Chapter 27 - Of Ill-Fated Reunions

With Nohrian forces under Xander's command now scouring the valley for the remaining faceless, Corrin soon found himself alone with the others who'd first rushed to his sister's aid with him.

No, not with me, Corrin corrected bitterly, a grimace twisting his lips. I didn't go help them. I ran… threw myself into danger because I was too afraid to face them. I only made things worse.

At that moment the warm, tingling sensation of Sakura's healing magic began to recede, drawing away as the golden light that refused him faded. Groaning, Corrin tried to prop himself up, only for his vision to blur as the world spun around him. He winced, clutching his head as his body ached in protest to his movements.

Of course, not even healing magic could entirely erase serious wounds, at least not in only one go. Nor could they restore the depleted reserves of strength that Corrin had so thoroughly expended.

Not that he had any right to complain. The only one he had to blame for his current condition was himself.

"Sakura," Corrin said, his voice hoarse. The inside of his throat felt raw, as if it's insides had been torn open by razor spikes and then burnt for good measure.

Sakura didn't look at him. She slowly stood, her gaze on the ground as she turned away. For a single moment he thought he saw her eyes flick back to look at him. But the moment was gone in a instant, and again she had looked away..

"I-I need to… to check on the others," she said simply, her words distant and almost hesitant as she began to walk away. Then she was gone, passing of Corrin's field of view.

He didn't know what was worse. The fact that she hadn't even looked at him, or the fact that she hadn't even been able to bring herself to sound angry.

Forcing himself to stand, Corrin dragged himself over to the others. He found Sakura already there, at work mending the minor wounds that had been inflicted during the battle. Even as he watched, he saw her stand up from where she'd knelt next to a sitting Robin, the tactician nodding to her and saying something in thanks before standing as well. His gear was scuffed and torn in a few places, but otherwise seemed little worse for wear, especially after Sakura's healing. Everyone else did as well.

It seems the only one who'd gotten seriously hurt had been himself.

Working up his courage, Corrin hobbled forward, crossing the last few steps that lay between them. The group turned to look his way as he approached. Or at least, some of them did. Just like Sakura had before, both her and Hinoka only glanced at him for an instant before looking away, their expressions distant. It was in the single flash he'd seen of their eyes that showed many emotions, their gaze carrying pain that cut him to the very core.

Because he was the one who'd brought all of that pain and grief upon them. It was all his fault.

"Corrin, I see you're up again," Lucina said, speaking first to break the silence. "That was terribly reckless, rushing off as you did. We are fortunate you were close at hand, otherwise I'm afraid we may not have reached you in time."

"That's rather understating it," Robin added, dipping his head in agreement. "You're lucky you're still hurt and I'm not several others I know, or I probably would have tried knocking some sense into you again."

"Ooooh, you mean grandfather, right? Oh boy, I remember last time too, you had a black eye for like a whole week!" chimed in the same girl Corrin had noticed during the battle before. She had a cloak of similar make to Robin's, but with short blue hair. Those details, combined with the fact she looked dreadfully like a more feminine version of Marc told him all he needed to know of her identity.

Evidently this was Robin and Lucina's daughter and Marc's twin, Morgan.

"In his defense, he hadn't been aiming for my eye. I think he'd been trying to hit me across the jaw," Robin replied, wincing visibly at what Corrin could only imagine was embarrassment at the story.

"But then you tried to duck," Lucina finished for him, seemingly cheerfully unaware that her words were only digging the hole deeper for her husband

Robin winced a second time. Slowly he brought a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wasn't going to mention that part, but yes, my choice of evasion tactic did indeed make it worse." The tactician sighed deeply, shaking his head as he muttered something under his breath

"Um, father? Shouldn't you…" Marc interrupted, blowing his father to snap him about of his grumblings.

"Ah, sorry," Robin said, blinking furiously as he visibly seemed to reorientation himself. "Right, all of this is really besides the point, isn't it? Now then, Corrin, this…," he motioned with a hand towards his daughter, "... is Morgan. Turns out she's been traveling in your sister's company. Morgan, care to say-"

"Hi," Morgan said flatly, the big, huge grin she'd been wearing an instant before fading in an instance, replaced by a suspicious glare aimed directly at Corrin.

"Sorry," Robin apologized, his expression guilty. "I don't know-"

"It's alright," Corrin said before Robin could finish. He already suspected he knew the reason for Morgan's cold reception of him, given the knowledge that she'd been traveling with his sisters. If I were told the things she certainly has been told… I'd distrust me too. Or worse, even.

Silence fell over the group. For a long moment no one moved. Then, seeming to read the situation, Robin motioned for his family to step back, the four of them withdrawing a bit until Corrin was left looking right at his sisters. After another moment that felt like an eternity longer than it actually was, Hinoka and Sakura both slowly turned to regard him.

This time he got a clear look at their expressions. This time he saw the pain in their eyes all too clearly. That was the worst part of it, seeing that behind the withdrawn expressions was none of the anger and hate he'd expected to find, but instead pain, guilt, grief, and worst of all disappointment held in equal measure in their eyes.

"Corrin," Hinoka said, her voice hallow

"Hinoka," Corrin said in kind. He averted his gaze, not wanting them to see the guilt and shame that had overtaken him. "I'm glad you're alright."

Hinoka seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then her expression hardened after what seemed to be an unspoken struggle. So she remained silent. That alone stung more than had she struck or shouted at him.

"I…" Corrin started to say, only for his words to be lost in the sound of many approaching hooves and booted feet. When he looked up he saw a small group let by Xander exiting the woods once more, coming to a stop at the edge of the open valley they now stood in. Evidently he had dealt with enough faceless to be confident enough to return while the rest of their soldiers continued to sweep through the forest.

Not to mention that Xander probably realized that having a whole army at his back was not the best way to start off talks with two princesses of a nation that had up until recently been at war with his own.

"He probably wants to speak with you two now," Robin told Hinoka, stepping forward once more.

"As promised, we assure you that you both will not be harmed. On our lives," Lucina added, reassuring the two princesses.

Hinoka and Sakura exchanged nervous looks, but then Hinoka's expression hardened, growing serious. "Alright. Sakura, let's go see what they want to talk about."

"O-Okay. Remember, I'm… um, I'm right with y-you," Sakura stammered, following after her sister.

Then they were gone, leaving Corrin alone with the four travelers from another world. Yet all he could do was stand there and stare in the direction his sister's had gone. Stare and stew in his shame.

"Corrin?" Lucina asked. Her voice snapped him back to the present. Slowly he turned his head to look at her and Robin, who both now wore concerned expressions.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked, his tone gentle. "I can't imagine that was easy. If you need-"

"It's alright," Corrin said, cutting him off as he had before. He felt his hand ball up into fists, his shoulders beginning to tremble. "It's alright. I don't need pity or sympathy. Not now. Not when I would have deserved far worse than that."

Gritting his teeth, Corrin willed his body to still. His shoulders stopped shaking, but his hands refused to open. His knuckles had gone bone white. "I'm sorry. I need a moment. I'll get out of your way." Without waiting for a reply or even looking up at them, Corrin turned and walked away.

Out of sight of the others. Far enough away that he his presence wouldn't cause any more grief than he already had.

I've caused them enough pain already. Just being here only made things worse for them, Corrin told themself. All I did was remind them about what my choices cost them. What I took away from them.

. . . . .

"Wow, so you really found father and mother on some island between here and Nohr? How lucky can you get? They could have just sailed past you and you'd have never known!" Morgan exclaimed, speaking up before her brother had even had the chance to finish the rest of his story.

Robin winced at the volume of her shout, her voice reverberating in his eardrums. Not that he minded too much. The joy and excitement that seemed to exude from every fiber of Morgan's being was as infectious as ever. He couldn't help but smile, as was Lucina, the two of them looking on as their children traded accounts of what happened since being separated after Naga had brought them to this world.

With Xander and the others off talking with the two Hoshidan Princesses, and having decided it best to give Corrin some space for the time being, the four of them had taken the chance to have a proper reunion. He and Lucina had already given their account of what happened, a task that had taken many times longer than it ought due to the nearly endless bombardment of questions Morgan had thrown his way,

Of course, he'd left out all the details regarding Anankos, as figuring out a way to get the information to her without triggering the curse was a task for a separate conversation. So too had he left out mentioning a certain three familiar faces they'd come face to face with after arriving. Given the… circumstances of this particular case… that was also a sensitive topic best left to a talk all to its own.

"Yeah, I guess. But, things worked out in the end, so nothing to worry about," Marc replied, trying his best to reassert himself after Morgan had derailed his whole story.

"Oh, I know. That's why I'm saying you're super lucky!" Morgan told him. Marc yelped loudly as Morgan abruptly wrapped an arm over his shoulders and yanked him close, aggressively rubbing her brother's head with her free hand. "And look at you, being all positive and cheerful for once! Finally joined my way of thinking, ey? Don't you worry, we'll get you the pinnacle Morgan-brand empty-headed zen in no time!"

"That's… great… can you… let me go… please… you're… sort of...choking… me…" Marc wheezed.

"Oh, sorry," Morgan abruptly let her brother go, Marc gasping as her arm was no longer wrapped around his neck. Morgan seemed to barely notice, having already turned her attention from her yet recovering brother to her parents. "So, is no one going to ask me what I did when I got here?"

Robin arced an eyebrow, he and Lucina exchanging dubious looks before returning his attention to their daughter. "I don't know, Morgan. What have you been doing since you got here?" he asked, not bothering to hide the if only slightly patronizing way spoke while playing along.

As expected, if Morgan had picked up on the subtext of his tone, she certainly didn't care about it. "Glad you asked!" Morgan exclaimed, leaping to her feet and gesturing dramatically as she began her tale. "So there I was, alone in an empty field. It was wet, since the field was for growing rice, apparently. And I thought to myself 'ha, I'm just like father, waking up in a field. Except, you know, absolutely soaked."

"Uh, Morgan, perhaps you could go into less detail. Not to complain, but I fail to see how this is relevant to the matter at-" Lucina started to say.

"I was getting to it, Mother! Jeaze, I just wanted to set the scene," Morgan retorted, rolling her eyes in a manner that all to clearly conveyed her displeasure. "Anyhow, where was I? Oh, right. So after getting out of the field I wandered around for a few days, trying to figure out where I was. I eventually found a village, but before I could even get there I saw smoke rising in the distance. So I ran the rest of the way, arriving just in time to find the place under attack from those phantoms that invaded are world. Apparently the people here call them Invisible Soldiers. Terrible name, by the way, really underwhelming. Should have thought of something cooler if you ask me."

"Morgan," Robin warned, interrupting her before she could get too off topic. "The point."

"Oh, right! So, yeah, I of course began fighting them off, which was not an easy task all by myself, let me tell you. However, that's when lady Hinoka, Sakura, and their retainers arrived. After the bad guys were all good and dead, we sort of hit it off right away. According to them, if I hadn't come along, everyone in the village would have likely been dead before they arrived," Morgan explained, grinning proudly. "Apparently there had been a ton of attacks like these, which is why they had been out trying to deal with them while the remaining noble families in Hoshido figure out what to do with most of the nation in shambles."

Robin blinked, surprised by this last bit of information. The two heirs to the throne had been away from the capital while groups of nobles were trying to call the shots? Exactly what had happened in Hoshido since the Nohrian forces withdrew, and what did this current political climate mean for them going forward?

Before he could ponder this any further, Morgan continued on with her story unimpeded. It seemed he'd have to consider this matter later.

"I, of course, volunteered to help them at once. For the next few days we traveled around, managing to save another village. Then suddenly the attacks ceased, out of nowhere. Only now I know it was your doing, father! Turning an entire portal into a massive warding spell is exactly the sort of genus strategy I've come to expect from you!"

"Well, glad to see my efforts helped beyond just Nohr. I'd hoped it would be the case and not just localized to one region, " Robin noted, unable to help but smile a bit wider, and blush slightly, at his daughter's praise. "Regardless, as you were saying?"

"Of course! So, after that, I returned with them to the capital, where I tried my best to help them figure out some sort of plan to deal with all this Invisible Soldiers should they return. While there, they even had the this new coat made for me! How cool is that!" Morgan exclaimed, beaming. "However, try as a I might I couldn't figure much out. Plus I really wanted to find you guys. So, it was then that Hinoka suggested we go see with Izama guy who can apparently see visions and stuff. Told me maybe he could tell us something or even help me locate you guys. So we set off for Izumo, and that's how we ran into you.

"You three alone?" Lucina asked, surprise clear in her voice. "They let the heirs to the throne leave without their retainers?"

"Nope. They came along too, but they had gone ahead to get supplies in a nearby village while the three of us took our time a bit. Turns out that wasn't our brightest idea. But in my defense, we had no way of knowing all these faceless would appear," Morgan answered, still grinning even as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Anyhow, that's my story and here we are. Everything worked out, and I didn't even need to ask that prophet for help!"

"For help finding us, you mean," Robin corrected. At Morgan's confused look, he explained, "Our group was also traveling to Izumo in the hopes of receiving guidance in dealing with the enemy that now faces both Nohr and Hoshido. Though it's only one of many stops we planned to make in our search."

At the mention of Nohr, Morgan's smile abruptly faced. She frowned, glancing suspiciously in the direction Hinoka and Sakura had gone to converse with Xander. "Are you sure you can really trust them? I know you said we could, but…" she trailed off, her frown only deepening.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked. The question was one he already knew or rather strongly suspected, the answer to. Her reaction to the mention of Nohr before had been evident enough. Still, it was only right to hear it from her."

"Nohr, of course!" Morgan waved her arms around vaguely to punctuate her exclamation. "The things they did! I've seen Hoshido, Father. I just can't see why- You do know what happened, right?"

"Yes, we know." Robin nodded. "And the account we got from Corrin, as well as others, didn't exactly paint Nohr's actions in a flattering light."

"We do not condone nor agree with any of what happened," Lucina added, her expression becoming serious as the princess' gaze fixed firmly on her daughter. "But I'm afraid that events transpired so that they were the only allies available to us, you must understand us. Besides, from what we understand the situation is a more… complicated than it may appear."

"Not to mention that none of us were there to see what happened. We, as well as you yourself, are going off second-hand accounts. It wasn't our place to patch judgment on what happened," Robin agreed, rubbing his neck as he finished.

"But… but…" Morgan frowned, her jaw tightening. "But they're the bad guys! They're just like Valm, or Plegia! How are they any different than the people we fought? They're not good people!"

"Some," Robin corrected, her voice stern. "Some of them aren't, best I can tell. You can't judge an entire nation on the actions of those in charge, especially when those same leaders are now dead. The Nohrians here today ultimately overthrew King Garon and sued for peace with Hoshdio."

"But… but…" Morgan started to argue.

From where he sat on the sidelines Marc glanced nervously between his parents and his sister. He seemed to shrink back with every passing moment as if doing his best to hide and not become dragged into the argument unfolding.

"Morgan, you mention Valm and Plegia, but are they not both kingdoms now at peace with Ylisse? Are you suggesting that when we arrive home, we should treat them as no better than our enemies?" Lucina asked.

"No, but…" Morgan stomped a foot into the dirt, pouting visibly now.

"Look, we are not asking you to trust them. All we are asking is for you to follow our lead and trust us," Robin told her.

For a moment Morgan said nothing. Then, slowly she nodded her head. "I'll try," she whispered.

A palpable sigh seemed to flow through the great at this admission, the tension that had hung over them minutes before fading away. Or an actual sigh, in the case of Marc, who relaxed as he leaned back.

"That's all we ask, thank you, Morgan," Lucina said, gently brushing a hand over her daughter's arm. "We can ill afford to fight amongst ourselves, not when with a shared enemy that threatens us all."

"Which is something we'd actually need your help on," Robin added, turning to fully face Morgan once again. "Right now our best chance at defeating the Invisible Soldiers would be for Nohr and Hoshido to join forces. Like it or not, that's the best path before us. Which, given your already established relationship to the Hoshidan royal family, I'd hoped you'd be willing to talk to them for us."

Morgan bit her lip uncertainly, mulling what he was asking over for several moments before responding. "I guess… Though come to think of it, it'd be helpful if we had someone who known either side for longer than us. Not sure how far their trust in me goes, same I imagine for you guys, huh?"

Robin stiffened at this, as did Lucina. Marc went a step further, going visibly pale and gulping audibly.

So they'd come to the wyvern in the room.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Morgan asked, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, I can't imagine we'd know anyone here or anything."

"Yeah, so about that…" Robin started to explain, again rubbing the back of her shoulder nervously. "See, it's a really long story, but-"

"Robin. Lucina," a voice called out, interrupting him.

Robin turned, finding Leo approaching them. "My brother has finished speaking with the Hoshido princesses and they've agreed at least to accompany us to Izumo. In the meantime, he asked me to gather you both, so we can discuss our next move," Leo explained.

Robin glanced pace Leo, to where he could see Xander's group already moving towards them. And, in particular, at just who was part of that group.

Cold, dreadful panic seized hold of Robin. Out of all the possible circumstances, this meeting could go down, this was quite possibly the worst one. He'd hoped he could explain things to Morgan first, soften things up before everything could blow up out of control.

But now it was far too late for that.

Rubbing a hand over his face in an attempt to hide the utter panic he was displayed for all to see, Robin turned to face the approaching group.

"Robin, there you are. So, I take it Leo was just filling you in on the arrangement Lady Hinoka and I have come to. I was hoping to seek your council on how best to proceed, as the situation was rather tense and-" Xander stopped as he noticed Morgan. "Oh, this must be your daughter. Hinoka mentioned she was here. Seems we were fortunate that fate dictated our paths would cross so soon. Must be a relief to know your family is safe."

"Prince Xander," Morgan greeted, her voice caring what could only be a very real struggle to keep animosity from her tone. At best it ended up coming across as just barely neutral enough. So about as well as could be expected, given the circumstances. "I-"

"Morgan?"

Morgan froze at the sound of the voice. As did Robin. As did Lucina, and Marc. From the back of the group a commotion had broken out, someone trying to shove his way to the forefront. Through the small crowd appeared Inigo, flanked on either side by Owain and Severa, who for their part seemed to have been trying to calm Inigo down, or at the very least restrain him somewhat.

They must have found out Morgan was here before him, Robin realized. The only explanation was that Xander and his siblings had met with Hinoka and Sakura without their retainers, only filling them in afterward. Something Xander must not have gotten around to yet.

As if this whole situation couldn't get worse. Could the universe have conspired to create the larger pile of kindling just waiting to ignite?

Morgan's eyes shot wide as they fell on Inigo's face as he stepped forward, her gaping mouth slamming suddenly shut. For a moment she just stared at him, utter disbelief on her face.

"Morgan, I…" Inigo swallowed audibly, taking an apprehensive step forward. "Before I say anything else, I just want to tell that I'm so sor-"

A slap echoed through the gathering, silencing all the murmuring voices that had been speaking all around them. Silence.

Slowly Inigo lifted a hand to his face, fingers brushing the spot where Morgan had struck him. He grimaced his expression paling. Across from him Morgan stood seething with anger, her shoulders rising and falling with each ragged breath, her tear-filled eyes narrowed to a glare.

"Morgan, I-"

"Shut up," Morgan snapped, jabbing an accusing finger towards Inigo. Her hand hovered there, shaking before without warning she ripped it away. Morgan spun away, stomping off towards the treeline.

"Morgan, what are you-" Marc started to call over her, taking a step to chase after his sister.

"I want to be alone!" Morgan shouted, her answer stopping her brother dead in his tracks. Then an instant later she was gone from sight, vanishing into the woods.

For a single, stunned instant, no one moved or said a word, silence hanging heavy over the gathering.

"Laslow, care to explain what that was about?" Xander asked, being the first voice to breach the stillness. The Nohrian prince crossed his arms as he turned to regard his retainer.

"I… Sorry, I can't r-really..." Inigo stammered, trailing off as he simply stared in the direction Morgan had gone. He blinked wildly, running a hand through his hair as his mouth worked frantically but without any sound coming forth. He turned, glancing between everyone around him, then back at the woods. "I-I'm sorry, I need to go deal with this. Please, understand, I don't… I'll explain everything, I promise. I just need to-"

Without warning, he sprinted off after Morgan, more shocked cries rising up as he too vanished after her.

Lucina took a step forward, looking as she was about to follow. Robin gripped her arm, stopping her, shaking his head sadly as the questioning look she gave him. "We can't interfere. This is something Morgan and he will need to figure out on their own."

Slowly Lucina nodded, accepting his explanation. Her arm slipped back down to her side as he released it. Yet despite no longer attempting to give chase, the worried expression now blanketing her features remained unabated.

Everyone else looked equally uncertain what to do. Marc looked torn between not wanting to get involved and his concern for his sister. Severa and Owain both looked pale, they're expressions almost guilty as if thinking that someone what had transpired as at least in part their fault. The other retainers and Nohr royals otherwise looked uncertain what to make of what had just transpired before them.

"Can someone care to explain to me what just happened?" Xander asked, turning to Robin now.

"He and my daughter were, are, in a relationship," Robin answered, motioning in the direction they'd gone. "They'd parted on poor terms, back when he and the others first came to this world. What you are seeing now the result of that."

Once I can only hope doesn't get any worse. The last thing we need right now is infighting. Or worse, one of them, certainly Inigo, winding up dead.

. . . . .

"Morgan, wait!" Inigo called out to her, redoubling his pace as he spotted her ahead of him.

Morgan's response was to quicken her own pace, fleeing even faster now. She vanished into a thick patch of undergrowth, leaving Inigo once again alone.

Dammit! Breaking into a full-on sprint, Inigo chased after her, barreling through the bushes she'd vanished through. An instant later he broke through the treeline, coming to a small patch of grass that ran alongside a small stream. Morgan was at the other end, about the runoff deeper into the woods by the time he'd closed the gap between them. "Please, Morgan. I just want to talk. If you just wait a moment, maybe I can-"

Morgan spun around, her narrowed eyes burning with anger. "Stop following me!" she demanded, stomping her foot down into the dirt as her gaze shot daggers at him. "There's nothing for us to talk about. None. Zero. Nada. There's so little for us to talk about, there are negative things to talk about. Negative infinity, even!" She waved her arms around her frantically as she finished, the gesture seemingly born out of frustration than any attempt to get her point across.

"Look, Morgan, just… please, listen to me for one moment," Inigo pleaded. He took a step forward, reaching out with a hand…

Only to be met with stinging pain as she swatted it away. He looked down at his hand, then up at Morgan, who now stood with arms crossed as she continued to glare. Inigo grimaced but continued speaking. "Morgan, I'm truly and completely sorry for what I did. Sorrier than for anything I've ever done before. I'm sorry that I-"

"That you what? Sorry that you left?" Morgan snapped, interrupting him. She laughed, the sound almost hysterical, adding "Or maybe it's sorry that I wasn't worth an explanation? Or sorry that you tossed me aside, just like I was one of your… your… flings!" "She flailed her arms around her as she finished, seemingly overcome with frustration now.

"Morgan, you know I'd never betray you like that. Remember what I told you when we first started dating? That you were the only girl I was interested in flirting with. I'm a man of my word, after all, and I'd never dream of-"

"Oh come off it! Do you really think any of us believe that act, philanderer!" She practically spat that final word. The way she emphasized that name, it wasn't the way she used to call him that. Before, it had always been in a teasing manner, just to mess with him. This time when she said it… it sounded like she really meant it.

For a moment Inigo stood there stunned, Morgan's words hitting him as surely as could a physical blow.

With no response seemingly forthcoming, Morgan started to turn away. "Yeah, I thought so," she muttered."

She only made it single step before Inigo stopped her, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to look at him. "Please, just listen to me, Morgan. I assure you, I remained true to you. Nothing happened between me and any other woman, I swear it," he told her, trying to pour every bit of resolve and sincerity he had into those words. He had to make this right somehow. He had to.

Morgan pulled away roughly, her gaze shooting daggers at him "Even if that's true, it doesn't change the fact that you left, Inigo! Did you even stop to consider how I felt? I… I loved you, and you just… just… threw me aside. Like I didn't even matter. Didn't even tell me why…"

It was at that moment he realized that Morgan was crying. Tears streamed down her face, dripping from her chin to splash into the dirt. He could only recall three occasions where he'd seen the unshakably cheerful girl moved to tears: once when her father had vanished after defeating Grima, once on the day he'd returned…

… and the day the two of them had sat on the edge of that cliff as he'd comforted her after she'd learned the truth of her own forgotten past.

"Morgan, I didn't mean… Truly, I never wanted to-"

"Oh, sure. You never wanted this. That makes you so innocent, right?" Another hysterical laugh falling from Morgan's lips, this time the sound mixing with a sob "Gods, I don't know what's worse. That you never cared, or that you did care and decided to stomp all over my heart anyways."

"Morgan, I don't know what I can say… I… please, I just want to-"

"What? Pretend this never happened. Fat chance that'll ever happen," Morgan shot back. She paced back and forward, flailing her arms around as she began to rant. "You know what the best part is? All this time, all the months I spent waiting, I thought, 'you know, maybe he did have a really good reason for leaving'. That maybe you were off saving the world, is an awesome, cool hero or something. That you'd come back and tell me everything, and maybe, just maybe, that'd make it alright somehow."

Then she stopped, gazing at him with tear-filled eyes. Her lip trembled, and behind the pain in her gaze, a flicker of disgust could now be seen there. "But turns out, I was an idiot. Turns out that was all a lie, murderer."

Inigo felt the blood drain from his face at that word, his heart seizing with dread. "... What?" he whispered.

"You heard me, Laslow," Morgan told him, utter disdain seeping into her voice as uttered the name he'd taken in this world.

For a single moment, Inigo could only stare, too stunned to speak. "How did you…?" he managed, at last, Morgan once again interrupting the instant he began to trail off.

"Know? Funny story, Hinoka, and Sakura told me a whole lot about the Nohrian royal family and their retainers. Turns out you tend to learn a lot about the people who kidnapped their brother, turned him against them, then marched an army into their home and killed the rest of their family," Morgan answered. "And listening to this, I was like 'you know, this Laslow guy sounds a bit like a big, stupid, heartbreaking jerk I know.', but then I thought, 'Nah, that's silly Morgan. I bet it's a biiiiiiiig coincidence.'"

She paused, shaking her head as if in disbelief. "So imagine my surprise when I saw just who was in the company of that band of murdering, evil jerks."

"You can't say that! Not all of them are- You weren't here, you can't-" Inigo stopped himself from going any further, before his frustration could fully spill over. He rubbed his temples, willing himself to take a slow, steady breath to calm his nerves. "Morgan, it's…" he trailed off. Come to think of it, what was he supposed to say? In the end, her anger wasn't entirely misplaced. So what was he supposed to do? Lie and say that he hadn't stood by and watched as Nohr marched on Hoshido? That he hadn't just sat idly as Iago and Hans had committed atrocities in King Garon's name?

At the end of the day, he was to blame for what happened. For the part he had played in it.

"I… what I did… what I was part of… I take full responsibility," Inigo managed at last. His gaze fell on the ground between them, not daring to look her in the eye.

Silence. Neither her nor Morgan moved. The swaying of the trees and the churning of the stream could now be held. No birds or animal could be heard, and that had been nearby having likely been scared away by their shouting.

Slowly Inigo raised his gaze, finding Morgan just staring back at him. Her expression had softened slightly. For a moment it looked like she was about to say something, seeming almost guilty as she half opened her mouth to speak. For an instant, her gaze seemed to become almost pleading, as if begging him to say something, anything that could somehow make things right.

Then she hesitated. She snapped her mouth closed again. As if by a conscious effort, her expression hardened once more. She crossed her arms, looking away from him. "Is that all?" She sounded almost tired now, her voice flat and almost empty. There was no fire in it.

"Morgan…" Inigo clenched his jaw tight, working up the courage. "I'm not proud of what I did. If I could take it all back, I would! But… there's more at stake then you know about. Even if it wasn't worth the harm we caused… what we did, we needed to…" he trailed off, shaking his head helplessly. "I'm sorry, I can't explain why right now. I want to, I truly, truly do. Ask your parents and they'll say the same thing. I can't. I can't."

Morgan looked back at him. She blinked, her eyes glistening with tears again. And behind the fresh pain was now disappointment. "If you were really sorry, you'd actually tell me. But I guess I was right. I'm not even worth enough to you to even expect that much." With that Morgan turned and began to walk away. "Least now I can see how you fit in so well with Nohr," she called back You're really good at hurting people just like them, aren't you, Inigo?"

"Please, I'm… I'm trying to explain, just listen. It's just… some things… I can't tell you. I just can't," he pleaded, trying to emphasize that word. To do something, anything, to make her understand he didn't have a choice. He started after her, reaching out to her with a hand. "Please, Morgan, I'm trying to make things right. For leaving you, for the things I was part of here… I'm trying to make amends. Just please, I want to-"

"Why not go to Hinoka and Sakura first, see if they'll forgive what happened to their family," Morgan told him bitterly, not looking back. "I doubt it. How can anyone ever forgive you for siding with a monster like King Garon and played a part in killing so many innocent people?"

"Morgan, please, just hear me out. Just give me a chance to-" Inigo pleaded yet again.

Morgan stopped, turning on her heels to face him again. "Why? What part of any of this makes you think you deserve getting that chance?"

"Morgan..."

"For doing something so cruel and not even trying to stop it, why should anyone get a chance-" she continued to shout.

"In that case, why were you given a second chance?" Inigo shouted, the words spilling from his lips before he'd even had a chance to stop and consider them.

For an instant Morgan fell silent, her mouth falling open as shock played out across her features. At once Inigo realized he'd gone too far. It had just slipped out. He started to apologize, to tell her that he-

The next thing he knew he was flat on his ass, aching, stinging pain splitting his jaw. He tasted blood.

Morgan stood over him, her expression one of shock and hurt. One fist was raised, her knuckles red with blood. His blood, most likely. Despite her size and less experience at hand to hand combat, her punch had caught him entirely off guard, the blow knocking him completely off balance.

He brought a hand up to his lips, his fingers coming away red. Yep, it was definitely his blood. The blow had almost certainly left him with a split lip if the amount was anything to go by. Yet at that moment, the pain inflicted upon him was the last of his concerns.

"Morgan, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"How dare you..." She began to tremble, her tears flowing again. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head violently. "After everything… I thought you understood me! Understood how much knowing what I did hurts! Knowing what I did but not even being able to remember any of it! Not knowing how many I killed. You had a choice. I didn't! So how dare you?! How dare you pretend we're the same?!"

"Morgan, I-I… I didn't think, it just slipped out. I-I swear I didn't mean…" Inigo began to stammer.

"To think I believed you ever really cared. What you told me on that cliff, you never meant any of it," Morgan accused, shaking her head again and again in disbelief. "It was all a lie. All of it. Everything you said to me… a lie…" She began to tremble more violently, a sob falling from her lips.

"Please, listen to me. I didn't mean to-" Inigo tried to stand, pushing a hand against the ground to begin and right himself, and then-

A scorching jet of flames seared the ground next to him, the fires licking inches away from his hand. Morgan stood with her hand outstretched, smoke curling around her palm and fingers. "Stay away from me! Just stay away!" She screamed, absolute and complete fury taking hold of her face. Then she spun away, and without another word or even a backward glance stormed off, leaving him alone to himself once more.

For a long while, Inigo didn't move, too overcome to even think or process what had happened. Then he felt his shoulders begin to tremble, a little at first, then more violently. He brought his hands to his face, feeling tears staining his face. They ran freely down his cheeks, mixing with the blood flowing from his split lip.

A sob choked in his throat. He doubled other, burying his face in his hands. More sobs followed, his shoulders shaking in time with each one.

He didn't know what hurt worse. The sting of Morgan's words and her disgust towards him and his action? Or the guilt at realizing how much he'd hurt her.

Or perhaps, worse of all, the knowledge that he deserved all of it.

Author's Note: Well here we are, the chapter is out one week since the last one as promised. Nearly didn't get it done in time, as this one ended up being even longer than expected.

So, about that reunion between Morgan and Inigo, that was certainly a thing, am I right? So, some behind the scenes stuff:in my original outline of this story I had originally intended them to make up right away. Morgan would slap him, then make up, throw in some jokes, and it would have been great. In fact, this was the plan for a very long time… right up until I started writing A Future Broken. As an organic part of writing that, I ended up making Morgan much more upset and hurt by Inigo leaving. Couple that with me coming up with the idea of Morgan arriving in Hoshido and getting their version of events first, it make so much more sense for it to go down as it did in this chapter. Plus drama like this gives me so much to work with going forward, so it's a win-win all around! Especially with some stuff that will be happening very soon.

Anyhow, with that said, onto guest review responses, which this time there is just one of.

Dracofighter - Sorry about that: even with myself and two beta readers, we never seem to catch every typo. As for Corrin, well, you saw this chapter. Less a full chew out, and more him realizing he fucked up and having to deal with his sisters not really wanting to speak to him. At all. Right now they are dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions, and thus are not sure how to interact with him, or even if they should.

So regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this one. Going to aim for 2-3 weeks for the next chapter, 4 at the absolute latest. Until then, please let me know what you thought of this one. I love hearing your guys thoughts, predictions, constructive criticism, or just general feedback. Thanks for reading as always, and have a wonderful day.

Character Spotlight: Hinoka

Class: Falcon Knight

Secondary Classes: Spear Fighter, Shrine Maiden (A+ Sakura)

Skills: Lancefaire, Rend Heaven, Air Superiority, Seal Speed, Darting Blow

Personal Skill: Rallying Cry - Allies within a 2 tile radius deal +2 damage.

Equipment: Hinoka's Spear, Swordcatcher, Sun Festal

Status: Alive