Edit: 6/15/2015: I know I said that there'd be an epilogue, but honestly, I don't think I could add anything of importance or anything special on to this story with it. I'm pretty pleased with how it ended already, and I would rather not sully that. I mean, if I'm happy with it, why change it? Now, I do have an epilogue in progress, so it wouldn't be out of the question to see one someday, but don't count on it.

And also, if you haven't seen the updated summary, this story will be undergoing a rewrite in the future! As I've grown as a writer, I've realized that I could do this story better. So stay tuned!

Hey everyone! Welcome to final chapter of Altered Fates!

Boy, was this one a tough write. Partnered along with the end of the semester, this one took me a long time to finish. Hopefully the wait wasn't too bad.

I hope this chapter lives up to the hype. There are A LOT of good Endgame chapters out there, so I'm hoping this one will be interesting. I tried mixing it up a little bit, throwing in some new stuff, so I hope you enjoy it.

And with that, we finally get to the Grima fight! Will Robin deliver the final blow? Or will Lucina? And what will happen to Morgan? What role does she play in all of this? Will they even be ABLE to win with Chrom not there?

Well, I hope you're ready to find out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the cover art.

Chapter 13 Part II - Resolution and Absolution

"Are you so eager to meet death that you'd come back here!?" Grima bellowed at Robin. "Fine! I can grant you that!"

Grima stomped his foot on the dragon's back. In response, a sword rose from the dragon's scales and floated directly into Grima's waiting hand.

The sword resembled that of a Chon'sin sword, the blade curving slightly as it got to the point. The blade was colored a deep black, matching the black of its hilt. At the pommel of the sword a purple gem was embedded, the Mark of Grima branded on it.

"You should be honored Robin! You will die by the hands of a god!"

Grima fell into a fighting stance and readied his sword, preparing to charge the weakened Robin when a green light shimmered down on them.

"Children of man!"

Grima snapped his head up, barring his jagged teeth at the sight of the divine dragon Naga floating above them all.

"Naga!" He howled.

"Take my power! Rise now, and face the fell dragon!"

Specks of green light fluttered down upon the Shepherds, landing on their skin and soaking into them.

All of the Shepherd's regained their footing, even the severely injured Basillio. The pain of Grima's spell all but evaporated, leaving each and every one of them feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world.

"Well I'll be damned," Basillio remarked as he examined his once injured bicep. It was good as new. "That was one hell of a miracle!"

Grima growled. All of his hard work would not be for naught!

"Damn you Naga! Curse your interference!"

Grima shot a ball of dark magic at the divine dragon, but it was too late. Naga's form had already disappeared.

"You coward!"

Grima ground his teeth. It was just like Naga to run and hide once the fighting started. But she'd get hers. In fact, he would have immense pleasure in-

"Looks like it's just you and me Grima."

Lucina stepped forward, her hand on the hilt of her Falchion.

"Oh? Is that so?" Grima snickered and turned to her. "Because it worked out so well the last time."

"I am not the same Lucina that cowered in fear that day," She answered resolutely.

Robin watched the two carefully, afraid of what Grima might pull but hesitant to step in regardless. This was Lucina's moment, not his.

Grima crossed his arms, looking rather amused by the situation.

"And who are you now little princess?"

"Your executioner."

Lucina ripped her blade from its sheathe, cutting a figure eight in the air before bringing Falchion up to the side of her face, letting the flat of the blade rest on her cheek and the point directed towards Grima.

"Watch closely Grima, for my blade will be the last thing you ever see."

The fell dragon studied Lucina closely with a furrowed brow before he broke out in laughter.

"Ha!" Grima wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "What a speech. Chrom had quite the mouth on him too you know."

Grima's smile turned devilish.

"And look how well that turned out for him."

Something inside of her snapped.

Lucina's lips pulled back in a snarl, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"Don't you dare speak his name!"

The cerulean princess roared in rage and charged Grima, her blade scraping on the dragon's back as she ran. The once hardened and reserved princess was all but gone, revealing the true warrior she was.

She was right. She was no longer the frightened princess that cowered at the sight of the fell dragon so many years ago. Her heart burned with the resolve to challenge the 'predetermined' fate that had mocked her at every turn. Her eyes shone with the strength of her convictions. Her mind was clear, unclouded by any doubt or indecisiveness.

She wasn't Lucina now. She was the Exalt of Ylisse.

It was her turn. She decides how it ends.

"Yes!" Grima shouted and outstretched his arms. "Come daughter of Naga! Show me your hatred! Come and meet your bitter end!"

At Grima's movement, hundreds of Risen spawned on the dragon's back, surrounding the Shepherds and cutting off any sight of Lucina.

"I AM GRIMA! I AM DESPAIR!"

"Lucina!" Robin cried after her.

It was no use. There was no way she was stopping now. Not that she could anyway; the hordes of Risen had cut off her escape route.

Robin cursed under his breath and spun around to the group behind him.

"I'm clearing a path to Lucina. All of you engage the Risen, but keep your wits about you. We're only biding time, there's no need for heroics."

The Grandmaster turned to his son.

"Mark, I want you to lead the Shepherds how you see fit. Do me proud son."

Mark nodded confidently.

"I will Father. Be careful out there."

"Of course."

Robin whipped back around and rushed towards Lucina had taken off to.

The tactician raised his hand, blasting a spell from his Book of Naga through the Risen, effectively tearing them to shreds. With the newly made gap, Robin could finally spot the princess and Grima.

Lucina was holding his own against him, blocking each of Grima's strikes with her awakened Falchion and lashing out with ones of her own.

Grima matched her movements, wearing a cocky grin on his face as if this was all just a game to him.

Robin watched anxiously as the two traded blows, afraid that if he launched a spell that Lucina might get hit by accident. He had only used the Book of Naga once prior to today, and to terrifying success. He certainly didn't want what happened to Validar to happen to Lucina.

Lucina locked blades with Grima, pushing against him with all of her strength.

Grima's grin grew, knowing that Lucina couldn't match his own super human strength.

But she did have something that Grima would never have.

"Lucina!"

Lucina's eyes darted momentarily towards Robin, but that was all the indication she needed.

Lucina smashed her forehead into the bridge of Grima's nose.

While he may have been a god, he was still a god in a human's body. He was still limited by its structure.

Grima backpedaled, bringing a hand up to his now broken and bleeding nose.

That was all the distance Robin needed.

The tactician raised his arm, pointing the palm of his hand at the avatar of the fell dragon and firing off a spell from his holy tome.

Grima noticed it immediately and jumped away from his position, letting the spell slam into the dragon's thick scales, leaving a rather large scorch mark. If the gigantic dragon felt any pain, it didn't show it.

Grima growled menacingly at Robin, his fangs jutting from his mouth.

His tongue flicked out through his teeth, slowly circling around his lips.

"Grrr... Damn it!"

Morgan struggled as best she could, but it was useless. She was still trapped.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

She couldn't bear the thought of sitting here and watching while her family was fighting for their lives. Even if she had done such unacceptable things, she just wanted the chance to make things right - to wash away her sins, so to speak.

If only she was given the chance.

"I AM GRIMA! I AM DESPAIR!"

Morgan's eyes widened in fear. Grima's roar sounded nothing like her father's voice any more. Another voice had taken its place. Something ancient. Something evil.

Hundreds of Risen appeared between her father and mother, cutting the two off from each other.

With renewed vigor, Morgan fought against the bindings that held her, even bending over to punch at them.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

If only she still had her sword, then she might be able to stab at it instead of just punching and clawing. Hell, even a tome would be more preferable to nothing. Then at least she could help out somehow.

Morgan looked up from her feet, seeing her mother and Grima starting to trade blows.

Morgan swallowed the lump in her throat and looked back down to the ground to continue clawing and smacking at it.

"Come on, come on!" She cried, tears of frustration beginning to well in her eyes.

It couldn't end like this. It just couldn't. She knew she didn't deserve another chance, but damn it, that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Please Naga, Grandpa, anyone! Please, just give me this once chance! I'll do anythi-"

There. She felt her foot move slightly against the binding.

Morgan stopped dead in her tracks, staring dumbly at her left foot.

It was wiggling.

Was that me? Or... was that-

A loud explosion drew her from her thoughts.

Her head snapped upwards to see the two forms of her father and Grima staring each other down, a cloud of smoke rising from where Grima was once standing.

Morgan grit her teeth and continued her effort.

She had to get out there.

With a terrifying realization, she could feel the dragon's head moving beneath her...

Lucina stood a few feet from Robin, readying her sword and falling into her familiar stance.

"Two against one huh?" Grima smiled sardonically. "How unfair. I guess it's up to me to even the odds then."

Grima threw his head back and roared ferociously.

Robin rose an eyebrow. That didn't really do anything, unless he was trying to intimidate the two.

Another roar echoed in the distance, causing the tactician's hair to stand up on end and send shivers down his spine.

"GET DOWN!"

Robin collided into Lucina, covering her body with his own like a blanket.

Within seconds, a ball of pure black flame barreled into where Lucina was once standing, hitting the ground and sending a massive pillar of flame into the air.

Robin sighed in relief. They were at least able to avoid it, however very narrowly.

The tactician got off Lucina and stood, helping her to her own feet.

The princess nodded her thanks and dusted herself off. She lifted her head, her words of gratitude dying on her lips.

Robin spun around, coming face to face with the gargantuan head of the fell dragon itself, floating in the air above them and eyeing the two dangerously.

The fell dragon inhaled deeply.

Robin's eyes widened, the images of his old nightmares flashed before his eyes.

"MOVE!"

He shoved Lucina to safety, and readied his holy tome to counter the fell dragon's ancient flame.

The dragon exhaled, the black flame he had been building up in his chest blasting out of its giant maw.

Robin said a prayer and let loose the spell. A stream of green, holy magic erupted from the palm of his hand and flew towards the oncoming fire.

The two streams collided, resulting in a gigantic explosion and an equally large cloud of smoke.

The tactician wasted no time and fired another spell from his Book of Naga and through the smoke cloud, not even caring that he didn't have sight of the dragon's head.

Robin was rewarded with a yowl of pain. One of the fell dragon's six eyes was bleeding profusely and closed shut, effectively blinding that eye. Quite the hit for a shot in the dark.

"Go deal with Grima. I'll be fine with the dragon."

Lucina rose an eyebrow skeptically, ready to refuse when Robin rose a hand to stop her.

"It'll be fine Lucina," Robin smiled confidently. "I promise I won't miss."

The princess looked him up and down, scrutinizing him before nodding and bounding off towards the human form of Grima.

Robin counted to three in his head to steel his nerves and to adopt his usual confident tactician persona.

The dragon roared loudly, bringing Robin's attention back to it.

He just had to make sure the dragon didn't go for Lucina or anyone else. He just had to be a distraction, and if possible, push it back. If he could hit each of its six eyes...

Lucina charged Grima, her sword raised and ready to strike.

"Die now, so that our future can live!"

Grima raised his own blade and bolted forwards running headlong at Lucina.

"YOU CANNOT SLAY WHAT MAY NEVER DIE!"

The two met in the middle, their blades smashing against each other once again.

While they were going at it, the skies above them were filled with explosions and smoke caused from the onslaught of Robin and the dragon. Based on the roars of pain, it seemed that Robin was gaining the upper hand over the slower dragon.

Lucina snarled at the demon across from her, putting all of her strength into her legendary blade.

Grima's smile was gone, replaced by an angry frown. He pushed against her with all of his strength, surprised by the fact that the princess was somehow matching his.

Lucina lashed out with her leg, hoping to sweep Grima off his feet.

Grima blocked the kick with his shin, and the two were back at their stalemate.

Tired of this game, Lucina pushed off of Grima, then recovered and lunged forwards with the point of her blade.

Grima parried the strike, then raised his leg and delivered a vicious kick towards Lucina's face.

The princess raised her arm, blocking Grima's kick with her forearm.

Lucina smirked victoriously.

Faster than he could follow, Lucina kicked out at the only leg he was standing on, sweeping it out from underneath him.

Grima hit the ground hard with a thud, immediately rolling to the right as his body touched the ground, dodging the stab from Lucina.

Grima jumped to his feet nimbly, falling back into his sword stance.

"You have done well so far," Grima admitted. "But I'll always have something that you'll never have."

Lucina frowned and fell into her stance as well.

"And what might that be?"

"THE POWER OF A GOD!"

Thousands of shadowy needles erupted from the fell dragon's back and began flying towards where Lucina was standing.

Lucina's eyes widened, knowing exactly what was coming. Doing the only thing she could think of, she stabbed her Awakened Falchion into the ground, putting it between the needles and herself.

The needles ran into Falchion, smacking against the flat of its blade and dissipating on impact.

Grima growled under his breath. His attack had been thwarted effortlessly.

"You may be Awakened little princess, but don't think you'll win this fight easily!"

Lucina didn't answer, only pulling her sword from the dragon's back and falling into her familiar stance, waiting for Grima to make the first move.

"Your confidence will be your undoing!" Grima bellowed and charged.

The two clashed once again, trading blows faster than the human eye could hope to follow.

Lucina feinted to the right and slashed out at the left, the point of Falchion digging deep into Grima's flesh.

Grima roared in pain and shakily backed away from Lucina. Contact with the Awakened blade caused his skin to burn and smoke to pour from the large gash.

Just when she thought she might have bested Grima, the skin began to mend, however very slowly, no doubt since it was Falchion that wounded him.

With Grima distracted, Lucina brought her leg up and kicked out at his head. Her foot connected with the side of his face, sending him flying to the side.

Grima hit the ground face-down, rolling for a few feet before coming to a stop.

"I WON'T BE BEATEN BY THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Grima roared in anger, still lying face down, before disappearing beneath the back of the fell dragon.

Lucina's eyes widened and looked around frantically.

He was gone.

"Where the hell did-"

Before she could even finish the sentence, Grima appeared behind her, hitting her point blank with a dark magic spell.

The spell sent the princess flying through the air, smacking the ground hard on impact.

Lucina cried out in pain. Her armor had taken the brunt of it, but at such a close range it was still torn to shreds, revealing her extremely burned and bare back.

She picked herself off the ground carefully. Every slight movement in her shoulders and back sent shooting pain up and down her entire backside. There was no doubt that her back would be irreparably scarred, but she wouldn't die from it. Of course, that didn't mean it wouldn't cause her death. It would be near impossible to fight effectively with this wound.

Grima smirked watching the princess struggling to stand.

He stalked over to her, prepared to deal the finishing blow. She tried to lash out with her blade, but Grima was faster now that she was injured. He latched on to her sword arm, stopping it in place. With his other arm free, he pointed his sword at her unprotected neck, the point of his sword digging in to her skin.

"So ends the human race."

Lucina watched helplessly as the point of the blade was slowly pushed farther into her skin, a trickle of blood racing down her neck as the point cut into her. There was nothing she could do. Her injury was just too debilitating. She could barely move without crying in pain.

She felt tears begin to well in her eyes.

She wasn't upset that she might die. That was the least of her worries.

She was upset because she had failed.

"No... I was so...close... Just a step away...from...saving...our world... Nngh... Father... My friends... Forgive me..."

Grima's expression darkened at Lucina's whispered last words.

"The dead can't give forgiveness. You'll realize that soon-"

A blade pierced through Grima's back, erupting out of the center of his chest.

Grima looked down in shock at the blade, black blood beginning to trickle from his mouth.

Robin's face appeared over Grima's shoulder, his lips only inches away from Grima's ear.

"Checkmate."

Robin wrenched his blade from his flesh, letting Grima slump to the ground on one knee.

Lucina stumbled and fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. Ignoring the incredible pain, she slowly lifted her head, dreading that her greatest fear and greatest hope might be realized in one fell swoop.

With a heavy heart, the tactician raised his sword to finish the job.

But it was just too little too late. Grima had already disappeared beneath the back of the fell dragon once again.

Robin sighed in frustration. Of course it wouldn't be that simple.

"Robin!"

Lucina struggled to her feet, glaring daggers at the man before her.

"What were you thinking!? You could have-"

"Died?" Robin interrupted. "Yes. It was either my life or yours. It was a simple decision."

"Robin..."

Lucina gaped at the seriousness and sincerity of his tone. He said it with such conviction that she had no doubt he would make that trade in a heartbeat.

"Here, let me see your back while we still have time," Robin deflected.

Lucina did as he asked and turned around, carefully bending forwards a slightly so Robin could get a full view of the injuries.

Robin bit his lip to keep back a gasp. It was bad. Very bad. The burns traversed nearly her whole back, from her waist to her neck. Parts of her skin was black and charred away, revealing open wounds underneath. Not only that, but there were several gashes caused by her armor being torn apart. There was even a few pieces of jagged metal still stuck in her back. Those would definitely have to be removed before anything else.

At least her hair didn't catch on fire. That could have been very, very bad.

Robin raised his fingers to his mouth and whistled shrilly, signaling for one of the fliers to come immediately.

Within seconds Cynthia came barreling towards them, bringing her pegasus down for a graceful landing.

"What is it Rob-"

Cynthia's words died on her lips once she got sight of Lucina's injured back.

"I'm going to need a Mend staff here in a moment Cynthia."

Cynthia nodded dumbly, her eyes never leaving Lucina while she groped around her saddle, eventually pulling out the staff and holding it shakily.

"Is-is she... going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine Cynthia," Lucina answered weakly. "It's just a burn."

"'Just a burn,'" Robin scoffed and went back to examining the damage on her back. "Alright, I need you to be perfectly still. I need to remove the shrapnel from your back."

"You can treat wounds?" Lucina asked skeptically.

"Lissa's been teaching me ever since Valm. I thought it could come in handy," Robin answered. "Now be quiet and don't move in inch."

He lightly pinched the first and largest shard of metal.

"Cynthia, hand me the staff."

Cynthia did as she was told and gave the staff over. He accepted the staff with his eyes still glued on the wound.

With one quick movement, Robin yanked the metal clean out.

Lucina jerked violently, biting her bottom lip to avoid screaming out loud.

Robin quickly healed the wound with the staff to prevent it from bleeding too heavily. He repeated this process several more times until all of the metal was removed from Lucina's skin.

With that out of the way, Robin could finally move on to the bigger picture, which was basically her entire back.

He let the staff hover over her bare skin, letting the healing magic do its work. The green light from the staff covered her back, and slowly her wounds began to heal. The scarring would probably be with her for the rest of her life, but at least he could treat the damage.

To Lucina's credit, she did as she was told and stayed stone still after the first shrapnel. Only the occasion shudder or whimper broke through her exterior, but that was to be expected. With a wound as large as this, Robin couldn't imagine the pain she had to endure as the skin began to mend.

Lucina sighed in relief once Robin finally finished, nearly falling face first into the ground had Robin not looped an arm around her waist to stop her descent.

"Are you going to be able to continue?" Robin asked, concern seeping into his voice.

Lucina straightened up slowly, testing her back to see if there was any pain. It was incredibly sore and stiff, but that was to be expected.

"I'll be fine," Lucina replied and stepped away from Robin. "I'm just a little sore. It won't stop me."

"If you're sure," Robin didn't look convinced but he conceded regardless.

His eyes traveled away from Lucina and to the Shepherds behind them. It appeared that with Grima's retreat, the rest of the Shepherds were given a break as well. The Risen had all but dwindled out, save a few stragglers.

He hadn't exactly been suspecting a breather once the Shepherds had come up here, but he wasn't complaining. Everyone probably needed a second to catch their breath after all of the fighting they had been doing. He hadn't been watching carefully, since he had a dragon to take care of, but knowing Risen there were probably hundreds of them. A much needed break indeed.

Even if this break benefited Grima as well, Robin wasn't too worried. Lucina had been manhandling him before he resorted to such a dirty trick. She wasn't exactly back to one hundred percent now, but her wound was healed. All in all, Robin felt good about their chances. Better than he had the whole week.

But he just couldn't shake the feeling that something awful was going to happen.

Robin shivered and his hair stood up on end, feeling another presence lurking around. It was all too familiar.

He tossed the Mend staff back at Cynthia.

"Cynthia, get back to the Shepherds. Now."

Cynthia furrowed her brow, but nodded and hopped back onto her pegasus, quickly taking to the sky.

No sooner had she left than Grima erupted from the dragon's back, landing by Robin a few feet away. He looked no different from before, except for the huge rip in the front and back of his shirt caused by Robin's sword.

Grima glared at his counterpart, his face barely containing his immense anger.

"It's time to end things!"

A horde of Risen seemingly materialized out of thin air, surrounding everyone on the dragon's back in a wide circle.

"Oh gods..." Lucina breathed.

Robin's eyes widened, his mouth agape. There were thousands of them. Robin had seen armies smaller than this. Hell, the first wave of Risen was a stretch, but this was a pipe dream.

There was no conceivable way the Shepherds could hold out for longer than a few minutes. Their numbers didn't even break the hundreds. They had to end this now or there was no hope of surviving this.

"We have to get to Grima immediately! There's no time!"

Lucina nodded and took off in a dead run towards where the avatar was standing. Robin followed suit, his feet smacking on the scales as they pushed him closer and closer to Grima.

Robin could hear the sound of battle break out behind them as Mark called out orders to form up. He hated to admit it, but he had to try and ignore them for now. If they didn't get to Grima now they were all done for.

All Grima had to do was stall out, and he knew it too. His smug face was evident of that.

They would need a miracle if they hoped to succeed.

Grima raised his hands, dark magic already pooling in his palms.

"I. AM. THE. EN- Wha!?"

As if someone answered their prayers, Morgan flew in out of nowhere, latching on to Grima's back in a vice grip.

"WHAT ARE YOU-"

Without any hesitation, she jammed her fingers into Grima's eyes, blinding him.

"GAH!"

"DO IT NOW! FINISH HIM!"

Grima grabbed on to Morgan to throw her off, but all he was able to fling off was her coat.

"DAMN YOU!"

He tried twisting, turning, bowing down, everything. Morgan didn't let go. She was determined. She held on to him as if her life depended on it, and it probably did.

Robin raised his hand, a spell already primed.

'You know exactly what I would want you to do Robin. Don't throw your live away. Live it to the fullest, for the both of us.'

Time seemed to all but stop as Chrom's words echoed through Robin's head.

He had a life to live.

A family to take care of.

A world to look after.

The people he loved had lost so much already. He wouldn't force this on them too. Who was he to rip something else from them?

He could be a martyr another day. He believed in the strength of man. They could stop Grima again.

Robin's hand fell back down to his side.

"Go Lucina!" He yelled. "Finish this!"

Lucina wasted no time in charging forwards, her blade raised and the point aimed at Grima's heart.

She had begun running before Robin had even said anything.

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Grima bellowed.

Grima poised his blade above his right shoulder. He wasn't going to let this end this way.

Robin's eyes widened, knowing exactly what he was planning on doing.

He charged a spell in his hands, but it was already too late.

Lucina was close, but she wouldn't make it in time.

Without second thought, Grima plunged the blade into his flesh and clean out the other side.

The blade punched through Morgan's ribs.

She screamed out in pain.

Her grip on Grima went limp and she fell to the ground, the blade slowly pulling from her body.

Robin began running forwards, determined to make it to his daughter.

Grima drew his sword from his flesh and raised in front of himself to defend from Lucina's attack.

It was too late.

She was faster.

A cry escaped Lucina's lips.

One of anger.

One of sorrow.

One of victory.

Grima raised his blade but it was pointless. In the end, Morgan's distraction did what it needed to. He was through.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Falchion punched through Grima's chest, piercing his heart. The skin on Grima's chest erupted in flames, his entire body convulsing as his soul was ripped from his avatar to be sealed away for another millennia.

The dragon beneath them bellowed in pain, its whole body shaking in unison with its avatar.

She wrenched it out violently. Swinging the blade over her head, she brought it back down, cleaving through Grima's neck.

His headless body slumped to the floor, already beginning to fade away.

It was over.

They had won.

"Grima has returned to slumber," Naga's rang out above them. "I will return you to the land."

In the blink of an eye they were back on the cliff side.

The Shepherds cried out in victory and began hugging one another. The comfort they felt of holding each other in their arms was indescribable. The threat of Grima had been looming over them for years now. To have that burden gone...it was almost too good to be true. They would finally know what true peace would feel like.

All except Robin and Lucina.

They looked around frantically, finally spotting Morgan lying on the ground not too far off from them.

She was lying on her back, her arms and legs spread out from her. The right side of her midsection was covered in blood, her face extremely pale from the blood loss.

"We need a healer!" Lucina shouted back to the Shepherds, bringing them back to reality.

Robin fell to the ground beside his daughter, gently propping her head up and hurriedly checking her neck for a pulse.

"She's alive," Robin breathed.

Morgan's eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight of her mother and father's worried faces hovering above hers.

"F-father? Mother?"

"Don't speak honey," Robin smiled, trying to put on a brave face. "Save your strength."

He looked up from his daughter to Lucina.

"I'm going to have to put pressure on the wound so she doesn't bleed out while we wait for a healer."

Robin grabbed his dagger and cut the sleeve off of his Grandmaster's coat and turned back to his daughter.

"This is going to hurt Morgan, but I promise it won't last long."

Morgan nodded weakly, her eyes fluttering as she tried to remain conscious.

Robin pushed the cloth into the wound, causing Morgan to squirm underneath his hand.

"Ngh..."

"It'll be okay sweetie," Lucina reassured her and gently grabbed her hand before turning back to the Shepherds. "Where is that healer!?"

Maribelle ran out of the group of Shepherds, speeding towards them staff in hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She said as she plopped down on her knees beside Robin. "We had trouble finding any healing staves that weren't broken."

Maribelle slapped away Robin's hand, and removed the cloth to examine the wound herself.

She gently prodded the area with her gloved hand, feeling for anything out of the ordinary.

"Ngh!"

Morgan jerked when Maribelle lightly poked at where her ribs were.

"As I expected, she has a few broken ribs."

Maribelle swallowed, readying herself for what happened next.

"I'm going to have to check if any organs were damaged... It's...it's going to be very uncomfortable for her," The troubadour said to her parents.

"Can't you just heal the wound?" Robin asked. He might have been able to treat battle injuries, but wounds like this were way out of his knowledge.

"Yes, but if I don't know if an organ is seriously damaged then I can't heal her properly, and she could bleed internally," Maribelle answered and turned to Morgan. "This next part is going to hurt sweetheart, but I promise I'll make it quick."

Morgan nodded nervously, and reached out to grab her parents hands.

Maribelle took a deep breath, than inserted her two gloved fingers into the wound.

"GAH!"

Morgan's entire body squirmed, but she did her best not to outright jump at the probing. Her grip tightened around her parents' hands as she began to sweat.

"No damage to the spleen," Maribelle said distractedly. "It didn't perforate the stomach..."

She slowly withdrew her hand and grabbed the staff beside her.

"No organs were injured."

She let the staff hover above the wound as she began to channel its healing magic.

Morgan's eyes drifted to the sky above. The sky was clear, for the first time in days. The sun had made its descent, barely visible above the skyline.

"D-did I do it?" She asked weakly.

"You did sweetie. It was thanks to you we were able to-"

"N-no, not t-that," Morgan shook her head and sniffled. "I-I've done so m-many bad th-things...terrible things..."

Morgan's eyes welled with unshed tears.

"I-I just wanted to m-make up for it... a s-second ch-chance... to redeem myself..."

Morgan closed her eyes, a single tear slowly rolling down her face.

"I'm s-sorry Grandfather...p-please forgive me..."

"Morgan, you don't have anything to apologize for...-"

Her father's voice trailed off as Morgan began to fade from consciousness, only to be replaced with a voice that she had never heard before, yet it felt like she had. It was a deep, strong voice, one filled with pride. And yet, Morgan could hear the loving undertone in each and every word.

"Morgan. Above all else, I believe in the good in people, not the bad. One mistake should not tarnish who you are, because I know for a fact that you are a good, pure person. Everyone deserves a second chance, Morgan, so do not let this eat away at you. And don't worry sweetheart, I never blamed you for anything."

A smile graced Morgan's lips before the darkness finally enveloped her.

Three weeks later...

The rain poured down, the droplets smacking against Robin's umbrella.

Robin situated himself closer to Lucina, making sure they were both underneath its protection.

"Do you want to go first, or should I?" Lucina asked, eyeing the tactician beside her.

"I can, if you don't mind."

Lucina nodded and Robin passed her the umbrella, stepping out from underneath it.

He lowered down on his haunches, rubbing his palm slowly on the top of the headstone in front of him.

The rain felt good on his skin. These types of outings always made rain seem that way.

"Well. We did it, Chrom. Grima's been defeated and peace has been restored to the world. I almost can't believe it," Robin chuckled and shook his head before going somber again. "I wish you were here with us. It doesn't feel much like a victory without you."

Robin let the tears spring from his eyes. It didn't matter if he cried. In the rain, it never mattered.

"It'll be hard to rebuild Ylisse without you around, but I'll do my best. Or should I say we'll do our best. Lissa's going to be the new Exalt, at least until Lucina is of age. I actually think she's a bit relieved on how it worked out."

He chuckled before continuing.

"You'd be proud of them Chrom. I know they're going to do an amazing job, and I'll be there with them every step of the way."

Robin tilted his head down, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Just like you told me to. I'll watch over them all. I swear it."

Robin reached into his coat, pulling out his ceremonial dagger that Chrom had given him so many years ago. At least it felt that way.

Robin laid it down on his grave in front of the headstone.

"Thank you, Chrom," Robin said and rose to his feet. "I'll be back soon."

Robin walked a few steps over to the next grave, lowering back down so he was eye level with it.

"I wish you could be here too. You fought so hard for this peace, it's only right that you should get to be a part of it. It seems so empty without you here with us."

Robin ran his hands across the headstone, his fingers lingering on the name. Emmeryn.

"I hope in the end I was worthy of your ideals. I always tried to."

Robin laid a bouquet of flowers down on the grave, propping them up against the headstone.

He stepped away from the graves, nodding at Lucina for her to go ahead.

Lucina stepped out from the umbrella, kneeling down in front of her father's grave.

"Hello Father."

Lucina ran her hand over the headstone, her fingers tracing Chrom's name.

"We did it," She half sobbed, half laughed. "We actually did it. It feels too good to be true. It's been my mission for years to stop Grima, and we've finally did it. I just...can't believe it. There are some days I expect to wake up and it'll all be a dream."

Tears welled in Lucina's eyes, threatening to spill forth.

"I miss you so much Father. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of you. I wish everyday that things could have been different. I wish you could be here with us. I wish you could give me away at my wedding. I wish I could hear your voice one last time..."

Lucina lowered her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm going to stay here with Robin. I know that before I wasn't sure, but I am now. Family has a way of making you want to stick around," Lucina smiled. "I'm going to try my best to help as well, but politics were never my strongest suit. Like father, like daughter."

She giggled softly and reached up to the tiara that was resting in her hair.

"I don't think I'll need this anymore," She said and placed the tiara on her father's grave. "I'm just Lucina now. I love you Father. I'll be back soon, I promise."

She rose from her father's grave and stepped over to the next one.

"It's been awhile Auntie Emm. I wanted to visit you sooner, but things got a little busy," Lucina smirked and ran her hand over her aunt's headstone. "Oh, how I wish you could be here with us too. I think about it all the time. Maybe if I had done this, or maybe if I had done that, you'd still be alive and able to celebrate this victory with us."

Lucina rested her own bouquet on the grave.

"We'll maintain this peace. I promise," Lucina said rose from the grave. "I'll see you soon Auntie Emm."

Lucina walked back under the umbrella, her hand slipping into Robin's.

The two stood in silence, watching the graves in front of them.

"Hey there you two are!"

Robin and Lucina turned to face the new voice, which happened to be that of Mark's.

He was wearing his usual getup, the tactician's robe over his tan shirt and pants. He held an umbrella in his hands as well, with his other hand placed on his hip in minor annoyance.

"It's almost time for dinner," Mark said, his eyes traveling past his parents and to the graves behind them. "Oh... Sorry. Should I come back?"

"It's fine," Robin answered for the both of them. "We were finished anyways."

Lucina tilted her head to look past her son.

"Where's Morgan?"

"I'm right here!"

Morgan hobbled into view, wearing essentially the same outfit as Mark's and holding an umbrella of her own.

"I told him that we could have just came together, but nooooo."

"Yeah, because you're slow Morgan."

"I was stabbed!"

"I've been stabbed too and you didn't see me waddling around like an old grandma."

Morgan stomped her foot angrily, her face reddening.

"M-MARK!"

"Alright, that's enough you too," Lucina chided with an amused smile. "Let's get to dinner."

Mark and Morgan waited for their parents to catch up, then walked back towards the palace.

Together.

The End.

Author's Notes:

A long A/N this time. Thought I'd discuss some of this chapter down below.

Well there you have it! I'm actually a little proud of that ending. Nice and mushy compared to the incredible bittersweet sadness that came before it. I'd actually wager that that might be my favorite scene in this entire story.

I knew I faked you all out like a gazillion times during that chapter, so please don't hate on me too much. I couldn't help myself.

I had a big struggle deciding what Robin would do. I actually prefer the other choice, but I honestly don't know if he'd still sacrifice himself given that Chrom is already gone. I battled with that one for a while.

I also couldn't decide if any characters should die. I mean, Grima is the big dog. It'd be pretty likely that at least one person would die. As you saw, Morgan nearly did. God, I don't think I'd be able to handle the hate mail if I killed off our little darling. But shit, I nearly did. In the end, I decided against it. It just didn't seem right. I hadn't really built up many of the other characters, save a few, so if I just up and killed one that would be rather silly. I mean, who would care really?

And finally, Grima himself. I know you could probably argue that he could have gotten out of that, but I'm not so sure. Sure, he could fall on to his back, crushing Morgan basically. But then he'd be slim pickings for Lucina. He could have also started firing magic, but he was blinded. Same with the dragon (thanks to Robbie), so he wouldn't have been of much help either. I guess he could have done that thing where he sinks beneath the dragon's surface, but come on now, gotta give the little guys a chance after all!

Welp. That's it guys.

Thanks for reading everyone! I love all of you guys for reading this, each and everyone of you. Your reviews were so amazing to read, and every follow and favorite meant so much to me. I'll definitely be around, so don't be a stranger! Feel free to PM me, or read one of my other stories! I have another Fire Emblem story going on right now, called Reclassed. Check it out if you want!

See ya! Take care!