A/N:

Author wants to make note that she is horrible at naming things. That is all.

Chapter 3: Restless

"Lucina?"

The princess froze in her place. Whoever that was, she couldn't let them in, not like this, not with this blood which stained her face.

"Luce?" The voice called out again. "It's me, your brother… Morgan? Is something wrong?"

"Er… I-I… What do you need, Morgan?" She called out, still frantically searching for something to clean herself off with.

"You left your pack in the med tent."

Stupid! Stupid! "Oh, d-did I?" She answered, rather nervously.

"Yeah… Hey, Lucina, are you okay?" He entered the tent, leaving both siblings frozen in place. "L-L-"

As her brother continued to stutter, Lucina could still only just stand frozen, staring at him. The princess quickly recovered from her shock, only to let rage fill her instead. "Dammit Morgan! Don't just barge into people's tents like that!"

The prince recoiled after his sister's statement, dropping the pack he carried for her. Lucina rarely ever burst out like that. "Y-Your face… Lucina, what happened to your face?" He whispered out, taking a few hesitant steps forward.

Lucina's rage quickly subsided. She wished Morgan hadn't found her in this state. It surely would have made things much easier if for her if such was the case, she hoped. It wasn't though, and now Lucina listened as her brother's heart was practically bursting through his chest. She couldn't blame him. She would be scared if she found something like this too. The least she could do was to help him accept this. "Morgan, I can explain…"

"E-Explain!"

"I…" Damn, what do I say? Lucina stood in place, evaluating her thoughts. She needed some way to explain this to her brother without scaring him. The princess placed a hand up to her chin as she searched her mind. Pulling it away, looking at the streaks of red which stained her, realizing the true situation she was in. She had to say this. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I killed him. An Ylissean soldier. One of our own. I… I couldn't help it. I… don't know what came over me…"

Morgan stared at his sister with widened eyes. It wasn't like his sister to kill innocents or allies. "No." He said. "No, you're just… just sick, right? You do look sick. It's yours. You'd never-"

"Morgan, look at me!" She shouted, straightening up, taking a few steps toward her brother. She was rather intimidating this way. She was different. She had changed. "Morgan." She cried out one more time, baring her teeth.

"Luce, you… What are you?" He gasped out, backpedaling as his sister approached.

What am I? Lucina though, advancing on her brother until they were face to face.

The prince's chocolate eyes were filled fear as the boy watched Lucina approach. They darted between her hands and the features of her face. "You're different. Lucina, your teeth, I… they…"

"What about?" She asked before reaching up to own mouth. As Lucina's fingers glided over her teeth, she stopped just over the canines. They were larger, sharper, unhuman… Gods, I should have known.

"See!" Morgan cried out, turning to leave.

"Morgan, please don't." She called, causing her brother to halt. "I know you're scared right now, I am too, but don't leave me. Can you imagine what would happen if the Shepherds found out? Just please, Morgan… Please help me. Help your sister."

The prince was still letting out rather shaky breaths. He fell to his knees after his sister's plea. "A-Alright." He said, sliding a hand through his hair. "I-I… I'll help you, Luce. I'll help you cover this up. And maybe… maybe we can find a way to cure you…"

"Thank you Morgan. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Yeah." Morgan said, rising up. "I suppose I should help you with… that." He commented, gesturing toward her face. "I'll go get something."

Lucina watched her brother leave the tent. All she could ever ask was for help, and her brother agreed. Thank you.

Morgan had brought Lucina a washcloth and plenty of water to wash herself off with. Now that he had left, Lucina found herself feeling rather restless. She tried to sleep, but found herself filled with too much energy.

Now, Lucina sat by a small fire, tended by Frederick, watching the embers fly through the air. Little fireflies as she would sometimes hear children call. Though, all Lucina could ever think of was the doomed future she came from. Death, families torn apart, and the inevitability of the world's end. The princess let out a deep sigh as these memories floated around like those little flecks in front of her.

"Milady? What troubles you?" Frederick asked.

"The past." She answered, knowing he would probably prod further if she lied. "Well… the future."

The knight's face fell. "I can scarce imagine what you and the other children had to face." He stated, prodding at the burning wood with the charred stick he was using. "But you've made it here. You brought my Severa with you. You will never get your childhood back, but you've given this world a chance."

Lucina remained silent, arms resting on her knees as she leaned forward on the log she used as a seat. The heat from the fire burned her face, even from the distance she was sitting. Lucina would have left, were it not for her mother's appearance.

Robin took a seat next to her daughter by the fire. Frederick took a glance over to the two before Robin nodded, allowing the knight some ease. "Are you alright, Lucina?" The tactician asked, placing a hand on the princess' shoulder. "You've had a rather long day, wouldn't you prefer some rest?"

Lucina just wished she could shrink away and draw her hood up, but she couldn't do that to her mother. "I'm not tired," the princess answered, shrugging Robin's hand off.

The tactician placed her hand on her lap after being pushed away as she had. "I see," she stated, drawing her attention to the fire. "You aren't tired, you weren't hungry, are you sure you're feeling well?" She paused, waiting for an answer from her daughter, receiving none. "I'd send you back to Lissa, but…"

"Milady?" Frederick chimed in, his gaze now fully focused on Robin.

"A soldier was discovered in the medical tent, deceased, and not by natural causes."

Frederick jumped to his feet, still holding onto the stick he was using to prod the fire. "I shall investigate this at once!"

"No need." The tactician said, bringing a hand up to stop him. "We already have an investigation set up."

If Lucina could blanch, she most certainly would have. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth drew agape, though she was quick to shut it after remembering her most recent discovery. "I-Investigation?"

Robin's attention drew back to her daughter, eyes studying the young woman. "Yes… But we're trying to keep this from the rest of the camp. I still don't know how long this will last with Lissa knowing… but I want you to sit this out. Please. Just focus on getting your strength back. We can handle this."

That still didn't answer what Lucina wished. Who was a part of this investigation, how much they found already, but pressing on wasn't wise. "As you wish, Mother." She left things at that, and retreated to her tent for a restless night.

A/N:

So... this chapter. I dunno. I feel it was uneventful, but that's only because I know where this thing is going in the future. Probably because of the latter scene. Well, we figured out what that cliffhanger in the last chapter was leading to, and now Luci has to deal with hiding things. Ooh. Should be interesting.

Anyway, be sure to review!

This is squish bidding you a fine day! :D