Lady in Waiting Chapter 5: The Lord of the Fortress, a fire emblem fanfic

Lady in Waiting

By psychored1911

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or Fire Emblem Fates

Chapter 5: The Lord of the Fortress

"..."

Felicia and Marth sat opposite one another, watching the bonfire they made erase the darkness that surrounded them. The silence was only broken by the crackling of the burning wood, its warm light providing them a slight comfort into the unknown.

"So… what do you do for fun?" Felicia asked hesitantly, hoping to make some small talk with this new acquaintance of hers.

"..." A few moments of silence passed before Felica realized that Marth wasn't busy thinking of an answer, she either did not have an answer or was not wanting to talk. Either way, Marth did not speak, and only looked back at Felicia with an unreadable expression.

"Ah… okay… I guess I don't have many hobbies either." Felicia nervously chuckled, looking away while scratching her head. "I'm usually so busy because I'm usually helping out in the Fortress… or trying to, at least. Ooh, I started cooking, er, not the usual stuff, I'm actually bad at that. However, I did come up with this new thing when I accidentally froze this barrel full of milk-"

"I haven't played this in a long time."

"Eh?"

While Felicia was rambling on, Marth had pulled out a dusty, old board game from her pack, offering it to her.

"...Do you want to play?"

The drawbridge went down, and the two carriages went into Northern Fortress.

The carriages were then parked in the Fortress Courtyard, flanked by multiple servants, leading all the way into the main entrance.

Awaiting the passengers aboard was none other than the Lord of the Northern Fortress, the Second Prince of Nohr.

"CORRIN!"

Elise excitedly leapt off the carriage and threw herself into her brother's welcoming arms.

Corrin embraced his little sister, almost lifting her out of the air, before putting her back down. "I was waiting for you to arrive. I take it you messed up big time in front of Xander again?"

"Camilla, actually." Leo corrected, stepping off the carriage and giving his elder brother a hug. "So, I take it the messenger arrived before us?"

"Yep, just earlier today, in fact." Corrin grinned. "So, Xander has seen fit that I punish you guys until my birthday."

"Leniently?" Elise asked hopefully.

"Creatively."

Leo could already feel a pit forming in his stomach. "Corrin, you and I both know you don't have the stomach for cruelty."

"Oh, I'm not going to be cruel." Corrin said with a mischievous grin before pointing at the aging knight behind him. "Gunter can do it for me."

Gunter, who had been standing quietly behind Corrin, stepped forward. "I wouldn't use the word 'cruel', sire. But I do admit discipline is in order for Lord Leo and Lady Elise." Both Leo and Elise's faces dropped at that as fear began pumping through their veins. However, Corrin didn't let them stew in that feeling for long.

"Then it's settled." Corrin clapped his hands together. "But that's for tomorrow. You must be tired. Bring your stuff to your rooms and we can get ready for dinner."

"Oh, that reminds me." Leo cut in. "We invited Cassita to come with us for your birthday."

Corrin lit up. "You brought Cassita? I thought she retired."

"Yeah, but we invited her for your special day!" Elise grabbed ahold of one of his arms and dragged him to one of the carriages, where Effie and Arthur were helping Cassita out of the carriage, while Selena, Odin, and Laslow were unloading all the luggage, the latter three giving him a short friendly salute before going back to their duties.

As soon as she was safely on the ground, Cassita thanked the two retainers and quietly bowed to the Second Prince. "Ah, Lord Corrin. It has been too long."

"No need to stand on ceremony with me, Cassita." Corrin hugged the former nursemaid. "We're practically family in all but name and blood."

Cassita tousled Corrin's hair. "I have been wondering what Lilith and the others were up to once I hung up my apron."

"They're taking good care of me, I assure you." Corrin told her.

"Well, they better not be spoiling you, Corrin." Cassita put her hands on her hips. "You're still a Prince of Nohr; you must be sharp for your country's sake. Especially Lilith and Felicia; those two are even softer on you than Flora and Jakob."

Elise's head whipped up. "Oh, right! I almost forgot!" She scampered over to Corrin. "Corrin, we saw Felicia up the road earlier."

That got Corrin's attention. "Felicia? Oh, gods, is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine, but her wagon lost a wheel a bit less than an hour away from the Fortress." Elise told him. "Don't worry, though. We left her with our newest knight, Marth. Don't worry, she's cool and awesome and you're gonna totally love her!"

"A new knight? Xander knows how to pick them, I guess." Corrin shrugged. "I'll send another carriage and some men as soon as I can."

"Milord," Flora, one of Corrin's most loyal maids, stepped forward. "I volunteer to pick up my sister."

"Nonsense," Jakob, Corrin's most loyal butler, also stepped forward. "I wish to pick up Felicia myself."

"Because you wish you could come with me?" Flora asked hopefully.

"Because you will go too easy on Felicia for her failure." Jakob answered curtly.

Flora recoiled in offense. "Her wagon breaking down in the middle of the road is hardly her fault, Jakob."

"Oh, please. I'm surprised she didn't somehow destroy a wall by this point." Jakob deadpanned.

"Need I remind you that you were the one who goaded her into running this errand in the first place?" Flora stated, her eyes twitching in irritation.

"Both of you, cut it out. You're in front of guests."

In an instant, the two stopped bickering and stood to attention as the head maid, Lilith, stepped forward and scolded them for their behavior.

"Thank you, Lilith." Corrin said politely as Lilith curtseyed back. He turned his attention back to his other two servants. "Flora, Jakob, both of you take whoever and whatever you need, just make sure Felicia and this new knight Marth comes back safely."

"Yes, milord."

Flora and Jakob made themselves scarce, while Lilith walked closer and curtseyed politely. "Miss Cassita. It's been too long. Will you be retaking your former position as head maid for the duration of your stay?"

Cassita shook her head. "Nah, it's your show now, Lilith. Just gimme a spare apron so I can help out. I don't wanna be a burden on the Fortress."

"As you wish, Miss Cassita." Lilith bowed and stepped back.

"I wanna take a nap. It's been too long of a day." Leo groaned.

"Me too." Elise yawned and stretched her limbs. "

"Where do you two think you're going?" Corrin reached and grasped his little siblings' heads. "You are my children now."

"...Corrin," Leo deadpanned as he slowly turned to their elder brother, ignoring their younger sister's snickers. "Your impression of father sucks."

"And now things are going to suck for you." His smile widened. "You two forgot to bring in everyone's bags to their respective rooms."

The two youngest Royals look back at the carriage, where Selena, Odin, Laslow, Effie and Arthur were unloading in an almost clockwork fashion, the amount of luggage that the collective brought with them.

Leo's shoulders sank. "...Aw, Jeez."

"Do we have a choice in this?" Elise asked hopefully.

"Nope."

Corrin snapped his fingers. In an instant, Lilith came back with a pair of uniforms, wrapped in packing paper, stacked on top of each other, while smiling placatingly.

"Put these on first." Corrin ordered, trying his best (and failing) not to laugh.

Leo's jaw dropped. "You're out of your mind."

"Oh, what's this? Insubordination? From a new hire? On your first day as well?" Corrin teased.

"Oh, gods. You're still mad about last year's birthday, aren't you?" Leo facepalmed, muttering inaudibly under his breath. "Fine, we're going!"

He took one of the uniforms without even looking and stormed inside, with Elise following his example.

Lilith turned to the door, waiting for Elise to close the door behind her before nudging Corrin's shoulder with a wide grin. "They're gone, milord."

In an instant, Corrin turned away from Lilith, and nodded at Gunter, who put two fingers to his lips and let out a whistle while the former two stifled their shared laughter.

Two knights, who were clearly giggling under their helmets, each carried a very heavy-looking bag and put them conspicuously next to the rest of the luggage before shushing the baffled retainers and stepping back in line.

This did not go unnoticed by Cassita, who opened the bags in curiosity… before quickly closing them shut and covering her mouth to suppress her laughter. "Oh, you troublemaker!"

This was going to be a fun three weeks.

"...Sorry for drawing my sword at you."

"O-Oh, well... sorry for drawing my knife at you."

Felicia and Marth awkwardly apologized to one another as they played the board game Marth brought.

It was a rather simple game. An 8x8 grid and these two-sided pieces, one white and one black. The goal was to flip over the opponent's pieces and have more of one's own color by the time the board is filled up. It was fun, Corrin would probably love it...

And Marth… It's not like she was bad at the game, far from it. It's just that… she had an incredibly easy tell. Felicia noticed Marth smiling if she was about to make a bad move and seemed about to tear up if she was about to make a good move. Every time. Without fail. For the latter's sake, Felicia threw every other game just to let Marth have a victory… mostly by avoiding eye contact, but still. She almost felt bad for the poor woman in that regard. Whoever played a game against her must've been having the time of his or her life. Or laughing at her. Whichever came first.

"Your skill with a sword nearly gave me a heart attack, in more than one sense of the word." Felicia giggled. "Who taught you how to fight like that?"

"...I was instructed by my father for a bit… the rest I picked up along the way." Her voice trailed off, her eyes seeming a bit vacant.

Felicia nervously leaned over and tapped her shoulder. "Marth? You okay?"

Marth blinked. "I'm sorry, was I taking too long?"

"Oh, no. Take your time." Felicia giggled uncomfortably, allowing Marth to make her move and flip many of the pieces black.

"...So, you work at the Northern Fortress?" Marth asked, awaiting Felicia's turn.

"Oh, yes. I work as a maid alongside my sister Flora!" Felicia proudly stated, putting down another piece and turning more pieces white. "It's just the best! I just love Lord Corrin!"

"..." Marth just paused and stared at Felicia.

Felicia then noticed her slip and her face turned red. "I-I mean, I love working for Lord Corrin! Y-Yes, that's right! And the Fortress! I love everybody there! Flora, Lilith, Gunter, Jak… okay, maybe not Jakob but we're still (probably) friends and work really well together!"

"..." Marth still stayed silent, opting to gaze into the depths of Felicia's soul.

At this point, Felicia wished Marth just killed her earlier and spared her from this embarrassment.

"...Okay." And then Marth dropped the topic entirely and took her turn.

"Eh?" Felicia was taken aback.

"What?" And now Marth seemed confused. "Lord Corrin sounds like a worthy employer if you have such a high opinion of him."

...At this point, Felicia was wondering if Marth was just dense, not that she was complaining.

The two continued playing the game for a while until they heard something approach them from the direction of the Fortress.

"..." Cautiously, Marth stood up and stood in front of Felicia, drawing the Falchion cautiously with one hand and the other covering Felicia, prompting her to stay behind her. A voice rung out in the darkness.

"Felicia!"

The aforementioned maid looked up and saw a carriage flanked by a small unit of soldiers on each side. And the one driving the carriage was being driven by none other by…

"Flora!" Felicia exclaimed excitedly.

"Ehem."

Felicia suddenly deflated. "...And Jakob."

The butler, Jakob, scoffed, glancing at the wagon and its three wheels. "So, how did the disaster happen this time?"

The other maid, Flora, narrowed her eyes. "Jakob, be nice."

"I am being nice." Jakob stated. "I'm just wondering how she messed up."

Marth leaned over to Felicia's ear. "Is he always like this…?"

"...Yeah. He's abrasive to pretty much anyone who isn't named Lord Corrin." Felicia sighed. "You'll get used to it."

"Really?"

"...Mostly." Felicia visibly steeled herself before returning eye contact with the butler. "The wheel broke, alright? It must've snapped under the weight."

Jakob got off the seat and asked the men following them to transfer the cargo to the other, sturdier-looking wagon. "Next time you should've brought this one instead of that one."

Felicia visibly grit her teeth, forcing as much of a smile as she could. "Duly noted."

"Would it kill you to be nice to her? It wasn't her fault to begin with." Marth sheathed her sword and glared at Jakob.

"And you are?"

"You may call me Marth. I work for Lady Elise." She maintained eye contact with the rude butler as she cleaned up the board game they were playing.

Felicia perkily pointed at her with her thumb. "She's cool, guys. We can trust her. She has the Felicia seal of approval~!"

"Your seal of approval would only mean it is in need of idiot-proofing." Jakob snarked.

Flora smacked him upside the head before addressing the knight herself. "It's nice to meet you, Marth. My name is Flora. Thank you for taking care of my sister. This is Jakob, Lord Corrin's butler. We'll be working with you for the foreseeable future."

Jakob rubbed the back of his head and narrowed his eyes before choosing his words carefully. "I hope you won't let Lord Corrin down."

"...I am going to kill him."

Leo grit his teeth as he came out of the room in a frilly maid uniform, not unlike the one Felicia and Flora wear, stockings, heels, and short skirt included. Apparently, instead of giving him a butler uniform, he gave him this.

Niles and Arthur had to cover their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing.

"I mean, it could be worse." Arthur offered once his urge to laugh died down. "And if it makes you feel any better, you do have the hips for that uniform."

"Oh, I agree, my dear Arthur." Niles nodded with a catlike smile. "And I love how the headband brings out the color in Lord Leo's eyes!"

"I don't want to hear it!" Leo barked, his face flushed tomato-red with embarrassment. "Where's Elise? If I look this stupid, at least I won't be looking stupid alone."

Soon after, Elise emerged from the adjacent room, dressed in a butler uniform which was clearly several sizes too big for her, with the sleeves and pant legs folded up to an unreasonable length just to get to her wrists and ankles.

"Jeez, this uniform is too big for me." Elise complained, tugging at the collar with a frown. "Seriously, I thought Lilith knew my size at this point-"

"..."

The two youngest Royals stared at one another and the clothes they had on in silence, realization dawning upon them as they put two and two together in their heads. At the moment, the gravitas of their Royal pedigree was gone, and two siblings remained. And those two siblings had the same thoughts universally held by siblings at one point or another.

"...Gimme that."

"...No."

Elise bolted behind Arthur before Leo could even lunge for her, blowing a raspberry and pulling an eyelid down, barely suppressing the urge to laugh.

"Gimme that!"

"No!"

Leo chased after her, an incredible feat considering his ill-thought plan to put on those damn heels (for whatever reason), with the two running circles around Arthur, bewildering the poor knight as the two Royals dropped several levels down the maturity scale and ran around him like a pair of rambunctious children.

"GIMME THAT!"

"NO!"

Niles lost all composure and started laughing his heart out, clutching his chest and doubling over. The only reason Arthur didn't do the same was because he was already bellowing out his laughter even with the two Royals giving chase around him.

"I'm not going out like this! Give me that butler uniform!"

"Never! You look great in those heels anyway!"

"SHUT UP!"

Corrin practically pulled Felicia into his arms as soon as she got off the carriage. "And here I thought I was going to send half my men to find you."

Felicia returned the gesture with a hug and a sweet hum. "It's a good thing Lady Elise and Lord Leo found me when I did. I didn't know what I was going to do if they hadn't stumbled upon me."

"If that's the case, then I almost feel bad that Xander made me their warden 'till my birthday." Corrin chuckled, until his eyes fell upon the woman in a blue tunic beside her, correcting himself, releasing his maid, and addressing the new face. "You must be the new knight Marth. I am Corrin, Second Prince of Nohr. Welcome to the Northern Fortress."

"...It's an honor, milord." Marth uncomfortably bowed. "I am at your-"

"YOU CAN'T KEEP HIDING FROM ME FOREVER!"

"YES I CAN!"

"AHA! I FOUND YOU!"

"DRAT!"

The cacophony of the youngest Prince and Princess of Nohr yelling at the top of their lungs echoed from the nearby open window.

"Lilith." Corrin said slowly, his attention drawn to his younger siblings' yelling. "Is there any chance that the uniforms were mixed up?"

Lilith furrowed her brow. "I wouldn't make such a blunder, milord. Perhaps they picked up the wrong uniforms themselves."

Corrin pulled out a pocket watch and checked it. "Well, that would thoroughly explain what took them so long."

"C'mere!"

"Make me!"

Leo and Elise, the former garbed in a tight maid uniform and the latter in a loose butler uniform, emerged from a nearby door, the 'maid' chasing the 'butler' in a frenzy, with the latter laughing at the former as she ran away from her brother.

Marth stared at the duo, bewildered. Lilith and the other servants did their best to suppress their laughter yet again. Today had certainly been eventful, and the display of the royals chasing each other almost made them break their composure. Almost.

And Corrin, while clearly cracking up himself, took it upon himself to catch both of his little siblings mid-chase by their collars.

"Okay, you two. Play nice." Corrin lightly chastised, pulling the two away from one another. "Elise, Leo, exchange your outfits."

"She started it!"

"He started it!"

"And I'm ending it." Corrin asserted much more sternly. "You two are Royalty, so we all expect you to listen to your elder siblings. Or is this not how you got in trouble in the first place?"

"...Sorry."

"Good. Now get changed and come back as soon as possible." Corrin turned the two around and sent them on their way and returned his attention to the brunette maid. "And Felicia, go to the dining hall with Marth and go get something to eat if you like then escort her to her chambers. Do make certain she's comfortable."

After getting a brief meal, Felicia escorted Marth to her assigned room.

"This room is for you, Marth."

The room Felicia brought Marth to was… more than accommodating than what a humble knight normally deserved. The bed was elegant, neatly made with silk sheets and feathered pillows. The room was well lit with lanterns strewn about in ways to efficiently increase visibility, and there was a chest and dresser sitting at the bed. There was even a couch beside the bed. The room had a warm, cozy feel thanks to an exquisite, already-lit fireplace.

"I was not expecting this." Marth muttered out loud.

Felicia blinked. "Not expecting what?"

"The room?"

"Is it not to your liking?" Felicia frowned, already heading for the door. "If you are willing to wait, we can arrange for it be changed-"

"No, my apologies, Felicia." Marth stopped the maid from leaving. "It is just… I wasn't expecting something so... above my station and.. generous..."

"You're a royal knight, Lady Marth-"

"Just Marth will do, Felicia." Marth corrected her.

"Okay, Marth. This kind of lodging is par for the course for the Royal retainers. Those who serve the Royal family directly usually obtain the best accommodations of the staff."

"Surely someone else deserves it more than-"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GODS! JUST TAKE THE DAMN ROOM!"

Felicia and Marth jumped, startled, as Selena popped her head in the room. "Sorry, I was getting impatient."

"Sev- Selena?"

The somewhat mean-spirited girl locked eyes with the maid as she properly entered the room. "She's been like this forever; she'd rather sleep on a bed of jagged rocks if it means someone else could sleep on a warm bale of hay."

Marth seemed taken aback by Selena's memory. "You remember that?"

"Yeah, It was a recurring thing with you; food, sleeping hours, or responsibilities. We almost thought you were a sucker for punishment. It was almost impossible to convince you to actually take what's given to you." Selena shrugged before putting a hand on Felicia's shoulder. "Mind leaving the room for a bit? I wanna catch up with an old friend."

"Sure, Selena. Be my guest." Felicia bowed and left the room, leaving the two Ylissean women alone.

Once she was sure that they were alone, Selena playfully punched Marth in the shoulder. "What're you doing here, Exalt?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. Your presence in this realm was quite a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless." Marth let her guard down and eased herself into a smile, opening her arms wide for a hug.

Selena blushed and looked away, only to go for the hug mere moments afterwards. Once the two released one another from their embrace, did Marth continue their conversation. "You seem to be doing well. You traded servitude from one princess to another."

"Serving Princess Camilla is an honor. Serving you was a privilege that I would do again and again without hesitation."

Meanwhile, a few minutes ago, not too far below them…

"Last one! On three! One, two… THREE!"

Leo and Elise, now properly dressed in appropriate servant attire, struggled as they tried lifting the luggage up the stairwell. While everything else wasn't not too much trouble, these particular bags had been especially burdensome in comparison.

"And now we have… one more flight of stairs… UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

"What in gods' name are in these things, rocks?!" Elise complained.

"Perhaps." Corrin covered his mouth and hid a smirk, with him and the rest of their retinue following along 'for moral support'.

"I suggest you lift with your knees, Lord Leo." Gunter suggested, hiding the slightest traces of a smirk.

Leo growled as his eyes darted towards Elise. "Next time, tell Marth to pack lighter."

"What're you talking about? These aren't Marth's." Elise countered.

"...What?"

"Marth barely brought anything with her; most of her stuff's still at Cassita's tavern." Elise grumbled.

Leo paused. "Wait, wait, wait. If these bags aren't Marth's, then whose are they, and why did we bring them up three flights of stairs?"

"I don't know, I was following your lead!" Elise whined.

The two exchanged glances, before putting the bags down and opening them up, finding-

Bricks.

Lots.

And.

Lots.

Of.

BRICKS.

"..."

"...CORRIN!"

At this point, Corrin and the retinue behind them broke their composure and corpsed at their expense.

"I was told to be creative~!" Corrin said cheekily, grinning ear to ear as his two little siblings glared at him with tomato-red faces.

"CORRIN!" Leo stormed over to him and grabbed him by the collar. "Is this payback for last year!? IS IT?!"

"I think anyone would want revenge after your birthday gift last year." Lilith mentioned, with the rest of the retinue nodding and muttering in agreement. "Last year's gift crossed a line, Lord Leo."

Leo forced the politest smile he could muster, reluctantly released his grip, and even fixed his collar. "Fair enough. Are we even?"

Corrin shrugged with a coy grin. "I guess so."

"Good. In the interest of fairness…" Leo put his hands on Corrin's shoulders. "last year's birthday gift was partially Niles' idea."

"..." Corrin stared at him blankly, before whipping his head back to the crowd. "Niles, get over here!"

"Lalala! I can't hear you, Lord Corrin! They must've taken my hearing along with my eye!"

Unfortunately, by that point, the one-eyed thief had long since bailed, leaping over the staff behind him and descending the stairwell with a laugh.

"Get back here! I'm making you bring these back down the stairs!" Corrin leaped over the retainers at his back and gave chase, with Leo and the others right by his heels.

As for Elise, she plopped her butt down on one of the brick-bags, giving herself a moment to catch her breath-

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF GODS! JUST TAKE THE DAMN ROOM!"

Elise snapped her head upwards. "Looks like Selena's mad again. Wonder who bugged her this time."

Ever the one to enjoy Selena's witty rants, Elise scampered up the stairs, encountering Felicia as she descended.

"Oh, greetings, Lady-"

"HeyFeliciagottagobye!"

And just like that, Elise whizzed right past the maid and headed upstairs, presumably up towards what she believed to be Selena's room, pressing her ear against the door, hoping to hear what sort of verbal smackdown she had in store this time. Knowing her, it was probably something to do with Laslow hitting on another maid or Odin's hilarious theatrics again.

"Serving Princess Camilla is an honor. Serving you was a privilege that I would do again and again without hesitation."

"Fortunately, we never need to. Our work is done, and I am not a princess in these lands. I am only Marth."

"Lucina." Selena corrected, "Your name is Lucina, not Marth. Not anymore. Marth was the name you took up to bring hope when all seemed lost, You don't need that name anymore, so why are you…"

Selena's voice trailed off upon noticing Lucina's eyes widening, staring into the distance.

"...That's not my name anymore…"

"Lucina-"

"MY NAME IS MARTH!"

The next thing Selena knew, she was pinned against the wall with the Falchion pressed against her neck. Lucina's eyes, her Exalted eyes, shone with righteous fury-

...No, not with fury, at least not towards Selena. It was fury towards oneself. Sorrow, loathing, misery shone through, reflected through her eyes and the tears that poured down her cheeks.

"...You buried your past… your names… allow me the decency to put mine to rest…"

Her hands quivered, and the Falchion fell from her grasp. Lucina- Marth, fell to her knees and cried into her hands.

"I'm so sorry… *sob* I didn't mean to… *sob* I'm so sorry…"

Selena immediately went down on one knee and pulled Marth into her arms, providing as much comfort as she could in Marth's time of need.

A wide-eyed Elise stepped back cautiously, hoping to gods they didn't notice her presence.

"...I probably wasn't meant to hear that…"

Realizing she intruded upon a private moment, she quietly shuffled backwards to the stairs and headed to her room, throwing herself into her bed, hoping to sleep off her returning exhaustion.

Except Elise did not sleep. Hours passed and she struggled to do little else than lay in bed and stare at the ceiling in contemplation. It felt as if the bed was threatening to swallow her whole into the depths of its blankets and pillows if she didn't swim out and gasp her air.

Marth's breakdown just moments ago haunted her. How could it not? It was obvious she had her share of problems, but it sounded like she took part in a massive tragedy. Her imagination ran wild with theories: she was some sort of fallen noble of a decadent foreign court that tried to have her killed, or some giant monster razed her lands and killed everyone she loved slowly and deliberately and that she barely escaped with her life before those same lands were turned to ash and sank into the sea.

That last one was way too outlandish, even for her.

In any case, Marth's (and by extension, Selena, Odin, and Laslow's) past was enigmatic, to say the least. What could have fractured what's left of her fragile mind to the point she foregone her old name and vanished from the lives of her friends?

She knew, at the very least, she should at least try to hear Marth's story from the beginning and work her way from there. That would be tough. Every time she asked Odin of his past, he always avoided the subject. The same could be said for the other two.

"Just a little bit at a time," she thought. "Open her up, little by little. Ease her out of her comfort zone and never push too far. Yeah. I can do this. I can bring her back from the brink."

Marth was fortunate that her night terrors didn't claim her rest upon awakening. There was so much happening in such a short time, the last thing she needed was exhaustion through it all.

Come to think of it… where was she? The light was shining on her face as she laid on a plush mattress, so this certainly wasn't the tavern she had been staying in. The last thing she remembered was… Felicia escorted her to her room, and then Sev- Selena came over to talk with her…

"Oh… Oh…"

Marth shuddered, feeling disgusted with herself.

She did it again.

She nearly ran her sword through Selena again.

"Gods, what is wrong with me…?" Marth curled up into a ball, groaning, with only soft snoring accompanying her sobbing-

Wait, snoring?

Marth looked to the couch, finding Selena slumbering on the couch, with her boots kicked off and lazily tossed to the side.

Marth smiled softly. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

She took the blanket from the bed and draped it over the redhead before heading down.

"Marth, wanna join me in a tea party?"

"Hmm?" The former princess-turned-knight turned and crouched to meet her princess-turned-maid at eye level. "A tea party? But milady-"

"Elise," The pigtailed 'maid' corrected.

"Elise," Marth continued. "Surely I'm needed elsewhere-"

"Oh, please. Your hiring was so sudden that Corrin doesn't have anything lined up for you." Elise waved her off. "Now, come on. I already have it set up."

"..."

"Well, don't just stand there. Come on, join me."

Elise grabbed Marth by the hand and brought her to a nearby courtyard, where a black rectangular patio table with a basket full of sweets and a fully prepared porcelain tea set.

"I asked Odin what kinda tea you'd like, and he said you might like the Cyrkensian fruit blend." Elise took a seat at the table and gestured for her to sit down next to her. "You haven't eaten all day, have you."

Marth hesitantly took a seat and almost cautiously took a sip of the tea. "...It's hot."

"Yeah, that's the point. I hear Felicia and Flora are experimenting with making some kinda cold tea, but I doubt that'll ever work." Elise joked.

"Cold tea…" Marth repeated with a tilt of the head. "...Are they planning on using ice?"

"Iced tea? Ugh, they might, but that sounds gross." Elise gagged at the thought, shaking her head.

"Stranger things have happened to me…" Marth said under her breath. "I wouldn't be surprised if they made something out of that."

There was a brief pause as they enjoyed their tea, with Elise munching on a cookie before continuing. "So, how are you feeling?"

"...Fine, I guess." Marth said reluctantly. "I never thought I would be here, if that means anything."

"Is that so?" Elise pushed the cookie basket closer. "Here, try one. Aren't you hungry?"

"..."

Marth slowly took a cookie out of the basket and put it in her mouth before taking a bite-

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Hmm?" The blue-haired princess turned her head, finding Robin waving her over from his tent, with a basket full of sweets and a fully prepared camping tea set strewn across his black, rectangular desk in lieu of the usual maps and books that normally covered it.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come on, join me." Robin chuckled.

With little else to do at the moment, Lucina reluctantly took a seat opposite of him, flattered by the gesture.

Robin pushed the basket of sweets closer to her. "You haven't eaten all day, have you? Take as much as you like."

"How do you know I haven't eaten yet?"

He smirked. "You may like to act all mysterious, but I know you were probably overworking yourself again, making sure everyone else was okay before you even considered your own wellbeing."

Lucina pouted. "Do you think you know me so well?"

"I'd like to think so. Was I wrong?"
"No, you weren't but it doesn't mean I have to like it." Lucina puffed out her cheeks before reluctantly taking a cookie, taking just a little nibble out of it. "These are delicious."

"Thank you. Now have you ever thought about what you're going to do?"

"Marth?"

The aforementioned knight sat completely still, staring into space, her hands cupped around the teacup as the air cooled the hot drink.

"Oh no…"

Elise scampered over, frantically waving her hand in front of Marth's face. Nothing. Her first instinct was to get another Restore staff, but she stopped herself from doing so. Xander had told her she couldn't rely on them forever. She'd have to think her way out of this herself.

"What to do… what to do…" Elise paced back and forth next to the immobile Marth, hoping to find some way to snap her out of it.

And then it hit her.

"I might have an idea..."

Elise pried the teacup out of Marth's hands, setting it on the table before she clasped her hands around hers.

"Are you lost? Is that it?"

She gripped Marth's gloved hands tightly, her innocent eyes peering right into Marth's weary, empty orbs.

"I'm right here. You're right here. You're safe." Elise pleaded. "You're in the Northern Fortress. You were drinking tea with me. We were having such a nice time! Come back to me!"

Despite Elise's pleas, Marth did not move.

"Do about what?"

Robin crossed his arms."You really haven't?"

It took her a while to realize what Robin was asking of her. "Oh, you mean about when everything is over?"

Robin nodded.

"...I still don't know." Lucina sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Robin told her. "There's nothing to apologize for, I just want to hear when you're ready."

"You seem to be really enjoying these talks." Lucina noted.

"Can you blame me? Every time we talk it's like we're digging up a treasure and finding out new stuff about you and I find that interesting." Robin grinned, leaning in closer, resting his head in his palms.

Lucina raised a brow. "What 'major discoveries' have you found out about me, Tactician?"

"Well, for one, you do have a newly discovered talent for board games."

"Talent? I wouldn't say that, I feel more like you are terrible at planning ahead." She sniped.

"Ah, you wound me! Right in the depths of my heart!" Robin puts his hands over his heart, feigning agony.

Lucina giggled.

"There it is, right there!" He suddenly pointed at her face.

"W-What?"

"Your smile. That's what I'm looking for. It's been so long since I've seen it." Robin cheekily made a smiley-face in the air with his fingers.

"I know how to smile, if that's what you're saying."

"But you don't! Not as much as you should!" Robin mused. "There's so much you could be happy about!"
"Like what?"Lucina tried to cover her face in order to stifle her giggling.

"No, don't stop! I like seeing you laugh!"

"Is that really what you want? See me laugh?"

"I would call it a secondary objective, but a strong secondary objective."

"And your first objective would be?"

Robin paused, presumably for dramatic effect.

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense!" Lucina leaned in, anticipating his answer.

"...I want you to be happy."

Robin's heartfelt declaration made her heart flutter.

With Lucina stunned and red-faced, Robin continued. "You. Your family. The Shepherds. I want all of you to be happy. That is my wish, and once this war is over, I can make sure everyone else's wishes come true too."

He leaned in, turning his head ever so slightly, near inches from her face…

"And I want to start. With. You."

Robin froze in place as he and the world around them suddenly lost all color.

"...Robin?"

"Marth!"

"...Robin?" Marth gasped, color rapidly returning to her eyes as reality itself came crashing out of her dreams. "No… Stay with me…" She blinked, rubbing her eyes, as she surveyed her surroundings. "Where did-"

"Oh, you're back!"

Marth was suddenly embraced from the side by Elise.

"Oh, thank gods! You were really scaring me for a minute there." Elise sighed in relief. "You alright now?"

"...I suppose." Marth took a cookie out of the basket and took a bite, her hands shaking. "Hmm… not bad."

"...Who's Robin?"

Marth dropped her cookie.

Elise gulped, Marth staring back at her with ominous eyes. Pressing her luck, Elise continued. "You mentioned his name… who's Robin…?"

Marth trembled, her hands gripping tightly into her legs as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"...Robin… was my husband…"

A/N: Thanks for reading! Again, special thanks to my buddy SK for helping me edit this! You're the best! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm gonna be very busy for a while, so there might not be any more updates in the near future. Don't worry, I'll be back.

Wanna know a funny story? My brother played through Birthright and Revelations and the plot he told me and swore by was absolutely nothing similar to the actual plots of those routes. He only found out that he was wrong when he found out about when I had to spell it out for him. And with that rant he made a document outlining the plots he thought was right and that became 50% inspiration of this fic.

As always, please review!