Part I

1. Lucina

5 years old

The younger princess of the house of Ylisse was known as Nina. From time to time, her father also called her Lucy; and people around the castle, nurses and maids and men in boots who walked around with big lances, called her Little Lucina after her sister. Her father once told her that there had been a mistake and that she and her sister had both been born with the same name. Because that was confusing, he called her Nina (not Lucy, anymore), which was her own name, and anybody who was close to her would know to call her that. But not everybody knew, so if anybody – especially somebody from outside the castle – called her Lucina, she was still supposed to answer.

Nina didn't mind this, since she liked her sister, who was tall and pretty and grown-up enough to be married and live outside of the castle. She liked it when Lucina visited, because her sister would always give her a gift: pressed flowers from the cliffs near Mount Prism, or a little flutter-bird from a watchmaker in Regna Ferox, cold to the north. But Nina also liked it when Lucina visited because they and Father and sometimes her brother (if he was in the city) would all have dinner together, and then sit around the fire in her father's study, and she would be allowed (as she usually wasn't) to play with her gift on the desk and climb on the chairs while her father and siblings talked. And she would play at going on adventures like climbing Mount Prism or meeting a bird from Ferox cold to the north, just like her sister had, and like she would someday too.

One time when Lucina visited it was their birthday. Her brother Morgan had once said that they were twins because they were born on the same day. Nina liked that, that she and her sister shared something special besides their names.

On the day of the party, Nina waited and waited for her sister to arrive. When she finally came, it was almost lunch. Nina ran clear across the garden from where she'd been watching the decorations be put up in the castle, then went down the patio, up the stairs, and to the balcony where she'd seen her sister walking with her husband.

Lucina was towards the back, near a column. Nina kept running forward and hugged her. "Sister!"

"Ah..." Lucina moved back a little, then put her hand very lightly on Nina's shoulder. "It's good to see you well, Nina. Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday too! Did you bring a gift today?"

Lucina smiled. "As a matter of fact, I did. Inigo, you have it, don't you?"

Inigo held up his hands, and Lucina frowned; but then he grinned towards Nina and pulled a small box from behind his back like magic. Nina laughed.

He presented the box to her sister. "Here we go, a lovely gift for the lovely birthday girl."

Lucina took the little box and slid off the top, then took out a small something wrapped in cloth and gave it to Nina. Inside the cloth was a comb that glittered blue and gold.

"Whenever I see you, you're dressed so plainly," said Lucina. "I thought you would like something pretty to wear in your hair."

Nina never really thought about wearing things in her hair, but now that she had something for it she would. "It's pretty," she said, because it was; but also because that's what you had to do, say something good about gifts. "And it's blue. I like blue."

"I thought you would. That's your favorite color, isn't it?"

Nina nodded. "And I got you something, Sister, because we're twins." She dug into the pocket of her play-apron.

"Twins? Who told you that?"

"Morgan." Nina found the stem and pulled out the gift for Lucina. "Here!"

"Oh, it's lovely," said Lucina, taking the violet flower in her hands. It had gotten a little bit squished in the apron, but she didn't seem to mind. "Is this from the garden?"

"Yes! From under the big tree. That one was the prettiest."

"Thank you, Nina." Lucina put the stem of the flower behind her ear. "I think I'll wear this in my hair, too."

Inigo brushed the side of her sister's arm. "Speaking of Morgan, will he be here?"

Lucina turned to him. "Last I heard of him, he and Owain were in West Ferox. They say they haven't given up searching Plegia, but the heat makes travel unbearable this time of year."

"Huh. Not that I was looking forward to, ah, potentially being buttonholed by your cousin, but I would think Morgan would at least take a break to attend for once. Wasn't it just over a year since you last saw him?"

Lucina frowned. "Come on. He's always sent something. It's not as though he's ever around for his own birthday, either."

"I'm just pointing out –" He lowered his voice, but Nina could still hear. "It's nearly been four years. Lucina, do you think that even Chrom still believes –?"

Footsteps behind them on the balcony made Inigo stop. Lucina smiled. "Father!"

Nina watched as her sister went across the balcony to hug him. She got to be the one to do it first because she had been away for a long time. Today he was wearing shiny armor and a cape. When he let go of Lucina he started talking to her, so Nina decided she had to run up to him to make him realize she was there too.

"Oof!" he said when she grabbed him about the legs. "If it isn't Nina. I was looking for you."

Inigo followed. "Your Grace."

"Inigo." Her father nodded.

Nina held up her comb. "Look at what Lucina got me."

"Did she? That's a fine gift. Did you thank her?" Nina nodded, and her father patted her on her head. "You'll have to be changed. We're going to go out on the front balcony soon."

Nina pulled at her play-apron. "Do I have to see all the people?"

Lucina laughed. "Perhaps you shouldn't have told her. I always remember being so nervous before presenting myself."

"I'm not nervous," insisted Nina.

"That's good." Lucina knelt beside her. "Here, let me put your comb in your hair." Nina gave her the comb and turned around, and her sister started pulling back the hair around her forehead, first one side and then the other. "Everybody who will be standing below there is one of your subjects, so you should smile and wave to as many people as possible. Knowing their princess is happy with them makes them happy, also." There was the cool metal of the comb against the back of Nina's head, then her sister's hands stopped. "You'll do us both proud, won't you?"

Nina turned around. "Are you coming out, too?"

Lucina shook her head. "This is a day just for you, Nina."

"But it's your birthday, too."

"Lucina's going to be having her own celebration tomorrow," said Inigo. "We came today to see yours."

"But don't expect to see much of me at the actual party, all right?" said Lucina. "The journey was tiring, and I want to rest in the castle tonight."

"Can I see you after dinner, then?"

"Yes," said her sister. "You can find me after dinner."

The bells rang, one, two, four, too many times for Nina to keep count. Her father took her hand. "We need to go. Come on, Nina. I'll bring you to your nurse."

Lucina hugged Nina and Father again, and then she and Inigo waved as they went back into the castle. Nina waved back at them lots.

When they were in one of the halls, her father moved her to the side near a painting and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know you want to be able to do things with your sister, but you have to understand that she came to us differently than you," said Father. "Do you remember what I told you about how Lucina and you have the same name?" Nina nodded. "When your mother and I met Lucina, she was already an adult. So was your brother. At that time, we had only recently had you, and named you Lucina. We had no idea these other children of ours were going to come and find us. Does that make sense?"

Nina nodded.

"Your sister is your sister, and your brother is your brother, even if we didn't meet them until they were older. But that's not how people normally have children, and without seeing them born, the people of Ylisse might not have accepted them as the prince and princess. So your siblings and I decided that it would be best for them to live their own lives outside Ylisstol."

"Why couldn't you say they were the prince and princess?" asked Nina. "You're the Exalt, so everybody would have to agree."

Her father shook his head. "This is...an incredibly unusual situation, Nina. Even though I am the Exalt, not everybody would have believed me. So that's why you should also be careful about saying things about your brother or your sister to people who may not know them, such as many of the people who will be at your celebration today."

"Is that why Lucina can't come?"

"Yes, I think that's why she wants to avoid it. But she also wants you to have your own life, since you'll be the one growing up as a princess. Tonight – and outside soon – there will be many people addressing you as Lucina. But no matter what they call you, you're still Nina." He squeezed her shoulders. "All right?"

She didn't mind the difference, but it sounded really important to Father, so she nodded. "All right."

He took her hand again, and they had to almost run to get her to her room, where her nurse fussed over how her hair had already been put up, how was she going to get anything over this girl's head now, and ended up taking it out and redoing it after. Then Nina went back out to her father and walked with him to the balcony on the front of the castle, where below were so many people standing and cheering. And when her father let her up onto a little stool so she could see, she began to wave the way she'd been taught, and smiled to as many people as she could, and they all clapped and cheered again and called her Lucina.

A/N: The localization of Fates was released as I was in the middle of writing the first draft of this whole thing (yes, that long ago.) Changing Eponine's name to "Nina" in that is somehow still the worst thing NoA has ever done to me.