Thanks again to Dane Namor for patching up the plot black holes and inconsistencies!

A final note before the close, this story was never meant to supplant the original plot. Enhance and add, but still taking place within the game's events. So I apologize if you were expecting a drastically different end to the Grima conflict, but this was just to add some color to the mix.

Epilogue: A Future

Late morning sunlight spilled across the meadow, lush grass rippling in the gentle breeze. Behind the trees at the bottom of the hill a brook bubbled quietly, landscape otherwise silent. The wings of a mourning dove were audible as it flew overhead to land on a tree branch, cooing softly.

Only the brook answered. The trees rustled softly.

It waited another minute, then took off.

The atmosphere of peace was a foreign one and blue eyes opened hesitantly. A single cloud moved before the sun, giving Lucina passing shade before drifting on. She sat up and looked around, taking in her makeshift stretcher, simple grey tunic and pants. She didn't reek of blood, so she'd been bathed since...

"You're up. Good, we're moving on soon."

She glanced behind her. Gerome stood arms folded, overlooking the hills before them. Behind him were what looked like medical supplies.

If he felt any awe for the beauty of the panoramic before him he didn't show it, dark eyes scrutinizing every shadow. A thin recent scab ran down across one eyebrow. She blinked, handful of memories trickling back to her. Her hand drifted to lift her tunic and feel her side, finding a long jagged scar. It hesitated over the healed tissue.

"Where am I?"

He looked at her, eyes softening.

"Back with us, Lucina. Where you belong."

"Back...?"

"I guess you were gone for a while. Seconds to us, years to you..."

She stared around shaking her head, mind catching up. He watched as she struggled to her feet, muscles straining under demand to keep her upright. She was about to ask how this was possible, how he'd come to be here, before realizing another question weighed far more important.

"No, when am I?"

"The... Present, I suppose? What matters is that you're with your people again." He extended a tentative hand for her arm that she didn't acknowledge.

"Where's Robin? Morgan?"

Gerome's expression hardened as he shook his head slowly.

"We should talk about them later–..."

"Where is my family?" She insisted sternly, anger rising from his quick dismissal.

"Lucina–!"

"Gerome!" She was suddenly aware of the soreness in her abdomen and how unprepared she was to rise. She calmed herself, resting a hand on his shoulder for balance, "I don't... Care... About anything else in the world right now. Let me see my family."

Gerome opened his mouth, then closed it looking uncomfortable.

"You were supposed to save the past, not..." He shook his head again, sighing, "You don't belong with them. You belong with... Us."

A throat cleared behind him and Lucina looked over his shoulder. Severa waited at a path leading into the trees with a bandaged neck. Her familiar expression of general poutiness was gone, replaced by anger as she glared pointedly at Lucina's hand on Gerome's shoulder.

Lucina stared at her. Then him. It finally hit her.

"You're all alive."

"Alive enough to save you again." Severa scoffed, striding forward to grab her arm and pull her onto the path. She led Lucina further into the woods,"And you're alive enough to walk so I'm not carrying you. We're moving camp so grab your stuff and – Hey!"

Severa cut off as Lucina embraced her from behind and stopped struggling. It was a lot to take in thirty seconds after waking up from a near death experience.

"I thought... You all..." Lucina closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah well, we didn't, so I'm happy to see you too, stay away from Gerome, and let's start walking before we get left, okay?"

"Stay away from...?"

"Gerome, yes."

"Oh... Right." Lucina remembered the her friend's torch she'd carried since childhood.

But Severa still didn't look appeased. Lucina could see something left unsaid bothering her. The girl was frowning, looking her over with a scowl. Not her usual, "leave me alone" scowl, her "judgment; how could you betray me," scowl. Severa opened her mouth but Lucina heard the sounds of movement and bustle ahead. Horses neighing, voices, equipment clattering between laughs and conversation. Camp came into view, with it the very disorienting sight of past meeting future.

Miriel carried books from her tent to the caravan, assisted by Laurent who stooped to retrieve her fallen hat. Inigo chatted casually with Olivia, teasing the baby in her arms as Chrom watched in amusement.

"So yeah, mom... Um... So this is dad." Noire explained sheepishly, staring at the ground between Frederick's crutches and Tharja's feet. Tharja scowled, looking him over with new light, apparently unimpressed until she shrugged.

"I suppose he'll do."

Frederick who was clearly not expecting this introduction stood mouth agape. Ever the image of discipline and stoicism, various emotions flickered behind his reddening face ranging from shock to sheer embarrassment.

They passed Cynthia who was enthusiastically shaking Cordelia's hand, older girl flushing as the younger knight recounted all the awesome tales her mother would tell of Cordelia the Slayer, Cordelia the Undefeated, Cordelia the Majestic.

"No no, no time for more story. Little ones must pack! Much road to travel, will tell more while walking." Gregor dismissed Nah and Nowi, the manakete sisters from the future they'd found after their mother, the great Lady Tiki, was killed.

"We wanna hear more now!"

"Come on, tell us as we pack!"

Gregor sealed his mouth with an imaginary lock and threw away an invisible key, then shrugged helplessly as the girls laughed, hanging on his legs as he trudged towards the caravan with his arm in a sling.

"So you really haven't met mom?"

"It's so weird you haven't even seen her yet, and here we are!"

Lucina scanned the other groups but couldn't find who she was looking for. Then she spotted Lissa and Maribelle carrying supplies from a tent. Severa cleared her throat.

"So I heard you ah... Got close to some people here in the past – Hey where're you going?!"

"Medical tent."

"W-wait! The only one in there..."

Severa called to her but Lucina was already ten paces ahead, making for the tent.

She threw the flap open, eyes resting on what she'd been aching to see for what felt like a lifetime. Morgan sat at the foot of the bed, looking around and beaming her warm smile. Lucina felt her knees weaken, arms outstretched as Morgan moved to her quickly, embracing her around the stomach.

"Sorry mom, I wanted to stay with you too but after my healing you just needed rest. Dad I... Wasn't so sure about. Never treated a dead guy before."

She felt a hand on her elbow and looked over Morgan's head to see Robin sitting up, smiling at her tiredly. He was shirtless, white fractal scarring running up the length of one arm and across half his torso. Her chest tightened and eyes watered, moving past Morgan to embrace him tightly. He chuckled, adjusting his head so he could breath as she squeezed him to her chest.

"If you ever do anything that foolish again..." She left her empty threat unfinished as she shook her head, just happy beyond belief that they were all alive and together.

"I'm sorry." He said truthfully, "There were just so many, and all I could think of was–!"

She stooped to cut him off with a kiss. They held it for several seconds, ignoring Morgan's exaggerated throat-clearing.

"Oh gods it is true..."

They broke to look at the tent entrance. Severa looked ready to be sick, shaking her head in stunned disgust and departing. Lucina felt her stomach drop, connecting the dots. It was well-known Cordelia was interested in Robin, was it possible Lucina's appearance in the past...

"...Okay who is that?" Robin asked, watching after Severa with concern, "She's been popping in here over the last day, never saying anything, and leaving. Never looks well."

"She's your..." Lucina shook her head, pushing the guilty thoughts away and pulling him to her chest again. She would worry about that a later time. For now she justified that if nothing in the past changed the future wouldn't either.

"Don't worry about it right now. I'm just so grateful you're okay."

She felt a weight on her back and Morgan's arms came around Robin's shoulders, sandwiching Lucina between them. Lucina smiled into Robin's hair, heart so happy it hurt.

"I don't remember much, after the ramparts... Just you again, in the chamber." Robin spoke quietly, giving them a light squeeze, "But I get the feeling I wouldn't be here without you two. So thank you."

"Don't thank them yet."

They looked to see Chrom at the entrance, unfolding his arms and smiling at them. He looked like a man who hadn't slept in several days and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, but seeing his friend alive gave him a well-needed break.

"The road ahead of us is a long one. Might be easier to have just died from lightning."

"Gramps!"

"I hear a lot of movement outside. What'd I miss?" Robin chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair as Chrom approached.

"The Battle of Ylisse will be written as a decisive victory in this war, one that dealt a crippling blow from which the enemy never recovered." Chrom expression hardened, "We're just not sure for who yet. Our new allies from the future will provide us with decades worth of intel and experience fighting risen, but with the latest developments... We might be playing a lot by ear."

"Grima has lost his voice on this front, the risen will turn feral with no leadership." Lucina countered with optimism.

"Grima has lost one tactical asset, of which he has an unknown number spread across countless worlds. And we've lost our capital. Our home is in ruins, our people scattered, bandits and Grimleal roaming rampant. We're more vulnerable now than we've ever been." Chrom responded gravely, shaking his head before his expression lightened. "Or maybe between one fallen faction and your friends we've just the window we need to finally go on the offensive."

"Strike while the iron's hot." Robin nodded, looking over as Lissa dipped in to grab another box. "So where to now?"

"North," Chrom answered, clearing his throat and folding his arms again, "Cashing in some IOUs from our khan friends in exchange for a place to rest, heal and regroup. Ylisstol belongs to the dead now, we've sent scouts to find anyone who made it, direct them towards refugee camps over the Feroxi border. We need a safe place to coordinate and keep an eye on things until we're ready to take it back... Which is why I'm here."

Robin looked up at Chrom's troubled expression. Lucina watched her father uncertainly, wondering what gave him pause.

"If... What the rhag spoke was true. If everything we're doing here is delaying the inevitable... And I'd be surprised if we didn't already gain some special attention for the trouble we've given Grima... I would understand. For both of you. I would understand if you chose to spend the remaining time with your family."

"You're discharging me again?" Robin chuckled in disbelief.

"No, I'm not – I'm not!" He brought his hands up defensively against their combined stares, "But I don't know how much time we have left. And I don't want to be the father that forced his daughter's last days to be spent on the battlefield when she could have been with her family, if it's all going to pan out the same."

Lucina turned to Robin, who looked up at her. His eyes swore devotion, whatever she chose he'd be beside her. Their service to their world could be at an end. The war may very well be over, in which case the sooner it was behind them the sooner their lives could move on. Or if the end was indeed nigh, would they squander their last days in foxholes watching everyone else taken from them?

"I seem to recall your rebuttal having some words about choice." Lucina turned to her father, "I choose to believe we ended the rhags, and my family will stay with the Shepherds until Grima meets a similar fate. Or at least until we reclaim our city."

"No offense, dad, but besides that if we did need a plan to save the world, I'd sleep better knowing I had a hand in designing it." Robin grinned, reaching out to clasp his forearm.

"And besides that, I'm pretty good, right? I wouldn't worry about losing many battles with me around." Morgan chirped in, hanging on Lucina's arm.

"Okay well... That's a relief to hear." Chrom smiled, watching Robin's muscles strain as he made to push himself out of bed. "You sure you're up for moving around?"

"I should meet the new Shepherds. It's difficult to draw up tactics on dossiers alone."

"Rest in the caravan," Lucina argued, pushing him back to the bed sternly, "There will be time for that later."

Chrom looked between the two and decided who the victor was, departing to inform the caravan to set aside room. Morgan left to pack her belongings and promised to see them later.

"Scar tissue heals best when one engages in regular physical activity and exposure to sunlight." Robin invented in mock annoyance.

"None of those things are true, and some people find scars attractive." Lucina answered matter-of-factly, sitting beside him and tracing a finger along the elaborate pattern, leaning forward to whisper in his ear.

"Myself among them."

She smiled as she felt goosebumps rise between the scar tissue, Robin grinning sheepishly as she trailed her hand down his arm to give his hand a final squeeze.

"I need to find where they've placed my belongings, but I'll join you shortly." She shot him a promising smile, rising from the bed to depart.

Robin grinned after her, laying back against the pillows and waiting for the healers to retrieve him. He stretched, bandaged left hand catching his eye. He reached, hesitated, and unwrapped it, not sure what he'd find.

The Heart of Grima had returned from where the rhag's claws had ripped through his hand, black lines merging over puckered scar tissue. He scoffed, more in annoyance than actual disappointment. He supposed it wouldn't make much sense for Grima to return him to the world out of kindness. He still had a plan for Robin.

And Robin was ready for it. The Fell Dragon should have dealt with the rhag problem later, because the Shepherds would be the ones to bring the beast down. It was either confidence or returning to the living, but since awaking even his mind felt clearer, like a veil that he'd never known existed had been lifted. Grima would find him an even more challenging vessel now, his spirit burned brighter than it ever had before, with the drive to live.

For the first time in his life, he began to feel his choices mattered. He mattered. Maybe they'd guided their world off the tracks of fate, and hopefully it was for the better, but whatever lay ahead now was uncharted territory. No one knew what came next, nothing was "supposed" to occur anymore, and it was the most liberating feeling he could have.

Robin closed his eyes. Whatever happened now, he was the master of his own fate. His family had given him a life, and he would spend every second of it fighting to make their world a better one, for Lucina and Morgan.

They'd lost friends, countless lives given so they could have the best shot at a future anyone ever had. Robin wouldn't lose this war. They'd come too far. Lucina and Morgan deserved a life free of the horrors they'd endured, and he vowed that their futures would be better than the pasts they'd survived.

That was his promise to them.

This is the final chapter and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed in the form of reviews, follows or favorites. Either by telling me what I can do better or reminding me someone else is waiting for the next chapter, it all serves to motivate an author. This is the best fandom I've written for and I appreciate you giving the story your time by reading to the end! It had highs and lows but I've learned a lot from feedback on both, and that's all thanks to you.

Special mentions:

Dane Namor, you brought the welding torch to the final chapters and we made something I'm proud of.

Elyvern, for sharing extensive experience and being a literary guru, as well as an inspiration every time How to be a Parent is updated.

Bahamut Slayer, I told you I would finish.