#❀ | perhaps change is my best hope ❞ ( lucina )

[auratold]

@fellmother / continued

 It hadn't been a surprise when Morgana's voice broke the silence. The words Lucina had uttered had left swiftly, her attention firmly upon the crackling embers of the fire before her. She'd come here to get away from the makeshift camp their small company had erected, a moment to let the mask of princess falter. It's only when her grandmother continues speaking, mentioning her brother and mother, that Lucina wills her gaze to shift.

Happiness. It has been so long since she has felt such an emotion. It had begun fleeting when her parents left, promising to return, and had only continued to do so since that day the Shepherds returned, Falchion presented to her. There is so little hope for their world these days, all of her friends parents are gone now, Morgana the last of the adults they can lean on. Their numbers are dwindling, and finding the stones for the Fire Emblem quickly seems to becoming their last hope. The missions ahead for her friends will be treacherous, and it is for the group that is headed into Plegia that Lucina fears for the most.

"It feels impossible to find happiness given what lies ahead of us." Lucina starts, her gaze drifting back to the fire. "What if I am sending my friends to their deaths with this mission? The group headed to Plegia in search of the stone... I fear greatly for their safety." The thought is haunting, one that is going to eat at her soul and drain her being until she sees them return, stone in hand or not. "Have I made the correct decision with this plan? The Fire Emblem is our last hope, but-" Her voice breaks off, a lingering thought of 'what if I have killed my friends?' unable to cross her lips.

"Do you think my Mother and Father would be proud of me? Would they agree with this?"

[auratold]

"I believe that in your hands it will. I hope that at long last, Plegia, Ylisse, and the other countries may know peace." Despite the devastation and loss, Plegia is thriving in comparison to the world she left behind. Even with the country having been the last true standing one in her time, the end of the world has still descended upon it like the others.

"I do not intend to be a symbol. Robin and Chrom have continued to offer my brother and I a place within Ylissetol, but I know my reality. My world is dead, and they have this Ylisse to care for, their own Lucina to raise and love." Her parents are dead, her father long gone and her mother finally at rest now that Grima is destroyed.

Morgana's question brings for a ping of pain within her chest, reminiscent of all those years of watching Chrom and Robin, having to keep her identity a secret. She'd never meant for it to be revealed, never meant to join the Shepherds. Just as with her mother and father, Lucina's heart craves to run towards the queen, to be held in her arms like when she was a child.

She swallows hard, having to avert her gaze for a moment as she does so, otherwise, Lucina fears her composure will father and tears will slip from her eyes. "Because I know how desperately you fought for her. If it were not for you she would not be living the life she is." Lucina forces herself to meet the queen's gaze as she speaks those words.

"In this time, the war moved at a quicker pace. In my own..." Lucina pauses for a moment, having to steady herself once more. "My grandmother was present in my life. I knew her- her intellect, kindness, and devotion. Her love. The Lucina of this world will grow up with those things and without the burden of war. I hope that one day she will lose you to old age, rather than the way I lost my grandmother." The Morgana of her world had been taken, practically vanished with the only lead they had directed to the grimleal. Like Sable, she had never been found, and was presumed deceased.

"I do not intend to convince you of my story, I never intended to reveal my identity as it is. Regardless of if you believe me or not, I am at peace seeing that you are alive and knowing that your granddaughter will have you."

          "Is that so?"

     How peculiar. It is a remark that the queen has heard a great many times since her return. The rightful ruler, back upon Plegia's throne. The descendant of a bloodline long tasked with maintaining order, returning to their land torn apart by chaos in their absence. And yet coming from the mouth of someone like her, tagged onto the tail-end of the Fell Dragon's destruction, the beginning of a laugh scratches at the back of Morgana's throat. Fingers of one hand tap atop the bones of the other, and in the silence that she chooses now to end, the corners of her lips form a faint curve— some phantom of a smile.

          "I fear it has not yet returned to the Plegia that would warrant such an expression of relief. We stand in the ruins of it still. A great many lives were lost. By war, by sickness, by the Fell Dragon at the table."

     She says, words unnecessary to one who has trudged through sand and ruins and into the maw of the very terror they speak of to meet with her, perhaps, yet a needed reminder nevertheless if only for herself. Unmoving in posture and expression does Morgana draw closer, the steps themselves something weightless and hidden— the illusion of a glide given life by meticulous design and draping. And indeed, this girl bears both Falchion and brand. The latter a pain to conjure up in a manner so convincing with a hex or spell, that much the queen is certain of. How it tugs at her heart so, echoing into steeled features as the faintest twitch.

     Perhaps in her age has she, another girl raised too quickly in a world engulfed in war and drenched in her own people's innocent blood, at last grown soft.

          "...Should your story prove true, you and I would be alike in that regard. Or some variant of it. Symbols of a lost time. And yet... therein lies the greatest contradiction to you accepting this summon. Perhaps you can humour me for a moment."

     Shoulders roll— a short and backwards motion, as though to loosen not her own stiffened muscles, but the air itself. There would be no purpose in cold interrogation, should this stranger claiming to be her granddaughter continue to insist she means no harm. No, a little humouring is what Morgana wages might work better. Feign lowering her guard so that she might, too, and in it fumble her own story.

          "How is it, after bearing witness to the destruction of the Fell Dragon... after knowing the circumstances that surrounded your mother's birth... can you possibly claim to be content to see me alive?"

[lunaetis]

@2op4u​ asked : ♤ && ♠ [ WE HAVE TOO MANY SHIPS FOR THIS MEME LMAO. Pick between Ammy & Uro, Lumine & Childe, or Lucina & Gerome. Or can do them all separately lol. ]

send ♤ and my muse will tell you something they like about your muse. ( or send ♠ for something they dislike. ) || not accepting

─「天照」─  “ i’ve watched him for centuries, his life, his past, his identity, his struggle and his loss. everything that happened summed up into who he is now. despite everything, his will continued to live on. his undying loyalty both to those he served and the duty he’s being entrusted with kept him going. i have witnessed him fight, bleed, being broken down by what fate had thrown at him, and shaped himself back up. he’s a fighter, a warrior, he isn’t one to give up. ”

                “ as for what i dislike, perhaps, if i have to choose one, would be his firm belief that he doesn’t need emotions. ” there was a small pause, and despite her saying it was something she disliked, the softness in those VERMILION EYES was obvious. “ he’s devoted to his duties, but that doesn’t mean he needs to forget how to feel entirely. i sincerely wish that i could change his belief upon such subject. one day, mayhaps. ”

─「蛍」─  “ the love and care he has for his family is one of many things i admire him for. he would do anything to protect his family, even at the cost of his own health or safety. he often speaks of his siblings fondly, and despite the path he had chosen to walk, even if it’s littered with bloodshed and destruction, he wouldn’t let even a sliver of danger come close to his family members. he’s a protector when it comes to them, and for that ... i really respect him. ” for her who had lost her only sibling, seeing that kind of devotion and love towards his family was reassuring.

                “ something i dislike about him ? should i give you a list ? his stubbornness when it comes to fighting, his recklessness to rush into battles without gauging his own conditions, his obsession with fights and strength that often results in him getting hurt. the list goes on. ” a sigh heaved from her lungs. “ what an idiot ... he should care about himself and his health more, damn it ... ”

─「ルキナ」─  “ don’t let his seemingly distant demeanor fool you. he’s someone who’s caring, sensitive, and compassionate. while tries to conceal his feelings and emotions with that mask he wears, he actually does care a lot for those he fights with, and would protect his comrades to the best of his ability. he isn’t one to speak much, but show his feelings through his actions so if you watch closely, you’d see how honest and earnest he is. he’s very observant as well, for i’ve lost count of how many times he knew i was troubled with something despite me not saying anything. ”

                “ it’s not like i dislike it, per se, however, i do wish that he would let down his guard around others and open up more. i know why he wears that mask and why he kept his distance from others, but i want him to know that it’s alright to trust them and let his emotions out on the surface from time to time. i sure hope he knows he could always be honest with me, and that there’s no need for a mask. i’d always accept him. ”

[irandrura]

Third and final post: what were my other thoughts?

 Let’s talk about the game’s mechanics first.

I am overall very pleased with the battle gameplay. On the battlefield itself the gameplay is more-or-less unchanged from the past, but the character advancement and customisation system is significantly improved. Moving to a single overall character level and giving every character the ability to change classes at will is a much more fluid and elegant system than in the past, and the ability to choose the specific combat arts and abilities each character takes looks like it adds a lot of depth. It’s probably appropriate for the overall ‘teacher’ theme of the game that you have much more power to mould each character’s skills and talents, but I’d like to see it in other games as well. There’s an important balance to strike: on the one hand, characters should not be infinitely malleable, and should all have their personal strengths and weaknesses. On the other, so much of the fun of the game is in developing characters and watching them grow that it’s really good to be able to specialise them.

Speaking of battle gameplay, divine pulse is great. The Fire Emblem series has always struggled a bit with accessibility, and while casual mode definitely made the series easier, it also felt to me like missing the point. Casual mode is too easy, and by removing any risk of permanent death, it felt like it removed a lot of the game’s tension. Divine pulse is a much better way to make the gameplay a bit easier and less frustrating while still keeping the same feel as classic FE gameplay. It gives you just enough room to survive a lucky enemy crit, or a small misjudgement on your part, without totally removing the need to be careful. I approve. That said, I did feel that by late-game you probably had access to too many pulses and it removed the need to conserve them. With a dozen pulses, there isn’t much risk any more, whereas if it stayed capped around three to five, each individual pulse might have felt more precious.

 (Apparently Mila’s Turnwheel in Shadows of Valentia actually did the mechanic first, and I totally forgot about it. Oh dear…)

Other gameplay innovations were more hit-and-miss, for me. Battalions were fine, but I don’t think I would have missed them if they weren’t there. They helped make the battlefield seem busier and more populated, but they don’t seem to have had a massive impact on the game. Similarly, monsters were mostly fine (Cindered Shadows boss notwithstanding), but again, I don’t think I’d mind very much if they didn’t come back. They rarely actually felt like the most dangerous enemies on the battlefield, and just required a slightly different strategy, and… well, maybe it’s just me, but it feels weird for FE to have boss monsters like that. I suppose arguably it’s been a tension in the series going all the way back to the original game? Marth was supposed to fight monstrous dragons, but his entire game was about enemy soldiers, and dragons didn’t stand out as the terrifying beasts they ought to have been. Still, I’m not sure I’m sold on them here.

When I started playing I complained that exploring the monastery was tedious. You can get into a routine later on, but for the most part, I did think it could have been streamlined more. Having lunch with students or going for special training or browsing the marketplace are all fun things to do, but a bit less sprinting all over the map to talk to everyone and return lost items would have been appreciated. The lost item mechanic in particular feels like busywork. A bit of exploring is nice, but only as long as it doesn’t get tedious. It might have been lovely to explore other locations as well – Enbarr, Fhirdiad, the army camp outside Gronder, etc. – but I can understand that the amount of work required would not be practical.

Speaking of tedium, though… I really could have done with a few more maps. Maybe this is my fault for constantly choosing battles, but I found myself replaying the same forest, plains, beach, or volcano map too many times for comfort.

I might also have liked for crests to be a bit more mechanically impactful, given their important to the world and the plot. I regularly forgot which of my units have crests, and what any of the crests do, since most of them have so little effect as to not matter. The only one I did usually remember was Felix’s Crest of Fraldarius, and that was mainly because it makes him do more damage and sometimes made him kill people I’d hoped to leave on one or two HP. I don’t think crests should have been overpowering, but a little more power would still have been nice. It should not have been so easy to forget that they exist.

Similarly, by the time I finished the game I realised that I had never used a Hero’s Relic, even once. I would like to say that this was a principled decision on my part, given that they turn people into monsters (and it looks like I was right about them being made from bone?), but it was mostly just the BUT-WHAT-IF-I-NEED-IT-LATER effect. They all have quite low durability, and while I understand that infinite durability, as with relics in previous games, was not an option due to breaking how combat arts work, it was still enough to discourage me from using them. Perhaps on a higher difficulty they would become necessary? I always feel a bit sad when for mechanical reasons I never let characters use their most iconic weapons.

 Moving on from mechanics…

There is technically a shipping mechanic, with an S support for the protagonist, but it really felt like an afterthought to me. I don’t think the game would lose anything significant if you just removed all the S supports. Compared to a game like Awakening or Fates, where the second generation makes it mechanically important and the plot seems like it works best with a bit of romantic drama (f!Robin/Chrom and m!Robin/Lucina looking particularly intended), Three Houses is surprisingly chaste. I suppose picking a character to be your waifu might be part of the culture now, perhaps looking also at the growing influence of waifu gacha games, but for me it felt tacked on. I can imagine potentially rewriting the game to make romance a more important theme – perhaps talking about Jeralt and Sitri a bit more? – but to be honest I think that that would have been worse for the game overall.

In particular, it stands out to me as sitting a touch oddly alongside the teacher concept. One of the things that stands out to me about Byleth as a protagonist is the way that Byleth is in a superior position relative to the other units. You are a professor, in a position of authority, and you have more life experience. Your job is to teach and mentor these younger characters. This contrasts strongly with Robin, who I think was presented as the equal of the other Shepherds (your relationship with Chrom is that of comrade and friend), and with Corrin, who was presented as an inferior or junior (your siblings are older than you, and they start off with higher status). Because of that superior position, then, I found the game suggesting a feeling of responsibility towards them, and a feeling of pride in their accomplishments.

This might be a bizarre comparison, but in some ways a game that Three Houses reminded me of while playing was Princess Maker 2, a weird little DOS game from 1993 about raising a girl. The core loop of choosing activities to raise the stats of a character in your care, punctuated with occasional outings to fight monsters and get loot, felt quite similar. Similarly, the emotions that seemed to be evoked, to me, were emotions of care and pride: perhaps not paternal as such, since Byleth isn’t that old, but certainly the satisfaction that comes from nurturing a younger and less experienced person.

For the most part that actually worked, and I certainly applaud it for feeling less icky than Fates. If I compare tea parties to that weird Fates mechanic where you could invite characters to your room and touch their face, it is vastly less creepy. So I’m glad that the romance has been toned down.

And speaking of things that I’m glad aren’t prominent…

I’m deliberately burying this part in the middle of a long post. Tumblr is famously ruthless on issues like this, but fortunately I have a very low follower count and you’re all nice people. Basically, one of my worries going into the game was that Three Houses might be the ‘woke’ Fire Emblem game. I am glad to find that concern averted, at least so far. A person could perhaps make some pretty cringeworthy interpretations of Duscur to do with racial politics, but the game itself does not push you in that direction. Tumblr and AO3 love slash shipping, but as far as I can tell that remains as canonically unsupported as ever. Interestingly, while Three Houses has a small handful of same-sex romantic S supports and endings, as far as I can tell they’re all for Byleth and they’re all simply copy-pastes of the opposite-sex versions. It’s enough for me to genuinely wonder whether they’re in the original Japanese at all, or if they were added. I know translations of FE games have played around with character sexualities before, so it’s possible. At any rate, part of me was concerned that this might be the Dragon Age: Inquisition of Fire Emblem, and fortunately it isn’t. (I mean, I did actually enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition, but at times it did get to be a bit much.) I’ll take this as a valuable lesson when it comes to not believing posts I see on Tumblr. You’d think I would have learned from previous games: popular fan interpretations of a character are often completely wrong. Three Houses seems for the most part to be a very traditional Fire Emblem game.

In terms of the overall series trajectory, I take Three Houses to be an overall positive sign. Awakening and Fates seemed to be taking the series in a direction that I didn’t care for as much, with heavy use of player avatar characters, much more fan service, and more trope-driven plots. Three Houses seems like a return to deeper worldbuilding and characterisation. The cast of characters overall has definitely been a high point: in Fates I sometimes struggled to build a team of characters that I felt truly fond of, but in Three Houses there were usually more characters I wanted to use than I had space for, and there were no recruitable characters that I truly disliked.

Really, the biggest disconnect between me and Three Houses, in the end, is the fact that Three Houses is built for replayability, and I don’t like replaying games very much. However, I don’t think I can in good faith call that a flaw or poor design: obviously there are a lot of people who love replayability, and considering that I got a good eighty hours of gameplay out of my first playthrough (DLC included) and enjoyed it, I’m not really in a position to complain.

So in the end, then, I think that while Three Houses is not my favourite Fire Emblem and does have some places where it could be improved, for the most part I think it’s quite a good outing and a significant improvement on the last few. It is not designed entirely to my tastes, but what is here is mostly good. Three Houses leaves me feeling much more optimistic for the future of the franchise than Fates did.

[iturbide]

Main game Grima really does seem like it's all an act but then what is going on with Future Past Grima? I mean, I know it's canonically an au, but.

I haven’t played Future Past so I can’t comment all that well on this.  But again, it being an act is still entirely on the table -- things just got further out of hand and Grima had to get a heck of a lot more creative.

I don’t think Grima ever intended for Naga to die.  That was very bad luck -- again, Risen aren’t really something Grima can control, so once they get going in a certain direction there’s not a lot anyone can do.  Naga’s death had its own dire consequences, primarily in the form of destabilizing the boundaries between timestreams; ultimately this leads to temporary gateways appearing connected to different times, which thankfully allow the Shepherds to come through and offer assistance to the Future Past kids...but which also lead the Morgans through.

I’ve talked a little about Morgan in Future Past before in various contexts, but essentially I think they ended up going through one of those unstable gateways by accident and then got trapped on the other side.  As tacticians (in training), they managed to survive on their own for a while and eventually stumbled across one another, electing to band together in search of their parents -- and it was really a matter of chance that brought them into contact with Grima.  One of the two recognized the fell dragon’s vessel as their parent, and it sent both of them flocking to Grima...and, well.  Grima wasn’t going to leave them to fend for themselves in a dangerous land (especially since they might have been overrun by Risen if not for the fell dragon’s interference).

So Grima took them in.  Took care of them as best they were able.  It didn’t take long for the Morgans to realize that this wasn’t their parent, but Grima treated them well and promised to help them find their way home.  Unlike Lucina and the rest of her comrades, the Morgans didn’t hold any ill will toward Grima and apparently didn’t think them anywhere near as evil as Ylisse’s stories might like to say, so Grima let their guard down around the two; their kindness is what instilled the Morgans’ loyalty toward them (though Grima still doesn’t understand why they decided on ‘Master Grima’ as an address, that’s weirder than anything humans have given them before -- and they’ve been called the Breath of Ruin).

One of my foundational headcanons for my Awakening work is that Robin wasn’t destroyed when Grima took over; they just became a passenger in their own body.  They still talk to Grima a lot and offer advice and counsel (solicited or otherwise, because really, what’s Grima gonna do about it, hit them? the ‘stop hitting yourself’ joke would be hilariously apt), and Grima got into the habit of holding their side of the conversation out loud while Robin just talked in their head.  This is important, because it means that as they start searching for the gemstones needed to activate the Fire Emblem -- a potentially futile effort, they know, but it’s better than doing nothing -- Grima muses out loud about their concerns that the stones might be lost given the way Risen are overrunning everything.  The Morgans hear that and, hoping to help, set out without real orders to try and secure the stones, only to run into the Shepherds’ kids who have already claimed them.  They don’t want to fight them, but they also don’t want to lose the stones that seem so important; however, they do retreat when the Robins from another timeline appear, assured that if nothing else the gemstones won’t be lost.

When they return and apologize for failing, Grima is shocked that they put themselves at risk like that...but not angry.  They do appreciate what the Morgans did, but they don’t want to put the children at risk again -- so they take the Morgans to the Ruins of Time, where they’ve found the greatest instability exists, and wipe their memories of this ruined timeline and all its horrors, leaving only the memory of their parents and how much they were loved.  From there, they sealed the ruins so that Risen wouldn’t be able to harm the Morgans, and let the gateways take them home (though, given the instability, it wasn’t quite the right time -- that’s what happens with no Naga).

From there, once again Grima resumes the act and starts goading Lucina into taking action and changing things.  For all Grima’s power (just look at that apocalypse dragon), they really pull their punches and do a heck of a lot of grandstanding and talking -- and at a crucial moment?  Suddenly it’s Robin there.  Maybe it was planned between them, maybe it was a surprise, but whatever the case Robin gets a final chance to speak to Lucina before the end they both know is coming: the whole thing was orchestrated, banking on Ylisstol as the new seat of Naga’s power with Mt Prism overrun, and it paid off with Tiki’s resurrection as the “new Naga” who performed the Awakening on Lucina’s Falchion.

If Grima really wanted to rule over a doomed future, they didn’t have to do anything.  They could have just floated over the world and waited for all resistance to be snuffed out by the Risen hoard, or rained destruction down on the children to wipe them out without issue.  But Grima’s interference is what led directly to their downfall in Future Past...so perhaps that personal engagement was calculated with the intent of reaching that end.

[auratold]

She takes a seat, brow furrowing for a moment as a refusal blossoms at the forefront of her thoughts. That too much is at stake to partake in luxuries such as tea time and walks in the sun. To let her childhood friend fuss over her in a manner as if they were in Ylissetol castle rather than a war camp. But Lucina drops it, remembering the conversations the two of them had when he'd been so intent on getting her to smile.

"I know my father and mother have matters handled." She'd always known Robin was a brilliant strategist, and Chrom an inspiring leader, but seeing it first hand was different. "I suppose it is a difficult habit to drop." For years it felt as though the weight of the world were on her shoulders, and as the people of Ylisse died she carried the pain of her kingdom. In the years spent masquerading as Marth, alone in the past trying to prevent Emmeryn's death, she carried that again. "For so long I have carried that task, you and the others have looked to me. I do not wish to misplace the faith you and the others have placed in me. I know for so long now I have asked a great deal of all of you."

She grasps her own cup, lifting it o her lips and taking a small sip. The taste is comforting, the steam on her face soothing. It reminders her of a faintly of life as a child, before the war in Valm broke out in their own time. "Alright, I will go on a walk with you, Inigo."

@auratold / lucina | cont.

"Good! If you didn't take a break, I was going to resort to crying next."

He lets her step away and pulls one of the smaller tables aside to act as a tea table between them, fussing over the princess all the while. Only once she's seated and comfortable does he settle in across from her, humming quietly as he pours the cups for them.

"You really should leave the tactics to Robin and Chrom. You don't have to be in charge this time, you know - and besides! We'll be fine. We've fought worse things than a few men in oversized coats and armor. I'll be right there with you."

He plucks up a cookie from the snack tray, content to play at being at ease and lazy for the time being. (A ruse he played well, truth be told, but one his fellow future children could see through in an instant.)

"So, we're going to take a walk after this and get you some sun."

[fe-aesthetics]

Perhaps change is my best hope.

Lucina, Bringing of Change

x x x x o x x x x

[displaced-tactician]

Morgan’s Pampering || A Morgan Drabble

For the first time ever.... Morgan put her tomes away. In her secret cubbie of course. She didn’t want anyone seeing them, and even if they could they wouldn’t be able to read them... except maybe the male Morgan. So she didn’t risk it. She spent the morning grooming herself. She had washed her clothes well the day before and dried them, she had a brilliant perfume she nabbed off the ground (probably a noble’s but... ehhh... lost items are lost items), and put just a little layer of makeup on her face as Hilda had once instructed her. She was... dolled up. Because today was a special day. 

It felt alien, walking without her tomes and hidden books and trap sheets and so on. But even Morgan, every once in a blue moon, needed some pampering.

She walked to the brand new host club, greeting the current hosts before grabbing a well made butler’s uniform for herself. She went to the changing room and changed. She came out, her clothes except her jacket stored in a cubbie in the changing room and jacket in hand. She walked over to the seat with her name on it, and put her jacket gingerly over the chair. She then walked back, a confident and poised posture surrounding her. So unlike from her normal ball of chaos.

She walked back to the kitchenette, with expert precision she prepared a custom tea blend. Similar to the apple blend, but with much more apple and sugar. Of course she had to add some sweetener in when she was brewing the tea, that way it would over saturate a bit and hold in more of it.

While letting the pot warm she took out a small dish, and placed a simple apple scone on it. She walked over to her table, and gingerly put the scone in front of her seat.

“Madam, I must apologize but your tea is not quite ready. The specificity of it made it a little more difficult to brew than typical.” Morgan said to the open air. She had given a polite, but apologetic bow  to her seat. A moment later she took off her gloves, put on her jacket, and took a seat on the chair.

“Oh? It’s okay. I’d rather it be brewed right than brewed quickly. Those fancy nobles were talking up a storm about this place. I’m honestly impressed. Who’d have thought it would be such a gorgeous little room.” Morgan complimented. 

“I even did the whole “foundation” thing Hilda told me about.” Morgan replied to where her butler self was not at all currently standing. She then stood up, took off her jacket, put it on her chair, and then put on her gloves.

“Might I say your makeup looks fantastic. You look as energetic and sparkling as a well cast Thoron.” Morgan complemented herself. She took a few steps as if heading to the kitchenette before taking off her gloves, putting her jacket on, and sitting down again.

“Oh.... well Lorenz did make this place. Of course it’s filled with smooth talkers.” Morgan said, taking a bite of her scone. She hummed in contentment, almost forgetting about the tea. She wiped her hand on the napkin, took off her jacket, put on her gloves, and went back to fetch the kettle and glassware. 

“If I may so bold to say madam, your perfume is quite lovely. It matches the scent of your tea very well.” Morgan greeted, as she walked back to her table. She placed down the cup, tea glass, and a small bowl of sugar cubes. Then she gingerly began pouring the tea, eloquently like she had learned before. Some time before... when had she learned this again? After pouring the tea, she took off her gloves, put on her coat, and took a seat.

“Okay I have to ask... Did you guys take lessons for Lorenz, Inigo, or Sylvain? Cause I can’t honestly tell the difference with this fancy fance talk.” Morgan replied, leaning on the table. She took a ginger sip of her te.... AH AH TOO HOT! 

Morgan coughed a bit, she had forgotten to blow on it. After her slight.... “slight” over reaction she gave an “ahem” and stood up. Taking her coat off, putting her gloves on, and looking a little worried.

“Madam, I’m so sorry, I forgot to warn you it is quite hot. My most sincere apologies. Allow me to take care of that for you.” Morgan took the tea cup, gingerly holding the plate in front of her before blowing on the steaming liquid gently. Morgan then stopped.... Raising an eyebrow, then nodding. 

“Here, allow me.” Morgan said, offering the tea to the guest Morgan who was not there. She then took off one glove, half put on her jacket, and sat down. Holding her gloved arm out at an awkward angle to mimic someone bringing tea to her lips.

“Oh... Thanks? Honestly, you’re much smoother than all of the guys I just mentioned. But you still didn’t answer.” Butler Morgan’s hand gently tipped the cup into guest Morgan’s mouth and she gave a satisfied sigh. She put the cup down, fully took off her jacket, and put on her left glove again. 

“Oh of course. I learned under Inigo. I’ve been exposed to his ‘tea party’ methods for many years. I’ll admit, it’s quite hilarious to see him attempting to enact these methods on individuals he seems fond of.” Morgan responded. Morgan took off the gloves, put on the jacket, and sat down. She hummed as she began drinking the tea on her own.

“Don’t be afraid to sit down or nothing. But yeah, he’s a bit of a racket.” Morgan responded with a chuckle. “Believe it or not, where I came from he’s a hero. I’ve read stories about him I don’t even remember. He’s definitely... unconventional and a failure at dating but he’s a hero.”

Morgan took a sip, then a bite, and then took off her jacket, put on her gloves, and took the seat next to her. She smiled at her other seat.

“Is that so? I wish I could have seen that. Perhaps he has a heart of gold.” Morgan responded to the chair. “Would you like sugar?”

Morgan took off the gloves, put on her jacket, and went to the other chair. 

“Yeah. Everyone did honestly.” She looked towards the empty chair, and took a bite of her food. She ate in silence for a while then took a sip of her drink.

“Do you mind if we move to the balcony. It’s a little crowded in here.” Morgan said. “Oh.... and bring a coat rack.”

Morgan took off her jacket, put on her gloves, then began to carry her jacket. She then trotted over to the front door, moving all the coats onto a near by chair and taking the first coat rack she saw. She trotted out to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. 

She moved to the corner of the balcony with the coat rack, doing her best to stay out of the prying eyes of people. She didn’t want to ruin their time but... She needed to pamper herself. Make things right for herself. Talk to herself and understand herself. She hung up her jacket and looked towards an empty part of the balcony. 

“Are you shy being in a crowded room? Rest assured, you’re quite a beautiful person.” Morgan said.

Morgan took off her gloves, took the coat from the coat rack, and leaned on the railing in front of her.

“Can I tell you a secret?” She asked. She put the jacket back up on the rack, and put her gloves back on. 

“I promise not to spill a word.” Morgan replied. Morgan took the gloves off, put on her jacket, and looked out to the courtyard. 

“I’m not the same as them. They came from a place where they won. My home was ravaged by evil and... I don’t remember it but I saw each and every friend die a hero. Some died brutal deaths, some died unceremoniously, but all....” Morgan began to tear up as she whispered these facts out loud to the wind. 

“All of them died a hero protecting their friends and Ylisse. And apparently all I could do was sit and observe them die as someone killed them. Taking each and everyone of them away from me one at a time. Letting little glimmers of hope in a dark world be snuffed out into oblivion.” Morgan whimpered out. She fought to hold back tears, burying her head into folded arms on the railing. No audible sobs rang out, but her jacket sleeves began to moisten with the tears she could no longer suppress. She couldn’t interrupt anyone after all, so she kept quiet. Morgan took a few moments, collected herself, and put her jacket back on the rack and put her gloves back on. She stood up and looked concerned for the empty area around her.

“Oh... That... I’m not sure what to say.” Morgan responded. “Perhaps your friends are happy that at least you made it out to carry their legacy. To meet new friends and be happy after.”

Morgan took off her gloves, put on her jacket, and went back to leaning on the ledge. 

“Even if they are... is it fair? Is it fair that they died when I powerlessly let it happen? I don’t even know what became of that world. Not only... not only did I let my world die.... I let it die twice. My friends are my world too.” Morgan replied. She held back tears, switched her ap1pearance again, and replied.

“But you’ve found them again so I’m....” Morgan cut herself off, just taking the jacket and putting it on. 

“They’re not the same. Some don’t even recognize me. Lucina comes from a world where there’s no Morgan like me but instead there’s a guy Morgan, same with Cynthia. I don’t even know about Nah and Inigo and Owain either... Even Father had two Morgans and a different family. But they don’t recognize me like they should. I’m a stranger with my own family.... I’m.... I let everyone down where I am from and now I’m being punished for it.” Morgan replied, sighing. A tear fell from her face as she looked out towards the courtyard. 

“I’m being punished.... but at least I can hope to prevent the same fate for this family. Even if... I’m not really their family.” Morgan responded. She took another deep breath, a gloved hand moving to pat her own shoulder in comfort.

[writtingfiction]

Not sure if still open but.. May I request a Chrom x Robin where (a year before Lucina was born) the Shepherd finds an abandoned infant in the wagon after fighting off bandits. They go on a quest to find the infant's parents as well as taking turns caring for the infant.

The asks are always open! My response may just be a bit slow, I’ve got finals coming up next month. Cause we all love school, don’t we? Either way, this was fun to write. Didn’t know there could be so many ways to write the word baby. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

pairing: Chrom x Robin

words: 1.8k

Hearing an infant’s cries, was more or less a surprise for the travelling Shepherds after defeating the bandits. Maribelle was the sweet soul that had found the poor baby, wrapped up warmly in blankets in a basket just big enough. The poor child was screaming their tiny little lungs out the best they could.

“We should try and find their parents.” Lissa said, pinky finger now in the tight grasp of the infant.

“That’s a good idea, Lissa.” Cordelia spoke up. Several of the Shepherds had agreed but everyone could the feel the shadow that was Frederick.

“As good idea as it is, we don’t know where they could have gone. For all we know, they could have done this on purpose.” Frederick spoke, tone firm. Maribelle glared at the knight, ready to counter the man.

“I don’t think so.” Robin spoke up, coming towards the crowded group. A basket of fruits in hand. “They’re traveling merchants with a baby on board, I highly doubt they would abandon their own child along with the goods.”

“I agree with Robin.” Chrom said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Smiling warmly towards her. “The merchants had intentions of coming back, we were able to see where they were able to hide some more valuable goods among the caravans.”

“I see, my apologies Milord.” Frederick bowed. Chrom only waved him off, smile straining just a bit.

“Don’t worry about it, Frederick, but you are right in the fact we don’t know where they went.” Chrom said. “We don’t know which direction they scurried off either…”

“Oh, Cordelia and I can take the pegasi and check if any towns are nearby!” Sumia called. Robin smiled.

“It’s a good start, you two can head out. We’ll figure something out will you two are out.” Robin said. The two Pegasus knights quickly leaving and heading out. While everyone down below started to get the hunt for the infant’s parents ready. Ideas were shared among the Shepherds, however there was still the pressing issue of getting to Regna Ferox. The little bundle of joy wouldn’t be able to survive long either without their mother, never mind the cold weather. After roughly an hour of tossing ideas around, the pegasi knights had returned.

Cordelia and Sumia approached them with good news. There was a town north-east, a few days of traveling but worth the detour. And so, things were settled as they made course for the town, babe in their arms.

However, Chrom couldn’t keep his eyes off the small baby in his sister’s arms. Cradling the gentle babe with Maribelle cooing softly. It had brought memories of when he was younger, even though Lissa wasn’t too much younger than him, she was still so small. The mess, the laughter, the quiet moments when they were together. He hummed to himself when the two young women were able to get the baby to laugh, bringing many smiles to various Shepherds.

“Adorable, aren’t they?” Robin spoke up. Chrom let the smile rise on his lips, shifting his gaze towards his wife. Her own eyes were on Lissa and Maribelle, who was now being joined by Sumia and Nowi.

“Of course.” Chrom said, just taking a little step towards her, weaving his hand with hers. “I believe Lissa would make a good mother.”

“Oh, don’t let her hear you.” Robin teased. The two share a laugh, before enjoying the rest of the walk towards the town.

__-

Seeing Cordelia handle the babe was as if she perfected the art of being a nursemaid. Gregor helped Lon’qu when dinner had come around, laughing louder when the babe had thrown up over his tunic. Panne took care of the child all throughout the night, keeping them warm and quiet all throughout the night. The next morning, Frederick kept the baby busy as he went about his daily routine without too much difficulty. Ricken, Donnel and Stahl all tried to keep the babe from crying after Gauis had tangled with the baby, (he was trying for the candy). Even though he got scolded, his comment was that taking from the child wasn’t as easy as people thought.

Kellam had taken the infant for the afternoon, much to everyone’s surprise. Although, they were grateful as they heard nothing from the infant till dinner. He was a natural lullaby for the infant. Miriel and Libra were the ones to take care of dinner, having a much easier time than Lon’qu and Gregor the night before. Sumia took the babe into her tent that night, although she didn’t manage to get enough rest that night.

The morning that followed Olivia took gentle care of the infant. Humming softly, swaying gently as they seemed to fall asleep, only to reawaken in time for lunch. Virion was the one to help this time, although someone would have to fetch him a new necktie once everything was over. Vaike was next, and he was good for better part of the afternoon, but Sully quickly swept in after Vaike had tried to get the babe to hold a sharp object. Sully was gentle, much to the surprise of others whom had seen her. A gentle smile instead of a hard scowl, a pleasing and calm atmosphere surrounded her and the infant. Dinner was a bit of a shock, Tharja had no problem feeding them. A quiet way of doing things but she was able to get the infant to eat dinner without a fuss. Robin was sure that Tharja was reluctant to hand the baby over to her when she said, she’d take them for the night.

Robin held them in her arms. A little yawn leaving their lips, big round tired eyes staring at her. Robin let out a giggle as the baby reached for a strand of her white hair.

“Don’t see that often, now do you?” She whispered gently, making her way towards her shared tent with Chrom.

She entered the tent with ease, seeing Chrom just finish changing into his night clothes. Indigo blues eyes warming upon the sight. Sweet words were exchanged between the lovers as they exchanged the babe who was falling asleep quickly. With Chrom now having the sweet child in his arms. It was a bit awkward at first, holding the child in the cradled position, but Chrom had quickly settled into the feeling. Thoughts of having his own child filling his own mind. It would be an amazing experience, teaching the babe to walk, learning their first word and reading those bed time stories as they fight to stay awake. He heard his wife giggle behind him.

“Come now, Love. You’ve got this motherly look on your face.” Robin said, carefully pulling him back towards the cot.

Robin helped Chrom into bed with the wandering child in is arms, and once he was settled, she rose to extinguish the candle that was burning. She cautiously settled in, opposite of Chrom, the child in between them. The two of them couldn’t help but stare at the added figure in their shared bed. Such a small body that had been brought into this world with love.

“Chrom?” Robin whispered. Eyes still watching the small infant. Chrom hummed, sleep was starting to welcome him. “What do you think of a family of our own? Our little child running through the castle hallway. Little feet against the floor as they run up to show us something.” Her hand came up, pulling the child ever so close. “A sweet babe of our own.”

“And here I thought asking for a child was rude for it still not even being a year.” Chrom mumbled, smile on his lips. “Although, I’m not opposed to it. A little child of our own, to care for, to love…” Robin hummed in agreement. Their hands locked together, sleep all catching up to them.

The rising sun had quickly rose, waking the Shepherds bit by bit. Robin kept the infant close to her the entire morning. Her own tasks being as simple as marking down what they still had left. When camp had been wrapped up and everyone was ready, they set out for the town again, this time having it in sight. They had arrived in town just before noon, making sure to ask around as soon as they hit the market.

Robin shifted the babe in her arms, turning away from another merchant who couldn’t help her. Chrom by her side, sighing heavily. He didn’t think it would be this hard, who wouldn’t be missing their child by now. There was the slight fear that perhaps they missed the parents on their way back towards their valuables, or perhaps the parents truly had plans to abandon the child. His heart hurt thinking about the latter. He hoped that it wouldn’t be the case for the babe.

“Excuse me! Oh, sorry. Ma’am, Sir, please wait!” A lady called out after them. Fighting her way through the crowd with a man trying his hardest to keep up with her. Robin and Chrom turn to face the couple as they stop in front of them. “Please! Are you the ones asking about…?” She had trailed off, panting heavily. Robin and Chrom exchange a look.

“Yes, were asking if a merchant couple had come here asking for help.” Chrom said, watching the couple in front of them.

“Yes! We were attacked by bandits and escaped with our lives while hiding our babe. It was a mistake to even leave her there in the first place! We should’ve taken her with us.” The lady had looked like she would collapse from how desperate she was.

“Please, Madam, Sir, believe me and my wife. Once we heard that a group in town had come into town asking about the parents of a child… We came as soon as we could.” The man came up, placing a gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder. Robin gave a small smile.

“Then it would be a crime to not return your child to you.” Robin said, handing the child over into the woman’s arms. The mother had tears coming down her cheeks when she had locked eyes with her daughter. The father couldn’t stop his own as they awed over their daughter whom had the brightest smile they saw since they had taken her in.

“Thank you…! We cannot thank you enough.” The father said. Chrom only shook his head.

“Seeing your child home and safe is enough. Your gratitude is enough as well.” Chrom said. The couple had nodded, thanking them once more before they left. Their child back in their care, safe from the dangers of the world.

The scene had warmed their hearts, happy and immensely grateful that they had the chance to reunite a family. It had only strengthened their resolve of starting a family of their own. A family teaching and guiding one another as they all grew together. It was an experience that they would be proud to have in their lives.

[auratold]

She lets him pull her down, her hand freeing from his during the process. Settled against his chest, she wraps her arms around his torso. Lucina can feel his racing heart from this position, and she's sure her breaths are likely tickling the skin of his throat or chin.

"We are safe." The words are a repetition, a reminder that they are not in the beaten and broken world that now lived only in their nightmares. The war is over, the future they came from is dead and in its place is one their own world would never have been able to grant them.

She keeps her eyes open, although she can not see his from this position, Lucina instinctively knows they are open too. There likely won't be any more sleep tonight for them both, not unless exhaustion prevails. "Always. I will not leave you, Gerome."

@auratold // from x

Gerome continued to keep his eyes steady on Lucina but there was no way to quell the racing of his heart except to let reality set in. They were not in their hellish world, they were not in any danger, and Lucina's presence was not as a companion or their leader, but as his wife.

He reached for her, pulling her by the shoulder to his chest, and then wrapped both arms around her. Whether it was to keep her safe, to assure himself she was safe, or to have the comfort of her near him, he didn't know. Perhaps it was all three.

They were safe.

He repeated the words to himself, hoping that they would sink in as true at some point. Yet he didn't close his eyes, least the nightmares returned, and simply held her. "Thank you." His voice came out small and soft, an expression of gratitude meant for so much of what she did, but most of all for simply being here. Being with him.

[yuletide-fehstivities]

@summonedhearts (Abby) wrote this for @unwaveriinghearts (BP)!

Happy Yuletide and a Merry New Year!

Dear Santa,

My name is Chrom, prince to the throne of Ylisse (if you were wondering where to find us) and I would like a sword for my present this year so I can train to be a knight alongside the Shepherds. Have you seen them? They're so cool! Mother worries about me getting in harm's way while I'm watching them so I want Frederick and the others to train me so I can defend myself and protect Ylisse. I've helped Mother and Father a lot this year as well as playing nice with Emmeryn and Lissa so I hope I'm on your nice list this year.

I'm not sure if this is allowed but, I'd like to ask you for presents for my sisters too, I don't know if Em's already written to you, but I know Lissa's been struggling with her writing lessons so I wanted to make sure her wish got to you. She'd really like some new boots, seeing as hers got scuffed from playing outside. Her pranks have been mostly forgiven and Em...I don't know what Em wants, I haven't seen her that much while Dad's been away at war again with Plegia. Mother's been giving her lessons in becoming the Exalt but I know she feels worried about the responsibility. I don't know if you can help, or if I've asked too much already, but I'd like to ask for their safety.

These letters are meant to be for toys and the such, aren't they? I'm sorry. I should scrap this and try again or at the very least, save this for Lissa’s imagination.

On the off chance this makes it to you, I wish you a safe flight over Ylisse - oh, and thank you!

Yours faithfully,

C,

His Majesty, Prince Chrom of the Kingdom of Ylisse (Age 7)

Dear Santa,

I am aware it has been some time since I last wrote to you - perhaps a childish thing of me to do now and yet, I find a small solace in writing to you now in a rare moment of peace here. First, I must thank you for your response to my previous letter. The sword you gifted me has been a perfect fit and joining the Shepherds has been, well, a dream come true if I am to be frank. Lissa adored her new boots, so much so that I fear they are being held together by mere strings at this point though her attachment to them is something fierce. As for Emmeryn, ever since our mother’s passing she has taken the role of Exalt with her usual grace though alone, it is clear to see the toll it is taking upon her and still--she continues to provide nothing but the best for me and Lissa. I cannot thank her enough, nor convey my gratitude enough for her actions over these past few years in words alone.

I apologize for the tone this note has taken, but as a prince, soldier and brother, I can only do my very best in return for both of my sisters. I must fight to keep my family and the people of Ylisse safe on the battlefield, while Emm keeps them safe in her throne. Lissa has already expressed an interest in joining the Shepherds when she is of age though I believe her talents lie best in that of the medical arts following her training with Emm and mother, before she passed.  I want to keep her safe, yet I know this is a never-ending struggle, the same my mother must have felt as she watched over us all, no doubt.

Yule is fast approaching, as I’m sure you’re well aware. I can’t wait for the holiday celebrations here though we are scarcely permitted to visit the markets and attractions without ample protection. Frederick, our chief, worries too much though, if what Father says is to be true, then the wars with Plegia are unlikely to stop at our agreed borders should they get so close. I want to trust him - after all, he risks himself in a cause we know so little of and yet, it is hard to justify it as anything more than a pre-emptive strike against Plegia when, for once, they have done nothing to warrant such a war.

Perhaps, if we are lucky, there will be a mission to the celebrations at some point though I don’t hold high hopes. I just need to eat something other than bear.

Yours faithfully,

C,

His Majesty, Prince Chrom of Ylisse (Age 15)

Dear Santa,

I sincerely apologize for the gaps between my writings to you though perhaps it is silly I am still writing to you at all  given your usual dealings are with that of children. These past few years have been hard upon all of us. I am afraid to come to you with grave news - the Exalt, my sister, Em, is no longer with us. Killed as a pawn in the Plegian’s game for whatever war they intend to wage with us now. I have had trouble sleeping for some time - at first, from my promotion to Captain of the Shepherds and now, I am plagued by nightmares though to call them fictional would hardly be apt in the circumstances.

Things have truly changed a lot since my last letter to you. Lissa has joined our company now, serving us greatly as a Cleric following the completion of her medical studies though she continues to grow stronger each day - not least after recent events, if we are to be truthful.

I must also tell you of another person of great significance in my life though I fear it’s tale is as big as some of yours, though I insist, it is truth in these trying times. Her name is Robin. She is truly magnificent - skilled with tome, sword, brains and beauty alike. It was Lissa who first noticed her unconscious on one of our patrols though I must admit, at first, my fears were that of the worst. Frederick the Wary naturally advised caution, but following several trials of her trust, she has been an invaluable ally in this senseless war.  It is not a fact I have shared with Lissa or any other of the Shepherds for that matter but it is her resolve and guidance that has refocused my mind on our original mission. In truth, I have since spent many hours with her - planning our next steps to victory or further training, of a manner, though I must admit our first few interactions after meeting were less than proper for a man and woman though now, I am pleased to call us friends. Continuing my original point, meeting Robin has been nothing short of a miracle - between her optimism, strategy and belief in all of us, there is little I can say that would do it justice.  

If it wasn’t already obvious, as Lissa has taken care to point out, although I believe in jest for now, I cannot part my mind from her, what I mean to say is, I believe I’m in love.

The future ahead is uncertain and I have to admit to not knowing where it may lead, but, if I may, if it is proper for a man of my age to still be making holiday wishes then I wish for peaceful passage into the coming year and safety for those back  home. It is not an easy wish, nay, one that I am also working towards though one I am optimistic will come, nay, has to come if we are to succeed.

Yours faithfully,

C,

His Majesty, Prince Chrom of Ylisse (Age 19)

Dear Santa,

It has been difficult to put my thoughts into words as of late, so I am attempting to write this in a format that has brought me such comfort on prior occasions.  Time has again passed since my last letter to you - a small symbol of the change that has occurred in it’s boundaries if I am to truly bring my last letter up to speed.  Our battles did not end at Ylisse and Plegia, why, upon reflection, it felt as if they had barely started there - given the mount of our task to come.

Our numbers have grown considerably since we last talked - allies to our cause ran far and wide as things turned out, be it that they owed the Exalt of Ylisse a debt, expressed an interest in helping our cause voluntarily or in others, well, there were others with other motives, it rather pales in comparison to the reason I feel I need to address all this with you. In those that joined our party, my daughter, from a future far bleaker than our own, travelled back in time to prevent a future that would have doomed us all. In pursuit of that, a version of Robin, intertwined with our own from her future also returned, yet, it was one who had accepted the soul of the Fell Dragon, Grima upon my passing at her hands -  the grim future Lucina spoke of in her previous warnings. In her future, we had all fallen as a result of the battle and yet, in our own, we held the power to change it.

Robin, my closest ally, my friend through all of this, my wife, my dearest love, the trials we have faced appeared relentless and I nary say they are unlikely to end now although, perhaps, if I may submit one request, not on the scale of our previous endeavours, hm? I never could keep up with you.

You gave everything to ensure all of us had a future and for that, mere words will never be enough. I can only hope that each of us living to protect this future was the outcome you wished for too, no, I know it.

I know little of magic, not least that which appears to be above mere mortal bounds though if I may ask one final wish of you, however foolish it may seem, I know Robin lives - whatever time, whenever is right, I ask that you return her to us safe and sound so that we may fight for this future together, as a family and with our friends.

Our adventures here will not end, not now as we face the prospect of a new future - one of our own design and one that we may share the joy in, together, upon your return.  

Yours, as ever,

C,

His Royal Highness, Exalt Chrom of Ylisse (Age 22)

Dear Santa,

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

C,

His Royal Highness, Exalt Chrom and Queen Robin of Ylisse (Ages 23 and 25 respectively)

[auratold]

The father looks so ever-proud of his daughter, "I still can't believe how you made it, with everyone, here. Your determination and courage are unparalleled. I'm sure ... he would've been proud, too. Thank you for surviving."

The look in his eyes is too similar, too reminiscent of the man father she had lost. It's painful, reminding her of the pride in his eyes when she'd lifted a sword the first time, when she'd cut a log clean with falchion. But at the same time, it is a relief to see.

"I-" Lucina's voice catches in her throat, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The plan had never been in reveal her identity to him or the others, a moment of emotion causing her to call out to him. She'd told herself seeing him and her mother alive from afar was more than enough, but Lucina can't deny that she has ached and wanted this more than anything. "I know I am not truly your daughter, that if my mission here is achieved your Lucina will never know the loss our world held. But I can not tell you how much it means to hear this, Father."

[admiral-migu-blog]

Day 2: Lucina's Judgement Remix

The field was silent, with the exception of the grass blowing in the wind, which suited Robin just fine. It let him focus on what was really important, Lucina holding a very sharp sword to his throat. This was pathetic, to think that he, the genius tactician that led Chrom's Shepherds to victory, would die at the hands of one of his closest allies.

Robin had met Lucina over a year ago...

At first he'd written her off as being another one of Chrom's fangirls. However, that all changed when he noticed the mark in her eye. After that he assumed she was a mysterious bastard child. He hadn't expected time-travel.

Lucina literally worming her way into his life had left him with a new perspective. Even still, sometimes he felt like Ichigo Kurosaki, down to the girl living in his closet, Only instead of hunting hollows he was looking for time-travelers and beating up cultists.

"Lucina please, just put the sword down. Let's talk about this..."

"After getting to know you I didn't want to believe it, but in the back of my mind I knew. Robin, you're the man who kills my father!"

"Bullshit!"

"You know it's true!"

"Lucina, I'm not going to kill Chrom!"

"You won't have a choice!" Shit. She had him there.

The Shepherds had gone to rescue Emmeryn and retrieve Sable from Plegia only to learn a chilling truth: Robin's father was the head of the evil Grimleal Cult, he could control Robin like a puppet, and Robin was the Felldragon's current Avatar. They'd been forced to flee with their tails between their legs after he'd manipulated Robin into giving him the Fire Emblem.

Honestly, Chrom's words were the only reason Robin wasn't dead right now. However, that would likely change once his father caught wind of the news.

"I won't lose my father again; we've already lost the Fire Emblem!"

He was tired of this, "Dammit, use your head here idiot! Killing me now accomplishes nothing! In case you forget, Chrom doesn't know you're his daughter from the future! He thinks you're just a fangirl who wants to bed him!"

Lucina flinched as Robin laid the truth bare. She'd was well aware just what her father thought of her. However, she couldn't falter! She had to avoid the bad ending! She'd promised her friends, swore on her parent's graves, she couldn't-!

"What's going on here?!" A booming voice demanded. Robin and Lucina both turned to the owner of said voice in horror, Chrom was glaring at the time-traveler with barely contained fury, and the duo gave him their best dear caught in the headlights impression's.

"Chrom?!"

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"Oh, you know, I was just wandering around and noticed you threatening my best friend!"

Lucina flinched at the venom behind his words and dropped her sword in shock. She tried to speak up, defend herself, anything! However, she was at a loss for words.

Dammit! This wasn't fair.

Thankfully, Robin came to her rescue.

"Relax, we're roleplaying."

"Roleplaying." Chrom asked, clearly not believing him. "In an empty field." He motioned to the field around them, "Alone. After what happened in Plegia? With a knock-off Falchion no less?!"

Robin looked at Lucina, then at Chrom. He looked his best friend straight in the eyes and answered, "Yes."

"Why?!"

"Authenticity?" Lucina chimed in. Robin chocked down a laugh. She'd come so far from the girl with no sense of humor!

"And we felt like everyone could use some cheering up." Robin added.

Chrom still looked skeptical, "So you're planning to put on a play huh, what's it called?"

"Roberella." A new voice chimed in from behind Lucina, who let out a horrified yelp before backing away. What was with everyone sneaking up on her today! Her cry caused the other two to jump and they glared at the newcomer.

"Tharja," Chrom muttered "You're involved with this farce too?"

"It's no farce Capitain. I've been planning it for months."

"Prove it."

"Are you calling me a liar? I'll curse the shit out of you! You'll have blue balls forever! Just think about how poor Olivia will feel, knowing that you'll never be able to give her the son she's always wanted?"

Chrom let out a frustrated sigh and Robin began to feel guilty. He didn't like lying to his friend.

But Lucina was an idiot, so it was a necessary evil. If it wasn't for him she would have dug her own grave months ago. He just hoped she'd hear him out. They could figure this out together. At the very least, he wanted to save Emmeryn.

"I'm sorry for doubting you two. Just, be careful okay? I know everyone's still reeling over the loss of the Fire Emblem but we can't let that ruin what we have!"

"Ah, that reminds me." Tharja spoke up and pulled out a sack. She tossed it to Chrom, who opened it, and he gaped like an idiot at what was inside, "I switched the gems with fakes a few days ago and forgot to tell anyone, sorry."

Chrom starred at Tharja.

Lucina starred at Tharja.

Robin starred at Tharja and asked what everyone was thinking, "Why?"

"I was curious." She answered, as if that answered everything.

Chrom laughed "Well, looks like we haven't completely lost. Good, without all five gems the Fire Emblem won't work. Seems Tharja's quirks saved us, thanks. I'm looking forward to that play you three." Chrom said, patting Tharja on the shoulder much to her annoyance, and laughing as he left the scene.

He'd completely forgotten why he'd come here in the first place.

The trio stood in silence for a good minute, watching him go, before Tharja spoke up.

"It's so nice that you've finally decided to help me with my masterpiece Robin~"

"Wait, you were serious?!"

"R-Roberella, it's real?!"

"Naturally, and now that you used it to ward off the captain I believe you're out of options."

Robin glared at the girl in front of him, "You planned this."

"No, I merely took advantage of the situation. I'll see you two at my room bright and early tomorrow." Tharja was lying through her teeth, truth was she'd known about The Dragon's Table incident for a while now, courtesy of Noire. Tharja would gladly exploit the girls lack of backbone if it meant she could keep Robin safe; besides it wasn't like the future hadn't already been changed. Whether she chose Validar's hope of Robin's Hope was irrelevant at this point. The multiverse was always moving so fate was always changing.

A pity so few of those time-travelers understood that.

Lucina began to cry.

"Hey, none of that. So what if Alter Validar made the Robin from your timeline kill Chrom. We'll figure something out." Robin said, picking up the Parallel Falchion and holding it out for the crying girl. Tharja looked on in disgust. "So get up, wipe those tears of yours and go to bed. We can discuss how we'll deal with this after dealing Tharja's stupid play."

"How rude." Tharja muttered from the side, she felt like the third wheel to the stupidest love story ever told.

Lucina nodded, Robin was right, together they could do the impossible. She'd forgotten that. She just had to believe, believe that by working together the future could be changed!

Meanwhile, at the Second Dragons Table...

Validar had just finished preforming the awakening ritual. However,

Nothing happened.

"I said awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken!"

Nothing changed.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Robin!"

"Yes?" his super-duper genius school girl daughter asked.

"Not you, be gone whelp!" Validar demanded, pulling out a squirt bottle and spraying his daughter with it. He grabbed the Fire Emblem and threw it at her. She caught it after it bounced off her pigtailed head. The fake gems fell off too, in such a way that, it was a miracle Validar didn't notice the four were fakes earlier.

After all, they were cardboard cutouts.

"This is your fault, fix it!" Validar demanded before walking away fabulously.

Robin watched her father leave. She glanced down at the shield of seals, then at the direction her father had gone, then back at the shield. It only had one gem on it: Sable.

He expected her to retrieve the other four gems from a group of skilled Naga Zealots? Warriors who would happily gut her like a fish? Fighters that included her brother, his weirdo girlfriend, and their creepy stalker? Then bring the completed shield home?

Robin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The people of Ylisse weren't known for treating those who didn't worship their god with kindness.

"I knew there was a reason I killed him first." A hooded man muttered to himself after watching the scene play out from the shadows.

His sister would fail.

The Shepherds would regain the Fire Emblem, the final gem along with it, and preform the Awakening ritual.

Ylisse would once again pillage Plegia and the cycle would continue.

Grima sighed.

How boring.

A story where the outcome was already known wasn't fun at all. Ah well, in the end he'd never truly loose. His only bane was himself after all.

However, Lucina's face suddenly flashed across his mind. Unlike the majority of her allies that brat hadn't acted in a way he hadn't expected. Allying herself with his weaker self wasn't something he'd seen coming. He'd assume she'd antagonize him, like the rest of her bloodline had ultimately done in his timeline, yet instead they'd pushed him back at every turn.

Grima wondered if, perhaps, there was some worth in this timeline after all.

[svarmodiig]

😘 Perhaps .....

It’s international kissing day! Send 😘 to kiss my muse. || No Longer Accepting

✦ ▪       Never in a million years did the dancer think he would be invited to attend a royal ball, certainly not with the prospect of his own demise lingering in his shadows with every step. With the darkness the Fell Dragon wrought upon his world, he could no longer see his shadow, leaving him vulnerable.

          Their escape into the past did not change his expectations. Peace prevailed in this world, but for how long? Would he live to see a day where the war came to an end? Idle thoughts consumed his day to day life, wearing a melancholic smile as a mask to hide his true pain. This was not the life he wanted. He wanted to follow in his mother’s footsteps as a dancer, not to be locked into a lifetime of war. Wandering if he would live to see the sun rise over the horizon; to see the moon and the stars shine like beacons of hope in the night sky. 

          He cried the day the Fell Dragon was slain, harder than the day his mother died, or the day he took his first life. Peace finally presented itself as a lifestyle for the dancer, a day he had only seen in his dreams.

           Ever since that day, he pinched himself every time he awoke, to ensure that he wasn’t still dreaming.

          Each new day presented opportunities the previous days never did. Finally, he could make his dreams a reality. Dancing for people all over the continent to bring them smiles. Wasting hours making flower crowns. Enjoying the rain from the window with a warm cup of tea. Most of all, spending quality time with his best friends.

          His relationship with Lucina was a unique one. The two shared an interesting dynamic. One was a princess, a leader, who could show no signs of weakness if she hoped to be a figure who her allies looked up to. She had to be a beacon of hope, maintaining a determined and serious mindset to inspire. Most importantly, a realist. The other was a dancer, one who took to his profession to make people smile, something which he applied to his daily life. One who always saw the best in people and tried to remain optimistic about their future. he was an idealist. That wasn’t to say neither shared any of these traits, but some applied to one more than the other. 

          He couldn’t speak for Lucina, but Inigo certainly wished he could be more like her. That he could be more serious. That he could be a stronger person, or at the very least pretend enough for others to believe him. He knew how the others looked at him. They thought he pranced around with his head in the clouds without a care in the world, daydreaming of unicorns and rainbows. It was far from the truth, but he knew he couldn’t change their minds.

          She still believed in him though. Or well, enough to keep the dancer around. She saw something in him, that had to be the truth. He owed his very life to her. It was her leadership that led them to victory in their own world.

          So when Lucina asked if he would be her partner in the royal ball, it was a dream come true. To not only attend one, but to dance with a real life princess too, and one who he cared so deeply for already. He couldn’t have asked for anything more in life.

          Weeks of practicing had led to the big day. He had to teach the princess the basics from the ground up, and it was no easy task. Having retained such a stiff posture for so long, the princess, naturally, struggled relaxing herself to dance comfortably. It was his honour to teach her not only how to relax herself but how to dance.

‘ Are you ready Lucina? ’

          Inigo asks, reaching out his hand to take her own, leading her into the ballroom, wearing a dreamy grin on his face the whole time. He turns to face the princess, a reassuring smile readying her for their performance. 

          Graceful steps carry the dance partners across the dance floor, elegant twirls following in their wake, eyes locked all the while as they move in harmony. Though the room is silent, barring the music and the sounds of footsteps echoing around the room, the two communicate with their eyes, smiles speaking for them. In that moment, they were alone, a spotlight fixed on their movements. He never wanted this moment to end.

          As the song came to a close, the dancer twirled the princess in towards him, dipping her to his side. He tried to fight back a smile but he couldn’t. As he gazed into Lucina’s eyes, his heart raced, he’d never felt such passion. In a daring move, he leans in closer to the princess, placing his lips on hers to seal their performance, bringing it to a fairy tale scene ending.

[auratold]

She was used to nightmares herself. Of the world burning, their world, the one they'd been forced to abandon. Too many nights she woke from them herself, sometimes screams threatening to spill, sometimes feeling as though she was chocking on ash and dust.

Tonight she'd still been awake when Gerome had jostled, it taking Lucina only a heart beat to realize what was happening. Neither of them were strangers to this.

She'd been quick to try to shake him awake, it taking longer than she'd like before his eyes opened and he'd gripped her hand. Lucina squeezed back, her free hand rising to move stray hairs from his face. "Breathe, my love. You have nothing to apologize for."

"We are safe."

it’s okay, Gerome, it’s okay. (From Lucina)

Gerome had barely dozed off in the early hours of the morning when his nightmares seized him. It dug its claws deep, unwilling to release him, insisting he relive the nightmares of the Risen, of friends and mentors dying, of the world burning and him helpless to stop it.

He was shaken awaken a second later and grasped Lucina's hand tightly as if she was a lifeline. His eyes were wide in terror before the world came into focus and he realized it had only been a nightmare. That it wasn't his present. Not anymore.

Gerome's gaze focused on Lucina and his breathing began to steady. "Sorry," he mumbled, voice shaking. "I'm...I'm fine."

[valorandgold-archived]

5 Times the Love // M!Morgan :>

The first time Morgan encountered Camilla, he’d been scared out of his wits. Or at least, that had been at first. But being a tactician meant that Morgan was observant, and when he observed the Malig Knight carefully enough, beyond her enticing physical appearance and her sheer menacing presence, he noticed...something in her eyes. There was a pain, an unmistakable pain that he recognized, one he’d even seen in others, especially Lucina, and he’d even seen it cast in his own reflection once before. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause, but he got the feeling it was more than one thing. Maybe it was partly the pain of the side that Corrin had chosen. After all, Camilla did care deeply for them. Maybe it had something to do with how harsh and unloving things were in Nohr, or at least that seemed to be the case based on what Morgan had experienced during his brief time there and been told by Corrin. Maybe there was something else at work too. All Morgan knew was there were some deep scars.

He’d been ready to raise his weapon to try and challenge her, yet he did not right away. All he could do was say “...I’m sorry. I don’t know what for, but I’m so very sorry.” Morgan then turned his attention to two more soldiers nearby. Camilla looked rather dumbfounded at that sudden expression, though only briefly, as the battle left her little time to be confused.

It was then that Morgan understood Corrin’s love and constant worry for the woman he’d called his older sister most of his life.

Perhaps that pain Morgan had seen and recognized, and had even understood more clearly as they encountered her once again was partly why he’d been very willing to stay in Nohr and look after Camilla upon Corrin’s request. Perhaps even Corrin himself had noticed that something about her inner turmoil had resonated with the tactician in a way. Besides, it wasn’t as if Hoshido really needed a tactician when they had Yukimura, and there was no doubt that Morgan was best suited for taking care of someone who was still very dear to Corrin. 

Leo had been less than enthusiastic about the change, of course, yet in time he came to accept Morgan as well. Camilla seemed to have an easier time of it, though, and Morgan began to see firsthand her more caring and protective nature. She was almost a motherly sort of figure to those who mattered to her, and this soon extended to Morgan himself as well, something that kept him feeling kind of secure and happy within the somewhat cold, castle walls of Nohr.

The brunet hated feeling useless. But what could he possibly do in a time like this, after Leo’s passing at the hands of an assassin? What could he possibly do to comfort Camilla, who had been so welcoming of him and helped him settle in more than anyone else had? What words or actions could he take to give some solace to the woman who’d just been crowned Queen? It wasn’t as if isolating herself to others was anything new for Camilla, but it was even more obvious to everyone now than ever. She tried to look strong and resolved for the sake of Nohr, and she probably would have sold it had everyone not known she’d just lost her brother.

It had taken him multiple tries to muster up the courage to visit the newly-appointed Queen of Nohr, but he kept his breaths steady and his focus clear when he stepped in. He couldn’t force her to accept comfort from him and just let all her pained emotions out on the spot. She wasn’t that sort of woman, and she wasn’t that comfortable with him yet, he knew that. But he could at least remind her that he was there.

“Lady Camilla, I...wish to pledge my eternal allegiance to you.” He knelt at her feet, and bowed his head respectfully. “I will always be here for both you and for the people of Nohr, and whenever you are in need, I will answer and do what you ask of me.” She would need someone reliable at her side more than ever now, and he was volunteering to be that someone reliable. Maybe he could help ease some of the burden she was about to bear.

Of course Morgan admired Camilla. He had for a long time, especially since he’d come to Nohr and seen what she was capable of first-hand. She was strong to keep looking so resolved and powerful despite all the difficulties that had come her way, and the way she cared about the people that she ruled with a fierce loyalty was something absolutely inspiring. Still, as he sat in his quarters, thinking about the Queen, he was wondering when that admiration had turned into love. 

Based on some murmurs he’d heard, others had realized that change before he had. Was he really that transparent? What if Camilla already knew? But he simply couldn’t help it. They’d developed such a close bond and he’d come to care for her...and caring for her didn’t mean being an assistant to the perfect image of her that all the people of Nohr saw. Gradually, over the years, she’d opened up to Morgan more and more, and the more she did, the more he loved her for who she truly was. She was a fractured queen, a broken woman who cared too much to give up no matter how much it hurt. She was reckless, willing to go to literally any extremes for the land of Nohr, extremes that scared Morgan nearly to death because they almost led to her death. She was flawed, human just like anyone else, though she could not, in her mind, allow the commonfolk she protected to see that. That was what she was at her core. She was still just another person. 

But Morgan saw all of that, every last bit, and he loved it. He didn’t love this flawless image of her that so many had built her up to be, he loved what she truly was. To be so persistent, so caring, to carry so much hurt and try to defy it all...she was amazing...and his heart yearned to try and heal some of that pain, to cause her to genuinely smile. 

All he could hope was that she would let him.

It had taken some time for them to properly adjust to their relationship now, and for both of them to feel comfortable with such displays of affection, even though they always came in private. It wasn’t as though the two of them being together was any secret, but Camilla and Morgan both had their images to maintain regardless. Still, behind closed doors, when they had time to themselves, nothing could stop him from leaving tender kisses on her face and cuddling with her whenever she gave him the chance. 

“Do you know just how much you truly mean to me, Camilla?” He’d stopped using her title. Some might think it rude, but it was different to him. She needed to know that she was a person in his eyes first and foremost; that ‘Camilla’ came first, and that ‘Queen’ came second. 

“...who am I kidding? I say it so often now that you’re probably tired of hearing me say it.”

“You’re correct Morgan. Well, about how often you say it, at any rate.”

He couldn’t possibly help but smile at that. She indulged his desire to spoil her, perhaps because in her heart, she truly needed that: Morgan spoiling her and making her feel as loved as he did. 

“...just remember that even if I do finally stop saying it so often, that doesn’t mean that’s changed. It never will, not as long as you’ll let me be yours.”

“Wonderful. That means it will stay the same forever, Morgan.”

...gods, he loved her so much.