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“Where are you…”
A familiar tone, comforting in nature despite its attempt at menace, sounded from above, causing the siblings to quietly giggle amongst themselves. 8-year-old Lucina pressed a finger to her brother’s lips, urging him to stay silent. 5-year-old Morgan mimicked his sister’s actions, though judging from the continued laughter neither of them were too successful.
“Come out, come out…”
Suddenly, the voice went silent. Morgan and Lucina instantly looked to each other, eyebrows furrowed and smiles faltering in concern, only to loudly squeal as a very familiar figure threw open the curtains they hid behind.
“There you are!”
The siblings tried to run past their finder, but their little legs were too slow for his quick and cunning movements. Scooping the children in each arm, he pretended to eat them both as the struggled and laughed for freedom.
“Daddy!” Morgan giggled from his dad’s left arm.
“Let go!” Lucina exclaimed from the right.
Chrom laughed alongside his children, keeping them close for a little while longer, before placing a kiss atop both their heads and gently placing them down in front of him.
“Alright, we’ve had our fun.” He fixed up his children’s attire before standing. “But now it’s time for lunch. C’mon you two.”
“Awww, but father!” Lucina’s smile turned into a frown. “Can’t we play one more round?”
“Yeah!” Morgan followed his sister’s lead. “Can we, can we, can we?”
“Luci, Morgan…” Chrom crossed his arms, playfully scolding them. “We agreed to only a few rounds before lunch time. We don’t wanna keep mommy waiting, do we?”
“No…”
Lucina’s shoulders slumped, ready to give in. Morgan, however, wasn’t so easily swayed just yet.
“Please, daddy? Please, please, please?” Morgan put on the best puppy eyes he could, just like mommy taught him. “Just one more! It-it will be fast! Promise!”
Seeing her brother’s tactic, Lucina immediately switched sides and also put on her own puppy eyes, just like mother taught her. Chrom looked down nervously at the wide-eyed kiddos, who were obviously taking much more after their mother than the king and queen exalts previously thought. Chrom looked over at a nearby guardsman, who decided to help spare his king from the cutest ambush he’d ever seen.
“The royal chef’s are still preparing their meal, your majesty.”
Hearing that, Chrom scratched the back of his head and returned his gaze to the troublemaking duo. They were still giving him that damned adorable gaze.
“Alright, alright, you win.” Chrom raised his hands in defeat. “One more round, but after you’re found you have to make your way straight to the dining room. Okay?”
The kids nodded, happy their attack worked. They each grabbed a hand, leading their father to the corner where he had been counting for the last fifteen minutes. Chrom leaned against the walls, covering his eyes with his arm for extra precaution.
“You two ready?”
“Yeah!” Luci and Morgan exclaimed in unison.
“Alright! 1, 2, 3…”
Giggling, the blue-haired prince and princess ran from their father hand-in-hand, the tiny patters of their little footsteps echoing across the hall with every step they took. WIthin seconds they had approached the nearest lounge room. Lucina let go of her brother’s hand once she set her sights on a table covered with a long, white table cloth.
“I’ll hide over there!”
Lucina ran to the table and threw herself underneath it. Margan ran after her, ready to join her in this genius hiding place, only to be halted by a hand on his chest.
“Find somewhere else to hide Morgan! That way, father won’t be able to find us so fast!”
“Ohhhh, okay!” Morgan cheerfully exclaimed, giving his sister a thumbs up in the process.
Running out the room, Morgan craned his neck to and fro trying to find somewhere else equally as clever to hide. Unfortunately, none of the other nearby rooms were open.
“100! Ready or not, here I come!”
‘Oh no! That’s daddy!’
Feeling the weight of his newly discovered time limit, Morgan frantically threw his head every which way in trying to find a good hiding spot. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Morgan saw a nearby door at the end of the hall just slightly cracked open. He would have ran over to it right then and there if an uneasy feeling hadn't washed over him. That room…why hasn’t he ever seen it before?
“Gotcha!”
“Ahh! Father!”
The sound of Lucina being caught erased all of Morgan’s hesitation. He dashed inside the room, hiding behind the slightly ajar door and pressing an ear to it. He could hear Lucina running down the hall, probably to find mommy, but no sign that daddy was near.
‘YAY!’
Morgan let out a breath, happy he made it longer than Lucina. But then, remembering his initial mission, Morgan looked around the room, searching for a table or curtain that could hide him. Maybe under the sheets, or behind the bookshelf, or under the–
Morgan froze mid-step.
This room, it was…weird. Everything, from the table and chairs to the shelves on the walls, they were all covered with long white sheets covered with stains. The room was dark, not a single lamp anywhere to try and lighten it up. There was a small sliver of light peeking in from a nearby glass window, having not been fully covered up by its own white sheet, but all it did was illuminate the dust flying endlessly about.
Still, as strange as the contents of the room were on their own accord, nothing could compare to the single portrait hanging on the wall, opposite of the door Morgan stood near.
The portrait was a simple one. It was of a man wearing a crown and fancy-looking armour, looking over a red field with a gigantic army behind him. That man, whose hair shone blue and sword looked sharp, something about him was very familiar to the young boy. But there was also something about the man that made Morgan uncomfortable, making him more nervous with every second he looked at the image.
‘Why does he look so…mean?’
“MORGAN!”
Morgan jumped at his name being yelled. He turned to where it sounded from, his wide, dove-blue eyes meeting older, concerned, azured-colored ones.
Chrom quickly ran over to Morgan, scooping his son up and checking him over.
“I was looking everywhere for you!” Chrom breathed out, hugging his son in relief.
Morgan, whose head was burrowed inside his dad’s chest, was able to feel the shuffling of his father’s head atop his own. Curious, Morgan lifted his head. His dad’s gaze looked over the room, slowly and cold, making a face similar to the one Margan saw him make when those strange men in masks came to visit.
Morgan remembers because the masks had six scary eyes, and his dad never made a face like that before.
“How did you get in here…” It may have sounded like a question, but Morgan knew his dad wasn’t asking him.
‘Hmmm. Maybe daddy knows!’
Morgan pointed at the portrait, “Daddy, is that you?”
Chrom followed where his son pointed, and immediately his breath hitched. Morgan’s hand slumped, his curiosity forgotten, at the new expression his dad donned. It was still cold, a little mad even, but it was also a little…scared?
“Daddy? A-are you okay?"
That meek, little voice snapped Chrom out of his stupor. The king shook his head, trying his best to even his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was worry Morgan, especially in this room of all paces.
“I’m okay, Morgan.”
The current king looked back up at the portrait, his gaze growing contempt at the man within it. For years he had struggled to dissociate from that man, to convince himself that he was nothing like him.
However, despite all his efforts, Chrom knew he could never run from that shared resemblance every time he looked in a reflection. An awful, despicable curse.
One that he so selfishly passed on.
“That man isn’t me.”
“He isn’t?” Morgan looked back up, confused. “But he looks just like you, daddy!”
“Yeah, yeah he does.”
Chrom turned, eager to make his way out the cursed room. Before he did though, he gave his son another strange look. Again, it was one the boy had never seen before. Even though he was smiling, his eyes looked so sad.
“That man…he’s my father.”
“Your…father?”
Chrom said nothing in response. He instead gave Morgan a peck on the top of his head.
Sensing his dad’s strange mood, Morgan also opted to say nothing. Instead, the prince laid his head on father’s shoulder. Silent, worryingly so to the younger, Chrom walked them both out and began to shut the door behind him.
Before it completely closed, though, Morgan managed to steal one last glance at the scary portrait.
“Morgan? Honey, are you feeling okay?”
Morgan looked up from his lunch, a potato and chicken stew with buttered bread on the side. Next to him sat Lucina, who was busy scarfing down her meal as eagerly as she had when Morgan arrived in their father’s arms. At the head of the table sitting nearby was their mother, looking over some documents as she watched over her children. However, upon noticing her son’s strange behavior, the queen put her paperwork aside and turned her full attention to him.
“I’m not hungry is all.”
“Are you sure? You usually love this stew.”
Morgan said nothing at first, silently stirring the broth and picking at the chunks of meat and vegetables. But then he looked up, meeting his mother’s gaze with teary eyes ready to spill.
“Mommy, can you punish me?”
“Punish you?” Robin straightened up at the strange request.. “Whatever for?”
“I made daddy sad…”
Though he said it so quietly, the words barely more than a breadth of a whisper, Morgan saw his mother’s eyes widen before quickly composing herself.
Robin turned toward Lucina, who had just finished up with her own meal.
“Luci, why don’t you go ahead and begin practicing your tomes? I’ll be sure to join you as soon as I’m done.”
“Okay Mother!” Lucina answered warmly.
Lucina gathered her dirty plates, placing them in a basket meant for used dishes, before prancing off toward the dining room doors. Robin watched as her daughter made her way through the exit before turning back to her son in their newfound privacy.
“Now then, Morgan. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“Well…”
Morgan began to recount everything as well as his five-year-old self could. From playing hide and seek and separating from his sister to his desire to find a suitable hiding spot leading him to the strange room. All of it leading to the scary man in the portrait, leaving his father sad and empty. While telling his mother what happened Morgan’s stomach would tighten more and more with guilt, one though echoing repeatedly in his developing mind: ‘Why did I have to go in that room?’
The whole time as her son spoke Robin said nothing, listening intently to Morgan’s tale and why he felt the need to be punished.
“I see…” Robin cupped her chin and muttered to herself once Morgan had finished. “I overheard some of the staff talk about how they wanted to deep-clean the castle, but I didn’t think they’d start with the previous Exalt’s study…”
Morgan’s anxiety rose even more once his mother began to speak quietly to herself. Oh, how badly did he mess up that his mother doesn’t even want to speak to him anymore!?
“Th-that’s why I wanna be punished, mama.” Morgan’s voice broke with a sniffle, a couple of stray tears streaming down his cheeks. “So I make sure not to make daddy sad again.”
“Oh, honey…” Robin swiftly got up and gathered Morgan into her arms, sitting him down in her lap as she used her sleeves to wipe his tears. “You’ve got it all wrong. You weren’t the one who made daddy sad.”
“I-I wasn’t?” Morgan tilted his head, his sadness quickly replaced by confusion. “B-but then how come he got sad?”
“It was because of the man in the portrait you both saw.” Robin somberly explained to her son.”You see, that man was the former king of Ylisse.”
“The for-former king?” Somehow, Morgan’s young brain quickly connected the dots. “You mean daddy’s dad?”
“That’s right.” His mother confirmed. “Daddy's dad.”
It all made sense now. Shortly after the children’s lunch had been prepared and Lucina came a-skipping, Chrom had arrived to the dining room with Morgan in his arms. Robin sensed right away her husband’s downcast demeanor, at the very least she knew something distressing had happened. However, Chrom simply claimed that he was only dreading the amount of paperwork waiting for him in the new royal study.
“But moma, I don’t get it.” Morgan’s tiny eyes gazed earnestly into hers. “Why was daddy so sad when he saw his dad?”
Robin froze on the spot. How…exactly should she approach this?
Chrom has always made it clear he wants their children to know as little as possible of what he, Lissa, and Emmeryn endured under the former king. In her husband's eyes, the less they knew of their grandfather’s cruelty, the better. However, for as well-meaning as this intention may be, Robin knew Chrom was aware there was only so much he could shield their children from. The war on Plegia may be over, for the time being, but there was still so much animosity held against the Ylissean royal family from both outside and within for the actions that tyrant committed.
How much could Chrom and Robin keep from their children, under the guise of “protecting” them, until they begin restricting and rewriting history?
In the midst of her pondering, Robin looked down at Morgan. There he was, fidgeting ever so slightly but still sitting patiently on her lap, eyes wide and sparkling with both curiosity and fading tears.
Robin sighed, her own leg bouncing out of her conscious control. It was difficult, but she understood she could only do her best in this kind of scenario.
“Say, Morgan. Do you remember the king in that story I read you and Lucina a few nights ago? The one where the prince needed to save the kingdom because the king was only bringing harm to it?”
“Yeah I do!” Morgan nodded his head earnestly. “The king was being really mean to his friends! Even though they wanted to help him, he kept calling them enemies and tried to hurt them even though he started it!”
“Well, that king and our former king, daddy’s dad, are a lot more alike than you realize.”
“Huh?” Morgan turned in his mother’s arms, fully facing her now, his eyebrows furrowed and expression puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“The former king, he was a very…prideful man. He valued strength and power above all else, and under his rule Ylisse would grow to be one of the most dominant nations in all the lands. However, during his reign he deemed it his responsibility and the responsibility of Ylisse to spread this view across the land, beginning with our westward neighbor, Plegia.”
Robin grimaced, recalling the horrifying details of that seemingly never-ending war between Ylisse and Plegia, directly leading to a future of constant hostility between the two kingdoms.
“Despite everything he had as then exalt, the strength he acquired and wealth he garnered, it was never enough. He was angry to be the only one basking in his tremendous prowess. He wanted everyone to know of his power, of how strong Ylisse had become under his rule, even as his people and the people of Plegia would come to suffer from his selfishness.”
“And this behavior did not stop with his children. Though many of the castle’s staff claimed he was never cruel to them, nor do they claim to have seen him harm them in any way, the fear in their eyes could not be denied. He was often said to be very cold to them, punishing them for interfering with his plans of spreading his self-proclaimed ‘greatness’.”
“He was very cruel to your aunts, and especially to your father.” Robin’s voice went quiet, her heart aching once the story became much more personal. “He didn’t care for them the way a father should, and not once did he allow them to feel loved by him. Even when he departed from our world, the consequences of war finally taking its toll on him, he left nothing behind but a broken kingdom and a hated throne for his children to bear the burden of.”
“That-that can’t be…” The curiosity in Morgan’s eyes faded, shock fully taking its place, once his mother finished her tale. “Mama, I don’t get it. Dad’s aren’t supposed to be mean, or make their kids sad.”
“Oh?” Robin raised an eyebrow, fondly smiling at the boy whose face so closely resembled his father’s. “How are dads supposed to be?”
“Dads are supposed to be nice, and make you feel nice too!” Using his fingers, Morgan began counting down every way his mind could think of how dads were meant to be. “They like to smile, ‘specially when they see something they like, and like making you smile too! They hold your hand when you get scared so you don’t get scared anymore, and-and give you a big hug when you're sad so you don’t feel sad anymore!”
That bleak weight in Robin’s heart grew less heavy with each proclamation Morgan made. In no time her son’s words completely vanquished it, her heart fluttering like a butterfly’s resilient wings.
“Dad’s also say “I love you” all the time, so you know how much they love you! Which is this much!”
Morgan spread his little arms as wide as he could, longer than Falchy he could bet, eliciting a giggle from his mother.
“Is that how you feel about daddy?” Morgan immediately nodded, “Yeah! He does all of that, and more too!”
“Yeah?” Robin tilted her head to place a small kiss on Morgan’s cheek. “That’s amazing. I’m sure it would make him very happy to know you see him differently than how he saw his own father.”
Morgan’s eyes, having shone brighter than a night filled with stars whilst recounting the things his father did for him and Lucina, flickered with realization.
“I-is that why daddy was so sad? Because he looks like his dad, even though he was really mean?”
Oh, how it sometimes scared Robin just how intelligent her children truly were. She nodded, it all finally click in Morgan’s mind.
“Sometimes he worries he’ll end up just like his father, even though we know he never will. He’s nervous he might cause you and Lucina to feel the way he did at your age, afraid and unloved,”
“Love…” Suddenly, an amazing idea formed inside Morgan’s head. He jumped up, taking his mother’s face in his small hands.
“Mama! I know how to make daddy not feel sad anymore!”
“Feroxi trade ports…Chon’sin allied affairs…Valmese royal affiliations…done!”
Chrom eagerly allowed the quill to fall from his hand, his headache already beginning to dissipate now that he’d finished all the necessary royal documents for the day. He released a long sigh, slumping in his chair as the tension of the day slowly released from his body. Still, despite his desperate attempt to not think about it, the king exalt couldn’t keep his mind from drifting to the incident earlier that day.
‘I look exactly like him…’
Nothing he did, nothing he can do, no matter what, would ever change that fact.
Yes, the shepherds have assured him countless times that he was nothing like the former king. Frederick would give examples in the professional sense, Lissa would call him a dummy for even suggesting the idea, Emmeryn would have stroked his hair just as she did when they were children and allowed him to cry in her shoulder, and Robin would whispering sweet but genuine words of affirmations in his ear of how his reign evoked hope while the former king’s brought fear.
They shared a resemblance, yes, but all of his friends and loved ones have told him countless times that that was where the similarities end. So much time and energy was spent in easing Chrom’s worries, and yet he still had the audacity to feel such a way even after all this time.
Why…why can’t the worries just go away?
‘Am I really a better king than he was? A better father?’
The sound of the heavy oak door creaking open thankfully roused Chrom from his destructive thoughts. He looked up, having placed his head in his hands, and saw it was none other than Morgan walking inside bashfully. He had one hand holding tightly onto the hem of his tunic, the other placed conspicuously behind his back.
“Hey buddy,” Chrom pushed his negative feelings aside for the time being as best he could for the sake of his son, mustering a small smile in the process. “What’cha got there?”
Morgan said nothing, instead inching closer and closer to where his father sat. Once he was within a suitable reaching distance, Morgan revealed what it was he had hidden behind him: some folded sheets of colored paper.
Chrom took the folded sheets from his son, looking it over. On the front, written messily in bright blue letters:
~ THE BEST DAD EVER ~
Chrom turned the page, confused.
Father is the best because of how amazing he is all the time! He always makes time to practice swords with me even if he is tired!
Father is just like the heroes in my favorite stories who always save the day!
He is my hero!
The words were written in a lightly messy but very legible handwriting. Underneath them was a drawing of a blue haired man in a white cape holding a sword, chasing what appeared to be bandits away from a castle. By his side was a drawing of a smaller figure with long blue hair and a similar sword in hand, helping him chase the bandits away.
My husband is the best because of how big his heart is.
He never denied me because of who I was or where I came from.
It’s because of him I feel safe and warm every day I wake up by his side.
He is my best friend. <3
These words were significantly neater than the previous, written in cursive by an experienced hand. Underneath them was a much more detailed drawing of the man with blue hair dressed in what appeared to be a wedding suit. The man was holding the hands of a white haired figure in a beautiful white dress, and surrounding them were drawings of what looked to be all the different Shepherds cheering them on.
my daddy always holds my hand after i have a bad draem and makes the bad feelings stop!
he hugs me my tite and smiles big to make me feel happy and nice!
he says i love you all the time becase he loves us vry vry much!
he is the best daddy evr!!!
These words were very messy, but still legible. Underneath them was a drawing of two stick figures, both of them with short blue hair. The taller one, once again wearing a white cape, was hugging the smaller one, who was wearing a familiar purple coat and a very big smile.
mama says i wil look like you when i grow up and i can not wate!
i am proued to be yor sun!
I am proud to be your daughter!
I am proud to be your wife!
WE ARE PROUD TO BE YOUR FAMILY!
The final page and picture was a beautiful mix of all three styles. The background was drawn in a similar fashion to the first section, while the final sentence was written in the same cursive of the second section. The people were drawn as stick figures, with the two small figures, one with short hair and one with long hair, and one big figure with white hair hugging the man with the blue hair and the white cape.
Morgan waited eagerly, playing with his hands and leaning back and forth on his heels and his father made his way through the card. He managed to get mama and Luci to help make it, and together all three had so much fun with it. He just hoped it was enough to make daddy feel better!
Morgan wore a smile the entire time, excited for the reaction he would receive. However, his smile immediately dropped when he heard his father sniffle.
“Daddy…”
The sniffles continued, with a few tears escaping the corner of Chrom’s eyes.
“Oh no! I’m sorry, daddy! Honest!” Morgan pulled Chrom’s arm to make him lean down and panicked as he wiped away his tears. “I wanted to make you feel better ‘cause your daddy was a mean dad! I don’t want you to worry ‘cause you are the best daddy in the world, and when I grow up I’m gonna love you so much you are gonna forget how mean your dad was. Luci and mama too! So don’t be sad!”
Chrom pulled his son into an embrace, holding him close to his heart,
“It’s okay Morgan, I’m not sad. I’m actually very happy.”
“Y-you are?” Morgan pulled away just enough to hold his father's face, seeing that despite the tears flowing down his cheeks a very big smile had formed, matching the sparkle in Chrom’s eyes. “But then why are you crying?”
“Because I’m really happy!”
“Really?” Chrom nodded, causing Morgan to lift his arms in glee. “Yay!”
Morgan nuzzled his face into his father’s neck, to which Chrom returned in his tender, loving embrace.
“I’m sorry to interrupt…” The boys looked in the direction of the door, seeing none other than Robin and Lucina standing in the doorway. “But is it okay if we join?”
The son and father nodded, with Chrom opening his arms even more.
“YAY! HUGS FROM FATHER!”
Lucina ran into the embrace, joining Morgan’s side in her father’s arms. Robin, wanting in, rushed to also hug her children and husband. The family stayed in this embrace, happy to be in the comfort and presence of one another.
Even if he hadn’t grown up with a father who loved him, Chrom had his sisters, friends, and now a wife, son, and daughter by his side of whom he already feels so much love everyday,