Robin: 21 years old? (Currently) Medium build, prefers sword over magic.
Lucina: 20 years old (Currently) Prefers wielding the parallel falchion.
Morgan: 16 years old? Mother's hair color. Prefers running around in circles.
The Tales of Tacticians and Princess by DoublethinkAgain has a small scene where Lucina tells Morgan a story. I would like to credit him for the idea/inspiration, but I do not plan on copying his work.
Bed Time Story
It was safe to say Morgan had enjoyed her day at the beach. She spent the whole day either playing with the other children, burying Gerome in the sand, or diving headfirst into the water. It was also a blast because Cynthia and Noire were two of the few who could keep up with her unlimited supply of energy. Even something as simple as Morgan and Cynthia building a sandcastle could lead to chaos as it was soon under siege by a terrifying archer-monster-type-thing. To Morgan, it soon became clear that only she could stop the attack and she charged forward to protect the sandy fortress with all her strength. That is, until she got bored and destroyed the castle herself. Shortly after, you could hear the three laughing from a mile away, and it brought a great smile to the two parents watching from afar.
Ever since the war ended, Morgan spent most of her days like this. The majority of her time was either running around the castle without a goal in mind or studying tactical books that her father used. Plotting, scheming, and enacting her ideas shortly after on an unsuspecting Exalt. At times her boisterous behavior proved a challenge for even her parents to keep up with despite their renowned skillset. They had faced many things in the past, but never anything like this girl filled with unending energy. However, Robin and Lucina always found a way to persevere through it and they would never want to stunt that spirit of their daughter if they could help it.
Still, even Morgan had her limits. It was almost midnight, and Robin was carrying Morgan in his arms as she was allegedly too tired from the spectacular day that she never wanted it to end. Once in her room, Robin gently placed Morgan in her bed, and Lucina tucked her in tightly. Of course, that was the easy part. In the last few days, Morgan had found ways to delay going to bed for hours by arguing tactics with her father or talking to her mother about dresses. Once the charade was finally over, she would sprint for the door with her parents in fast pursuit. Naturally, the two knew something would have to change, or they would be chasing her all the way to Valm.
So tonight Robin and Lucina were at opposite sides of the bed ready for the moment Morgan would try to break free.
"Good night my little angel." Lucina leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
Morgan always loved hearing that. It was one of the few memories she had of her before their reunion. Nevertheless, she tried to wriggle free of her sheets and sprint for the door, but Lucina had tucked her in so tightly that she couldn't move.
"But Mom! I don't want to go to sleep yet!" She said using all of her energy to try to break free of her linen prison.
"I know dear, but think about all the fun we will have tomorrow."
"What about all the fun we could have now!"
"No can do Morgan. Your grandfather is asleep, and we wouldn't want to wake the cranky old man." Robin quipped back.
"But Daaad!" We haven't even begun discussing tactics when it is raining!"
For a brief moment Robin made the mistake of looking into her piercing blue puppy eyes. The dreaded innocent and sweet stare every daughter gives to their farther when they plea for something they really want. Robin probably would have given in too, but his wife knew the trick all too well. "Don't listen to her, dear. You know what happens when I give you that look." Lucina stressed determined to not let her daughter get her way.
Snapping out of it, Robin said cheerfully "We can talk about tactics tomorrow Morgan. I will even discuss snow-warfare."
"Awww." How am I going to sleep when I am so excited for tomorrow!"
"You say that every night."
"But I mean it this time."
"You also said that last night." Robin countered unphased.
"Yes, well ... Hey, I got it! You can tell me a bedtime story!" Morgan declared with more zeal, if that was even possible.
Both parents gave a skeptical look at each other for a moment, unsure of what their daughter was up to now. However, seeing no harm in it and hoping to have one night go by without chasing their daughter, they nodded in agreement. "What story would you like us to tell you?" Lucina asked only knowing a handful of stories from her parents when she was younger.
"An action packed and heroic story! The greatest story that ever existed!" She asserted boldly as she moved her hand, pretending to hold a sword, only for her sheets to get in the way.
Robin chuckled, "And how is an action packed story going to put you to sleep?"
"Um, I mean it will be informative, elegant, and a quiet story with a moral at the end."
Robin and Lucina grinned back at their daughter's antics. "Okay, ONE heroic story. Now, what would you like to hear?" Robin said while trying to think of something that could muster her to sleep. Perhaps something with a Pegasus.
"I told you! The greatest story in the whole world! My family's story! All the way from the beginning!"
Her father was motionless and confused, and Lucina was feeling the same, but she managed to break the gaze of her smiling daughter first. "Dear, you already know that story."
Morgan protested, "Not about how you met! Oh, and how you dealt with Gangrel. Plus you never mentioned your first date. All I have are small anecdotes."
"You just want a long story to stay up to," said the astute tactician.
With Morgan's hope fading, she tried her last lifeline. "Pretty please! I will never ask for anything ever again!"
"... Okay, but you have to promise to go to sleep afterwards."
"I promise!"
"Alright then. It all started in a field over three years ago-"
"Chrom, we have to do SOMETHING."
"What do you suppose we do?"
"I dunno"
…
"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground you know."
...
"No No No!"
"What now Morgan? You wanted to start from the beginning."
"The beginning when you first met mom!"
Robin looked over to Lucina a little confused and said, "Do you mean when she saved Chrom from the risen in Plegia and revealed her identity?"
"No, when mom was still Marth! I want to hear everything about my heroic parents in FULL detail!"
"I am not sure if Lucina would like to-"
"It's okay love." She paused with a small grin. "I admit I would like to hear what you were thinking when you first saw me appear in this world."
"...Well how can I refuse the two most beautiful women in the world? All right."
It all started in a forest on a quiet, ordinary night. It was a small band of four sitting around a campfire, and our destination was the mysterious capital of Ylisse. But little did Chrom and I know that our lives were about to change forever.
…
"I am sorry! I didn't know that pebbles meant so much to you."
"Pah! Throwing a rock into the path could have led to disastrous effects! Chrom could have tripped, and I would have had your head!" Frederick threatened both stone-faced and irritated.
"Oh ignore him Robin, he is over protective." Lissa, the cheerful girl I didn't know much about, spoke up.
"Frederick, I fear you worry too much about Chrom. He looks very capable to recover from a fall without injury." I said trying to give a friendly smile while waiting for the food to cook. I was beyond starving as my stomach groaned and gnawed at me.
"And what if he tripped on a rock that cut him? And what if this rock happened to have a rare poisonous fungus on its tip. AND what if this rare mushroom was not curable by any known form of healing? You my friend, would stand trial for the murder of !" He quickly stopped himself before he could finish his stern rant.
"For the murder of who? Are you more than just shepherds that protects the land from bandits?"
"I suppose you could say we have some connections with a noble family." Chrom said as he stared at his bodyguard with a raised brow.
"Really? I guess that explains Frederick's eccentric behavior."
"What you call eccentric is my sworn duty to serve Lord Chrom."
Chrom grimaced and said, "Enough of that Frederick. You know how much I hate titles."
"I beg your apologies Milord."
Once the food was done cooking, Chrom and I started eating the bear meat that Frederick had hunted. Lissa was complaining about something with the food, but I could barely listen over the growling of my stomach. At that moment, I could not think about anything other than satisfying my hunger. I was eating so quickly that I almost choked a couple times on the bones.
"Careful Robin. Some of it is getting in your mouth!" Lissa teased but I paid little attention. I could only assume I had not eaten in several days based on how hungry I was.
After we finished dinner, we talked about bugs and spiders, but that was only to annoy Lissa. Everyone was tired, and Chrom assured me that I wanted to be fully awake for tomorrow. So we all prepared to get some sleep on the ground.
"Good night brother, Robin, and annoying Frederick." said Lissa who immediately nodded off. Seeing her fall asleep so quickly was comical, but her snoring could be heard by anyone within Ylisse.
"Don't worry, you get used to the snoring."
"Right, I hope so. Frederick are you going to sleep as well?" I asked while looking at him curiously since he was sitting up seemingly uninterested in anything in particular.
"Why do you ask stranger? Hoping to murder Chrom while his guard is asleep?"
I could never tell if he was joking or not because he always said everything with a straight face. "Well other than that, you are still wearing your armor. That must be very uncomfortable to sleep in."
"Pah, I can handle a little discomfort, I need to be ready at a moment's notice if anyone tries to attack my Lord or Lady."
I took at moment to stare at the proud bodyguard and said, "Your dedication is to be admired Sir Frederick. Chrom and Lissa are lucky to have you."
Frederick actually gave a small grin and said, "I am glad someone realizes the importance of my duty."
Chrom then audibly groaned and pretended he could not hear us. Then Frederick and I went to bed shortly after. I was going to use a rock as my pillow, but it had a mushroom on it which Frederick had adamantly warned me about. So I elected to sleep without a head rest, and I had some trouble sleeping as a nightmare was plaguing my dreams. Unfortunately, things became even worse when I was violently woken up.
Fireballs were raining from the sky, and the ground was shaking. A tree next to me was on fire, and the smoke was unbearable. Most concerning, I awoke to a spear at my throat, and a very mad Frederick ready to pounce at any second. "Where are they?!" shouted Frederick in a tone that could have killed by itself.
"Huh? My Gods! What is happening?!" I asked in a hurry while seeing a fireball nearly strike us about a foot away.
"Don't give me that act! What did you do with Chrom and Lissa?!"
My eyes widened in a panic. "They are gone?! That doesn't make sense. Where would they go in a firestorm like this? Quick, we have to split up and find them before they get hurt!"
"So you can escape?! Never! You will tell me where they are now, or you die right here!"
"I don't know!" I protested in fear and shock.
He stared at me with cold and heartless eyes as his spear touched my neck. I was waiting for my execution, but the next second he was sprinting behind me and attacking something else. I turned around to see a hideous creature with glowing red eyes and decaying flesh try to swing his axe at Frederick, but his armor stood the blow. Then, Frederick thrust his spear into the figure's stomach and it disappeared into thin air.
Dumbstruck, I quickly rose up and drew my iron sword while scanning the area. Two more creatures were charging over to attack Frederick and I instinctively ran over to help. However, it seemed my worries were misguided as Frederick effortlessly defended himself against his attackers. A spear went through one of them, and it left a purple cloud of dust as it vanished. The other husk swung his giant axe and sliced the air in front of Frederick, but he dodged with surprising agility. I finally reached the grotesque figure and swung my iron sword only for the beast to block it with his axe. I was struggling to break our lock when the knight's spear stabbed the creature from behind.
"EEEK!" A high pitched cry echoed in the distance.
We could see more red eyes peering through the forest, but the sounds of two people running towards us caught our attention more. Chrom and Lissa suddenly rejoined us from wherever they decided to run off.
"Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?"
"We are fine." Chrom said while looking back behind him.
I tried to catch my breath and recover from this violent nightmare. None of it made sense, and I could hear the moans of the beasts coming from the east of us. "Are these things a normal occurrence in these lands? Because you never mentioned anything about this!"
"No, I have never seen these things before, but they are coming this way!" Chrom motioned to the red eyes looking on from afar.
"Right! Chrom, Frederick, head over towards those old ruins. Lissa, I'll protect you." I commanded instinctively knowing I could ask questions later.
Frederick gave me another stare of contempt, but he ran toward the enemies with his Lord. Lissa and I followed behind them, but in a more defensive approach. It did not take long to reach the husks of flesh. Meanwhile, Chrom and Frederick split up and took on the enemies by themselves.
"Lissa, Look out!" A risen appeared out of nowhere behind her, and I managed to block the blow of the swordsman. He was quicker than I was expecting and he thrust his sword straight at me a second time. I barely deflected the attack and fell to ground from the sheer strength of his attack. It was there I was looking at his soulless eyes ready to deliver a final blow when he was hit from behind. Lissa had smacked her staff into the back of his head and the monster was not pleased by it. He turned to see where the attack had come from and was distracted just long enough for me to lunge my sword towards his stomach which weirdly caused him to vanish into thin air.
"T-thanks Lissa." I said gasping for breath after another close call.
"Y-your welcome." She whispered doing everything she could to stay calm.
Regaining my senses, I scanned the battlefield to see Chrom and Frederick progressing further into the forest, while three new strangers had entered the melee. A knight in red armor was desperately trying to survive the horde approaching with an archer assisting . There was also a masked man charging at the front of everyone else who seemed to be unaffected by these strange creatures.
"Lissa! Do you know who those people are?"
"Those two over there are shepherds like us, and the masked one in blue came from a portal."
"What?" I said confused.
"It was a large big circular thingy and it made ominous and creepy sounds. He came out of this purple thingy and saved me from the ugly things! It was like phooo Grr swoosh."
"Never mind, sorry I asked, just follow me and we will sort this out later."
"O-okay." She said timidly. "I'll be right behind!"
Chrom, Frederick, and the masked man were plowing right through the enemy, but the two other fighters were struggling heavily against the enemy so Lissa and I ran over to assist. When we finally reached them, the knight was severely wounded while the older looking archer was doing his best to provide cover fire. Lissa meanwhile healed the grunting female knight, while I helped fend off two other beasts charging at us. It was much the same story with Chrom and the masked man in the distance as I saw them dealing with the last of the threat on their side.
The madness was finally drawing to a close, and once we finished mopping up we all regrouped with a thousand questions and no answers. Among them was the mysterious swordsman who stood out far more than the other two who helped aid us. Besides the mask and clear skill with the sword, his rigid posture and lack of shock or surprise stood out the most. Even Frederick had managed to muster something akin to an expression during the fight while Marth seemed removed from it all. I didn't need to have all my memories to know that there was something off with him. Meanwhile, Chrom was the first to break the silence as we had unknowingly stood and marveled at the masked man who seemed to effortlessly counter these beasts.
"You saved my sister's life and for that I cannot thank you enough. My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"
"You may call me Marth." He replied with as much enthusiasm as his guarded stance.
"Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?
"I'm not here to talk about me. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." And with that Marth promptly walked away without explanation or time for us to collect a response. As quickly as he arrived, he vanished and left us all dumbfounded in the aftermath. I don't remember much after that. I had perhaps one of the most confusing days anyone would ever experience and was running purely on adrenaline at that point. It should come as no surprise that I collapsed back at the same spot where it all started and drifted back to sleep.
Later on the next day I slowly cracked open my eyes to the bright morning sun. Feeling them burn under the intense brightness, I rubbed my eyes and adjusted to the glaring light. When my vision finally returned, I woke up to the same camp site I had violently been awaken from just hours ago. Frederick was already up and clearing the path while the other four slept.
"Gah, my head." I muttered like a drunkard on a Monday. There was a faint hope in me that it was all a nightmare, but when I saw Virion the archer, and Sully the loud sleeping knight next me I realized it was all real. Inwardly I groaned and did not bother to get off of the floor since my head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. As much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I realized this was perhaps the first moment in my short time with the Shepherds where I had a chance to analyze the situation. Plus at the pace things were going, I probably would not get another one for a while.
Let's see, for starters, I have no idea who I am. Besides my name, I know about tactics, and yet I can't remember anything else about my past. It seems I can wield a sword as well. Atleast passably. Not really a common combination though. Maybe that was a clue that could help me uncover my past? I don't know. What the hell happened last night anyway? Those things were nothing more than dead flesh and brute strength. Even the bandits we faced earlier in the day didn't have such a reek stench. Bah, and those blood eyes ... Wait, was that the reason why Marth had a mask? To cover those eyes? No, that can't be. He didn't act anything like them.
'Augh!' I groaned feeling my head throb. I guess I won't be able to make anything out of it for now. At least I'm not the only one who seems confused. Better let this play out until I can figure out more. Where were we headed again? Wilsatoll or was it Ylisstol? I suppose it doesn't matter. So long as we go somewhere that makes some lick of sense.
"Robin."
"Huh!? Oh uh Frederick, I didn't see you there."
"Hmm." He gave an emotionless stare that made me tense up.
"Um, can I help you with something?"
He shrugged and said, "It was an error on my part to threaten your life last night. My apologies."
"Huh? Oh, you mean the spear at my neck." I laughed nervously while scratching my head. "I guess I did look pretty suspicious and I can't really blame you for it. I know you are not fond of me either, but I hope we can just forget it. I've got enough to worry about as it is."
"Very well." He nodded respectfully. "I don't mean you any harm stranger, but my duty is to protect Chrom and Lissa with my life."
With that Lissa started making noises in her sleep. I'd wager it would not take long for her snoring to wake up the rest of the group as her protector carefully inspected me. "I understand, and hopefully I can earn your trust one day Sir Frederick. We are both Shepherds now...even if I don't know what that means yet."
…
"And? What happens next!?" Morgan asked impatiently.
"It's getting late Morgan. I'll tell you some more tomorrow."
"But Daaad!"
"No buts young lady. We had a deal."
"You promised me the full story though!"
"Right, and we shall go through it a chapter at a time. But right now, it is time for you to get some rest." He insisted while patting her head lightly.
"Awww, but we barely even talked about Mom! That was a terrible first meeting! You didn't even say hi to her!"
Robin glanced over to his wife who surprisingly seemed just as interested in his view of things as their daughter. "Well, next time I am in a forest, and a masked 'man' is fighting a horde of monsters with fire raining from the sky. I will be sure to introduce myself."
"Good!" She cried energetically.
Robin leaned over and kissed his daughter on the cheek. He also loosened the sheets a little so she could move again. The two parents then said goodnight and walked to the door before giving one last look at Morgan to see her snuggled in her blanket. Despite her restlessness, she appeared to be very comfortable in her bed. Robin was about to close the door behind him, when he said one more thing.
"Oh, and if you try to delay your bedtime or start running around in the middle of the night, then you will get no story tomorrow."
"Awww, you are so mean!"
The door shut behind them and it was the first time they had managed to get Morgan into bed before one in the morning. A success by both of their standards. So with that out of the way, Robin wrapped his arm around his wife as they made the short trip to their room and said, "I guess it was rude of me not to introduce myself back then. Not my best first impression to give off to you."
"I was curt myself." She acknowledged a bit of embarrassment at her ways. "Fortunately that is not how it ended."
"Fortunate for me, anyways." He joked back warmly while tugging her closer.