(A/N: I know I'm hopping around time a little bit. Sorry ^.^' The previous chapter took place one or two days ago story-time, while this one's events overlap those in the 29th chapter—so this chapter and the 29th chapter happened at the same time.)

Lucina planned that, when the Mini Shepherds came back to the castle (well, Lucina, Morgan, and Owain returned—the others dispersed a bit outside of Ylisstol), she could go to her room for a little bit. She had hoped that the evidence of Marth's resolve would be gone by now; unfortunately, her arm still hurt a bit and the cuts weren't healed enough for her to simply ignore them.

When Chrom intercepted her on her way to her room, however, she knew her plans of hiding away wouldn't come to pass.

"Did you win?" Chrom asked. Lucina could tell he was trying not to be too excited—he always liked knowing how strong Lucina became—but the action mostly went in vain.

"Sadly, no," Lucina replied, making sure not to sound disappointed. "Mother or Morgan told you about those two mercenaries, I assume? Those two were our opponents, as well as Lon'qu. We went on for an hour or so; Morgan outlasted us all."

Chrom chuckled a bit. "That doesn't surprise me. But that aside, care to join me? I want to show you something."

Lucina nodded and smiled, only slightly mourning how it would affect her plans for the rest of the day. She followed him as he led her somewhere oddly familiar. When they got there, she realized why.

Falchion was kept in the basement-like area in the castle, as well as most of the other weapons that weren't used for training. Some may argue that such a sword should be displayed at all times—but Chrom never found it necessary to always have a sword in hand. There were times, yes, when Chrom would proudly carry the divine weapon, but those were the days of important events. When Lucina was younger—she could barely recall it, so she had probably been about six or seven—Chrom had led her down this very path to show her what she would later inherit. He had let her admire it for hours, her young mind fascinated by the sword and the stories Chrom told of it.

"I realized we never actually tested to see if you can wield Falchion," Chrom explained. "I decided to change that. Will you wait here for a few minutes? I'll pull out Falchion and an old training dummy."

Lucina nodded, and her father disappeared into the storage area. There was plenty of space for Chrom to then set up six training dummies, finally coming into view with Falchion in hand. The blade itself looked like it was brand new; but there were other parts of the sword—those that would need to be replaced over time—that looked a bit worse for wear.

That did not, however, change how Lucina took it reverently and handled it carefully. "I just hit those, correct?" Lucina asked, nodding towards the training dummies.

"Right," Chrom replied, nodding. "If you can wield Falchion, you should be able to cut through them effortlessly."

"…And if I can't?"

"It won't do so much as dent it."

Lucina sighed. "No, that's…not what I meant."

Chrom seemed taken aback at the statement. "What did you mean, then?" He asked.

"Falchion is such a prized sword," Lucina said. "It's an honor few people receive. Whether I can or cannot wield it would have been established at some point regardless, but if I can't use it…that would be disappointing for everyone, wouldn't it?"

"It's true that not many people can use it, even in our family," Chrom began, choosing his words carefully, "And I've only ever met one person who could wield it, aside from myself—there's another debatable candidate in there as well, although I never got to clarify if it was the case. But I firmly believe you can wield it—everyone else in the castle shares that belief. Even if you couldn't, it would be impossible for me to think less of you just because you can't use a sword."

"A divine, powerful sword that is one of Ylisse's greatest treasures," Lucina pointed out.

"You know I'm not good at this," Chrom said, sighing. "My point is, having the ability to wield Falchion or no, you're still my daughter. Nothing can change that; even if you decided to kill everyone you see, my opinion of you won't be swayed. First and foremost, you are my daughter and friend—much longer down the line do I consider you as merely a princess who needs to have specific abilities to rule with the public's consent. So pick up the sword, Lucina; regardless of the outcome, nothing will change for the worst."

"I've heard better cheer-up speeches from Frederick," Lucina remarked half-jokingly. She held Falchion a bit tighter, making sure her grip was firm. "But I suppose it can't hurt to try."

"That's the spirit!" Chrom replied, either glad that he didn't need to find ways to express his thoughts, or happy she wasn't doubting herself as much. "Feel free to try multiple times. The sword can be a bit finicky."

Lucina nodded, and struck the training dummy closest to her. To her surprise, Falchion cut through it so effortlessly, she thought she had missed—which meant that the extra force she had put into the strike only served to bring the sword swinging towards her.

Chrom anticipated it, grabbing her arm to stop the sword. Between the sudden force and how the pressure made the pain in the problem area flare for a few seconds, Lucina winced. This, along with a silent "ow" she didn't realize she said, made Chrom promptly let go.

"When did you get hurt?" He asked, half concerned and half apologetic.

"Training mishap back in Ferox," Lucina replied simply, only partially lying. "It's nothing to worry about, really. Just a few cuts."

"Well, just don't let your mother find out unless you're willing to say who you were sparring with," Chrom said. "But aside from that, we can honestly say now that you can wield Falchion. As a reward, how does extra dessert sound?"

Lucina laughed a little. "Father, I'm not a little girl anymore. Instead, how about we spend your next free day together?"

Chrom smiled warmly, and nodded. "Of course. For now, though, go ahead and rest up; I'm sure you're tired. I'll clean up here, then make sure you can nap in peace."

"Thank you, Father," Lucina said. She let him take Falchion back, although she debated helping Chrom put everything away. However, he seemed stubbornly willing to do the work on his own, and she left.