"Elincia."

The green-haired queen whipped her head around from staring out the windows of Castle Crimea, which were situated among the front of her throne room. "Lucia! What brings you here?"

"My feet," she joked, walking to stand by her milk sister and long-time friend. "Nah, I got some time away from the Royal Knights, and I haven't seen you in…" She counted off the numbers in her head. "Three days."

"What a record." Elincia patted her lady's hand softly, and then rubbed it. Lucia winced at her superior's touch.

"Ow," she moaned.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Elincia jerked her hand away quickly. "I didn't mean-"

"It's nothing." Lucia shifted her body slightly so she was turned away from Elincia, facing the immense castle hallway with the queen's chamber at the end. "Don't worry about me, Your Highness."

Elincia placed a comforting hand on Lucia's shoulder. Something was definitely off about her. "Lucia, what's the matter?"

"Do you ever get the feeling that there is a little space in your chest that fills up when you're with someone you care about, and then drains when that person is gone?"

Elincia's eyes widened. She could see no possible answer to Lucia's question, so she simply said, "Um… no."

"Humph." Lucia turned her back to Elincia, brushing unshed tears from her eyes. "Well, I do. It's you, Elincia. You're the one who has always been there for me and I am grateful for that. But…." Lucia grabbed her fists into tight balls. "I'm… not… there for you, milady."

"You're not seriously thinking that's true, are you? You and the Royal Knights are my closest companions aside from Ike and Uncle Renning."

"But have I ever saved your life?" Lucia turned around and grabbed Elincia's hands. "No. Not once. You may have sacrificed me for Crimea, but it was your mercenaries that kept me form dying. I've haven't repaid you yet for that."

Elincia sighed. "Lucia. Hasn't anyone ever told you? We're sisters. I don't expect a reimbursement."

The blue-haired trueblade shrugged. "However… do you ever miss me? When I'm training all the time with the knights?"

"Every day. Even so, most of the time I'm busy so I don't have time to think about other things."

"I do." Lucia let her tears fall. "I miss you, Elincia. So much. I never thought I'd have to say that I feel safer around you than anyone else, and when you're not around, it's like a thick cloud has been floating in front of my face. I swore I would protect you until the day you died, and I'm not about to let that promise go… not ever…. I swear to the goddess, I'll…" Lucia choked on a sob and flew into Elincia's open arms, bawling on her knees. She wasn't ready to let go of the ruler she'd always had as an older sister. She'd probably never be ready. "I don't want to…" she moaned.

"Luci…" Elincia rubbed her close sibling's back as she wetted up her queenly dress. She'd never known that Lucia felt that way. Outspoken Lucia, keeping something as simple as her feelings toward her? It was hard to believe, but Elincia knew she'd been bottling up emotions from when she became queen until now. "Don't worry, I'm here."

They stayed like that for several more minutes, Lucia's face buried in the queen's dress and Elincia's arms around her. After a while, Lucia had stopped crying, and Elincia let her go. Lucia stood next to Elincia in front of the window, and she grasped her hand in her sister's. At that moment, everything was perfect for the both of them. And as the sunset slid behind Crimea's rolling hills, only one thought could go through each noble's mind:

I love you, my sister. And we'll be together. Forever.