3AN: Here it finally is! This longboi of a story I've been teasing you all with for so long! Sorry it took me until now to publish it, but I thought it would be right to wait until the bridal banners made their come back in FEH! I hope you enjoy it. Also, thank you to aprahnicus on twitter for allowing me to use her art as the cover for this story. Give her a follow if you have a twitter!
And now, on with the story.
"What's With This Sassy…Lonely Princess?"
Xenologue 1: The Two Tacticians
One fine morning, as the Summoner was breaking his fast with the Askrian royal siblings, the commander, and some of the other strategists that had been summoned to aid the Order in its efforts. They worked and ate at a table in the Great Hall of the Order's castle, planning out their next steps against Embla. The two Robins sat across from Kiran, hands intertwined as they pointed out certain contingencies that would be most useful to keep in mind, while the Morgan twins listened closely, soaking up the tactical knowledge like sponges.
One of the more entertaining things that Kiran had witnessed since being summoned to Zenith and joining the Order was watching the interactions between the two Robins– and their children.
When Robin met Robin, they were quick to become intense– but friendly– rivals, each competing to prove themselves the better tactician. The two would often challenge each other in tactical simulations in order to prove their sense of tactics the better. Despite this cordiality, there was still an underlying current of awkwardness between the the pair, as there likely naturally would be between anyone who met a version of their self, though of the opposite sex.
This was a feeling only made all the stronger by the fact that the moment both Robins first laid eyes on each other, they were struck by how good they actually looked as the opposite gender.
It was a very surreal experience, all things considered.
One morning found Robin eating breakfast alone at a table in the corner of Great Hall, glancing furtively at a certain woman who was eating with the other female members of the Shepherds. From time to time, their eyes would meet, and embarrassed, quickly separate. The previous night, the Summoner, Kiran, had come back from the Summoning Stone with someone who he introduced as Robin, a tactician from the World of Awakening…his world. But also…not only his world, apparently.
Now, Robin had seen the Summoner return with tomes bearing the faces of heroes who had already been summoned, which ended up making those heroes stronger, but never before had he experienced anything like this. Last night, standing next to the Summoner was a person who looked almost exactly like him, from the matching patterns on their Grimcloak, the porcelain whiteness of their skin, all the way down to the same shade of silver of their hair. The fine features of their face and its fey aristocratic shapeliness– all of it was like his own. And yet, they were not the same being.
His counterpart, it turned out, was a woman. And this was a discovery both incredibly fascinating but also so very surreal. The previous night had left him grappling with confusion, horror, amazement, and questions of his existential uniqueness…as well as a certain thought that he was unable to put out of his mind: that she was the most inexplicably beautiful woman he had ever seen. From the moment he first laid eyes on her he felt his heartbeat quicken as the blood in his body flowed hotter. He wondered if this could be considered narcissism. Little did he know, however, that the other Robin too was incredibly taken with him at first glance, and had to fight to keep her eyes off of him that night to keep her blush from blossoming to fullness over her face.
That morning, as he neared the Great Hall for breakfast, Robin could hear Lissa's giggling and Sully's boisterous laughter even before he entered the room. He peered in cautiously from around the door and saw the two female Shepherds seated along with the female version of himself and a wide-eyed Olivia. She, apparently, hadn't been at the announcement last night. Behind the other tactician were the disturbingly happy faces of Tharja…and Tharja (in a black wedding dress). At least that was one good thing that had come out of this, Robin supposed. Both dark mages' attentions were drawn away from him by their newest obsession– the other Robin. He silently wished her good luck in dealing with them and snuck in to get some food.
Desiring to avoid a confrontation with the other Robin this soon. He would, at the very least, prefer not to deal with this situation without getting a cup of that strange roast bean beverage the locals referred to as "Kaffe" in him, which, frankly, was what kept him going these days. Robin skulked into the Great Hall, behind Hector, who was also walking in at that very moment. Hector shot him a strange look, but Robin just gave him a lopsided smile and raised a finger to his mouth. The Ostian lord just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking.
A plate of chocolate muffins dropped onto the other side of the table. Robin looked up to find Gaius smirking at him.
"Heya, Bubbles," the thief said, biting into one of the pastries. "How's it going?"
"Good morning, Gaius," Robin greeted him back.
The pair ate in silence for a bit. Gaius noticed that the tactician's eyes would keep drifting over to the table where his female counterpart sat with the other women of the Shepherds, laughing as she ate. She, the thief noticed, seemed unable to keep her own eyes off of him.
"So, Bubbles. You talk to Sugar over there yet?"
"Err…Sugar? And, not really," the tactician answered, scratching the side of his head. "It's just…I don't know. It feels odd. I was not expecting this, I'll tell you that much."
"She's a real sweetheart," Gaius explained, smirking. "Which you would know if you bothered to speak with her." He turned to see the female tactician, who was looking over at their table again, and gave her a wink, making her giggle and wave and turn back to her girlfriends. "Her hair's as white as the stuff too."
(In the background, the two Tharjas hissed angrily at the ginger thief for his audacity, though he paid them no attention.)
"Wh—Gaius!" Robin felt rather strange at this unabashed flirting with his female counterpart by one of his male friends. Though he still found himself unable to talk to the female tactician, Robin felt an odd desire to want to protect her from the gazes of other men swell up from somewhere within himself. Maybe it was just the fact that it felt partly like they were hitting on him, but something within him rankled at the very concept. He balked partly at his own possessiveness towards someone with whom he could barely even meet eyes, much less speak, and wondered if he weren't becoming a like Tharja.
Robin went to take a sip of coffee. His counterpart was standing up and looked like she was leaving. As she walked away, Lissa bumped into her causing a spoon to fall from her plate. The other Robin bent over to pick it up.
"We-he-hell," drawled Gaius, letting out a little whistle. "Might have to start calling her Bubbles from now on…" His voice trailed off as he kept staring at her walk away.
Robin spit out his coffee. "Gaius!" He felt more than a little annoyed.
"What?" the thief asked, false innocence in voice. "You can't blame me for appreciating a fine lady. Besides, I'm sure I'm not the only one around here who'd like a bite of that cake."
Robin's face went red. "Gaius!" He placed his cup down on the table shakily, making his coffee splash.
"That's the name. Don't get your smallclothes in a bunch, Bubbles," the thief said insouciantly, giving him a rakish smile as he stood up to leave. "I can see the steam coming out of your ears."
"Ghk!" Robin replied eloquently.
Soon thereafter, the other men of the Shepherds began to come by as well. Stahl, Frederick, and even Lon'qu– Lon'qu of all people– none were without a kind word about the female tactician– or her good looks.
Robin was left to stew in a confused frustration over this turn of events. Something within him, some hidden and illogical part, cried out in horror at this.
As he pondered these things, a hand clapped him on the back. He looked up to see his brother in all but blood, sitting down across from him, plate piled high with food.
"Good Morning, Robin! Have you spoken to Robin yet?"
Robin groaned inwardly. "No…not yet."
"Huh, well you should talk to her. She's quite the intelligent tactician. I think you'd get a lot out of it, discussing strategy with her."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I think it'd do you a lot of good."
Robin mulled it over and said he would think about it as he got up to leave. He was relieved that the conversation hadn't drifted into uncomfortable territory.
Unfortunately for the snowy-haired tactician, however, he ended up feeling relieved just a little too soon.
"You know, there was a time when I considered courting Robin. There was just something about her that was really different from any other girl I had ever met before. But she had me pair up with Sumia during the campaign in Plegia and we really grew closer during that time. And well, the rest is history."
He took a gulp of coffee. "And, uh, just between you and me, there was this one time I accidentally walked in on her in the bath during the journey to Ferox, and let me tell you: you can't tell, what with that baggy cloak she wears, but she is–"
"Damnit, Chrom" Robin cut him off, face burning in embarrassment. "I swear to Naga, if you finish that sentence I will tell Sumia about that incident if she ever gets here."
Chrom's face turned pale as Robin walked off.
As the two tacticians eventually discovered, all of the other Shepherds somehow had memories of the both of them simultaneously. At the same places and times. And yet, none of them could explain how or why that was the case. Depending on which of the Robins they were speaking to, they could recall events that could be corroborated by that Robin. And yet, they would also remember an entirely different sequence of events which matched up with the memories of the other Robin. Even Lucina, when asked, revealed that she also knew both of them in the future, though she found herself at a loss to explain precisely how.
"So you're saying that you've never met me either?" Robin asked his female counterpart, trying to calm his quickly beating heart.
After trying to avoid her for a few days, he found himself face to face with the other tactician after she had walked right into him while drying her hair with a towel as she was rounding a corner while leaving the castle's bathhouse. Relieved that they had not collapsed into a paradoxical singularity when she ran into him (though the spark of energy that shot up his spine at the contact both excited and concerned him), Robin decided that he should probably speak with her. He tried to ignore the disturbing thoughts running through his head about how soft she felt when he caught her, or how nice her hair smelt, or how she was clad in nothing but a white, fluffy cotton bathrobe, or how nicely said bathrobe hugged her curves that were normally hidden beneath her baggy clo–
Damnit, Chrom.
"N-no. Never," she replied, similarly relieved. For her part, she, tried not to think of how firm the muscles of his torso felt underneath his cloak when she bumped into him, or how warm, and strong, and safe his arms felt when he caught her. Or just how thin a barrier the bathrobe she was wearing really made between both of their bodies.
"Hmm…how strange," they both said in unison, slightly pink, before turning to look at each other, eyes wide. "Did you just– how are you– whoa."
"Well," began the cloaked man, after a few seconds of surprised silence. "That was…curious."
"You can say that again," the female tactician replied, still quite taken aback.
"Ahem, in any case," Robin said, clearing his throat. "Let me see if I'm getting this right. How could everyone we know also know both of us? I mean, it wouldn't make any sense unless we were from the same world, right? And yet, I truly have no recollection of you."
"I'm…I'm not sure, to be quite honest. I'm at kind of a loss as well. The only thing I can think of is that our comrades here somehow have possession of memories from both of our worlds, but they are somehow separated."
"But would that not imply that they are the same souls across different worlds? And the two of us? We who cannot ever recall knowing each other? What does that make us? Are we the same being or entirely distinct individuals?"
"Maybe we can work together to solve this mystery?" the silver-haired woman asked. "Let's go to the library and see what we can find!"
"Um, yes, we should do that…" Robin said hesitantly.
"Oh, do you not want to?" she asked, looking up at him with a look of disappointment, akin to that of a kicked puppy, which made him feel like his hear was being torn to shreds.
"No! Of course not! I mean, er, I do want. It's just that, uh…" he trailed off, blushing, as he tried to find look somewhere– anywhere– else but her body, still flush from the warmth of her bath. He turned red as he spied a drop of water fall from the tips of her bangs and snake its way down her neck and into the valley of her breasts. "P-perhaps," he said, gesturing to her state of dress, "you should…get changed first."
The woman blushed just as brightly as him, and held her bathrobe together tighter at the chest, before squeaking out a "O-oh, y-yes I'm g-gonna go change firstokaybyeI'lltalktoyoulater." Her voice faded off into the distance as she took off running for the women's quarters.
Robin let out a sigh of relief as he saw her disappear down the hallway. There was no reason for his female version to be, dare he say it, this damn hot. Just being around her made his temperature go up several degrees. This was going to be bad for his heart. He just knew it. This was going to be real bad for his heart.
Damnit, Chrom.
•
Deep within the castle's dungeons, far below the heroes' heaths, a dragon Fell, floating in the air upon his back, bound by shining golden runes, who wore the flesh of a man, from his divinely-induced slumber did stir.
"So…" he murmured. "It begins anew…I will again be whole."
Whispering thus, he passed yet again into the realm of sleep. Lost he was once more, unto his dreams of blood and of tears.
•
The implications of this line of thought as well as their continued simultaneous coexistence deeply intrigued the pair of tacticians. They began to meet nearly every day to study together at the castle library, delving deep into soul theory, Outrealms, time dilation, and dimensional travel in an attempt to find an answer to question of their existence.
The pair quickly found that they were able to boost their individual research capabilities by a magnitude of several times by working together. Both Robins seemed to just instinctively know when the other would need a particular book, and would hand it to them, thereby cutting down on the inefficiency of having to look for and bring back texts. Still, despite all the knowledge they had gained, the answers to their question continued to elude them.
As they continued working together, two tacticians also found that they had very distinct sets of strategic preferences. While the male Robin was more a fan of slow, methodical assaults, using a dedicated vanguard with high defense, the female Robin tended towards quick, hit-and-run tactics, intended to take advantage of overstretched formations with unguarded flanks.
Though they respected each other, despite their differing tactical sensibilities, both Robins soon began to rely on each other as well, not just professionally but also personally. This change was precipitated by a certain event: the arrival of a certain hero– Robin's daughter, Morgan.
Morgan had always been very attached to her father, but she took very quickly to his female counterpart as well– so much so that it surprised him. The two women got along swimmingly and grew very close to each other in a very short period of time, with Robin treating Morgan as the daughter she never had.
For Robin, Morgan was a reminder of her sister in all but blood, Aversa, whose true past she still held some guilt over. Despite having always been at odds with the older witch since she had woken up in the field that day, Robin had always desired to find some way to make up with the woman after she found out about the consequences of Validar's schemes on Aversa's life.
Hearing how her parallel self's daughter had become a Dark Flier after taking lessons from her aunt, whom Morgan held in no small amount of esteem, did a great deal to help ease Robin's guilt. As for Morgan's father, his female counterpart became a trustworthy figure to look after and educate his daughter in a way that he would have approved of in his absence.
Morgan could just as often be found studying and running tactical simulations under the auspices of her father's counterpart as she could doing the same with her father himself. And while Morgan had always been close with her father, there were certain things that could only be discussed in fellow female company, and the younger tactician came to regard the older woman as close confidante and almost maternal figure, turning to her often for advice when she felt unable to handle a situation.
Over time, due to their mutual care for Morgan (and, perhaps, due in no small part to the girl's own mischievous meddling), the two tacticians started spending a greater deal of time together with each other as well, falling into a easy and comfortable friendship, almost as if they had known each other for years. Once the initial barrier of awkwardness had been overcome, they found a deeper, richer friendship quickly blossom between them.
Still, this was a relationship that did not go beyond a deep and abiding friendship for a long time, due perhaps in part to Robin's memories of her own child. Furthermore, she had no desire to take the place of Morgan's real mother, despite however much she may have cared for the girl herself.
•
There was a secret Morgan had kept from all the world since her arrival in the past. One that was never revealed to a single other soul– not even her father.
She had, in fact, one memory, one single keepsake from her mother– a ring she wore on a chain around her neck. It was a fairly simple affair– a single silver band with a single purple jewel set in the center, around which was engraved a circle and a six-pointed knot– but Morgan could remember her mother telling her how important it was to her, as it was the ring given to her by Morgan's father when he proposed.
That ring and its history was the one serious lie she had ever told her father, albeit by omission. She had never mentioned it to him before, since, when they first met, he said he was neither married nor involved with any other woman. Nor did he ever seem to be close enough to any of the women in the Shepherds to propose to them at any time after. Thus, whenever asked, Morgan would simply say that she couldn't remember anything about her mother.
The matter was left untouched for a long time thereafter, even as the other Shepherds finished pairing off, as by that time, the war against Valm was just about to kick into gear, and there was hardly any time for anyone to think on the matter. Lucina's testimony that she did, in fact, know Morgan from the future, served as enough reassurance that she was indeed Robin's daughter.
There was a day when Robin had to ask his female counterpart to watch over his daughter for the day as he went on a mission with the two women spent the majority of the day studying tactics. Morgan was most excited to find out that "Miss Robin", as she had taken to calling the female tactician, had independently developed a similar tactical wargame to the one her father had created. They spent the afternoon comparing the two versions of the game and began the work of combining and rebalancing the game's rules to make it more realistic.
Later that evening, after dinner, Morgan asked Miss Robin to tell her stories about her exploits and those of the Shepherds of her world. Morgan was surprised to find out that many of the events that had occurred in Miss Robin's world were direct mirrors of what had happened in world she came from with her father.
That night, Morgan's father returned from his mission to a sight which brought a smile to the weary tactician's face. He found the pair in the library, curled up on a pile of cushions near the hearth. His female counterpart was reading a book on the history of religion in Zenith while Morgan lay sleeping peacefully with her head on the older woman's lap.
He walked in quietly, taking off his gloves and cloak and placing them on a nearby chair as he sat down beside the woman who shared his name. He gave Robin a tired smile. Ruffling his daughter's hair, he whispered to her so as to not wake Morgan up.
"Hey there. Hope she didn't give you too much trouble," he said, chuckling softly. "Thanks for taking care of her."
"Please," Robin answered, putting her book down, "it was my pleasure. We had a great time today. Don't worry about ever needing someone to look after her. As long as I'm here, I'd be happy to take her off your hands." She gave him a cheeky grin before turning to Morgan. Her smile softened as gazed down at the sleeping girl, who reminded her so much of her own child. Robin couldn't believe the odds that not only did she herself have a different dimension counterpart of the opposite sex who shared the same name as her, but so did her son. 'What a strange, strange universe,' she mused, running her fingers through the child's hair.
In the forest of Morgan's hair, both Robin's fingers brushed past each other for a moment, sending a spark of electricity up both of their spines. In that moment, they caught each other's gaze, bodies slowly filling with warmth as their faces flushed a mutual, gentle red– a warmth that could not be explained away by the fire crackling in the hearth nearby, arising so undeniably from within each's core and spreading outwards as it did. Neither of the two could move an inch, paradoxically both burning from the warmth within their bodies and frozen in place by the same.
"…!" Robin's breath hitched in her throat as she lost herself in the warm depths of Robin's dark brown eyes as they glimmered in the firelight. Her fingers stretched out unconsciously, seeking to reconnect with the hand that had sent those shivers up her spine. In the mass of Morgan's hair, hidden underneath those thick locks, Robin's long, slender index finger reinitiated contact with his, one finger locking around the other. Another wave of warmth shot through both of their bodies.
For Robin's part, he found himself stuck to his spot, unable to move, as the blood rushed through his body. His pupils dilated in the midnight library, as his eyes roved across his female counterpart's face, her svelte, noble features so obviously a mirror to his own, drinking in the sight. He saw her hair, so often tied up in twintails, let down in her moment of rest, falling like a cascade of molten silver. His eyes travelled from the ridges of her shapely brows, to the thick lashes framing her deep brown eyes which glittered like nothing he had ever seen before, over to the fine bones of her cheeks, like porcelain painted red, down to her rosy lips, shining like flame. A flame which called him, a hapless moth, to extinguish himself upon them.
He drew closer to the woman, and her lips parted unconsciously, breath growing heavier as her counterpart neared…
And then Morgan mumbled something as she turned over in her sleep and the spell was broken.
Both of them immediately withdrew their hands as though burnt, and looked away from each other, faces bright red.
The pair sat there in silence. No sound could be heard, save the muffled breathing of the two tacticians, the beating of their hearts, and the crackling of the flames.
Soon thereafter, however, Robin's exhaustion, coupled with that sudden spike of adrenaline proved to be too much, and as he calmed down, the allure of sleep became undeniable, and he began to doze off. He found himself unable to move or even hold his eyes open. His body felt as though it were made of lead.
Robin felt a weight slump onto her left shoulder, and finally dared to turn her head back, only for her face to go even more red at the sight. Upon her shoulder lay Robin's head, who seemed to have fallen asleep during that period of silence.
"H-hey, Robin…" she whispered after a few moments, shaking him slightly, trying her best to not touch his exposed skin again. "You have to wake up. You can't sleep her."
'And definitely not on my shoulder!' her mind added.
"Don...wanna," the man slurred, barely conscious enough to answer.
"Roobin," she whispered plaintively, pulling on his arm. "Come on! We have to go."
She eventually succeeded in rousing the drowsy tactician, and made him get to his feet.
She then made Morgan stand up, as half asleep as her father, and after taking a moment to stretch her legs, threw Robin's coat over her shoulder, and grabbed father and daughter's hands to walk them to their room.
On the way there, however, the father-daughter pair of sleepy tacticians who were in no mood to walk each ended up wrapping an arm around on of Robin's and leaning onto her as they walked, causing her to stumble as they made their way down the castle corridors. Her face burned with preemptive embarrassment at the thought of being seen like this by someone else. "Hey! Come on, you two. You have to walk straight or I'm gonna leave you both here."
It was an empty threat, and it seemed that even half-asleep, the two sleepy tacticians knew it, choosing instead to only further bury their heads against Robin's arms.
Thankfully, the three made it to Morgan's room without being seen, and Robin lay the pair down on the bed. She threw Robin's coat over him and tucked Morgan in, before rushing out of the room to the privacy of her own.
Robin fell forwards onto her bed and stuffed her face into her pillow.
Had anyone passed by her room, they might've heard the sound of muffled screaming through the door.
She didn't fall asleep that night.
•
Neither of the two remembered what had happened the night before, nor how they had gotten to their beds when they woke up the next day.
One day, Kiran announced to the Order that he had received a vision in which a select few heroes from Ylisse were likely to be able to be called over, chief amongst whom were Libra, Maribelle, and Sumia.
Naturally, all of the heroes from said land were most excited about the news and began making plans to visit the Summoning Stone to see their loved ones. Chrom and Lucina, in particular, were looking forward to seeing their wife and mother.
Morgan went looking for her father to tell him the news. Curiously, she couldn't find him in his room, the Great Hall, or the library, where he would normally spend his time. Confused, she wandered around the castle trying to find him so they could go see their friends.
Eventually, she made her way outside to the training grounds, wondering if she might find him there. As she rounded the corner, she saw there a sight that brought both of her hands to her mouth in surprise.
Sleeping on the ground of one of the training areas, under the shade of a tree, was her father with his back against the tree. Evidently, he had been training seriously, considering the destroyed remains of several training dummies a little further away. What surprised Morgan, however, was not that he had fallen asleep in such a place– she had seen far stranger– but the fact that there was someone else wearing the same Grimcloak there as well, sleeping right next to him.
Morgan rubbed her eyes, but it seemed that she wasn't actually seeing doubles. Sleeping alongside her father was his female counterpart. Judging by the basket next to them, they must have brought lunch for after training and fallen asleep from exaustion after they ate.
In her sleep, Miss Robin's head seemed to have ended up on her father's shoulder. His own head was laying on hers, while his hand had made its way over to where hers, covering it protectively.
The late afternoon sun streaming in through the coughs of the trees dappled gently onto the pair's silver hair and clothes, giving the scene a feeling of absolute peace and contentment. The wind rustled through the ground, and Robin nuzzled further into her male counterpart's shoulder who tightened his grip on her hand.
'Oh Naga, they're so cute together!' Morgan squealed mentally, turning around and squatting while squishing her face together to handle the sheer adorableness of the two tacticians.
A sudden pang of guilt shot through her. 'I wish I could remember Mom. Maybe then I wouldn't feel this way. I…wouldn't terribly mind if Miss Robin and Dad got together. I mean, she's just so nice! And pretty! And they look so perfect for each other. But…is this okay? She…couldn't be my real mother, could she? Wouldn't that be unfair to her? Well…I guess there's no way I could know for sure. I want Dad to be happy. But I also want to find my real mother. Argh, what do I do?'
Though she was loathe to wake them up while she was wrestling with such thoughts, Morgan reluctantly shook the two tacticians awake so they could make it on time for the excursion to the Summoning Stone, and put a smile on her face.
"Hi Dad! Miss Robin! Wakey wakey sleepyheads!"
The two tacticians groaned drowsily, slowly waking up…and then noticed the position they had ended up in. Morgan's father quickly withdrew his hand as Miss Robin lifted her head off of his shoulder with a little "Eep!" as both of their faces flushed a deep red.
"Come on, come on! Let's go!" Morgan exclaimed, pulling them both to their feet, giving neither one any time to process what had happened.
"Huh, wha-what's going on, Morgan?" her father asked, flustered, as he stumbled to his feet.
"Wh-what is it dear?" his female counterpart asked, equally ruffled .
"Aunt Sumia, Aunt Maribelle, and Au-Uncle Libra are gonna be coming here tonight! We're all going to see them at the summoning stone!" Morgan exclaimed as she grabbed both of their hands, pulling them towards the castle.
"Well, we wouldn't want to miss that, now would we, kiddo?" asked her father, laughing as he patted her on the head.
The trio made their way to the castle to meet old friends, as Morgan skipped hand-in-hand with both of them, in the middle.
One day, Kiran came back from the sacred Summoning Stone with someone rather unusual in tow.
"Robin! Robin!" he entered the Great Hall, heralding his own arrival with a cry. The pair of tacticians looked up from the table at which they were seated, side by side, "I have someone I think you'd both like to meet," he announced.
From behind the Summoner stepped a hooded figure that made the two gasp. There stood before them a figure wearing a rather familiar cloak. The very same cloak, in fact, that the pair of them were wearing now. It hung loosely about the figure's slight frame, almost as if it were made for someone taller than the person currently wearing it.
The person lowered his hood, revealing his face. To Robin, apart from the slightly shorter hair and more angular facial features, the boy before them looked almost identical to his daughter, Morgan.
"Mother!" cried the boy, throwing his arms around Robin's waist. "I'm so glad to see you again!"
"As am I, my darling boy," she replied, kissing the crown of his head.
"Hey, Dad," came a voice from off to the side, revealing Robin's daughter, who had evidently been drawn to the Great Hall's entrance after hearing her father's name being called. "Who's tha–"
As she neared the three similarly cloaked figures, her eyes went wide at the sight of the shortest of the three and her mouth fell open, an expression mirrored by the young man in front of her.
"Whoa," came the voices of the two youths in unison. They both raised their hands simultaneously and touched their palms together, looking for all the world like a pair of reflections in a mirror.
"My name's Morgan," one of the two finally spoke up.
"So's mine!" said the other.
"Do you like–" one of the Morgans began.
"Digging pitfall traps?" the other one finished.
"Yeah!"
"Whoa," they both said together again, nodding their heads.
"Robin, Morgan," spoke the female tactician. "This is my son…whose name is also Morgan," she smiled sheepishly.
"Hello, 'Also Morgan'," Robin answered, extending his hand. "My name's also Robin."
"Hiya 'Also Robin'!" said the young man cheerily, shaking the outstretched hand.
The two men chuckled at each other's jokes while the women groaned at the bad puns.
'Not another one…' they both groaned.
The four tacticians sat down at a table after Kiran left, saying he needed to look into something, and began to talk. They asked Morgan if he remembered anything about how he had gotten to this world, but all he could recall was hearing a call for help pulling him somewhere, and after saying yes, he found himself waking up atop a stone tablet engraved with the likeness of a tree, at which point Kiran had introduced himself to him. This seemed to line up with the other three's experiences of being summoned as well. Up to this point, the best potential hypothesis the Robins had been able to come with was the possibility that Zenith was a world somewhere in the Outrealms somehow connected to the worlds these heroes hailed from.
They spent some time talking about their experiences in the Order and what Morgan should know about life there, considering the fact that he was still fairly new. The two Morgans, it turned out, got along like a house on fire, almost as if they had known each other all their lives. Both's parents shuddered at the thought of the pranks they and the rest of the Order would probably soon be subject to.
When Kiran returned, he was holding a tray with a bottle and five thin stemmed glass cups.
"Hey, friends. Sorry to bother you on such an important night, but I was actually looking for a little gift to help you celebrate. I'm glad you were able to reunite with your son, Robin," he smiled. "I also wanted to let you guys know I'm going to give you four tomorrow off. So have fun and enjoy yourselves tonight"
The two Morgans cheered at the news and high-fived as Kiran removed the cork from the bottle with a loud pop and poured a fizzy, golden liquid into all of the champagne flutes before lifting one up into the air.
"Let us give thanks for family. Cheers!"
The clinking of glass was followed by cheers from the little group as they toasted the finding of Morgan. After sharing a drink with the four, Kiran left them to themselves as he went to rejoin the Askrian siblings for dinner.
•
As the night waxed on, many of the other heroes who had heard about Morgan's discovery came by the table to introduce themselves to the boy and congratulate Robin on their being reunited.
The other Ylissians, of course were first in line. Lissa and Sumia ran up to their table and gave both mother and son a big hug while cheering loudly. Chrom, and Lucina, on the other hand, who were following behind, were a little less explicitly excitable. Chrom patted the boy on the back, saying he was glad to see him again, and gave Robin a congratulatory hug as the other adults of the Shepherds came forward to congratulate Robin. The other adults soon surrounded her as well, after saying hello to Morgan, bringing with them more alcohol.
At this, the children broke off from the main group, moving a bit further down the table. Lucina smiled at Robin and bid her congratulations before turning around to speak with the newfound boy.
"Well met, Morgan," she smiled, resting her hand on Morgan's shoulder. "It's good to see you again. None of the others of our generation are here yet, so it's been a bit lonely," she laughed softly. The wind blew in through the doors that opened onto the balconies, softly rustling the warrior-princess' hair. "I've missed having you around."
Morgan's cheeks took on a light dusting of pink as he found himself unable to keep looking at her face. "A-ah, um, same here, Luci. I'm really happy to see you again, and I missed you too."
She gently squeezed his shoulder and gave him another smile before waving goodbye at the two tacticians-in-training to continue her patrol duties that night.
"Ohoh!?" chuckled the female Morgan smugly, loudly clapping her male counterpart on the back. "Don't think I didn't see you two being all touchy-feely. And since when does Lucina let anyone call her 'Luci'?" she asked, stressing the nickname mischievously.
"Ow, Morgan! W-wha? Huh? I have n-no idea what you mean," he answered, flustered, as his cheeks began to turn red.
Fortunately, before Morgan could tease the poor boy any longer, a young swordswoman, probably a couple years older than them, with long green hair tied back into a ponytail walked up to the two aspiring tacticians as Lucina left, distracting her. She was wearing a long blue tunic with high slits on both sides that exposed her firm, muscular legs. "Well hello there, you two," she said with a smile. "My name's Lyndis, granddaughter of the Marquess of Caelin, but I just go by Lyn! I just got here last week myself."
"I'm Morgan!" said Robin's daughter.
"Erm, h-hello!" said Robin's son, fidgeting in his seat. "M-my name is Morgan as well."
The young man was having trouble keeping his eyes from drifting down to Lady Lyndis' lovely legs, and his felt his face reddening the longer she looked at him, afraid that she would follow his gaze at an inopportune moment and take offense. Her smile sent the butterflies in his stomach that Lucina had already disturbed into a real tizzy, and he wondered if it were just the champagne making his head feel light.
She shook their hands before continuing. "My, how curious," she laughed. "Well, I heard a new hero had been summoned tonight, and when I saw the two of you, I couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity with you both. Tell me– have either of you ever heard of the continent of Elibe and the plains of Sacae, from where I hail?"
"No, can't say I have," answered Robin's daughter.
"Me neither," said Robin's son quickly.
The swordswoman hummed to herself for a moment, as her gaze unfocused. "Well, I see. What do you two do, if you don't mind my asking?"
"I'm a tactician-in-training. I want to become as great as Mother!"
"So am I! I'm trying to beat Dad at tactics, though I haven't yet won even once." The girl sighed, hanging her head, before standing straight up, fist clenched as fire filled her eyes again. "I'll get the best of you yet, Dad!"
Lyn giggled at the other girl's antics, before speaking. "Tacticians, huh? Well, you sure seem like it. You know, you really remind me of a friend I once had– a tactician much like yourselves. His name was–." Whatever she had just said was drowned out by a cheer from the Robins' table, where Gaius had convinced both Robins and Chrom to take a shot of Askrian fire-whiskey.
The woman before them sighed fondly as her gaze drifted away slightly, remembering something from the past.
"Ah, forgive me," Lyn said, smiling forlornly. "It looks as though tonight will be one for reminiscing," she laughed softly. "It might be time for me to retire for the night. Still, it has truly been a pleasure meeting you both. I am happy that I was able to meet people who remind me of my loved ones, even in a land so far away as this. Especially you, Morgan," she said, turning to the male of the pair. His cheeks flushed pink. "I can't help but shake the feeling that we must have met before. Truly, you look so much like my own tactician, that I fear I may end up getting you both confused!"
The woman stooped down to whisper into the poor boy's ear. "If ever you have need of my blade, you need only command me. You be my tactician and I'll be your peerless warrior."
As she stepped away, Morgan could swear she winked at him as she gave him a sultry smile before blending into the crowd and disappearing from sight faster than he would have expected from a girl with green hair. He was sure his face was probably blushing redder than Miss Tiki's dress.
Unfortunately for him, it was at that very moment that he remembered the mischievous little imp sitting beside him, and as he turned around to face her, he found his worst fears to be confirmed. The girl who shared his name only grinned widely at him looking for all the world like the cat who caught the canary.
"My my, Morgan. You sure work fast don't you? First Lucina, then Lady Lyn? What is it with you and mysterious noble swordswomen?"
The boy hid his face in his hands, face burning in embarrassment as his 'twin' mercilessly teased him for his supposed "philandering ways" and "taking lessons on womanizing from Virion and Inigo".
"You sure had a good atmosphere going on with both of them," she said finally. "Good luck with whoever you choose, Morgy~" she giggled.
"Th-thank you," he said sourly, trying to glare at the little bully, though the effect was spoiled by his red face.
A strange expression came over his face a few moments later as he regained control over his face. "Um, speaking of a 'good atmosphere', don't you think my mom and your dad seem to be getting along a little…too well?"
As Morgan followed his gaze, she saw both of their parents smiling and talking on the balcony, holding glasses of champagne in the light of the full moon as they watched the shooting stars go by, surrounded by elderflowers gleaming as bright white as their hair. Miss Robin giggled and blushed as her father broke off a spray of flowers and set them in her hair, a finger ghosting lightly over her cheek on the way to her ear. She played with her hair, twisting it around a finger as she talked to him. Her eyes shimmered with clear attraction, crowned by her long, fine lashes.
Morgan's father laughed as the other tactician tried to put some flowers in his hair to match her own and danced around her reach for a bit, before catching her hand in his own, pulling her close. He finally let her run her hands through his hair and tuck a small spray of flowers behind his ear as well. The woman giggled at the sight and so did his daughter, watching from far away.
Smiling at the sight, Morgan ribbed him the side with her elbow. "Cute, aren't they?" she asked her male counterpart. "I've been trying to get them together for a while now, but I wasn't sure it was getting anywhere. I'm glad they're getting along so well! I can't remember my real mom, but I feel like I wouldn't mind if Miss Robin became–" it was at that moment that she realized just what she was saying, and covered her mouth with her hands.
She had had the chance to get to know the female tactician. By now, she was no longer just her father's genderbent counterpart, but an individual, all to herself. And while she had had the time to come to terms with the possibility of her father remarrying, she knew that she would have been horrified if someone had suggested it to her when she had first gotten here, especially since she had no memories of her real mother. And if her fellow Morgan was anything like her, he probably couldn't remember anything about his father.
As she turned to look at him, she found her fears were proven right. Morgan looked appalled at the thought.
"Oh Naga, Morgan, I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I-it's just, I've just known your mother for so long now, and we've gotten really close so I thought it would be nice if she could get with my dad because they make each other happy and I never even thought about how you might have felt!" Morgan exclaimed, finally catching her breath.
"I…" her male counterpart began hesitantly, "well…there's no way you could have expected me to just pop up one day. And who could've ever planned for a situation like this?" he asked, chuckling mirthlessly.
"Morgan…"
"I'm sorry, I can't just…give up on trying to find my father."
Morgan looked on sadly she let him go, and watched as he walked over to where their parents were, telling his mother that he was tired and wanted to go to bed.
As the two pairs headed off in opposite directions, Morgan looked back at the young man who shared her name clinging to his mother. He looked back at them as they left with a strange look on his face.
As Robin reached into the pocket of his cloak to pull out the key to his room, there fell out from it a little square box, black and with the symbol of Askr emblazoned on the front.
"Dad? What's this?" Morgan asked curiously.
Her father turned around, and seeing the box in Morgan's hands, went wide-eyed. He looked around to see if anyone else was coming, before pulling his daughter into the room and locking the door.
"Dad?"
"Morgan, I…I have something important to talk to you about. You know we've both been spending a lot of time with Miss Robin lately, right?" At her nod, he continued.
"Well, lately, I've been finding myself seeking her out more often, whether it's to train, study tactics, plan, research, or even just for her company."
Morgan nodded again, unsure of where he was going with this.
"Um, yes?"
"And, well, I…I think I've fallen in love with her, Morgan. It's strange, I know, but I can't imagine living the rest of my life without her in it." Robin's pale cheeks held a faint tinge of red as he spoke of this to his daughter.
"Oh. Oh." Her eyes went wide.
Though her response was fairly laconic, on the inside, Morgan was overjoyed. rolling around in happiness that her plan had worked.
"I…know we haven't found your mother yet, but I'm…" and here he hesitated. "I'm tired of being alone. Everyone in the Shepherds has more or less gotten married off. And, well, though I know how strange it is, after meeting Robin and getting to know her, it feels like she's become an irreplaceable part of my life. An irreplaceable part of myself." He sighed as he unclasped his hand from around the box.
"I won't do anything if you don't want me to, kiddo, but, well, I was thinking of asking her to marry me. If it's alright with you?"
At this, he cracked open the box, and inside it, sitting on a bed of dark purple velvet, was the same ring Morgan wore on a chain around her neck. A single band of silver, engraved with simple yet beautiful knotwork and set with a purple jewel in the center, sparkled in the light of the fire from the hearth. It was newer, perhaps, since her ring was a bit more scratched and tarnished, owing to its being from the future, but it truly was the selfsame ring.
Morgan gasped as her hand shot up to her chest, touching the ring where it lay across her skin, hidden from her father's eyes by the fabric of her shirt. How could it have taken her this long to realize, she wondered. No wonder she had never seen the likes of her ring in any jeweler's shop in Ylisse, Plegia, Ferox, or even Valm– the ring did not even hail from their world! The knotwork on the ring she wore, it had no relation to the designs of their world, she realized. Rather, it was akin to the sensibilities of Askrian design! After all this time, she was rather disappointed in herself at not having made the connection herself. That must have meant that her parents had met here! In this world, so far from their own! How it was possible, she had no idea, but this must have been it. And if her father was preparing to propose to Miss Robin with that ring, then…
Morgan's eyes began to fill with tears as she heard what her father was asking.
"Morgan? A-are you okay? I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have brought this up. I'm so sorry, Morga–"
Morgan cut her father off, squealing as she threw herself headfirst at him as he stood in front of the bed. She flew towards him, wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight hug which made him fall over backwards. "Yes! Yes! Oh yes! I love Miss Robin too, Dad! And I've seen how happy she makes you," she said, eyes tearing up slightly, though she buried her face into her father's cloak, so he couldn't see it. Her mother! She finally had an answer to the question that had dogged her for so long! Her mother! Mama! The joy welling up from within her heart was night impossible to contain, and the tears flowed freely from her eyes.
"Morgan? You're really okay with this?" Robin asked, groaning from the impact as he sat up. "But…what about your mother? We still haven't found her. Are you really okay with this? I don't want to take that away from you."
"Well, Dad, there's something I haven't told you yet," she said, sniffling as she got up.
"After you found me at the Ruins of Time and I asked you if you were married and who my mother was, you were surprised because you weren't with anyone at the time. And when you asked me, I said I couldn't remember anything about her."
"Right. That's why we decided to keep trying to find her."
"But we never did."
At this Robin looked away slightly, ashamed at his failure to find the mother of his child.
"No– Dad! Don't feel bad about it. There's a reason we never found her. Hold on a sec," Morgan said as she sat up on the bed and pulled the chain upon which her mother's ring hung out from under her shirt. "This is the one and only memory I have of mother. This ring…it's her engagement ring. The only thing I can remember is her giving it to me and telling me that you gave it to her when you proposed. It's the only keepsake I have from her. Look at it closely," she said, holding in front of her father's face. "Do you notice anything about it?"
Robin picked up the tarnished little silver adornment and turned it over. He gasped. On one side was a circular purple gem, still shiny despite the blackened metal into which it was set. Surrounding the jewel was an engraved circle interwoven with six pointed knots.
"Morga– is this?"
She nodded her head. "I searched so hard for your time's version of this ring after you guys found me, hoping that it might give me some leads towards finding Mom, but I always came up empty-handed. Now, though. Now I realize why. It would make sense only if Mom's ring wasn't from our world at all."
"Th-then…you mean?"
"Yes! Miss Robin, she's…she's my real Mom!"
Robin laughed and hugged his daughter tight, overjoyed at what he was hearing. He picked her up and spun her around, laughing as they fell back onto the bed. There was a chance for them after all! His daughter– their daughter was living proof of that fact!
Morgan was surprised by her father's sudden jubilation, but she soon began to laugh along with him, and the two went to sleep with a warm feeling in their hearts.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Morgan found himself having to interact a lot more with his mother's counterpart– far more than he would have preferred to do, so soon after what he had his female counterpart said to him.
His mother would often leave him in Mister Robin's care as she went off to missions, much as he had apparently done before. While he still got along rather well with the other Morgan, often studying tactics together or playing pranks on one another, there was also still an underlying sense of awkwardness that remained between them, due to their conversation on night he was found.
Kiran also sent him and the older male tactician on a lot of missions together, especially to the Training Tower, where Mister Robin would mentor him while also guarding him against any threats he couldn't handle. Over the course of that time, Morgan found himself coming to rely more upon the older man despite his initial reservations, both on the battlefield and off. He would come to him for advice or to address concerns he couldn't take to his mother, much in the same way his female counterpart would often do, though he had no knowledge of that. He started looking up to Robin, both as a tactician and a man. For someone who couldn't recall his father, having this sort of positive, familiar, guiding male presence in his life proved to be a boon. Despite their improved relationship, or perhaps because of it, Morgan began to feel a dull feeling of guilt at the idea that he might be replacing his father with Mister Robin, simply because of how familiar he felt.
A couple months or so after he had been found, Morgan realized with a start that he really wouldn't mind if Robin were to become his father and Morgan his sister. It seemed that they both made his mother very happy, and he would be lying if he said that he hadn't enjoyed the time he had spent with them as well.
Morgan made to seek out his female counterpart to speak to her and ran into her in one of the castle's hallways. Evidently, she had been looking for him as well.
"Morgan!" she cried out, "Come on! Something important is happening!" Saying thus, she pulled him by the arm to the Great Hall, not paying attention to his protests.
When the pair of them reached the chamber, the crowd gathered there parted way to let the two youths move forward, where they saw their respective mother and father standing atop a raised dais in front of Kiran and Anna; instead of their usual Grimcloaks, the two tacticians were wearing long robes with Askrian patterns in white and gold. They watched in awe as Kiran chanted some words and Anna offered up two bags of feathers into a brazier containing a burning flame. After that, a golden light shot forth from Kiran's relic, settling into the form of two golden livery collars, each with five golden stars linked together across the front, signifying the two tacticians' promotion to Fifth Rank units, the most elite honour any member of the Order could aspire to.
Seeing the two of them standing up there, radiant with joy and filled with the newfound power of their new ranks, Morgan had to admit to himself that they did make a rather spectacular couple. He certainly wouldn't want to prevent his mother from being happy, even if the man beside her were someone he disliked, hypothetically-speaking. He was grateful, however, that Mister Robin had shown himself to be a man worthy of respect and emulation. He truly looked up to and admired the older male tactician, and could think of no one greater who could be more worthy to stand beside her. And, in a way, he supposed it was flattering that Morgan felt the same about his mother, to the extent of wanting her to be with her father.
Thinking thus, Morgan turned to see his female counter…no, his sister, gazing up the pair, starry-eyed with admiration.
"Um, hey Morgan," he whispered to her, still feeling a little awkward, since they still hadn't spoken much since the incident on the night he was discovered.
"Huh, wha?", she eloquently replied, still distracted by the ceremony on stage.
"How…how would you feel about me being your brother?" he asked tentatively.
"You mean–!" she whispered back happily, both hands covering her mouth.
"Well, yeah. I…I thought long and hard about it, and I guess I realized that there was probably no one else around who could be her equal or so fit a match for her."
Morgan's only answer was a loud "Woohoo!" that most onlookers thought was in celebration of the promotion, and a tight one armed hug around her newfound brother's neck.
"Now watch this," she winked at him, grabbing his hand before running up to their parents with him in tow. The two tacticians smiled at the sight of their two children getting along so well, though one smirked at how sisterly his daughter was being, even if the other one was unaware.
"Wow, Dad! Congratulations!" she yelled, before jumping at her father for a full body tackle-hug.
"Oof!" Robin groaned at the impact. "Thanks, kiddo," he smiled, letting her down before tousling her hair.
She then turned and gave the other Robin a– slightly less enthusiastic, but no less loving– hug. "Congratulations to you too, Miss Robin!"
"Aww, thank you, darling," the woman smiled at her, patting her head.
Morgan let her brother congratulate his mom and shake her father's hand before playing her next card.
"Wow, Miss Robin! You look really pretty today! I mean you always do, but you look reeeeeally extra-special pretty today!"
"Eheheh, thank you Morgan," the older woman smiled abashedly.
"Your hair and outfit look amazing too!"
"You noticed, huh? I did my hair up differently for tonight's function," she jokingly preened. "And I thought it might be a nice change of pace to switch out my usual cloak for one in Askr's colours for tonight's ceremony. I'm just glad I could convince this bookworm here to match with me. He didn't want to change out of that old thing."
"Hey!" the other tactician protested weakly. "You're a bookworm too," he muttered sourly.
"You look super pretty! Don't you think so too, Dad?" she asked coyly, breaking the man out of his grumbling.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yes. Those robes do suit you, Robin. You look pretty sharp." The male tactician paused for a moment, cheeks slightly pink. "I wonder if that counts as narcissism?" he mused out loud.
Robin giggled sweetly. "I wonder too. You're not doing to bad for yourself," she answered, punching him lightly in the shoulder to hide her own blush. She put her hand on his head, where his normally shaggy hair had been neatly slicked back, messing it up.
"Oof. Hey! Mind the hair. It took me a long time to get it right and it's looking pretty good," her counterpart protested, fixing it.
"Now that's what I'd call narcissism," she shot back, sticking her tongue out at him childishly.
Morgan grinned conspiratorially at her brother before grabbing both Robins' hands and pulling them towards a table. "Come on, come on! Let's go celebrate!"
"Alright, alright, stop pulling us kiddo, we're right behind you," chuckled her father as the four found a free spot. Kiran joined them with several bottles of champagne that night to celebrate their promotion after announcing an Order-wide holiday the next day, to the cheers of the entire army. Many of the other members of the Order of Heroes stopped by their table to congratulate the promotion of the two tacticians and enjoy the night.
Lyn and Lucina both came to ask Morgan to dance at the same time, much to his sister's amusement. She giggled mischievously to herself as she watched the two noble swordswoman each lay claim to one of his arms. The animosity between the two swordmaidens was clear though they were smiling at each other over the shorter boy's head. Despite their superficially pleasant expressions, if one looked closer, they would see that neither's smiles quite reached their eyes. In fact, it seemed that they each had a clamp-like grip upon his arms and were actually trying to pull the uncomfortably blushing boy in separate directions.
"Why, Lady Lyndis," Lucina said, making sure to be extra polite, "What a pleasure it is to see you this evening. I do believe I see Lords Hector and Eliwood calling for you right over there, though. Why don't you go see what they want? I can keep Morgan company while you are busy."
"Why thank you, Princess Lucina," Lyn answered, just as sweetly. "But I do believe Ninian is with them. And I believe I see your father, Lord Chrom looking for you. Why don't you go see him? I'm sure whatever he has to say must be important. I think I can keep Morgan suitably entertained while you're gone."
"Interloper," Lucina hissed, still smiling with her eyes closed as a drop of sweat slid down her cheek.
"I knew him first," Lyn hissed back, with the same expression on her face.
"Hussy."
"Homewrecker."
"Outsider."
"That means the same thing as interloper," Lyn finished with a smug look.
Lucina ground her teeth in frustration and let out a growl.
"U-um, why don't we all just get along? Haha…" Morgan chuckled uneasily, interrupting the verbal volley. Their pulling was starting to get painful.
"Be quiet, Morgan!" both ladies hissed in unison.
He cried.
Morgan sat off to the side watching the ongoing proceedings, one arm clutched around her sides while she bit down on the other to keep from laughing out loud at her brother's predicament. He looked over at her and silently mouthed 'help me', only making her laugh even harder.
She looked out to the balcony where, much like on the night that her brother was summoned, the two tacticians stood, framed by ornate columns and surrounded by blossoms of pure white, as the nordic night sky stretched endlessly above their heads. The flowers and their hair, equally as pure and flawless, and their fey features, lit by the gleam of the full moon, shone like marble statues, beautiful and perfect. The moon's reflection glimmered gently upon the surface of the nearby sea.
The pair gazed out over the castle grounds as the stars sparkled above them, holding hands on the balustrade of the balcony they stood on, away from the noise and heat of the Great Hall. Her father whispered something in Miss Robin's ear, and she slapped his arm lightly as she giggled, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
Morgan saw her father separate from her mother's grasp and turn around as he reached into his pocket to pull out what looked like a small black box. She gasped in surprise– was he finally going for it?!
Morgan grabbed her brother by the hand, pulling him away from the two women fighting over him.
"Sorry ladies! My brother and I have got places to be, things to see!"
The two swordmaidens were left dumbfounded as they watched the two young tacticians run out to the balcony.
"Um. So…" Lucina said hesitantly.
"We're going to need Morgan's permission to court Morgan, aren't we?"
Lucina just nodded.
"Want to decide who goes first with a spar?" Lyn offered.
Lucina put her hand on Falchion's hilt and nodded.
"Wait…" the blue-haired princess said a moment later. "Did she just…call him her brother?"
•
The twin apprentices hid side-by-side behind a column, watching their parents. Morgan's father was still facing away from their mother, holding a small box in his hand.
"What's going on, Morgan?" the boy whispered to his twin. She simply put a finger up to her mouth, signaling him to keep quiet, and pointed at the pair up ahead.
"We've known each other for a while now, Robin," they heard the man's voice break the silence. "And, as strange as it first was to meet a version of myself who was a woman, I soon found that you became my closest friend and confidante. I can't think of anyone else I trust or rely on as much as you. Not just with tactics, or my own life, though, of course, I trust you with those things as well. But even more so, I trust you my daughter, who is more precious to me than all of those things."
Morgan blushed from her position behind the pillar, grabbed her cheeks, and wiggled around in place. "Aww, Dad, you big softy."
"R-Robin?!" the woman cried, blushing. "W-what's all this about, all of a sudden?"
He turned around, but held the box behind his back. "I mean it, Robin. You've come to be the closest person to me– even more than Chrom– and I care about you a lot. I don't think I've ever met anyone who understands me even half as well as you do, and that, perhaps, is the greatest gift I've ever received." He took another breath. "Robin. What do you think of me?"
"Th-think of you?! I m-mean you're very smart and I trust you too, but, w-why are you asking me this?"
"I…let me be more clear," Robin said, closing the gap between them. He stopped in front of his female counterpart and stroked her face with his unoccupied hand, letting it linger on her flushed cheek. Her face burned even hotter at the touch. She saw the hunger sparkling in his eyes, and she had to avert her own out of embarrassment.
Robin took a deep breath. "I also trust you with my heart."
He gazed upon the woman's face, her blushing cheeks, warm as a flame under his fingers, the sparkling depths of her eyes, the shine of her wet lips…and the desires he had held in check inside himself for so long swelled up in full force.
Unable to resist their call any longer, the tactician leaned in placed a kiss upon her lips. "Robin, I…love you."
Robin's face was bright red, and she feared if she blushed anymore she'd pass out from all the blood rushing to her head. Her heart beat even faster. "Y-you, huh, w-what?"
"I love you Robin. I love your mind. I love your heart. I love your eyes. I love your hair. I love you, Robin." He got down on one knee, pulling the box out from behind his back. "I love everything about you and I can't imagine living on without you in my life. You are an irreplaceable existence to me and I don't think I can keep on living if you aren't there. You're like the breath in my lungs and the blood in my veins. Truly, without you, I would have no substance. I love you so much, Robin…and I want to prove it to you." He opened the box. A simple silver ring with Askrian knotwork and a single purple gem in the center shone from within. "Robin, would you marry me?"
The tacticians hands covered her mouth as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Oh…Robin…" she murmured. For a moment, he worried she would tell him his feelings were his and his alone, but those fears were soon proven unfounded. "Oh Robin. Yes…Yes!" She fell to her knees and Robin hugged her against his chest as she began to weep. "You've made me the happiest woman in the world," she sobbed, wetting his shirt with tears. "I was so afraid…I didn't know if I was the only one who felt like this. I was worried you would think me strange and never talk to me again. Oh Robin…"
"Hush now," he whispered, breathing in the scent of her hair. He kissed the crown of her head to comfort her. "This is the only truth I know. Whatever my past, whoever I once was– none of that matters to me any more. Robin, the only reason I was born was to love you. And today, you have made me the happiest man in the world."
She continued to weep into his chest, clutching his shirt with both hands as he embraced her. He raised her chin up with one hand and drank once more from the nectar of her lips, as a bee would drink from the night-jasmine's blooms.
Lost in the burning embrace of her beloved's lips, Robin swooned, clasping his head in her hands.
Morgan couldn't contain her happiness at her parents finally getting together and let out a loud cry of joy. "Yes!"
The two older tacticians felt their hearts leap out of their mouths and whipped their heads around towards the sound. Their faces flushed even more with embarrassment when they saw Robin's daughter standing there with a sheepish expression on her face.
"M-Morgan?!" said her father. "What are you doing here?"
"Morgan?! I– this isn't what it looks li– I mean, it is, but–" her mother tried to flusteredly explain herself. It was at that point that her son also walked out from behind the pillar, revealing himself. "Wh– you too, Morgan?!" His mother blushed in embarrassment and buried her face in her hands.
He interrupted her stuttering with a soft chuckle which soon grew into a laugh. "I–I already know, Mother! You and Mister Robin love each other, don't you?"
"How did you?! I mean…I– but…yes. I do. But, what about your father?" she asked, suddenly looking and feeling rather guilty. Her eyes shimmered in guilt and confusion as she looked between her son and Robin.
"No need to worry about that, Mom!" cried the younger woman.
"M-Mom?!" came two simultaneous cries, from the female tactician and her son.
"Ahah, whoops, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?"
Morgan gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her head as she reached down into her shirt and pulled out the ring that she wore on the chain around her neck. Pulling the chain off her neck, she held it up closer for Miss Robin and Morgan to see. "Recognize this?" she asked, a mischievous grin playing on her face– one that was mirrored on her father's face.
When the mother-son pair looked closer at the tarnished silver ring, they noticed the identical purple jewel set into ring that matched the newer one that the girl's father had just offered to the woman.
The two's eyes went wide. Robin took the ring from Morgan's hand and held it up to the one Robin had offered her. The same purple gem shimmered upon both bands.
"B-but, this is…" she muttered.
"The s-same ring?" her son finished.
Morgan giggled at the looks of confusion on their faces as she plucked the future ring from her mother's hands.
"Hold on," the older woman interjected, turning to the man who had just proposed to her, looking back at her with a smug look on his face. "You knew I was Morgan's real mother and you were Morgan's real father all along and never said a word this whole time?" she asked incredulously, before reaching over and slapped Robin upside the head.
"Oh boy, I can already tell who's going to be wearing the grandmaster's coat in this relationship." The two tacticians blushed at the girl's remark. "And to be fair," Morgan continued, giggling, "I only told Dad about it a month or two ago, which is also when I first realized it. This ring was my mother's engagement ring and the only keepsake and memory I have of her. I woke up with amnesia, just like Dad, apparently, at the Ruins of Time, and apart from this ring, I couldn't remember anything else about my mother."
"You…woke up with amnesia too?" her twin asked.
"Wait, so did you?" Morgan asked incredulously, before bursting out into laughter. "Guess we're all just one big, amnesiac, tactical genius family!"
The three other tacticians there joined in her laughter for a good few moments, under the October moon. As she caught her breath, Robin looked up the other…no– her Morgan– seeing her in a new light. This was her daughter. She gazed at the girl's face as if seeing it for the first time. "Morgan…"
"Mom?" Morgan asked confusedly, tilting her head to one side (in an extremely adorable fashion at that).
"Morgan…" the older woman said breathlessly. "My Morgan…my daughter." She grabbed the girl's hands. Morgan sank to her knees. Putting both of her hands on either side of the girl's cheeks, she repeated her words. "My daughter…"
Her mother's acknowledgement and acceptance of her proved to be too much for Morgan, and her face scrunched into a sort of half-smile as she began to tear up. In a mirror of Robin's earlier actions, Morgan buried her face in her mother's bossom, softly crying. "Oh, Mom…Mom! Mama! I missed you so much, Mama! I love you," she whispered, weeping. "I love you, Mama. I love you."
Robin felt her heart break at her newfound daughter's sorrow, and she hugged her, even as her beloved held her tighter, expanding his embrace to hug his daughter as well. He looked up at the boy still standing beside them awkwardly, unsure what to make of this sudden development.
He had been reluctantly prepared to give away his mother to another man, one who could see made her happy, even though they never found his father– only to then find that said man was, in fact, his real father after all. It was a pretty confusing situation to be quite honest.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Robin asked, smiling. "Come here, kiddo," he said to the boy, opening up one arm. Morgan hesitantly approached the trio kneeling on the ground and leaned forward to hug his mother and his new 'sister', who, as it turned out, really was his sister. He felt his…father's arms around his shoulder, and in that moment he felt complete. His family was finally whole. He let go of his inhibitions and sank into the embrace, surrounded by love and warmth.
"Dad…I'm so happy we found you. It's been so long. Thank you." The boy felt his eyes begin to moisten with joy as he hugged his family. His father ruffled his hair and tucked his head under his chin.
"No, Morgan. Thank you. I asked Kiran if we could work together these last several months because I wanted to get to know my son better."
Morgan pulled his head back and looked up at his father with wide eyes. He nodded back to his son.
"Really," he continued, answering the unasked question. "And I have to say, I couldn't be more proud to have such a brave and strong son. Truly, it is I who am lucky to have found you and your mother, here in this distant world. I couldn't ask to be more blessed than this. So, again. Thank you Morgan."
Morgan felt his face grow warm at the words he had longed to hear for so long, and ducked his head back under his father's arms, which only made his sister laugh at him. "What's wrong, Bro? Not used to getting praised by Dad yet, huh?"
"Now, now, Morgan. Don't tease your brother like that," her mother said, laughing softly, before wrapping both arms around the girl from behind and resting her chin on Morgan's shoulder. "After all, I'm also quite proud to find out that I have such a beautiful, strong, and intelligent daughter myself. I love you, dear."
"Aw, Mom!" Morgan cried as she tried to wiggle out of her mother's hold. Her family just laughed at the sight and crushed the girl in another group hug.
The family of four reentered the Great Hall holding hands. Morgan and Morgan held each other's, as did Robin and Robin. Robin cleared his throat and picked up a glass, tapping it with a spoon to get the attention of the heroes present.
The Great Hall soon went silent, and the other heroes turned to Robin who was standing there with his arm wrapped around the other Robin's shoulder as she held his waist with both hands.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat again. "We have something to announce," he said to the assembled braves from across the universe. "I have just proposed to Robin–"
"And I said yes!" the female tactician shouted happily, wrapping her arms around one of his and showing off her new ring.
The white-haired man dipped her backwards before laying a searing kiss upon her lips in front of everyone else.
There was a silence in the hall before everyone began to whistle and cheer.
"Furthemore!" he yelled, pulling the blushing lady back up, "we just discovered that Robin is the real mother of my daughter, and I the father of her son."
The assembled heroes cheered even louder at the news and popped open more champagne, even if hardly any of them understood what the man had been talking about. They were just happy at the tacticians' visible happiness and to have another chance to make eat, drink, laugh, and make merry.
•
Perhaps the most surprised– but definitely also the happiest for the two was Chrom, who was overjoyed to see his two best friends find happiness and family with each other, even if it was in so strange a manner. For too long had they both fought for him and his family, and it was high time they got the time they deserved to focus on their own. Second only to Chrom was his wife, Sumia, who squealed out loud at how "utterly romantic" it was for "two star-crossed lovers to find love and family with each other across worlds"– her words. Lucina was overjoyed that her two closest friends had been able to make their family whole again.
Maybe the only equal to Chrom in joy at this news– though for very different reasons– were the two Tharjas. If having one Robin was thrilling, and having two Robins was exhilarating, then learning that they were going to be wed (to each other!) was overwhelmingly beyond comprehension. Upon hearing the news, both Plegian dark mages fainted in their corner of the hall, with disturbingly…satisfied expressions on their faces.
They were found the next morning clutching onto each other for dear life as a thin trickle of blood ran from each of their left nostrils muttering something about "only the worthiest may have Robin, and only Robin is the worthiest for Robin" in eerie synchronization. Apparently, whoever found her did not feel brave enough to disturb her when she was like that, so her daughter Noire was stuck with the troublesome task of having to awaken both versions of her mother (as if one wasn't hard enough to deal with!) and remove them from the premises.
Most of the other Shepherds had no idea as to how any of this was really possible either, but they congratulated the pair nonetheless. Robin growled at Gaius after the saucy thief winked at him with a smug look on his face.
With Kiran, Anna, and Sharena's (who had captured the bouquet from the bridal festival last time) help, the two tacticians soong began planning their wedding. The date was set for the first of December and the Order was swept up in the preparations.
It was only a couple months after Robin's proposal that the two tacticians were able to find a real lead to the nature of their existence, and that too from a rather surprising source. Neither of them could have expected that the truth of their being would have been revealed to them by the very demon who plagued their souls.
Kiran returned to the Order's castle late one night, his cloak shredded and charred. The normally pristine white garment was stained almost completely by dark blood. The units that had gone out with him– Tiki, Lyn, Chrom, and Lucina– seemed to be equally as beaten down. Lucina's armour was cracked in places and she was leaning on the shaft of her lance just to support herself as she walked. Tiki seemed to have faired best of all, as she looked to be relatively unscathed, but even she was exhausted. Burn marks and blood splatters stained her cloak. Kiran was unable to even walk and had to be carried in on Chrom's horse. The Exalt sat behind the Summoner, holding him upright so he would not fall off. Lyn rode beside them. Lyn and Chrom's steeds' breath was heavy with exhaustion and their manes clung to their necks, laden with sweat, as blood flowed from multiple shallow cuts all over their bodies. Atop Lyn's mare sat another hooded passenger, wearing a dark cloak, similar to the Summoner's. This figure appeared to be completely unconscious. The prisoner was bound by a wreath of shining golden runes that covered their eyes, mouth, arms, and legs, that stemmed forth from relic at Kiran's hip.
The six were greeted at the castle gates by the Askrian trio. Alphonse and the Commander looked on, stone-faced and guilty, at their Summoner's state, while Sharena gasped in horror as tears welled up in her eyes at the sight.
The usually energetic princess seemed unusually reserved as she helped Kiran get down from his seat atop Chrom's destrier. She caught him when he stumbled as soon as his feet touched the ground, and gently sat him down on a bench. Anna and Alphonse watched with interest as the chain of golden runes grew longer the more distance the Summoner put between him and the mysterious figure. They seemed almost to be tethering her to the ground, as though without the mystic bindings, she would float away.
"Kiran…" Alphonse said, walking closer. He was taken aback by the outworlder's state for a moment before regaining his nerve. "What happened? Who is this?"
The Summoner coughed, his throat parched. Sharena, who was kneeling beside him, opened her water-skin and held it up to his lips to drink. After a few sips that honestly saw more water than he would have liked spilled and dribbling down his chin, Kiran felt his throat was wetted enough to attempt to speak again. "Robin…" he whispered hoarsely.
"Sorry, what was that?" Alphonse asked, bending down to hear him better.
"Robins…g-get the Robins, please. Meet me near the dungeons." He attempted to stand back up, but the siblings made him sit down again.
"Can't this wait, Kiran?" Sharena asked worriedly.
"No," he coughed. "We have to do this now."
"Alright," she said frowning. The spear-princess nodded at one of the castle serfs, who went running to fetch the pair of tacticians who were probably asleep, before she helped Kiran stand up. Alphonse took up Kiran's other side, and the royal siblings pulled each of his arms over their shoulders to help him down towards the dungeon. The wreath of runes binding the hooded figure impelled them to follow him. Kiran dismissed Lyn, who gave him a worried look as he descended into the lower levels of the castle. Tiki waited for the Robins to awaken and be brought downstairs before leading them towards the dungeons below.
Behind their parents, Morgan and Morgan snuck into the dungeon entrance and hid in the shadows. The two drowsy tacticians instantly woke up when they saw just who it was that stood bound before them in shining chains.
"Chrom, Kiran, is this…" Robin said hesitantly, his heart beating fast in his chest.
His female counterpart walked forwards, an unignorable impulse pulling her towards the figure in the cloak so similar to her own. As she stood before the bound person, Robin noted how their statures were similarly slight. She pulled back the other figure's hood and paled in terror. There before her, she found her own face staring back at her. The same silver hair was pulled up into the same twintails. The only difference between the two women was the pair of blood-red eyes gleaming in the prisoner's skull.
There before her stood the Fell Dragon Grima. The very same one that had, in one world, one timeline, corrupted her psyche and destroyed her and her friends' lives. Thankfully, it seemed as though the chain of runes arising from Breidablik had addled the wyrm-taken woman's mind, and she stood before them with a dazed expression on her face.
"I am…the wings of…despair," she muttered. "I am the breath…of ruin. I am…the fell dragon…Grima…I am…the fell dragon, Grima…I am the fell dragon, Grima…I am…"
Robin felt her body begin to tremble in guilt and fear and her vision began to go hazy from the tears welling up within them. Her stomach churned in horror and she felt herself nearly collapse. Her lover ran and caught her before she could fall. Robin grabbed her icy cold hands to pull her away from the fallen mirror image of herself and held her tight against his body, letting her sob in silence until her body eventually stopped shaking. The others in the dark chamber looked away to offer the pair a modicum of privacy. Robin pulled away from his betrothed after a few moments, making sure that she wasn't in shock, and kissed the palms of her hands while looking up at her.
Tiki walked over and embraced the weeping tactician, brushing away the rest of her tears, before laying a kiss on her forehead. "Don't cry, dear. This is not you. This was never you. You- neither of you–" and here she looked at the other tactician, "are Grima. You are not now, ever have been, or ever will be one and the same, love." She rubbed Robin's back comfortingly, and held her like a mother would her child, letting her gather herself.
Eventually, Robin found herself able to once again stand under her own strength and after giving Tiki a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, she grabbed her beloved's hand once more.
"We need to put her away," Kiran spoke. "It's too dangerous to let her roam about freely, just like it was for the other one. The Grimas are far too much of a risk to let either out of our control for even a moment." He paused. "At least, until we can find a way to unsummon them."
The heroes from Ylisse nodded. They knew all too well the horrors wrought by the Fell Dragon and agreed with Kiran's decision.
Commander Anna unlocked the doors and grabbed a torch from one the guards, leading the group inside. They took a winding path into the fetid bowels of the dungeons, where strange screams, the skittering and slithering of various creatures, the flapping of wings, and the endless drip-drop of leaking water lent the place an menacing air.
•
Deep within the castle's dungeons, far below the heroes' heaths, a dragon fell, bound by shining golden runes, who wore the flesh of a man, from his divinely-induced slumber did stir.
His floating body, stolen from its rightful owner, bound by shining golden runes and garbed in a dark cloak festooned with multiple blasphemous purple eyes began to move. His eyes drowsily fluttered open, revealing bloody crimson irises, that glowed in the gloom of the below-earth cavern in which he was held.
"The time comes…I will again be whole. I will be free from the pain of not being whole. My other half comes. And I will once again attain the fullness of my Being."
Whispering thus, he awoke from his dreams of blood and of tears.
"For I am the Fell Dragon, Grima. And I am the Wings of Despair…"
And the shadows lengthened.
•
The party of eight– plus their two clandestine followers– made their way with the bound Grima to the center of the Order's dungeon. At the last gate, Anna pulled out a key whose only other copy was held by King Gustav of Askr.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the creaking doors, and led the others into the darkness within.
Off in the distance, a faint golden light sparkled.
"I'm not sure about this," Chrom said worriedly.
"Are you sure it's okay to hold this Grima here so close to the other one?" Lucina asked, a similar expression on her face.
"It should be fine," Anna answered. "The magics in this part of the dungeons are supposed to create individual cells for each prisoner, though it all appears as one single chamber to us. Anyone prisoners locked away shouldn't be able to see each other, even if they are awake, as the spells are meant to keep them in pure darkness. Only we can tell where each one is."
The future princess nodded, though she was still uncertain about the practicality of such an idea.
"Alright, Kiran," Anna said. "It's time to seal this one away. Use Breidablik to lock her u–"
In that instant, the group heard a sound like shattering glass from far away. In the distance, a pillar of ungodly purple flame shot up into the air, lighting up the chamber in an unearthly manner. The fire eventually took the shape of a large horned dragon's head, which uttered a monstrous shriek that caused everyone to cringe and cover their ears.
Suddenly, there appeared before their eyes a man clad in a dark cloak festooned with gold adornments and embroidered with the likeness of six purple eyes, three on each sleeve, which seemed almost to glow, despite the gloom of the cavernous dungeons. His hair was stark silver-white, like polished bone, and his eyes shone with the promise of fresh blood yet to be shed. He dropped from the air onto the ground, cracking the stone upon which he landed. He was surrounded by a nimbus of violet flames which crackled menacingly as they lapped hungrily at the air around him.
Robin took an involuntary step back at the appearance of his own fallen doppelgänger.
The wyrm in man's skin smiled maliciously at the group, and on either side of his face a crimson groove cut itself into being underneath each eye, stretching down to his chin. From each mark, his Fellblood dripped onto the stones below, where it smoked as it ate away at the floor. From within each bleeding fissure, underneath each eye, two white, bulbous pustules, bubbled up blasphemously, mocking the very fabric of reality that the mortals gathered there thought they understood, before resolving themselves into two extra pairs of eyes, from which another four gleaming, crimson irises shone with wicked promise.
Several of the heroes there almost vomited at the foul sight.
"Despair, you mortals, for your end has come. I am the Fell Dragon, Grima, and now I shall again be One!"
Saying thus, the eldritch monster reached out with his clawed hands and shattered the chains binding his female counterpart. In that instant, a rush of purple-tinged energy blew through the chamber, throwing all the members of the party to the ground, save for Tiki, who protected herself by transforming, and the two Exalts, who cut through the wave with their sacred blades. Kiran was nearly knocked unconscious by the impact, as his wounds and exhaustion from the mission to capture Grima caught up with him.
He slowly stood up with Alphonse's help, only to stop short at what he saw. There before him were both iterations of the Fell Dragon in all their unholy glory. Their bodies were wreathed in purple fire as they stared at the puny creatures before them, contempt gleaming in twelve crimson eyes.
The male grabbed the hand of the female and was lifted up into the air along with her.
"I thank you, fools, for bringing Me My other half! Now We shall once again be whole! And the full power of the Fell Dragon Grima will ravage this and all other worlds. Tremble at the power of a god!"
Saying this, he grabbed the dragoness roughly– but intimately– around the waist, pulling her body taut against his. With his other arm he lifted her leg up, while he dipped her backwards with the first, like some sick parody of dancer and partner. He gazed hungrily into her eyes, as their flames battered against each other violently, sending purple electricity flying through the air, which kept the gathered Heroes away. Grima moved his face closer to hers, briefly brushing his lips against hers, before moving downwards, past her chin, down to the base of her neck. He suckled the tender flesh there for a moment before opening his mouth wide and clamping down on the vein with gleaming fangs.
The party watched in horror and disgust as her veins became visible against her skin, dark with Fellblood, and Grima drank from the blood of his female counterpart. After he had taken his fill of the fell elixir, he moved his head away, grinning at them and showing off the smudged blood staining his lips and the area around his mouth like some macabre lipstick.
Grima then reached up from her position, stroking one hand almost lovingly against the male's cheek, before hopping up and clasping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, in a blasphemous mockery of a lover's embrace.
She then bent forwards, tongue trailing downwards from her counterpart's forehead to his neck, where she set forth with her own razor fangs, lapping up the Fellblood flowing through his body.
"You worms have my thanks," she gloated, blood dribbling down the corners of her mouth to her chin. "You have brought me to my other half, and we are once again whole! As a reward, you will be the first to perish under my full power! Feel the strength of Grima!"
The two fallen tacticians then pressed their lips against one another, exchanging both breath and blood. As soon as the ritual was sealed, their flames, which had up until then, been battling for dominance, merged into one, singular, violet bonfire that lit up the whole of the dungeons.
"GRIMA!" they shouted in unison, as the head of a monstrous black dragon, with six crimson eyes, and two gleaming, L-shaped, curved ivory horns, much larger and more solid than what either could have achieved on their own, appeared from within a portal ripped into existence by fell magic. It flickered in and out of existence. "EXPIRATE!"
A burst of unholy dark purple fire tore through the air, striking the seven heroes and their summoner in an explosion that turned everything white as the light enveloped the room, making it impossible to see.
A few moments later, the light and smoke had cleared enough to make things yet again visible. Tiki, in her dragon form, had shielded the others under her wings, while Breidablik covered them all in a dome of golden energy that was cracked and broken in some spots. He stumbled as blood leaked from his nose and ears from the combined force of the explosion and the stress of utilizing the ancient relic on such a scale. Kiran fell to his knees, completely exhausted. Tiki collapsed from the strain, her wings smoking and her scales charred and cracked in places, until she was forced to return to her humanoid form. Suddenly a spear pierced the air as Lucina flung Geirskogul to distract the pair of dragons as she drew her blade.
Chrom and Lucina dashed forwards towards their ancestral foes, Falchion in hand, and smote the wicked dragons where they stood, blades flashing bright with holy light. The Grimas cried in pain as Fellblood burned at Falchion's touch, before batting away the father and daughter wielding blessed blades.
Robin and Robin then took to the field, using the moment the Exalts had gained them to unleash the full strength of their arcane powers against the dragons Fell. Their foe-wyrms grit their teeth in annoyance at this continued defiance of Their Will, and flared Their purple flames once more, spells sputtering helplessly against that wicked wall.
The two dragons launched another stream of dark fire at the heroes on the ground, scorching the earth. Though they all managed to mostly dodge the attack, it was too large to avoid completely, and those who were too close to the flames felt as though their flesh was being flensed off their frames simply by the sheer power of the blaze.
For the two Robins, though, the effects of that hellfire was even worse. The power of Grima's Expiration was such that they felt as if each and every aspect of their beings was being stripped away. The heat from the attack caused their skin to blister and burn, even as it sucked the air out of their lungs, leaving them gasping for breath on the ground, as their vision began to go dark. The worst pain they felt was within their very souls, however. It felt as though their very beings were being reduced to ash with each passing moment, and inside their heads, they could hear the echoes of the murderous screams and blasphemous ravings of countless damned wraiths– ghosts of the people who had been consumed by Grima during the span of its long and accursed life. Mercifully, the ungodly beast saw it fit to cease its attack, and released a keening roar that shook the Order's castle in its entirety. Far above the dungeons, Heroes were awakened from their sleep by the trembling of their residence and the clattering of personal effects and equipment, as the tumult set things falling all over and breaking the peace of the night.
"Feh," the two dragons spat, disgusted, seeing their enemies writhing in pain upon the ground. "So they still live, do they? Hmph, it seems We have not yet gathered Our full strength. No matter! Once Our powers are whole, they shall be wiped from the face of this world! But first, let Us rid Ourselves of these insolent worms!" Saying thus, they flew at the Robins. The male landed yet again with a cloud of dust and cracked stone, before rushing forwards, grabbing his vessel by the throat, and slamming him on the ground.. The female rushed through the air, clasping her burning cold hands over her own vessel's throat before slamming her back against a wall. The pair snapped their hands out, choking the two tacticians, as the flames of Ignis burned their flesh, sending paroxysms of pain through their bodies.
"Today," they both said, reaching with their free hands towards the tacticians' hearts, "We shall take what rightfully belongs to Us!" They started to draw blood as their claws began to pierce the Robin's breasts, before another pair of cries pierced through the air in unison.
"Not on our watch!"
The pair of dragons turned their heads to see the children of their vessels standing before them, tomes drawn and calling upon the brilliant flames of their own Ignis that was their birthright as bearers of the Fellblood.
"This ends here!" Morgan shouted angrily, lightning crackling around her. "Thoron!" The bolts of magical lightning, let loose from the young tactician's tome, sped towards them. The male was able to power through the strike, though he was forced to release his prey, but the female took the blow at full strength, sending her careening through the air and back into the male dragon's body, causing them to end up in a tangle of limbs. Chrom caught Robin as she fell while Tiki and Lucina helped her male counterpart up.
"Time to even the odds!" Robin's son yelled at the pair of dragons, who were gathered in one spot– just as he wanted them. Morgan's eyes shone with unfettered wrath and he sang the words of his unholy grimoire with a lust for his foes' death clearly audible in his voice. He would destroy those who had plagued his family and tainted their happiness for ages. He would exterminate from the face of the earth those beings who were responsible for all their sorrows. Red magic circles formed above Morgan's tome as an orb of black magic, writhing with purple lightning and wreathed in purple fire surrounded the dragons, punishing them with their own power. "Grima's Truth!"
Unfortunately he could still see both Grima's standing up, despite him pouring the entirety of his magic and power into the spell. Just then, however, his sister grabbed his other hand and sent her own magic coursing through his body, adding her might to his own, and the orb of Fell energy expanded to twice its original size.
The two Grima's screams of pain as they were scoured alive by their own Fell power echoed in the chamber for what seemed like an eternity before the magical sphere finally dispersed in an explosion of dust and light.
Once the smoke from the Morgans' final blow cleared, it showed the pair of possessed tacticians lying in the midst of a perfectly smooth crater– as if the stone there had simply disappeared. They groaned in agony, left with nothing more but tattered robes covering their bodies and trickles of dark blood streaming from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths which turned into steam upon contact with the air. Every so often, a tiny flicker of purple flame could be seen dancing upon their forms for a few seconds before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere.
"Gh…" Grima groaned, her face covered in dust and ash. "Insolent…worms…"
"We will never…forgive this…insult," her male counterpart growled, before breaking out into a cough.
A noxious purple smoke poured from the fallen dragons' mouths with each breath, dispersing into the dark air of the cavernous dungeons.
The present heroes and their summoner gathered closer around the fallen dragons.
"Morgan! Why did you two follow us here! You could have gotten hurt!" Robin winced as his daughter threw herself at him a tight hug that probably broke whatever good ribs he had left. But more than the pain, what nearly brought him to his knees were the images of what could have happened to his daughter running through his mind. He trembled with fear as he held onto her for dear life.
"Aw, don't worry, Dad! We saved the day, didn't we? When we heard someone knocking at the door to get you and Mom, we woke up too. And besides, there was no way we could just stay away when we saw what looked Mom in chains."
"And when we found out that she was Grima," her brother added, "we knew that we had to go after you guys to keep you safe just in case something happened. I've been There was no way I was gonna let that monster hurt Mother ever again. Or you."
"Thank you for saving us, dear," Robin said, clutching her son to herself as tightly as her daughter held her father. "But, your father's right. You shouldn't have put yourselves in this danger. And Morgan, how did you use that magic?"
"I came to this world with Grima's Truth already in my hands," Morgan answered, pulling the tome out for his parents to see. "I don't know why I had this with me, but I figured there must have been a good reason for it. I've just never used it until now."
"M-Morg…an…" came a hoarse voice from below. The group all looked down to see Grima– no, Robin, speaking. The reddish gleam had disappeared from her eyes and the blood that had been streaming out of them was being washed away by the tears welling up within. A harsh cough wracked her body and spat up some more brackish blood, before smiling and reaching her hand out towards her son who stepped back from her in confusion. The shadow of grief passed over her face before she recomposed herself. "Morgan…thank you. My sweet, darling son…thank you so much. G-Grima is…" she coughed again. "Grima is finally dead, thanks to you. My brave boy." Her voice trembled as she cried. "I'm so sorry for everything, Morgan. Robin. Chrom. Lucina. I'm so sorry."
"Wh-what?" her son took a step back, shocked.
"I…that tome. I'm so…glad," she continued, coughing again. "Means my plan worked…I was…I was able to send you back in time. That book was…my last gift to you…to kill me…Kill Grima." She smiled laboriously for her son, despite the pain coursing through her veins. "Thank…you, Morgan. Mommy's so proud…of her little boy."
He fell to his knees in horror and scrambled to grab her hand as tears welled up in his eyes.
"N-no, Mom?!"
"Don't…cry."
"Morgan…I'm sorry too…Chrom. Lucina. Forgive me, please." The male whispered, also crying. Both figures' eyes had turned the warm brown of their original bodies' as the possession was cast off. He smiled up at his daughter, taking shallow, ragged breaths, blood streaming from the corners of his mouth.
"Gri–Da–What?" She looked to be just as confused as her brother.
"Thank you…Morgan…We're free from Grima's clutches now."
"Wha–What? What do you mean? D-Dad?" Morgan clamped one hand over her mouth and tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked back and forth between her father and the dying man who shared his face. She began to cry, harsh choking sobs, as the unpossessed Robin held her tightly, his face pale.
The man on the ground rolled over onto his side and held the woman's right hand with his own. "Robin…we're free," he smiled weakly. The two tacticians noticed a pair of simple silver rings, somewhat tarnished, set with a single purple gem on each of their counterpart's ring fingers.
"Yes," she whispered, inching closer to him, seeking comfort in her final moments. She nestled into the crook of his shoulder and the man placed a kiss on the crown of her head before tucking it under his chin.
The betrothed couple looked at the sight in horror and sorrow at this mirror of their own possible fates. They bent down to speak with their counterparts.
"So…you two, you're…" Robin broke the silence, struggling to find the right words. "You're together as well?" she asked, laying her hand on the hair of the woman she could have become.
"Y-yes…" she answered weakly. "We are…bound by the ties of a fate that stretches across worlds."
Robin was silent for a moment. "Fate, huh," he finally said. "I'm not all that fond of the word, if I'm being honest. I think there's more than just some fate set out for us that brings us together," he said, clutching his betrothed's hand tight. "There's something else between us all. Something that keeps us together. Like–"
"Invisible bonds?" his counterpart wheezed.
"Er, well, yes. Exactly."
"You are not wrong…but those bonds we forge…our actions…are our fate. A fate we make ourselves. Sh-she and I, just as the two of you, are b-bound through all your lives by the ties of love. A bond not unlike…the Gri-Grimas' own."
"What?!"
"Could you explain further?" Robin's betrothed pleaded.
"The reason the four of us exist…in pairs of two…the reason why my Grima sought his other half…these are all related. Just as you and her love one another…and feel incomplete…alone, Grima, in its own way…suffered from the pain of being incomplete for over one thousand years."
Robin was taken aback and his voice grew higher in disbelief. "What?! 'Become complete'? You mean, the Grima we each faced in our own worlds, he…he wasn't even at full strength?"
"Hardly," the once-possessed female tactician answered him. "What you faced was…only a fraction…of its power. What you faced just now…closer to its true strength."
"Grima was originally…one single dragon. Neither male nor female," continued her husband. "But Naga is…a dragon who can warp time…and thus space."
"When the first Exalt…slew the Fell Dragon…Falchion did not kill it, as you know…but neither did it just put it to sleep. N-Naga's fang…it clove Grima…in twain. It sheared his body…from his mind…The two parts sealed away by Naga…never to become whole again."
"One part, the body…the massed flesh of all the Earth Dragon tribe who sealed beneath…the Shield of Seals."
"The other…the psyche…the combined madness of all the Earth Dragons…who perished in captivity…slaughtering."
"I was the vessel of Grima's Body…driven solely by instinct, indest–" he spat up blood, this time as bright and red as any other man's. "Indestructible. But always…filled with a deep and keening emptiness."
"And I was…possessed by Grima's Will…driven by her anger…eternal hatred…Always seeking…destruction to stay the pain of being incomplete." The other Robin looked over guiltily at her son and unpossessed self.
"But more than that…I was the man searching for mate of my s-soul…my other half. I have…been searching…for so long. So thank you," said the man who had been possessed. "Y-you have let me see her as she was…once more before my death. I can't thank you enough." Saying thus, he held the woman in his arms tighter, as a tear slid down from the corner of one of his eyes, wiping away some of the dust and blood on his face.
"When Grima was sundered…Naga realized…something had to be done to stop the halves…from coming back together," said the dying woman.
"Sh-she foresaw the rise of the Grimleal, like the…Loptyrian Cult of…Jugdrali antiquity." Weakly, the man drew a shallow, crackling breath before continuing. "And with her power, she…stretched the fabric of reality in opposite directions. You," her male counterpart said, looking at his unpossessed self. "And her," he said, pointing to Robin's betrothed. "…us."
"Each of these…'depressions' in reality…stretched in opposite directions into the other dimensions…they existed parallel…a 'soulwell' big enough for only one vessel and one half of Grima…so it would never again be whole. One of us…on each side…fated to never meet till Grima's defeat."
"But now we have," Robin said, still holding his beloved's hand. "Loptyr's cult was only able to make a comeback in Jugdral because two people with his blood ended up…well, breeding. What are the chances that the Grimleal can do the same with us or our children? Or our descendants down the road, should any remnants of their cult survive after we defeat Grima in our worlds?"
"Not…likely. With Grima's true death here…you should be purged of its curse," answered his possessed counterpart.
"Its taint…cleaned," said the woman. "And reasons for Naga's restriction…gone."
"You've explained how the two halves of Grima came to be, though it truly beggars belief," Lucina said, stepping forward, looking rather ill at these revelations about the nature of the being that had been her mortal foe throughout her life. "To think that the true Falchion cleaves both time and space…how wondrous." She shook her head. "But I'm getting off track here. How did you ever meet if Naga intended for you to never do so? Is this related to how none of us can recall ever being with both of them at the same time before we got here?"
"Unfortunately…in the future you came from, Lucina, our…f-father," said the dying woman, "managed to discover this…between the assassination of Exalt Emmeryn…and end of Plegian War. He spent the next few years…planning…during the Valmese Invasion, he allied with Walhart…The Conqueror pushed the Ylissean forces far down to the southern provinces of Ylisse– near a certain island…one that could be considered almost entirely unimportant, save for a certain…feature there…"
"The Outrealm Gate," the two tacticians said together, suddenly starting to get an idea of where this story was going.
"Validar," the mortally-wounded man continued, "brought a legion of Valmese troops…with the help of Excellus…and other secret Grimleal traitors…and sundered the link with Naga's power…tainting it with Gr-Grima's. He pulled our pockets of reality together…and dragged her into mine, before disappearing and turning on the Valmese…Naturally…would require a lot of energy…the Valmese legion were s-slaughtered to a man…as a human sacrifice. Being so close to the island, we found her not long after…when we sent out scouts upon hearing reports…of a legion sailing towards us…Imagine our surprise when they returned…not only with tales of seeing that island…turned into a charnel-ground…but also of finding a woman who looked exactly like their tactician at the center of that abattoir. The others found it…odd at first, but they ended up welcoming her…after seeing m-me and her get along. I'm sure it didn't hurt…to have a second tactical expert either," he chuckled drily. "I was suspicious…but I also couldn't just leave someone…who was the same as me…suffered the s-same as me…and after meeting…I knew she was a good woman…and special. W-we started turning the tides of the war…soon thereafter, thanks to this one," he said with a sad smile, before stroking his wife's hair and laying a kiss upon her forehead. She also smiled back at him sadly before burying her face into his chest.
"Vali…dar was a filthy rat…he tortured us…as children, trying to mold us…into something we never wanted to be. That v-villian poisoned our c-capacity…to t-trust…others…and ruined our lives and our friends'…but even then…it was only due to him…that I found her…I have to be grateful for that."
"Y-you were always such a fl-flatterer," she laughed, a hollow, wheezing sound. "And, well…we fell in love with each other quickly, as I'm sure you two did," she continued, giving the two tacticians a teasing grin, at which they blushed.
"We were married two months later…maybe because we were in the midst of a war… and didn't know when any of us might lose our lives…maybe because after three years of charnel and slaughter…we all needed some happiness…and we were happy…even in the midst of all that bloodshed." A soft smile played on Robin's face as he let the pleasure from memories of happier days flow through his body, despite the pain.
"A few months later…I found out I was pregnant…Lissa told me…twins." The woman gazed up lovingly at the two children. "We…loved you so much, even before you born. I'm sor–" she started coughing heavily.
"Mom?!"
"Mother?!"
She waved them off. "I'm so sorry…Mama's sorry she couldn't have protected you better…" she rasped, silver tears flowing from her eyes.
Robin's noble visage darkened and he grit his teeth. "Unfortunately,…she wasn't the only one to come over to our side…Validar also ended up pulling Grima's…other half over. And she struck almost one year…later…when she was giving birth. I was at the front with Chrom…he was nearly struck down by an enemy cavalier…the warhammer blow to his head knocked him out…for nearly three months…and I was also assailed…by the will of my dimension's Grima…during my moments of doubt and Robin's weakness after giving…birth, they began…to speak to us…We wanted nothing to do…wi-with them, but the pressure was too strong."
"Remind me to never let this dastard go off to battle again without some kind of helmet," Robin mentioned to his betrothed, pointing to Chrom, who was standing behind him, with his thumb, which drew some chuckles from the gathered individuals– along with a slap to the back of his head by aforementioned blue-haired lord. The jovial mood was soon sobered, however, by the words of the woman who had once been the vessel for a power most dark. Her husband's words had caused to stiffen in his grip, as traumatic memories came flooding back into her mind.
"The voices…they told me to s-strangle my children…it would have been so easy…" she whispered with a cracking voice. "I nearly snapped more t-times than…I'm proud to admit. I'm so sorry…Morgen and Morgana, I'm so sorry." The woman broke down, no longer able to suppress her feelings of guilt, and wept, hair falling over her face like tarnished silver.
"A-are those our real names, Mother?" asked the young man, his face turning pale.
"M-Morgen…our son, our sunlight…shi-shining morning of our life," she sobbed as she reached out for her boy's hand, which he tightly gripped. "Morgana, you…named after our m-mother…a powerful mage in h-her own right."
"I was named after…Grandma?" the girl asked, her face as pallid as her brother's. She held onto the dying woman's hand alongside her twin.
"Yes," replied their father. "You were the most precious gift of our lives. After the childhood we had had…we looked forward to raising y-you…it was for you…we both kept fighting the voices…and the war…confided in each other…But, we never told anyone else. Looking back…might have been a mistake," he chuckled drily. "But both of us…so scared. Chrom almost dead…of being shunned…of losing ourselves and our family…losing the Shepherds…Ylisse. Losing the only place we were…something other than…walking sacrifice…empty vessel in human form. O-only place we were human…"
"Robin, none of us would have ever–!" began Chrom, before he was cut off.
"But we c-couldn't know that did we?!" the once-possessed Robin cried back, before a harsh series of painful coughs violently wracked his frame. His unpossessed self rubbed his back until he calmed down. "You were so close to…death. Maybe no one else…would have stood up for us. Maybe blamed us…for your condition." Chrom looked away, his expression visibly stricken with sorrow and guilt at having failed his best friends so many times.
"You two…should be thankful you can't remember y-your childhoods," he said to the two tacticians with a bitter smile on his face. "What we experienced…under Validar's thumb…For us…it always made us uncertain…untrusting of others…we could n-never have relied so fully on anyone else– e-even Chrom…the way you two can…H-honestly? I am…rather jealous. There was always…a wall between us and the others…S-she was the only one I could ever have trusted…fully. Perhaps that too…only because she was me."
"Um, so, sorry for the strange question," Robin asked, tugging at one of her twintails nervously. "But…are Robin and I, that is to say, well…aren'theandItechnicallysiblings?!" she cried, face beet red.
"Yes…" her alternate self replied. Both tacticians felt the blood drain from their faces at the answer. "…and no."
"H-huh? What do you mean?"
"Though we are all, in a way…the children of Validar…thrice-damned rat," the other man said venomously, "she and I…two of you, were born parallel to each other…In a sense, neither of you existed in r-relation to the other…Only in an Outrealm such as this…or through a ritual such as that dastard…conducted, could you have ever met…And so, neither of you…technically share blood."
Her other self explained further. "In reality, our bodies…no longer fully human, anyways."
"W-we…aren't fully human anymore?" Robin stammered, taken aback. She could feel her head swimming with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You p-probably don't know this…but we are the result of centuries…of planned breeding," replied the other woman. "We were shaped…both in the womb and after birth through…application of magic. The Grimleal's…dark magics scoured our blood of human…'impurities'…made us more empty…prepared us to be filled like a vessel by Grima."
"E-even before birth," said the man, "our existence was planned by the cult. Magic…used to create an idea, a frame, a form…implanted into our mother and then filled with Validar's power and essence…after birth, we were…carved, to put it one way, by regular…application of dark magic. Even if we were normal humans once…that is no longer…the case. W-we are more…creatures formed fully of magic…in a shell of flesh."
Both tacticians looked visibly uncomfortable at the implications.
"N-now–" the woman's body convulsed in pain and Morgen held the hand of the dying woman who bore his mother's face. "Now you are…cleansed of Its taint…though still not…fully natural human, but pure magic…no longer Fellblooded."
"You are both…Robin, yes, but you are your own people…you have found true love with each other…don't lose it."
Robin looked into her beloved's eyes, searching for reassurance that all would be well for them– that they could hold onto those precious feelings.
He pulled her head closer and placed his forehead against hers so that their noses were touching. Their dying counterparts smiled at the sight and gripped each other's hand even more tightly as they waited out their final moments.
"How did we both, if we truly are distinct souls, distinct beings, like you said, come to occupy similar positions in our worlds? Why were we born to be the vessels of Grima?" Robin asked the version of herself who had been freed from the Fell Dragon's clutches. "Why us?" She asked, despairingly.
The other woman smiled wanly, before answering. "Who knows…the weave of Wyrd? Its warp…and weft are inscrutable to us m-mortals. Why you…why we were chosen…to bear this burden…perhaps the gods only know…Or, m-maybe, not even them? We know…only what Grima did."
"But even he…was not omniscient," continued her husband. "The ways of the universe…the laws of Nature…the workings of Cosmic Order…these things are hidden unto us, as well…Why it was we who reincarnated as the vessels of Grima…even we do not know…Some mysteries m-may…that way forever stay."
They sat there at length in silence, trying to digest what they had just been told. It seemed that the answers they had received had only opened up new questions– ones whose answers they were not likely to find as easily.
"Robin…what about the rest of us? Were we truly the same souls across both of your lives? Did…did we do right by you?" Chrom asked after a few moments of silence.
"You were," the man said. "You've always been yourselves…Naga's manipulations were meant only to keep us from each other…not you…and so…thank you for everything Chrom. For both of us. And, I'm sorry…for all the pain I've caused you."
"As…am I," replied the man's wife.
Chrom bowed his as he felt his eyes sting. He was known for being a stoic, reliable man, but he didn't think he could just dispassionately stand by and watch his best friends perish before his eyes, in such clear pain. "You idiots. Why are you still…trying to be so selfless at a time like this." He fell to his knees and slammed his fist against the floor. "Damnit, Robin! Am I to be responsible for killing my best friend not once, but twice? I just– argh!" Tears fell from his face onto the stone. Lucina rubbed her father's back, trying to console him.
"N-no…Chrom, don't…think that way. You helped…free us. Th-thank you," the dying woman said as she grabbed a hand. Her male counterpart reached for the other.
"I love…you, Chrom. Thank you for finding me…for being the brother I never had…my best friend. I– You were the only one…I c-could ever trust with all my heart…You gave me a home when I had none…a haven from my past."
"Thank you for everything…Chrom. You accepted me…in spite of how I appeared," whispered the dying woman.
Chrom sank into himself and began to silently weep. His eyes were laden with heavy tears, like a raincloud with rain, which flowed down his cheeks in streams of sorrow as he ground his teeth in agony and despair at having to watch his two best friends waste away before him. The two dying dragons smiled at him with sadness in their eyes and held his hand to comfort him.
"Morgen, Morgana…" whispered the dying man after a few moments of silence, as he turned his attention towards his children with a weak smile. "Our children…Both of you, thank you…freeing us. We are…so proud of you. L-love…you." His eyes misted over as he felt his breathing become shallower. He didn't have much time left.
"We… love you," added their mother, crying. "P-please," she said turning to her still living version and her betrothed. "Take care…of our children…Give them the love we never could. It might be unfair…since you are still so y-young…yet unmarried…but we have no one else…to turn to."
Robin felt her heart break at this request from her counterpart, and swept the children up into a crushing embrace with both arms, pressing their heads against her breast, as tears began to stream again from her own face. "I promise! We'll love them like our own. No. We'll love them because they are our own. I might not have borne them myself, but I promise that I'll never let that be cause for them to ever feel the lack of a mother's love ever again. I swear that to you…to myself." Crying, Robin kissed both children on the crown of their heads. The other woman smiled at the sight, relieved to know her beloved children would finally be in good hands, with a loving family, even as her vision started to blur and clear figures slowly started turning into indistinguishable masses of colour.
Her husband heard the other woman swear her oath let out a sigh of relief as well. His unpossessed counterpart turned to him and clasped his hand. "And I swear it as well. I will do everything in my power to protect your–my…no. Our family. I will protect the woman I love and our children in your stead. So you can rest easy. I swear I will do right by you, for the sake of our happiness and the future's. Just, please, watch over us and give us your blessings."
The older man smiled and nodded, as his voice dropped to a whisper. "We will…t-take care Robin…of yourself…and our family…And now our d-duty ends…our burdens laid to rest…And so we depart from this mortal plane…Know that you have our blessings and well-wishes…"
"May your lives and happiness be as f-free…from sorrows and darkness…as we are today," said his wife.
At that, the two dying tacticians breathed their last and shut their eyes, never to open them again, before their bodies turned into a dull purple-gray ash, which dispersed into the air. And thus ended the legacy of the Fell Dragon, Grima, and those who were chosen to bear its awesome and terrifying power. In a world far, far away from where any of those players hailed, the dark dragon of destruction was forever slain, and the path to the future seemed to shine brighter than ever, a stage lit by the silver light of a full moon and strewn with elder blossoms.
The big day had come at last.
Robin rode majestically towards the castle's temple on the back of the lustrous white steed he had borrowed from Chrom for the wedding. He dismounted at the stone gate that marked the entryway, garbed in a long tunic of dark purple raw silk that fell past his knees and was embroidered in fine gold thread that shimmered in the sunlight. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his velvet cap, lavender in colour, as he walked towards the ritual fire that had been kindled on the dais set up in front of the holy ash tree that grew in the center of the courtyard. A round golden brooch, inset with a sparkling ruby, clasped a fine silken cape, also lavender, to his tunic. A torc of gold on either arm held up each corner of the cape, allowing it to drape off his body in an elegant manner. Robin found it hard to keep himself from fidgeting about as he waited for the ceremony to begin. He took another breath to try and steady himself as Morgen walked up to him, dressed in a similar, albeit less elaborate, outfit.
"Good morning, Father! Sis told me Mother will be ready soon. They're just finishing pinning up her dress and putting her jewelry on. They should be out in a bit." He noticed the expression on his sire's face. "Is everything okay?"
Robin took another deep breath, before smiling and ruffling the boy's hair, who tried in vain to bat away his father's hands. "I'm good, kiddo. It's just…I'm very happy, of course, to finally marry Robin. but there's also a lot to live up to, you know? I have a duty not only to her, but both you and your sister. Not to mention my oath to…ourselves from the future. It's a lot of pressure," he chuckled.
"I think you'll be fine, Father. I mean, there's a reason they decided to trust you. And stop messing up my hair, Mother will get mad at me!" he cried, swatting away the hands attacking him.
"Thanks, Morgen," Robin said with a genuine smile. "I do feel better."
"So," he said after a moment, "how does it feel to be attending your own parents' wedding? I can't help but imagine it must be a strange feeling."
"Well, it is a little weird for me," Morgen answered. "But I guess our family is anything but normal. And I know Morgana's very excited to be able to attend."
His father laughed aloud. "Is she ever! She's been bouncing off the walls trying to help set everything up and make sure it's all perfect. It's been a great help, having her take care of the organization and decoration and all that, but thanks for helping to rein her in when she bites off a bit too much. I'm glad you're there to take care of her."
Morgen was about to answer him but the buzzing crowd grew quiet, and the two men looked over to see what happened.
Robin's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. There, at the edge of crowd, which had parted to give him a clear view, stood his betrothed. His beloved, radiant in her dress of pure silk, floated gracefully through the attendants, as unearthly and ephemeral as an angel. Her heavy silk veil was held in place by a thin circlet of gold which was inset with a polished amethyst gem, around which were woven sprays of elderflower blossoms, making her look like a veritable angel, crowned by a heavenly halo, shining in the morning Sun's light. Her silver hair shimmered as the parts of it that had been left unpinned spilled out from underneath the veil.
Their daughter led her forward, nearly skipping with joy. A small smile came to Robin's face at her sight. She was dressed in an adorable lilac dress, with a bow of shining white ribbon serving as a belt around her waist. They stopped midway to the dais.
Robin carried in her hands a bouquet of white lilies, purple peonies, and elderflowers, all bound together by a strip of white silk and an elegant golden ribbon.
Libra, the officiating priest, stood up and faced the gathering, garbed in radiant robes of green and gold silk which were festooned in the symbols of Naga's worship. The War Monk had been one of their best friends and closest allies, and to have him serve as the gothi at their wedding was a true blessing. Libra held up his ceremonial axe-staff that stood as his symbol of office to silence the crowd.
"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today in the light of our Holy Mother, Naga, to bear witness to the joining together of two of her children in holy marriage. The groom, Sir Robin Validarsson, Grandmaster of Ylisse and Prince of Perezia, and the bride, Lady Robin Validarsdottir, Grandmaster of Ylisse and Princess of Perezia, will today be bound together by the ties of Love and Duty, as Man and Wife. For thus is the path laid down for us by the gods, for the good of Men and Society. We ask that they too bear witness today as this pair is wed, and bless them with Faith and Loyalty, and guide them both through the trials of married life."
Finishing the ritual invocation to Naga and the other gods, Libra turned towards the bride and smiled. "Who now gives this woman in marriage to this man?"
Chrom strode forward with a big smile on his face, resplendent in his royal garments, the sign of his Exaltedness. "I, Chrom of House Ylisse, Exalt of Ylisse, brother of the bride and groom offer this woman in marriage to this man!" Taking Robin's hand from her daughter, he walked proudly with her up to the dais, where stood the groom. He'd been practicing those lines for two weeks now and had delivered them without a hitch. He really was getting better at these formal events!
Chrom brought the bride-to-be up to the altar in the father's stead, fulfilling the necessary custom of the daughter-giving. Both Robins considered Chrom far worthier to stand in the father's place than their actual father, and so, it was to him that they turned to fulfill that role. He actually had two parts to play for this wedding, though: one of them was, of course, to give away the bride to be wed; even before that, however, he was in charge of leading the groom's marital procession to the bride's home– which in this case, was simply the women's side of the castle– and organizing the festivities, including music (as a side note, Stahl played the harp surprisingly well, and his efforts during his instrumental duel with Cordelia were well received).
"Now, 'Son'," Chrom said with a wry grin, "I'm giving you this girl's hand in marriage. She's an important friend of mine, like my own sister, and I'm trusting you with her. You better treat her right…or else." He held up his free hand and tightened his fist, glaring at Robin.
Until he burst out laughing a few moments later, slapping his friend on the back. "Well, not like I need to tell you that. But honestly, Robin. You're both my best friends and I'm proud to be able to stand here today and do this for you both after what you both have done for us. And I'm glad I could see this day. I know you two will make each other happy." Holding up the bride's right hand, he grabbed the groom's with his other hand and placed it into it, clasping both of his hands over theirs. "Here's to the rest of your lives together. Make it a happy one you two. Gods know you deserve it." With a brilliant smile he walked back to his seat, where his wife, Sumia, grabbed his hand and wrapped her arms around one of his, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"You did great, Honey!" she whispered, nuzzling his arm with her face.
Lucina's lips quirked into a soft smile at seeing her parents being so loving. It did her heart good to be able to bear witness to their love and happiness in person. Furthermore, being present today at the wedding of two of her closest friends and childhood heroes was another great honour she never expected she would receive when she first leapt back in time.
Holding his soon-to-be wife's hand, Robin gazed at her face, completely entranced by her beauty. Blushing, she looked away, abashed at his open admiration in front of all these people. "Don't stare so much…" she mumbled.
Hidden behind the holy ash tree, the two Tharjas– both dressed in bridal gowns today, felt their noses explode with blood at her cute shyness, and they passed out from blood loss and overheating. Her daughter, Noire, dragged them both away from the scene again with a sigh.
Robin himself felt his heart skip a beat at her words, and chuckled, leading her towards Libra. "Sorry, sorry. You were just too beautiful. You're so cute, you know that?–Ouch!" She had pinched his arm! He looked over at her, but she turned her face away from her. The bit of her face that he could still see was bright red.
As they reached the altar, Libra pulled out a golden ribbon and clasped the bride and groom's hands with both of his, laying the length of silk atop the place of their joining. He began to sing a hymn to Naga as he tied the golden ribbon around their hands seven times. He then instructed them to make seven circles around the holy fire with their hands still bound, which symbolized their vow to stay true and be bound together for their next seven lifetimes– no matter what. The rest of the ceremony was spent with the pair of tacticians sitting side by side as Libra guided them through ritual invocations and pouring sacrificial oblations into the holy flame.
About an hour later, the pair of tacticians stood side by side in front of the gathering. Libra unfastened the silk ribbon that tied them together.
"Go now, Robin and Robin, in peace and under the blessings of Naga and the multitude of gods. I pronounce you Man and Wife. Robin, you may now kiss the bride."
Robin turned to face his wife and gazed into her eyes, which were beginning to mist up with tears of joy. Both of their faces flushed in embarrassment. With his left hand, he gently caressed her face before leaning in and closing his eyes.
The crowd leaned in as well, eagerness visible on their face.
And then Robin grabbed his bride's hand and lifted up the bouquet to cover their faces as he went in for the kiss.
The attending multitude jeered and laughed at their shyness and the Robins dropped the bouquet to look at them with a smug grin on their faces.
"A tactician…" the groom began.
"Is always prepared!" finished his bride, sticking out her tongue cheekily.
With this last laugh, Robin and Robin ran hand in hand to the entrance, where the groom's horse still stood, and he helped her up onto the snowy steed before climbing onto its back himself. He swung his leg over and spurred it into a speedy gallop back to the castle as his wife wrapped her arms around his waist and laughed sweetly into the wind, her veil and hair streaming back into the air like a long trail of shining silver…
AN: Well, now that's finally done! If you stuck with me through this whole story, thank you very very much! I am most thankful. It's only thanks to readers like yourself that I'm able to write. If you wouldn't mind giving me just a few more minutes of your time, I would really appreciate it if you could review this story and possibly share it with others you think might be interested in it.
In other news, this has been a pretty blessed month of the snek for me in the gacha games I play. I got Fallen Tiki to +1 in around a 100 orbs in FEH, as well as another copy of L!Tiki (for a total of +3) and even mama Naga (+3 as of this morning) (and 3 B!Hectors) in under 500 orbs (all orbs I've been saving since January or so). In FGO, I got NP2 (two copies) of thicc snek Gorgon, NP3 Medusa, and finally NP5'd my main FGO waifu, Kiyohime, as well as getting her Rashoumon CE with 1 free ticket. Oh, I also got NP2 Quetz off of two tickets, now that I think about it.
Once again, thank you all for reading! Please leave a review if possible! I read them all and try to respond as best I can!