A/N:

Please, do not read this if you find yourself easily disturbed by graphic content. This story is not for the faint of heart. I have done research on many of the torture devices featured here, and one can imagine that it's not pretty.

Anyway, aside from that little warning up there, if you decide to continue on with this, I hope you enjoy? Eh. I have a sick mind. I worked on this in November, then put it down for a few months, and I've finally decided to finish it. Um... yeah. Word Count (4,084)

Fate would be challenged this day. Lucina's father and husband fought on the other side of that magical barrier that Validar erected, separating the Shepherds from their commander and tactician. Despite being separated from their leaders, the Shepherds were still effectively holding off their Grimleal assailants by falling into their usual pairings.

Close by Lucina, stood a blue-haired, aspiring tactician from an alternate future. This girl was her own future daughter, Morgan. Lucina often doubted this girl could be hers, that is, until she saw the Brand on her right hand, along with a skill with the blade that the girl obviously didn't pick up from her father.

Lucina allowed herself go be distracted for a brief moment, glancing through the barrier to see how Robin was faring. "Mother, look out!" She heard, only to turn to see a Grimleal Hero, clutching at a silver sword protruding from his chest. The man fell forward, the young tactician stepping toward Lucina with a look of concern stretched across her face. "Mother." She started. "You told me, before coming here, not to worry about Father. You said that he and Grandpa could take care of this just fine on their own. Have a little more faith in them, please."

Lucina's grip on her Falchion tightened. Morgan was right, but she couldn't just admit that. "Morgan, you know how much depends on this fight right now. The future is dependent on those two. I… can't allow history to repeat itself."

"I know, Mother… but, we just have to trust them. We have our own fight right now." She said, raising an eyebrow while her gaze fell on her mother.

Lucina nodded, readying herself for the next wave of Grimleal, who would inevitably come. Something new caught everyone's attention though. The magical barrier, which was in place, had dissipated. By the dark altar, stood the Shepherd's tactician over the broken body of Ylisse's king, Chrom. "Father?" Lucina just barely whispered out. She managed to take a few steps forward, eyes still fixed on the blue haired man on the ground. "Father?" The future princess set off, sprinting towards the two by the altar. "Father! No!" She shouted out above all the chaos of this evil place.

No, no, no! We were supposed to change this. We were supposed to change all of this! The thoughts kept swirling around her head as she ran toward the dark altar, ignoring the tactician who seemed to be readying another spell. Lucina felt herself being thrown back as a bolt of Thoron pierced her chest, just barely seeming to miss her heart. Lucina fell to the ground, feeling the effects of the spell leave her body. No… I… failed. I failed... Lucina's vision faded as she fell into unconsciousness.

Who was I to challenge fate?

The light of hope for a dying people,

One who crossed the bounds of time.

One who can see the future,

Maybe change history itself.

The river of time always favors its original course.

Light shall fade,

Darkness shall rise once more.

The first thing Lucina's body registered as she came back into consciousness, were the moans that echoed through the halls of wherever she found herself now. Her fingers twitched, and she realized her body was pressed against a cold, hard, stone floor. Her eyes slowly opened. Things seemed to come in quite fuzzy at first, but as her vision cleared, she noticed the grey, stone walls, and the rusted bars that separated her from the rest of the world. Water leaked into her cell, dripping at a steady pace. Lucina picked herself up from the ground. She shivered at the draft in the hall, she tried to cover up, but the air and her metal bonds only bit into her bare skin.

Lucina let her eyes blink a few times, hoping to possibly pick up more. Only barely could she see much outside of her cell. Lucina tried to stand up, only to fall to her knees as a sharp pain in her chest intensified. Lucina's hand shifted up, coming to a stop above a deep burn above her right breast, where she had been struck by the Thoron spell earlier. Dammit. How could I have let this happen? She thought, sitting down on the cold stone. And where the hells am I?

After a few moments, Lucina could hear what sounded like footsteps echoing down the hall. Her head picked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever seemed to be approaching. The Grimleal nearly walked past Lucina's cell, but backed up to take a proper look. The man who stared at Lucina had ghostly skin, which made his pale eyes and dark, greasy hair, stand out all the more. He wore a simple leather vest, as well as some grey trousers, and simple leather boots. His body seemed quite disproportionate to the princess, as it seemed his upper body was well more developed than his lower body. "Heh. I see you're awake." He said. Lucina gave no response to the man. "Master Grima was waiting for you. I suppose he'll want to know his special little guest is awake. You just wait right there. Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough." He said, with one last look at her.

Of course he would tell her to stay put. It wasn't like she would be able to leave or go anywhere. She sat there in defeat. Grima… The man that rightfully owned that body was her husband. Now the fell dragon was defiling it with his presence. How dare he. Speaking of whom, here came the devil, himself.

The body that once belonged to Lucina's beloved Robin, came to a stop in front of her cell. Following closely behind, was the man who Lucina had seen earlier. "So you were right, Callus." Grima commented. "You did the right thing by telling me. Maybe I should reward you for your service to the Grimleal."

"Of course, Master." The man responded.

Grima stepped toward the cell's door, allowing this "Callus" person to unlock it for him. He walked over toward Lucina, kneeling down and tilting her head up to look at him. "Good evening, Princess." The fell one greeted. "I've been waiting quite some time for you to come back now. You've caused me a lot of trouble by coming back to this time. Now, I can get that sweet vengeance I've always wanted. On you, and those at the Table…"

Lucina closed her eyes, not wanting to think about those involved in that dreaded battle. Oh gods. No. I failed everyone. Tears started forming, and trailed down Lucina's face as she brought her gaze back to Grima.

"Hehe. Don't worry, Princess. I'll give you all the comfort you deserve tonight." The fell one said, wiping a few tears from her face. Grima stood back up, turning to his loyal servant. "Unbind her and follow me. Make sure she doesn't escape." The fell one looked back to the princess with his ruby eyes. "Though, I rather doubt she would try."

Lucina's gaze drifted back to the ground. "W-Where are you taking me?" She asked, not really sure if she wanted to know. She received no response from the two, the Grimleal focused on unbinding her, first and foremost. What is Grima going to do? "Ah!" Lucina felt her hair being pulled by Grima's servant, to force her off the ground. She stumbled to her feet, waiting for the man to let her go. He eventually did, but she gave no resistance as he quickly moved to hold her arms behind her back. All Lucina could bring herself to do, was stare at the smirking face that once belonged to her Robin. The fell one turned to leave, Lucina being prodded from behind to follow.

Grima led the two through passageways that just barely received enough light to be navigable without incident. "Where are we headed?" Lucina asked once more. This comment from the princess, earned her a tug back from the man that was holding her.

"Oh, let the poor girl speak, Callus." Grima commented, nearly stopping in his tracks. "She won't be able to do much when I have my way with her soon enough." He looked back toward Lucina for a moment. "Heh. Oh, it's a very special place, my dear Lucina. You may even see a few of your comrades from the last assault before we get there." He added, a hint of delight in his tone.

"The others are here too?" She barely let out.

"Oh yes." Grima stated. "Everyone who was at the Table is here." The fell one slowed for a bit, putting a hand up to his forehead. "Ah, but forgive me for not mentioning this earlier. You don't even know where we are." Lucina was pretty sure she didn't even want to know. "This was, at one point, one of Plegia's most prolific prisons. Of course, it sat all but abandoned, until your grandfather's war. Luckily, was I to learn of this wonderful place. Lucky indeed."

As the group moved through the halls, a foul stench lingered in the air, only growing as they continued on. Lucina's heart seemed to stop as they neared a new room. Small amounts of light seeped out into the passageway they traveled. Though, it didn't seem to be very much. She saw Grima turn into the room. How the princess wished not to learn what lay inside.

Lucina froze as she was led into the large chamber. She had heard of the Grimleal using quite savage torture techniques, but never did she wish to witness the archaic devices firsthand. Her body started shaking even further. What is he going to do to me?

Lucina still couldn't stop her eyes from scanning over the room. The first horrific device her eyes settled upon seemed to be some small pyramid, set atop four wooden legs. A Loptyr's chair, if she wasn't mistaken. Dark liquid crusted over the device, cables suspended above it. Lucina could already imagine how this device was used, and it made her sick. Her gaze next settle on a device she was absolutely sure of. The rack. The thought of her limbs being torn from their sockets entered her mind as she noticed a collection of a few right next to the contraption. What's worse, was the row of spikes that lined the back of the device. Rusted stains left quite visible streaks down the device. She would rather not imagine which of her comrades had to suffer through such an ordeal.

Lucina's eyes soon settled over several smaller devices that she couldn't quite identify all of. No doubt, even the small devices could become quite excruciating. "So, what do you think of my collection?" Grima asked. "Well, technically these were of Validar's collection, but now… Heh. You could say these pieces are getting much more work in than they've seen in the longest time." He stepped in front of Lucina, making sure that he would be the center of her focus. "Of course, your comrades at the Table have been the first to suffer.

Grima directed Lucina's attention to a sight much worse than the devices alone. It was a woman, suspended by a rope which bound her wrists, hanging from the ceiling. Her jaw was only barely hanging onto the rest of her face. The familiar red liquid had trailed its way from her face down the front of the woman's bare body and the many scattered burns which now patched across her skin. It took a while for Lucina to recognize this woman. Even though her hair had been crudely chopped away and she hung there as a victim of such cruel abuse, there was no doubt to the princess who this was. "Severa?"

"Ah, yes." Grima commented. "That shrew couldn't be tamed, but at least we found a way to silence that mouth of hers."

As much as Lucina wanted to turn away, she still found herself locked on her suffering friend. "Why?" She cried out, no longer able to keep her thoughts contained.

"Why?" Grima repeated, mockingly. "Because you Shepherds have been a thorn in the side of the Grimleal for far too long! You especially, Princess," he spat. "Your friends have suffered a great deal, this week. Of course, not all of them have received…" He looked to where Severa hung. "Well, we'll just call it our special treatment."

Lucina fought back against the wave of tears that were welling up in her eyes. How many of my friends had to suffer through this? "No." She choked out.

Grima smirked at her reaction. "And how does it make you feel that you are the cause of all this?"

Lucina's expression fell even further. "I'm… oh gods…" All that Ylisse's princess could do was stare at the ground as the smug look stayed on Grima's face.

After what seemed like an eternity for Lucina, Grima seemed to have already grown bored of letting the princess wallow in her own despair. "Callus," The fell one called. "Take our little prisoner here and follow me." As Lucina was pulled up to her feet, Grima made one more remark to her. "Oh, don't forget, I have extra special plans for you, my dear Lucina."

They left the torture chamber and headed back through the labyrinth of halls that made up the ancient prison.

"Oh, I think you'll like this surprise, Princess." Grima started as they continued on to wherever he was headed. Lucina still kept her gaze fixed on the fell one's back. "I mean, you are headed to a chamber meant just for you." He continued. "What an honor. Even our little Morgan didn't receive this kind of special treatment."

Lucina's eyes widened at his statement. "How could you?!" She cried out. "Isn't it enough that you have the other Shepherds, but your own daughter?"

Grima let out an amused laugh, still looking back towards Lucina. "As much as I would have loved to save this for later, remember that Robin's girl was of exalted blood. Well, we can't allow that here. Can we, Princess?"

Lucina's feet stopped moving, causing her guard to force her forward. "No, no, no!" She cried out, tears cascading down her face at this point.

"My, my. I haven't even done anything to you yet, and already so much crying." He teased, turning to face her. "Callus," he directed toward his servant. "Please."

"Of course, Master." The man said with a grin spreading across his face. He picked up the sobbing princess and slung her over his shoulder before he continued following his master to their destination.

The defeated princess had been carried to a small chamber. Grima had mentioned that this treatment was reserved just for her. There wasn't much in the room at all, which brought questions to her room that she didn't even want to know the answers to. Lucina was set down on a platform, letting out a gasp at the sudden cold she felt from the surface beneath her. The guard pulled her arms up and behind her head, binding them with leather straps. He moved down to pull a strap across her chest as well. As a last step, he spread Lucina's legs, continuing on to bind those to the surface as well.

Lucina closed her eyes for what was to come, but nothing did. She opened her eyes to see Grima, standing to her right and looking down at her. "Comfortable?" He asked. "You sure look like you are." He added. "But, ah, maybe some water will make you feel even better. After all, you have been out for the past few days." He turned back to face his servant. "Callus, would you mind bringing back some water for our dear princess here? Oh, and don't forget the equipment." He turned back to Ylisse's princess after the man had left, looking her in the eyes. "After all, you need your strength up. Can't have you passing out too early, can we? It just takes all the fun out of everything." His dark laughter came out as he gazed down into his terrified victim's eyes.

Grima let his gaze fall over the rest of Lucina's body. "It really is quite a shame," he stated. "Robin did seem to have quite an eye. Too bad it was for one of exalted blood."

"Stop." Lucina cried out. "Just… stop saying his name!"

Grima let out another dark laugh, something that would easily leave a chill down the spine of anyone who found themselves unlucky enough to hear. "Aw, but he doesn't matter anymore." He then jabbed a finger down at the wound Lucina had received from Thoron, the princess letting out a shrill cry at the pain which pierced through her system. "Does he?" He asked, twisting his finger so that his nail could cut down into the wound, drawing blood.

Grima continued to dig his nails into the wound, further opening it. All Lucina could do was let out small cries as she tried the best she could to hold back. Not wanting Grima to get the satisfaction he desired. "Why hold back?" Grima taunted as blood spread from Lucina's wound. "Oh, I know… You're saving your precious voice for the main event. Isn't that-"

"Master Grima." Callus called out upon his return.

The face of the Grima-possessed Robin contorted as he let out a sigh from irritation. "What?"

"Um…" The guard held out the items he was sent to retrieve. A waterskin in one hand, and several metal tools on a tray. He set the tray down by his master, before moving on to give Lucina what would probably be her last taste of clean water.

Grima stood with his arms crossed as he watched his servant carry on with taking care of his new toy. "Alright, that's enough!" Grima snapped after what seemed like far too long for him. "We don't want to spoil our little princess." He remarked with a sneer directed toward the poor woman in front of him.

Grima turned his attention to the devices which lay before him. Of everything there, his eyes settled on a most fitting instrument. He picked up the device, inspecting it before showing the instrument to his special toy. The device caught the light of torches nearby, showing the intricate designs which laced it. A sliver bulb of four distinct "leaves" which seemed to be attached to one end. A key of sorts, which seemed to operate the device stood on that end. The leaves met on the other end, tapering off before the tips diverged, seeming to be meant to tear at something.

Lucina's breathing increased. She seemed utterly terrified now, her chest rising and falling at an ever increasing pace. "Aw, Dear." Grima teased upon her reaction. "Afraid of the pear, are we?" His eyes stayed locked with Lucina's as he moved down her body, his fingers lightly trailing along. "I must say, those fears are very well-founded."

"Please, don't." She begged with tears streaking her face.

"Don't what?" Grima asked, moving the device into position by her entrance.

"Don't…" She barely let out.

"D-D-Don't!" Grima teased, moving on to force the device into the orifice. Lucina's eyes shut as the pear was inserted. "How does it feel, dear? Better than Robin?" Grima teased, marveling at the reaction of the princess. "Don't worry, the best is still yet to come." He commented, seeming quite delighted. This Ylissean princess had been a thorn in the fell dragon's side for far too long. Why not entertain himself as he destroyed her? A nice, painful death for the exalted child.

"Now, I wonder what this key does…" Grima turned the key on the device, causing it to open. Lucina's eyes tightened further as she fought the urge to give in to the pain she felt. "Oh, that's right." Grima commented, the smirk on his face growing. "Hmm… how long can our dear princess last?" He turned the key once again, opening the device further. Grima continued on with this cycle, turning the key, widening the device, eventually overcoming the princess' will to hold back her reactions to this pain. Her screams echoing through the chamber as this continued.

It was too beautiful for Grima to witness. As he extended the device to full diameter, he could see how the device distended the lower portion of Lucina's body. He could only imaging what havoc it was wreaking internally. Though, blood had already started flowing from the woman due to this device. It was a magnificent sight for the fell one, however, it still wasn't enough for him. The girl still held onto consciousness. Grima could only wait so long for the woman's death, and he wasn't willing for infection to take her. He wanted to see her suffering more at this point; he wanted her death now.

"Callus!" Grima called out to his servant. "Fetch those filthy creatures for me. I grow tired of this and want it over with." He commented, expressing his boredom. Turning his attention back to the princess, the fell one proceeded to return the device back to its normal width, removing the bloody device and setting it back onto the tray as before.

He looked up to Lucina's face. She was incredibly pale, her body coated in sweat due to the ordeal, and trails from the girl's tears streaked her face. "Don't worry, Lucina." He commented, drawing the princess to open her eyes to watch him. He took note of how her breaths had become incredibly heavy. How it would only make things worse for the girl. "You won't have to suffer that much longer. Trust me."

"Master Grima." His servant called out.

Grima turned his attention back to the guard. The man held a box in his hands, a black covering over it. The cover held its contents from sight, but one could most certainly hear what it held. There were many squeaks as well as scratching at the covering. Grima's dark grin spread. "Ah, Callus, thank you ever so much for your help this evening. Would you mind showing our guest what we have here?"

The guard let out a nod, approaching Lucina before he took the covering off. Lucina tried squirming away from the cage, letting out more gasps of pain at her attempts to escape, seeming to have cause even greater internal damage to herself.

"What's wrong, Princess?" Grima taunted. "Don't like rats? I believe you'll become closer to them than ever." He laughed as his servant placed the cage upon Lucina's stomach, strapping it to her. He made sure the rats had an open end, of course, that was over the princess herself. Grima summoned flame in his hand, holding it before himself, glancing back to Lucina's terrified face. "Now, let's see how close you all can become." Grima held his hand above his cage, using his power to suspend the flame above after he withdrew.

The rodents went into a panic, trying to find a way to escape the flames. Now this was entertainment to the fell one. They tried gnawing and scratching at the other ends of the trap they were in, being met with no success. They did have one exit though, and figured that out soon enough. The rats gnawed and dug at Lucina's stomach, the poor girl letting out dreadful cries as she suffered.

Grima was elated with the sight. Lucina often expressed her dislike of rodents with that Robin enough times. Why not take advantage of that? Whether it was her screams, or the sight of exposed flesh, Grima couldn't stop his wicked grin from spreading. It was a sight to behold. Those filthy rodents were just so desperate to escape the flame above them, and poor Lucina was only getting in their way.

It didn't take long for Lucina's cries to cease, for her to stop moving altogether. The rats had gnawed their way through her viscera; Grima just let them have their way with her. After all, it wasn't every day the fell dragon could see his greatest annoyance eaten right before his eyes.

"Master?" Grima's servant called out, after having removed the device which held the creatures.

"Mm…" Grima barely acknowledged. "Put her on display." He stated. "Let the rebels know what they'll receive should they try and put up a resistance. Besides, what better example than their own princess?"

A/N:

There could have been more. I was tempted. Anyway, Judas Cradle (Chair), The Rack, Pear of Anguish, Rat Torture. Lovely! :D

I'm not signing off in my usual way. Not after you've read this one. Anyway, poor Lucina. When did I even decide I was gonna keep killing her in most of my fics? Wut?

Anyway, this is your lovely Squish, signing off! :D