Work Text:
Humming softly, Lucina folded over her daughter’s short, delicate strands of blue hair into a braid. She then swiveled it into a bun before securing it into place with a small, light pink kanzashi pin.
The sparkling yellow centers of the blooming flowers glimmered in Morgan’s hair as the four-year-old spun around to look up at her mother, her young, hazel eyes glistening. “Can we go now, Mommy?”
Lucina laughed as she gave her daughter’s head a gentle pat. “Patience, my angel. Daddy should be finished packing up at any moment. Why don’t we go see him?”
Morgan nodded seriously towards her mother before spinning on her little pink kimono sandals, her Maneki Neko Lucky Cat kimono flapping spastically as Morgan clip-clopped her way into the master bedroom of Robin and Lucina’s private chambers within the Ylissean castle. “Daddy! You’re too slow!”
Robin smirked fondly as his little tactician struggled to hop onto their bed. Quickly folding together an extra children’s kimono and setting it neatly inside their carry-on pack for Morgan, Robin swiftly jumped behind his daughter before she could topple backwards onto the floor. “Woah! Easy there, kiddo…”
Morgan pouted up at her father as Robin set her on top of the duvet cover. However, glancing over at their family pack, Morgan easily became distracted as she crawled over and poked her head inside. She then grinned and dug her hand inside it, coming up victorious a moment later as she pulled out a pouch of apple slices. “Apples! We get to bring them to the fest…fest-fall?”
Robin smiled, gently opening the pouch in his daughter’s hands so Morgan can take a slice for herself. “Of course we can. I also packed some carrots, cookies, and those gummy bunnies you like. However, we will be having dinner at the festival, so you can’t have all of your snacks in one sitting, alright?”
As Morgan began to munch on her apple slice, Robin’s cheeks pinkened when his wife came up beside him, her lips soft against his cheek as she stole an apple slice for herself. Lucina then turned to her daughter and pressed a playful kiss into Morgan's hair, careful of her flower pin. “You are going to love the Ylissean Lantern Festival, Morgan. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to take part in it again…especially with the two of you.”
Lucina’s sapphire gaze remained on her child as Morgan beamed happily at her parents, her puffy cheeks full of juicy apple. Lucina then felt Robin tenderly kiss her bangs as he carefully took the snack pouch back from Morgan before securing it closed and placing it back inside the carry-on pack. “And this year we are going to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.”
Morgan looked up at Robin with a gasp, apple crumbs falling from her bottom lip. “Really big Lucky Kitty?!”
Lucina and Robin laughed. Then, the princess gleefully lifted her child into her arms before twirling Morgan around. “Yes! Really big Lucky Kitty!”
Morgan giggled as Lucina settled her back onto the ground. “I gotsta bring Mala!” Bouncing on her toes, the little girl tugged on her mother’s arm, encouraging Lucina to follow her back towards her nursery.
Lucina kept her footing as she hurried behind her daughter. “Ah! Alright, angel, we’ll bring her with us. Then, I need you to use the lavatory before we leave, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy!” Morgan squealed.
Robin’s hazel gaze softened as Lucina and Morgan disappeared from his sight. His heart was as full as their bag stuffed with treats, clothes, and all the little trinket essentials they always carried around for their beloved daughter. Smile lingering, Robin latched the upper buttons together, closing up the pack before lifting it over his shoulder. Being mindful of his own, indigo kimono, Robin admired the silver-grey dragons fluttering above the ocean waves decorating the corners of the attire as he patted it down.
He then hurried his way into the living room to wait for his family.
“Look, Mala! They are lots bigger than you! So many big Lucky Kitties!” Morgan squealed in delight as she held up a stuffed tabby cat, its orange and yellow stripes slightly worn from nightly cuddles with the four-year-old. Its black, beady eyes reflected the large, glowing Year of the Tiger lanterns welcoming visitors through the festival entrance.
“Watch your step, Morgan.” Lucina chided as she gently held Morgan to her side as festival goers crowded around the decorative lanterns along the cobblestone walkway.
Robin rested one hand on his wife’s lower back and the other atop Morgan’s head. “Why don’t we make our way inside? I’m sure there are plenty of other big Lucky Kitties in there.”
Hazel eyes widening in delight, Morgan made a run for it. Slipping from Lucina’s grasp, both adults gasped before Robin easily caught up with his daughter and scooped her up into his arms. He frowned and gave the now pouting child a gentle poke to her nose. “That does not mean running off without Mommy and Daddy. Am I understood?”
Morgan whined and looked longingly towards the tiger lanterns. “But Daddy…”
“No, ‘buts,’ Morgan.” Lucina spoke firmly. “There are too many people around, and we don’t want to lose sight of one another.” She then smiled softly when Morgan stuck out her lip in upset. “Now, now… No need to fret. The Lucky Kitties will be here all night.”
Morgan continued pouting as Robin walked the three of them under the large, glowing entrance that read: Ylissean Lantern Festival of the Tiger, painted bright red with white dots and stars. The arch itself was adorned in floating lanterns tied down to the structure, each one holding a different, hand-painted Japanese Zodiac pattern. Morgan’s frown quickly faded as she admired them, her attention becoming drawn to one of the floating lanterns on the far left.
A gentle kiss was then lain upon her chubby cheek.
“Those lanterns are beautiful, huh?” Robin whispered softly, his hazel eyes shining in the lantern lights as he admired his daughter’s own admiration.
Morgan nodded seriously, her eyes captivated on the glowing, violet lantern, decorated with a watercolor-paint Maneki Neko Lucky Cat design. “I want it.”
Robin chuckled. “Well, once the time comes for the lighting ceremony, we will see what kinds of lanterns the vendors are offering. For now…” Robin trailed off as he led himself and his small family over to another crowded section of people. Many were chatting amongst themselves as they stared up at round, red and white chochin lanterns, each one holding a thin paper note that dangled from their bottoms. “We have some riddles to solve.”
Curious, Morgan peeked her head around Robin’s own and scrunched up her nose. “Rid… Riddles?”
Lucina smiled as she looked up at one of the chochin lanterns above them. “If you are anything like your father, you will enjoy these very much, Morgan. Hmm… Perhaps we should start with some child-friendly ones…”
Morgan tilted her head upward, trying to imitate her mother and to help her find what she appeared to be looking for. Robin smiled fondly as he hoisted Morgan further up his hip before examining the paper note riddles with her.
“Oh! Morgan may be able to figure out this one, Robin.” Lucina called, beckoning her husband to follow her. Eagerly, Robin hurried his way over and looked up at the riddle with Lucina.
“I meow loudly but I am bigger than a cat. I love the color orange and big black stripes cover my body. What am I?” Lucina read the riddle note aloud.
Morgan frowned. “Mommy, that’s too, too easy. That’s a tiger!”
Robin smirked and Lucina playfully rolled her eyes. She gently pulled off the riddle and held onto it securely before giving her husband a knowing look. “Alright. Perhaps Daddy can do a better job at finding a riddle for you.”
Robin gave a hearty laugh and pressed a sweet kiss to Lucina’s cheek. “You know I will. Come on, kiddo.” He then held Morgan closer to his person as he began to search out the riddles.
Giggling, Morgan hugged her arms around her father’s neck and smiled up at the lanterns. They were very bright, easily catching her eye as she reached up to touch them while Robin walked around, Lucina at their side. However, after about a minute of searching, a purple riddle note flapping in the evening breeze in the middle of the chochin lanterns caught Morgan’s attention. Gasping, she tugged on Robin’s kimono collar.
“Daddy! Daddy! Look there!” Morgan exclaimed, pointing to the lone paper riddle.
Following his daughter’s wagging index finger, Robin made his way over to the riddle and silently read it over. “…This may be a little tricky, Morgan. You want to try it?”
Morgan nodded excitedly. “Uh-huh! I’m gonna be a tat…tat-sit-an like you, Daddy!”
Lucina and Robin smiled lovingly at their child, and Robin gave Morgan a tender kiss to her hair. “Alright, Morgan.” He then looked back up and began to read aloud. “Sometimes I’m green tea, sometimes I’m strawberry, but I’m always round and sticky. You can fill me with ice cream or eat me plain. But I’ll always be yummy! What am I?”
Morgan tightly scrunched up her nose in thought, and Lucina and Robin stifled their laughter at her expression.
“Um…” Morgan tapped her chin, as she has seen her father do many times while sitting at his study desk at home. “Um… Candy?”
Robin thought it over. “…I think it’s a little more than that. Can you put ice cream in candy?”
Morgan grinned with a nod. “Yes!”
Robin and Lucina laughed at the incorrect statement but had too much heart to deny Morgan’s imagination. The princess gently pinched her daughter’s cheek. “Aside from candy, what else can have yummy ice cream and be sticky?”
“Um… Um…” Morgan stared up at the riddle. “…Chocolate?”
Robin smiled. “Not quite, kiddo. But I think you’re getting warmer. If I am assuming correctly, this particular dish can be chocolate-flavored.”
“Chocolate is chocolate-flav…flav-or-it, Daddy.” Morgan replied, her hazel eyes holding skepticism towards her father.
“Flavored.” Robin pronounced correctly, stifling a snicker.
He then felt two knuckles nudge his side. “You could at least give her another hint, grammar expert.”
Robin frowned and looked to his wife. “But wouldn’t that be contradictory to solving it? We can’t make the challenge too easy for her.”
“She’s four.” Lucina furrowed her brows.
“And smart.” Robin countered.
“You guys are loud whispers-ers.” Morgan frowned, looking in between her parents. She then reached for Lucina. “But I want Mommy’s help now. Daddy forgot what chocolate tastes like.”
A teasing glint danced in Lucina’s cerulean gaze as she plucked her daughter from Robin, her husband’s pout identical to Morgan’s own from just several minutes prior. Lucina cuddled Morgan against her side as the four-year-old wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck.
“I know something that may help.” Lucina began, her smile playful as she continued looking at Robin. “And Daddy’s confusion with chocolate may have given me the idea.”
Morgan giggled as her father rolled his eyes before lightly resting his chin atop his daughter’s shoulder.
“And what may be this helpful hint of yours?” Robin mused, his hazel eyes challenging his wife’s blue.
Lucina smirked. “Morgan, what did you have for dessert last night?”
Robin gaped at his wife. “That’s cheat—!”
“Mochi!” Morgan squealed, raising her arms up towards the purple riddle note.
Lucina gently tugged the riddle off the lantern and held it securely with the first one from earlier. “Perhaps if you wiped down Morgan’s chocolate cheeks before bath time last night, I wouldn’t have remembered.”
Robin grumbled. “…I suppose it was my turn to be in charge of dinner and dessert cleanup.” He then raised a brow at his prideful wife. “But, for someone so destined to do the right thing and save the future your very own daughter now lives in, I am appalled by your unfair tactics.”
Lucina giggled and looked to a happy Morgan cuddling Mala. “I think your Daddy is upset I outsmarted him.”
The musical chime of Morgan’s giggling blended with her mother’s own as the child presented her stuffed cat to her father. “Mala says she wants to give you a big kiss and, and help you not be sad, Daddy. She is sorry Mommy is smarter ‘den you.”
Robin’s heart melted into his daughter’s kind gesture as he delicately took Mala from her and kissed the toy’s dirt-patched nose. “Thanks, Mala.”
“Now kiss Mommy!” Morgan hopped in her mother’s arms, startling Lucina into holding onto her child tighter so she didn’t lose her grip. Robin reached out to steady them both, causing his nose to brush against Lucina’s own. Both adults blushed bright red, their cheeks aglow with the chochin lanterns. Blue eyes fluttering, Lucina arched her neck upward and pressed a warm kiss against Robin’s welcoming lips.
“Sorry for teasing you, my love.” She whispered.
Robin smiled, placing another kiss atop Lucina’s nose, his hazel eyes shimmering with a loving fondness. “There is no need to. It’s not often I get to see you being so playful.”
Lucina’s cheeks reddened further and she shyly looked up at the lanterns. “I…suppose it is still rather strange, being carefree and…happy without any threat posing our new lives. Even father’s rather boisterous demeanor these days is something I have still yet to become accustomed to.”
Robin chuckled. “That may be because Chrom is trying to remind the Shepherds he is still as young as we are. But Morgan running into our mission meetings depletes that persona the moment she spots him and shouts ‘Boppa!’”
Lucina’s smile faltered as she looked back down at her daughter, who currently was having Mala dance along their shoulders. “We need to keep a better eye on her. I worry what may happen whenever she runs off like that...”
Noticing the disquieting emotions gathering in his wife’s eyes, Robin leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her hair. “Well, she is safe in your arms in this moment, love. And right now, that and our time here at this lovely festival is all that matters.”
Lucina’s cheeks blossomed pink and her smile grew as she watched her husband playfully fiddle with Mala’s ears.
“Alright, Morgan! Are you ready to see if your riddle guesses are right?” Robin questioned, his hazel eyes bright with delight.
Morgan grinned. “Yes, Daddy!”
Resting Mala against her bowl of tangyuan, Morgan gleefully chatted to her stuffed cat as she attempted to spin her koma spinning top atop the kotatsu table. However, the four-year-old pouted when her attempts failed once more, her riddle prize falling onto the sunset-red marigold-themed futon.
“Morgan, angel. It’s time for dinner.” Lucina spoke gently, holding her hand out so Morgan may give her the koma.
Morgan whined and looked up at her mother in upset. “Mommy, it can’t work…”
Lucina frowned as Morgan handed her the colorful, zig-zag patterned spinning top. Gently, she pushed the tangyuan bowl out of the way and placed Mala on her own zaisu seat. Lucina then held the top in front of her daughter. “That’s because winding the string around the top’s underside can be rather tricky. I have memories of Fath—ahem, your grandfather and I playing with these when I was around your age. It took me some time in understanding how they work, myself. Here, I’ll show you…”
Slowly, Lucina pulled apart the loose string wrapped haphazardly around the koma. She then pressed one of the string ends with her thumb against the top before she began to wrap the rest of it tightly around the bottom stem. “You must hold tight to one end and begin wrapping the string from here. Then, you wrap it upward.”
Morgan nodded, resting her chin atop Lucina’s forearm as she curiously watched her mother finish wrapping the string around the koma.
Lucina smiled, comforted by the small weight of her child leaning against her. “Now, once you have the string wrapped around tightly, be sure to keep a tight hold on the end of it with the rest of your hand.” She then grasped one of Morgan’s smaller hands and gestured for her daughter to sit in her lap. Morgan grinned and quickly plopped herself into Lucina’s lap. Pressing a loving kiss to her daughter’s hair, Lucina kept her hold on Morgan’s hand and brought it under her own, the one holding the spinning top. “Let’s spin it together now, okay?”
Morgan nodded again, giving a small hop. “Okay, Mommy!”
With that, Lucina shifted the two of them to face outward, away from the kotatsu so they had a larger space to spin the koma. Lucina slowly began to twist both hers and Morgan’s wrists in an outward flicking motion. “One…”
“Two…” Morgan counted along.
“Three!” The two called out in unison, with Lucina releasing the string and Morgan’s hand. Together, mother and daughter watched in awe as the zig-zag colors of reds, greens, blues, and yellows morphed into rainbow swirls on the ground in front of them.
“It’s so pretty, Mommy…” Morgan mumbled, mesmerized as she leaned forward on Lucina’s lap, resting the palms of her hands on the ground as the top continued to spin.
A pair of indigo-silver kimono sandals clopped up right behind the koma.
“I see you finally got it to spin, kiddo!” Robin praised kindly, carefully watching his step before he took a seat on the other zaisu beside his wife. “I suppose getting extra sweet syrup wasn’t a bad idea, since neither of you have yet to eat your tangyuan.”
Lucina glanced over shoulder, looking rather sheepish. “Oh… W-Well, I was in the process of convincing Morgan to eat, but…um…” Her blue eyes shifted back to her daughter and the giggles that erupted from Morgan as the four-year-old continued playing with her koma.
Robin smiled and rubbed Lucina’s shoulder. “You can continue playing with her. The syrup is hot, so if your food cools, we’ll just add some of the syrup to it.”
Lucina sighed and pressed a tender kiss to Robin’s hand. “…As much as I appreciate that, dear, we should encourage Morgan to eat. She has too much energy for a child who has yet to have her evening meal, despite our dinner this evening being in the form of a dessert.”
Robin nodded, squeezing his wife’s shoulder one last time before he scooted back and leaned behind the other two. In one swift motion, he plucked the koma off the ground before resting it beside Mala. “Let Mala have a turn, kiddo. You need to eat at least five rice balls before the lantern lighting ceremony begins. Plus, the Divine Dragon should start dancing at any moment.”
Morgan looked up at her father before quickly nuzzling herself back onto her mother’s lap. “Are dragons really gonna dance, Daddy?”
Robin smiled and pet Morgan’s hair, mindful of her kanzashi pin that managed to hold it up for the past two hours since their arrival at the festival. “Oh, yes. The Ja Odori Divine Dragon Dance is important in worshiping Naga and her strength, fertility, and protection.”
Pulling her and Morgan’s shared tangyuan bowl closer to them, Lucina reached for her gardenia-themed chopsticks and used them to cut each glutinous pastel rainbow rice ball down the middle. Then, lifting up one of the halves of a light pink one, she gently pressed the rice ball against her daughter’s lips.
Morgan opened her mouth wide and Lucina popped the rice ball half right in.
“Chew slow, angel.” Lucina instructed kindly as she reached her chopsticks back into the bowl and picked up the other half of the rice ball for herself.
“D’ddy.” Morgan began, mouth full. “I th’t y’u an’ M’mmy do da’ pr’t’tin’?”
Lucina gently patted her daughter’s back. “Swallow first. Then, ask your question.”
Morgan huffed, but took another two minutes to finish chewing before she peeked her head over at Robin. “I thought you and Mommy do the pro…pro-testing?”
Lucina let her hand rest against her daughter’s back while she wrapped her chopsticks around another rice ball half for Morgan. “Of course Daddy and I are here to protect you and those here in Ylisse…but Naga helps us, too.” Carefully, Lucina lifted the pastel green rice ball half and held it in front of Morgan. Morgan gratefully took a bite from it.
Boom!
With a yelp, rice ball crumbs tumbled from Morgan’s mouth as she snapped her head towards the open, cobblestone courtyard, her small fists bunching into Lucina’s kimono. “M-Mommy…”
Lucina cooed softly to her, resting her chopsticks inside the tangyuan bowl. Soothingly, the princess wrapped her arms around Morgan. “Easy, Morgan. It’s just the fireworks signaling the start of the dragon dance. It’s okay.”
Boom!
Morgan whimpered, spinning around in Lucina’s arms and smooshing her face into her mother’s stomach. She then shoved her hands over her ears when the sky lit up in bright sparks of blues and greens while people around them began to cheer. “Th-The dragon is…is too loud!”
Robin and Lucina shared worried looks before Lucina nodded her head towards their carry-on pack for Morgan. “I put her winter earmuffs inside her bag last night in case the fireworks were to frighten her. They should be inside the second zipper in the left inner pocket.”
Robin nodded in understanding and hurriedly opened up their bag while Lucina let Morgan claw her way up her kimono. Morgan wrapped her arms tightly around Lucina’s neck, hiding her face inside her shoulder—Mala and her tangyuan now forgotten. Humming a childhood lullaby into her daughter’s ear, Lucina pressed comforting kisses to her hair to try and help Morgan relax.
“Here we are. Lucina, if you could lift her head up for a moment, please.” Robin instructed calmly. He and Lucina winced simultaneously when Morgan wailed upon the firing of the third set of fireworks. Together, husband and wife worked to lift Morgan’s head out from Lucina’s shoulder before swiftly and carefully placing purple and gold toddler, pegasi-themed earmuffs over Morgan’s ears. The child herself remained whimpering for a moment more, tucking her head back to rest against Lucina’s shoulder as her mother tenderly wiped the tears trailing from her cheeks while her father brushed her bangs from her frightened eyes.
“The earmuffs will help tune out the noise, angel. Daddy and I are right here.” Lucina soothed, pressing a kiss to Morgan’s head.
Robin leaned over his wife’s lap to reach for Mala. Gently, he pressed the stuffed cat to Morgan’s chest, encouraging his daughter to cuddle it. “Mala’s here too, kiddo. And… Oh, look! Here comes Naga!” Robin pointed towards the courtyard, finding the perfect distraction.
Hesitantly, Morgan poked her nose under her mother’s chin as Lucina shifted the two of them to face the courtyard so the child had a better view of the lively and large dragon puppet prancing through the crowd of people gathered in the center.
Frills of blues, pinks, greens, and whites sewn up and over the glowing aquamarine underbelly of the dragon puppet danced in rhythm with the cool, early January evening breeze. Black boots scuffled beneath the thick material, the puppet’s masters concealed in plain sight. Morgan was none the wiser as the tears dried from her eyes and she unconsciously slipped off her mother’s lap and stood beside the kotatsu, her hazel eyes sparkling in wonderment as the puppet dipped and swiveled through the crowd. Glimmering, miniscule white lanterns wrapped around the dragon’s four great horns and dotted the span of its flapping wings, of which were dazzled in violet and arctic blue sequin.
The eyes of Naga held a warm, pink-crystal glow as the puppet made its way towards the kotatsu family tables. Children squealed and parents laughed as the puppet tossed crimped, glittery blue and green confetti. Morgan rushed forward and held tightly to one of the dark wood pagoda posts, shy but intrigued as the puppet made its rounds.
Time slowed when it stepped up in front of Morgan, the heat of the lanterns warming the four-year-old’s rosy cheeks.
Slowly, the dragon head knelt down. A blue-frilled foot lifted up and presented a freshly plucked, lavender-cream lotus.
Morgan’s eyes widened and she carefully held the flower from the bottom, its cup-shaped leaves gentle cushions in her hands. Lucina and Robin stood and walked over to her, smiling as they each rested a hand on Morgan’s shoulders. The child admired the lotus and playfully pressed its petals to her nose, giggling at the ticklish feeling as she breathed in its fruity scent.
The puppet raised its head, and for the briefest moment, its glowing, divine gaze centered on Robin and Lucina. It bowed politely, a silence of gratitude.
“Henry!”
“Nya ha ha! Worry not, Lissa! I can still see.” Henry chirped gleefully as two crows scraped each other’s beaks just above his nose, each fighting over the wiggly worm Henry pulled from his mahogany, crow-themed kimono sleeve. Two other crows nipped at his thin, silver-white strands of hair, their glossy feathers flickering as they flapped their wings before settling atop Henry’s head.
Lissa shook her own head in amusement, adjusting the white obi wrapped around her pastel yellow kimono. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get another birdie’s opinion on our lantern! What do you think, Owain?”
For a moment, Henry’s eyes opened, their deep, red shine softening. He silently admired his wife and son as the two knelt down and together scooped up the rose-red, Zodiac Rooster lantern from the grass. Then, one of the crows nipped at Henry’s cheek before lifting off his shoulder and fluttering beside Lissa and Owain on the ground.
“Hee hee! Hello!” Lissa giggled, allowing the crow to step around the lantern as it playfully nipped at it. “Ah, ah! Careful. Don’t rip it now, you!” Lissa reprimanded lightly, a smirk dancing on her lips as the crow pulled back, seeming to understand her words.
“Don’t worry, Mama! I’ll keep it at bay! Stay back you—yeep!” Owain stumbled backwards into his mother as the crow cawed at him, displeased by the six-year-old’s antics. Owain whimpered but stood his ground as he warily stared at the crow.
“Nya ha ha! You’re alright, Owain. Keep in mind crows can be just as feisty as you!” Henry grinned down at his now pouting son. But a moment later, Owain yelped again when the crow challenged him, hopping a foot forward with another caw. This time, Owain scurried to the other side of Lissa.
Holding their paper lantern in one hand, Lissa rested a soothing hand on Owain’s back. “Relax, honey. You need to learn to be nicer to your father’s animal friends.”
Owain huffed. “I am nice, Mama! I am the nicest of nice! You cannot see me without seeing a nice, sweet gummy candy full of niceness and ex…extra…va…extra-va-gains!”
Lissa giggled and ruffled her unruly son’s hair. “You are very extravagant, sweetheart.”
“Birdie!” A small cry called out, frantic steps now heading in their direction.
“Morgan!”
Said child giggled with delight, momentarily stumbling over her kimono before she resumed her chase towards the crow sitting beside Lissa and Owain. In one swift motion, a pair of hands caught the four-year-old just in time before she could squish the crow against her person. The bird itself hopped back a few steps, unfazed by the hyperactive human as it tilted its head upward at Morgan in curiosity.
“I don’t think that ‘birdie’ wants to play, Morgan. Where is your cat toy?” Chrom huffed, wincing as his granddaughter struggled to escape his hold as she began pushing her kimono sandals against his stomach, one of them slipping off in the process.
“Boppa! Lemme go!” Morgan grumbled, ignoring her grandfather’s question.
“Morgan, what did we say about run…running off like that?” Robin gasped out as him and Lucina finally caught up, both parents surprisingly out of breath after their daughter left the paper lantern vendor upon spotting Henry, Lissa, and Owain by the lakefront.
Chrom frowned at both of them, Morgan now clawing at his kimono. “You both really need to freshen up on your training. Being out-run by a toddler like that…”
Lucina cleared her throat, sheepishly flattening the wrinkled white Exalt symbols adorning her blue kimono before adjusting the golden-azure butterfly clip around her sunset, sand-colored obi. “S-Sorry, Father. We were just admiring the Maneki Neko Lucky Cat lanterns when all of a sudden she ran off… I don’t know why she does that…”
Chrom chuckled, kneeling down and reaching for Morgan’s lost pink kimono sandal that had fallen onto the ground. Settling his granddaughter atop his knee, Chrom carefully slipped the sandal back onto her wriggling right foot. “She is a child, Lucina. Your younger self runs off plenty of times back home at the castle, you know that. It’s what they do…” Gently, Chrom set Morgan back onto the ground and allowed her to toddle over to Henry and Lissa, the former eagerly presenting a crow on his forearm for Morgan to pet while Owain stubbornly remained at his mother’s side.
“You just need to keep a better eye on Morgan and remind her of what keeps her safe.” Chrom continued as he rested a comforting hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “As she grows, she will understand.”
Lucina’s cheeks pinkened and a shy smile pulled at her lips. She then looked to her left when Robin came up beside them, their pale purple Lucky Kitty lantern in hand. “Where is Mother and…me, anyway?”
Chrom smiled and nodded towards the mochi vendor just a few yards from where they were standing. A cheerful Lucina walked beside Sumia as the two were making their way back over. “We all have been waiting quite some time for you three, and…you requested mochi while we were—”
“Daddy!” The younger Lucina called, pulling from her mother and waving around a chocolate-flavored mochi. “We got your favorite!”
“…And it’s all over your hands.” Chrom commented dryly. But the loving grin spreading across his face contradicted the fake-annoyance in his tone as he knelt down to greet his younger daughter. “Thank you, sweetheart. Be sure to ask your mother for some napkins, okay?”
Lucina nodded before smiling up at her older self. “Hi, Luci! Mommy and I were just talking about how long we’ve been waiting for you!” The seven-year-old then shied into her father’s side upon looking at Robin, her cheeks glowing a pink hue. “H-Hello, Robin.”
Robin smiled softly at the shy younger version of his wife. “Hey, you. I heard you’ve been giving your poor father here a hard time. Is that right?”
Lucina giggled bashfully, scooting behind Chrom’s leg as she nodded to Robin. “Uh-huh! I… I best Daddy a lot in training now.”
The older Lucina smirked fondly. “I am not surprised in the slightest.”
Chrom furrowed his brows, feigning upset. “Hey!”
Both girls and Robin laughed before the older Lucina felt a small pair of arms wrapping around her leg. Glancing down, the princess smiled warmly at a shy Morgan. “Hello, my angel. Are you okay?”
Morgan nodded before her hazel eyes glanced back and forth between her mother and the younger Lucina. “Wanna… Wanna play.”
Lucina chuckled, nudging her daughter forward. “Then go ahead. We should begin lighting the lanterns, anyway. The gong will go off at any moment, and we don’t want to fall behind.”
Morgan nodded, looking shy at the younger version of her mother. The younger Lucina smiled shyly back before holding out her hand. “Come on, Morgan! We can sit by those rocks and then put our lanterns in the water with Owain, Aunt Lissa, and Uncle Henry!” The little princess pointed towards Lissa and Henry, of whom were in the process of lighting their own red paper lantern with Owain, the child himself sitting in his mother’s lap while crows gathered around the three of them on the lakefront.
Morgan grinned, taking the younger Lucina’s hand and allowing her to lead the way.
Robin and Lucina smiled, intertwining their own hands as they followed behind with Chrom and Sumia, the latter of whom held a cream-pink Year of the Horse lantern in her own hands.
While the three children began trying to catch pollywogs with Henry on the water’s edge, the four other adults took their seats atop some of the limestone lake rocks. Although not the most comfortable of places, neither couple minded as they began opening up the underside of their paper lanterns.
“Robin, care to do the honors?” Chrom questioned, kindly holding out his and Sumia’s lantern.
Robin smiled before muttering a simple fire spell. In an instant, a small flame floated above his palm before he carefully rested it within the offered lantern. “Be careful not to let it burn into the paper.”
Chrom and Sumia smiled at him in gratitude as they delicately began turning their lantern upright.
Robin then turned to Lucina, who had their Maneki Neko Lucky Cat lantern already upside down.
“Ready?” Robin whispered.
Lucina smiled, her sapphire eyes glittering in the moonlight as she leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “Go ahead.”
Robin melted into the lingering warmth of their kiss as he once more cast the same fire spell as before. Gently, he maneuvered the flame to rest properly within the paper lantern’s fuel cell. Once alight, together husband and wife rotated the lantern back around.
“Morgan.” They called to their child in unison.
Morgan and Lucina were waiting for their parents as they playfully tossed pebbles into the lake with Owain, one of Henry’s crows now standing in between them as it curiously pushed its own pebble towards the water. Upon hearing her name, however, Morgan looked over her shoulder before she hurried over to her parents, awkwardly climbing over the rocks as she did so. The younger Lucina followed suit when Chrom and Sumia called to her, as well.
Holding out his arms, Robin patiently waited for Morgan to cuddle up against him, snuggling herself into his lap. Smiling fondly, Robin pressed a tender kiss to his daughter’s hair while Lucina presented their purple paper lantern to her.
Then, the gong went off.
Gasping, Morgan looked to the sky.
Sky lanterns slowly lifted into the air, circular and cubed shapes of yellows, reds, oranges, and purples waltzing with the starry night above. Some would gently brush against another, twirling in a pirouette of candlelight before each paper lantern would go their separate ways towards the fading blue horizon.
Morgan felt her father’s arms holding her close as his hands held her own securely beneath the Maneki Neko Lucky Cat lantern with Lucina.
“Make a big wish for the new year, Morgan.” Lucina whispered kindly, pressing a sweet kiss to her daughter’s nose.
Morgan giggled and squeezed her eyes tight, thinking really hard on her wish. Robin and Lucina shut their own eyes, their hands coming over one another in comfort as they, too, wished for a bright and safe year ahead for themselves and their little one.
“On three.” Robin spoke up after a long minute of wishes, opening his eyes and smiling warmly at his family before him.
“On three.” Lucina smiled.
Holding up the lantern with Lucina, Robin felt Morgan’s smaller hands holding the thin paper edges beneath his own. He then began the countdown. “One.”
“Two.” Lucina followed.
“Three!” Morgan squealed.
And together, they released their paper lantern. The Lucky Kitty floated up into the night, its lavender glow shimmering over all of Ylisstol and illuminating into the future ahead.
