Bonus Chapter: Reunions

Exalt of Ylisse: Chrom

Chrom grunted as he forced away a blow from a Risen, before pushing it away. Using the distance to his advantages, Chrom quickly beheaded the Risen. Taking a deep breath, he looked around to see if they were any more potential threats within the area. Thankfully, there wasn't. Chrom sighed and sheathed Falchion, before walking to Robin.

"You good?" Chrom asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," the tactician answered, "however, that doesn't change the fact we were set up."

Chrom snorted. "It was clear from the moment that we'd to pass through Carrion Isle that Validar would set us up. There's also the fact that he attacked your mind."

"Mhm. Well, we're in the clear now. We were ambushed, but we managed to suppress the attack with no lasting damage," Robin mused, "let's head back. No doubt everyone's worried about what just happened."

"You just want to see your wife, don't you?" Chrom teased.

"Just as you want to see yours."

That shut Chrom up and the two began to walk back to their base camp.

"Have you heard any news from the nurses about Lucina?" Robin asked.

"Where's this coming from?" the exalt asked.

Robin rubbed a hand through his hair. "We all have children now. We don't know how long this war will take, and as much as I hate to say it, we all may not come back in one piece or alive. All this little bits of news we get on our children will do us heaps in the upcoming months."

The Exalt sighed and stopped walking. Turning around, he placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Robin, sometimes I agree with your wife. You're being an idiot. I made you Grandmaster of my army for a reason. There's no one out there who knows tactics like you, I've no doubt in my mind that you'll lead us to victory with no casualties amongst us. You now have the extra drive to keep us all safe. And that is to bring us all back home, so we can see our children again."

Robin chuckled. "You all put too much faith in me. My tactics don't always -"

Robin stopped talking when a Risen suddenly teleported in. Reacting fast, Robin pushed Chrom to the ground, allowing the Exalt to miss a lethal arrow. Robin began to charge up his magic.

"Arcthun-"

"Father!"

Robin's spell was cut short when a person ran in front of him and cleaved the Risen down. The person sheathed their sword and looked around, relief etched on their face.

"Marth? What're you doing here?" Robin asked.

"Never mind that. Why did you call me father?" Chrom said, as he got up.

Marth seemed to realise their little slip-up. She opened her mouth to say something, but promptly shut it. "Perhaps we'd best speak in private."

Chrom nodded. "Very well. Lead the way. Robin, wait here."

Robin nodded and watched the mysterious warrior walk away along with Chrom.

"Again, I'll ask, why did you call me father?" Chrom said, as they reached a more secluded area.

"Perhaps it'll be better if I show you," Marth said

She walked closer to Chrom and once in front of him, stood up on her toes and told him. "Look in my left eye."

Chrom did so and gasped. "That's… that's the Brand of the Exalt. If you've the Brand in your left eye, that can only mean one thing. You're Lucina."

Lucina's eyes began to water and she did all within her power to stop the tears from flowing. "I'm your… firstborn daughter. I come from the future. A… future in which Grima is reborn… and where he has laid waste to the world."

"You deserved more from us than a sword and a world of troubles." Chrom said, as he looked at Lucina's Falchion.

Those words broke Lucina's barriers and she sobbed loudly before flinging herself at Chrom and hugging him tightly. "F-f-father!"

Chrom was at first shocked, but soon wrapped his hands around his daughter. "It's ok, Lucina. I'm here for you now. Let it all out."

"I m-m-missed you s-so much," Lucina sobbed out, "I was s-scared. I w-wanted so bad to s-see you again."

Chrom continued to deliver soothing words to his daughter, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

Lucina continued to cry without abandon, finally letting out all the emotions she'd bottled up over the years.

Whether it was seconds, minutes or hours, Lucina stopped crying. However, she continued to hug Chrom.

"You ok now, Lucina?" Chrom asked, as he wiped away the tearstains on Lucina's face.

Lucina nodded. "Can… can we stay like this?"

Chrom ruffled his daughter's hair and was rewarded with her laughter. "Sure, sweetie, whatever you want. You deserve this."

"Thank you, Father."

"It's going to be hard to get used to being called that."

"Shall I call you something else then?" Lucina giggled out.

Chrom shook his head. "No, Father's just fine, Lucina."

Lucina giggled. It was an emotion she'd been unable to process for a long time. But now, being reunited with her father allowed her to finally let loose. The moment couldn't have been more peaceful… were it not for a voice interrupting them.

"Chrom, what's happening?"

Chrom and Olivia disengaged and turned around to see Olivia standing in the area.

"Oh, hey, Livy," said Chrom.

"Chrom, I trust you and I know you won't cheat on me," said Olivia, "so why're you hugging Marth and why is Marth crying?"

"Perhaps you should show her, Lucina," said Chrom.

"I think that may be the best course of action," Lucina said.

"Lucina? What? I don't understand?" Olivia said.

"Livy, this is Lucina. Our daughter," said Chrom.

Olivia gasped. "How can that be? Lucina's back at home and she's much younger."

"It's true. Here, perhaps this will make you believe us." Lucina said, as she walked to Olivia and showed her the Brand.

"You've the Brand, which means you're a legitimate heir," Olivia whispered, "but how can my daughter have aged so much in such a short time?"

"I'm not the Lucina of this time. I come from the future. Your daughter is still safe in Ylisse," said Lucina, as she smiled at her mother.

"From the future?" Olivia asked.

"Yes. A future that is laid in ruin. Nonetheless, I'm your future daughter," said Lucina.

Tears began to well up in Olivia's tears. "Oh, Lucina. You've grown up into such a strong and beautiful woman. Chrom and I are really proud of you. Come here."

Olivia embraced her daughter and stroked her hair.

"M-mother!" Once again, Lucina began to sob without control.

"It's fine, Lulu. Your father and I are here for you and we'll never leave you again," soothed Olivia, as her own tears joined the fray.

"Lulu… I… never imagined being called that again," Lucina said, amidst the sobs, "I m-m-missed you s-so much."

"Shh, It's ok, Lulu"

Moments later, mother and daughter had calmed down, though stayed in each other's embrace.

"Tell me, Lucina, did you have any siblings?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah. A brother. You named him Inigo," said Lucina.

"And where is he now?" asked Olivia.

"I dunno, When we all went through the portal, we all got split up. Where everyone else is, I dunno."

"Wait, there's more children from the future?" said Chrom, breaking his silence.

"Yeah. All the Shepherds had their own children. As all the Shepherds died in the future, we were humanity's last hope. But… that future was irredeemable… and as a last hope, Naga sent us all back here to prevent the future from occurring," answered Lucina.

"Lulu, I'm… sorry you all had to deal with that. We all left you there to fend for yourselves," Olivia whispered.

"Mother, it's not your fault nor is it anyone's," said Lucina, smiling at her mother, "Grima's at fault for all what happened, so I'm here to prevent it."

"It must've been so hard to keep up your facade when you were in our presence during the previous war," said Olivia.

"It was. It took a lot of willpower for me to not hug Father when I jumped out of the portal. It was also hard to not crack when I saw you and Father together during the war," Lucina said, "but now, I can be with you and Father, and I couldn't be happier."

"We'll do all in our power to prevent Grima being risen, Lulu," said Chrom, as he embraced Lucina, "and we'll find Inigo and your friends."

"No doubt Inigo will be pleased. He took your deaths really hard, so he'll be really happy when we all reunite," Lucina said.

Olivia joined the embrace. "Well, whenever we find him, we'll be proud to see him."

Lucina simply smiled and melted further into her parent's embrace. After such a long time, she was with her parents again. After such a long time, she felt whole.

"So, Lulu, did I ever teach you to dance?" Olivia asked.

Lucina blushed and looked away. "You... did. You also taught Inigo. Inigo was always the better dancer, but I… never had the flair for it. I always tripped on my feet and you eventually gave up."

Olivia giggled. "You're more like your father than I thought possible. Your father was a terrible dancer, but I managed to make him learn the finer skills." Olivia said, clearly bemused.

"I wasn't a terrible dancer. I was just clumsy," Chrom attempted to refute the statement.

"Which is the same as being bad," said Olivia, as she shot him a glare, "now, hush."

She turned back to look at Lucina. "Anyway, if I'd managed to fix Chrom's appalling dancing, I can fix yours. Whaddya say, Lulu? Will you allow your mother to make you a better dancer?"

Lucina smiled and giggled. "I'd love that very much, Mother."

Olivia squealed and hugged her daughter. "I look forward to it, sweetie."

"What about me, Lulu?" Chrom asked.

"What do you mean, Father?" said Lucina.

"You're learning to dance from your mother. Aren't you going to spend time with me?" said Chrom, as he pretended to look hurt.

"Well, we can always spar. Unless you want to do something different," said Lucina fearfully.

"Chrom, stop being mean to our daughter," Olivia said firmly, as she gave him a very sharp glare.

Chrom fell under the withering gaze. "I'm joking, Lucina. A spar sounds perfect."

Lucina smiled and went to hug her father once again. Olivia joined the fray and the Lowell family shared a tender hug. For now, all was perfect.

-A few months later-

The Valmese War was progressing steadily and the Shepherds had driven the Valemese forces out of Valm Harbour. Their next step was to siege the Mila Tree and rescue the Voice of Naga, Tiki. However, in the midst of planning the attack, Chrom had received news from a scout that bandits were attacking the villages near the Great Gate. Knowing that the Valmese army wouldn't do anything about the problem, Chrom had rounded up the Shepherds and began to lead them to the Great Gate.

"Hopefully, these bandits will be a hell lot easier than what we've been dealing with," said Robin, as he rode alongside Chrom, "the battle with Nelson was harder than the run-of-the-mill bandits we usually fight."

"Well… Nelson was an old general in the Valmese army and was a member of the Grimleal and we were fighting Grimleal soldiers. It's not surprising it was somewhat harder than what we usually encounter," Chrom said, "anyway, why are you still talking about that battle being hard? Your daughter made Nelson look like a piece of cake."

"Yes… well… the dastard did have Cordelia's ring and that was Sev's last memento of us," Robin said, "it's not exactly surprising she killed him in a manner of seconds."

Robin looked skywards to see Severa chatting with Cordelia. He smiled at the sight of his daughter bonding with Cordelia.

"She really is a lethal force when on the battlefield," Chrom quipped, "I always ensure to not piss her off."

Robin scoffed and looked at Chrom. "Why… why is it that you fear everyone in my family besides me?"

"Cordelia and Severa are powerful on the battlefield. Anyone in their right mind will fear them."

Robin rubbed his temples. "And why are you not shit-scared of me?"

"Robin, you're a great warrior, but you don't induce that fear in me," Chrom chuckled, "and you're my tactician. It wouldn't do for me to be scared of you."

"And what if I change the battle plans to ensure you get captured by the enemy?" Robin asked.

"You wouldn't do that."

"Try me."

Chrom looked at his friend for a few moments, questioning if he should challenge his friend. Taking a look at the smug expression on Robin's face, he decided against it. "Fine. You win. Now, get the smug expression off your face."

"As you wish, milord."

"Remind me again, why do I put up with you?" asked Chrom scathingly.

"You need my great wit and cunning skills." Robin admitted without missing a beat.

Chrom groaned. "Just go. I'm not going to stroke your big ego. Go and spend time with Cordelia and Severa. Meanwhile, I'll go and spend time with my wife and daughter."

Robin nodded and still chuckling to himself, made his way towards his wife, who promptly steered Aurora down to meet him.

"So, Lulu, how's your mother's dancing lessons?" asked Chrom.

Lucina blushed and looked away. "Utterly terrible. I can't seem to keep up with mother."

"She really can't, Chrom," Olivia said, "at this point I'm considering giving up."

"Mother!" Lucina gasped out.

Olivia giggled and moved to ruffle her daughter's hair. "I'm just messing with you, Lulu. You're getting better and better… even if you're slow at grasping the finer concepts. Soon, you'll be able to dance… and if I dare say… impress Severa."

"Mother! We're just friends! Nothing more, nothing less," Lucina said forcefully.

"Lulu, please you're not fooling anyone, least of all me. Your father may be dense about your relationship with Severa, but you're going to find it hard to get past me," said Olivia.

"Your mother's already told me that you've feelings for Severa, so why not tell her?" Chrom asked.

Lucina sighed. "I have a mission to complete. There's no place for trivialities like love."

"Lucina, we're in a war," said Olivia, adopting her daughter's full name as she took on a more serious tone, "we don't know what'll happen in any battle. You love Severa and from what Cordelia's told me, Severa loves you. I'm sure you're aware that your feelings aren't reciprocated."

Olivia was silent for a few moments, as she chose what to say. "Lucina, you should confess to Severa. If anything happens to you, I don't want you to have that regret that you never embraced your feelings for Severa."

"Your mother's right, Lucina," Chrom interjected, "your mother and I don't apply to this, but Robin almost lost Cordelia during the previous war. It took Robin nearly losing Cordelia to embrace his feelings for her... even if they didn't confess till after the war."

"What happened with Aunt Cordelia and Uncle Robin?" Lucina asked.

"It's not our place to speak of it. It was a dark time for them both and neither like to dredge it up. You could ask, but I doubt they'll tell you," Chrom said.

"Anyway," Olivia took control of the conversation again, "it's best for you to talk to Severa and for you two to talk about your relationship going forward."

Lucina sighed. "I thank you for the advice, Mother. I'll consider it."

Olivia nodded. "Please do, Lulu. I would be gutted if something happened to you and you didn't tell Severa."

The air was silent, as Olivia finished her conversation with Lucina. With no conversation flowing between them, Chrom decided to bring up a topic.

"So, Lulu. What's Inigo like?" asked Chrom.

Lucina giggled. "He's very flamboyant. He's a lot like Uncle Virion."

"What? You mean he's a philanderer?" said Chrom in complete shock.

"Yep. You might wanna blame Mother for that, Father," Lucina said, "Inigo was always nervous and shy at a young age, so Mother took him around to speak to girls. This obviously developed into him being a philanderer."

Chrom groaned. "Livy, why… just why would you think it's a good idea to take our son around and speak to girls?"

Olivia gasped out. "How can I be held accountable for what the future me did? I can't believe the sheer audacity of you!"

And with that, Olivia pouted and rode away. Chrom sighed and rode closer towards his wife.

"Hey, Livy. C'mon. I was just messing with you," said Chrom.

"No. No, you weren't," Olivia said stubbornly.

"Fine. I'm sorry, my love," said Chrom, "happy now?"

"No."

"Perhaps this will make you forgive me." That was all Chrom said before he grasped Olivia by the waist and brought her closer to him. Doing so, he planted his lips on hers, giving her a deep kiss. When he broke apart, Olivia was blushing madly and gave him a slap.

"Chrom, our daughter's right in front of us!" she said, giving him a stare, whilst trying to not to smile.

Chrom looked around to see Lucina looking away pointedly and acting as though she hadn't seen anything.

"Well… are you happy now?" Chrom asked.

Her resistance shattered and she smiled. "Yes."

Once again, she slapped him. "You shouldn't make me admit such things in front of our daughter and nor should you do such a thing."

It was at that time Lucina decided to butt in. "Gods, you two are gross. Sev's always complaining about Aunt Cordelia and Uncle Robin being sappy, but you two take it to a new level."

"Lulu, you do know I can forbid you from seeing Severa, right?" threatened Chrom.

"Wait, really?" said Lucina, her voice becoming scared.

Chrom nodded and was about to say more but was stopped by another swift slap from Olivia.

"Chrom, quit teasing your daughter," Olivia said, "if she's dating anyone, be goddamn happy it's with Robin and Cordelia's child."

"Ouch. Stop hitting me, Livy," said Chrom, "but fine, I'll stop. But yes, your mother's right, Lulu, you can go and date Severa."

Lucina nodded and relief etched over her face. "Anyway, do you wanna know more about Inigo?"

Olivia and Chrom nodded and Lucina filled the void with stories about her younger brother… most of them being his failed flirting attempts.

The Shepherds reached the Great Gate a day later. As soon as they arrived, they noticed that the bandits were using the Great Gate as a base and within moments, Robin had ordered the Shepherds to siege the hideout. Much to the dismay of Robin, the bandits were proving to be a threat, due to the presence of mounted soldiers.

As Chrom attacked the bandits, he noticed a young man not affiliated with the Shepherds killing the bandits. Chrom did a double take when he noticed who the person was.

Is that… Laslow? The hell's he doing all the way here? Ugh… I'll ask him after these dastards are eliminated.

Soon enough, the bandits were fully eliminated. He saw Robin being fretted over by Cordelia and Severa, and smiled at the sight of his friend giving in to his wife and daughter. He motioned towards Olivia.

"Hey, Livy. Look who's there," Chrom said, as she walked towards him.

"That's Laslow. Why's he all the way here?" asked Olivia.

Chrom shrugged. "Damned if I know. We should ask him anyway."

Olivia nodded and the couple walked towards Inigo.

"Laslow. What brings you here?" Chrom called out.

Inigo turned around at the voice and gasped. "Oh, hello -"

Inigo's words were cut off when a new voice entered the scene.

"Inigo?"

Inigo looked past Chrom's shoulder to see Lucina staring at him with a slack mouth.

"Luce? Is that -"

Once again, his words were cut off when his sister barrelled into him and hugged him tightly, before beginning to sob.

"Oh, thank Naga you're alive. We... all got seperated and... I feared you were hurt. Thank god you're alive," Lucina sobbed out, refusing to let go of Inigo.

"Lucy, I'm fine. Calm down," Inigo reassured, as he hugged his sister back, "I missed you too. Now, let go of me. Our parents no doubt have many questions."

Lucina, however, ignored him and continued to hug him. Inigo sighed and smiled and allowed his sister to have her moment. Moments later, Lucina disengaged from him and ruffled his hair.

"I missed you, Inigo." Lucina said sweetly.

"I missed you too, Luce."

"Well, as much as the sibling reunion is fun, I believe we've something to discuss," Chrom butted in.

"Mother, Father, this is Inigo," Lucina said, "why were you calling him Laslow?"

"Long story short, we met him in Ylisse before your father and I were engaged," Olivia informed.

"Why didn't you tell us then, Inigo?" Chrom asked.

"Lucy's instructions. Before we entered the portal, she told us to not interfere," said Inigo, "anyway, even if I did, what's the point? I'm a disappointment. For a royal, I don't act one. I philander."

"What makes you think your mother and I care about that, son?" said Chrom, who began to walk towards Inigo.

"You don't?" Inigo asked, as tears began to pool up in his eyes.

"No, Inigo, we don't," said Olivia.

"What?"

"We'll never consider you a disappointment, Inigo," Chrom said in a fatherly tone, "you're our son, first and foremost and we'll always love you."

At that moment, Inigo's resistance crumbled and the floodgates opened. He flung himself at his father and hugged him tightly. "F-father!"

Inigo felt Olivia join the hug and his tears increased. "Mother! I… I missed you two so much."

"Shh, Inigo. Chrom and I are here for you now and we'll stay with you forever," Olivia cooed.

"Hey, Lulu, come and join us," said Chrom.

Lucina, who was smiling at the sight of her brother finally being able to hug his parents again, giggled and joined the hug.

"Father?" Inigo called out

"Yes, Inigo?"

"Can you call me something?"

"Sure."

"Can you please call me Iggy? It was the petname you and mother had for me."

"..."

"Please, Father, it's been so long since I've been called it."

"Alright. Iggy, welcome home."

Inigo laughed and at that moment, his cries began to shorten, but he still remained in the embrace. Moments later, he broke apart and wiped away his tears.

"Where's your Brand, my darling son?" asked Olivia.

"Oh, it's in my right eye. It's the opposite of Luce's." Inigo said.

"Hey, Iggy, you owe me something, remember?" said Chrom.

"What's that, Father?" asked Inigo.

"A spar." Chrom said.

"Oh, Iggy, you must simply join Lucina's dancing sessions with me!" Olvia squeaked out.

"... I'd love that very much, Mother," Inigo smiled.

"What about me, Inigo?" said Lucina.

"Hrm? What about you?" said Inigo.

"Aren't you gonna spend time with your sister?"

"I believe we will still spar and learn to dance with Mother. What else do you want?"

Lucina laughed, "I'm joking, Inigo."

"Mother. Father. I think the world's going to burn. Luce just made a joke," Inigo quipped.

"Oh, hush you." Lucina waved her hand. Nonetheless, she moved to give Inigo another hug.

Soon, Chrom and Olivia joined the hug and the complete Lowell family shared a hug. For now, all was perfect, even with the illuminating threat of war.

Author's Note: The proper final chapter is done. This was fun to write,

Folks, it's been one hell of a ride. I've enjoyed doing this project and I'm happy to see it end. Thanks to all of those who read the chapters and fav and followed.

Whilst Serenity is marked as complete, that doesn't mean I'm done. Be sure to look out for updates to The Tactician and the Paragon. I'll also be planning out my Future Works, so stay tuned for those.

I'll also take this moment to give a shoutout for a fic called After Thunder and Lightning by SubwayBossEmmett. (https) : / (www) . (fanfiction) . (net/s/13544732/1/)

Due to the spam filter, you'll have to remove the parentheses and spaces.

Till next time folks, stay safe.