DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO.
Morgan
The girl sobbed loudly into Lucina's chest. "...Mother! Mother!" she wept, holding onto Lucina as if her very life depended on it.
Lucina was left petrified from the girl's words and actions. Before her mind blanked out completely, in a move of panic, Lucina slowly unhooked the girl's arms from around her.
The girl gazed up at Lucina with an expression of hurt and confusion as she rubbed away at her dampened cheeks. "Mother? ...W-what's wrong?"
Lucina took a step back, as if to ascertain to others in the room that she had no known involvement with the girl.
Lucina took quick, occasional peeks at the girl while she stared of into space. It was true that the girl's face bore some similarities to her's, but what had stood out the most was the blue hair that cascaded just down to her shoulders. The dark blue hair was a sight commonly found among the Royal House of Ylisse. There was also the matter of her clothing, which eerily mirrored her own. With every glance she stole, the battle between fearful denial and curiosity festered within her.
Lucina was afraid. She had been plunged into yet another unprecedented event and was left with the reactive efficiency of a fish out of water. She had already accepted her role in this world and decided to walk head on into a future of uncertainty, but nothing would have prepared her for this. The usually calm and headstrong princess found herself standing before a mental and physical blockade. After what seemed like minutes of silence, Lucina was able to finally take control of her bodily movements and face the girl.
The girl stood where she had been left, hands fiddling with the hems of her vest. She stared at her feet awkwardly, unwilling turn her head up and glance around at the room of bewildered onlookers.
As Lucina's eyes traveled back up and honed in on her face, she became aware of the distraught look the shivering girl wore. Lucina's rigid body eased up a bit. Taking careful steps forward, she knelt down to look the girl in the eyes. Lucina lifted an arm towards her. Her hand hovered in place for a moment, as if unsure of her actions, before gently placing itself on the girl's head.
The girl closed her eyes and nudged her head up slightly, leaning into the comforting gesture.
Lucina waited for her breath to calm down. "...What is your name?"
The girl reached up to the top of her head and grasped Lucina's hand gently. "Y-you don't know? I'm Morgan." she spoke, her voice filled with hurt.
"Morgan..." Lucina repeated aloud. She got back up, her hand still within the girl's hold. "Okay, Morgan. Tell me, why do you believe me to be your mother?" she asked in a gentle tone, not wanting to come off like she was accusing the poor girl of anything.
Despite Lucina's careful treading, Morgan's brows furrowed ever so slightly. "Because you are my mother! You're Lucina! And I'm your daughter, Morgan!" she nearly yelled, her grip on Lucina's hand tightening. "...Why don't you... believe me?" she asked, her burst of vigor from a moment ago fading away.
"I apologize... This.. this is just a lot for me to take in..." Lucina said as she bit her lip.
Morgan shook her head. "No, I'm sorry mother... It seems that I've done something to upset you... I-I was just so scared, mother! I-I don't know where I am and I can't recall anything. T-That's why when I saw you... I thought you might know..." she finished, as she began to tear up once again.
Lucina still had her doubts, but could not bear to see the girl before her in such a state. She placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and slowly drew her closer.
The girl wasted no time in once again dampening Lucina's front with her tears, hugging her like before.
While the weeping girl was lost in a world of her own, Lucina looked up and glanced around at the many witnesses to the spectacle.
She came to see the many shocked faces of the Shepherds and company. Her father's gaze seemed to almost pass through her, his body stiff as stone. Sumia and Cynthia too, were surprisingly quiet, only staring at Lucina and Morgan.
Robin had long broken away from the state of stupor that had infected the room, and had tried to mentally piece together the puzzle before him. With a shuffle of his feet, he broke the awkward silence, much to Lucina's relief. "...Could it be possible that this girl, Morgan, also traveled through time?"
Lucina's eyes widened at Robin's solution to the conundrum.
"...You mean she also is from the future?" Chrom whispered, his face unchanged.
"It would explain why Lucina does not recognize her." Miriel noted. "She also appears to have a case of amnesia. Although to a degree, not as severe as yours, Robin. She was able to recognize Lucina, after all. A side effect, maybe?"
"This is... surprising..." Chrom said, his voice wavering slightly. He was unsure what to make of the situation, but sought to find the answer himself. Finally regaining the strength to move his body, he took small paces towards them.
"Easy Chrom, let's not do anything too rash." Robin spoke, aware of the stress that must have befallen his friend. "The girl looks scared to death. And as another with amnesia, not being able recall anything can be... terrifying at times. I can only fear what it's put her through."
"It's alright, Robin. I... can handle this." Chrom said, but Robin could sense the uncertainty in his voice. He pushed through the crowd and went over to Lucina and the girl.
"Father..." was all Lucina could utter, given the situation.
Chrom took a knee and tapped the girl on the shoulder. "...Young one." he began.
Morgan slowly turned to face the prince, but refused to let go of her 'mother'.
"I am... I am Lucina's father." he said softly, taking Robin's words and trying to provide a sense of safeness.
Morgan looked to Chrom with bewilderment. "Mother's... father?" she asked, her eyes squinting as if trying to jog her clouded memories.
Chrom nodded. "That's right. I need to ask you something... Morgan, was it? Morgan, do you have a mark such as this one, anywhere on your body?" he asked, sticking out his right shoulder to present her the brand.
The girl studied the mark, before removing her hands from Lucina and rolling up her left sleeve. She slowly turned her forearm over and held it out for him to see.
"...The brand." Chrom mouthed.
Lucina looked down on the Mark of Naga that was clearly visible on the girl's forearm. She nearly gasped at the sight.
The truth became clear. One by one, the doubts in Lucina's mind began to vanish. The girl's hair. Her clothes. The brand. And most of all, how she broke out into tears at the first sight of her, and immediately pulled her into a vice like grip.
Lucina felt that she could no longer deny what was in front of her. Not too long ago, she herself had broken similar news to her parents. As a fellow time traveler, she was aware of the oddities it could present. The fears that ravaged her from within were cast aside as Lucina recalled the heartache of a child longing for their parents.
Morgan felt several drops on her head. She looked up to find Lucina in tears. "Mother? Why are you crying? I've... done something again, haven't I?"
The sides of Lucina's quivering lips slowly turned upwards.. "N-no, no... You've done nothing wrong. It's just that..." Before she could muster an explanation, Lucina's body moved on its own, leaning down and wrapping her arms around the girl in a fierce hug.
They held each other in their arms as they cried joyful tears.
Lucina buried her face into the girl's hair, letting out soft sobs. Although the nagging fear of her being a parent lurked just beyond the fringes of her mind, she could care less at this very moment. She could care less, for she realized this unexpected guest was the embodiment of her very hopes and dreams. She knew not where or when in time she had appeared from, but one thing was certain. This girl was the symbol of their triumph in this world. A reminder that destiny was not absolute. A reminder that they could win. Little by little, this girl, her daughter, had fueled the spark of hope within her heart into a raging flame.
Chrom, even amid his shock from the revelation, couldn't help but offer a warm smile at the sight of his daughter and his newly discovered granddaughter. Although with the last part of that thought, Chrom felt himself shudder.
"M-mother! You...you remember me now, don't you?" Morgan wailed, her cry muffled by the cloth of Lucina's vest.
Lucina did not know how she would break the truth regarding time travel, nor did she believe this was the right place to do so. In response, she offered her the only thing she knew the girl yearned for. "Y-your my daughter, Morgan... And I, y-your mother..." she whispered into her ear.
And if possible, Morgan's grip on her tightened.
The rest of the spectators felt no need to make their presence aware. They just stood by in silence, as they watched the touching scene unfold.
After several minutes, Lucina pulled away, her face red around the eyes and nose. Morgan was no different.
Lucina, feeling as if she had become one with the truth, looked up at her parents with confidence. "Mother, Father. I'm sure that there are many things that need to be discussed, but for right now..."
Chrom raised a hand to halt her speech. "...It's fine, Lucina. We understand." he said, looking to his wife for confirmation.
Sumia rested her head onto his shoulder. "Y-yes, dear. It's best if you two have a moment to yourselves. Take your time." she urged them, tearfully.
Lucina gave them an appreciative smile. She put an arm around Morgan, "Come now, we've a lot to talk about."
Morgan gave a weak nod, leaning her head against Lucina's side as she was walked out.
Everyone in the room remained quiet until they were all certain the newly reunited mother and daughter were out of ear shot.
But before anyone could move, "Not a word." Chrom stated, having felt the imminent flood of reactions coming. "Not a word... At least until I can get my head wrapped around all this." he chuckled softly, pressing a hand to his head. "...Say'ri? Lady Tiki? I apologize for the inconvenience, but might we perhaps hold the discussion for another day?"
Say'ri let out a sigh. "Fie, it cannot be helped I suppose. I believe among many things, that family should come first. I myself do not mind postponing our meeting in light of this discovery."
"We'll be here a few days to recover anyways." Flavia chimed in support.
Sumia tugged on her husband as she walked out to leave as well. She turned and motioned to Cynthia to follow. "Us three should have a little talk of our own."
And with that, the rest of Lucina's immediate family had left the room.
Another brief silence later, and after being deadly careful that Chrom was out of earshot, Vaike broke the ice, "HO-LY SHIT." he enunciated.
With his eloquent starter, all hell broke loose.
Everyone from every corner of the room seemed to have something to say about the event.
"Lucina's a mother!?"
"The joys of time travel, I suppose."
"Mor-Mor's found her mother! Are they all by chance related to Mar-Mar?"
"Chrom's a granddad!"
"Another child?"
"But isn't it strange? That means she came from a different future."
"I wonder what's going on with this world.."
"So who's the father?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
It seems that last comment had been the one to awaken the mischief in everyone, as they all now glanced upon the every male in the room.
However, before the situation could turn into a bloodbath of baseless accusations, Miriel once again put her wisdom into play. "Now, now. Let us not stoop down to pointing fingers at one another. First off, we must take into account that with the arrival of a child of another child from the future, we can now confirm that our theory of multiple worlds to be true to some extent."
"But couldn't that just mean that in this timeline we beat Grima? So then she could've come from Lucina's future that we had changed." Sully speculated.
"It's not that simple." Robin started. "For example, say we do beat Grima in this time. So the future the children came from should change as well, correct?"
Sully and the others nodded in comprehension, Vaike and Donnel, lost as ever.
"If that's true, there would be no need for them to have traveled back in time. Having said that, they still remain here." he finished, motioning towards Owain and the others to drive his point home.
"Astute as ever." Miriel noted with approval.
"So you're saying that Morgan's from a different timeline altogether." Virion called out, piecing together Robin and Miriel's explanations.
"That would be the most logical thing to believe." Robin said. "And despite being a different timeline, it does confirm that Grima's defeat is possible."
"...That's right. If in some other world, Lucy was able to mother a child of her own, then... then we can stop it. We can beat Grima." Lissa spoke, her voice brimming with hope.
Say'ri wore a jovial smile. "Then I believe it is safe to assume this extends to our victory over Walhart as well, does it not?"
Almost instantly, everyone in the room was in high spirits, laughing and cheering with another. Morgan's unexpected arrival had boosted the Shepherd's moral to an all time high.
Robin too felt the surge of hope rise within him. However, as their Tactician, he knew he had to level the group before they became too foolhardy. "Alright, I get that this is a monumental discovery, but let us be clear about something."
Everyone ceased their merriment to give their attention to him.
"Morgan comes from a world different from ours. Let us remind ourselves once again that her being in this time has just caused yet another change. What I'm saying is that our victory over Grima is not certain. Nothing is certain." He took a glance at everyone around the room to see that many of them wore less than pleased expressions upon hearing what he had to say. And so, he continued, "Our victory may not be certain, but it is possible. And Morgan is proof of that. We know not what our own future holds in store, but always keep in mind what we've just learned here today. We're not bound by any chains. We're not shackled as pawns to some scripted fate. We have no limits. So if we want to avert this impending crisis, we fight. We fight with everything we have. What we want is very much attainable. We just have to earn it first."
As Robin stared around the room, he noticed how their faces had changed. They still wore the hopeful expressions they had on just a moment earlier, but it felt more... refined. Unlike before when they had been practically yelling with excitement, the group had calmed down. The hope they wore now was mixed with that of pride and appreciation. They all had realized the blessing that had been presented to them, and each sought not to take it for granted.
Robin smiled as he closed his eyes. This is what he had intended. Not the faces of those that went rampant because they felt that fate was on their side for the moment, but the faces of those that took matters into their own hands. Faces of those that seemed to grasp onto hope with earnest rather than entitlement. And those faces, he felt, would be the ones of those who would change the world.
Robin's message was sent and received, the Shepherds and company basking in the epiphanic warmth that passed over them.
After a moment of reflection, they all joined once more in a hearty chorus of laughter.
As it died down, Virion spoke up. "Wait a moment. Although this has been quite the philosophical and spiritual feast for us all, I do believe our question still goes unanswered. Who is the father of Morgan?"
Everyone let out a groan at the realization that they had been completely sidetracked.
"That's right. What did your explanation have to with that, Miriel?" Cordelia asked.
Miriel adjusted her glasses. "We confirmed that Morgan is from a world different from ours. All I was trying to say was, well, that it's very possible that the father may not even be here among us."
Everyone deadpanned.
"At least until Morgan is ever able to recall, we can never prove the fact. Perhaps this is one mystery that will elude us for a lifetime." Miriel concluded.
Everyone groaned once again, disappointed with the anticlimactic outcome.
Robin felt someone nudge his shoulder, turning his head to find Tiki studying him.
"...Could you also be a descendant of Marth?" she asked.
Robin shook his head furiously. "Ah, no. I am not of royalty, Lady Tiki."
"I see. I apologize, you just seem to possess several similar qualities to Mar-Mar. And please, you may simply call me Tiki."
Robin rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine, I guess. I'm quite flattered. Oh, and Tiki? Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Not at all... er."
"Robin."
"If I can be of help, Robin, I will try my best to answer you."
"Where exactly did you meet Morgan? And how long have you two been together?"
"Hmm, I would say only a few days at best. The Valmese had awoken me from my slumber upon hearing of your forces arriving on this continent. They had me moved to a more secure area of the tree. Not too long after, they had brought Morgan into my cell. She said that she woken up at the alter to the shrine, her memories gone."
"...So she just arrived. Tiki, do you believe there is a reason for this? Unlike the other people in our group who had traveled in time to prevent disaster, we have no clue as to why she is here. I'd assume that her existence itself is proof that where she was from, the world remains safe. But if so, what possible reason could she have come here for?"
Tiki paused to let Robin's question sink in. "I'm afraid that is one question I cannot answer. This time travel regarding the ohers in your group, I assume that this was Naga's doing? Even if Naga had sent Morgan here from the future, the Naga of this time would not yet know herself why she had done it. However, this would only be true if it was Naga's doing. But, I believe her amnesia begs to differ."
"Alright, thank you for your time."
"Robin? You mentioned a 'disaster'?" Tikie asked curiously.
"Ah, I apologize, but I believe the matter should be discussed while all of our leaders are present. When the time comes, we will discuss it at lengths and you will be kept in the dark about nothing."
"It's fine, Robin. Whenever your people are ready, I will be here to assist you."
Lucina and Morgan sat within a patch of grass at the shrine atop the Mila Tree.
The sun had set, the full moon taking its place and illuminating the night sky.
Morgan had calmed down some, feeling comfortable enough to have let go of Lucina.
"...So mother, where are we?" Morgan asked as she kicked her dangling legs.
Lucina delayed her response to the question, seeking a way to explain the situation. Time travel was a complicated affair. One that was made only more complicated given the fact that Morgan had amnesia. Lucina thought it best to be completely forward with her. Any vague or obscure explanations would further confound the already lost girl. She would take things one step at a time. Lucina took a deep breath from beginning. "You see Morgan..."
Morgan gave her mother her full attention.
"Where we are now, I don't have a daughter." Lucina saw Morgan's forehead wrinkle, worry washing over her face. Lucina waved her hands in defense. "No, you are my daughter, Morgan, " she ascertained, "it's just that... I haven't had you yet."
Morgan's facial features softened. "What do you mean you haven't had me yet?"
"Morgan, we believe that... you have traveled here from the future."
"...From the future? You mean just like you had?"
Lucina was slightly stunned. Morgan's words held the implication that she had indeed stayed in the past after Grima's defeat. "Y-yes, just like I did."
"So I'm in the past?" she asked ponderously, still a bit unsure.
Lucina nodded. "Look at me. Do I not look a little different than how you remember?"
Morgan studied her mother. "Now that you mention it, you're still wearing that outfit. This one I'm wearing... you gave it to me on my birthday... You do look a teeny bit younger. And your hair is much longer than I remember."
Lucina smiled at the thought of her aging gracefully. "So do you understand now?"
Morgan pursed her lips. "A little..."
Lucina ran a hand down Morgan's hair. "How long were you here, Morgan? How long have you been without your memories?"
"I've been with Tiki for a few days. I woke up right behind us, and I couldn't remember anything." she explained as she turned to point at the shrine.
"Can you remember anything from before you woke up?"
Morgan shook her head, "I've been trying for days, but I couldn't get anything."
"...Morgan, are you afraid?" Lucina asked, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Afraid?"
"Of having lost your memories? Of having traveled to the past?" Lucina asked, as she stroked her cheek.
"...I was. And... finding out that I'm in the past is even scarier... But, you're here, mother. If your here, I don't care where I am..."
Lucina couldn't help it, finding herself once again taking Morgan into her arms. "...I'm happy to know that I have a daughter as beautiful as you in the future." she whispered.
Morgan leaned into the hug, resting her head against her shoulder.
A thought slipped into Lucina mind. "Morgan, do you... do you remember your... father?" she asked a bit hesitantly as she pulled her head away.
Morgan tilted her head up. "My father..." Morgan shut her eyes, her nose scrunching. "... ...No... I can't..." she said in disappointment, as she hung her head low.
"I see..."
"But mother?" Morgan spoke, "I can't quite remember his name, nor can I make up out what he looked like... But I do remember that you loved him very much."
Lucina smiled bittersweetly, once again burying her face into Morgan's hair, planting several kisses. "It's fine... darling." she finished, testing the waters as to feel out how to act like a proper mother.
Morgan had indeed startled and frightened her upon revealing who she was. But as of now, Lucina felt that the clouds of worry in her mind had slowly begun to part.
A/N: I'd like to say that in some ways, this chapter felt very much like the 2nd chapter of this fic. I guess it almost feels right in a way, given that Morgan is Lucina's daughter and all.
It's as if the cycle had just repeated itself, but Lucina, who was on the giving end of the revelation, is now on the receiving end.
All though part of me wanted to make this chapter a bit more lighthearted, I felt that a lighter tone wouldn't do justice to Morgan's entrance into the story. After all, there's plenty of time for fun later.
With Chrom, as much as I wanted to write him as good 'ol Chrom, spazzing out like a beast about someone impregnating his daughter, I felt that in truth, he would not act in such a way given the situation. Don't be fooled! I definitely plan on having Chrom spazz out later, but for now, let's just keep the mood of this chapter. As much as Chrom is bothered about what's going on, he's no knucklehead. He knows that things have a right time and place. He basically just postponed his wrath for another day. Lucina is a daddy's girl indeed.
As for Morgan, there will be time for her antics later. Right now, she's simply distraught at not knowing where she is and her inability to recall anything. Much like anyone her age would act if put in the same situation.
The next couple of chapters will involve their stay at the Mila Tree. There will be more in depth reactions from various characters coming up, since with this one, control of the situation was seized by Chrom and Robin.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Til next time!