Chapter 1

Severa's first memory was vivid. She could feel the chill in the air as she'd awoken to the sound of her parents outside her door. She heard the creek of the floorboards as she'd stepped out of her bed.

"She's still too young," her mummy's voice.

"She's smart and talented, if we don't start now, we'll be wasting time," her daddy, his voice betraying a temper that he usually held under an iron grip.

"Robin, please, she can barely walk."

Severa remembered her indignance, she could run with ease.

"We need to let her be a child," her mummy continued, "if only for a short while, a little extra time won't matter."

"You were on guard that night," her daddy replied.

"Robin, please, not again."

"Chrom may never walk again," he continued.

"Robin, it was.."

"I was the one that set the defense that day and because of me Emmeryn is dead," he interrupted.

"We did as much as we could!"

"AND IT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" he roared.

Silence.

"We were responsible, we were trusted, and we weren't good enough."

If her mummy responded she didn't hear it over the sound tears.

"Can you say for sure that if you trained harder, you wouldn't have been able to stop the blade?"

A muffled "No."

"And if I didn't have these damned gaps in my memory, if I had studied harder, I could have saved her."

His voice was steadier now, as if a pressure had finally been released by his admission.

"They saved us, and we failed them. Our family owes a debt we can never repay," she could feel her daddy's hands stroking her mummy's hair, "We won't fail again."

Sobs and eventually blissful silence.

"We'll both train her." Her mummy's voice, determined. "We won't fail again."


"It's called Draughts," it wasn't her first memory, but it was close. She had been five, perhaps.

"Draughts?" Severa replied, with a weight that belied how little she understood.

"It's a game and we're going to play it every day," her daddy continued. "The rules are a little harder than what you're used to, so you'll need concentrate."

Severa nodded her head, she'd be the best at this game, no matter what.

She couldn't remember much of her life as a child, but she remembered every loss to her daddy.

"You were too aggressive again and you didn't see the trap I set on the fourteenth move," he chided, "I expect better of you Severa." She wanted to cry. No matter what she did it wasn't enough. No matter how hard she thought her father still beat her.

She'd lost track of the number of matches she had lost, at least one birthday had come and gone.

"You'll be teaching Morgan how to play soon," he said in a grim tone, "how can you teach your sister properly if you make mistakes like this?"

Severa forced back her tears, "I'm sorry daddy, can we play again?"

"What has your mother told you about that word."

Severa stop short, embarrassed at her mistake. "Little girls have daddies; young ladies have fathers."

"What are you?"

"A young lady." She didn't understand the difference, but it didn't matter.

"And what does that make me?"

"My father."

"Good. As for your question. No, we won't play again. Tomorrow you'll start learning a more difficult game."

She didn't understand, if she couldn't beat her father now, what hope did she have trying something harder.

She didn't understand, but the way she felt didn't matter.


Severa could feel the first time her mother hit her. A ball of steel jammed in her gut.

She felt herself wretch, heaving out food that wasn't there.

"You were too defensive. You let me lead you where I wanted. If this were real, you'd be dead." Her mother's voice betrayed no compassion. Gone was the easy smile, the warmth.

Severa looked up, she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

"It isn't enough to be good Severa, good will get you killed," her mother paused, her expression changing slightly, concern briefly crossing her eyes. It was gone in a moment. "Take five minutes to catch your breath and we will continue. I don't want to catch that mistake again. You're almost seven years old now and you need to set a good example for Morgan."

She coughed again, was that blood?

It didn't matter.


She considered her options. She was going to lose the game in five moves.

"That was better," she looked up from the board, struggling to compose herself. She would not smile at the praise. "Where do you think you lost Severa?" It was her father's ritual now. After every game they would break down where she'd gone wrong.

"It was the defense you made with your pawns," she said slowly, as if her father would betray his reaction before she was finished. "I couldn't manoeuvre around it."

"And what do you think that means?"

This was new.

"Means?" she questioned.

"What is the game trying to tell you?"

Severa paused, the pawns were the weakest pieces on the board. She often got frustrated with having to move them instead of playing with her favourites. But perhaps…

"That the weakest pieces have a purpose."

She hadn't seen her father smile at her in a long time.

"You're almost right," Severa frowned. Almost wasn't enough, good wasn't enough. "Every piece has value, as an attacker, as a defender, even as a sacrifice. A good tactician takes time to understand their strengths and weaknesses, but a great tactician understands that those strengths and weaknesses can be turned to dust with the right positioning and timing."

Severa nodded. She understood. At least she thought she did.

"Tomorrow you'll start playing Draughts with Morgan before your games with me. You're to teach her every trick and every strategy you know."

"Yes father," she grinned. She loved being with her sister, she felt so smart.

"Remember, as a teacher, you exist for your student. The only person that matters is Morgan."

Ah.

Of course, she didn't matter.


She felt her feet come out from under her, her thrust going wide as she toppled.

"What did you do wrong?" her mother demanded.

"I followed you too quickly and got my spacing wrong," she replied briskly, as she got back to her feet.

"Why?"

"I thought you were open,"

"Why?" her mother was unrelenting.

"You seemed to be off balance; I've not seen anything like it before though."

"You're correct." Severa beamed, a rare correct answer. "I've not taught you anything about such a feint before."

The youngster pondered for a moment, "But how can I beat you if I don't know that move?"

Severa thought she caught a smile from her mother. But that was impossible, her mother never smiled in training. "A good warrior learns every thrust, parry and feint they can." Cordelia paused, as if she were reciting her favourite line. "But the best warriors make their own, I've not taught you that feint because it didn't exist until a moment ago."

The young lady took a moment to marvel. How could she ever compete with that?

Her mother crouched down in front of her. "You did well today Severa, but you still have farther to go. One day you'll guard the royal family and every moment will bring new struggles and challenges. It will take every ounce of skill you have to keep up and even then, it might not be enough."

Her mother stood up again but continued to look down at her daughter. "Remember little one, our family owes a debt to them that can never be repaid. Nothing, nothing in the world matters more to us than them."

Severa nodded, of course. She didn't matter.


The first good memory that Severa could pick out came when she was eight.

"We're seeing the Exalt?" she had questioned excitedly.

"Yes Severa, just you and me." Her mother briefly fussed over her hair, "When we get there you must be on your best behaviour," she continued. "If you're especially good you'll get to meet the princess and her younger brother."

And so Severa had been perfect. Not as perfect as the older redhead of course, where she'd been smart, Cordelia had been insightful and witty, eliciting delighted laughter from the Exalt, Uncle Chrom, as he demanded to be called. A tall man, he projected confidence. It felt like he could bear the weight of the world and never buckle. But he walked with a very slight limp, Severa was certain. He disguised it, as if it would destroy the image he was trying to cultivate, but she'd been trained, and she knew a weakness when she saw it.

He and his wife, Aunt Olivia, had been surprised to see her execute a perfect bow, introducing herself as Severa of House Luna, before demanding that she do away with any further formalities. They'd remarked on how pretty she was and marvelled at how polite she had been.

"Our Inigo would do well to learn from you," Olivia had told her, dazzling her with a smile that brightened the room, "he causes no end of mischief, even under his sister's eye."

Aunt Olivia looked to her mother, "Cordelia, would you mind if I introduced Severa to Lucina and Inigo? I know matters of state are important, but I think she'd find them terribly boring, especially when she could be playing with children her own age."

Her mother glanced at her, as if weighing her performance over the day thus far in a moment that stretched for an eternity. She nodded, "Yes, I'd very much like for them to be friends."

Severa kept herself composed as she'd been taught, but she wanted to scream with joy. It had been enough; she'd been good enough.

A servant escorted her through the castle, her mother had told her quietly to remain on best behaviour before leaving the knight to speak with Uncle Chrom.

Severa could feel her heart pounding, what if she wasn't good enough for them? What if they hated her? The walls of the castle felt a little bit too close for comfort and she felt her breath quicken. Why was this walk so long? Why couldn't she just go home and train with Morgan and her father inste-.

The servant stopped, knocking on a door. "Princess Lucina, I have a guest here for you."

An almost musical voice replied, "Please come in."

The door opened.

Even then there was something special about Lucina.

Where her father and mother could take command of a room through sheer force of will and where it felt like Uncle Chrom with a few words could inspire an army, Lucina would never need to. She made people feel safe with a glance. She stirred loyalty with a look.

Even then, Severa felt her mouth go dry.

Panic.

How could she compare to the older girl? What could she even say to someone so regal?

She fell to one knee.

"My name is Severa of House Luna, I am your blade to command my Princess."

She said it on instinct. Those words drilled into her mind by her mother's training.

She'd expected to be laughed at or at the very least dismissed for being so formal. She could feel the weight of Lucina's eyes on her.

And yet, laughter was not the response, nor embarrassment, nor consternation.

"As you are my blade, my honour is your shield. Now rise and serve," she started breathing again. The walls slowly pulled away.

And she looked up, up at the beautiful smile that truly belonged to Aunt Olivia's daughter, a memory she would never forget.

"Please stand, I am Lucina and this," The blue haired girl moved slightly, revealing a head capped by oddly lustrous grey hair, "is my younger brother Inigo. It is our pleasure to meet you."

"I.." she paused dumbly, "I'm Severa."

Lucina laughed, even for a child, it was musical, "As you said," she turned, revealing more of her brother's head, "It's okay Inigo, say hello."

"Hi, I'm Inigo," was about all he managed before ducking his head back again.

Severa had never met a boy quite so shy and yet, that helped put her at ease a little.

What helped more was Lucina, who bade her to sit down and then gently, ever so gently began to pry answers out of her, about her life, her interests, everything.

Severa didn't understand why. Her terse, often monosyllabic, answers had driven the few children she'd met away over time and yet, they didn't put off Lucina for a moment. Faced with a brick wall she still found cracks and wormed her way through. She found herself giving out more detail, not because she felt forced, but because she wanted to. She didn't want to disappoint this kind, curious girl in front of her.

The princess chuckled with delight when the younger girl mentioned that she enjoyed chess. "I didn't think anyone, but Inigo and I played! At least, not of our age. I think Owain, my cousin" she added, as if that made anything clearer, "knows the rules, but he never had the patience for the game."

"My father taught me," she replied. In truth, she didn't know if she enjoyed chess, but it was one of the only games she knew how to play and she wanted the blue haired girl to think her to be at least somewhat interesting.

"Uncle Robin," Severa's eyes went wide, "Oh you know him? Well, he's the one that taught me and my father. I've only managed to beat him a couple of times, but I don't think I'm too bad."

She knew Severa's father? She'd beaten father at chess? How was that possible? "My father, Robin's my father," the redhead choked out. Playing every day, Severa had never got close and this girl casually mentioned winning multiple times?

Lucina seemed as surprised, "He never mentioned he had a daughter," was all she managed.

Of course, he never mentioned, she didn't matter. How could she matter compared to a girl like this?

"Well, I expect then that his daughter would be no less brilliant. Inigo, would you mind fetching the board please?" she gestured to her brother, who quickly ran to grab a small pack from beneath a bed.

She was going to disappoint another person. She was going to fail again when Lucina realised that Robin's daughter was nowhere near as good as her father. She was going to ruin everything, and they'd never speak to her again.

She played anyway, because she couldn't bear to refuse the girl in front of her.

The board was beautifully made, with pristinely carved figurines. The king of white was a mirror of Uncle Chrom, sword held aloft heroically. His queen, Aunt Olivia, arms raised in what appeared to be some sort of dance.

Every figure was identifiable, Severa was shocked to see her father's face as the bishop of white, although the kind expression it held was nothing like the stern figure she'd grown to know. She couldn't see her mother represented on the board however, chess didn't really have an analogue for a Pegasus.

Severa chose to play from the disadvantage of the black side though, so that when she inevitably lost, she could at least save some face.

Her King was a gaunt man sporting a sword she'd once seen her father wear. It must be Gangrel she thought idly. She didn't know much of the Plegian leader but she knew her father and mother had fought in the war against him. Still, perhaps it was apt that she be set against her father once again.

As Lucina took her first move the redhead's focus fell to the game. The princess played aggressively it seemed, contrasting Severa's more defensive approach. She liked to trade pieces for position where possible, trying to open the game up and let her queen do the heavy lifting.

Yet, her play often didn't make sense. Severa couldn't understand what was happening. Severa noticed a fork in three moves deep into the game but opted to ignore it. There was no way a player of the princess's calibre would make a mistake like that; it had to be a trap of some sort, so instead she continued to play cautiously.

And that was the younger girl's downfall. Lucina's play bled her of positioning and with her advantage from playing first Severa eventually fell to defeat, conceding when it became clear she couldn't win.

Severa waited for the chastisement, braced herself for the lecture on everything she'd done wrong, but it never came. Instead, she was greeted with that smile. That radiant, reassuring smile as Lucina exuded delight over her victory.

"I thought you had me so many times, but I managed to wriggle myself free! Severa you were amazing! I'd dearly love to play against you again."

"Th..thank you Lucina," Severa managed to stammer out. It's okay, she tried to convince herself. You lost, but it's okay. It wasn't okay. She wasn't okay. She needed to get out. She stood abruptly, "I need some air, thank you Lucina."

She walked out the room, down the corridor. She was running. She finally found her way to a balcony. She sat down and tried to breathe.

She didn't know how long she was there, praying for the sky to stop closing in on her, praying for the memory of her embarrassing herself in front of the princess to go away.

It wouldn't.

"You could have beaten her you know?"

She jolted, looking at the source of the comment.

Inigo was at the window; she could swear that was the longest sentence she'd heard from him all day.

He sat down next to her. He didn't seem quite as shy. "You had her, multiple times and just let her go."

She shook her head, "I didn't, they were traps, I would have sprung one and lost."

Inigo quietened as if considering her statement.

"She's just person, you know. The same as you and me," he said after a while. "People think she's something more than that, but I know that's not true." Severa frowned.

He paused again, as if trying to find words that were just beyond his reach.

"Aunt Cordelia is waiting for you in farthest room down the hall. I don't think you should keep her waiting," he said, staying in place as she stood up.

"I think you're special Severa," Inigo whispered as she departed. The redhead laughed bitterly.

She opened the door to her mother.

Cordelia didn't look pleased.

"You embarrassed our hosts. I expect better out of you Severa."

"Yes mother."

"You will resume training tomorrow."

"Yes mother."

"And Severa,"

"Yes mother?"

"You would do well to follow Lucina's example."

"Yes mother."

She'd embarrassed herself, her mother and the Exalt.

But it was the first time she had ever seen that smile.

Notes:

This is ongoing! Unsure how many chapters it will be but I've got three written and more coming along.