Birthright

"—have to do SOMETHING."

The cool breeze lingered across his features just long enough to bring the man to squint, blearily beginning to blink back the darkness as colors, lights, and sounds gradually took form. He very nearly lingered a few moments longer, there was something so serene about the Ylissean summer air...

"What do you suppose we do?"

"Uh... I don't know!"

The girl gasped, but Robin barely paid her blurred golden form any notice. The second voice had been different, deeper, and he knew that man, that man was important—

"I see you're awake now."

Robin could see him too, as vividly as ever, the green grassland and the early afternoon sky faded away into obscurity. The girl said something else, but her voice wasn't much more than a murmur now, faint enough to fade away into the wind, but even that was slipping away.

He blinked again and realized the man was holding out his hand. Robin made a mental note to work on the whole 'zoning out in the middle of conversations' thing, that was better left in the war tent. He reached back, firmly gripping the man's hand like a lifeline, and as they both opened their mouths to speak Robin knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was home—

"CHROM!"

Leo, who was decidedly not the man that had just helped Robin to his feet, watched him from the opposing side of wrought iron bars. "About time you rejoined the living. Not everyone would after being crushed by one ton of wyvern, so I suppose you deserve some credit."

Robin figured he was becoming something of an expert in unpleasant awakenings—if he hadn't already been, that is.

The cell was rather nice, as far as cells went. Robin was sitting up atop a simple mattress with a single sheet, but it was clean and perched on a frame rather than against the hard floor. A small tray on an end table carried some sort of scentless brown mush, a slice of bread, and a single glass of water. Beyond that, the fourteen-by-fourteen foot room was entirely bare. The same pitch-black stonework blanketed the area and the hall beyond, though of that Robin could see little. The only lighting seemed to be from some distant torch or lantern (Hopefully not one of those creepy busts...) beyond his immediate field of vision.

"So, I'm to be your prisoner?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "You attacked my retainer and held two members of the royal family at tomepoint. What do you think, tactician?"

Robin didn't consider himself quick to anger (though he didn't exactly have much to base that off of), but something about Leo's aloofness and faint edge of superiority was starting to get to him. Sure, Robin was the one in the cell, but he'd be damned if another tactician got the best of him so easily. Probably should cool it down a bit though, making terrible foes of foreign royalty is far from strategically sound.

Robin worked up a small smile and shrugged, turning to sling his legs over the side of the bed and face Leo. "You are royalty, then! In my defense, you all have this whole 'bad guy' look pretty nailed down. Black armor, eerie statues, darkened dungeons... no torture yet, so you get a point there."

Leo's brow furrowed for a brief moment, before sinking back into a cold mask. "You're not from Nohr. Where do you hail from, then?"

There's the chink in the armor. Robin shrugged again indifferently. "Not exactly sure. I'm an amnesiac. Woke up in your spooky murder-chamber aching like a wyvern dropped on me, overheard some not-so-veiled threats..." He chuckled. "And then a wyvern dropped on me."

Leo was pacing now, steady strides tracing a small circle afront the bars. "You claim to have just... woken up, within a secret military fortress? You claimed you were a tactician."

Robin poked experimentally at the brown sludge, scooping a bit onto the bread with a wooden utensil. "So this Dragon's Gate is both secret and of military significance? You're really digging your own grave here. Your dark, dark, evil grave." He froze, mouth half-full of muck as tasteless as it smelled. "This isn't ground-up babies or something, is it?" He dropped the plate to the ground, eyes wide in mock-horror. "Oh gods, am I eating babies?"

Leo spun and grabbed one of the cell bars in one hand. "Look, just— ugh," he huffed, at last betraying some emotion. "Let's start over. I am Prince Leo of Nohr. If you cooperate with my questioning and establish that you're no enemy to Nohr, I will see to your release. My sister's offer, or gods forbid the man who oversees this stronghold, will not be so lenient."

Robin paused for a moment, then nodded, picking up the plate and setting it back on its tray. Personal feelings and doubts of moral integrity aside, the known variable of Leo was certainly more appealing than Princess Scary-Axe-Lady or this Iago character. "As long as bodily harm is remaining off the table, I can tell you what I know. Which, ah, isn't much."

Leo stood straight, seemingly relaxing a bit as he regained control over the conversation. "You say you woke up with no memory as we found you, yet you are familiar with your profession. What else do you recall?"

Robin pushed back, legs straight out as he leaned into the stone corner of the cell. "Well, my name's Robin. I'm a tactician, we got that part down. I don't think I'm from around here, and—" He paused. "You took my cloak."

"I've never seen so many hexes on one item, and I'm not familiar with more than half. Where did you acquire it?"

"It's mine." Robin stared vacantly past Leo into the darkness. "I can't believe this. I really did wake up in the bad guys' evil lair. The tome is a weapon, I get that, you didn't have to take my cloak."

"Speaking of the tome," Leo began, ignoring Robin's protests. "The script is not of any known language—ancient, arcane, or otherwise. Your wards were more destructive than most. If only I had the opportunity to study them further..." He was beginning to sound more like a fascinated colleague than an evil jailer slash interrogator, but Robin was beginning to lose taste for the distinction.

"...What did you to my tome?"

Leo frowned. "It combusted when I attempted to access its raw mana directly. I preserved what I could."

"You blew up my tome?"

"It blew up itself."

"It was my tome, and you went and..." Robin was the one pacing now, throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis "...poked and prodded until it blew up!"

"If anyone is to blame, it is your past self for developing such excessive countermeasures."

Robin sighed and plopped back down on the bed, staring forlornly at Leo. "You failed the test. You're so overwhelmingly, truly evil I cannot risk further discussion, for fear you will use my vast intellect for further ill deeds. Like blowing up other people's private belongings." He leaned back into the moderately comfortable mattress with a great huff, closing his eyes. "You burnt off one of your eyebrows. Good day."

Leo sputtered, and Robin smirked at the mental image of him frantically rubbing a hand across his brow. Footsteps echoed down the hall for a few moments, then stopped.

"Robin."

"I have no words for you, evildoer."

"Who's Chrom?"

Robin's smile fell.

"I don't know."

"Lady Azura, might I ask our destination?"

It had been nearly an hour since the skirmish that had introduced her to the mysterious songstress. Lucina wasn't one for small talk and mercifully, it seemed neither was Azura. However, the comfortable silence had stretched to the point that Lucina's lack of knowledge concerning her situation was an issue she could no longer ignore.

Azura paused and turned to face her, the pair's trek halted overlooking another bizarre crack in the earth, reaching down into oblivion. "What makes you think I'm a lady?"

Lucina nodded in her direction. "Posture. You walk like a noble, I suspect it became second-nature at a young age."

"You didn't disguise your voice when you saved me. I suspect you began masking your face and identity only recently," Azura retorted with a soft smile.

Lucina froze. Perhaps she wasn't much of an actress after all—or Azura was particularly observant. Truthfully, if she was far from Ylisse and her father, there was little purpose in maintaining the charade—at least in a place like this, without bystanders, witnesses, spies. Yet as unruly as the butterfly mask was in combat, her understanding of this world left her far more blind.

She breathed deep, and made her choice.

"You have never heard of Regna Ferox? Plegia? Valm? Archanea?"

Azura frowned. "No. You must be far from home."

"I suppose I must be." Lucina stared into the horizon, taking in the sight of floating earth turning on its side as a small pond became a roaring waterfall. This place was alien indeed, but she could think of it as no less than beautiful. She reached to her face, carefully removing her mask. The hair stayed, it would be a nightmare to redo without Severa or Cynthia should the occasion arise. No good would come of those sorts of thoughts, now.

"Long ago, in my world, there lived a man named Marth. He faced great evils and ruled his people justly. They came to remember him as the Hero-King." She allowed herself a weary sigh, before pressing onward.

"Ylisse is not like this world. Death claimed it when I was a girl. Life withered, livestock died, the sun and stars could no longer pierce the ashen fog. With ships and ports destroyed, we never knew what became of Valm, or distant territories beyond. I wore this mask and took his name in hopes of wielding some small fragment of the strength he did, to defend his world."

Tucking the mask into a pouch, she straightened and turned to Azura.

"My name is Lucina. I am... ruling Exalt of Ylisse, though I suspect the title holds no weight here. Alongside my companions, and with the aid of the Divine Dragon, I attempted to travel to the past to prevent my father's death and save the world from annihilation." She deflated slightly, taking in a breath of untainted air. "In arriving here, it seems I have failed."

To her credit, Azura had little need for a mask to conceal her emotions—though the ripples of surprise broke the surface regardless. "You must forgive me, Lucina. It was thoughtless of me to pry. You bear a terrible burden and yet you press on, with hope in your heart. If this Hero-King was even half as strong as you... your people must be very lucky indeed."

Somewhat taken aback, Lucina could only nod in response. "You flatter me milady. I wish I could share your optimism." For some reason, this elicited a low chuckle from Azura.

"I mean it! I'm envious even, seeing what lengths you've gone to for your people. And besides, you said before we were equals. I'm... not royalty here, either."

Lucina didn't exactly consider herself a "people's person", but even she noticed the brief, dull flash in Azura's eyes before they steeled over once more.

"But enough of that. We should keep moving along the edge of this chasm, it's not safe to linger for long. I'll do my best to answer what questions I can. And if it's alright with you, I'd be interested to hear more about your journey."

Lucina wasn't sure if this was quite an appropriate time for smiling anymore, but she forced one nonetheless.

"To equality, then. Tell me more of the kingdoms of this world. Hoshido and Nohr?"

"...Men like this Garon no longer exist in Ylisse. It is unite or die—without cooperation, there is no survival. And tensions endure because of what... some forefather's ancient grudge?"

Azura nodded sagely. "Something like that. I will not pretend Hoshido is blameless. They have not always cared for the world beyond their own borders, and Nohr's lands aren't much for fertility. The legends say that when the world was young, the First Dragons played games of chance to divide the world amongst themselves. Two dragons bickered over the sun, and the victor became known as the Dawn Dragon. She brought the sun to Hoshido, while Nohr, the land of the Dusk Dragon, remains shrouded by darkness."

Lucina raised an eyebrow. "You say it is only legend?"

Azura shrugged in response. "I cannot say what is fact or fiction. But I lived in Nohr for many years, and the sun does not shine there. Their plight may not be as dire as your own, but..."

"It is familiar." Lucina finished. "I can sympathize, though it seems Hoshido has done little to earn such hostility in recent days. An attack at a peace conference... it's revolting. What I fail to understand is—"

"Ah, we've arrived."

Lucina glanced up, scanning the surrounding landscape. They were on the edge of one of the larger islands now—the two had briefly leaped across smaller chunks of rock to cross the void, much to Lucina's chagrin.

"What exactly have we arrived at?"

"You'll have to jump. I believe this place is somehow similar to the... void you traveled through. Certain spots link to the connecting point in the other world."

"The Bottomless Canyon. The border between Hoshido and Nohr, correct?"

Azura nodded again. "Yes. I know I'm asking a lot, for you to trust a stranger..."

Lucina nearly began to protest, then paused. "I'll have to jump."

"Yes. You should awaken on the edge of the canyon, the terrain is treacherous but—"

"You're not coming with me."

Lucina had thought Azura reserved at times before, but now she seemed to go entirely still—like a training dummy, or a phantom.

"I have business here."

"Then I will accompany you. I could not in good conscious leave you to fend for yourself against those creatures."

"You don't know what you ask. I know how to avoid them, and as you saw my song will protect me if stealth fails. This land is unfamiliar to you, and I will not have you risk yourself and the future of your people for mine!"

Azura froze, and took several steps back, letting out a deep breath.

Lucina sat down, taking the briefest moment to relish the feeling of soft earth and grass beneath her before patting the ground. "Your people?"

Azura's mask returned, and she did not sit. "You have your burdens. I won't trouble you with mine."

"Lucy, why didn't you wake me up for my watch?! You were supposed to get some shut-eye hours ago!"

"My duty is to Ylisse, Cynthia, and to you. A restless night is a small price compared to the suffering of my people."

"Our people, sis! Why d'you never listen? You're not in this alone."

"Azura, I have a feeling your burdens and mine are more similar then we realize. My father would not ignore a friend in need, and I will not disgrace his legacy in not doing the same."

The ice melted, if just a little and Azura gently lowered herself to the ground.

"...There is a curse. If you speak of this place, or what I tell you of it outside this world... you will vanish."

"Vanish? As in..."

"I have seen it happen."

Oh.

Well, she must have learned what she knows somehow.

Azura's breathing was evening out again, and Lucina considered if it was appropriate to make some gesture of support before she began to speak again.

"The calamity that befell your world... did something bring it about?"

Lucina nearly hesitated before nodding. She was just as reluctant to share the weight on her shoulders, but they had both lowered masks today. The least she could do was continue her effort in kind.

"The Fell Dragon, Grima. Its roar is a death knell for man, a scream that silences all hope. It was resurrected, consumed the souls of its followers... then all of Plegia. That was over ten years ago."

Azura gasped slightly, then made to cover her mouth. "You were a child."

Lucina nodded but did not meet her gaze. "And you?"

"This..." Azura paused, tongue hesitating for a long moment. "This is the kingdom of Valla. My mother spirited me away as it fell when I was very young. They were my people, and now most are dead. Even those who survived are afflicted by the curse—they don't remember where they came from." Now it was her turn to chuckle, bitterly. "A familiar burden indeed."

The Vallite princess flinched at the contact but did not pull away as Lucina rested her hand on her shoulder.

"Those... phantoms, they're—"

"Yes."

Lucina managed a smile she hoped was comforting. "Grima's minions are similar. Risen, we called them. Walking corpses."

"The Vallites... they serve Anankos, now. A creature that calls himself King."

"And that is why you linger?"

Azura nodded, twisting her lance absentmindedly through the soil. "At his full strength, Anankos would have laid waste to Nohr and Hoshido. A seal binds him to Valla, and so he operates through his army and subtle manipulations. My song that repelled the Vallites was passed down to me by my mother, alongside this pendant." She paused for a moment, thumbing the golden metal hanging from her neck. "Together, they can maintain the seal and return him to silence."

She let the lance fall to the ground and met Lucina's gaze.

"Time flows strangely in Valla, and Anankos stirs sooner with each song. Ultimately, I can't defy fate. Please, Lucina, jump. Find a way to return to your duty. My battle is a losing one."

Duty.

Every choice she had ever made had been for her duty.

To protect her friends. To save the world.

To change fate.

Lucina stood up, then after a moment reached to her belt. Falchion was drawn in a flourish of golden light before she knelt before Azura, embedding the blade in the earth.

"There is still life here, Azura. Hope is not lost until you reject it, and if I must face Anankos myself to prove it endures, I shall. By my father's blade, I pledge myself to your cause until the day it breaks."

Azura gazed up at her, seemingly caught entirely off-guard. "What about Ylisse? You friends, they—"

Small flecks of earth return to the ground as Lucina sheathed her blade once more. "I will never forget my friends, or my duty. They are the very culmination of my being, everything I strive for. But..."

She shook her head. The time for hesitation had passed.

"But until I can return, I will not sit idly by while this world can yet be spared the fate of my own."

She reached a hand down, which Azura gingerly accepted. "Anankos's tomb lies north, at the heart of Valla. Castle Gyges."

"Then that is where we shall go." Lucina managed another small smile. "There is time enough for hope, Azura. Anything can change."

three houses: no

fates rewrite: yes

I just don't own a Switch yet...

I had a really hard time getting started on Robin's PoV for this chapter, but ultimately I'm very pleased with how it came out - particularly his banter with Leo. And then we've got Lucina's PoV, which ended up a fair bit longer and more optimistic then I originally imagined it. Lucina's going through a lot of shit right now, and with how essential her duty is to her this won't be the straight turn-around it might appear to be. Nonetheless, even if she doesn't always see it herself she's a natural leader - and Azura works well as a more pessimistic foil.

I hope those of you that are reading enjoyed! I live and breath for comments and feedback, so that's always appreciated! Expect more Corrin and Robin in the next chapter. If you're interested, there's a serious amount of obscure references and hints as to the future scattered throughout these two chapters :)