"… Hurry, my child…" She had no time to put on the cloak she had in hand. She ignored the rain pouring down on her. Led only by intuition and will, she soared through the sky at breakneck speed. In her sights was the Sama port town of Port-Lune.
"… My love…" Clenching his hood closed and keeping his head low, the man followed a crowd that was boarding a ship en route to who knows where. "… What are you doing…" His movements slowed as the ship loomed before him, but he kept on moving. To him, it was for the best…
Another voice called out to him, a voice he knew all too well. A voice that compelled him to stop. He wondered how she had found him. In the corner of his eye was the sea.
She had already put on the hooded cloak she had in hand before entering the town. She pushed her way through the crowd in order to see him. Catching her breath, she looked into the hood of the man.
The man felt a sharp pain in his heart as he looked through her hood. The young lady before him had everything she had. She had her smooth face. Her soft lips. Her beautiful ears. Her pools of sapphire eyes.
… Even the tears she shed were just like hers…
The two soon found themselves in an embrace. Holding him tightly, the young lady buried her face in his chest, just as she would always do back when she was still a child. All he could hear was the sound of her tears.
He held her close, comforting her with his hand. Back then, he would always reassure her that everything will be alright because he will always be there for her. This time, he could not find the right words to say.
She spoke in between tears. "… Take me with you…"
"If I take you with me, then they'll curse your name-"
"… In the same breath as yours. It's ok, I understand." In truth, she already knew what his answer would be.
He had noble intentions, but he took it to the extremes. He would now have to pay the price for his means to an end. As he had wrote in his letter, he never wanted to drag her into his mess. He knew she had lived a tough life growing up. Being outcast by the people around her for the way she was, she was always left alone. But now, she had people she could call her friends, and he did not want to take that life away from her.
Still, she held on to him tightly. He had been with her since the day she was born. He was her only real family. Yet, she also knew that he could no longer stay in the kingdom. It would only be a matter of time unti-
"The Royal Guard! They're coming! Run!"
The stomping of the marching soldiers could be heard from beyond the crowd. He pulled her close and quickly whispered to her, telling her to go search for her mother. The key was in his letter. After giving her one last kiss, he told her to go hide, lest the Royal Guard decide to apprehend her as well.
The crowd quickly dispersed as the Sama Royal Guard marched toward the boarding dock. The leader of the squadron approached the hooded man. The hooded man didn't turn to face him, but he could feel the victorious sneer on his face. To him, not even the rain could put a damper on this day.
"General, by the order of the Royal Council, you will need to come with us."
The hooded man, the general, didn't budge.
The leader of the guard moved closer to him. He leaned in to whisper to him, "How does it feel to see all your plans fall apart?"
As the ship made its last call for boarding, the hooded man grunted. "Mark my word. Someday, your deeds will come to light."
"Sigh… Do you continue to resist? Oh well… At least there's your daughter."
For a split second, the hooded man stiffened.
"I know your daughter was involved in your escape. If you continue to resist, I will have no choice but to have that little monster pay for your crimes instead."
From within his cloak, he clenched his fists.
"Still, for a monster, she's actually quite beautiful. Such a waste. Maybe I should just take her in as my own. Give her a roof over her head. Three square meals a day. And at the end of every day, she'd thank me for my kindness with her soft, supple-"
In one swift motion, he took the jagged sword concealed within his cloak and attempted to cut down his target right where he stood. The leader of the guard leaped away just in time, but the fugitive had already begun his assault before the leader could recover.
Typhoon Rising. The user charges at a group of enemies back and forth at high speed, cutting down enemies with every dash. The move ends with the user leaping to the air, followed by a downward stab to the ground. It was the general's signature move, and the Royal Guard was experiencing it first-hand.
Concealed behind a few stacks of crates, she lifted her hand.
Blades of water formed all around him as he leaped into the air for his finishing strike.
She swiped her hand down.
The floating blades of water fell from the air as his sword struck the ground. The combined attack knocked out most of the squadron.
The sound of the ship's loud horn emanated throughout the port as the ship began to disembark. With no more time to waste, he climbed up the cargo crates, leaping from stack to stack as he went.
The remaining soldiers began their pursuit, but with a wave of her hand, a long puddle of water appeared before them. The soldiers slipped and were sent sliding off the pier into the sea below.
At the end of the line, he pulled out a lasso and roped the deck's railing. He leaped for one swing of faith.
His daughter came out from hiding, just in time to see her father land on the ship's deck. The father looked back to the dock, seeing his daughter run to the end of the port. Taking one last look at her, he saw the tears she had in her eyes… They were just like the tears she shed on that fateful day. As the ship sailed further and further away from the port…
… He could feel her eyes pierce his heart as he sailed away…
… With her legs growing weak, she fell to her knees…
… She broke down… Tears poured out like the rain…
… Cradled in his arms cried a little baby, seeking for the touch of her mother…
… He held her close, foreheads touching…
… He was weak…
.. Despite how hard he fought, he could not stop this from happening…
… He could not comfort his child…
… All he could do back then was to cry over his own failure…
He resolved to make things right. He vowed to see them both again, and he would never leave their again.
He will bring their smiles back again.
The ship disappeared into the distance. Wiping away her tears, she gazed at the open sea with determined eyes.
She will find her mother. She will learn the truth of who she is.
Breaking away from her meditation, she opened her eyes and gazed at the open sea. Her hands still rested on her bosom in prayer. Though barred from showing her daughter the way to her domain, she would not let anyone stop her from watching over her.
Despite the great distance, she will protect the ones dearest to her.
They will not allow anyone to stand in their way. No human, god, demon, or otherworldly being will stop them from becoming a whole family again.
A/N:
Back then, I wrote this because I saw someone draw Lucina and give her different expressions. I initially wanted to make a series about it, but I never got around to do it.
I have to admit, though. Lucina is my current artistic muse.
Just for reference:
1) In Lucina's 5-star lore, it was said that her father had started a civil war in the Sama Kingdom to purge the navy of corrupt officials. Selena and Lucina went in and saved him from a certain fate in the war. If they hadn't, then maybe would have ended up being lynched by those corrupt officials. We could say that the leader of the Royal Guard was one of those corrupt officials.
Still, what her father did was a crime, and thus why he had to leave the kingdom.
2) In one of Lucina's 7-star quotes, she states that her mother had always watched over her and protected her...
This story takes place after the civil war. Like in Lucina's lore, her father left her a letter before he disappeared. Only this time, what if Lucina was able to catch up to her father before he left the kingdom? Was she led to Port-Lune by pure intuition alone, or was she guided there by the spirit of her ever-watchful mother?