"So, this is the place?" Chrom asked, giving a sweeping lookover of the interior of the Valmese temple. Originally dedicated to Naga, the temple had fallen into disuse and disrepair in the last few centuries. It would've been completely negligible if not for reports from nearby villages of powerful Risen habitually emerging from it.

"Aye," Say'ri nodded. "To think the Risen could desecrate such a holy place… Fie, it makes my blood boil!"

"Hmmm," Chrom pondered, turning in the center of the temple as he once more scanned the area and once more failed to find anything of interest. "Robin. What do you make of this?" he asked, turning to his tactician.

Robin was crouched on the ground tracing his fingers over ancient glyphs as he muttered to himself. Lucina stood over him, not understanding anything the man was saying but curious nonetheless. Around them sprawled large rings of engravings in the floor, all marked with an ancient language. Robin glanced up, noting that it seemed the large circle had been carved with very specific purpose. "Dunno. Maybe it can summon Risen? Hey, Tharja! What do you think?"

Tharja leaned against the entrance, her husband Libra keeping vigilant watch over the outside. Out of their party of six, they and Say'ri were the only ones not standing inside the large concentric circles. "Used for ancient rites, no doubt. I don't know what it's supposed to do, but at the very least it's not Dark Magic, so I'm not going to be much help here."

"Hrmmm. Oh, hey! Libra! What sound does this symbol make?" Robin asked while drawing imaginary lines in the air repeatedly.

Libra frowned for a moment. "It's an older dialect of the holy language, but I believe it would be something like 'fehg'".

"Got it, thanks," Robin replied as he returned his gaze to the writing beneath him. He tapped his chin for a moment before uttering a few short sentences in a garbled tongue. Everyone in the room looked at him expectantly, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments Robin shrugged, scratching his head. "Weird, thought that would activate the thing, whatever it is. I wonder if-"

Robin never got a chance to finish his sentence as the engravings suddenly flashed white and a pillar of light engulfed him, Chrom, and Lucina. When it vanished, they were gone.

The three who had not been in the circle could only stare in mortified silence as they tried to grasp what had just happened.

"Oh dear," Libra murmured.

Tharja's eye twitched.

"Woah," Robin said, standing with his hands on his hips. He looked around, slightly concerned that their surroundings had changed. They were still inside a temple, but now the layout and construction material were entirely different. Perking his ears, Robin realized that he could hear the faint babble of running water. Additionally, Say'ri, Tharja, and Libra were all missing. Robin turned to his two companions, both of whom were doubled over, breathing heavily.

"R-Robin," Chrom spluttered as he gasped for air. "Wh-what the hell did you just do?"

"Well…" Robin started as he walked over to Lucina and began to gently massage her back, "Given that the interior of the temple is completely different, our comrades are gone, and you two, both non-magic-users, are extremely disoriented… my money's on teleportation."

Lucina looked up, still panting, grateful for Robin's aid. "Wh-where are we?"

"Haven't a clue," Robin replied chipperly, clearly none the worse from the teleportation. "We could theoretically be anywhere depending on the strength of the spell. Almost certainly another temple to Naga though, so that rules out Plegia I guess. "

"Pl-Plegia?!" Chrom gasped. "We could be a continent away from our armies?! Why are you so relaxed right now?!"

Robin chuckled. "Chrom, I just said we're not in Plegia."

Chrom scowled. "Wiseass," he muttered.

"But you're right about us potentially being a continent away. It's possible we're back in Ylisse. But that doesn't really matter. All I have to do is wait for this baby to recharge and I can send us back no problem. Judging by the spell structure it shouldn't take more than a day."

"H-how can you be so sure?" Lucina asked.

Robin smiled as he patted her on the back, quite pleased at having a chance to show off. "Because this is where the Risen from the temple back in Valm are coming from. They're teleporting in from here."

"How are Risen using such a complicated spell?" Chrom asked as he stood upright, finally in full control of his faculties again.

Robin's smile died on his face. That was… a disturbingly good point. Risen surely lacked the intelligence to perform so complex an incantation.

…Unless?

Robin cursed under his breath before looking Chrom in the eyes. "Deadlords," he said gravely.

Chrom's eyes widened. It had been two years since Donnel had been killed in the battle with the Deadlords Canis and Porcus as the Shepherds fled Plegia, but the pain of that encounter still stung in both men's hearts.

Robin held out a hand to Lucina, who was still bent over and having slight difficulty breathing. "On guard, Luce. We probably have company."

The sounds of Risen screaming echoed throughout a nearby corridor as she took his hand.

"See?" he asked cheekily.

The smile disappeared immediately as a shrill, female shriek rang out. The three bolted down the corridor.

A young, blue-haired girl sprinted through the halls, skidding as she made a turn. She clutched a tome and a blade to her chest as she ran into a large antechamber, a Plegian cloak flapping behind her. The room was spacious, with carved stone walkways cutting through a freshwater spring. She skidded to a halt as she reached a dead end, her heart settling in the bottom of her stomach. The girl cursed before wheeling around to see Risen bounding towards her. With her back to a wall and deep water on both sides of the walkway, she had no choice but to fight.

"Think, Morgan, think! How would Dad handle this?"

The Shepherds burst into a large room, all of them on the lookout for the source of the human scream.

"There!" Lucina cried as she pointed to a throng of Risen, which were fast closing in on a girl in a strange cloak. Robin narrowed his eyes. Was it just him or did that cloak seem very familiar?

His line of thought was interrupted by moans behind him and gurgling noises around them. Robin got an uneasy feeling. "Everyone back away from the edges." Chrom and Lucina stepped away quickly, both knowing better than to question Robin when he used that tone.

Robin's suspicions were confirmed as Risen suddenly popped out of the water, hauling themselves onto the marble walkway. Behind him, a crowd of the undead even larger than the one pursuing the girl slowly shuffled into view, eyes glowing brightly in contrast to the gloom of the corridors.

Robin quickly sized up their numbers, their size, and their equipment. "Chrom. Go after the girl. Lucina and I will handle these guys."

Chrom nodded. "Be careful, both of you," he said before rushing to aid the girl, who had begun to sling fire spells at the Risen pursuing her.

Robin waited until Chrom was a significant distance away before turning to Lucina. "Ah, finally some alone-time," Robin grinned as he slipped an arm around her waist. Lucina giggled as she gave him a quick kiss before adopting her combat stance.

Morgan tripped as she desperately tried to back away from the Risen warrior advancing on her. It was far bigger than the others and hadn't gone down from a single Elfire spell. It raised its axe overhead and gave a fierce warcry. Morgan desperately rolled away from its strike, trying to ready another Elfire. Unfortunately, the Risen Chief was much too fast, and was upon her so quickly that she was forced to defend herself with swordplay. Each blow from the hulking monster made Morgan feel like her arms were going to pop out of their sockets. With a savage kick the Risen caught Morgan dead in the solar plexus, dropping her where she stood. Morgan gasped in pain, unable to breathe, unable to move. She looked up in terror, certain she was about to die.

"L-leave me alone!" She shouted weakly.

"Must kill… future… child…" The Risen Chief growled as it brought its axe up for an overhead blow.

F-father… Wh-where are you? Morgan wondered.

The Risen was about to follow through when its body jerked a bit, a swordtip sticking out of its chest. It howled and turned to glare at its assailant. The fierce-looking blue-haired man returned its look, not flinching in the slightest. Without hesitation, he withdrew his blade from the beast, sidestepped a powerful swing, and easily decapitated the monster.

Morgan couldn't help but think that the man looked quite familiar.

The man turned and struck down two more charging Risen before turning back to Morgan. "You alright?" He asked.

"Th-thank you, sir. …Who are you?" the girl questioned.

"I would ask you the same." The man replied. "More importantly, why are you here? This is hardly a safe place to be wandering alone," he grinned, gesturing to the Risen with his odd-looking sword.

Morgan frowned. Why was she here? "I... I don't know, frankly. I woke up...sprawled in a field. I can't recall anything before that."

The man just stared at her. "This sounds familiar," he deadpanned.

The girl wasn't sure what he meant by that, but continued on. "I... I think I remember my name? ...Morgan? Yes, that's it. My name is Morgan."

The man smiled warmly. "I'm Chrom. And finding amnesiacs is apparently my special talent. I met a good friend, Robin, under the same circumstances."

Morgan's eyes went wide. "Robin?! Is this friend of yours perchance a tactician?"

Chrom raised an eyebrow. "He is. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I know him! He's my father!" Chrom's jaw dropped. "...Wait a second. You found my father lying here unconscious?" Morgan asked curiously.

Chrom just looked at her funny for a few seconds before shaking his head quickly. "Well, not here. But yes, we found him lying in a field, memory-free. This was quite a while ago, mind you. So if you're his daughter, I take it you came from the future?"

Now it was Morgan's turn to stare at him as if he were from another world. "...From the future? Are you kidding, sir?! People can't travel through time! If that were possible, I— Ngh! M-my head!" Morgan cried, clutching her forehead as a searing pain coursed through her skull.

Chrom's eyes went wide with alarm. "Whoa, easy there. Try to stay calm. Listen, why don't you just come with me for now? Robin's right down there," he said, pointing to a white-haired man who was fighting a horde of the Risen alongside a blue-haired woman. "He can answer your questions once we take care of these things," Chrom gestured again, indicating a small group of Risen that was approaching them.

"Father's down there?! What are we waiting for?! And don't worry—I can defend myself! You just lead the way!" Morgan cheered exuberantly.

Lucina pulled the Parallel Falchion out of the Risen she had just felled as Robin set the last one ablaze. Robin dusted off his hands in an exaggerated fashion. "That was way too easy. I was really expecting a Deadlord or something."

Lucina nodded. "As much as I would like to remove them from this world, I feel we should be grateful one didn't appear. I fear we would've had difficulties fighting something so strong while trying to protect the girl."

Robin nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. Although from what little I saw, that girl was no slouch at fighting. Her magic was something else."

Lucina turned to him, perplexed. "Magic? I was certain I saw her wielding a sword."

"She can use both," Chrom called out as he descended the stairs, blue-haired girl behind him.

"Well, speak of the devil!" Robin said, turning just in time to be bowled over as the girl tackled him in a fierce bear hug.

"Daddy!" the girl cried, gripping him tightly.

"D-d-daddy?! What?!" Robin stammered.

Chrom laughed heartily at his friend's distress, before turning to his daughter. "Look who we found, Lucina!"

Lucina, just as confused as Robin, turned to her father. "Am I supposed to recognize this person?"

"Huh? Didn't she come back from the future with you?" Chrom asked in surprise.

Lucina shook her head. "As far as we knew, the Robin of my time never married and never had children… I don't understand what's happening here."

Chrom frowned. This girl didn't come from the future after all? And why did Lucina seem so disturbed by Robin's apparent daughter? Was she… sulking?

Robin pushed himself up, the girl still clinging to him. "So if she's not from the future…" he muttered before looking back at the girl. "Look I think there might be some sort of mistake here. I'm not your father. I can't be. I'm barely older than you!"

"Dad, is this the amnesia Chrom was talking about? Of course I'm your daugh- Oh my gods you do look younger. Wh-what's going on here?"

"It would seem a case of mistaken identity," Robin sighed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you must have me confused with someone else… Wait a minute, is this my cloak?" Robin asked, defensively holding up the weathered garment the girl wore.

The girl just stared at him blankly, confused. "Yeah. Well, I mean, I guess it's my father's but… I'm just sure you're my dad!"

"Robin, you realize you aren't the sole proprietor of that kind of cloak right? Hell, do you know how many shops sell knockoffs of that thing in Ylisstol?" Chrom asked.

Robin made a mental note to begin collecting royalties as he frowned. Something was off here; he was certain this cloak was his—much older, but definitely his. The majority of the frays, stitchings, and stains that adorned the old cloak could be found on his as well. Things just weren't adding up here.

"Who's your mother?"

The girl gave the first genuinely sad look he had seen from her, wincing as she rubbed her temple. "I… I can't remember. I'm sorry…"

Robin released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. In truth, any answer would've disappointed him, because it wouldn't have been "Lucina".

"Um, I'm sure this question sounds odd to you coming from me, but what's your name?"

"Morgan!" the girl replied, not missing a single beat.

Robin's eyes went wide. "Morgan?" he whispered in shock, sharing a quick glance with Lucina, the only other person in the room to understand the significance of that name. Lucina was visibly surprised as well, looking from the girl, to Robin, and then back to the girl.

"Robin?" Chrom asked expectantly, unsure what the name could possibly mean to the tactician.

Robin glanced up at him, then shook his head. "I don't need any other proof. I'm certain she's my daughter," he murmured as he brushed Morgan's hair from her forehead. Morgan's face lit up at this and she leaned in to hug Robin again, who reciprocated this time.

"…Just like that?" Chrom questioned. He was used to taking the words of amnesiacs at face-value, but he had expected Robin to have more difficulty accepting that he had a child when he knew so little about himself.

Robin nodded, glancing at Lucina—a glance that did not go unnoticed by her father—before turning back to Chrom. "Morgan is… was… my mother's name."

Chrom and Morgan's mouths both fell open slightly. He had been unaware of Robin acquiring any of his forgotten memories, let alone one so important as one of his lost mother. What's more, he had a strong suspicion that Lucina, and Lucina alone, had been privy to this information. He knew the two had been getting closer over the last few months, but what did it signify that Robin would trust her with something like that and not him?

Morgan, for her part, seemed to be struggling to recall her grandmother; a sadly futile effort if the somber look on Robin's face and his deliberate usage of the past tense were anything to go by.

"I don't have any doubts about you Morgan, "Robin continued softly as he began to remove a glove. "This is all quite confusing for both of us, but we'll work it out later. However, there's something I need to know." Robin slipped it off completely, and held out the back of his right hand, the Mark of Grima visible for all to see. Chrom stiffened in shock. While a handful of Shepherds knew of Robin's brand, it was one of the best-kept secrets in the group, one even the loose-lipped Lissa had been adamant about maintaining. For him to display it so openly in front of Lucina…

"Do you have a mark like this?" Robin asked. Morgan stared at it for a second.

She blinked once in confusion before replying. "I… I don't know."

Robin frowned. The girl's amnesia was worse than he thought. "Here, let me take a look." He grasped Morgan's left hand—brands rarely took the exact same place on children as they did their parents—and removed the glove, revealing pale but unmarked skin. Robin moved to the other hand as Chrom and Lucina watched with rapt attention. Robin carefully removed the glove with trembling fingers, and his breath hitched.

There, sitting on Morgan's right hand, was the Mark of Naga.

A sustained silence filled the room as Robin, Chrom, and Lucina could only stare in shock. Morgan turned to each of them quizzically, failing to understand the significance of her different brand.

"Um, Dad?" Morgan finally asked. "You can let go of my hand now."

Robin snapped to attention before relaxing his grip. "Erm, right. Of course. Sorry Morgan. Hey, could you go into the other room and um… check for the brand… elsewhere?" he trailed off sheepishly, quite embarrassed.

Morgan nodded brightly. "No problem Dad! I'll give a shout if those things show up again." She hopped up and trotted out the room.

"What… what does this mean?" Lucina finally asked, looking at Robin expectantly. Chrom turned to him as well. If Robin was certainly the father, and the mother was of the Exalt's line…

Robin sighed. "I thought you might know, Luce. You said I never married right? Perhaps Morgan is a bastard child, but that would mean the only possible mother would be…" Robin groaned loudly. "…Lissa?" he tentatively concluded, doing his best not to look Chrom in the eye.

Lucina shook her head emphatically. "No. This Morgan is certainly younger than Owain, and Aunt Lissa never had a second child before she…" Lucina coughed. "At any rate, I'm certain she's not Aunt Lissa's daughter."

"But there's only so many possibilities if she comes from the future-" Robin froze mid-sentence, staring into space as an idea struck him. "No… maybe I shouldn't say the future. Maybe I should say a future?"

Chrom and Lucina shared a confused look before turning back to Robin.

"What if we've been looking at the future the wrong way?" Robin asked as he leaned over the edge of the walkway and dragged a finger through the springwater. "We'd been operating under the assumption that time flows like a river, and that Lucina and the others traveled back by going against the current. But what if that's wrong? What if they merely hopped into an adjacent stream?" Robin asked, accentuating his point by skipping his finger across the water.

Robin began to talk more animatedly, growing excited. "What if Morgan doesn't come from the same time as Lucina at all? What if she's from another time stream? What if she's from this time stream? What if she doesn't have the Mark of Grima because Grima doesn't exist in her time? What if she comes from a future where we've won? A future where we-" Robin stopped speaking abruptly, mouth moving slightly before he clamped it shut, as if he had been about to say something he shouldn't. He once again shot a quick glance at Lucina. Chrom noted with some concern that Robin's cheeks were beginning to gain a red tint. He became even more alarmed when Lucina let out a soft gasp, cheeks flushed scarlet and eyes wide with wonder as she seemed to realize something.

"Does that mean…?" She whispered, a large smile breaking across her face.

"I'm sure of it," Robin nodded to her, a big stupid grin plastered on his.

What the hell are these two talking about? Chrom wondered as he looked from his best friend to his daughter. Chrom's gaze fell on the brand in Lucina's left eye, and suddenly he felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Something immediately clicked. Chrom thought back to all of the time Robin and Lucina had been spending together lately; the lingering glances, the degree to which his usually stoic daughter had been smiling recently, the way Sumia and Lissa had been giving her knowing looks while having conversations outside Chrom's earshot… All of the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

Robin's senses were screaming at him that he was in imminent danger, and he had to agree. He shot to his feet. "Anywayyyy, I'm going to go scout ahead. Wouldn't want to get caught off-guard by anymore Ris-owowowowowow!"

Robin glanced over his shoulder, which Chrom had a ferocious vicegrip on. His countenance was more terrifying than Robin had ever seen, reminding him of old illustrations of Astra, the Chon'sin god of war. Robin immediately knew he was a dead man.

"Robin…. Is there something you'd like to tell me? Something regarding my precious little girl…?" Chrom asked icily. Robin gave a panicked look to Lucina, whose hands were over her mouth. There was no doubt about it; they had been found out. Robin sighed. He had meant to tell Chrom eventually, but had been putting it off due to the war and the overwhelming amount of awkwardness. He cleared his throat, steeling himself for inexorable death.

"Very well Chrom. You deserve to know. Lucina and I are in a relationship. This is quite serious; we love each other very much and I would readily die for her."

"You might not get the chance if I have anything to do with it," Chrom threatened darkly, free hand reaching for Falchion—an action not missed by Robin.

"Hold on Chrom, we had meant to tell you eventually but felt that it would be better to wait until after the war was over. But I assure you my intentions towards her are pure and ohgodsyouwouldn'tkillmewithyourgranddaughterintheotherroomright?"

Chrom's eyes went wide at that jumble of words. "Robin…" Chrom growled. "Is my daughter… pregnant?"

Robin gave out an involuntary laugh as his mind shut down for a moment under the strain of pure horror.

"No Father, you misunderstand!" Lucina yelled. "I do love Robin, but I am not with child. At least… at least, not yet…" Lucina trailed off, glancing away with a blush as she smiled slightly.

Robin would've swooned at how adorable that display was if he hadn't been actively fighting off a feral panic. "Lucina, I love you, but you are possibly quite literally killing me here," he said pointedly. He looked back to Chrom. "Have I mentioned that I love her? A lot?"

"Have I mentioned that I'm going to hurt you? A lot?"

At this moment Morgan re-entered the room, much to Robin's relief. Before the girl could announce that she had been unsuccessful in locating another brand, Robin bolted over to Morgan and hoisted her up. Wheeling around, Robin held her defensively between himself and Chrom. "Ha! You wouldn't dare go through your own granddaughter to get to me!" Robin exclaimed triumphantly.

Chrom's eye twitched.

"Wait, 'granddaughter'?" Morgan asked.

"Robin! Don't use our daughter as a human shield!" Lucina yelled in exasperation.

Chrom's eye twitched twice.

"'Our'?" Morgan asked, eyes wide. "Umm… I'm sorry, but I can't remember you. Who are you?"

Lucina smiled. "My name is Lucina. I think… I think that I'm your mother. You can't imagine how happy I am to meet you, Morgan."

Morgan's eyes went wide. "M-mother? You're my mom?" She asked incredulously.

Lucina nodded, hesitating a bit. "I can't say for sure, but I feel it in my heart. Furthermore, you have the same brand as me," she said, gesturing to her eye.

Robin rested his chin on Morgan's head. "That's right, she's your mom. Or at the very least, she's the only person who I would want to be your mother," he said, looking into Lucina's eyes and smiling warmly. Lucina looked as if she might cry from happiness. "So what do you think, kiddo?"

Morgan stared at Lucina for a moment before she broke into a huge grin. "Yeah! I'm sure of it!" She pulled out of Robin's grip and ran into Lucina's arms. "Mom! I missed you so much!" She cried happily.

As much as Chrom still felt the urge to beat Robin senseless, he had to admit he had never seen him or Lucina so happy in his life. He sighed. "Lucina? Why don't you take Morgan and go set up camp? You can fill her in on the situation. I'm going to have a little chat with Robin. Give us a shout if you run into more Risen."

Lucina frowned. "Will he still be in one piece when I get back?"

Chrom raised his right hand. "I solemnly swear I will not dismember Robin."

"That's disturbingly specific," Robin muttered.

"Alright," Lucina laughed before coming over to Robin and giving him a quick kiss. "Play nice now," she said before she took Morgan by the hand and exited the room.

"As much as I enjoy that, you're just antagonizing him dear," Robin called out. Robin sighed, then gulped and turned to face Chrom. "Sooooo…."

"…How long?" Chrom asked.

"Define 'how long'. How long have we been together? Since that night we spent at the Mila Tree. How long has it been since I realized how I felt about her? The boat trip to Valm. You know, the one I spent the majority of bedridden because I almost died saving her life? That one? …Erm, anyway… How long has it been since I fell in love with her? I don't really know. Maybe since the moment I first laid eyes on her. …Which would be when she was Marth. Gods that's awkward…"

Robin had been zoned out while he talked, and finally looked back to Chrom, whose face was still an emotionless mask.

"…Chrom, she means everything to me. For the first time in my admittedly short life, I know exactly what I want from the future. And it's her. I want to make her happy. I want to give her a peaceful life. I want to grow old with her. I'm fighting for all of us, but above all I'm fighting for her." Robin paused. "And Morgan now as well. …Do you have any idea what Morgan must mean to Lucina? Lucina, who never expected to be able to have a family or future of her own? Lucina, who was prepared to sacrifice every bit of joy she had ever had for the good of the world? …I want to give her that happiness more than anything. She deserves it more than anyone." Robin finished, eyes burning with vigor.

Chrom was silent for a few moments. Finally, he sighed. "Well, I am glad that you said all that. But Robin, I wasn't upset that you're with my daughter. All those threats of physical violence were mostly for show. Mostly. In fact I would be ecstatic if I wasn't so angry right now! How could I not be happy? My daughter couldn't be in better hands—there's no man alive I trust more than you. And that's what's pissing me off so much! How could you not tell me?! I thought you trusted me too! We're like brothers!"

Robin stepped back as if Chrom had struck him, which he warily noted could still happen.

…Gods dammit, he's right.

"I… I'm sorry Chrom. I guess I didn't come to you about this because… because I was afraid. What if you didn't approve? What would I do? You're my best friend, and I owe everything to you. I was so afraid of losing our friendship, or worse, losing her, that I took the easy way out. I truly am sorry. You deserve far better than that after all we've been through. Can you forgive me?"

Chrom sighed, then walked over and clapped his hand on Robin's shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so… So, I'm a grandfather now, huh?"

"Seems so," Robin grinned.

"Hoo boy, that's going to take some getting used to… Hopefully Sumia can do all of the Morgan-spoiling for me while I try to adjust to this… Oh and please don't let her call me 'Grandpa', I'm really not ready for that."

Robin laughed loudly.

"Oh and one more thing. Don't think you're getting out of a royal wedding. And if you try to wear that damned coat, whatever I threaten you with will pale in comparison to what Sumia will do to you."

Robin chuckled nervously.

"And don't even think about touching my little girl before then or I'll skin you alive with Falchion. I'm sure you can guess which part of your body I'll start with," Chrom said as he began to walk away.

"Ahaha… Chrom? You wouldn't jeopardize Morgan's existence would you? Chrom? …Chrom?"