Prompt - Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn, Lucia/Elincia: devotion - let us hold to each other to the end of our days.
She's covered in bruises and the rope has left a telltale imprint around her neck. Her hands and cheek are scarred from her efforts to fight every step of the way. Her hair is chopped short. But she is still Lucia, and she still breathes.
Elincia knows how badly it could have ended, and every now and then she regrets the choice she almost let Lord Ludveck bully her into making. She knows if it weren't for Bastian's clever handiwork, Lucia would be dead and she would have spent the rest of her days regretting.
"Please don't look at them that way," Lucia says gently, taking Elincia's hands in her own and kissing them. "I regret nothing. I would die a thousand deaths and more for you, my lady, rather than live and allow that man to walk free."
"I know." That's what scares her; during the Mad King's War she'd feared Lucia dead and this time she'd come so close to losing her. But she's here now, Elincia reminds herself. She doesn't realize she's crying until Lucia's hand comes up to brush away her tears. "Ah, I'm sorry-"
"Don't cry, my lady. You've been through an ordeal, but it's over now." She draws Elincia into an embrace, stroking her hair, and Elincia allows herself the emotions she'd been holding back since first seeing that rope around Lucia's neck. Lucia's breath is warm against her cheek and her heartbeat is strong, her hands are strong and soothing against her back.
"Thank you," she's finally able to whisper, "thank you for living. For being here..."
"I promise, my lady, we shall never go through anything as terrible as this ever again," Lucia says, and Elincia shakes her head.
"No one can promise that." She looks up, smiling. "As much as I long for such a thing to be possible, we both know it can never be. Three years ago, we thought Crimea had finally seen true peace." Lucia gives her a bittersweet smile.
"Point taken," she sighs. "Well, then. If I cannot promise you a life of no hardship, I can at least promise to never leave your side for as long as we both shall live." Elincia pulls back to stroke one scarred cheek. Never again will she look at them as signs of failure, but as signs of Lucia's devotion. A sign of their good fortune.
"Then let us hold to each other until the end of our days."
They embrace once more, Lucia's body warm and familiar against hers, and for the first time in months Elincia feels safe.