The next day Morgan was mostly left to her own devices. Her parents had been pulled aside to help with some important needs for the capital and as a result they had to skip their training regimens with her. Hearing the bad news, Morgan set course for the training fields by herself, only to find that the training grounds were currently fully occupied with a new series of recruits that Frederick and Stahl were training.

Morgan half thought about watching, but it soon became clear that today was a conditioning day where Frederick would in some cases literally run them into the ground. Having seen the filtering process before for new recruits, she had little desire to stick around as too often it ended with the soldiers losing their lunch. So Morgan let her feet do the walking for her until she wound up in the castle archives where she spent most of the day in her review of historic battles and the tactics that were used. Marth's advisor in particular caught her attention as he had some nasty tricks up his sleeve based on witness accounts at the time.

Eventually, dinner came around and her parents were freed up to join her. The three were also able to sneak in their daily board game with tonight's game called Entrepreneurship (TM Anna Inc). It was supposedly a look into the life of a traveling merchant with each player setting up their modest stalls across the map. However, humble origins soon turned into lavish stalls and luxury inns that dotted the city.

At one point, the three almost reached a stalemate, but Robin played one of Anna's backroom deal cards that allowed him to force a trade of equal value. Several deeds were exchanged in the process and by the end of it both Robin and Lucina had sole control over most key commerce sectors. Morgan then threatened to petition the city officials because of the foul play, but Robin bribed them with another of his cards. The game ended soon after with the two parents each owning half of the city and Morgan forced to sell all of her properties after landing on one of the board's many money pit traps.

"I need to speak with Anna about the flaws in her game design." Morgan grumbled as she was scooted off to bed once they cleaned up. "Some of those cards were totally unfair!"

"Don't worry. I have already spoken with her." Lucina said in earnest. "I've asked her to remove the shady dealings and black market features from the game. It would be unwise to try such tactics in real life. Especially if you were to approach my father with it."

"It is just a game, dear." Robin mentioned hoping to alleviate some of her concerns. "Nothing more than that."

"Still, there should be some sort of mechanism that discourages it." The bluenette stated strongly. "Nothing good ever comes from banditry and thievery. Violence or no."

"Noted." Robin turned to his daughter and said seriously, "Morgan, you are officially forbidden from starting your own clandestine underground syndicate. Any attempt to do so will lead to an indefinite grounding, even after you become an adult. Understood?"

"Am I still allowed to form a merchant group that can devote its time to terrorize grandpa?"

"Of course!" He responded cheerfully.

"Okay! Deal!"

Robin was treated to seeing both his daughter and wife happily giggle in response even if Lucina did her best to hide it. "Glad that is settled. At any rate. Sorry I couldn't teach you tactics today, kiddo."

"It's okay, we can make up for it tomorrow with twice the session!"

He nodded and said, "Right, but I believe I owe you a story tonight as well."

"Yep!"

"Now, let's see, where was I again?"

"You were just about to fight Marth in the arena in front of a massive crowd of spectators!" Morgan chirped back in anticipation.

"Ah right, well as the battle was about to begin, there was a new wrinkle with this mysterious masked man. The sword he wielded was surprisingly familiar as its circular hilt curved into one long blade with a large golden stripe stretching across the middle just like some other blue born prince I knew."

"Where did you get that? There's no way." Chrom stood motionless as he gawked in pure shock.

"Chrom, focus!' I barked back as the enemy soldiers were already charging at us with the gong still ringing in the background.

"R-right!" Refocusing himself, Chrom sprinted ahead to duel with Marth one-on-one. That left me the task of organizing our party to ensure that his clash of champions would be undisturbed as we took on the other seven threats already coming after us.

"Alright everyone, let's protect Chrom's back!" I commanded our team. Frederick and Stahl moved forward in the arena and fought two swordsmen heading for Chrom. Meanwhile, Sumia and I attacked a few stray mages as Lissa helped rally our support.

And then…

…

Robin stopped in his tracks for a moment, not sure what to say next. Meanwhile, having waited all day for this, Morgan clenched her hands in expectation and asked hurriedly, "Something wrong dad?"

"No. It is just that, well, I didn't get a good look at the fight with Chrom and Marth. To be honest, I was a little occupied with the other soldiers." Robin spoke before turning to his wife and giving her a brief nudge. "But I do happen to know someone else who experienced the events firsthand."

Lucina looked back at him in surprise and said, "You want me to tell this part?"

"Either that or we could wake up Chrom." Robin offered with a smirk.

Unsure of herself, the princess said, "I don't know Robin, I don't think I can make the story come alive like you do."

"It couldn't hurt to try, right?" He offered back encouragingly.

"I don't know. What do you think, Morgan?"

"Go ahead mom!"

"Very well." She said while accepting the challenge and gathering her breath.

I stood on the opposite side of the arena, dueling with a thousand different thoughts at the time. While I knew this would happen, it made it no less easy to calm my nerves. Across the way, I could see a young version of my father, aunt Lissa, and a surprisingly timid Sumia. Sir Frederick and Stahl were also there, along with a man I did not recognize. But having so much of my family there, alive, healthy, and seemingly in good spirits was almost too much to take. Surreal didn't even begin to describe it. However, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a gong ringing throughout the stadium. Trying to stay focused, I unsheathed Falchion and prepared to duel my father with his own sword.

...

"Where did you get that?" ….There's no way." He said before the start of the battle forced him to change mindsets. Chrom then jumped in the air with his arms behind his head. He landed just in front of me and sent his sword crashing down. I guarded his blow with all of my strength against the power he possessed. I knew if I was not careful this would be over in mere seconds.

Darting away, I managed to break the attack and violently counter with a swift volley of three strikes. He blocked all of them with some difficulty and then spaced himself away from my range. It must have thrown him off as it was a tactic he often used in his battles. However, once he recovered, he thrust his sword at me again and I side-stepped to my right to deflect against it. Now my turn, I swiped my sword at his stomach, only for him to avert it as our blades rang out across the arena with a sharp pitch eclipsing the cheers from the crowd.

"Who taught you to fight like this?" Chrom muttered as he guarded against another blow.

He stepped back, and I struck again with my Falchion slicing the air in front of him. Next, I jumped with my hands behind my head and mimicked his first attack. He hopped behind me to avoid the rush, and I quickly turned around to see him a few feet away from me. We were both breathing heavily, and I was impressed at his skill at such a young age.

"My father!" I cried back while trying to suppress the rush of memories flowing into my head. Considering the violent set of attacks we exchanged, we both stopped for a second to catch our breath. I looked behind him to see that the Shepherds had already taken care of half of my allies, and they would be here soon which meant I had to act fast.

Charging forward again, my blade wisped through the air and clanged against his. Next, he rolled to my side and swung his sword at my leg. It shredded through the fabric of my pants leg and cut my calf. I winced in some pain, but ignored it and continued to fight in a raging fury as it was the only thing keeping me going. Our double-edged weapons rang throughout the stadium once more as the two Khans watched from the sidelines in seeming delight. All the while I could feel the sweat pouring down my face as I continued the assault with every ounce of my strength.

Chrom then quickly swung his sword diagonally at me in a desperate attempt to end this. I barely managed to swipe my sword back up to block and we stood there latched together in a deadlock. I could not break free of the hold, and neither could Chrom. We pushed ourselves to exhaustion as neither of us would yield our weapons.

However, in the next instant, a hilt of a sword crashed into my chest. I did not see where it came from, but the force sent me reeling back to the worn arena floor with my sword flying away with it. After that, I would find Chrom's sword pointed at my face, ensuring I had no chance to recover.

"Impressive, if not surprising." I called out knowing that I was beaten.

Chrom looked down at me, clearly confused, and was about to say something when the East Khan sprinted towards him and said, "Well fought! You have your alliance. I will provide Ylisse with the soldiers she needs. Come with me and we can square away the details."

With that, Flavia motioned for Chrom to follow her to the palace and he did so after some hesitation. His party followed from behind which meant I was left to myself again and the emotions that came with it. Without warning, a tear ran down my cheeks as I thought about forgotten memories and duels of old. I instinctively put my hand to my face to wipe it away only to realize that I was still wearing my mask. That metal veil serving as a reminder of the barrier between this world and my own.

It was not the first reminder since I had seen my father before in the forest, but I steeled myself knowing I had a mission to accomplish and it would never be solved like this. Only I could stop the future from happening. Only I could find my father's traitor and kill him. Only I could change fate, and tears would not bring that mission to life. So I took a deep breath and put my hands on the ground to get up from the floor while focusing my aim on that.

"Need a hand?"

Alarmed, I immediately raised my head as a hand extended towards me. Instinct had me reach for my weapon, but I had already been disarmed which left me in a vulnerable state. Now pressed, I found myself staring at an open hand belonging to the cloaked man who I did not recognize earlier. I reasoned that he must have also been the one who knocked me down in battle as no one else was nearby at the time. "I am fine, I do not need your help."

"Seeing your skill, I'm sure you don't." The man said carefully. "But may I?"

With a sigh, I went against my better judgment to deny his help. He then pulled me up quicker than I was expecting and I felt a little disoriented as I took hold of my footing. "I don't believe I was able to introduce myself earlier. I am Robin, the tactician for Prince, um, for Chrom." He bowed slightly and placed a hand to his chest.

"I see." I replied as I studied him carefully behind my mask. All the other shepherds I fought against I recognized when I passed through the arena, but not him. The stories I heard from my childhood never mentioned someone with his description which was odd given his importance to my father's group. This only further aroused my suspicions of him being a potential threat as I glanced over him.

After some silence, Robin nervously looked away until something caught his eye, "Hmm? Oh! You're bleeding!"

The fight happened so quickly that I forgot about the cut on my leg, and I glanced down to the open wound. It was only a small one, but it was bleeding nonetheless. "I can take care of it. It is nothing."

"Nonsense. You're not putting any pressure on it. Here. There is a half wall over there that you can sit on. I'll go call Lissa and she can get you patched up."

I shook my head again and said, "I have a vulnerary, and as I said I can take care of it."

"I am sure you can, but if you just sat down for a moment then-"

"I have no time to sit." I growled back at him.

Gingerly he said, "Whatever you have to do, it can be done faster if you are not limping there. Allow me just a minute of your time."

"Why do you even care?" I asked back in frustration as I wanted to be left alone. Too many other distractions were already clouding me away from what I needed to focus on.

He paused for a moment and said with a clear conviction, "Lissa, Chrom, and I owe you a huge debt for what you did back in the forest. The least we could do is heal the wound we caused."

"You owe me nothing. As far as today is concerned, you had to fight me, and it is as simple as that."

Robin sighed but shook it off and said determined, "Please, if you just sit down for a second then I won't bother you anymore. I won't even say a word unless asked."

"Grah, fine."

...

We went over to the edge of the arena and sat down on the half wall near the exit. Once there, I took a deep breath and looked at my leg to fully inspect the damage. It was slowly bleeding, so I pulled a vulnerary from my pocket to apply the salve. Much to my relief, it mended quickly as I felt the cold tingling sensation close the wound. Trying to relax, I almost unconsciously pulled off my mask before I remembered that Robin was still next to me. He was looking down at the floor, occasionally glancing a couple of times over to me to check on my leg.

"Shouldn't you be with Chrom right now?"

He raised his head in surprise and said, "No, they are probably just discussing politics or something boring like that. I can always find out about it later."

After more silence, he attempted to make the situation less awkward by examining his sword and acted like he was going to sharpen it. I could only sigh seeing he was not going away anytime soon and reasoned I might as well find out more about this man given his proximity to my father. "You are a tactician, you said?"

"Er, yes, I have an uncanny gift when it comes to strategy it seems."

"And how did you come across Chrom?"

"Well it is a funny story, actually. Not long ago he found me unconscious in a grassy plain and took me in. I've been following him ever since, and I hope to serve him to the best of my ability."

"...I see." My thoughts then raced to why I had never heard of this man or what risks he posed.

Robin put a hand to his head and nervously said, "Look. You mentioned a calamity back in the forest. Does it have to do with those monsters we saw?"

Rather abruptly I said, "Yes, they will cover the entire land with destruction and death."

Robin's eyes widened and he said, "H-how do you know of this?"

"You would not believe me even if I were to tell you, and I do not expect you to trust my words."

"No, I trust you." He trailed off in deep thought. "That is what Chrom would do at least. He hasn't been wrong yet."

"Make of it what you will." I said while thinking of how to escape. This really was not how things were supposed to go and I needed to limit my interactions with others where I could.

"Can we stop it, this Armageddon?" He inquired, his voice trembling.

"I can."

Robin eased a little and said, "G-good, how can we help you then? I am sure the Feroxi army is mobilizing as we speak. Everyone will want to end this threat as soon as possible."

"You cannot help me." I replied coldly.

"Huh? But, we are on the same side, right? You also seem to know a lot about these Risen things. Surely if we were to-"

"No, something grave is about to happen, and the Shepherds will be too distracted."

Robin's concern grew as he said hurriedly, "That doesn't make sense. What is about to happen that would cause us to ignore such a terrible threat?"

I remained silent as he continued to think it over, hoping to find a way to change the subject.

"Unless, the bandits and the attacks of late. Both here and at the border. They are direct provocations which means … War. Are we going to war with Plegia?!" He asked urgently.

I immediately cursed at myself for letting that slip knowing I could not alter the timeline more than necessary. "I cannot tell you, I have already said too much."

"But if Ylisse is in danger then I need to-"

"If I succeed, then no one will be in danger." I said while feeling my shoulders stiffen.

"Right. In any case, I better tell Chrom so that we can prepare." Robin worried as he continued to think about the plight.

I gasped and my voice cracked in a high pitch, "No! You can't tell him! You can't tell anyone!"

"W-what, why?!" He cried alarmed at my sudden outburst.

"It will only make things worse." I cried desperately trying to stop him. If they were to find out, then it could shatter everything.

"How can anything be worse than a war and Risen occupying our lands?" He asked in horror and bewilderment.

I lowered my head and let out a deep sigh, "You have not seen what I have seen."

There was a bitter silence as he thought it over. "Is Chrom or Lissa going to get hurt because of this? Or the kingdom for that matter?"

"Nothing that they can't overcome."

"I, I...okay I won't tell them." Robin hesitantly agreed.

"You, you won't?" I asked trepidly.

"Yes, I know better than to cross a gifted swordsman that could cut me in half, and I cannot worry Chrom with a matter that may not happen." He said more to reassure himself than to me. "I also don't know where you are getting this information, and I truly hope it is wrong."

"As do I, now I better get going." I knew I needed to leave now before I said anything else that might ruin the past.

"Marth, one more thing." He replied hesitantly and unsure of himself. "Is there anything I can do to help. Maybe if I-?"

"Just keep the shepherds safe."

"I will, I swear that I will protect them with my life if need be." He cried back vividly and with great determination. While meant to reassure me, it only left me more uneasy since I did not know of him from stories I heard about the shepherds as a child. Perhaps he sacrificed his life and his story was lost in the chaos?

Robin tried to smile and ignore the awkward silence that came with me trying to think over the situation again. "At any rate. Stay safe out there, it is a crazy world."

"All the more reason I should get going."

"Right." He muttered a little saddened, "Hopefully we will meet again under better circumstances, ma'am."

My stomach churned hearing his last words, "What did you say?!"

"Erm, Sir! I meant sir. Forgive me sir...Sir...Marth...Marth, Sir!"

"You-"

...

"Robin! Where are you!?"

I heard Lissa's voice call from across the hall, and I immediately hid behind the half wall I was sitting on. I curled up and stayed perfectly still so she could not see me.

"Oh! There you are Robin! Chrom and Frederick are looking all over for you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, we are ready to move out, and everyone was worried when we noticed you were gone!"

I could feel the tactician glance back at me with his eyes while he said. "Sorry Lissa, I was just observing the Colosseum. It is an interesting piece of architecture."

"That sounds boring." She deadpanned. "But is it helping you remember your memories?"

"Afraid not, I still don't remember anything since you found me."

"Oh, well I am sure it will come eventually!"

"I sure hope so... I would like to know if I am crazy or if the world has always been like this."

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Just thinking to myself again."

"I see, hee hee, I can only imagine what goes on in a tactician's head."

"Ha ha, trust me Lissa, you don't want to know. But shall we get back to Chrom?

"Okie dokie!"

...

"That was too close of a call." I murmured trying to catch my breath. Once I was sure they were gone I picked myself off the floor and tried to calm down. I had only been in this world for a few days, and I was already ruining it. I had to be more careful with my actions or things could take a turn for the worse.

…

"Over already? But that was so short!"

Lucina frowned, "Sorry Morgan, I am not very good at telling stories."

"No, it was fine mom, but it was quicker than I was expecting."

"The rest is just traveling, nothing of note happened to me until later."

"Oh, but Mom, why were you there in the first place? I don't see any reason to duel the Shepherds."

"There was a tale I heard when I was a child, Morgan. Lon'qu, the Champion of the West Khan gasped with his last breath in the arena. He died in agony with the Falchion through his chest, and it was one of my father's greatest regrets."

"I see, but wasn't it risky to get involved since you didn't want to alter the timeline?"

"Actually, Naga told me to do it as I entered the portal. She said it was vital to the mission."

"Wow, really?

"As her power faded and the portal opened, she said that with her last ounce of strength that I needed to go to the arena in Regna Ferox."

"So that means Naga could predict the future?"

Robin shook his head, "No, maybe Naga thought that is where everything started to unravel, and realized it needed to be fixed. Just like how when you make a mistake, you can usually trace it back to its origin."

"Oh I see." Morgan said while thinking it over. "Hey wait a minute, Dad! Did you know that Marth was a woman back then? You called Marth ma'am."

Robin laughed just thinking about it. "Well Lucina does not have a very convincing male voice. I even had my suspicions back in the forest, and that meeting was just for a few seconds. Meeting her in person and talking to her only heightened my doubts. But yeah, I accidentally let that slip out since I was so focused on the new threat of war."

"I suppose my impersonation skill is one of my flaws." She frowned.

Robin held his wife's hand and looked her in the eyes, "Don't be silly dear, you have no flaws."

Morgan wrapped her hands around her neck. "Gag, augh, I am choking on a bad line. Bleck."

Much to their amusement, the two parents watched Morgan pretend to be strangled by the sweetened words as she dramatically rustled in her bed. "Yes, well try not to choke yourself to sleep. You may not wake up and then there would be no story tomorrow. Worse, your mother and I would have no choice but to say sweet nothings all day since we would have no one to train or play board games with."

Morgan stuck out her tongue in response and her parents smiled back happily. Not long after, they left the room and Morgan once again faced the bitter battle of trying to fall asleep.