DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS AND NINTEDO.
Innocence 4
"So how goes your progress?" Kjelle asked, freely stretching her arms that were usually obstructed by her heavy armor. The assortment of metal had almost felt like a second skin for the girl, but she could not deny the feeling of liberation that came with its absence.
Robin, who was currently kicking along a pebble across the ground paved over the Mila Tree's roots, was the first to respond. "We met with Frederick and Cherche earlier. Afterwards, we ran into Olivia when we went looking for Henry. Gaius and Cordelia were in the barracks, and Vaike went drinking with Gregor after a brief meeting. We were just with Panne and Nowi and, let's just day something pretty interesting happened with them." Robin said, going down a mental list.
"Something interesting?" Kjelle echoed.
Robin winced, realizing how loud they were speaking. He stole a quick glance over at the mother and daughter ahead of him. For the moment, it looked as if Lucina hadn't caught wind of the discussion, much to his relief. While he enjoyed pushing her buttons, getting a ride off of the ensuing furrowed brows and puffed up cheeks, he felt that the events that had transpired in the last few hours as well, as the last few days in general, were possibly too much for even the mighty warrior princess. "Nn, it's something that's best left for after Lucina's left our company. Let's just say she wasn't too thrilled about." Robin explained leaving it at that.
Kjelle slowed down her pace, as she shifted her focus on throwing around guesses in her head. Her attempt was short lived, as she concluded that the possibilities were endless given the wide range of characters among the Shepherds. But as she picked up on the subtle hint of triumph draped over the Tactician's face, she decided that the event must have been interesting indeed. "Very well, but don't leave me hanging."
Behind the two, Gerome was following at a steady pace alongside the Scion himself.
Owain seemed to be in the middle of retelling a certain event that had happened on his end during the 'children's' seperation. But his words fell on deaf ears, as Gerome had completely tuned his words out in favor of the thoughts that accompanied the gaze on the man in front of him.
Gerome, in ways even he himself may not have known, was engaged in a mental assessment of Robin that was not too different from what his father had done years ago. The very man, who's actions the day before could have have very well earned him a title as some sort of human weapon, was merrily walking along as if without a care in the world.
His eyes traveled to Robin's shoulders. They were a bit broad, hinting that he had at least an above average physique, but they were also sagging slightly, giving off a carefree demeanor. The same could be said of his posture in general. A bit rigid, but at the same time, a bit lax. He came to the conclusion that Robin was the type of person that could switch between personalities at moment's notice given a situation. Perhaps a rare 'all work, all play' time of person.
Morgan, who was walking at the head of the group alongside Lucina, spun around on her heels to face the rest of them. "Hey, are there any other mages around? Like Henry?"
"Mhm." Lucina replied with a nod. "The Shepherds, and the entire Ylissean army for that matter, is rather well rounded in terms of magic. I don't believe it's come up yet, but Robin over here happens to be quite the expert in the field."
Robin smiled upon hearing.
Morgan looked at him skeptically, before her face lit up as realization struck. "Hey, that's right. That was a Tome you had with you at breakfast, wasn't it?"
"That's correct." He said, as he reached into his coat for the aforementioned Tome. "I finished it last night."
"So you're some kind of master magic user or something?" Morgan asked.
Robin let out a small laugh. "It'd be a lie to say I'm a novice, but expert or master is a bit much. I've still a lot to learn." An arm found its way around his neck, pulling him downwards slightly.
"Come now, Robin, don't be so modest!" Owain said, as he held Robin in a loose, friendly head lock. Owain puffed out his chest and cleared his throat before looking towards Morgan. "This is the man that slew over a thousand Risen in one fell swoop! The battle was nearly a loss, but from out of the depths of despair, he ascended over the battlefield in a funnel of wind and brought down the heavens on the enemy forces!" Owain cried, gushing as he replayed the epic moment in his head.
"O-over a thousand!?" Morgan yelped, looking to Robin with her mouth hanging open.
"I think you're exaggerating a bit there, Owain." Robin said as he chuckled nervously.
"But he isn't wrong." Kjelle retorted. "It was you who brought the battle to a close, even brokering a ceasefire with the Valmese."
"I... did what anyone in my position would've." Robin replied, feeling a bit unsettled at being the center of the conversation. Although his eyes were fixed on Kjelle and Owain, he could feel Morgan's eyes boring into him. He felt something coming.
"Can you teach me how to use magic?" Morgan asked abruptly.
And he was right.
"Now Morgan, don't go giving Robin anymore work than he already has." Lucina said as she came to a halt.
Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "Learning magic is no easy task. Besides, didn't you say you practiced with the sword?"
"Yeah, but..." Morgan racked her brain for a plausible reason for him to accept her request. "I-if I can use magic, that'll mean I can fight without getting to close to any danger." She said, hoping the prospect of fighting at a distance would sway her mother.
"Magic and swordplay is my signature style." Robin nearly whined,sounding very much like a child.
"Wait a moment, who says you'll be doing any fighting?" Lucina asked as she folded her arms.
"It's unavoidable!" Morgan protested. "From what I gather, you're all in the middle of a war in enemy land. As long as I'm with you, I can't exactly avoid conflict."
Lucina bit her lip. Morgan had struck a truth. Lucina was no fool. She was aware of the reality of the situation, being in the middle of a war and all, but her maternal instincts would not just go and let her daughter partake in such acts without some deliberation.
Morgan took her mother's silence to be proof that she had made her point. "Come onnnnn, Robin. Pleaaaassssee?" Morgan begged as she hung onto Robin's arm.
Robin fidgeted, trying to shake of the girl from his arm as he looked to Lucina, waiting for her verdict on the matter.
Lucina gently bit her thumb while she thought over it. Despite her qualms about Morgan fighting in battle, she realized that Morgan having a better means to defend herself in case anything went awry was a plus. What more, if Morgan did end up participating in battle, the idea that she could help out with magic, away from the front lines was appealing. "Well... it'll depend on whether or not Robin would be willing to teach you." she concluded.
Morgan cheered, before turning to Robin and putting on what she believed to be an adorable, pleading look.
Robin's shoulders had hung even lower at his inevitable defeat. As he looked down on the Morgan, who wore an expression akin to a puppy pleading for some scraps, he let out a sigh. "You're face is going to stick like that, you know." Robin said, but it was no use as Morgan held her stance.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Alright! Just cut it with those puppy eyes!" Robin said, wallowing in defeat. Yet another task to add to his schedule.
"YES!" Morgan yelled in victory.
Unaware to the rest of the group, Gerome let out a small chuckle at the sight of Morgan pumping her fist into the air. The girl's vigor reminded him too much of Lucina as a child, when she'd prance around as she claimed victory in games of hide and seek or any other game they had all taken part in. But as the years passed, and even before the crisis, Lucina had grown to become more dignified and modest, as would be expected of a girl raised as nobility. Morgan on the other hand was much older than the Lucina in that particular memory, and whereas Lucina had shed her loud personality, even at her age, Morgan seemingly wore it around her neck.
"So when can we start?" Morgan asked, bursting at the seams with excitement.
"Morgan, you're getting ahead of yourself. We're still in the middle of something. There'll be plenty of time when Robin is free." Lucina said, taking pity on the Tactician.
"Ugh." Morgan groaned.
Robin pinched the bridge of his nose as he came to terms with the resolution. "Well, I was planning on meeting with the other mages later today. I myself need to do some research on a few things magic related. If Lucina doesn't mind, you can accompany me." he offered.
"Mother?" Morgan asked, whipping her head back to her.
"Okay, but after we finish here." Lucina sighed. "But tomorrow, I'll assess your skill with the sword. If both Robin and I deem that you're skilled enough, you can... help out as a supporting role in battle. But don't expect to be fighting on the front lines anytime soon, young lady." Lucina added.
"I love you, mother!" Morgan said happily, as she crashed into Lucina. "You too, Robin! Thanks a lot, I mean it!"
"Not like I had a choice..." Robin said. Owain, Severa and Kjelle snickered behind him. He turned to glare at them, and could see Gerome offering him back a similar shrug as he had done earlier. 'Yeah, I guess I should be used to it.'
After having went to see Maribelle, and Lissa, who couldn't take her hands off of Morgan for the duration of their visit, the group found themselves settling back into the mess tent for some much needed nourishment.
As they sat at a single table, Robin scanned the large tent for Libra, who had voluntarily tasked himself with the role of cook and server among the Shepherds. Soon enough, a long haired figure strode towards them with several trays of food, masterfully balanced upon one another.
To Robin's surprise, the long haired person was not Libra. Large, feminine hips could be made out, swaying beneath the assortment of stacked trays as they walked over. The person had hair as long as Libra's, but was a silky black.
As the woman set down the trays of food one by one onto the table, their face gradually grew less obstructed.
As more and more of woman's face revealed itself, Robin's look of curiosity slowly shifted to that of nervousness and one indicating 'I should have known'.
"Heh... fancy seeing you here." The woman said with a low chuckle.
"Good afternoon, Tharja..." Robin responded. Although the woman was a trusted Shepherd, it was hard for him to simply overlook her long history of questionable acts.
During the days in which the company had battled Plegia, the Dark Mage had an unnatural obsession with the Tactician. Rumors circulated among the group of him being the target for several potential curses. Upon confronting Tharja, Robin had found her to be less sinister, and more eccentric. For some reason, in her eyes, Robin was the ideal test subject for the wealth of spells in her backlog. After affirming his stance in refusing to take part in any live experiments of any kind, Tharja finally relented in her pursuit. However, the truth of the matter was much more long winded.
"Eat up..." She said, sliding him his share.
"Yeah, thanks. Did you make this yourself?" he asked, as he mashed the potatoes on the plate with his fork.
"Yes, and it was most painstaking, so you had better enjoy every bite."
Robin raised a brow in surprise. "Wow, how very kind of you. You did a fine job, I must say." he noted, taking a bite.
Tharja simply brushed the compliment aside, handing the others their's. "It was a menial task with the help of my knowledge of magic."
Robin momentarily slowed the chewing of the savory meat in his mouth to eye the Dark Mage curiously. "Is there even a type of magic that could help with cooking?"
Tharja let out a small cackle. "You underestimate dark magic far too much. Take that beef you're chewing for example. How does it... taste?"
Robin carefully rolled the meat around on his tongue, analyzing its flavor. His eyes shifted side to side, catching the others at the table doing the same. They had been listening in on the conversation, and were following his lead in cautiously consuming the food. All of them, except for Morgan, who was furiously gnawing away at the hunk of meat as if she she had been a prisoner starved for ages. "It's... very rich in flavor. It's nice and salty, with a hint of various spices..."
Tharja narrowed her eyes, a sly smile forming on her lips. "And what do you think was used for such flavor?"
Robin could practically feel sweat dripping down the back of his neck. The other 'children' halted their consumption in wait for the big reveal. "Hopefully something from our pantry..." Robin said, or more accurately, prayed.
A small, eerie, giggle escaped from Tharja's mouth. "But such ingredients would be far too unsatisfactory for you lot."
And with that, Robin could take no more. His hand shot for the napkin on the table, immediately bring it to his mouth to expel the food as he shot up from his chair. "T-Tharja, what did y-you put in our food!?" he stammered.
Tharja cocked her head to the side, with a pleased expression. "Do you... remember the Risen from yesterday? The salty and bitter tones to the meat are the acquired essence of the dust that's left behind after they de-materialize upon death..."
At this, the remaining members at the table could be heard gagging as they spat out their food in a most undignified manner. Morgan, who had already cleaned her plate before the revelation, was stammering incoherent garble as she looked back and forth between Lucina and Robin in desperation, her hands rubbing her full belly.
The smile on the Dark Mage's face only grew as she took pleasure in the group's reaction. Her low chuckles grew into uncharacteristic laughter, as she clutched at her sides.
"Tharja!" Robin boomed in outrage. "You've done plenty of dubious things in your time with us, but this... this is crossing the line!" he yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at her.
"Pipe down, would you!" She said, in between her laugh. "...It was a joke."
Robin stood there, dumbfounded. "...A joke... So there's nothing wrong... with the food?"
Tharja merely shook her head as she covered her mouth, eyeing Robin sadistically.
"So... you didn't use magic to prepare this meal?" Robin asked, feeling as if his heart had finally begun to beat at a normal pace again.
The Dark Mage shook her head once more. "It would have much more intriguing if I had, but Libra was insistent that food for friends be made from the heart... Whatever the heck that's supposed to mean."
A chorus of relieved sighs could be heard from around the table.
Tharja looked to them with amusement, motioning to continue eating, assuring them the food was in fact edible.
"Well that's a relief." Owain said with a chuckle. "It'd be crying shame if a meal this delicious were to be prepared using such unsavory techniques."
"The taste is... most pleasant, aunt Tharja." Lucina added.
"Aunt, eh?" Tharja said as she brought a finger to her lips. "So, I take it that I'm still among this sorry bunch in the future?"
"You were happily married." Lucina said with a smile.
Tharja scoffed, turning around to head back into the kitchen.
"She was kind of... scary." Morgan said with a nervous smile.
"I can see very well why anyone would think that..." Lucina spoke. "But rest assured, if you can look past her exterior, you'll find she cares for everyone as much as any other Shepherd."
"You're saying that Tharja's calmed down some in the future?" Robin asked with intrigue.
"I wouldn't say she was exactly different..." Owain chimed in.
"But she did learn to keep most of her more odd tendencies away from the public eye." Kjelle finished.
"I see. Well, I'm glad she finds happiness in the future." Robin announced, turning towards Morgan. "It's as your mother says. Tharja may seem a bit odd, but she's a valuable ally and friend to us all. I can't even remember the amount of times her magic has saved us back in Plegia."
"Finally, some acknowledgement..." A voice said, causing Robin to jump at its closeness.
Robin looked back to see Tharja and Libra leaning over his shoulders.
"Good afternoon." Libra greeted. "I'm happy to see you all in good health. I take it that you're enjoying the meal Tharja was kind enough to prepare?"
"Uh, yeah. I was surprised to learn that she made it." said Robin.
"It is her first time putting her skills to practice. I'd been teaching her to cook in order to... in order to get her mind off of some more troubling activities regarding the dark arts."
"...I find cooking to be simple enough." Tharja commented. Her eyes wandered towards the young girl beside Lucina. She addressed Morgan with playful, yet slightly unsettling smile. "You over there, girl. What have you got to say about the food?"
Morgan could feel Tharja's eyes boring into her own, but before she could panic, she remembered her mother and Robin's words about Tharja. Taking a small breath, and rubbing her stomach casually, she answered. "It was delicious, you're a wonderful cook."
Tharja's smile grew a slight bit more genuine.
"By the way, I'm Morgan."
"Hello, Morgan... it's nice to meet you?"
'Why did that sound like more of a question?' Morgan deadpanned, but she decided to ignore it. "Oh, and who's the woman next to you?"
Lucina's nearly choked on the water she was drinking, her eyes snapping towards Libra. Fortunately, the man in question merely looked back with a warm smile. "Morgan, Libra's a man." Lucina whispered.
Morgan immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! You just looked a bit..."
"It's quite alright, Morgan. You aren't the first to make that mistake. Frankly, I'm not all too bothered about it." Libra said, dispelling their worries with his gentleness.
"Oh, okay. But I'm still sorry about it. So are you and Miss Tharja are mages as well?"
"Lady Tharja is a mage, but I am more of a healer myself."
"Are you by any chance the priest grandaunt Lissa was telling me about?"
"Oh? What did Lissa say?"
"She said you're like a teacher to her and her friend Maribelle."
"A teacher? I'd say we are more like colleagues. Lissa and Maribelle already had knowledge of clerical magic before I had even met them. As the group's healers, we all continue to grow together."
"Oh, I get it." Morgan said, deciding that Libra was kind and humble man. "And what about Tharja? She's a Dark Mage like Henry?"
"...More or less." Tharja replied.
"Coincidently, Morgan, Tharja and Henry are among the mages I said I would meet with earlier."
"That's right, Miriel told me something about that... Does the mighty Tactician even need lessons from us?" Tharja asked sarcastically.
Robin chuckled. "About that, as you may have heard, my Mjolnir and Forsetti Tomes were destroyed in the last battle. Seeing as I've lost quite a great deal of firepower, I was hoping you all could help me out."
"Oh? Have you finally taken an interest in dark magic?"
"Not exclusively, but yes. Without any spells on the level of the ones that I've just lost, I was hoping to compensate with a wider variety."
"Heh, we'll see how it goes..."
"And one more thing. Morgan over here wants to learn magic, so she'll be joining us later."
"Splendid. Now I'll have to find a coloring booklet for both Ricken and her."
"I'm not a kid!" Morgan said with furrowed brows.
Tharja merely chuckled at the girl's defensiveness, waving a hand as she made her way back into the kitchen.
"I'd best be going as well. The others should be showing up anytime now. It was a pleasure meeting you, Morgan. " Libra said with a small polite bow, before disappearing into the curtains dividing the back portion of the large tent.
"I've still got my doubts that Noire is related to her." Gerome said, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.
"'Blood and Thunder'." Severa said simply.
The phrase seemed to have triggered a memory in Gerome's head. "Ah, that's right. Consider my doubts gone." he said with a frown.
"Not to mention Libra is her father." Lucina added.
"Truly a marriage that defies the natural order." Owain said offhandedly, earning him a light smack on the head, courtesy of Kjelle.
Robin took a mental note of this 'Noire' person the were discussing. Although the idea of a child between Tharja and Libra would make for a riveting conversation, at the rate things were progressing, it was safe to say that they would meet her in person soon enough.
Deciding to butt out of their talk for the time being, Robin retrieved the Tome from within his coat, cracking it open to skim through it as he ate.
The symbols within the book were intricate, the writing itself was written in a way the average person couldn't make sense of.
Robin soon blotted out the presence of the others in his company, finding himself lost within thought.
Questions about his past soon multiplied.
Why had been able to understand magic? In the solitary world of his mind, he could admit to himself that although he was among the more proficient users of magic in the army, there were several details about the craft he found himself unable to decipher. For one, he had no real idea what exactly the many mystic symbols meant. He found himself able to piece together only bits and pieces of the elaborate writings. It was fact that Robin had yet to confess to his other magic wielding companions. He found it difficult to get into the theory behind it, but was able to perform spells flawlessly. When crafting a new Tome, he simply copied over literal translations. It was as if the memories of his understanding of the art still lay buried, but were able to manifest themselves at his discretion during the heat of battle.
Of course, in the few years after the start of his 'second life', he had made it a point to reapply himself in the field of magic. But even two years of extensive research and studying had proved insufficient. In terms of practical application, he was leaps ahead of Ricken, maybe even Miriel, but the situation was flipped when it came to the theoretical aspects. As what common knowledge would dictate, magic was not a skill for everyone. It takes years of practice, many aspiring mages being taught at a young age, Tomes and other similar works being among the first books they learned to read.
It was for that reason he was a bit hesitant to accept Morgan's request in schooling her. She would need far more time than what was available, and he himself, as much as it pained him to say, was probably unfit to teach her. He was hoping that bringing Morgan along as he met with the others would allow him to hand her over to their care. But he knew things wouldn't go so smoothly.
And once again, he found himself in the usual rut.
How fair was it, to have been blessed with such extraordinary talent without having worked for it? To have the capacity to use the Holy Weapons without what he felt was a qualified grounding? To be able to devise complicated battle formations without knowing where he had acquired such skill? He prided himself in his accomplishments, and even more so in helping out the people he would come to call his family. But a lingering sense of emptiness had latched onto him from the moment Chrom first woke him in that field. The feeling, as of today, had yet to let go.
But, he had cast aside those troubling thoughts time and time again. Because his friends were with him.
Every time time he had found himself falling deeper and deeper into the bottomless pit of questions, they would pull him right back out.
They were all he needed.
He was their friend, and that was all that mattered.
There was no use looking back. No use staring into that endless pit.
The past was meaningless to him. He need only look forward.
Chrom said so.
Lucina said so.
Morgan said so.
They were all he needed.
He didn't need to know what lay at the bottom of that pit.
He didn't need to know what answer lay at the bottom, so long as he could another at the top.
He didn't need to know what endlessly gnawed at him so.
He needed only to make sure the distance between him and that ground remained.
Robin jumped at the sound of a loud smack on the table. He looked up to see Owain conversing joyfully with the others, slamming his mug onto the wood repeatedly in a fit of laughter.
Robin squeezed his eyes, trying to sharpen his sight that had gone dull from his zoned out moment. He stared down at the plate before him, stabbing into the meat with his fork. Before he could raise the piece to his mouth, he felt a tingling sensation run across the back of head. The light buzzing that laid itself on him slowly grew deeper and more focused. It was as if he was being watched by someone from across the room.
Taking a look over his shoulder, he found the rest of the tables to be empty.
After a few minutes passed, Robin had finished the last of the his meal, washing it down with a cool cup of water. "So, we can cross Libra and Tharja off the list."
As the group began chatting once more, they were oblivious to the suspicious figure at the entrance of the tent, who was taking small, occasional peeks.
The figure observed them with watchful, sinister eyes, and a smile that would no doubt herald the coming of a disaster. The pair of eyes cycled between Lucina, Morgan, and then Robin.
"Hey, mom, whatcha doing?" a voice called out, startling the not so mysterious person.
The person turned to find Cynthia heading towards the entrance. "Oh, hello dear. Why aren't you with your friends?"
"Eh, I stayed with the pegasi. But I'll go and meet up with them now."
"You'd better hurry, they've just finished their meals."
"What!?" Cynthia yelled, in fear of falling behind. Before she could burst through the entrance, Sumia's hands halted her.
"Listen, don't let them know I've been out here." she requested.
"Huh? Why not? What are you doing?"
Sumia looked over her shoulder before responding, an act that caused even Cynthia to roll her eyes. "I'm on a top secret mission on behalf of your father."
"A mission?"
Sumia gave a nod. "Yes. Say, would you like to help me out? I can use a spy in my plan."
"I don't know, I want to just spend a normal day with everyone."
"Did I mention this mission involves both your sister and Robin?"
Almost instantly, Cynthia's eyes burned with the same flame of mischief in Sumia's. "Just tell me what we're doing."
A/N: Let me start off by saying that there's an element to this fic that I've yet to mention up until now. It's apparent in previous chapters including this one, and is easily drowned out by the other events, but it's there. It will only to continue to grow as the story progresses.
Now touching upon the events of this chapter, the only two 'guests' are Tharja and Libra. I'd like to state that I will not be carrying on with the format of this arc for long, as it's simply to tedious and repetitive to have 'Morgan meet [BLANK]' over and over again.
Back on topic, Tharja has some fun with the gang and Libra steps in to help smooth things out a little bit.
What more, Robin will now be teaching Morgan how to use magic.
However, this itself proves to be a problem as towards the end of the chapter, one of Robin's long untold secrets pertaining to his amnesia have come to light.
Also, Sumia and Cynthia are now in cahoots.
Til next time!