"You!" Lucina shouted, her eyes at the hooded figure standing across from her. Fear gripped her heart as she stared at the monster that had taken her parents from her, the monster that had betrayed them and everyone else. Her hands began to shake, her sword trembling in her grasp. Her gaze then fell on where Tiki lay at the figure's feet, her face twisted with pain as she clutched at her wounded side. Lucina's grip on Falchion's hilt tightened, fear giving way to an unbridled fury that surged through her. "Damn you, you'll pay for harming Lady Tiki!"

With a shout, Lucina charged the hooded man, crossing the distance between them in only a few steps. Lunging she slashed at him, Falchion gleaming with a pale blue light as it fell towards the man's shoulder.

The hooded figure's form seemed to shimmer the instant before her blade connected, shadows rushing up around him like a shroud. Lucina gasped in surprise, Falchion passing harmlessly through him as though there was nothing before her but thin air.

The man's form began to dissolve like a puff of smoke. The last thing she saw was white teeth flashing from within his hood, twisting into a cruel smile that sent chills to her very bones. Then he faded into nothingness, echoes of cold laughter filling the air until they too died away.

"Dammit, no! He vanished!" Lucina cursed, whirling around as she searched for her foe.

"Lucina…" a pained voice called out, so weak Lucina almost didn't hear it.

"Lady Tiki!" Lucina cried, rushing to the manakete's side. Dropping to her knees, Lucina put an arm under Tiki's shoulder, supporting her weight as she helped her into a sitting position."Stay still...I'll go find a cleric. Just promise me you'll hold on...

Tiki's eyes slowly blinked open, a groan of pain falling from her lips. The manakete's gaze seemed as though it was from far off, as if only part of her was there. "It's all right, Lucina. I'm...finished... even if you had healing to spare… help would not reach me in time… You… know that…"

"Don't talk like that, we can still get help, we can still…" Her words were lost in a choked sob. Blinking back tears, Lucina shook her head, refusing to accept Tiki's words as true. "Dammit, why did you have to do that? The attack was meant for me…"

"I would gladly… give my life… for yours… You're more import... than I am…" Tiki trailed off, groaning in pain once again, then smiled up at Lucina weakly. "Heh... So this is what it's like. I've watched all my friends leave me one by one... But now it is my turn to follow them from this world into the next…"

"Stop it... Stop it, stop it, STOP IT! You can't die, Lady Tiki. Not you! I've already lost Mother and Father… I've lost so many..." Tears ran in rivers down Lucina's cheeks now, splashing against the stone floor beneath them. "Please don't go. Please don't leave me…"

"You won't be alone, Lucina. You still have your friends… people who care about you… remember that," Tiki said, smiling softly. The weakly lifted a hand to Lucina's face, brushing away a tear from her cheek. "Once they return with the Gemstones and the Fire Emblem...perform the Awakening...and bring light to this darkened world..."

"How can I promise that? They might never return! I may never see any of them again! Their promises to return are empty… just like my father's turned out to be…" Lucina replied, a darkness seeming to fall over them as she spoke. Please, how can I have hope? What hope is left in this blighted world?

"You must have faith, Lucina... They deserve that much... I can see them now...fighting...to bring the Gemstones here... I believe...mankind...has hope…" Tiki said, her voice growing weaker now. The manakete's hand began to tremble, falling weakly from Lucina's face. Her eyes seemed to glaze over, as if she long longer could see her. The rise and fall of her chest seemed to flow, her breathing coming in faint wisps of movement now.

"Lady Tiki?" Lucina said, reaching out with both arms to support dying woman's weight. "Lady Tiki, stay with me, hold on. Just hold on."

Tiki's eyelids fluttered as she turned her head to look up at Lucina, the pain in her expression now replaced with one of peaceful serenity. When she spoke then, her voice was barely more than a whisper, Lucina having to struggle to make out her words. "You must… fight destiny… and… the future... Bring us… the true peace… that… the Hero… King… strove… for…" The corner's of Tiki's lips pulled back into a soft smile. Then, with a sigh, the voice of Naga closed her eyes and fell still.

"Lady Tiki? Oh, gods, no!" Lucina cried, shaking Tiki's shoulders for her to stir. Her heart froze in her chest, the entire world seeming to stop. No, no, no, no. Not like this, not another one. Her movements became more desperate now, sobs wracking her body as she continued to shake the manakete's still form. "Lady Tiki, please. Please, don't leave... Gods, NOOOOOOOOO!"

. . . . .

"No!" Lucina shouted, her eyes snapping open as she awoke in a cold sweat. She bolted upright, shoving off the covers of her bedroll, gasping for air as he heart continued to hammer against her chest.

She wrapped her arms around her, trembling, the air around her growing icy cold. It had seemed so real, just like it always had. The glitter of obsidian fangs and the horrible stench of Grima's breath as his open maw rushed forward to devour her. The terror she felt as she screamed, raising Falchion before her in a desperate defense. The knowledge that she was about the die, die just like—

Lucina felt arms suddenly wrap around, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Shhh, it was just a dream," she heard Robin murmur softly behind her ear. Her husband began to rock her gently, a hand running through her hair. "It's alright, I'm here."

Slowly she stopped trembling, rapid breathing falling back to a calm, steady rhythm. For several minutes she stayed there, wrapped in her love's embrace, until at last she found the will to speak. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Was it the same dream?" Robin asked, concern evident in his voice

Lucina nodded. Out of all the horrible memories, her encounter with Grima during her own future-past was the worst, to this day still plaguing her dreams. She shuddered at even the thought, seeing again the horrible fighting as Risen overran the capital, remembering her desperate attempts to rally the defenders long enough for her friends to return with the Gemstones, having to confront Grima alone, and facing her own demise at the fell dragon's fangs. Only an intervention by her friends had saved her. It had been Cynthia and Gerome who'd swooped down at the last moment, pulling her away before she could be devoured.

"Are you okay?" she heard Robin ask, the tactician having noticed her shivering again.

"I'm fine", Lucina assured him, trying her best to sound calm. "It's just… it's not easy, being in this world. Its too much like my own, too many horrible memories."

Robin nodded slowly. "Lucina… just remember, even if I can't understand what you are going through, I still will do everything in my power to support you. You, no, we will get through this, together," he assured her, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of her forehead. "What kind of husband would I be if wasn't?"

"Thank you", Lucina whispered again, sighing after a long moment. She wished dearly they could stay there forever in each other's embrace, but the day had begun, a pale morning light already creeping in through the gaps in the small tent they had slept in. With a heavy heart Lucina pulled free of her husband's embrace, turning around to kiss him gently in return for his earlier gesture.

Rising to her feet, Lucina moved to gather up her weapons from the corner of the tent. She managed a single step before a sudden sense of vertigo came over her. She stumbled, leaning against the center pole of the tent, clutching her stomach with one hand as she suddenly felt like she was about to be sick.

At once Robin was at her side, the tactician putting a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Are you alright?" he asked, naked concern flashing in his amber-brown eyes.

"I-I'm fine, just felt ill for a moment. It's passing," Lucina assured him. Sure her strength had already begun to return, the churning in her stomach beginning to fade. Giving her husband a reassuring smile, she pulled away, moving at once to gather her things. "So, what is our next move?"

"I plan to meet with Chrom as soon as possible," Robin answered, moving to help her into her armor. "We need to decide if the four we saved should come with us to rescue the others, or let them continue their trek to Ylisstol. The later might need us to split our forces; it might not be wise to let them continue without backup."

The tactician paused, his expressions thoughtful as he added, "actually, I may have an idea on that. I'll need to talk to Miriel and Laurent first, but it might solve that and another problem we're going to face moving forward." Securing the last piece of Lucina's armor, Robin turned around so that she could help him get into his armor just as he had done for her.

Lucina nodded. "Right then, looks like we have our morning cut out for us then, if we are to accomplish that with haste. While I'm sure we all needed the rest, we cannot continue to delay."

"That we cannot," Robin said just as she had finished tightening the last strap on his breastplate. Moving to the tent's opening, the tactician turned back to her as he brushed the flap aside. "Shall we?" he offered, bowing slightly to her, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Lucina smiled at him, hooking an arm around his as the two stepped out into the camp.

. . . . .

"So, what do you guys think of the alternate versions of our friends?" Inigo asked.

Morgan looked up from her bowl of gruel to look at her boyfriend as he spoke. It was still early in the morning when the two of them had joined Cynthia, Gerome, Severa, and Owain for breakfast. They sat in a ring of three fallen logs near the edge of camp, Inigo next to her with an arm around her shoulder, the other two couples on the logs across from them. The night before her father had insisted that no fires were to be started, something or other about not wanting to attract unwanted attention while in enemy territory, so of course breakfast was cold.

Not that she minded it. Despite what the others said, gruel and bear jerky was delicious.

"I don't know, why are you asking me?" Severa said, frowning like she always did. Why was it that she always frowned, even when things weren't frown worthy?, Morgan wondered to herself. "Why not ask Cynthia, she spent all night talking with her clone, kept the rest of us up," she added, shooting the pegasus knight a cold glare.

"Why wouldn't I? It's like having a twin, but better!" Cynthia said indignantly, glaring at the red haired warrior.

"Well, uhh, I dunno, was just asking. I haven't really had a chance to speak to them. Alternate Kjelle, Noire, and Nah have been mostly keeping to themselves since yesterday… and, well, talking to their parents," Inigo interjected quickly before either could begin arguing.

Again, Morgan thought with a sigh before returning her attention to her food.

"Do you think we will soon cross paths with the Alter Owain of this 'other world'? I wish to combine forces, so that all our foes my flee from our combined combination of might!" Owain cut in, tossing his bowl aside. Morgan and the others winced in unison as it shattered on the ground, which Owain took absolutely no notice of.

"Uhh, I guess," Severa said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. "I mean, we are planning to go help the group you were in next."

"Huzzah!" Owain cheered, dropping back down onto the overturned log he'd been sitting on.

"You guys are lucky, there probably isn't even an alternate me in this world," Morgan said in between mouthfuls of food. "I bet I would get along with me really well! We'd even like all the same things!"

"Jeez, Morgan, I don't know, maybe that's because she would be you. " Severa countered, crossing her arms. "Besides… you guys have to have noticed how weird they've been acting. They keep giving us weird looks since yesterday. I don't like it," she added, suspicion clear in her voice.

"I didn't notice anything weird staring, and I've been talking to the other me lots," Cynthia chimed in response. "I think you're probably seeing things, Severa. Would it kill you to be positive from time to time? Seriously, between you and my boyfriend here it's a wonder there isn't a permanent rain cloud over camp." She elbowed Gerome to punctuate her remark, the wyvern rider wincing and rubbing his side.

"That's because she's you, Cynthia. She probably forgot whatever is up with the other three, knowing you," Severa replied, ignoring the pegasus knight's later remarks. "Come on guys, the rest of you had to have noticed. Right Owain?" Severa asked, turned to her boyfriend.

"My mind races as I anticipate encountering the Alter-Owain of this world. The very possibilities of the combined special techniques we can unleash upon our foes shall leave all that behold in awe! My sword hand trembles at the very thought!" Owain shouted, clearly having been having a completely different conversation in his mind than the rest of them. To everyone's surprise he leapt up onto his log as he spoke, shouting at the top of his lungs by the time he finished his speech.

Morgan giggled as she looked back at Severa, whose mouth was hanging open to complete her utterly dumbfounded look. For a moment it looked like she was about to chastise the bombastic swordmaster, but then appeared to think better of it, closing her mouth with a sigh. "That's… nice Owain...not sure why I even asked," she muttered, before turning her attention to Morgan herself now. "Morgan, please help me out here."

Morgan stopped shoveling food into her mouth, considering the question. "Nope, sorry, can't say I noticed anything odd." She grinned, shrugging her shoulders before picking up her bowl to resume eating. She heard Severa groan, but decided to pay it no mind. Food was more important anyways.

"If I may, I'd like to say that I've noticed it too, and I'm not just saying this to stay on Severa's 'not killing me' side," Inigo interjected

"I can say I have picked up on it too," Gerome agreed, speaking for the first time since the conversation began,

"Well, maybe its just because they are meeting alternate versions of themselves. We've probably been giving them some weird looks too," Morgan offered, stacking her now empty bowl on top of the two other's she'd already 'cleaned out'.

"No, that's not it, I can't explain it…" Severa replied. "Its like… I don't know."

"Like they recognize us somehow, and not just because they know the us' of this world." That's the best way I can put words to it, though that doesn't help make any sense of it," Inigo replied, his expression thoughtful.

Morgan froze at her boyfriend's words, remembering the strange sense of familiarity she'd felt towards the enemy spellcaster who'd led the Risen forces they'd fought the day before. Why was he so familiar. He clearly wasn't one of her other friends, so why— Morgan winced, a dull throb a pain rushing through her skull. She clutched at her head. She felt it, a memory at the back of her mind. She just needed to seize upon it. Remember, Morgan, remember.

"Morgan, are you alright?" Inigo asked, concern etched on his face as he looked at her now.

Like a bucket of cold water his voice jolted her back to reality, the memory slipping through her fingers. At once the pain began to recede, the rest of the world falling back into focus. "I'm… I'm fine, just a headache. Nothing to worry about," Morgan said, biting her lower lip. She'd been so damn close that time, just another second and she'd-

"Well then, I suppose we'll get answers soon enough. If Severa insists, I'd be happy to question duplicate about it," Inigo continued. Bending down, he picked up plate then stood. "Speaking of which, Owain, Chrom and Robin want us to meet them in the command tent today. Something about picking our brains over for details on our journey after recovering the Gemstones."

At this everyone got up, gathering up their things as they prepared to go. Morgan, however, did not move to depart just yet, staring at the ground thoughtfully. She jumped as hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"You sure you're alright?" Inigo asked softly, speaking low so the others didn't heart. "You seem distracted, more than usual. Something on your mind."

"It's nothing… just thinking about what's happened." she looked up at him, giving him her best smile. "I'll be along soon, catch up with you then?"

Her boyfriend nodded, then turned and departed as well, leaving Morgan alone to again ponder the question of the Risen leader's identity.

. . . . .

"So what do you propose we do?" Chrom asked him from across the folding table that stood between them, his steel-blue eyes gazing at Robin intently.

"Well…" Robin said slowly, giving the others gathered in makeshift command tent ample time to look his way before he continued, "I've given it a bit of thought. One option would be to fly there, but we only have so many mounts, limiting us to only small fraction of our forces. So instead I propose we teleport there."

"How? I thought most mages could only teleport a handful of people with them at one time? Wouldn't that cause the same problem as were we to fly there?" Chrom asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Normally yes, but, well, I am thinking less teleporting and more opening a portal. I talked to our resident mages yesterday, and they said it should be simple enough if they combine their efforts. That way we can just walk right on through and bam, we're halfway across the continent," Robin answered, grinning. Damn, I impress even me sometimes.

"So what's the downside?" Chrom asked, Robin's grin faltering at the Exalted question.

"Wuh, how… how did you know?" he asked, staring dumbfoundedly at Chrom. He heard a strangled laugh come from next to him, Lucina covering her mouth to hide her evident mirth at his reaction.

"Come now, Robin, I've known you long enough to know how you work. If the plan didn't have any issues you would have told us first thing," Chrom explained, a knowing smile twisting his lips. "You aren't nearly as inscrutable and clever as you'd like us all to think."

"Touche," Robin sighed, conceding to his friend's point. "Well, to answer your question, the downside is the spellcasters will need to maintain the portal at all times. Since I guess we aren't about to leave them here by themselves, we will have to split our forces."

Chrom nodded, otherwise saying nothing as he motioned for Robin to continue.

"In this case, I'd say our best bet is to send half of the Shepherds ahead to Ylisstol with group who recovered Gules and Azure. This would include their parents, giving them a chance to spent some time with them before we have to return to our world." Robin answered, tapping a finger against the table. Then, smiling, he added, "In fact, for that reason I am thinking the alternate Cynthia could come with us: let her spend more time with you and Sumia. Not to mention having her with us can help convince the other alternatives that we can be trusted."

Chrom nodded, gazing at the map. "So, are we sure they'll take the mountain pass instead of cutting to the south," he asked, tapping the location their versions of Inigo, Owain, Yarne, and Brady had indicated.

"Unless things played out differently, yeah," Inigo offered, speaking up then. "To be fair, we did try to take that route originally, but by the time we got there Risen had already blocked it off. That's why to took the mountain pass. By the time they caught on we'd already slipped past."

The others nodded in agreement, Owain opening his mouth to speak, but then, surprisingly seemed to think better of it and stayed silent.

"I wish we didn't have to hedge our bets on history repeating itself, but I suppose we don't have much of a choice," Chrom replied, frowning

"There's something else that's been bothering me," Robin muttered, gazing down at the map thoughtfully. "It's what's different in this world. All of you must have noticed it too." Looking up at the other, the tactician was met with blank stares and arched eyebrows from all gathered there. Alright then, clearly he was the only one who'd noticed it.

Sighing, he started at the beginning. "We all know that Grima's forces are more powerful in this world than what Lucina and the others remembered from their own time, right? Well, this, while bad and everything, doesn't explain this large a shift in the timeline."

He poked at the map, indicating the ruined prison where the rescue mission the day before had taken place. "In our, well, the other future timeline, the group who recovered Gules and Azure knew they were being trailed by Risen forces. While their pursuers were hours behind them, stopping to rest would mean being overtaken, so they retreated into the ruins, causing the Risen to miss them completely."

Robin paused, looking between Chrom and Lucina. "I talked to the four of this world and they reported the exact same thing, the Risen were far behind when they stopped in the ruins to rest. Too far behind to have known that they stopped in the ruins. This begs the question, how—"

"—How did they know where to look?" Lucina finished for him, her eyes widening as understanding dawned on her face. "What changed in this world that allowed the Risen to find them when in my future they did not?"

"Exactly," Robin smiled, dipping his head in a sharp nod. "It might be a coincidence, but it seems almost like the Risen were following orders based on information they shouldn't have had. There are a few of implications I can think of, and none of them are pleasant. Either one of the four turned traitor in this world, or Grima somehow has knowledge of the future."

The room was silent at this, their expressions grave as they considered this possibility.

"What's worse," Robin added after a moment, grimacing as he spoke. "What if this isn't an isolated incident? What if Grima knows that the group with Argent and Sable will take the mountain pass instead of a main road?"

"They would be walking right into a trap," Chrom said, the Exalt frowning as he picked up on what Robin was implying. "Those passes are as good a place as any for an ambush."

"Which is why we need to hurry. If events follow what our Inigo, Owain, Brady, and Yarne told us, they should be heading for that pass as we speak. We need to move fast. Chrom, with your permission, give the order to pack up camp. Those who will accompany the alternative versions of Kjelle, Nah, and Noire to Ylisstol will need to depart as soon as the rest of us leave. Otherwise, tell them to prepare for battle. Who knows what will be awaiting us when we go through the portal to our destination," Robin declared sternly, at once gathering up his map and other documents from the table.

—And Naga willing we aren't already too late.

Author's Note: Whew, this chapter took a bit longer to write than usual... mainly because I spent way too much time writing scenes that are going to take place in later chapters. Horray for working out of order XP

As always I would appreciate any and all feedback you can give, even if its just to tell me how much I suck. Constructive criticism and other such comments really do help me become a better writer!