A girl laughed in the pouring rain clutching a body she didn't recognise.

Who was she?

She caught a wisp of red hair in the corner of her vision.

Ah yes.

She was Severa.

She remembered her life. How kindly her father had treated her. How he had cared for her, protected her from the world. How he had left and she so dearly missed him.

She looked to the body she held.

Who was this person?

Long blue hair tangled in her fingers.

Lucina.

She remembered a fondness for this person.

As much as she could be fond of anyone who wasn't her father.

She felt pain looking at that familiar blue. A sadness stabbed her heart. Mourning for the loss of someone she had liked.

Footsteps behind her.

She turned and saw him.

Her six eyes barely able to stand his aura.

The familiar white hair. The confident smile. The glowing red irises.

Lord Grima.

Her father.

She revelled in his presence, basked in the glory that was the one true God.

It was ecstasy.

Her gaze fell to his shoulders, to his ar..

He didn't have an arm.

She remembered.

She had cut it off.

Severa dove to the floor, lips kissing the wet cobblestones, tasting the blood and mud mixing as she tried to bury her face in the pavement.

"I'M SORRY LORD GRIMA," the redhead shouted into the ground. "I am not worthy of your power, if you wish to kill me, please take my puny life as recompense. The life of an insect cannot bring back your arm, but if it pleases you allow me to do just this," she babbled, desperately trying to appease her God.

She cried, not for her life but for the pain she had caused Lord Grima, for the inconvenience her short sighted, idiotic actions had caused.

She drove herself deeper and deeper into the pavement, the stone beginning to hurt as her forehead cut against it.

He had to be well, he had to be well, he could take her life, her soul, anything, it all belonged to him.

"I could use you as a vessel," the first words from her God rumbled through the air, a comforting caress even as they delivered her death.

"YES!" she yelled. "Yes Lord Grima, destroy my worthless mind and possess this frail body as your own! My only desire is to serve, I only exist for your will." She would be his vessel, she would be reborn as Grima! Her own pathetic thoughts would cease and she would only ever know her Lord. It would be, it would be..

A laugh echoed through the street.

"No," her God spoke calmly. "No, damaged as this body is, I quite like it. An arm is nothing to me, for what foe would I need it to defeat?"

"None my Lord!" she screamed into the floor, "Nobody can match your power!"

"Indeed, little one," a chuckle, "indeed. Although you have proven yourself formidable."

He paused, as if gauging the worth of the worm in front of him, watching it wriggle in the dirt where it belonged.

"Rise my daughter."

Questioningly, hesitantly, she let her mud-stained face leave the cold cobbles.

Looking up, she slowly got to her knees, before looking at her God once again for his approval to rise farther.

His nod of assent brought her to her feet, trembling in euphoric terror as she was finally able to meet him eye to eye.

"Yes, you have done very well. To take the arm of my avatar shows tremendous skill, daughter."

She shuddered at the praise, she had hurt him and he approved? Her master was too generous, too kind, too perfect.

"Thank you, Lord Grima, I am not worthy Lord Grima!"

Another chuckle, "Enough of that little one. You have proven your value and your loyalty. You may call me father."

Severa stood stunned, slowly her lips began to move, "Yes father." The words came easily, they felt right.

"Excellent my daughter, now, we have much to attend to. The first is this."

His ruby eyes fell upon Lucina's body.

With a grimace he raised his outstretched hand to her, "I suppose even a God must take out the trash sometimes."

Severa felt the magical energy swell. A part of her, a sliver that remembered the fondness that she had for Lucina began to rumble.

"This is wrong," a whisper.

"This is wrong," a murmur.

"This is wrong!" a shout.

"THIS IS WRONG THIS IS WRONG THIS IS WRONG THIS IS WRONG" a roar battering her mind, her heart screaming itself hoarse.

"Father no!" she yelled.

"Hm?" the magic dispersed as her father glanced back towards her.

"Please don't father, please!" she begged. "Lucina was powerful father! Wouldn't she be better on our side? Wouldn't she make for a wonderful Risen?"

It would be like a dream, Lucina by her side, forever.

For a moment, her God didn't move, his eyes simply remained on her, evaluating, judging.

And then they widened slightly, as if recognising something long forgotten. "So that's how it is."

Leisurely, he moved to the broken body near him, nudging her slightly with his feet, "You were fond of her?"

How had he known? How could he know? "Yes father," she croaked.

A smile came across the Fel Dragon's lips, on anyone else she might have described it as wistful. On the Lord of Despair, it was something else. "I remember that pain," he replied knowingly, "I remember the loss, the sadness, the emptiness clawing at me."

He knelt, gently cupping Lucina's face with his hand, grimacing as he did. "This one is tainted. Tainted by the mark of the Divine Dragon," he spat the name as if simply announcing the title was distasteful. "As your love is now, she lies beyond even my power."

No. No that was impossible.

"How? How is that pathetic Goddess able to match your strength? How can she stop your power? How could she ever compare to your majesty father?"

"She cannot," he replied simply. "She is a fly, a biteme that only exists to impede my plans. But as tiny and insignificant as she is, she can still sting, suck my blood even as I do my work. As long as the Divine Dragon lives, she will be a thorn in my side," he glanced at his daughter, "our sides."

Severa nodded her head numbly, her father was the greatest God, mighty beyond might, but even an insect could do a man harm given time and opportunity.

"We must kill her then," the redhead concluded.

Grima let out an amused snicker, "Indeed my daughter. We will slay the false Goddess and remove her corruption from this world. Then I will bring back our loves."

Our?

"They shall stay by our sides for an eternity, in a world that knows only my benevolence and glory."

Severa nodded. Nothing, not even a Goddess would stand between her and Lucina.

Her father glanced to the side, "I feel more than just your presence here my daughter," he looked in the other direction, staring across the ruins of the town. "Your sisters, they're here?"

"Yes father," she replied quickly, "Noire is in the South of the city, Morgan is to the North," moving quickly into as much detail on their positions as she could manage. The battle would have shunted them, but they did not know the truth about Lord Grima yet, they'd still be trying to keep the Risen funnelled.

"Excellent, I shall leave this front to you my daughter, slay any that oppose you," he spoke with confidence as if what he was asking was a simple task.

"Father," Severa spoke meekly, so meekly, she barely wanted to say anything, to dare question the God standing before her, "how am I to oppose so many soldiers alone?"

"Using the Risen of course," her father replied casually, eyes still searching for her sisters.

"But fath…"

"Feel them my daughter,"

She realised she could. The souls in the air desperately searching for bodies to inhabit, the corpses piled in the streets, ready to fight again.

All she had to do was tug and…

She linked one of the phantoms to a body. Slowly it stood, red eyes glowing in the rain.

She stared into those blood pools and she could imagine the stare back.

No that wasn't right, she was staring back. The Risen was a part of her as much as any other part of her body.

Experimentally, she imagined it running.

It started at a shamble but broke into a sprint darting down the street with a manic aimlessness that came from Severa's own wonder and bewilderment.

Yes, she could do much with this.

"Good," her father spoke with a sense of satisfaction, "you truly are my daughter, your command is so complete already."

She beamed at the praise, nothing mattered more.

"Attack Noire first," she spoke unprompted, hoping, desperate, for his continued approval, "she has less magical power than Morgan and will struggle to adapt if you appear. She might panic, but if you can threaten her men, she'll defend them instead of running." Noire's strengths, weaknesses, habits and loves were all plain to Severa. She was doing the girl a favour, soon her sister would return to her.

"Once she is defeated, Morgan will be trivial. She lacks combat experience, so if you isolate her, she won't be able to command troops to react, or do anything if there are too many Risen. Ideally you can use smaller packs to bait out spells that are too powerful, it might exhaust her." She'd long considered how she might defeat her younger sister; it would be satisfying to see those tactics put to use.

"Excellent," her father replied, "Soon our family will be whole again."


Grima had departed. Striding confidently to the South, he'd amassed a new bodyguard of Risen before walking out of sight, leaving Severa to contemplate her new powers and orders.

Experimentally she extended her awareness, her reach through the town. The souls sung their soothing screams, begging to be returned to life.

The music calmed her as she felt the bodies lying on the floor, limp, ready to accept their new hosts.

Then there was Lucina.

It wasn't that there was nothing where she lay, but that her body repelled Severa's, Grima's power. Each time she extended her reach she felt it battered away by a force that seemed disgusted by her presence.

Naga.

That vile Goddess would pay for keeping Lucina from her.

Severa knelt over her princess.

It wouldn't do for her to lie here, dead in a nameless street in the pouring rain.

No, no, not at all.

She would hold a place of honour, protected by legions of Risen.

As soon as the Goddess fell, her princess would be returned with an honour guard to match her beauty.

Yes, yes, it would be perfect.

A perfect tribute to the perfect..

Severa's eye twitched.

There was something else.

Another presence near her.

Alive.

It felt, she glanced down at the blue haired corpse in her arms, like..

A flash of grey hair appeared from behind a building.

Inigo.

"Sev!" the prince shouted, "Lucy!" the urgency in his voice became clearer with that second name. He must have seen her lying on the ground.

He slid to a stop next to them, trousers dragging on the pavement.

His focus was purely on his sister.

"Lucy? Lucy? Are you okay?"

His eyes caught the drying blood.

"Oh no Lucy, no, no, no.."

Tears welled in the prince's soft eyes as he ran a hand through his sister's hair. "Please, you can't go, I can't do it, I can't be you, I'm not good enough. I, Sev, there's got to.."

His voice cut short as he glanced at her.

As he saw her true glory for the first time.

The prince jumped, scrabbling back as fast as the stunned movements of his hands and feet would let him.

She favoured him with a smile, he was very pretty after all.

"Sev, what happened here?" His eyes gave away a delicious terror, "What happened to you?"

"My eyes were opened," she blinked her set of six for emphasis.

The prince gulped. Yes, he was very pretty, he'd make an excellent pet. "Lucina. Is she okay?" he stammered out.

"She's been taken from us," the knight stroked her princess' hair. Too early, far too early.

"No," Inigo's voice denied the truth, but his eyes believed, he'd known before he asked.

"But we can set this right, we will do what must be done," she continued. Inigo nodded slowly. Such a good boy, so obedient.

"Father will bring her back."

A flash of alarm took her pet's expression, overcoming even the fear that lay in his eyes.

The alarm turned to recognition.

"Sev, who is your father?"

Such a smart pup.

"Lord Grima of course," she replied with a smile. "Together we will slay Naga and cover this land in despair, then Lord Grima will restore Lucina to us. And after, we will live forever in an unchanging bliss. You'll be at my side for eternity." It would be incredible, no beyond incredible, amazing, no beyond that.

It would be perfect.

"Sev, get away from her."

Inigo's voice still tasted of fear, but his resolve had strengthened.

Odd.

She tilted her head to the side, confused, refusing to leave Lucina. "Isn't that what you want? A perfect world where the three of us can be together forever?"

"Sev, I said get away." His hand was on his sword.

Very odd.

"But Inigo together we can slay that vile Naga and you and Lucy can finally be free of her curse!"

"This isn't you Sev; whatever it is that's in your head, you've got to fight it."

He didn't understand. He couldn't see the perfection of Lord Grima's vision.

"Oh Inigo," she purred, "I'm more myself than I've ever been." She slowly, delicately let Lucina go, resting that beautiful blue hair on the cobblestones. "My vision is clearer," she blinked her first pair of eyes, then her second, then her third. "My muscles are stronger," she picked up her sword from the ground near her, the blade felt light. "And most importantly," her body ignited, wreathed in a terrible, destructive, calming blue flame, "more in control."

The prince hesitated for a moment, but he drew his own blade, the tip shaking in front of him. "Sev don't make me do this."

"It's okay my little pup, soon you'll see the way I do," she told him reassuringly. "Just a little thrust through the heart and Lord Grima will bring you back to my arms when Naga falls, then you'll understand.

"Sev please."

"And you'll never be able to leave me."

She was on him like a bolt of lightning. The prince barely brought his guard up in time. Swords clashed with the ringing clang of metal on metal. She was stronger, far stronger, she could break his guard in a moment.

She smiled, "Oh that was very good," she said appreciatively as she pressured him, blade sinking slowly towards his neck, "it wouldn't be any fun if you died on the first attack. Besides," she gave him her best smile, "I wouldn't want to harm that handsome face."

She let him push back, stepping away easily as he tried to score a hit when they parted, "Oh my, strong too? I didn't know you had it in you my pretty prince."

Laughing she launched into another attack, peppering him with strikes designed to be defended, that at worst might scratch him a little. "Wouldn't you enjoy a lifetime as my pet?," she spoke as he tried his hardest to dodge, parry, simply survive her offense. "I would be a firm mistress," she clarified as she casually dodged the only attack he'd managed in the exchange, "but good boys like you would get treats."

A sweep of the back of his legs landed him in her arms, "Surely nicer than fighting and dying for a Goddess you don't even know?"

He squirmed away, back to range, breathing heavily. Over already? She remembered him having so much more stamina. Alas.

He raised his sword; the tip didn't tremble this time.

It was an unfortunate choice; she really didn't want to mar that body.

"Well, if that's your answer, you'll join me soon enough."

Ignis coursed through her, the spectacular life, the blood of Grima strengthening her beyond strength.

She thought she'd had control before. Laughable.

Now it was perfect.

The first muscles that ignited were the ones in her right leg, powering her forwards, closing the distance between them in moments.

The second were in her left hand, reaching grabbing the sword that Inigo tried to wield in his defence.

The final group lay in her left knee that came and battered him in the stomach.

Power left Inigo as quickly Ignis left her. He toppled to the ground, heaving, clutching where she'd struck him.

Severa raised her sword to her shoulder, "There there my pet, just a sharp prick and you'll be fine in no time."

Inigo wretched, stretching his arm towards his sister.

Hrm.

Severa dropped her sword to the ground.

She could kill him; it was what she wanted.

But he deserved better.

Slowly she walked the distance back to Lucina's beautiful body, slick with rain.

Her prize lay at her princess' side.

An Exalted blade to kill the Exalt.

A perfect death.

She knelt, reaching down, hands closing around the red hilt.

Pain.

Death.

Pain.

She screamed as the blade burned her. As the searing holy fires of its power burnt through every artery, every vein, every capillary in her body. She burnt, she was burning, she had always burned, she had never known anything but the fires of pain that radiated through her.

Then there was nothing.


Stone walls greeted her blurred vision as Severa awoke.

She blinked, trying to restore focus, as the decorations along them resolved into what she knew of the infirmary in Ylisse castle.

She wasn't in pain, the only things that hurt were points beneath her eyes that she'd come to associate with too much Ignis usage. But other than that, she felt well.

The redhead tried to move an arm, only to find that it was fastened to the bed beneath her. She struggled briefly against her bonds, but they didn't come loose.

Why was she tied down?

"Sev?" A familiar gruff voice came from beyond here field of view. Brady's thuggish face greeted her, not the most comforting sight, but a welcome one.

"Brady? Why am I in the infirmary? What's happening? Where's Lucy?" The questions came out like a torrent as she struggled against her bonds again for emphasis, "And why on earth am I tied up?"

A grimace took that thuggish face, eyebrows furrowed. Brady's mouth opened, only for him to close it again. He looked away, rubbing his temples, before finally turning back to her with an expression that could have meant anything.

"Sev, I need you to tell me a few things and I can have you up and around in a moment," his voice had never been the most comforting but now it felt like steel. "Sev, who are your parents?"

"Cordelia of House Luna and Robin, Grand Tactician, Unknown House," she responded. She didn't know why she was being asked such a ridiculous question, but she knew enough about Brady to know that it wasn't a frivolous request.

The healer visibly relaxed, "Thank goodness, we thought we might have lost you forever." He made to undo the shackles holding her to the bed, "I, Sev, we're going to need to talk a little longer, about what happened."

What was he talking about, the last thing she remembered she was fighting against Grima and..

No.

No, no, no.

"Where's Lucy?"

"She's not here," the blonde-haired boy replied.

"Where's Lucy?"

"Sev I don't think."

"BRADY TELL ME WHERE LUCY IS," she shouted, scarcely aware that she might be disturbing other patients.

Brady's wasn't annoyed, his expression just filled with sadness and sympathy. His voice spoke as comfortingly as he could manage.

"You know where she is."

Memories that Severa had thought dreams suddenly became real.

The din of the battle.

Seeing Grima.

Lucy in front of her.

No.

It couldn't be.

Lucina in her arms.

Her screams.

And then after.

The unquestioning love.

The worship, the sickening sycophancy.

She wanted to vomit.

She…

"I killed her." She spoke. "I killed her. She was ready to beat Grima and I, I killed her. I killed Lucy, Brady, I killed Lucy, I killed her, I.." She was incoherent, tears streamed down her face freely as she tried to make sense of what had happened, of what she'd done. She'd killed Lucy, nobody but her, it was her sword through the princess' heart.

A hand held hers tight, Brady's eyes filled with that same combination of sympathy and sorrow as he stroked her arm as comfortingly as he could manage.

"It wasn't you Sev."

But it was.

She'd felt it.

It was her hand.

"It wasn't you. Inigo told us about how he found you."

Extoling the virtues of Grima.

Trying, almost succeeding in killing the Prince even as he tried to save her.

Telling the Prince that he could live..

Lucina could live.

She could fix this.

She started trying to struggle, to stand. Brady held her down.

"Let go of me!" she'd win eventually, "Grima said he could bring Lucy back! If I give myself to him she might live!"

Even as they fought Brady's brown eyes took a dark cast to them, suddenly the pressure was higher, "You know that's a lie, you know that's not within his power."

"He can bring back Risen! You don't know what he can do!" she shouted.

"Yes, I do and you do too," somehow his voice didn't rise with hers, "think for a moment about the Lucina you'd get back. Think about what Grima is, what she'd mean to him. Just think for two seconds Sev."

She did.

He was right.

The Lucy she'd get back would be a husk. She might speak like Lucy, she might have her mannerisms, perhaps even her smile. But the core, the part that made Lucina her princess would be gone. Replaced by a core that only knew how to adore Grima. Or worse, a core that only knew how to adore Severa.

She would be there to assure her knight that she was doing the right thing. To provide love and comfort. She would do that and nothing else because that was all she'd know how to do.

The princess would be Severa's tool.

The redhead's struggles stopped.

Her body slackened as she lay back in the bed.

Lucy was gone.

The weight crashed onto Severa like a wave.

No more quiet chats in the evening.

No more confident grins.

No more smile.

She heard herself whimper.

Felt her knees draw upwards as she clutched at them. Trying to draw herself into the smallest, tightest ball that she could.

No more pressure from her princess' arms to make her feel safe.

Just her.

Alone.

Her tears fell freely as she cried into the blanket.

Brady sat by his patient, not saying a word, but not allowing his touch to break either. Even if he felt uncomfortable, not once did he show it, letting her have all the time he could.

It wasn't enough.

It would never be enough.

Nothing would ever fill the hole that her princess had left.

The knight sobbed. Her princess would never be her princess again.


The room was cold.

Perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps it was warm.

She couldn't tell.

She didn't care.

The walls were bare, save for a shield that hung over the fireplace.

This was her room in Ylisstol castle.

The one she'd never decorated, barely had time to even see.

There had been a sword on the wall once.

The guards had been ordered to take it away.

One kept watch at the door even now.

How long had passed?

Days? Months?

She marked her days with the arrival of food that tasted like ash. In the first few days she'd not been able to stomach it, vomiting at the sight. But hunger had driven her to the meals eventually.

She didn't want to die.

She wanted to be killed.

It was the only thing she deserved.

She marked the minutes by visits from her guard, Livette was her name. The girl dutifully popped her head in at random intervals every half hour. She brought food and even gave news updates each day, trying to keep the Hand informed.

Hand of the Exalt.

That had been a mistake.

Mistake was putting it lightly. A disaster, a calamity.

The Exalt had died by her Hand.

Some might even call it poetic. Although she didn't imagine poetry would survive Grima.

Nothing would survive Grima.

She would wait dutifully for that day and then a Risen would open her throat.

It was the best she could offer.

Not just Lucina.

But the thousands upon thousands of good soldiers who'd died because of her mistake.

And her sisters.

They would suffer a fate worse than death. An eternity at the side of a God they were convinced they loved. Nothing but pawns fawning for the attention of a father who cared as little for them as he did any other person in the world.

The redhead's only thoughts, only ones that existed beyond the haze of sorrow and despair had been on those final days. The decisions that had brought her here.

Grima was Robin.

Robin was her father.

Grima had known what they would do.

The Invasion of Ylisse had been a ploy.

He knew Morgan had counterplay to it. He had commanded badly on purpose, knowing that if he did, it would draw Lucina to the battlefield.

Lucina alongside her idiotic Hand, an unwitting assassin, stupidly following her Exalt like a puppy, ready for Grima to take control.

And she'd fallen for it. The knight, so proud of her ability with a sword, of her genius with tactics had ignored the voice in her head saying something was wrong and walked the love of her life to an untimely end.

She would have wept but she was too exhausted to even do that.

Her friends, didn't, couldn't visit. There was an evacuation planned, perhaps if the survivors could get to Valm there was still hope.

The redhead wouldn't go with them. She didn't deserve hope.

Just death.

A knock interrupted the thought that ran through her mind for every second of every minute.

Her guards didn't knock.

She didn't respond.

She didn't deserve to speak.

The door opened, revealing a smile she knew and the face of the man who had saved her.

She had murdered his sister and he had carried her across a battlefield on his back to save her.

The Exalt, Inigo Lowell.

"Hey Sev," his fake smile sat easily on his face. He was nervous, perhaps worse.

The knight couldn't blame him, face to face with his sister's killer.

She didn't reply, what right did she even have to speak to him?

The took her silence as assent to close the door behind him. He crept into the room as if a sudden move might startle her. Perhaps he was just worried that she might make another attempt on his life.

She sunk deeper into the corner of her bed as the Exalt pulled a chair up next to her. She didn't want him to look at her.

The white sheets weren't enough cover from his gaze, his gentleness piercing the cloth with ease.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, obviously, stupidly, kindly.

She simply curled up tighter, trying her best to ignore his question.

Instead, the grey-haired main nodded, like she'd given him the clearest answer in the world, "I imagined as much."

The Exalt looked away, to the window, pausing briefly, considering his own words.

"I've thought about what I would say to you for a long time," his smile remained but his hands were gripping his legs tightly. "Perhaps that it wasn't your fault." He looked back at her, expression weighing even with the smile, "But I think you already know that, even if your heart doesn't."

His mouth opened as if he had more to say, but he thought better of it, searching the floor beneath him as if the carpet would give him the words he needed.

The Exalt shifted, perhaps from the discomfort of speaking to a mute. "I wanted to give you an update," he offered, perhaps that news of the outside might entice her away from her fortress of linen.

When the redhead didn't move, he simply leaned forward in his chair and continued.

"Southtown has fallen."

Severa blinked, underneath the covers, that was the nearest port. How? Grima had been attacking from the West.

"Grima ignored the territory around Ylisstol after we retreated," an awful mess, most of the front had been embroiled when Lucina fell and with the loss of Morgan and Noire, withdrawal orders had been sloppy. The remainder had come back to Ylisstol, to fortify and buy time for everyone to escape. "We thought he might just be gathering his strength but he's decided to encircle us."

Idiots! How had nobody given the order to scout the escape corridor, it was the most obvious avenue of attack.

"We can't get out Sev." He left the implication of that to her imagination. Ylisstol's civilian population was in the tens of thousands, close to a hundred if you counted the surrounding villages and farms. It would be filled to bursting with the refugees from the West.

"Grima has Morgan and Noire and if anything, he's even more brilliant," an understatement. Grima had destroyed Morgan like it was child's play.

Inigo extended a hand, placing it on her own. Even obscured by the sheet, she could feel his warmth.

"We need you Sev."

Slowly, painstakingly, she uncurled, finally looking at the Exalt in his eyes.

He was the same boy she'd met in the Grand reception, the same boy, no, man who had rescued her from a God.

That false smile still plastered over his face even as she could see how exhaustion and worry had taken him.

"I need you."

For a moment she felt him pull at her. She might be able to, she could do something for him, maybe, perhaps.

"No."

It was the only response. She would die, the Risen would kill her and her life would end. That's all there was left.

She huddled back into her corner, looking away from his disappointment. He didn't need her, none of them did.

"Please Sev, you're the only one who can help," he continued. He was so earnest. Like his sister in that way and so many others.

Too earnest.

Too kind.

"You can't trust me," she replied simply, head daring to poke from beneath the sheets.

"It wasn't you," he reiterated, saying it as if repeating the words would make the belief truer.

"Grima was in my head Inigo," She spoke soberly. She wasn't upset with him; she didn't have that right. The Exalt didn't understand, he just couldn't. "He knows every thought I'd ever had."

She'd felt him invade her mind, pervert her memories. Steal the love she had for her friends and turn it all into adoration for him.

"But," he tried to interrupt, but fell short after a shake of her head.

"Not only that," she continued, "he probably knows every thought I'm likely to have, every plan that we've made, every little thing that we've thought of. He probably knows what I'd rather be having for lunch today," not that it mattered. "And failing that he has Morgan," she saved the most important for last.

Inigo's expression changed, worry, fear, chipping away at his façade. She had left the implication unsaid.

The knight watched as he remained motionless, struggling for something to say to her, struggling to even move.

"We can't give up hope," he said finally.

She laughed softly, it was so like him, "Of course we can," she responded, sitting up in her corner, "there is no hope."

The truth.

"And in your heart, you know it," they both did. "Because I'm half the tactician Morgan is and you're half the leader Lucina was."

She could feel Inigo's morale break as she peered into his eyes. The worry he'd felt before becoming panic, the fear turning quickly into terror.

It had taken her days to resign herself to the knowledge. But she knew now, there was nothing left for them but to fall to Grima.

She couldn't tell how long he sat there, staring into the wall that her head rested against. In truth, she didn't care, time had no meaning.

The Exalt still held his smile somehow, if anything it got more forceful as he tried to hide more of the emotion he felt behind the comforting expression.

It didn't work.

She knew him, even if he'd masked it perfectly the redhead could tell what he was feeling, when someone finally spoke the truth he'd known for years.

Because they were the same.

They'd always been the same.

Slowly his eyes closed and he drew in a breath, centering himself the way she'd taught him.

"Lucina wouldn't want this," he spoke.

Severa blinked, "What Lucina would have wanted is to be alive and I took that from her."

"No, you didn't," he countered.

"My sword, my hand."

"It was Grima."

"Who I served."

Inigo's expression grew frustrated, "Sev I understand."

"No, you don't," she cut him off before he could begin that thought.

"I killed the only person who ever loved me," she continued gently, "how can you possibly understand?"

For a moment her eyes caught his. The fear was gone, replaced simply with sadness.

The Exalt didn't say anything as he got up, tucking the chair back under the desk it belonged to. He just made the slow walk to the door.

It opened with a creak.

"Not the only person Sev,"

What was that?

The Exalt turned back to her.

"Not the only person."

It was him.

A young boy, he couldn't have been older than five, looking at her from a balcony window. Lustrous grey hair at odds with his shy demeanour.

A scrawny teenager whose body hadn't grown into his arms, speaking to her softly as a Feroxi bonfire lightly illuminated their faces.

A confident young man reduced to stammers as he finished a dance with his teacher.

Her Inigo turned and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

The knight's world shattered again.


Severa tossed in her bed.

Sleep eluded her now.

Her despair replaced by a loathing that echoed through her soul.

How long?

How long had he loved her?

That answer was obvious.

It had always been obvious.

So how had it taken her so long to realise?

That answer was also obvious.

She'd always known.

She'd known how he felt from the moment they laid eyes on each other.

A lifetime spent hiding behind a smile that wasn't real.

That she knew wasn't real.

So that he wouldn't hurt her.

So that he wouldn't get hurt.

And she had used him.

He had been her tool, the same way she'd been a tool for her father.

Every time things didn't go well with Lucina, she'd fallen into his arms.

Every time the knight thought he might be getting close to someone else; she'd conveniently flashed him a smile or a kind word, anything to keep him available.

Just so she felt good about herself.

The prince had gone out with Noire, clearly trying to move on. And the moment she found out the redhead was cheek to cheek with him in the training yard.

The worst part was that he must have known.

He had known what she was doing and he'd let it happen, because it was the price to pay for her happiness.

She wanted to cry for the life he'd lost.

She'd taken the lives of the two people who loved her most in the world.

The knight wrestled with her thoughts.

She had killed Lucy.

She had ruined his life.

And still Inigo loved her.

She couldn't understand why.

How could she ever face the prince again?

So, she tossed and turned and tried to find peace that would never come.

Sleep wouldn't come either, the light from behind her curtain told her it was the middle of the day, but it didn't really matter. What sleep she got came in fits and starts, dreams plagued by thoughts of Grima or Inigo staring at her from the doorway.

She just wanted it to end.

Just

Her door slammed open.

Severa dove out of her bed, scrabbling for the sword she kept underneath.

It wasn't there.

Why wasn't it there?

She quickly got to her feet hands up in a defensive stance.

Short dark hair caught her first, then the challenging eyes.

Kjelle wore a wry grin, standing at ease as the cavalier watched her old teacher make a fool of herself.

"Well at least you've still got your instincts about you," the dark-haired girl remarked casually, as if she hadn't just broken into someone's room.

Severa tried to calm herself even as adrenaline she hadn't felt in weeks pulsed through her. Deep breaths, in and out, in and out. "If my sword was here, I would have skewered you."

Kjelle brushed it off, "As you are you couldn't fight a child, let alone tussle with me and as far as I understand it's this sorry state that got your weapons confiscated in the first place."

"They weren't…" Severa thought better of her protest, "if you're here to make fun of me then well done, now leave me alone."

Kjelle's expression chilled, "I'm here because there's a soldier who's not fighting with the rest of the army and it's high time you came back to the field."

"I'm not coming back, I told Brady and Inigo," she replied. Kjelle knew this, why was she here?

"You think I'm listening to those idiots? Brady's too scared to disobey you and Inigo's spent far too much of his time mooning over your idiotic arse to make you do anything."

The redhead began to formulate a response. Wait. Mooning over her? Kjelle knew?

"Oh Naga, really? You think I couldn't see it? I thought you'd been encouraging him on purpose." The cavalier rolled her eyes, "Half of Ylisse knew."

Severa's thoughts finally caught up, "Then you know as well as I do that I can't come back, so leave me alone."

Kjelle let out a derisive snort, "You think I'm letting you wallow in that bed because you broke a man's heart? Get over yourself, your drama is not that important."

"My drama?" Severa replied, feeling her voice rise to the insults. "Grima took my mind Kjelle, he made me a puppet! This isn't drama! I'm a liability to the army."

"Then don't command. Don't lead," Kjelle's response was instant, "I don't care what you do, work in the armoury, be a scribe, hell, clean the latrines for all I care, but you do not get to sit here hiding in your room like a bloody coward!"

Severa's rage boiled over, "You dare call me a coward?"

There was a hint of a smile on Kjelle's face, "Oh getting angry now, are we? Not going to sit in your corner and cry?" She took a step forward, getting in the knight's face, "I dare that and more. I've met new recruits braver than you. I've met old women braver than you."

"Don't you understand, I killed Lucina! It was me! She died in my arms! Telling me she loved me and you think I can just come back?"

The short haired girl's expression changed, only slightly, there was no dismissiveness now, "And you think you're the only one who's lost someone?"

"No, but.."

Kjelle interrupted, "There's an old lady, Pryia I think her name is. Lives a few streets down from the barracks where the first cavalry division stays. Lost her son and his wife in the second war with Plegia and raised her grandkids on her own like they were her children. All three of them died with the army a few months back."

"Of course, I didn't.."

Kjelle intervened again, "Do you know what she's doing? She's gathered every child in the neighbourhood who's been orphaned and is looking after them in her living room. When the time comes and we need to evacuate she's going to get them away with a baby strapped to her back at this rate."

Kjelle stared directly into Severa's eyes, dark eyes filled with contempt, "That woman has seen more loss in her life than any of us have and you dare lie in your room while she still fights?"

Sev pushed her friend away, "It's not the same! I killed Lucina! I did! It was me!"

"So, you've said to absolutely everyone. You were under Grima's control, it doesn't count and you know it." Kjelle's dismissiveness was infuriating.

It wasn't right.

She didn't understand.

"NO!" Severa shouted, "I KILLED HER. I gave the order for you to leave us. I gave the order sending Inigo away. I used my position as Hand to override Morgan and Lucina died for it. If you'd been there, if Inigo had been there, you might have been able to stop me. I just," the anger left her, the admission of something she'd felt but never articulated taking all her adrenaline and, "I just."

She was sitting on her bed, tears in her eyes.

Kjelle looked down at her, her expression didn't change.

An arm reached, taking Severa's chin and forcing her to look into those steely eyes.

"When you gave the order that got Gerome killed," Kjelle paused when she saw the surprise take the knight's face. The dark-haired girl nodded, "I know it was you that made the call. Morgan would have wanted a flier, but everyone in that room would have deferred to your decision on who. You gave them Gerome's name because you thought he would be most likely to flee. You just didn't count on him being that brave." Kjelle's grip lightened, as if she was convinced that Severa wouldn't look away now, "Do you know who I blamed for his death?"

Severa almost voiced her fears.

"Grima."

Kjelle's grip tightened again, "Do you know who Gerome would blame? Grima."

She continued, "Do you know who Miss Pryia blames? Grima."

Kjelle's face was almost next to Severa's, her warm breath punctuated every word, "When you sent Inigo and me away, do you know who agreed with your order? Lucina. Do you know who followed your commands? Me. And do you know who I blame for what happened?"

Kjelle took a breath, "Grima."

She let go of Severa's chin, "Every minute you blame yourself for that command you disrespect me. As if I wouldn't protest a bad order. Worse, you disrespect Lucina, who agreed with that command. Who gave that command."

The stunned knight's head didn't move, it couldn't. Kjelle continued, "Do you know who Lucina would blame for this?"

Kjelle paused, for emphasis, or perhaps for a response from Severa that never came, "Grima."

The dark-haired girl's voice lowered, "And how do I know this?"

"BECAUSE YOU BLOODY TAUGHT IT TO ME," the cavalier shouted loud enough to deafen. "When my parents died, you told me that it wasn't my fault," a finger jabbed Severa's chest, "you told me the army wasn't to blame" and again, "and you told me to blame one fucking person!" jab, "Grima!" jab, jab, jab.

Severa winced, cowering from the onslaught as Kjelle turned away, "Whoever you are, you disgust me. When you're done wearing the face of my teacher perhaps you can give her back to me and we can win this war together."

The door slammed.

The knight sat, motionless.


It wasn't fair.

Kjelle had no right to speak to her that way.

She couldn't understand what had happened.

She was a stupid boorish moron who spent too much time with soldiers and not enough time thinking.

And Severa would give that fool a piece of her mind the next time she showed.

Except it had been days.

Severa had stayed in her room.

Staring at the cold stone walls, she seethed. Furious at Kjelle for insulting her, furious at herself for not being brave enough to leave. Furious at Grima for taking Lucina from her.

It wasn't fair!

Why was it always her? Why was she the one who had parents who tried to destroy her life? Why was she the one who had to lead? Why did they always look to her?

The same thoughts tumbled through her mind. The inequity of it all feeling more crushing with each second that passed.

She wasn't even the best choice. Morgan had been smarter, Lucina more charismatic. Why had the burden always been on her!

It wasn't fair!

Does it have to be fair?

That was new.

Of course it didn't have to be fair. But she was right to feel upset, to be angry at how the cards had been dealt.

It was fine to be angry.

She was right to be angry.

No, anger wasn't enough, she should have been outraged.

It wasn't enough for life to take her childhood, it had taken her parents, her siblings, her love. What more could it take from her? What more could someone stand?

She clutched her knees to her face, huddling tighter. Nobody could take this much.

But you're still here.

By luck. By chance. Through the bravery of a prince who should have known better.

Inigo.

She couldn't even bear thinking about him.

He'd lost his entire family, the woman he loved had killed his sister.

The boy, no, that man, had still come to try to cheer her up.

And like a child she'd tried to destroy him.

How could she ever face him again. Stare into his eyes and tell him how sorry she was for everything. Beg for his forgiveness.

He'd be happy just to see you.

That wasn't okay! It wasn't okay for him to keep being hurt! To let himself take on all that pain.

She could spare him that at the very least.

Spare herself.

It was Kjelle's fault anyway.

If that lout hadn't shown up Severa would have been fine to just disappear. Nobody would have missed her, nobody would have cared.

But that idiot had yelled! Bloody yelled at her teacher! She'd treated Severa like an unruly soldier, no, a child.

The knight punched her pillow. The thing was looking worse for wear, goose feathers poking out the sides. It had taken a battering recently.

As if she didn't know that other people had been through tragedy. As if she didn't know how resilient the people of Ylisse were.

As if she didn't know that it was Grima's…

No.

It was her fault.

It had to be her fault.

She had killed Lucina, that was on her. Her hand had been on the sword as much as her tongue had given the order.

"It's a shame you think so little of me."

Severa's eyes widened.

"Lucy?"

Her princess was there, lying next to her. Blue hair perfectly strewn over the sheets, face full of consternation, sadness, but mostly love.

This wasn't real.

"You aren't real," Severa squeaked, shock staining her tone.

Lucina looked upwards, frowning merrily in the way that only she could, "Your memory of me is real, your love for me is real, although I suppose the lack of food and sleep is helping somewhat."

"You aren't.."

"More to the point though," Lucina smiled. It was like fresh water after a day of training, "On the off chance that I am real, do you really want to spend our time together arguing?"

"I," this was ridiculous, she was hallucinating, she just needed to sleep.

"I don't."

Her princess grinned triumphantly, "Good."

"Then what should we talk about?" the redhead asked dumbly, mind still trying to process what her eyes were seeing.

"Sev, why are you here?" the blue haired girl asked, concern painting her voice.

"I'd hurt people if I left," the knight replied easily, "I can't leave, never again."

Lucina frowned, "Don't lie to me Sev, you don't have to hide from me."

"But it's true."

The princess closed her eyes, nodding. "Tell me who you'd hurt."

"Inigo," Severa responded immediately, "I already hurt him."

Lucina nodded again, "Do you really think the Exalt would be sad to see his best tactician return? Do you really think my brother," there was emphasis, pride in that word, "would be sad to see the love of his life? Is he that petty that he wouldn't feel joy at seeing you well because you don't feel the same?"

Severa squeezed her eyes shut, "No," the response felt forced out of her.

"So, it's not Inigo then. Who else would you hurt?"

Her mind raced, Kjelle, Cynthia, Brady, Laurent, "All of them, Grima knows me, he knows everything I think, if I help I'll doom them all."

Lucina chuckled, "Ah yes, the great Severa Luna, so pivotal to any and all strategies that she makes even the ones she didn't plan go wrong." The blue haired girl raised a finger to her chin, "As I recall, Kjelle gave you the solution to that and as far as I know, killing a Risen or two would probably help more than lying alone in your room."

Gradually, painfully, Severa nodded, "You're right." No that wasn't correct, "Kjelle's right."

"So then why are you here Sev?"

For a long time Severa stayed silent. The sound of her breathing, the only thing she could hear in the empty room. "Because I'm scared." The admission came out of her like a dagger to the chest. It hurt, but she could feel her strength return from its absence.

"And that's fine Sev. It's fine to fear Grima, good even. We weren't scared enough before and it cost us." Their confidence had been their downfall. If Lucy hadn't tried to take him alone at the end, if they'd fought him together from the start, if they'd thought to bring Inigo or Kjelle. If if if..

"No, none of that," Lucy interrupted her thoughts with a smile. "Learn from your mistakes, don't dwell on them." That had been one of Robin's lessons, perhaps the most important one. "Now tell me, do you want to stay huddled in a ball because you're scared? Is that what I would do?"

The knight shook her head, "You would be out of here in a heartbeat. You would try to help as many people as you can. But I," Severa bit her lip, "I'm not as strong as you."

Lucina's smile warmed, the afternoon sun on a summer's day, "No Sev, you're stronger."

That wasn't true, that was ridiculous, that,

"Who could have survived what your parents put you through and come out as kind as you Sev? What person could endure being tortured every day and then be in tears for this long because she feared hurting her friends?"

Lucina shifted, mark flickering as she looked into the knight's eyes. "Sev you stood up to Grima, you broke free of his control and you're going to complain to me about being weak?" the blue haired girl's expression grew serious, "You were my rock, I couldn't have stood without you."

Severa's mind wanted to disbelieve, to ignore the words, but her heart couldn't. It couldn't ignore her princess no matter what.

She'd survived Cordelia and Robin. She'd saved thousands of lives. She'd taken the arm of the Fel Dragon himself. She was scared, yes, but she'd never let fear control her in the past, so why now?

Because of what was at stake? The world had been at stake before, now the odds were just worse.

Because she might fail? Because she had failed? She'd failed plenty of times in the past and that had never stopped her. She learnt, she improved, she came back. If she'd given up the first time she practiced with the sword then Cordelia would never have been beaten.

No, fear controlled her simply because she allowed it. Because she'd let hope be taken from her.

It was healthy to weep, to grieve; but it was also reasonable to let herself be happy, to not punish herself for what happened.

Because that's what Lucina would have wanted.

"We win with joy and love," she found herself whispering to Lucina's delight. "I promised I wouldn't forget."

"I'm glad you didn't," her princess replied, "even if you wavered for a moment," she conceded.

"I don't want to leave you," Severa whispered, somehow knowing that their time was coming to a close.

"You never will. I'll always be with you Sev," her princess' voice didn't waver.

"I love you, Lucy," she could feel the tears rolling down her cheek.

"I love you, Severa," her princess' tears flowed just as freely.

The knight closed her eyes.

And opened them again.

Her princess was gone.

Now how to win this?

A giggle came from the back of her mind.

"Oh Severa, you already know how."

And she did.


Severa of House Luna looked in the mirror, adjusting the black ribbons that kept her twintails in check. Her hair was neat, the red possessing a glossy sheen after she'd taken near an hour to get it just right.

A shirt with a black chest contrasting white sleeves, decorated with golden pinpoints adorned her today. It was offset with a white skirt and then contrasted again with black leggings and boots.

It wasn't a military uniform by any stretch, but it had an impact that the rest of her clothes lacked.

Lucina had picked it out for her from mistress Kayle's collection as a gift after they'd been together for a month.

She hadn't had the chance to wear it for her princess.

The tears came freely, but she wiped them away.

It was okay to be sad.

But Lucina would have wanted her to wear these clothes.

Mistress Kayle would have been delighted. Naga send that she was still alive.

The redhead belted on her sword, held with a scabbard that matched her hair. Even if she wasn't going in strict military dress, the others would best be reminded that she was the greatest warrior in Ylisse.

Opening the door to her quarters, she gave Livette a nod and a smile. The green haired girl had taken great enjoyment in keeping Severa's first bath in a month a secret and had even figured out where the war room meeting was being held today.

The knight would have to close whatever leak had led to that, but for now she was grateful for her guard's propensity for mischief.

The young soldier fell in beside Severa, face beaming as she followed the knight through the corridors of the noble quarters.

It wasn't far until they arrived at their destination, Cynthia's room was larger than most so it could hold a council meeting in a pinch.

The door swung open as the knight waltzed in. She enjoyed the dumbfounded looks from most of them, well that and the grin from Kjelle. Arrogant fool probably thought she was the cause of this.

Well, she had helped.

A lot.

But Severa would never admit that to the moron's face.

Instead, she glanced at the map they had up on the board.

The knight rolled her eyes, "If you idiots would stop gawking for three seconds then you would know that your infantry is placed incorrectly for defending the town or guaranteeing an escape route. And your scouts!" The knight threw her hands up in the air, "It's no wonder Grima surrounded you. Did none of you listen to me in class?"

Nobody spoke, they were still processing, "Well it looks like I'll have to fix all of your problems for you," she strolled next to the board the map was held on. "Laurent close your damn mouth and get over here, we're changing our positions now. Cynthia, if you're done loafing around, we need someone to ferry these orders as quickly as we can."

She glanced back at the map, "Is the position of the blight accurate at the very least?" Hopefully that was too difficult for them to have messed up.

"Yes Sev," piped up Cynthia, "Correct as of yesterday evening."

"Finally, someone speaks!" You'd think we were commanded by council of mutes!" she said, emphasising her relief in the hope that someone would start working.

"Does.." Owain hesitantly spoke up from his corner, "Are you back Sev? Lady Hand?"

Severa let out a guffaw, "Back, yes, but I think we'd agree that I made for a terrible Hand of the Exalt." The knight brought her index finger up, tapping it against her cheek, "But Grand Tactician, I quite like the sound of that." She looked over at Inigo, his face a blend of joy and disbelief, "If you would my Exalt?"

The grey-haired boy sputtered to life, "Yes, sure, whatever you want Sev!" Nobody in the room, not even Zale Anura, renowned for his level head, objected to a Grand Tactician being installed by her own decree.

"Good!" She replied cheerfully, "Laurent, after we're done with the positioning here, I need you and your library squad to find every single book relating to the sealing of Grima, not the battle against him, just sealing him away. Kjelle, wipe that ridiculous grin off your face and get me every single breach point into the castle you know of and their likelihood of use. I don't know what imbecile put you on this council but you're going to work while you're here." She whirled, facing Owain again, "Owain," the blonde-haired prince almost squirmed as his name was called, "Is Master Brend, the smith, still with us?" Vincent Brend was the same metalworker who had crafted her and Inigo's armour.

"Yes Sev!" Owain's enthusiasm came through in his response.

"Good, there's a very important favour I need of him, please bring him after this meeting."

Severa looked around the room, as surprise was fading and she felt something, perhaps hope, begin to swell.

"It's the last stretch my friends, let's work like there's no tomorrow because if we don't, well, there won't be a tomorrow."

She turned back to the map, before remembering something important.

She looked back at the prince.

"Inigo, how do I look?"

Her Inigo burst into a smile.

Notes

This took a long, long time to figure out and the middle is some of the hardest writing I've ever had to do.

Usually I intersperse character moments with action, or use action as a catalyst for someone to learn something about themselves.

Here I couldn't.

I had the challenge of just Severa in her room, talking with people which was a real stretch in some ways.

I hope her recovery didn't feel too long or short. If I was writing an ensemble piece, this is how long it would take but I'd be able to cut away from her to other characters in the meantime. I don't have the option with this story, so it just ended up together.

To that extent I tried to represent Severa's journey through grief as best I could. With the four stages and four characters she speaks to, Brady, Inigo, Kjelle and Lucina representing stages of her grief. Brady is disbelief and denial, Inigo is depression and sadness, Kjelle is anger and then finally Lucina represents the beginning of recovery.

Sev isn't fine at the end of this, but hopefully she can make it long enough to end this story.

As always, thanks so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter. It was a doozy and I really appreciate all the interest and love I've got for it since. If you are enjoying, please do say something, I read everything and try as hard as I can to respond and take it all on board.