"I don't think I ever introduced myself, I'm Lucina, Chrom's daughter." The blue haired girl said, coming to sit on a stool beside Link's bed. Chrom's.. daughter? Link gave Lucina a speculative look. Link had heard her call Chrom 'father' when she'd realized that Chrom wasn't the one getting a checkup, but he'd sort of let his brain pretend she hadn't said that. They were practically the same age, that just didn't make sense.
Apparently sensing Link's confusion, Lucina added, "From the future."
From the future. Right. Which means that what, she's a time traveler? He had a feeling time travel was supposed to be a bit more complicated than this was suggesting. He must've still looked really confused because she spoke up again. "It's a long story, a really long story… for now let's just focus on you. Do you know what the symbol on your hand means? A friend of mine has it on the cover of a magic book,"
Link looked down at the top of his left hand, which without his glove on exposed the strange pyramid symbol. It basically looked like a bunch of triangles stacked on top of each other. And outside of the fact that he seemed to use it to accessorize practically everything he owned, like his sword and shield, he had no idea what it's significance was. It could've just been a pretty design for all he knew. But something deep in his gut told it meant something more; like it was his ground somehow.
"No." Link said with a sigh, absentmindedly tracing the bottom right triangle with his finger. He didn't know what it meant. He didn't know at all. And that just made him feel dumb, and he hated feeling dumb. He was supposed to be clever; to look at something and have an objective all figured out, right now though, he felt aimless.
"Well from my experience weird markings tend to mean things. Like the mark of the exalt." Lucina said after an extended moment of silence. Mark of the what now? Link wondered to himself, does she mean Chrom- her father's weird tattoo and her purple eye thing? She had the strangest eyes. They couldn't seem to decide if they were blue or purple, and one of them had his royal highnesses tattoo in it, which made Link think that maybe it wasn't a tattoo. Link was pretty sure that his pyramid-thing wasn't a tattoo either. So Chrom's mark was probably the exalt thing. Link tapped the area under his own eye, is it the symbol in your eye? He tried to ask.
"That's right." Lucina said with a nod, "Members of the royal family are marked with the mark of Naga, also called the mark of the exalt. Mine is in my eye, while Chrom's is on his shoulder. My sister Cynthia and my cousin Owain have them too."
Link sat there, cataloguing this information. So Lucina is a princess, from the future, with a magic eyeball birthmark. Ok, not unreasonable. Not really helping me though. Hang on… if she's a princess, from the future or otherwise, I bet she can read. His heart fluttered for a moment as he found direction. I bet she can read in all sorts of languages. His ran head-long to the drawing of his supposed family and the writing on the back of it that he couldn't read. Could Lucina read it? Did he trust Lucina enough? Did he dare show her it? What if she took it from him or made fun of him or… Ugh deku-nuts, just give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen?
"Is something wrong?" Lucina asked, and Link cringed. Had she been talking all that time? Crud. One second Lucina, Link held up a single finger to signal her attention, and then moved over to his belt-bags and pulled out the drawing; Lucina watching on curiously.
"A paper?" Lucina said curiously, but then Link unfolded it and showed her the portrait.
"Oh it's a painting! Is this your family Link?"
Link gave a sad little shrug, wishing desperately that he could speak properly, but as usual, his throat was closed and useless. Link flipped over the painting now and pointed at the words he couldn't read. Can you read this? Link gave Lucina a meaningful look, what does it say? Can you tell me?
"You want me to read this?" Lucina asked, looking Link in the eye for confirmation. Her mismatched eyes were disorienting, and he really wondered how well she could see out the crazy one. The marked eye was almost like a sort of black hole; trying to suck him in, something about it almost seemed condemning, as if it was trying to tell him that he didn't belong there… And that he should probably stop staring. Well now he felt terrible. Goddesses he must be embarrassing her… poor Lucina... goddesses he was embarassing himself just thinking about embarrassing her.. ugh!
"Link?" Lucina spoke up. Crud, I did it again, I left her hanging. Ugh…
"Yes." Link said, forcing the word out. After saying it he looked back down at scribble-scrabble that he faintly knew said actual words, doing his best not to make eye-contact with Lucina, he didn't want to get trapped in that eye again, didn't want to embarrass her.
"Well, I think I can read it. It's kind of strange; it's almost as if it was written in a language very similar to ours but not quite the same.. hmm one moment.." Lucina mumbled to herself, her speech becoming unintelligible as she began to read. Link leaned in closer, as if he could somehow glean the meaning of the foreign words just by being closer to them. There weren't very many words; only about 6, assuming that this language used normal sentence convention. Link really couldn't be sure, the most he knew was that it sure as heck didn't look like well, anything he knew how to read.
"Hmmm… got it!" Lucina exclaimed, head shooting up so excitedly that all Link could see was blue hair and golden crown.
"Oomph!" Link moaned, rubbing the area under his eye were the spiky part of her crowny-thing had hit him. She'd moved so quickly that they'd had a full-on collision, resulting in his having a bonked face from her surprisingly pokey tiara.
"Oh my gods- I'm so sorry! I really don't mean to keep doing this!" Lucina said quickly, "Is your eye ok? I really didn't mean to-"
Link nodded, moving his hand away from his face to show that it was injury free. I'm fine, really. Though it hurt less when you fell on me.. and then she had armor and stuff to poke him with… how is it that that tiny crown did more damage? Focus. Focus Link, back to business, stick to the main task at hand. Link pointed back to the drawing which had miraculously remained on her lap during the tiara-eye stabbing kerfuffle.
"Oh right," Lucina said, apparently remembering why Link had been eye-jabbed in the first place, "Now don't get too excited or anything it doesn't say much." Lucina warned him, and Link braced himself. That sounded like it was better than 'deku-tree paper company', any piece of information would be good, any at all. Link nodded to show that he understood and was ready for whatever it was.
"It says: 'The Family of Greil the mercenary.'" Lucina said warily, clearly watching him for a reaction, the crazy eye fixed right on him.
He gave her a reaction all right. Link's mind flew through about a dozen thoughts in that moment; my father's name is Greil? And he's a mercenary? And that's my family? Am I a mercenary? Really? Is that true? I thought I was better than that. I can't be… I do good deeds for people just for the sake of doing good deeds; not for money. Who are the others- my siblings? Blue haired kid looks like he's my age in the painting, is he a mercenary too? Is it because we're some sort of mercenary family that I can use a sword? And bow? And all that other random stuff I have? (Even the boomerang?) Because I'm a mercenary? Is being a mercenary really that bad? If I am one why am I so… so repulsed at the idea? Why does this whole thing seem so wrong? Like it isn't right- like it isn't me? Like it's someone else's story and not mine? Hylia's grace, being an amnesiac sucks. Maybe I just hate my job.
"Did you remember something Link?" Lucina asked then, "Is that your family?" She had flipped the picture upright again, showing the family of four he was apparently a part of. Link furrowed his brow and focused harder on the faces. Maybe, just maybe, if he could remember one of them he would have a ground to rely on. Come on, please, a name. Anything… anything at all, anything- Mist. That was it. That's her name. Thoughts came rushing into his head like the remembered pages of a book. The little girl with brown hair; her name is Mist. And she had a necklace that glows, and could use healing magic, somehow, and helped to save a princess… Zelda? No.. who the heck is Zelda? The princess' name was Elincia. Yea that's right. Elincia.
"Yes." Link said, finally feeling some form of confidence. He did remember something.
"That's wonderful! What is it? Er, can you tell me?" Lucina asked, clapping her hands together before hesitating, Link could guess her thoughts: oh yea, he doesn't talk. Oops.
"Mist." Link said, pointing at his… his sisters? His sister's face in the painting, "That's Mist."
"Mist huh? Wonderful! I'm so happy that you're remembering something," Lucina said with with a smile on her face. Link automatically broke eye-contact with her and ran a hand through his hair. Goddesses… if I'm some sort of low-life mercenary should I even be talking to a Princess? Even one from the future? Well if Lucina doesn't know I am one, and I'm not 100% that I'm one either, so, technically speaking I should be fine, right? Oh Nayru that sounded awful.
"So then, are you a mercenary too then? If Greil is your father, did you take up the sword for that reason too? It's not uncommon in families." Lucina said, crushing Link's less than fabulous reasoning. What do I say? Yes? No? I'm honestly not sure… For all I know I was a landscaper while Dad went out and killed people for rupees. May as well tell the truth, at least what I know of it. Link shrugged.
"Not sure? Or too afraid of what I might think?" Lucina asked curtly then, arms crossed. Well excuse me Princess! Link thought bitterly. Lucina had seen right through him with that freaky tattoo eye of hers. Link rested his head in his hands, she'd got him all right.
"Both." He said, hating to admit it but also amazed at how much talking he'd been doing. Apparently having nothing going on in your head made you quite the chatterbox.
"Well whatever the truth is, if it does turn out that you're a mercenary thats nothing to be ashamed of Link." Lucina said then, "I work personally with two, and theres another in camp as well."
She meant well but he still couldn't relax. A sword wasn't meant to be a tool for greed. It was meant for something else… something greater. Something courageous. Ack that sounded like some melodramatic pep-talk tripe but it seemed almost right… almost…
"LINK! PRINCESS!" Link looked up as in dashed tin-head, with a piece of dark fabric in one hand and a worried look on his face.
"Donnel?" Lucina said surprised, standing up from her seat next to Link.
"Your royal… huff… prestig...prestigious… huff…" Donnel was breathing heavy like he'd run the whole way. But from where? From what Link could tell Chrom's tent wasn't that far from the med tent, so why had it taken Donnel so long to get back in the first place? Why had he gone again? Link couldn't remember for the life of him. He knew that tin-head had had to go and get something though… but what?
"Nevermind the formalities Donnel, what's the matter?" Lucina asked, crossing her arms.
"Well firs' here's that shirt for ya Link!" Donnel tossed the fabric at Link, who caught it casually in one hand. Oh. That's right. He needed a shirt. Oh goddesses. He'd completely forgotten he was topless. He'd been topless the whole time. He'd gotten stabbed in the eye, topless. He was a topless mercenary's son… in bed… with a princess in the room. Oh Hylia, what a scandal. Link nodded thanks to the farm boy, all while quietly wondering if it would be awkward for him to put the shirt on now or if he should wait.
"Now as I was about to say- Nah's in a fit and Tiki's in er wreck too cause I guess Naga's sent a message. A whader-ya say urgent message. She wants Link to talk to Tiki, urgently cause of something ter do with rusty swords and pyramids and the smashing o' brothers not happening yet er something" Donnel explained in a single breath, "So Robin want's you in a shirt an' out there talkin to the Divine Dragon 'erself immediately."
The divine what now? Link wondered to himself trying to make sense of half of whatever Donnel had just said. Apparently it was serious because right then Lucina turned round and literally yanked Link to his feet.
"Quickly! Naga waits for no one!"
Link wanted more than anything to ask who in Hylia's name Naga was but what little confidence he had gained in the speaking department had flown away when Donnel had entered. It wasn't like he'd have had enough to ask about Naga. Or anything else for that matter.
End Chapter 7
Authors note:
Some real shenanigans are going down now and hopefully things will start to make more sense to you lot :3
Next chapter we'll get the queen of sass herself Naga, who is really hoping that Link comes without a shirt.