I couldn't watch.

It would not break me, it would not drive me mad. Nothing in my heart begged me to watch- and I chose not to.

Of course, something dark murmured, Keep running away from your feelings.

"Damn you, Gangrel!" Chrom roared, his voice a dull throb against my ears. I forced myself to turn around, training my eyes upwards to Gangrel as I took a few careful steps back.

Tiki was no longer by my side, but I could see her green hair near the front of the formation. Her eyes were fixed on Drych. In the corner of my eye, I saw Frederick make his way towards Chrom. I couldn't see her, but I could hear Lissa sobbing, accompanied by the soft murmurs of a man whose voice I didn't immediately recognize.

"How disgustingly noble," Gangrel dripped, "Deadlord, get rid of the rabble in my courtyard."

My stomach knotted as I dragged my gaze further up, to Drych. He looked back, red eyes staining his silvery mask crimson. Even without seeing his mouth, I could tell he was grinning. I'd be the first to go, no doubt.

"Hmmm," he drawled, lazily tilting his head to avoid an arrow, "Let me think about it."

"Gods, no..." Robin murmured hoarsely. When had she gotten here? No- when had I gotten there? Robin hadn't moved an inch. Hesitantly, I placed a hand on her shoulder. Who it was comforting, I didn't know.

I looked around again, collecting my thoughts. Right, the Shepherds were forming up around Chrom and Lissa. I was supposed to be somewhere. Somewhere I wouldn't be a hazard to combat, probably. I sidled out of Libra's way- I had not spoken to the man, but the anger that radiated off him said now was not the time.

"Don't think about it!" Gangrel snapped, eyes wild as he leaned forward to grip the railing, "You don't do thinking. I am the thinker here, and I think you should kill them all!"

"I'm contemplating regicide, Gangrel, and you're the only king around," Drych rumbled hoarsely, gesturing broadly towards us. "These runts? Not worth my time. Well," he corrected himself, "There are a few loose ends I'd like to tie up, but the rest of you can entertain yourselves with my honor guard."

He raised a blackened hand, purplish fog oozing out down through his fingers. He tossed it aside with a lazy flick of the wrist, lobbing a blob of the stuff down at the ground. As his hand snapped back, a javelin appeared in it- so that was where he'd gotten them. Seemed like a neat trick.

Winding his arm back, Drych chuckled. "See ya, kid."

Not a heartbeat later, pain bloomed in my chest, and then-

[][][][][][][][]

My eyes snapped open, body tensing as I prepared for a pain that never came. One knee jerked upwards, slamming into the bottom of a wooden table as my hands sunk into a plush cushion. Biting back a few choice curses, I rapidly tried to collect my thoughts and take in my surroundings.

Jasmine and woodsmoke drifted faintly on the air, acrid but comforting. Bookshelves lined the walls of the red-carpeted room, stuffed to the brim with knicknacks, scrolls, and tattered volumes of every shape, size, and color. A large, cluttered desk was pushed up against one wall, covered in scraps of paper and metal in direct contrast to the neatly organized tools hanging from said wall. And, for some reason, a fireplace full of rocks that nonetheless contained a merrily crackling fire.

A little closer to me, a tall woman in a rather snug dress regarded me as one would regard an unexpected painting in a familiar art gallery. Her green hair drifted impossibly, fading to fiery nothingness at the fringes. Her features were elfin; soft-angled, slim, and supernaturally beautiful. She took a sip from a plain teacup, smiling faintly.

I wasn't really sure what to make of it. Then again, I couldn't quite remember what I'd been doing before I got here. It felt important, though.

"Tea?" a rich, motherly voice offered, "The lost dreamers oft find it to be a comfort."

Frowning, I looked down at the plain, empty teacup in front of me. "Sure."

Quite promptly, two pale (familiar?) hands entered my vision carrying an equally plain teapot. Steam, curling and serpentine, wafted upwards from the cup as tea was poured. Taking a deep breath in, I hummed. "Jasmine, huh. Haven't had that in a while."

"Ah," a woman mused, "I have never had it before, myself."

"Pardon?" I blinked, looking at her own half-full teacup. "Didn't you just drink some?"

The woman smiled serenely, green eyes strangely familiar in their glittering. "I did, indeed, drink tea. But it is now jasmine, and I have not had jasmine tea," she explained patiently, "Thank you for delivering such an unexpected gift."

"I see, said the blind man," I muttered, coughing into my fist, "Speaking of, where are we? And more importantly, how did I get here?"

She took a long sip of tea, and I took a moment to do the same. Subtly sweet, incredibly fragrant, and even better than I remembered. Warmth rolled across my body with each sip, easing tensed muscles and unknotting strange feelings.

"In regards to both of your questions, Outlander, you are here because you are dying," she said politely, expression unwavering.

I nearly spat out my tea. "Gods! You can't just drop that on someone! Um, with all due respect," I added hastily, "I mean, I suppose I should have known, but..." I trailed off.

Two memories surfaced; one painful, the other distant. I didn't want to think about the first one. "You're Naga, aren't you? I've seen you before."

"A rare claim," she mused, drumming her fingers on the table between us, "But no stranger than yourself. This-"

"Are you, um," I paused, working my jaw, "Calling me weird? Wait, that's not important," shaking my head, I wondered at my own serenity. "Naga, I just died. I'm dead. I should be more worried about this! I mean, I probably deserved it for screwing up so badly, but I'd hoped to at least see this through to the end."

Raising a delicate eyebrow, she took another sip of jasmine tea.

Blushing, I looked away. "Sorry for interrupting. I'm working on that." I'd have plenty of time while dead, after all. Tiki and the future kids could handle it from here.

"If I might continue?" she glanced at me, nodding, "This is not a permanent development, Outlander."

"Oh. Can I just... go, then?" That sounded too easy. If it was that simple, then we could just bring Emmeryn back from the dead.

"I would prefer if you waited until I have finished my tea," Naga hummed to herself, "Jasmine is quite pleasant."

I sat there in silence, drinking jasmine tea with the Divine Dragon. Countless questions whirled about, crashing into each other and shattering into meaninglessness.

"Why not bring back Emmeryn, then?" I eventually blurted, "She's got your brand, she's important to a lot of people, and," my voice cracked, wavering with my heart, "She deserves it more than I do." Some random actor didn't deserve to get a second chance, as much as I might want it. I'd just waste it getting betrayed by Anna again, or something.

"You presume I control this process," Naga remarked, setting down her empty cup, "Or that it is truly a second chance. You will live, Outlander; you will dream of this place, so long as the door remains open."

So I'd beaten myself up over nothing, great. I wasn't even sure I'd be willing to give up a second chance if I got it- I was every bit the runaway coward Drych accused me of being. Instead of letting myself walk that path, I slowly sipped at my jasmine tea. It helped, though the knotted feelings in my gut remained.

"You are troubled," Naga challenged, setting down her teacup with a tink, resting her hands on the table.

No, not here. I could deal with this, same as everything else. Schooling my expression, I offered her a sad smile. "Not really. What should I call you, by the way?"

Pouring herself a new cup of tea, she shook her head. "Address me by name, Outlander- I am Naga," pausing, she drew deeply from the jasmine steam.

"Naga, then," I agreed, rolling the word around in my mouth, "It's an honor to meet you, Naga. Big fan of, uh, your work, with the Falchion and all that. My name is Andrew, by the way."

Taking a sip from her new cup of tea, Naga closed her eyes. "So, then, why are you troubled?"

Biting back a curse, I sighed. "To be frank, Naga, I wasn't expecting to get a therapy visit while I'm dying," I hedged, "Could I have another cup of tea, please? I'm going to need it for this."

"But of course," she agreed readily, reaching over to pour me a cup.

Watching the Divine Dragon pour me tea, I bit my lip. "I-" No. That wasn't the right way to put it. "It's-"

"Drink. Resolve to speak, close your eyes, and speak when the tea has warmed your belly."

I did just that, allowing the sweet tea to warm my body as it travelled. Closing my eyes, I leaned back. "Emmeryn just died, Naga. It's my fault."

"Again," she instructed curtly. Though I could not see her, I could hear her drumming her fingers on the table.

Now I'd made her impatient, or upset. Perfect. I took another sip of tea, repeating the whole process as I eased a bit more stress from my body. "Emmeryn is dead. It's my fault for not doing enough, not trying to convince Robin the moment we-"

"Again."

Another sip, another breath, and I sank into my seat. "Emmeryn died and I couldn't stop it, Naga. If-" I paused, sipping tea as I opened my eyes. Naga was looking off into the distance, eyes twinkling like emerald stars. "I couldn't stop Anna from running, and I couldn't stop Emmeryn from dying. It's like I have no control, and... it's easy to just let things happen, you know?"

The words were just pouring out now, pouring out to a random (divine) stranger. "Your daughter has been a fantastic friend, by the way. I don't deserve any of this."

Regarding me with ancient, impenetrable eyes, Naga tilted her head. "Have you spoken true, and shown only your honest heart?"

"I suppose," I said carefully, "But-"

"Do your friends see value in your word?"

"Well, I don't have many," I mused, "Nowi, Tiki, and Sumia have been nice so far, but Anna... well." I offered her a weak smile.

"Then you are deserving," Naga concluded, pausing to sip her tea, "Jasmine was an excellent choice, though not made wakefully."

Drinking in her words as I did the tea, I felt a forgotten tension slough from my shoulders. It had been a revealing conversation- exactly what I needed to hear, I suspected. Thoughts bubbled up, merging and lightening until a bark of laughter escaped my lips. "I was going to ask why nobody's put it that way before, you know," I chuckled, rubbing the back of my head, "But that's a silly question. I wouldn't have needed it if someone had said it earlier."

Blinking slowly, Naga furrowed her brow, still managing to seem serene. "That fails to answer your own question."

I shrugged. "Makes sense to me," I offered lamely, gesturing broadly to the room, "I mean, I don't understand this at all, so it balances out."

"I see," Naga hummed, turning her head to one side, "Ah. You are being called. Do you mind if I keep the tea?"

Now it was my turn to be baffled again. "Uh, sure?" I paused for a second. "Wait, you said I brought the tea. Am I just here because you wanted new tea?"

The Divine Dragon's lips twisted into a strange smile. "Perhaps."

[][][][][][][][]

When I opened my eyes, it felt like Vaike had punched me in the gut. Repeatedly. "Ahh, crud," I sputtered, squinting into the evening light, "I want my tea back."

"How are you awake so soon?" Lissa said shrilly, "Mari, I can't even feel him. How is he awake?"

"Focus, dear. His magic is just a bit off-color," Maribelle groaned, also out of sight, "He clearly isn't awake. Just having an odd dream."

Frowning, I wiggled my crippled leg. It felt a bit better, which was a plus. I did realize I couldn't see...well, anything. Bit blurry. "Nope, I'm awake. What'd I miss?"

"You missed dying!" The yellow and brown blob (Lissa, presumably) replied, voice cracking, "You were stuck on a javelin! And Tiki had to- oh, ew. I think I threw up a few times."

"Nothing important, then," I shrugged, furrowing my brow to try and figure out what was above me, "Where are we? Midmire?"

I heard Maribelle snort as something ached near my stomach. "Not quite. The Plegians have a blockade in place, and we're stopped until Robin works out how to deal with it."

Distantly, I remembered playing through the battle at Midmire. Several times, because there was this one axe guy who kept critting Chrom first turn and just making everything suck. Never figured out why there were big ribs out there, given Grima's skull was all the way back in the capital. Unless he really was that big? That seemed absurd. Shaking my head gently, as to not move the rest of my body, I sighed. "And, um, how are things? You know, in general?"

Lissa's sniff made me regret my question. Familiar forlorn sadness leaked from her presence as she drew in a hitched breath. "W-we're doing alright, Andrew. We'll be... fine."

It wasn't hard to remember how I felt after my grandfather died. That sort of thing doesn't stop hurting; it just gets easier to bear. "Don't-" my voice caught in my throat. Those words wouldn't help her now.

"You have your friends," I offered, "They'll listen."

Maribelle huffed, and the pain abated slightly. "Dear, I'm done over here. You can end the stabilizing heal. Andrew, while your advice is appreciated, it is quite unsettling to see someone whose state was recently quite dire offering life advice."

Oh, right. "Do I want to know what that state is or was?" I asked hesitantly, stomach twisting, "I probably don't, do I?"

Maribelle sighed, and I could feel the rhythmic drumming of fingers on the side of my cot. "No, Andrew, you do not. I would rather not know, but I did not precisely have a choice," she explained patiently, "To put it delicately, I am impressed with your ability to not die."

Pausing for a moment, a terrible thought occurred. The sort that would inflict comedic pain on all who heard it, and as laughter tried to force its way out, I coughed heartily. "Well," I coughed, wincing with every tremor, "I can't offer life advice, you say. Maybe that's because I'm better at death advice?"

That earned me a thwack on the forehead as Maribelle sputtered. I think I heard Lissa giggle, which was a dumb victory I took with pride. "Don't strain yourself," Maribelle eventually admonished, "Healing you was quite the ordeal, and I'd rather not do it again."

A needling pain worked its way up from my stomach. Grimacing, I let out a long hiss. "Great. How long am I out of commission for, then?" Naga's kind words aside, being even more of a deadweight didn't sit well with me.

The blurry world around me started to resolve into actual images. A blonde and yellow blob turned into Lissa, who was flitting to and fro between the cots in the hastily set-up medical tent. We'd been here long enough for the tent to happen, but I couldn't guess how long that was. Maribelle- a former pink and blonde blob- tossed her somewhat frayed coifs of hair over her shoulder. "We had to use up a rather pricey Recover once-" she inhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Suffice to say, you'll be no worse off by sunrise tomorrow. Just don't do it again."

Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, I turned my head so I could see more of Maribelle. "I owe you- I owe everyone here- way too much," I mused, gesturing outwards with one hand, "I have no idea how I'll ever make it up."

Maribelle turned towards me, resting her chin on her arm as she slumped backwards in her chair. "It is merely the right thing to do," she said flatly, "Any less, and I would be demeaning my station."

Lissa appeared a heartbeat later, leaning against Maribelle's head and back as she dangled her arms. "Aww, thank you," Lissa cooed, blue eyes sparkling, "I'll definitely be taking you up on that. What's your opinion on frogs?"

Ignoring Maribelle's slowly reddening face, I shrugged, craning my neck. "As long as they aren't in my boots, frogs are fine," I replied easily, offering a grin, "Can I sit up, or...?"

"Dear," Maribelle muttered, not offering much resistance, "Don't encourage him."

"Sit up, sit up," Lissa continued, gesturing at me with a circular motion. Her expression drooped, turning into a pout as she crossed her arms on top of Maribelle's head. "Aww, you're boring. Why does Nowi say you're fun?"

"Oh, gods, not Nowi again," Maribelle sighed, "Dear-"

"Let me restate that," I interrupted, doing my best to look apologetic as I pushed myself up onto my elbows, "As long as they aren't in my boots, frogs are fine," I repeated, smirking at the gleam in Lissa's eyes.

"You're asking for protection, huh?" Lissa grinned slyly, leaning further into Maribelle, "I'm sure we can-"

"Dear," Maribelle said loudly, turning a particularly interesting shade of red, "Save your mischief-making for a later, and safer, time. There is work to be done, and none of it involves you doing- doing what you're doing right now!"

And that, unfortunately, was that. Lissa offered me a quick 'we'll talk later,' and Maribelle had to move on to other patients. That left me to stew in my thoughts, dredging up aging memories of Awakening to see what I could offer in the future.

My thoughts were scattered to the four winds by a green and pink blur- stopping just short of throwing itself across my chest.

"Andrew!" A familiar, childish voice cheered, presumably coming from the blur. "You're okay! I knew you were going to be okay," the blob continued authoritatively, resolving itself into Nowi wearing a pink sundress.

Scooching myself further up, I reached over to pat Nowi on the head. "Hey, Nowi," I smiled, "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Still haven't seen the damage yet, but I made it out more than okay."

Sticking out her tongue, Nowi snorted. "Blegh. It was icky, but Tiki made it better. I want to be big and strong like her some day!" Bringing her arms up, Nowi flexed- and to my surprise, there was actually some muscle there. More than me, possibly, but not by much.

"I'm sure you will," I agreed, silently resolving to start exercising as I kept patting her on the head, "You're already way tougher than I am, and I'm sure Tiki can give you some pointers."

Humming, Nowi closed her eyes. "Mhmm," she agreed, nodding slightly as she swung her arms, "I like being scary. Rawr!" she giggled, opening her eyes and baring her teeth.

Feeling someone's gaze burning into me, I caught Maribelle's expression. Right, Nowi and the medical tent weren't supposed to go together. "Scary," I nodded, jerking my chin towards the front of the tent, "But only scary for bad guys, right?"

Maribelle frowned, furrowing her brow. She stuck out an arm, catching Lissa before she fell, and hesitantly shook her head. As expected, unfortunately.

"Sometimes good guys get scared too, but I don't eat them," Nowi said sagely, "I don't even squish them. And Tiki says I can't mud wrestle them as a dragon, because I'd squish them or eat them on accident."

Raising an eyebrow as I looked back at Nowi, I shrugged. "Seems reasonable enough to me. Have you been mud wrestling them as a person, then?" The mental image of Nowi suplexing Vaike was enough to make burst out in laughter- and if my chest didn't get very upset when I laughed, I would have.

I winced as Nowi's expression soured, and winced at Maribelle's expression when Nowi took a seat on the side of my cot. "Nobody wants to fight a kid," Nowi grumbled, kicking her legs and playing with a long strand of green-yellow hair, "I'm older than everyone there put together! Except Tiki, and maybe Robin."

"Robin?" I questioned, distantly recalling how Tiki had sensed Robin's power in the game. "What makes you say that?"

Nowi tilted her head, shrugging. "She smells old," she explained.

Well, Grima is pretty old. "Huh," I paused, frowning, "Not actually sure how old she is, but I think she's younger than I am. Lissa, how old is Robin?"

Lissa, who was zooming past, came to a full stop. "She's, um, maybe twenty? We don't know what year she was born, but she was pretty sure that she was twenty," she frowned, tapping her chin and resting her other hand on her hip. "How old are you?"

"Never ask a lady her age, even indirectly," Maribelle muttered, tapping a reclining soldier on the nose with her umbrella, "And hand over the snacks. I can smell them."

Lissa's eyes sparkled as she leaned in, hiding her mouth from Maribelle. "I gave him the snacks," she whispered.

Nowi giggled. "My secret," she declared quietly, putting two fingers to her lips.

"I'm not a lady, Maribelle, so I'll assume you're talking about Robin," I replied loudly, taking a bit of joy from watching her fume at me, "And to answer your question, Lissa, I'm twenty-three."

Or at least, twenty-three in August, which... oh, yeah, that might have happened already. What were the months here? How had I not asked that before?

"You look older than that," Lissa concluded, spinning in place, "I thought maybe twenty-six."

"Thanks," I replied flatly, "I'll take it as a compliment. Though..." I trailed off. Catching Lissa's curiosity, I continued, "What month is it here, actually? Sorry, I'm from, uh, a pretty faraway place. We might have different month names and stuff."

"Later," Maribelle interrupted, clearing her throat, "Andrew, stop interrupting Lissa. We're busy enough as it is."

Feeling some heat on my cheeks, I looked down. "Sorry about tha- oh wow, you're right, I should be dead right now."

"It was pretty disgusting," Lissa stuck out her tongue, idling a bit longer.

"Icky," Nowi agreed.

Maribelle cleared her throat again.

Fearing- quite rationally- for our lives, we decided to not continue that conversation.

Much to Maribelle's chagrin, though, Nowi stuck around, prodding me with odd questions and telling me about what I'd missed while... sorta dead. All things considered, it was a nice way to spend the evening.

[][][][][][][][]

Or rather, it would have been a nice way to spend the evening.

A bedraggled Robin stormed into the tent, her posture slack and eyes haunted. Wet, clumped strands of hair clung to her hands as she massaged her temples. "We're," she started, breaking into a fit of coughs that wracked her slight frame, "We're heading out. General Mustafa is letting us pass. Maribelle, I've split off the same regiment as last time for transporting the injured. Let me know if you need extra."

My heart went out to her, it really did. Everything about her oozed exhaustion- I just wasn't sure how much of it was mental. With the rest of me stuck in bed, though, I could only offer a sad smile and try to dig up some jokes. "Good job, Robin," I said, keeping my voice as level as possible, "You're doing a damn good job."

Robin rounded on us, unfocused eyes staring beyond us. Her limp fingers flexed, and her lips parted slightly.

"Uh-huh," Nowi yawned, shifting in her spot. She'd found a blanket and settled down in the chair next to my cot, slipping in and out of slumber. "Got to... squish some bad guys."

All at once, a crimson fire lit in her eyes, mouth twisting into a snarl. "A good job?" she spat, stalking towards me, "Emmeryn is dead, Andrew. My best friend's older sister is dead and it's my fault as a tactician," she continued, jabbing her finger towards me, "Don't you dare lie to me, Andrew. If this is what you call a good job, it's no wonder you've nearly died twice."

Distantly, I heard Lissa gasp. A dull ache formed in my gut, each word a hammer blow against it and myself. One hand searched for the cane I knew was leaning against the cot as I fought to keep myself together. I hadn't expected this, and part of me begged to bite back. To strike verbally at her frail frame and obvious insecurities, venting anger back at its creator.

To...

To turn my back on her.

My hand found my cane. Swinging my legs around- gods, that hurt- I put all my weight on the cane and pushed. Needling pain coursed across my frame, but it wasn't too bad. I managed to pull myself up to my full height, both hands resting on the head of the cane. Nowi slowly slipped out of her chair, moving around the cot towards us.

We stared at each other for a long, tense moment. I counted time by my heartbeat, even as it started to calm. Finally, when I was forced to breathe, I let it back out in a sigh. What should I even say to her? What would help?

"I..." I started softly, taking a wavering step towards her. "I'm trying, Robin. We're all trying."

Robin's expression twisted once more, caught between rage and tears. "But it's not enough, Andrew. It's- I'm-" Her voice hitched, choked out by soundless thoughts.

Nowi threw her arms around Robin's waist, squeezing as she pressed her face into Robin's chest. "No," Nowi said flatly, voice muffled by the thick coat, "Nuh-uh."

"Oh, dear," Maribelle fretted, checking her patient one last time before striding towards us. "Robin, dear. It's alright."

"It's not!" Robin barked back, shaking her head, starting to wriggle in Nowi's iron grip, "Don't tell me that. It's not alright! Chrom's going to- to strip me of my rank and banish me. It's what I deserve."

That earned Robin a swift smack on the back of the head from Maribelle's umbrella. "Chrom wouldn't do that, Robin," Maribelle admonished sternly, "Nowi, dear? Let go of Robin so I can get her some tea. Lissa, would you mind?"

I blinked, looking around. Where had Lissa run off to?

"The kettle's on the flame, Mari!" Lissa shouted back, emerging from behind a cloth divider. Her lips twitched into a lopsided smile, even as she rubbed dampness from her eyes. "Andrew, would you like some?"

The memory of jasmine warmed my thoughts. Shaking my head, I waved my free hand. "I'm good for now, Lissa. Robin," I stopped, turning back towards Robin as a thought occurred, "Given Maribelle isn't threatening me with bodily harm, I think I'm good to walk around. Were there any other people you needed to relay messages to?"

"You're not-?" Robin cut herself off, shaking her head and brushing tears from her face. Not quite meeting my eyes, she continued, "Thank you, Andrew. There's- there's just one person left. It might be hard to find her, but..."

"I can manage," I waved off, instantly regretting it. I'd jinxed myself, hadn't I?

Robin nodded, a weak smile forming on her lips. "If you insist," she hummed, "It's nothing that bad. We haven't seen Marth in a while- you know who she is, right? And she hasn't picked up the rations we leave for her."

"That shouldn't be too hard," I agreed, mentally hoping my future self wasn't too much of an arse. I enjoyed not being dead, even if 'close to dead' meant I got free tea.

[][][][][][][][]

Lucina was... hard to find, to put it lightly. I'd walked the length and breadth of camp as it was broken down for transport, and nobody had seen or heard from her. I distantly recalled how she appeared in-game to say something during Emmeryn's execution, but I had been nearly dead at the time, so I didn't spot her.

The rations were easy to find at least. A wrapped-up satchel of dried meats, bread, and nuts, placed neatly at the back of a wagon. The name 'Marth' was printed cleanly onto a scrap of parchment, which in turn was stuck in the knot holding the ration satchel together. It was pretty clever, actually. Stepping out of the way of a rushing person in grey, I took a moment to look around the camp.

Vaike was arm wrestling with Sully on the table they were supposed to be carrying. Stahl was carrying a gigantic soup pot with Gregor's help, and Lon'qu was holding a single large spoon as he trailed behind them. I chuckled at the sight, continuing to scan the camp. Who could help me find Lucina?

Perfect. Panne, legs crossed, was sitting on top of a crate as she fiddled with her long brown hair, wrapping one of her long, floppy ears into a braid. As I approached, I realized that the tannish look she had in the game was actually a very light coating of fur over her whole body. Did it look like that in the game? Probably not. Shaking my head, I limped close enough for Panne to notice me.

Regarding me with her ruddy maroon eyes, Panne tilted her head. "Man-spawn," she greeted curtly, jerking her chin towards me, "What do you want?"

"Do people only come to you when they want things?" I mused, feeling just a little bad about it. "Or do you just not want to talk to me?"

Panne huffed, uncrossing her legs and dropping to the ground. "What do you want?"

"Fair," I agreed, waving the ration satchel with my free hand, "Anyways, I'm Andrew. Do you know where Marth is?"

Turning her head to watch me with one eye, Panne sniffed. "I am Panne. You are taking the food to the child, correct?"

Nodding, I leaned on my cane. "Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"

There was a long pause as she stared at me. Did I say the wrong thing?

"I have heard this phrase many times," Panne frowned, furrowing her brow, "How can I 'mind'? Man-spawn, my mind is in my head. It is not an action."

I couldn't help but chuckle, wincing as my stomach ached. "Sorry, sorry," I waved it off, "That wasn't at you. I was worried I'd made you angry somehow. Uh, anyways," I paused, trying to form an explanation, "When people ask if you 'mind', they're asking if it'd be annoying for you. If you don't mind, it means you're willing to do whatever it is they're asking, or let them do whatever it is."

"Man-spawn are strange," Panne concluded, "I will take you to the child. I do not... mind."

Something told me she didn't get out much.

[][][][][][][][]

When I heard the jagged, stifled sobbing from behind the rock formation, I asked Panne to stay behind.

It seemed like the right thing to do.

That changed when I rounded the corner, finding the puffy blue eyes of Chrom's future daughter looking back at me... and down the length of Falchion, which was levelled at my chest. "Whoah, hey," I said hastily, putting my one free hand up in surrender, "I'm just here with food... Marth."

She sniffed, looking me up and down, eyes catching on my cane before drifting back to my face. "...Andrew?" she whispered to herself, barely loud enough for me to catch.

Her voice obviously sounded familiar, but I was struck by how familiar it was. Lucina's voice actor probably was in something I watched, because I felt like I was expecting that voice out of several different faces.

I coughed again, feeling my cheeks heat once I realized I'd been spacing out. "I'm here with rations. Robin was worried about you."

Bright blue eyes glimmered with inner flame as Lucina regarded me with heart-twanging caution. Schooling her expression as she lowered the Falchion, Lucina furrowed her brow. "Who are you, good sir?"

Ah, so I wasn't supposed to hear her say my name. She didn't look like she was going to stab me, so I limped over to a rock and sat down on it. "Andrew," I offered, grunting as I shifted my weight, "Nice to meet you, Lucina. Here's the rations," I stuck out the satchel, looking her up and down. "You need to eat."

I met her blazing gaze for a moment, running my hand through my hair. Anxiety and empathetic aches twisted my gut as I really saw her: She looked nearly as skinny as Robin, all lean muscle and none of the baby fat one would expect on a happy child. Because she wasn't, and never would get to be.

"I know many things about the future, Andrew, including who you are. And I know not to trust you," she said cautiously, taking the satchel hastily, "But I know you are not a threat to me. Now, tell me: how do you know my name?" It was not a question: it was a demand backed by steel will and blue fire.

I stiffened, cursing under my breath. "I called you Lucina instead of Marth, didn't I?" I muttered, "And I think you know the reason. If you don't, my future self..." I trailed off, watching as her hand moved back to the Falchion. "I must've been a real piece of work, huh?"

Clearing my throat and rolling my neck, I let out another long sigh. "The answer to most of your questions, Lucina, is that I'm an Outlander," I echoed Naga's name for me quietly, hands tensing over my cane. "I'm not... from here. Not from Valm, or from Archanea, or from any other place you can sail or walk to." I had hoped I'd feel better for having said it- a load off my shoulders, and all that. I certainly didn't feel better, but I didn't feel worse either.

I paused for breath, eyes tracing the swirling wood grain on my cane. "But that doesn't really answer the question, does it. Your story- well," looking up, meeting her eyes, I gestured broadly to our surroundings. "This story is one I know quite well. I know you come from a future where Chrom and Robin failed to stop Grima's return, and that all the other children came with you. Just two days ago, I warned Robin about Emmeryn's execution. I-" my throat caught, head throbbing in time with my heartbeat.

"And I never told you any of this? I know that I lived long enough to spill the beans- er, to tell you the truth- but it seems ridiculous that I wouldn't tell you this stuff," I added quickly, breaking eye contact, "Guess I really was awful."

Levelling her gaze at me, Lucina furrowed her brow. "I believe you," she said, as if sounding out the words for the first time.

This whole conversation felt odd, but her hand was straying from Falchion, so I was doing something right. But if I couldn't convince her that I was telling the truth in spite of whatever I'd done in the future... well, Tiki believed me and I think Robin believed me. Or she thought I was crazy, but the good kind of crazy. "It's alright for you to not trust me, Lucina. All you need is to-"

"I said," Lucina stressed, tapping her foot and biting her lip, "I believe you."

Countless anxious possibilities showed themselves out the door and off a cliff as every train of thought derailed simultaneously. "Holy crap," I blurted, "You actually believe me? Lucina, up until a moment ago, I thought you were going to stab me. Not that you believing me is a bad thing," I added hastily, seeing her baffled expression, "But I kind of assumed you'd be harder to convince. What'd I do right?"

This time, when her hand returned to the Falchion, it was to drum her fingers on it. "Lady Tiki, the Voice of Naga, put significant effort into saving you," Lucina explained patiently, brushing a lock of blue hair aside, "And while I am dubious about you being an 'Outlander,' I see no reason to distrust anything else you have said."

She shuffled awkwardly as I digested her words, possibly staring intensely at her in the process. "That's very reasonable of you," I agreed, nodding along once I'd found my voice again, "That makes a lot of sense. Once again, Tiki saves the day."

At least four days in a row of Tiki saving the day, to be specific. I really needed to get her a thank-you gift of some sort. Possibly several, all very expensive.

Lucina winced, sniffing. "But it was not enough to change my aunt's fate, was it?"

And here I thought I'd distracted her from that. "Come on," I encouraged, waggling my cane at her, "Why so blue, princess?"

Her expression sharpened to a furious point, and for the second time that day, I had pushed the wrong button. "You dare-" Lucina sputtered, setting her ration down before stalking towards me. "My aunt is dead, Andrew."

I worked my jaw, looking away.

A stinging pain lashed across my cheek, sending me tumbling backwards off my rock. My stomach hurt nearly as much as when a javelin had been stuck in it, and my heart rang a strange, aching beat.

I spent at least a minute staring up at the sky, wincing as a raindrop hit me on the cheek. The same cheek Lucina had just closed-fist slapped, of course. "Ahh..." I groaned, "Did you just punch me? I probably deserved a slap, but man, that hurts."

"Oh, gods," Lucina stuttered, her head coming into view as she covered her mouth, "I'm not sure what came over me, Andrew. I didn't mean to-"

I forced out a chuckle, pushing the pain back down. "It's fine, it's fine," I lied, "Well, I can guess who your mother is now," I mused, thinking back on my memories of the game, "Would you mind helping me up?"

All things considered, it could have gone worse.

"What is this, eh?" Gregor barked, somewhere out of sight. "Strange blue-haired child attacked Andrew? Gregor is not liking this. Stand still, child, so Gregor may capture you!"

"Ughhhh," I groaned, "I need to stop jinxing myself."

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Author's Note:

Happy holidays, everyone! I nearly missed this update because of the holidays. This update is a bit scattered as a result, so please let me know if anything seems out of place. I'd really appreciate it!

Leave a review, let me know what you thought! Drop by the discord if you want: 9XG3U7a

Cheers,

Narwhal Lord