's eyes widened as the boys hand began to twitch uncontrollably and began to reach for his sword. "N-No sword-hand! It is not time for battle yet!" The boy argued while grabbing his twitching hand. "Sw-Sword-hand, listen to me when I am talking to you!"
"…Yep, I'm never gonna get use to this."
"Why, hello there, beautiful." Emmeryn turned around to the sound of a soothing man's voice. In front of her stood a boy about the same height as her, probably 3 inches taller, with black hair and wearing blue clad mercenary garb while holding a rose to her with a seductive smirk. "You are quite appealing to the eyes if I do say so myself. May I have the pleasure of know your name, miss?"
Emmeryn just stared at the man. She didn't really understand what he was trying to do, so she answered him how she answered everyone she newly met. "My name…is Emm." She replied hesitantly.
"Ah~, Emm. Such a name is fitting for someone as beautiful as you. Even jewel is dull in your divine presence, milady." Emmeryn felt completely uncomfortable with how the boy was speaking to her. To make things awkward, said boy gently took hold of her left hand and stared intently at it while slightly bowing forward. "Milady, if you would grace me with nothing but your time, then I would like to take you on-" Emmeryn saw the boy's eyes widened when he apparently saw something terrifyingly baffling on her finger. "M-Miss Emm, are you by chance-OW OW OW OW OW!" The boy yelped in agony two young girls both tugged on his ears.
"Gods, we haven't been here ten minutes and you're ALREADY hitting on women!" The pigtailed, olive haired one scoffed.
"Please forgive our friend, madam." The other purple armored, black haired girl apologized.
"I-It's alright. H-He caused no harm." Emmeryn replied.
"S-Severa? Kjelle? C-Can you let go of my ears now? I don't think they can t-take much more."
"Shut up! You deserve at least THIS much, Inigo!" Severa lashed out while pulling harder on the black head's ear. While the olive haired girl tugged on the boy's ear, the female knight gazed at the brand on the blonde woman's forehead.
"Madam, if I may ask, are you by chance apart of the Ylissean royal family?" The black haired girl was answered with a slight from the blonde woman.
"I am Emm. Lissa and Chrom are…my younger siblings."
"Emm? As in THE Emmeryn? The same Emmeryn who is said to have a smile that could stop an army and a heart that could ignite any fire?! Are you really THAT Emmeryn?!" The young girl's eyes glittered as she awaited the answer from the former Exalt. Emmeryn nervousness seemed to leave her and was replaced with a warm feeling and smile.
"Yes, but I am Exalt no more. I am…only Emmeryn." Emmeryn responded to the girl who released the blued head and skipped to the noble woman.
"So it IS you! Are you alright? I've heard that you were no longer of this world. How did you make it back? Did Naga grant you a second chance?"
"P-Please, I can answer only…one at a time."
"You were trying to court the former Exalt of Ylisse?! Have you NO shame?!" Severa scolded the blue head again while yanking hard.
"OW! I-I didn't know, I swear!"
"I am at a complete lost for words. Never in all my days would I imagine to have an offspring. You even have such intellect that proves worthy of being my child."
"I have learned from the best, mother. Your knowledge has been passed down to me and I hoped to further improve my intellectual being by reading your books and novels, which I must say were quite breath taking."
"I've written novels and books in your future? Tell me, have my intelligence increased from my present time?"
"It's hard to say. You never really completed most of your work. It pained me to read your research and never really get to the climax or conclusion. I have searched far and wide to be able to be with you again, mother. My training as a scientist is just the beginning. I would like to further my knowledge by learning from you first hand."
"…Watching these two is like watching two dictionaries converse." Gangrel commented.
"Miriel has always been…Miriel, but having two of her would prove to be quite…difficult." Matthew joined the Mad King.
"Ha! It is nothing wrong with learning about the ways of the world! The more knowledge you have about this world, the more you will grow!" Gangrel grumbled when the blue headed mercenary next to him spoke, while Matthew eyed the man.
"Priam, right? Do you mean to tell me that you understood every word they said?"
"Of course!" The man beamed at the tactician. "If one wanted to be called the best, then he must be both physically, mentally and knowledgably fit! Knowledge of situations can lead to life or death on the field of battle. If you can outsmart your opponent even despite your clear difference in skill and power, then you will become quite the terror. Even a mouse can kill a cat if you teach the mouse the cat's weakness and flaws. Equip him with armor and a sword and you have the world's smallest warrior!"
"Wow, that's quite the explanation!" Matthew remarked with a tone that showed he was impressed. "When I first met you I thought you were more of a silent type, but my opinion couldn't be more wrong."
"Watch it tactician." Gangrel whispered to the brunette next to him. "You don't want him to go into a full explanation of every philosophy in his armory. Trust me."
Miriel, who overheard the conversation, stepped in with eyes that sparkling with interest. "A mouse besting a cat in combat? Is such a feat truly possible?"
"Indeed!" Priam turned his attention back to the redhead woman. "If a man can slay a God like both Ylisse and my ancestor has done, then a mouse can even find the power to wrestle a lion!"
"Fascinating! The idea sounds intriguing. Would you mind explaining how such a miniscule is able to put up a ferocious battle with a beast like a lion?"
"Sure!"
"Oh no." Gangrel muttered in an annoyed tone. "This is my ticket to lea-"
"Gangrel! Surely a man of your fame would like to stay and listen on how to conquer anyone in your battles!"
"I have no interest in conquering anything other than my cot. For once it sounds a lot better than resting in a sleeping bag."
"Nonsense! A warrior of your stature is sure to get a few pointers from this lesson!"
"I don't think you underst-"
"Now, if a mouse wants conquer a lion, then it first needs the proper training. I would give the mouse a good 2 years before it is ready to compete with a lion. It sounds long, but results of the mouse's training will allow him to open his inner chi. No one is truly strong until they have unlocked their inner chi."
"Chi?" Miriel asked with raised brows. "Tell me more about this "chi" you speak of."
"Ah, chi is the inner strength to everyone's power! I've learned to channel my chi back when I was just 12 years old! The power boost you receive from chi can make you stronger, faster, and even more flexible in both body and mind. It is a skill that anyone and anything can build and train, which is what makes it so detrimental. If I had one thing to say, it would be that-"
…
Is this ever going to end? Matthew asked himself as he looked to the redhead and her child who were taking notes, then to the blue head who continued to speak more about the power the of a mouse to a loin. Gangrel had somehow vanished from next to the tactician somewhere between the explanations. Matthew saw a slight window of opportunity and slowly slithered away as well.
Now walking through the camp Matthew started to notice new faces. The first were the obvious different armored soldiers and warriors and conversed with many of the Shepherds, Ylissean and Feroxians, then there were young ones he definitely knew looked familiar. One was a bunny eared boy, who he dubbed as probably Panne's future child from the similarities they shared, another was a small young girl wearing a white dress and red came, crying with Nowi; both being in the arms of a puzzled Ricken. Probably the two most threatening one's he met were the sky blue headed boy who wore a mask and black armor, with a wyvern in tow, and a blonde, skinny, and fragile young girl shouting something about "BLOOD AND THUNDER" at poor Libra. The weirdest of the bunch was the pigtailed girl who seemed to be doing some sort of exercise with his daughter, Morgan.
"Just when I thought the Shepherds couldn't get any weirder." The tactician smiled and quickened his pace when the familiar green robes of his wife came into view. She was currently waving at two young girls and a boy walking away; or, rather, dragging the boy away by his ears. "Made some new friends, Emm."
Emmeryn turned in surprise to hear her husband's voice. "Yes, they are such sweet kids… They remind me of Morgan and Naomi."
"Really? How so?"
"They were all…weird."
"Haha! Is that really how you see our daughters?"
"Hehe, just a little."
"I see…" Matthew's smile brightened and he laced his fingers with his wife. A light blush appeared on the blonde woman's face as she looked up to her husband with a quizzical stare. "I'm done with my work until dawn, which means we have two hours to ourselves. So, is there anything you would like to do in those two hours?"
Emmeryn thought about it for a short period of time before answering her husband. "Can we play a game with Morgan and Naomi…as a family?"
Matthew's face fell at his wife's suggestion. "W-With the kids?"
"Yes." Emmeryn nodded. "I want to spend time with all of us…together." Emmeryn's eyebrows curled in concern at the tactician's sour expression. "Is that not…alright?"
"Wha-Oh no no! I-I'd love to have family time!" Matthew reassured.
Emmeryn's smile returned and said, "Great! I'll go get Morgan and Naomi!" Emmeryn placed a soft kiss on her husband's cheek before walking away to look for their daughters.
…
…
…
…
"…But…what about our alone time…?"
"We win again!" Morgan exclaimed as she gave a high five to her father.
"I think this is hardly fair." Naomi complained. "Not only are you guys better than me and mother at strategy, but you also have the upper hand when it comes to thinking fast. So, to put it simple, this game was rigged the second we started."
"Excuses~" Morgan said in a mocked tone. "How about more thinking and less complaining."
"What did you say?!"
"Guys, we are not here to fight." The two girls went silent to the sound of their father. "Your mother wanted to spend more time with you guys as a family. We didn't call you guys here so you could fight."
Both girls looked to their mother, who gave them a blank stare, before apologizing.
"S-Sorry Mother, I didn't mean to start anything." Morgan apologized.
"It's alright, Morgan." Emmeryn replied, waving off the young girls worry. "I'm having a lot of fun right now!"
"I'm glad you are having fun Mom, but I can't see the fun of losing over and over." Naomi stated while looking to her father. "I say we play a game that doesn't require skill or strategy. Something like card war or 21 or BC."
"What's BC?" Matthew asked.
"BC is actually the best game for us. It's a game solely based on lying-" Naomi stopped mid-sentence to look at her mother. "…Then again, mother isn't really the best at lying, so that game just might not work out."
Suddenly, Morgan perked up from her seat and hopped up and down. "Oh, Oh, how about a game of tome stacke-"
"Don't ever utter that disgraceful game in front of me again." Naomi barked, which made Morgan's face contort into a pout as she crossed her arms and slumped down in her chair.
"Uh, Matthew? Do ya think you can give me a second of yer time?" The family looked up from their table at the tent entrance to see Donnel walking in with his signature pot on his head and mercenary garb on.
"Donnel? Can I help you with something?"
"W-Well, yeah... It's somethin very important that I must talk to ya about." The tone of the farm boy, and the way he twiddled his thumbs while looking at the ground, told the tactician that it must be something he couldn't say with others around. Matthew looked to his family and politely asked them to leave. Neither of them seemed to argue and stood peacefully to exit the tent. However, before Naomi could exit, Donnel grabbed ahold of her hand. "I-I think y'should stay."
Matthew raised an eye at the farm boy. "Why should she have to stay?"
Donnel rubbed the back of his head, not letting go of the girl's hand. "W-Well, what I haff ta talk ta ya about kinda...involves...us."
"Us?" Matthew pointed out.
"F-Father." Naomi spoke up. "Please listen to what Donnel has to say. And...promise not to get mad, okay?"
"That depends on what it is." Matthew stated while crossing his arms.
"Well, ya see...Naomi an' I, as you know, haff been working together for quite sometime now. We haff been through a lot since we first met and we got...closer."
"...And?" Matthew asked nonchalantly.
"Y-Ya see, we have gotten close on an off the battlefield... Very close... Do ya know what I mean?"
Matthew's threading atmosphere seemed to leave him, which really confused the farm boy and young girl. Was this all he wanted to talk about? Matthew asked himself. "Isn't that only natural? All Shepherds have gotten better this way. It's an ideal bond to strengthen your ability on the battlefield. Is this really worth speaking to me about?" Matthew asked with raised brows, not really understanding what the farm boy was getting at.
"Uh, well, I don't think yer gettin what im' tryna say."
"Father," Naomi finally stepped in with a determined look on her face, gripping the farm boys hand harder. "I'm just gonna be blunt and get this over with." Naomi let a breathe of air before a blush appeared on her face and she held both Donnel and her hand up to show her father. "Donny has acknowledged me as a woman, and I have acknowledged him as a man. We love each other and I want to spend the rest of my days with him." Naomi and Donnel watched as the tactician's eyes slowly widened from the revelation, but it didn't last long though. About 30 seconds later the situation set in completely and his bewildered expression turned into a hard glare.
"...What..."
Ahhhh, I love Miriel. If I didn't think of writing an Emmeryn fanfic(and if her dialogue wasn't so hard to write), then I would have definitely done a Mireil/Robin fic. It's just something about a very educated woman that I find very attractive! Then there's also Owain, which in my opinion is the funniest of the children! You will definitely see more of him in the future! Speaking of children, I've been having a hard time thinking who to pair Morgan with. Brady and Owain is out since I don't want her to marry her cousins; Brady x Morgan forever x(. Yarne and Gerome are out of the question...point... So that just leaves Inigo and Laurent. I thought about Inigo, but I don't think the avatar is too keen on the idea of the boy and his daughter being together, but seems to be a fan favorite. Laurent is SOMEWHAT acceptable and his dialogue is possible for me...Oh well, I'll get through this.
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! YAY ME! Technically, it's also the avatar's birthday, but that chapter won't come till later (which I believe you will all enjoy). Speaking of chapters, there's something I would like to say regarding updates.
Updates now will ONLY occur on Sundays and Thursdays. Sunday is a guarantee chapter update (unless something drastic happens that I must give my attention to), while Thursday will serve as a day when I'm ahead of the game. I'm doing this to help myself and you guys out, actually, and because since I recently got a job, I won't be able to write so often like I use to. So, this way you will know exactly when I update and I will now have more of a reason to not neglect my work (since I AM a man of my word). But fear not, for I have a surprise for you guys next Sunday!...but you'll just have to wait for it!
As always, thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows and hope to see you next time!