"Eng." Morgan groaned in her bed and grabbed her stomach in pain.

"Something wrong dear?" Lucina asked worried.

"No, I have to go to the bathroom." She pulled away the sheets from her bed and weakly leaned forward while feeling her arms nag in response. Her body felt incredibly heavy and her muscles seemed like jello which was mainly due to being trapped in her bed for so long.

"Oh, I'll carry you then." The princess replied and rose from her chair.

Morgan waved her off and said, "It's okay. I want to try to walk this time."

"Are you sure?" Lucina asked surprised.

"Nnng!" Morgan grunted as she slid her feet across the bed and used both hands to force her legs off the edge of the mattress. Then she tried to get the rest of her body to cooperate as she scooted out of her sheets. "Yeah, I want to try." She swung her arms to build up enough momentum to gingerly hop out of bed and touch the floor beneath her. She stumbled for a moment as she nearly lost her balance, but she managed to steady herself and bring up the strength to move forward.

Morgan only covered a few inches with each step and it proved to be a very difficult affair, but she held strong and took her first steps. Within five steps she was already breathing heavily like she had ran for an hour. Though, Morgan willed herself to keep moving fearing that she would fall the moment she stopped. "Don't you two think you can relax and forget about me!" She grumbled to her parents and placed her hand on the door frame to ease some of the pressure from her legs. "I'll be back in a minute or two."

…

"She's looking a little better." Lucina whispered as Morgan left the room. "There is a little more color in her face, and I didn't think she would be ready to walk so quickly."

"Yeah." Robin nodded and looked back at his wife. "It must be those leaves that Lucia gave her."

The blue princess frowned and glared back saying, "Now my younger self is going to think that bush can cure anything. Even worse, you basically encouraged her to sneak out of her room every time she thinks someone needs help. Must you corrupt her too after all you have done to me?"

"Haha, sorry, but she was overjoyed when I said she helped. Plus, she was sneaking out of her room and exploring the castle long before I got sick."

Lucina gritted her teeth and said, "True. It was one of my bad habits as well. I nearly scared my mother half to death from three to seven because I always wanted to explore when we were hiding from Risen or volunteer to help in battles. My mother once said that she had to keep an eye on me at all times or else I would run off."

"It seems like from the very start you were destined to become a curious and skilled adventurer." He smirked and added, "And a beautiful one at that."

Lucina lightly punched him in the side, both half embarrassed and flattered. Though she would never let him know that. "Yes, well. You better not encourage my younger self. I don't want you to create any extra work for my mother, and the poor innocent girl does not need you around."

"Are you saying I am a bad influence?"

"Very." She replied firmly. "And I don't want her getting the wrong ideas from your good intentions. If possible, you should keep all conversations to a minimum and try to avoid her when she is close."

"Wrong ideas?" He asked as he looked back at her curiously. "Lucina, you are not actually jealous of her. Are you?"

"Hmph! Of course not." She scoffed at the idea and quickly looked away from him. "... But, there will be a day where I will not look as young as I do now, and Lucia will be in her prime. The last thing I want you to do is trade me in for a newer model."

Robin laughed at the thought and reached over to grab her hand. "Come on Lucina. You will never need to worry about that. She may share some of your genes, but she will never have your experiences or the moments we shared. As far as I am concerned, she is an entirely different person, and I am more likely to jump off a cliff than cheat on you with anyone."

"You say that now, but when my hair starts to turn gray and my face wrinkles-"

"Then I'll remind myself about how lucky I am to have the most incredible women as my wife."

Lucina blushed and hit him in the side again. "Just never forget that."

"Don't worry love." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "I assure you, I won't be leaving you in any lifetime. Like it or not, you're stuck with me."

"Good." She whispered under her breath and smiled back. "Because I have no plans of ever letting you go."

…

"Ennng." Morgan groaned wearily as she reentered the room. "I can't be gone for more than a minute before the two of you start going all lovey-dovey?"

"Nope." Robin chuckled back. "You have the unfortunate experience of going back in time to when we are still in our honeymoon stage, and I don't think it will be ending that period any time soon."

Lucina looked back ashamed and said, "... Definitely not anytime soon."

"Meh, I am glad to see you no longer worry about my health and are more focused about kissing each other." Morgan chided as she fell back into her bed sideways with her head face down in the mattress too tired to move another inch. She probably would have stayed that way for the rest of the night if her mother didn't help her get back to her original and more comfortable sleeping position on top of her pillow.

"We still care Morgan. In fact, we were just mentioning how you are starting to look better." Lucina replied encouragingly and gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"That's right. Nothing could ever weigh down my fantastic and strong-willed daughter." Robin added sincerely hoping that she really was getting better and it was not his imagination.

Morgan gave a small smirk and said, "Soon I'll be back to my old self. It won't be long now."

"I have no doubt about that, but don't rush yourself." Lucina said sweetly. "You don't need to race to the finish."

"It is more fun to race though!" She replied back happily. "And you know what else is fun?"

"Our story?" Robin guessed without much effort.

"Mhm!" She nodded back. Moments later Morgan got comfortable in her bed again and Robin started off by saying,

We were out at sea for two days and I was already getting nauseous. The constant rocking back and forth of the ship made it difficult to hold my food down and I had not yet obtained my sea legs either. Truth be told, ever since the battle on the sea, I've never been comfortable on a boat, or near the ocean general.

…

"So our tactician does have a weakness after all." Chrom snickered as he approached me while I clung to the railing of the ship.

Hearing his voice set me even more on edge and I quickly turned around to salute him while firmly keep my other hand on the railing in case he had any ideas about throwing me over board. "I do have a soft spot for chocolate ... Sir."

Chrom laughed at the joke, and smiled back showing his teeth. Although, I could see the evil smirk tilted on his lips as he gave the same sadistic smile that Henry wore everyday. It gave me an unnerving feeling that behind the mask he was wearing he was trying to decide how he could make my death look like an accident. "I can get you some chocolate if you'd like. Perhaps it will remove the green color on your face."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline." I replied respectfully as poison seemed to be another tactics he might try. "If I eat too much of it then I won't be in any shape to fight."

He frowned in response and said with a somber tone, "Hopefully we won't need to fight again. The last two wars were enough."

"That's the best case scenario, but if Validar tries anything then we need to be ready for it."

"... Yeah." Chrom nodded back and leaned over the railing besides me. "I hope he will at least give us some time to rest before it happens."

"It's unlikely considering it is the perfect opportunity to strike. Most of us are weary from the war and our guard is down. Unless he is waiting for something else, now would be the best time to summon Grima back to our world."

"Why anyone would want to do that in the first place is beyond my comprehension." Chrom murmured in disgust. "But you're right. If he is going to attack then he would do it at our weakest."

"So you better be careful. No helping civilians, no challenging thieves, and be aware of your surroundings. He has shown before that he has no issue with using assassinations."

The Exalt shrugged and said, "Fine, but only until this is over. I hate the idea of needing to worry about my safety when others are hurting."

"Says the man who wants to kill me" I whispered in my head.

Somehow, the dense man seemed to pick up on it and grinned back. "By the way, I was talking with Cynthia earlier today, and she mentioned how she had never seen Lucina smile so much. She said she almost didn't recognize her sister because she was willing spend time to catch up instead of train. All the children I've talked to have also noticed the same thing. Even that boy Owain was at a loss for words."

"I find that hard to believe." I turned away from him not wanting to fall into his trap. "But she must be happy to be with her parents again."

"I'd like to think that is a part of it." He hummed back. "I take it you've noticed a change in her as well ... Since you are the one she spends the most time with."

"...I may have made that observation... Yes."

"Heh." The Exalt chuckled to himself and said. "I figured it out though. The reason why she is so happy." He turned to me with a big sinister grin on his face. "It's because she doesn't need to be afraid anymore. My daughter doesn't need to worry about failing or having to stop the future alone. Instead she can put her faith in us that we will succeed, and we will stop Grima from coming again. It has given her a great deal of comfort which has allowed her to enjoy each day a little more. In a way, I suppose I owe a great debt to the person responsible for easing her worries so much."

"Enough to spare their life?"

The royal lord hummed to himself again and clasped his hand on my shoulder to be more reassuring. However, the tight grip he had on my shoulder made it feel more like he was trying to crush my bones instead. "To think in the beginning that I thought of you as the perfect bodyguard for her. My honorable, trustworthy, and unquestionably loyal best friend would be the perfect person to see to her safety. After all, you kept me out of the fire a few times in the past and I had no doubt you could find a way to protect her."

"... Er, yeah." I whispered back nervously. "So far she hasn't received a scratch, but I would attest that more to her incredible swordsmanship than any one idiotic tactician."

"Indeed. I fear she might be surpassing my skills very soon." He looked up at the sky and sighed in content. "She grew up to be such a wonderful person. I was worried I would be a bad father, but seeing her now, and how strong she has become through everything she has had to face."

"You must be very proud."

"Very much so." He smiled fondly. "And I won't lie. It's a great relief to see her so happy. That's all I ever wanted for my baby girl back at the castle, and it was my greatest regret knowing I failed to give her anything more than a few words and a sword." He sighed and balled his free hand into a fist on the railing. "... So you have my thanks Robin. Thank you for restoring some peace to her."

".. I … um ..." I stammered at a lost for words. "So you don't hate me?"

"Oh I still hate you." He laughed and punched me hard in the shoulder. "But Lucina is an adult now and capable of making her own decisions. I don't have the right to interfere with her wishes anymore. Especially because I wasn't there for her these last few years."

I lowered my head unsure if I was dreaming or if he was trying to catch me with my guard down, but his words seemed sincere enough. "... Are you sure?"

"No, but I want to see my daughter happy and safe. It takes priority over anything else."

I pledged with my hand over my chest and said "You have my word that I feel the same way. I'll do anything to see her happy as well."

"I know Robin. You may be a traitor and a dishonorable servant, but I can tell you care a lot for her. I can take some small solace knowing my daughter found someone who recognizes how precious and incredible she is. Which leads me to my next concern."

"... What's that?" I asked still too much in shock to believe what was happening.

An eerie grin returned to his face and he spoke up with a booming voice. "Frederick!"

Moments later the Blue Knight came marching to the scene with his heavy armor clanking on the wooden deck. The ever vigilant servant was always ready for anything, even an attack from a giant squid. "Yes Milord. Is it time?"

I looked back at Chrom confused and his evil grin grew wider.

"As I said, one of my greatest concerns is her safety. Granted she can take care of herself when it comes to the sword, but I still need someone to protect her in case she should be overwhelmed. So Frederick here will be spending the rest of the day 'assessing' you. In the event you can not pass his trials, then I cannot deem you fit enough to be around my daughter."

I grimaced and said, "So in others words, this is a way to make me suffer for dating your daughter without killing me."

"Oh no. Nothing like that." Chrom laughed evilly. "This will be the perfect way to get back at you for everything you've done to me over the last three years. Frederick won't just make you suffer. He will show you a glimpse of what Hell feels like."

…

*Ahem*

"So I don't suppose there is anyway I can talk you out of this." I said worried as Frederick took off his armor. He said he did not want the heavy mail to tire him out and that thought alone scared me half to death. I had never seen the man take off his armor before, and I certainty had never seen him break a sweat.

"No. I'm sorry Robin, but I'm sworn to fulfill Milord's wishes no matter how extreme they may be, and I have my own desire to see if you are worthy to court a member of the Exalted blood. Which is why I will not hold back today."

I sighed and took a deep breath. "Alright then. Let's just get this over with."

"Good. It makes it easier when you don't try to run away." He smirked in the same evil manner that Chrom did and I had a feeling the damned king was watching from a distance. "The first thing you will do is climb to the top of this ship's mast." He pointed upwards to the giant wooden log that supported the sail.

"What?!" I said in horror. "That's sixty feet tall!"

"Sixty-four feet and seven inches ." Frederick responded precisely. "You may use the ship's rigging to climb up, but you cannot use any equipment to propel you. There is further instruction on what to do next once you reach the end.

"And should I fall?"

"Then I would recommend aiming for the water. With any luck, the impact won't kill you."

"... Well that's reassuring."

…

"Enh!" I groaned as I climbed the netting that was connected to the mast. At first, you wouldn't think it would be difficult because it was a safer version of rock climbing, but it surprisingly required a lot of upper body strength. Especially since my feet had a habit of getting tangled in the rope. Frederick was also kind enough to attach a fifty-pound backpack before I got started and loosened the tension of the ropes up so it would be harder to push myself up. Though, by far the worst part was the wind currents. The higher I climbed the stronger the gusts became and the netting constantly wobbled as I reached for the next link of rope.

I nearly fell three times from the strong wind blasts, but somehow I managed to hold on and reach the top to be greeted by two horrifying sights. The first was an unending view of the blue ocean. It's menacing and monstrous size made me even more afraid of the sea as the ships around me seemed microscopic compared to the vast and restless ocean. The second sight being a lone piece of paper at the very top of the wooden mast that was taped down so it would not blow away. It stated,

Ah, it is a relief to know you have not died yet. Your next assignment is to dispose of the putrid rocks in your backpack. These foul vermin have tripped up my liege for far too long, and after years of capturing them, I wish to give them a watery burial. However, you cannot simply throw your backpack into the water at that height. That would be dangerous and it could risk injuring someone below. Instead you must release each rock and pebble one at a time and keep track of how many you have thrown over board. Once finished you may climb back down and report to me the number of rocks you threw.

-Frederick

"Are you kidding me?!" I yelled as the wind drowned out my voice. "You gave me fifty freaking pounds of rocks and now I have to hold on for dear life while I get rid of them? Frederick you son of a – Whoah!"

Another strong wind gust threatened to topple me over and I had to regain my balance as my heart raced in a panic. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins and I swore to the high heavens since that was the closest I had ever been to them.

...

"One, two, three." I muttered terrified as I held an extremely tight grip to the rope with one hand, a rock in another, and the image of throwing each rock at Frederick's head in my mind. As time passed I would have to switch arms because the strain on my muscles was a real challenge. It was not only a test of survival, but a trial of endurance as every aspect of my body was weakened.

"345, 346, 346 … or was it 348." I whispered in my head as the pain in my arms were really becoming a problem. I had resorted to wrapping my legs around the mast as a way to conserve energy, but at this point everything was hurting. A simple challenge had turned into a nightmare by the sheer length of the task. I couldn't cheat by throwing a handful of rocks at a time, because I did risk hitting someone below, and Frederick would be the first person to notice if I bent the rules.

"Oh gods. Not now." I yelled in agony as another problem threatened to halt my progress. "Dear Naga, please not now!" I cried profusely as I scrunched my noses hoping the sensation would go away. As if the situation was not bad enough, my nose started to itch and it drained all the life out of me in the process.

My body begged me to scratch my nose knowing that both of my hands were occupied, and the more I tried to ignore it, the worse it got. "Pfff. Pfff!" I tried to puff out air upwards to relieve the urge to scratch, but it did not work and soon the itch spread to my shoulders and my back. It was driving me crazy and my only option was to use the wooden pole as a scratching post as I desperately tried to keep my wits about me.

…

The only joy I found is when I reached into my backpack and realized it to be empty. At that point I did not hesitate to climb back down, and in my rush to end this madness, I almost took the short way as I lost my grip on my rope. Luckily my feet manged to hook into the netting which gave me enough time to recover, but the last scare was one too many as I felt my heart beat out of my chest.

…

"687" I gasped out of breath as my knees collapsed to the deck thankful to be back on solid ground. "687 stones."

Meanwhile, Frederick looked into my backpack to see it was empty and said, "There were 693 rocks in the bag. Not 687."

"Close enough." I muttered back with a scratchy voice and closed my eyes unable to care anymore.

"Hmm. No matter." The knight replied calmly. "We will run six extra miles to make up the difference."

"Six miles?" I uttered in dread.

"In addition to the ten mile jog I had planned." He replied casually as if he was planning what to eat for dinner.

"Um, Frederick. I don't know if you have noticed, but there isn't any land to run on."

He gave a small smirk and said, "We will jog laps on the ship's perimeter. Now hurry up, if I lap you then you have to run another mile."

I groaned and covered my head knowing this was going to be a long day.

...

…

"Get up!" Frederick called back at me as I had collapsed lifeless on the ground.

"Ennnnnh. Just … *huff* *puff* give me … five minutes." I pleaded as I wanted to kill myself. After the jog, he decided to pick things up by sparring with me for two hours as the bruises piled up on my body. This was followed by another twenty different types of exercises and at this point my entire being felt like one big blob of goo.

The evil demon knew exactly how to make every muscle in my body cry out in pain, and he did not bother to show any mercy. It didn't help that I was incredibly hungry because I missed lunch due to the workout. Though, I had a bad feeling I would be missing dinner as well considering the sun was setting.

"You can rest when we are done. Now, get up unless you want me to pick you up."

"...I can't" I whispered in pain. Even the thought of moving made me feel like mush.

"Are your legs cramped?"

They were not surprisingly, but that was because Frederick force fed me a block of salt after our run so that wouldn't happen. "No, but I've lost nearly all feeling in them." I muttered hoping it would buy me a brief moment of time to recover.

"Ah, I see. I will stretch your legs then since you seem incapable of doing it yourself."

"Stretch my legs?" I whispered in horror as Frederick neared closer. "Wait No! Don't – AUGHHHHHHHHH!" It was at that moment where I had felt the single greatest amount of pain I have ever experienced in my life. I heard my bones pop seven to eight times as I swore that the knight was trying to severe my leg. The muscles inside of me felt like they had burst apart and the only thing I could feel was the excruciating cries of my abused legs.

Tears fell down my face when he did it the second time and I was sure he snapped my knee. It felt a hundred times worse than any workout he had forced me to suffer in the past, and even yelling out caused me pain as my lung threatened to collapse on themselves.

"Frederick … I am going to kill you." I spat out as I felt myself losing consciousness.

The evil knight chuckled in return and said, "How can you do that if you refuse to get up?"

"... I'll, ennng, find a way." I glared back as the last shred of life was escaping my grasp. "I swear it."

"Is that so?" He asked as he looked down at my sorry state. "Then it looks like I haven't broke your spirit yet, but don't worry, I am sure I can find a way."

…

"Ennnnng." I whimpered as water from the ocean splashed against my face. It was night time which made it difficult to see, but it didn't matter because I was left alone with only the stars to keep me company. Frederick had finished with me about two hours earlier, but not before he gave me one last present. Since I was physically unable to move, he dragged me, rather painfully, back to the place where the day of hell all started. He then pressed my back against the wooden pole and tied a thick piece of rope around my waist and chest. So I sat confined to the mast without an ability to move or even go to the bathroom if I got the urge. However, even that was not enough as Frederick thought it would be a 'good' idea to leave a plate of food about ten feet out of reach as I sat there cold, tired, wet, and starving.

...

"Hey Bubbles. Whadda ya doing out here?" A red-headed thief asked while sucking on a lollipop.

"What does it look like?" I glared back and tried futilely to wriggle out of my binds. "I'm trying to sleep of course."

Gaius looked back at me curiously and said, "You picked a funny place to do that."

"Well, we are out of bed thanks to all the refugees and I didn't feel like sharing with Gregor tonight. Plus I read about how charming in can be to sleep under the stars." I replied sarcastically as another wave splashed across the hull of the ship and sprayed me in a mist of salt water.

The thief seemed unconvinced and said, "So what is the rope for?"

"Haven't you ever heard of a blanket?" I asked as my voice cracked. At this point, nothing about me was working correctly anymore.

"Not one that ties you to a pole." He remarked as he took a closer look at my plight.

"Really? Well it's not as bad as it looks. In fact, you should trade places with me so you can experience what it is like."

He pretended to think it over for a moment before saying, "No thanks. I've been tied down in the past and it wasn't very fun. I almost got my hand chopped off in the process."

"What did you try to steal to receive such a harsh punishment?" I asked as I closed my eyes to prevent another wave from getting in my eyes.

"An eight year old girl." Gaius frowned and his lollipop lowered to match his expression.

"You kidnapped a child?!"

"It's not as bad as it seems." He sighed and said, "She was my cousin and she had been sent to work in a factory because we were dirt poor. Her parents signed a contract releasing custody of her until they could pay their debts."

I gritted my teeth in disgust and said, "Gods, that's horrible."

"Heh, I thought so too." He removed the lollipop from his mouth and threw it in the ocean since the stem was the only thing left. "So I got her and her parents out-of-town, but the damned owner managed to find me as I was making my escape. Next thing I knew I was thrown into jail and I had the choice of either losing seven fingers or my arm."

I shuddered to think about it and said, "So how did you come out unscathed?"

Gaius shrugged and said, "One of the higher-ups in the government looked into my case and said that my punishment was too barbaric for my crimes. So she lessened my sentence and commissioned an investigation of the factory. Apparently, about two weeks later the placed closed down and the owner was thrown in jail for some charges of human trafficking. As a result my crimes were absolved and I was set free."

"Was this in Plegia?" I asked fearing the same people who captured Nowi tried to do the same to them.

"Nope, Ylisse, and if it wasn't for the Exalt then the place would still be running."

"Exalt? … Wait, do you mean?"

"Yep. She was something else." He muttered as he unwrapped a candy that he picked from his pocket. "Which made it awkward for me when I was hired to steal from her. It was the first job where I had to think twice about it."

"So when you were told to kill her ..."

Gaius crushed the wrapper in his hand and said, "I couldn't. It didn't seem right, and when Blue caught up to me I decided I was on the wrong side. So I joined your cause and the rest is history."

"Weird how things work out." I murmured unsure what else to say.

"Uh huh." He nodded and stretched out his arms. "So what happened to you, did you tick off Blue again?"

"... Something to that effect. It might have to do with the fact that I'm dating his daughter"

"Haha, yeah. That would do it." He chuckled and grabbed another piece of candy from his pocket.

I exhaled deeply, but even that hurt my stomach as my muscles were still incredibly sore. "I don't suppose you would be willing to show the same compassion that Emmeryn did and untie me.

He shook his head and said, "Sorry Bubbles, I ain't gonna cross Blue if I can help it. He's promised me all the candy and sweets I can get my hands on, and I don't want to risk it."

"Figures. Can you at least move the plate of chicken a little closer? I haven't eaten anything today."

The red-head looked down at the deck to notice the plate and said, "You sure about that Bubbles? It looks all soggy and wet."

"I don't care." I said with a gnawing hunger "I just want something to eat."

Gaius reached deeper into his cloak and unveiled a bright and delicious looking chocolate bar. "Wouldn't you rather have this?

My mouth watered looking at it and I asked as it was so inspiring and comforting to look at. "… How much?"

"Ha, don't worry Bubbles. I'm not like Anna" He smiled and kicked the plate of chicken out-of-the-way. "I'm a generous thief, and besides, I was ordered to give this to you."

"Ordered?"

"Mhm. Blue said you had a thing for chocolate and you were probably neglecting your meals again. So he handed me a bar and told me to deliver it to you. Although, if it seemed to vanish in my mouth before I reached you, then he would not lose any sleep over it. "

"He did huh?" I murmured knowing even now he was trying to spite me. "That damned bastard."

…

"Hehehe." Morgan laughed uncontrollably as she looked back at her dad who seemed hurt just reliving the memories of the day. "Looks like I better be careful with crossing grandpa in the future."

"Yeah. He may not kill you, but he will bring you close to it." Robin muttered still unnerved about the whole episode.

Lucina however did not find it very funny and said, "I really am sorry dear. How he could ever do such a thing is beyond me. I don't think I can ever forgive him for making you suffer so much."

"It's okay." Robin leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips. "Despite all the hell, I did get to be with you in the end. So it was more than worth it."