Chapter 28 - Unforeseen Turns

A choked sob fell from Morgan's throat.

She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, cradling herself as she rocked back and forth. She tried her best not to tremble, to keep from crying so openly. Tears continued to stream down her face and she didn't want to go any further than that. She didn't want anyone to hear her. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.

She was a tactician. It was her job to provide guidance even in the direst of circumstances. People needed to be able to look at her and know she was always in control. To know she always had a plan always had the answer, and always knew what to do. Just as father always did. How then could anyone trust her judgment were they to see her now? Driven so low by nothing more than a broken heart.

You don't care, Morgan. You don't care at all. Good riddance. You deserved better, dammit. Good riddance, dammit! She told herself, again and again, repeating it like a chant as if by enough repetition the words would somehow become true. You don't need him. He's a jerk. A stupid, heartbreaking jerkface. You don't need him. You don't care!"

She had to believe that. She had to.

Why then? If that was true, then why was she still crying? Why did it still hurt?

A shudder ran through Morgan's shoulders. She doubled forward, tucking her knees into her chest and burying her face into her hands as more sobs began to fall from her lips. She was glad she was all alone. At least no one was around to hear her.

After leaving Inigo far behind, Morgan had kept running for some time. Half-blind from tears and rage, she hadn't paid attention to where she was going. Not that it had mattered. She'd simply ran, wandering aimlessly until at last exhaustion forced her to stop.

With no strength left to continue on, she'd found a quiet, isolated spot beneath a small outcropping of rock that would provide some shelter and prying eyes. It was there that she had sat huddled as she was now, trying in vain not to lose what little composure she had left.

Eventually, the sobs faded once more, her throat hoarse and cracked as she finished. She sniffled, a single hiccup sounding through.

Jerk. Heartbreaker. Murderer. How dare he pretend we're the same. I didn't have a choice. He did. I was a child when I… when… This is different! He knew better! He could have done something!

But how do you know? You don't even remember, came her own counter-argument. It was far less sarcastic than she'd expected it would be. Guess she was long past jokes right now, even in her head.

Marc knows! He told me! Grima would have killed us both if I hadn't. Morgan shot back at herself angrily. Yes, she told herself, repeating the words again. What happened to me was different. I'm not a murderer. I didn't have a choice.

I didn't do anything wrong...

For how long she sat there, she did not know. Hours, at least, for the sky slowly began to darken as she sat there. She did not know if it was from rain or from the sun beginning to set, it mattered little either way.

"Are you okay?" a worried voice asked, speaking suddenly without any warning.

Morgan snapped her head upright, frantically searching for the source of the voice even as her hand went for her sword. She couldn't see anyone around her! Where had it-

"Up here," the voice repeated. This time there was a small, stifled giggle behind the concerned tone.

Raising her gaze upward, Morgan found herself face to face with the owner of the voice. Like, literally face to face, for the upside-down face looking back at her was mere inches away. Morgan yelped in surprise, throwing herself back against the outcropping

"Sorry." The young girl peeking out over the top of the outcropping brought a hand to cover her mouth, hiding another small giggle. "Didn't mean to scare you. You just looked upset…" The girl trailed off, her expression growing worried again, even reaching to her large, bright gold eyes.

Morgan blinked, for what felt like the first time in her life completely at a loss for words. "Who…?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Kana. Nice to- Woah!" The girl scooted out further over the edge, sticking out a hand for Morgan to shake, only to immediately lose her balance. She slipped, tumbling head first and landing in the grass with a dull thump.

"Are you alright?" Morgan asked, scrambling forward to help the girl up.

"Ow." the girl answered, managing to right herself. She squeezed her wide, golden eyes shut as he rubbed her head with both hands. "Guess I should have been more careful. Papa's always telling me to be careful. Don't know why though. He's never careful either," the girl said, giving her forehead a few more rubs before straightening and facing Morgan fully now. "Where was I? Oh, I remember. My name's Kana. Are you alright?"

"I'm…" Morgan trailed off, stopping herself before she could answer truthfully. "I'm fine," Morgan said. She returned to her earlier position, this time resting her chin on her knees and wrapping her arm around her legs. "Are you from around here, or-"

"Nope! I'm traveling with papa and his friends, but you already met them," Kana answered. "You're Morgan, right? Your brother told me about you. He said you're always smiling and excited about everything. But you don't look like you are. That's why I thought something was wrong?"

"You're… with them?" Morgan asked, blinking at the surprise. "How did you find me?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I heard you! I have really good hearing. Guess it's because I'm part dragon," Kana answered, grinning and tugging on her pointed ears for effect. "You were breathing weird like you'd been crying recently. You're not that far from where we moved out camp too. It's just over there." She pointed back over her shoulder, away from the stream.

What? Morgan blinked again.

How…?

I must have gotten turned at some point. Wandered back towards the others without even noticing, Morgan realized, her frown deepening. She'd been careless. She should have paid more attention. She should-

Morgan shook her head, pushing the thought aside, It didn't matter in the end. She had more pressing things to worry about.

"You're part dragon?" Morgan asked, the gears turning in her head.

"Yep! Just like papa! With wings, and claws, and scales, and everything too! Rwwwarrr!" Kana exclaimed, curling her fingers and clawing at the air to punctuate her roar.

Her father must be Corrin then, Morgan thought to herself, putting to pieces into place. Unless the Nohrians had another dragon neither Hinoka nor Sakura had known about, that was the only explanation.

Morgan stiffened, suspicion welling up within her at once. Seated before her, was the daughter of the man who'd brought death and destruction upon the home of her new friends. Hoshido was in ruins, ravaged by the war this girl's father had sparked. A part of her wanted to get angry, to demand that this girl leave. Yet…

Kana seemed so… normal.

Not like she'd expected Nohrians to be. She certainly wasn't like the monsters she'd heard the people of Hoshido speak of. She seemed like just another little girl. A young girl who could turn into a dragon, sure, but a young girl nonetheless.

"I'll take your word for it," Morgan answered at last, letting the pent tension flow from her body. She tried a smile, though the gesture felt forced, and added. "You know, don't want you to accidentally step up me with your huge dragon feet or anything."

"Oh! Right. That wouldn't be good!" Kana nodded in agreement. If she'd had Morgan's forced smile, there was no sign. In fact, the girl's exuberance seemed to be almost infectious, sparking a small bit of warmth to return to Morgan's chest. Before she'd even realize it, a genuine smile had started to tug a bit at Morgan's lips, if only a little bit. In a way, the girl reminded her a bit of herself.

Was there really any harm talking to her? It would be unfair to blame Kana for choices the girl's father had made.

Besides, perhaps she could get valuable intel by talking to her. Father had said he wanted my help getting both sides to work together. At least for now, at any rate. If so, finding out everything I can about Nohr is a top priority.

Even if it means having to work with that heartbreaking jerk too, Morgan added bitterly. She supposed she'd just have to find a way to come to terms with that. Somehow.

"How old are you exactly?"

"I'm eleven, but I'll be twelve next month," Kana answered, smiling proudly at her answer.

Only a couple of years younger than I was when I first went to the past. She looks so much younger than that, but I guess that's not surprising given her heritage. "And they let you fight?" Morgan asked.

Kana shook her head. "Not usually. Papa usually kept me away from the fighting. I think he was too afraid I'd get hurt, even though I know I could help. As a dragon, I mean."

"Do you have any other family? Or is it just him?" Morgan asked.

"Nope. There's also my brother. His name is Shigure. He can turn into a dragon too, but he doesn't like to do it as much. I don't understand why though, I love it!" Kana answered, beaming. Then she stopped, her smile fading. "There was also mama, but she died in the war."

"Oh," Morgan said, feeling a pang of guilt at having brought it up. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

The forwardness of her own answer surprised her. She would have pegged herself to be more reluctant. More spiteful.

"It's okay. I was really sad, but things have been getting better now. Even if I miss mama, I still have papa and my brother and everyone else," Kana said, sniffling slightly as she rubbed her nose, looking as if she'd been about to cry for a moment before regaining her composure. "Papa was really sad for a long time. I think he still is, too, but he's been getting better. I think your papa and mama helped him a lot. They talked with him a bunch and since then he's been a lot less sad. They've really helped him so much."

Did they now? Morgan furrowed her brow, considering this carefully. Father and Mother had both said they knew all about what Nohr did… But why? Why would they still help him even if they knew?!

How were they able to overlook what happened so easily? Or had it been forgiveness? Maybe they just wanted to give him and everyone else a chance.

A chance to be better and learn from their mistakes.

Forgiveness… Maybe I should…

No. She couldn't even finish that thought. A sharp pang reverberated through Morgan's chest, some of the pain she'd felt returning the instant she thought Inigo. No. She couldn't forgive him. She wouldn't. Not after everything.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kana asked, again looking at Morgan with concern. "You were staring at something and looked sad."

"Not exactly. But, I can manage," Morgan told her. She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, drying the last of her tears. "After all, an awesome, cool tactician like me isn't about to mope around forever. Just, need to vent a little."

"Wow, you're a tactician just like your papa?" Kana asked, eyes widening as she hopped up to her feet excitedly. "You must want to be just like him, just like I do with my papa!" Without warning the girl seized hold of Morgan's arm and with a strength that betrayed her small frame, pulled Morgan to her feet. "Do you think you can teach me! Even though papa's not exactly the only tactician, he's still really good at leading people, so I bet if you teach me what you know it will help make me good at leading too!"

"I…" Morgan paused, uncertain of how to answer. Then she smiled, nodding her head sharply as she pushed the last bits of doubt out of her mind. She could, at least for the present, ignore the lingering ache in her heart, especially with a new task to occupy her. "I'll do it! Together, we will make you the best tactician this world had seen, Maybe even better, thanks to having a master as cool and awesome as me at your side!"

"Yay!" Kana exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her toes "What's our first lesson?"

"What first? Well, my young pupil, what better place to start than my specialty," Morgan answered, grinning from ear to ear. "Tell me… what do you know about pitfall traps?"

Oooh, maybe I'll get lucky and Inigo will be the first one to fall in. Certainly would serve the heartbreaking jerkface right. Huh, wonder why I didn't think of that before.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't smack her right this instant?!"

"Because it would make things worse?" Owain offered, his tone uncharacteristically calm, a fact which only served to further fuel Severa's anger.

How dare you be so… so… calm! You see her treat our friend like that and you're calm! Her breath hissed between clenched teeth, rising and falling in increasing intensity. Her hands worked open and closed, her body tensing as she fought the urge to hit something.

Severa was furious. To say that alone would have been an understatement. Not that she had been at first. Oh, she'd been angry when Morgan had slapped Inigo mid apology before storming off. But a part of her had thought 'okay, so that's justifiable I guess', so she'd been willing to let to slide. No, it was when Inigo had returned, sporting a bloodied lip and had refused to speak to anyone about what had happened that Severa had completely lost her temper.

As annoying as Inigo could be, and as much as she liked to give him a hard time, he was still her friend. He was their friend. Through nearly three years spent in this world, he, herself, and Owain had stuck together through all of it. They'd come to trust each other, more than they had ever before in their own world.

The way she saw her, though she was loath to admit it, Inigo hadn't done anything wrong. Given the circumstances, he'd fully intended not to betray Morgan. Gods, it was because of Morgan that from the very start he'd insisted on returning to that timeline instead of their original one after all this was over. He deserved better than to be treated like garbage. To have his apology thrown back in his face after all of that?!

You know what? No! I'm not going to stand for that! I'm giving her a piece of my mind, and gods help me that I don't-

Severa managed to make it only a single step before Owain grabbed her by both arms, trying to hold her in place. She struggled, trying to push her way forward and in doing so force her husband to strain her keep her from moving. She strained, managed to take a single step, then another, dragging Owain along with her inch by inch even as he dug in his heels.

"No, Severa. Please. Stop. Stop! This isn't going to fix anything! Severa. Please!" Owain exclaimed, repeating these and similar statements with increasing urgency.

"Why. Should. I," Severa hissed back, managing to force another step forward. "She. Deserves. To. Be-"

A group of soldiers walked past going the opposite direction. They paused for a moment, uncertainly watching the scene unfold for a brief moment before hastily picking up their pace and continuing past lest they get involved.

"No, Severa. Be reasonable. Don't make me be the adult here. Me, Owain Dark the voice of sanity and reason? Who would believe that? Come on, help me out here Severa."

"No! I've made up my mind and there's not a damn thing you can do to change it!" Severa shouted back. With a bellow and a final burst of strength, she surged forward, managed to free one of her arm's from her husband's grip.

"Fine! Know well that forced my hand at this! STREAM LINE-BREAKER BARRAGE!"

Without warning Owain wrapped an arm around her, throwing his full weight into her. The world spun as the two of them toppled over to one side, tumbling into a ditch that lay alongside the path the two had been taking. There was a sound somewhere between a splat and crunch as they landed in a pile of dead leaves and mud that had pooled in the ditch.

For a moment the camp quieted as everyone who'd been within earshot stopped what they'd been doing and looked in the direction of the commotion. It was only after seeing who had been its cause that they promptly resumed doing whatever they'd been doing before and pretended, some more convincingly than others, that they hadn't noticed anything amiss.

"Now look what you did!" Severa shouted angrily, struggling to untangle herself from her husband. "Now I'm soaking wet, and covered in mud, and I've got leaves stuck in my hair, and you are the worst!" She shoved him roughly as she began to rise, causing Owain to topple back into the mud.

"Yeah. Well… Yeah!" Owain countered lamely, extracting himself with a loud suction sound as he pulled himself free. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Well congradu-freaken-lations, you bought Morgan an hour or two before I slap her. I hope you're proud of yourself. Come on, you're going to prepare a bath for me. And get this mud out of my clothes," Severa told him. She grabbed him by the collar of his robes, dragging him along with her as she stomped back towards their tent. "I still can't believe you're so calm about all this! How come you aren't angry?! He's your friend too! How come you aren't upset she treated Inigo like that?!"

"Severa, I am upset. Furious even."

Severa came to a stop. She let go of him before turning to face him. "Then why…?"

"Because someone needs to keep a clear head right now. Since it's not you, it fell to me," Owain answered, keeping his voice level. "Think about it. You slap Morgan and chew her out. Then what? How does that fix anything?"

"That's easy. I make her realize how awful she's being and force her to apologize to Inigo!"

"Or," Owain emphasized before making his counter, "You make her more upset, and now she is just as angry at the two of us."

Pulling himself free from his wife's grip, Owain tried to push some of the mud away from himself before continuing. "Remember what Robin told us? After he'd explained everything to Lord Xander and everyone else had gone? Morgan arrived in Hoshido first, heard their side of the story. Justified or not, she sees Nohr, and by extension us, as the villains. Why then would she listen to us now?"

"That's not… Well, then I'll just… I… Well.. shut up!" Severa shited, stomping a foot. "Quit making so much sense! You don't get to make sense! That's my job!"

"So, I'm right then? Ha! Never did I see the day where I would best Severa of the glib tongue in a battle of barbs and wits," Owain proclaimed triumphantly.

Severa glared at him, immediately deflating the bravado and causing her husband to shrink back. "You know, I liked you better when you were just the endearing moron. I don't think I like this new Mr. Smarty-pants Owain."

"Well, be glad this is not going to be a regular thing," Owain replied. "I know it will be hard, but right now we should give both Morgan and Inigo some space. Once things have cooled down a bit, then we can go give berate Morgan for her foolishness? How does that sound?"

"I…" Severa gritted her teeth, forcing herself to take a slow steady breath, followed by several more, before answering. "Fine," she said, her words laden with a heavy sigh. "We'll do this your way."

"Excellent, now we can-"

"Not so fast there. You're still going to make me a bath and wash this mud out of my clothes. Did you really think I'd let you off the hook easy?"

"Yes dear," Owain wisely agreed without further debate.

"Good, that's what I thought you'd say."

Corrin picked up a piece of bark that had broken off of the stump he sat against, idly turning it over in his hands before tossing it into the grass some distance away.

What am I even doing?

He lifted a hand, moving towards the chest piece of his armor. He got as far as to reach his hand inside, groping for where Azura's amulet lay within an interior pocket, only to realize what he was doing at the last moment and withdraw his hand.

No. He promised he wouldn't dwell on the past anymore. Promised he wouldn't dwell on her.

Oh, but you are dwelling on it, aren't you? Another promise you couldn't keep, eh?

Corrin didn't respond, unable to even muster up the effort to silence the thought.

What am I supposed to do? He wondered, shaking his head slowly. How was he supposed to work with Hinoka and Sakura again when his very presence would only serve as a painful reminder. A reminder of both the pain he caused them and a reminder of his own failings.

He didn't want to put them through that. He didn't want to put himself through that.

Yet what was he was supposed to do? Mope around and do nothing like he was doing now? He had to do something, right? That's why Yato chose him, wasn't it? What the prophecy of Azura's song foretold?

He had a duty to uphold, but even so…

He was stuck. Trapped between his own fear and the responsibility yet laid upon him.

"Hey."

Corrin lifted his head, turning his head in the direction of the voice. He was surprised to find Marc standing off just to one side. The young swordsman's hood was up, but his mask was off.

He wondered how he hadn't heard his approach. Given his exceptional senses granted by his heritage, only those truly gifted in the art of stealth could approach entirely undetected. Either he'd greatly underestimated Marc's ability…

… or as was far more likely, he'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that he'd failed to register the sound of the younger boy's approach.

"Yes?" Corrin asked. His voice croaked as he spoke, his throat feeling painfully dry. How long had he been sitting out here? "Do you need something?"

"Yes, well, no actually. Not exactly," Marc answered. "I just saw you sitting alone over here, and given how you ran off in a hurry before, so I figured you may need someone to talk to."

Corrin nodded slowly. It made sense, he supposed. He hadn't exactly wandered off far. The spot was only at the edge of the camp. Heck, he'd already told several others who'd come by to ask that he'd taken on guard duty. Figured it would be a good excuse as any while also at least giving him something of value to contribute.

But really it was so he could be alone. He really didn't feel like talking right now, especially if he was about to be lectured to. "I thought you'd be worried about your sister. Seems like she should be your priority. Least compared to me," Corrin retorted, barely able to keep the harsh edge from his voice. He sighed, shaking his head. "Why bother with me, then?

Marc regarded Corrin with a confused look, one that took him a moment to decipher. Oh, that's right. It must seem odd that I know, having left before that happened. "Jakob stopped by a bit ago, filled me in. Seems to have gotten the idea in his head that it's part of his job description to keep me informed on everything I miss when I'm… well… doing this." He motioned vaguely around him before letting himself slump unceremoniously back against the stump.

This answer seemed to satisfy Marc, who nodded. Taking a few steps over, Marc perched himself onto a smooth flat jut of rock that lay vaguely across from where Corrin sat. He shifted around for a bit, taking his time to get comfortable before answering. At last settled, Marc tugged back his hood, letting it fall over his shoulders, before continuing.

"So, to answer your question, the first part is simple. I know my sister well enough that I'm not sure I'd do anything but make things worse right now. As for the second... well, I may know a thing or ten about doing things I regret."

Corrin stiffened, his gaze fixed firmly on Marc now. Did he already know everything? Of course, both of Marc's parents could have told him, but until now there had been no sign that either of them had gone about revealing to their son the darker truths of the events they were now embroiled.

And what did he mean about knowing how I felt? Corrin wondered. Indeed, for the more he thought about it, the more he realized he knew so little about the either of the twins past. He knew of Lucina's future, she'd told him much about it after all. But she'd never spoken of the future her and Robin's children had hailed. Did something happened in that world Marc was responsible for? Or was it something after traveling to that world's past?

Marc must have guessed the line of thinking Corrin was going down, for he shook his head as explained, "I don't know the full details. But from what little mother and father have told me combined with the way you and your sisters interacted earlier… well, I can tell when someone is guilty of something terrible in their past as well as when someone else has conflicting feeling about that same thing." Marc paused, then added, "Plus Morgan said a lot of it outright. Seems like Hinoka and Sakura told her their side of the story. So, that too."

"I see," Corrin stated flatly. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his breathing steady. Then he opened his eyes again, keeping his voice empty as he asked. "So, anything else then? If you know… then how does this help me now?"

"I, well…I, um..." Marc trailed off, rubbing the back of his head and giving a small, nervous laugh. "Man, I'm really bad at this sort of thing, huh? Came here with this all planned out in my head and I can't get it out right." Dragging his hand through his hair and down over his face, Marc hopped up to his feet. "What I'm trying to say is… when you do something horrible, you feel like it can never be made right. That there is no way to ever make up for all the bad you did. That's how I felt for a long time, and I think that's how you feel too."

Corrin opened his mouth to answer, then immediately shut it again. What could he even say?

Marc must have read this as confirmation, for after only a moment's pause he continued on. "Look, Corrin… while I don't know the full story, I do know that you giving up now only makes sure you never make amends. All giving up does fulfill your own fears."

"I…" Corrin shook his head. "But what if there's nothing I can do? After everything I did, I can't see how I could ever be forgiven, least of all by them. I'd only make things worse."

"Even if that is so, you owe it to yourself to try," Marc answered. "Because giving up and accepting blame, that's easy. To accept that blame and try to set things right even if you never really can make up for all the bad you've done? I know just how hard that is."

Corrin looked away, saying nothing.

After a long while and with no response forthcoming, Marc hopped up to his feet, moving to leave. "I'll leave you to it then. But please, consider what I said. Because even if you can't ever make things right, you can always make things better. Sometimes good enough has to be the best we can hope for."

And with that final word of advice, Marc departed, heading back towards the camp and leaving Corrin alone to mull on what he'd been told.

To make things better…

Maybe just moving forward wasn't enough. Perhaps he really did need to do more than just accept the blame for what happened.

Maybe even now I'm still trying to take the easy way out.

. . . . .

"So, did your strategy meeting with Lord Xander go well?" Lucina asked as Robin entered their shared tent. She glanced up at him, setting aside the piece of armor she'd been mending. Several pieces of both of their gear had been damaged in the battle, and from the sorted piles next to her, it looked like she'd passed the time while he was away with basic field repairs.

"Let's just say 'good' would not be the word I'd use to describe it," Robin replied. Groaning as he threw himself face first into their cot, the wooden frame creaking as he bounded slightly before settling there. Reaching up he grabbed hold of his hood, and dragged it over his face.

"That poorly? Is there anything I can do to assist?" Lucina asked.

"No, it's nothing that… it seems things just got a whole lot more complicated," Robin answered. With another groan, he rolled over and forced himself to sit upright. He blinked several times, rubbing his temples before continuing. "Lord Xander filled me in on what he and Lady Hinoka discussed. Apparently, she was pretty adamant that we remain outside of Hoshido lands."

"She did? But does that not defeat much of our purpose from coming this way?" Lucina asked.

"Yeah. It does. I'd have thought they'd welcome our aid, despite how fresh the wounds left by their war with Nohr may be. After all, we know they've been struggling to hold back the Invisible Soldiers just as Nohr was. But turns out the political situation is far less stable than we thought."

"What do you mean?"

"From what I can gather second hand, Hoshido's ruling class consists of several powerful lords who hold dominion over a portion of the kingdom and possess their own standing army. In theory, these lords answer to the royal family, but in practice, it seems they often act on their own accord," Robin explained. "In the past, the ruler was strong enough to keep them in check, but from what Xander told me, that has apparently changed with the deaths of the queen, two of her heirs, and the loss of most of the forces that served directly under the royal family."

"Are you suggesting that some of these lords are attempting to take control of Hoshido?" Lucina asked, eyes widening.

Robin shook his head. "No. Not yet at least. But apparently, things are tense right now. In theory, Lady Hinoka is in control, but the balance of power has shifted to the lords. Their standing armies are the closest things to a unified military they possess and many seem to be questioning why they should follow a royal lineage that led Hoshido to defeat and near ruin. That's why Hinoka is out here: there seems to have been a real fear that that had she and Sakura stayed in the capital there would be an attempt on their lives."

"And it's because of this instability we cannot go to the capital, is it not? Lady Hinoka fears that our presence would only serve to ignite outright revolt among the regional lords?" Lucina asked.

Robin nodded in affirmation. "As sure as throwing a torch onto a mound of kindling. Both Xander and Leo agreed with her assessment if a bit reluctantly. So it doesn't seem like we have much a choice."

"What is our plan then. If we can't go to Hoshido, then we must surely turn our search elsewhere?"

"For now we're sticking to our current plan and make for Izumo. Hinoka and Sakura have agreed to follow us at least that far. Last I heard the two of them have gone to collect their retainers and meet us tomorrow as we set out. After that…" Robin trailed off, sighing wearily. "Well, that's my job to figure out. Maybe Corrin knows somewhere else we can…"

He shook his head, pushing that line of thinking aside for now. He could ponder that at a later time. He was simply too exhausted to think. He needed rest before he could throw himself fully into the task at hand.

"I see…" Lucina said, falling silent as well. For several moments she sat there, her expression pensive. Then she lifted her head, saying, "Inigo came back while you were gone. He was bleeding, split lip I think. He wouldn't speak to me when I asked, but I suspect that Morgan was the one responsible for the injury."

Robin blinked in surprise. Had it really gone that badly? He'd known how upset Morgan was of course, and she had slapped him before charging off. But to strike him enough to cause real harm?

I should have realized it was worse than we thought. To think Morgan was holding that kind of anger and resentment… if I'd known I would have… Robin frowned. Honestly, he didn't know what he would have done. At the very least he'd have tried to head off the confrontation before he happened. Talk to Morgan first, at least prevent things from spiraling out of hand.

"Gods, what should we do about this?" Robin muttered, rubbing his temples yet again.

"I do not know. I had hoped that you'd have answers in that regard, Robin," Lucina answered. "As ashamed as I am to admit it, I fear I am not suited for such a task. I lack the experience as a mother to know what is right." She averted her gaze, her expression saddening.

"It's not like I'm any better in that regard," Robin countered, a nervous chuckle falling at his finished. "Look at us. Practically new parents with two infants back home and having to deal with raising two nearly fully grown kids. Sometimes I fear we're still completely out of our depth."

"Perhaps. But still, we should do something, but what I do not know…" Lucina said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, well…" Robin paused, considering the matter carefully before continuing. "At the very least I think it would be wrong to do anything now. I fear confronting her so soon will only make things worse. Tomorrow, I think, we should speak with her. I'll go first, and if that fails you can try talking to her next."

Lucina nodded. "I understand. I will do my utmost, for what good may come of it."

"That's the best we can hope for," Robin assured her. Getting up from the cot, Robin moved over and sat down next to Lucina. Reaching out he took hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She squeezed his hand back.

I just hope Morgan will be okay. After everything that happened between them… I'd really hoped things would work out. Morgan deserves something good in her life. For all his flaws… Inigo did make her happy before.

I just hope she didn't throw all that away for nothing.

I just hope there's something we can do to help.

Author's Note: So there we go, another chapter done, and this time one mostly focused on followup to the heavy drama of last chapter. I love doing these chapters with a bunch of little scenes of characters interacting, in particular when they're characters I've really been looking forward to having interact. In particular I've been excited to have Morgan and Kana interact, though I can't help but fear Morgan is going to be a terrible influence on Kana. Same with Marc and Corrin interacting, given their similarities when it comes to both being fundamentally driven by their past mistakes and failings.

The one thing I was worried about here was dealing with Morgan's mental state post argument from last chapter. I wanted to have her cheer up a bit and interact with Kana, but also make it clear she's still hurting. Trying to get that balance seem believable was a huge struggle and even now I'm not fully satisfied with how it turned out. If anyone has feedback in that regard, particularly constructive criticism, it would be greatly appreciated, as I feel I tend to either drag things out too long or have them resolved too quickly. This is the type of writing I really need/want to improve on in the future, so please, let me know what you thought.

Anyhow, I don't want to ramble on too long, so let's just jump over to guest reviews!

Dracofighter - Thank you, I am glad it turned out so well. Like the Robin vs Corrin fight and the Lucina and Corrin conversation at the end of act 1, this was a scene I'd been planning out in my head for a long time. Only this one I kept revising over time while those two stayed mostly the same in terms of plans. I am not sure really if there would have been a way to avoid this fight to be honest, maybe if Robin had run damage control it would have been less bad, but likely wouldn't have fully fixed things. The thing I was really trying to go for was show that Morgan is not really the most mature person, and thus handled the situation really badly. It's an area she needs to work on.

So, with that out of the way, we're about done here. As always, please let me know what you guys thoughts. I love hearing your reviews and comments and they always make my day! Until next time, I'd like the wish everyone a wonderful day and I'll see you in the next one.

Character Spotlight: Sakura

Class: Priestess

Secondary Classes: Sky Knight, Samurai (A* Hana)

Skills: Renewal, Countermagic, Warding Blow, Vantage, Amaterasu

Personal Skill: Quiet Strength - All allies within a 2 tile radius receive 2 less damage from attacks

Equipment: Spellbane Yumi, Sun Festal, Great Festal, Rescue, Silence.

Status: Alive