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Frederick awoke with a grunt, reaching out across the bed to draw Robin closer to him. Much to his dismay, he grasped at nothing but the sheets. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the knight sat up in bed and looked around his bedroom. There was absolutely no way Robin had woken up before he did – she resisted his early morning wake ups and workout sessions even before they were married. Frederick brushed his disheveled hair back and got up off the bed. Growing concerned, he pulled on his trousers and a fresh shirt and stepped out of their bedroom.There, he saw his overworked wife lying on the couch with her limbs tucked up against her chest. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile as he walked over and sat down beside her. Frederick picked up her coat from the floor and folded it, setting it gently on the backrest before letting his hand rest on the curve of her hip. Tomes and scrolls lay scattered by the couch and he shook his head. Had he not taught her better in the fine art of order and cleanliness?As he leaned over to at least stack the books, Frederick noticed the streamers and banners hanging around the room. Each wall had pennants and sparkles Robin had somehow enchanted to stick to the wood paneling. The table was littered with candles and bags of icing he was convinced Robin had spent more time eating than using to decorate pastries. The largest banner hanging across the archway to the kitchen caught his eye. In what could only be Robin’s attempt at a flowery script, it read: Happy Birthday, Morgan!Frederick dreaded the day his birthday rolled around. He had gone twenty-four years without a birthday party, until Robin showed up. The last two years, she had forced him into a horrendous birthday hat and invited all the Shepherds into their home, which more often than not ended in a humungous mess. But it made Robin happy, and that was all that mattered to him. He hadn’t expected less from her now that their son had popped out of a time-traveling wormhole.“Mmmm…..”Frederick looked back at his wife, who had woken up with all the sudden movement on the couch. “Good morning, Robin. Did you fall asleep out here?” She nodded with a shy smile, sitting up and cuddling up against Frederick. “Were you up all night decorating?”“Are you mad?”“You could have asked me to help you. You’ve been pushing yourself so hard – and as much as I admire your dedication, we have a child to take care of now. An unruly teenage son, if you have forgotten.” Robin frowned and pouted at him while his expression softened and he laughed.Morgan had appeared not long after Frederick and Robin’s wedding. He remembered the day as if it had happened only moments ago. Not wanting to overshadow Chrom’s marriage to Lady Sumia, he withheld his proposal to Robin until the post-coronation and post-wedding celebrations died down. Of course, as soon as they announced it, Lissa was already planning the ceremony and reception. There was never a dull moment in Ylisse after the war ended, and two years after their marriage, Sumia had given birth to baby Lucina. They came to realize that the mysterious “Marth” who had been tailing them was in fact Lucina from the future, and they’d stumbled upon Morgan not too long after.And Frederick could not have been prouder of the young tactician. Morgan had no memory of his father, but Frederick loved him all the same. One day, there would be a baby Morgan. But for now, they had their teenage pride and joy to take care of and bond with. Frederick could not imagine the horrible fate the Shepherds’ children had escaped from, nor did he particularly want to.Robin snapped him out of his thoughts by pressing her lips against his cheek. “Freddy-bear,” she said, using the nickname he developed a nasty eye-roll in reaction to. “We should probably go wake Morgan up.” Frederick sighed. Robin had driven herself mad planning this surprise party for Morgan for weeks. When asked about it, Robin said “Well, it’s not like I got to experience the birth of my only child before he went through puberty.” Though her reasoning was sound, Frederick was more upset that he couldn’t rouse his son for a thrilling session of Frederick’s Fanatical Fitness Hour.Robin stood up and grabbed Frederick by the hand. “Come, help me get the cake out and we can surprise him!” He grinned at Robin.“You’re very cute when you get excited, my lady. Did you know that?”Robin perked up slightly when he spoke, and she flushed, turning towards the kitchen. She still wasn’t used to him referring to her with titles – titles that a mage found lying in a field with no recollection of her past should not be graced with. Especially since Frederick the Wary had been.. well… wary of her from the moment they met. It was only after realizing her dedication to Chrom and Ylisse, though she was Validar’s daughter, that Frederick had lightened up. And oh, was he glad he did.Frederick helped her carry the cake through Morgan’s bedroom door. Their son was lying on top of his blankets, coat thrown on the floor and books scattered everywhere. “It’s hard to believe this is my son…” Frederick grumbled, setting the cake down on the only empty space on Morgan’s desk and picking up a pile of clothing. Robin shot him a look before throwing the curtains open. The sun poured into the room and Morgan groaned, rolling over onto his side and stuffing his head under the pillow.“SURPRISE!” Robin shouted, and Morgan woke up with a jolt. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” She clambered into her son’s bed, gathering the lanky fifteen-year-old up in her arms and planting a wet kiss on his cheek. Morgan tried to pull away from Robin’s deathly chokehold. His thick brown hair got caught in her mouth as she continued to kiss him and she coughed, letting her son free.“Moooooom…” Robin moaned, trying to flatten his hair back into place. Robin clapped her hands together and motioned for Frederick to bring the cake over. She opened one of Morgan’s fallen tomes and lit the candles with a wave. Morgan rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the light, as his father brought the cake before him.“Make a wish, my sweetling,” Robin said, covering her mouth with her hands. Morgan looked from Robin to Frederick before closing his eyes and giving the fifteen candles a good blow. Frederick motioned with his head for Robin and Morgan to come out into the kitchen to properly cut the cake. Robin linked arms with her son. At fifteen he was already as tall as she was – which she entirely blamed Frederick for. “Did you wish for something good, Morgan?”“I can’t tell you, mom! It won’t come true.” Robin hummed as she cut the cake in the kitchen. “Cake for breakfast? Did uncle Gaius rub off on you, ma” Morgan grinned as he shoveled the cake into his mouth. She smiled – Morgan and Gaius got along the best out of any one in the Shepherds. Gaius was one of Robin’s closest friends, and he had been the one who had rescued Morgan from the Risen while Robin and Frederick went after the Risen Chief. Robin often paired the two of them together – Gaius, now promoted to an Assassin, had taken Morgan under his wing to teach him a different sword style than his mother and father’s.“I still can’t believe that the only thing you remember is that I’m your mother and that today is your birthday. None of the other kids had their memories altered when they came through… Cynthia was a little scatterbrained, but you, Morgan?” Robin thought aloud as she pushed the cake around her plate with a fork.The young tactician shrugged and finished off the cake, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, much to Frederick’s dismay. “I didn’t decide what I remembered, mom. All I know is that I was time-traveling with you on my birthday, and I just… ended up elsewhere.” Frederick ruffled his son’s hair gently.“And we are both glad that you did,” he said with the hint of pride in his voice. Morgan yawned and looked up at his father.“Are you going to make me train on my birthday, father?” Frederick contemplated the question before sighing.“No. Go have… fun.” Morgan whooped and jumped up to hug both of his parents before going to change and running out the door. Frederick shook his head in exasperation as he went to clean up the dishes. Robin made to stop him but Frederick insisted. “If my son is going to change up my schedule, I need to make sure my other daily obligations are completed before everything is entirely rearranged. I suppose you have something else planned for Morgan’s birthday…” Robin grinned cheekily at Frederick and helped him wash the dishes before going to change into some fresh clothes.“The kids all wanted to throw Morgan a surprise party in the castle – he is the youngest of them all and they love to dote on him.” Robin came out of the bedroom in a simple dress Frederick bought her as a betrothal gift along with the ring he gave her. He looked up from lacing his boots and smiled at her.“You’re wearing that on purpose so I do everything you ask me to, aren’t you Robin?” Frederick asked, gathering her up in his arms and kissing her forehead. Robin laughed. Frederick could always see right through her schemes – something she had grown accustomed to after they began to spend more time together. Grabbing Frederick by the arm, she dragged him outside towards the crowd of the Shepherd children all hugging Morgan and wishing him a happy birthday.Cynthia and Owain were in the middle of the group, arms thrown around Morgan as they lead him blindfolded towards the castle. Robin and Frederick followed close behind, soon joined by Gaius and Maribelle who had been watching the group of children while the rest of the Shepherds were setting up for the surprise party. Frederick silently picked a god and prayed that Robin never threw him a party on such a grand scheme, but his chest swelled with happiness to see his son smiling and laughing and surrounded by friends.“Hey Bubbles. Morgan’s birthday seems to be a bigger shindig than your wedding and Blue’s combined. Our kids sure know how to throw a party, don’t they?” He threw his arm around Maribelle, who chuckled. “Well… Everyone except Brady. He’s so serious, I don’t know who he inherited that from.”Robin laughed. “Where is Brady? I haven’t seen him today.” Gaius shrugged and said, “No clue. He said something about finishing the present they all made for Morgan and locked himself in the castle library.” The two couples headed up the stairs to the castle, where they were greeted by Sully, Stahl, and Virion who lead them to the great hall. Nowi and Nah had spent the day in dragon form hanging decorations from the walls and ceilings while Laurent and Miriel strategically laid out the room (with the help of Gregor and Vaike) to maximize space for everyone to mingle. Cynthia tugged off Morgan’s blindfold and he smiled so widely tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.“Guys!” he exclaimed. “This is so amazing….”The door swung open once again and Brady walked in, holding a large parcel under his arm. “Wait’ll ya get a load of this, Morgan,” he said, walking towards the birthday boy as the crowd parted. Morgan bounced eagerly and Inigo leaned his elbow on his shoulder.“This is a present from all of us – we spent every spare moment we had working on it,” Inigo said proudly. Morgan held his hands out and took the parcel from Brady, rushing over to the nearest table to set it down. He tore off the paper as the crowd of Shepherds circled around him. As he ripped off the final scrap of paper, Morgan ran his hands over the leather cover, looking up in confusion.“A book?” He said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. Morgan had a lot of books…. Many he had “borrowed” from his mother or the castle library. Everyone was always getting him books...Maribelle caught the sad tone Morgan had tried to mask and slapped her hand down on the table, bringing him back out of his mind. “Look inside, Morgan dear. This isn’t an ordinary book.” Cautiously, Morgan examined the cover. There were precious gems stuck to the front, and in a curly script it read: Memories for Morgan. Sure that they got him a diary, Morgan groaned internally and opened the book.
Dear Morgan,
You came to join us a little later, and without any of your memories. It’s not fair that we get to remember everyone and everything and where we came from and you don’t. This is a book all about everyone you know and love, so you can get your memories back (without smashing your head into a wall…)
Love,
A tear rolled down Morgan’s face and onto the paper where everyone had signed their names. He flipped through the pages, and sure enough, there was an entry for every Shepherd, every child, and every animal companion he had lost his memories of complete with drawings done by Cherche and Cordelia. Each page had their birthday, their favorite foods, things that they were afraid of, and other little details that Morgan would learn as he tried to retrieve his memories. “Guys…” Robin came up behind her son and gave him a hug.“Don’t say anything, Morgan, because you’re going to get me crying,” she said, wiping her eyes and beaming at everyone. “Thank you all. Now let’s have some fun!”Chrom remained seated at the table Morgan was at as everyone broke off to get food or listen to the musicians in the corner. “Lord Chrom, thank you,” Morgan said. “This is such a great birthday. If I could remember the other ones, I’m sure they wouldn’t even compare.” Chrom smiled at the boy.“So your birthday was one of the only things you remembered? And your mother?” Morgan nodded and Chrom furrowed his brow, counting something on his fingers. His eyes widened and he chuckled. Confused, Morgan started to ask Chrom what he was laughing about, but His Lordship tousled Morgan’s hair and said “All in due time, my boy,” before walking over to his wife and daughters.What a weirdo… Morgan thought as he held his book close to his chest while walking over to where the castle cooks had set up a buffet for the Shepherds. It was nice to see everyone finally together and spending time with each other. The occasional battles that would crop up sent Shepherds separate ways – the children insisted they fight with their parents and one or two families often would disappear for days until the battle ended. There hadn’t been a calm moment in a few months and Morgan was just happy that they could all relax for one day.He was lost in thought for so long that Morgan didn’t realize Tharja hovering around him. “Pay attention before I hex you,” she hissed and Morgan jumped.“Sorry Tharja… What were you saying?”The dark mage scoffed at him. “I asked – are you absolutely sure that today is the day of your birth in whatever timeline you came from?”Morgan nodded slowly. Tharja counted something on her fingers and mumbled “So I’ll have to stop experimenting on Robin around then…” before slinking away. Morgan grunted as she left and stomped his foot. It couldn’t be a coincidence that both she and Chrom had counted things after asking him about his birthday. Frustrated, Morgan went to go spend some time with friends his own age.Shortly after the party ended, Morgan bumped into Gaius on his way out. Robin and Frederick had left earlier to get some chores done, but everyone had insisted Morgan stay longer. The two of them walked quietly toward the palace gates and Morgan piped up. “Hey, uncle Gaius?” The ginger thief pushed the lollipop to a corner of his mouth before “hmm”ing at the boy. “Why’s everyone always asking about my birthday?”“What do you mean, kid?”Morgan sighed. “Well, all day, everyone’s been asking if I’m sure this is my birthday and then counting things on their hands. But they won’t explain it to me!” Gaius chortled and began to count on his fingers as well. “UNCLE GAIUS! Not you too!” Morgan moaned. He smacked the thief with the enormous book and Gaius held his hands up in defense.“Don’t worry, kid. Just think – how long does it take to cook a baby?”“Nine months?”“Yeah, so count back nine months from now.”Morgan paused to do the calculation in his head. “August?” Gaius nodded. “What’s August?”“Gods, Morgan, don’t you anything about where babies come from? It’s not like Naga herself just dropped you into Bubbles’ lap. Your birthday present might give you a clue.” Gaius caught up with Brady and Maribelle in the town and left the young tactician standing by himself at a fork in the road. Morgan flushed a bright red as he came to a realization, dropping to the ground and flipping furiously through the pages in his book. His ears burned as he came upon Frederick’s entry.
Birthday: August 26
Morgan ran down the road to his home and kicked open the front door.“BIRTHDAY SEX?????” Morgan shouted, out of breath and unable to make eye contact with his parents. “I WAS BIRTHDAY SEX?”Robin covered her mouth with her hands, unable to suppress her giggles as Frederick looked in disbelief from her to his son.“I guess your birthday surprise was ruined, darling,” she told Frederick, as Morgan groaned loudly and disappeared into the darkness of his bedroom.