DH: I know it's been a while, but I had three papers due over three days. I literally had no time to write this.

Vincent: Excuses, excuses.

Jem: grow up.

Vincent: You really want to start with me?

DH: If you are going to fight, do it outside, I just finished cleaning up the last brawl.

Vincent: That YOU started!

Jem: You DID set his kitchen on fire.

Vincent: Do I need to bring Alex in here?

DH: Don't you dare… there won't be anything of you to bring back if you try.

"You can't look dignified when you're having fun" Wes Janson, Solo Command

Chapter 5:
The Beginning of the End

Lucina's POV

She's just standing there. What is she thinking?

"Beg pardon, Hope. Might I have a word?"

She shakes her head snapping out of whatever daydream she was having. "…Lucina. What is it.?"

"It's about my father. I have memories of him, you know. From when I was little. Before he…died."

"I see…"

"He was courageous, and kind, and everyone spoke fondly of him. People say he was brave right up to the very end. I always yearned to know him better. And now that I do… I can see that the world will be robbed of a very great man. …I won't allow that to happen.

"I understand, you love him. …So do I, so does all the Shepherds."

"Hope, I… Please, forgive me…" I draw Falchion and point it at Hope. Shock and anger appears on her face.

"Lucina?!"

"Stay where you are, Hope! I have no choice, I must kill you." Morgan, please forgive me.

"Are you insane? What is going on?"

"In my future, you… You are my father's murderer."

Hope become more somber. "I realize that. I constantly had nightmares of Chrom's death. When you revealed that Chrom was killed by someone dear to him, they intensified. During the Valmese War, I realized that I was responsible, but I could never understand just why I would strike down the man I loved. Finding out that Validar has some control over me… I understand entirely."

"If my father is right, then we can change our fates. If this dark future is to be averted, sacrifices must be made."

Hope's body tenses up, and her voice shifts. "Enough."

"What the-"

"I refuse to die here. Time to finish what we started a year ago. There won't be anyone to save you this time." Magic begins to form in her hand.

So be it.

Morgan's POV

"There won't be anyone to save you this time."

MOTHER! Don't tell me she went Fell again. She's going to kill Lucy! What do we do? I think I can stop it. Give me control. What the—Just do it!

Relenting, I hand over control of our body to my other half. He immediately charged in putting us between Mother and Lucina.

"Stop, both of you!"

"Why should I? She threatened me first."

"Because this infighting is exactly what Validar would want us to do. Are you really going to let your emotions play you into his hands?"

"I-I... no, I won't fall his tricks." The spell Mother was ready to cast fades away.

"Lucina, please, put down Falchion."

"Why? She kills our father! She is the reason Grima can come back and why we lost everyone."

"Lucina, could you kill me too?"

"What?"

"When Validar took control of Mother, it affected me as well. If he had actually been aiming for me, I doubt I would have been able to resist. I am just as liable for betrayal. So again, could you kill me?"

Harsh. We don't have a choice in this matter.

Lucina's sword hand begins to tremble. "No, I can't do it!" she lets the Falchion drop into the ground.

Taking back control, I hold her. "I understand you're afraid, I am too. But tearing apart the Shepherds is not the answer."

"Morgan… please forgive me. I can't lose Father, not again."

Mother walks up. "Neither can the two of us. Together, we will stop this future from happening… somehow.

"I need to go." Lucina runs off, leaving me alone with Mother.

"So, Mother… Validar is my grandfather. Any more relatives I should know about? Virion's not your cousin? You aren't next in line for the Chon'sin throne?"

Mother laughs. "No, nothing like that. I never told you Validar was my father because I didn't believe it, I didn't WANT to believe it. …Wait, do you feel that?"

I did. It was a pair of Risen, strong ones.

"Deadlords."

The two slowly move towards us. One was a sorcerer, the other was wielding a lance. Not a good matchup.

The lance-wielder surprises us, by coherently speaking. "Holy One. Traitor. Lord Grima sends his regards."

Guessing I am the traitor. Nice observation, genius!

The sorcerer also begins to speak. "We have come to collect you. By force if you resist."

I step forward. "Tell Grima that his regards are unappreciated, and that we won't be leaving our comrades."

Mother starts to cast a spell. "Grima really thought only two of you could bring us back? I thought a GOD would better estimate his enemies."

The sorcerer smiles grimly. "The others are at your camp as we speak. Unless I say otherwise, your forces will be decimated. If you wish for them to keep their futile existence a little longer, you shall come with us."

Two more Deadlords, a female archer and a swordsman, suddenly show up, but they look to be in rough shape. "The lesser traitor and Naga's heir have escaped us."

Naga's heir? I think that is Tiki, but who is the lesser traitor? The only other Risen with us, Walhart.

The sorcerer seems upset. "You failed to capture them. What's more, you come here?" Almost punctuating his sentence, a blast of dragon-fire strikes the lancer, sending him flying. "Fools! They followed you!"

Forgetting that Mother had been casting a spell, he turned to where Tiki and Walhart rush towards us. Mother quickly blasts him with dark magic, and draws her knife. As the sorcerer got up, she stabbed the Deadlord in his throat, creating a burst of ash and miasma.

I draw Retribution, and rush the archer. The swordsman stands in my path. He strikes quickly, but I manage to dive under his blow, bringing Retribution across his leg. He drops to one knee and I slice him in two.

Walhart strikes down the archer, almost lazily. The lancer gets up and snarls.

"Fools, with him dead, your camp is doomed!"

I laugh. "You underestimated us twice already. I doubt the camp is in real danger."

The lancer lunges for me, only to be destroyed by another blast of dragon-fire. Tiki turns back to her human form. "Are you okay?"

"Me and Mother are a little shaken, but I am more concerned about the camp. How did you two escape?"

Walhart glances away. "I followed Tiki out of camp, hoping to finally apologize for the hardships I caused. They didn't expect the two of us to work well together."

I laugh again. "Walhart the Conqueror, apologizing? The world really must be ending."

Mother shakes her head. "Time to return to camp. I doubt they would know how to make idle threats."

"Lucina, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The only ones who got injured were Owain and Cynthia, but nothing a night with our healers won't fix."

"Too much grandstanding again?"

"Unfortunately, yes." She glanced down. "Morgan, can we honestly win? Everything I have done to try to prevent Grima's return has come undone…And now that we know who kills father, we can't do anything!"

"Not everything has failed. The Fire Emblem…"

"…Is in Validar's hand along with all the gemstones."

"He only has one of them."

She looks at me. "What?"

I reach into my sleeve and pull out Gules. "Mother realized that they would want to steal the Emblem. So, she obtained several fakes and replaced all of them. I know Mother has Vert, and of course Validar has Sable, but even I don't know where the last two are."

"Their fake?"

"Yes. Validar is in for a nasty surprise…"

Vincent: World must be ending joke? Really?

DH: You have no right to comment on bad taste jokes. Besides, I thought the black humor was clever.

Jem: It's sort of off putting.

DH: And return of the gang up.

?: You deserve it.

Jem: *panicked* No, you died.

Alard: You mean you KILLED me.

Vincent: NOT ME! Also, DH know any exorcism spells?

DH: One Light Magic spell, and people think you are a master at it.

Jem: So you don't know it?

DH: I do, I just don't want people assuming it.

Alard: don't you dare.

DH: I dare. Unholy shadow, let the light cast you out. EXORCISE!

Vincent: That works fast.

DH: *gasp* You have no idea how tiring Light Magic is, flame-brain.

Jem: Flame-brain?

DH: F*ck off. I'm out!