AN: Not enough fics of these two and I absolutely love the pairing, so I'm changing that. Also go check out Alan B. Smithee's Inigo's Hidden Talent, it's well-written and deserves to be appreciated.
Chapter 1
"Severa, do you remember when we were kids? Before all that Grimleal nonsense, this Nohr and Hoshidan War… before us?" A low, soft voice usually brimming with energy thrummed with satisfaction as two warriors of another world sat in the shadows of a moonlit clearing, breath coming out in thick clouds in the cool midnight air.
"Hm," came the answer, a dismissive huff from someone too physically spent to really express herself as she normally would, "Wh'bou't?" Severa mumbled as she let her crimson hair spill over her lover's chest, listening to the dying down of his hammering heartbeat.
The only sound that could be heard for a few moments was the soft rustling of the great oaks surrounding the pair as their chests rose and fell, sweat feeling like ice on their exposed skin. "I've found myself wishing that it didn't end up like this…" for his words, the grey-haired man received an irritated look, his long-time friend narrowing her eyes as she rolled on top and straddled him.
"You'd better not have meant what I think you meant by that," the woman that he'd pined for glared down at him, her normally pigtailed hair splaying messily across her pale back, "You'd better not have lied about loving me only so you could lay me, or I will-"
"No! By Naga, no…" he hastily shot up his hands in surrender, heart fluttering at seeing the moonlight shine from behind her. He didn't think he could betray her like that even if he wanted to right now, the memories of their impassioned, soft words only minutes before still fresh in his mind. The usually suave mercenary chose his next words carefully, aware that he might receive a clobbering if she didn't like his answer, "I could never betray someone as exquisite as you, love," he ran a hand up and down her side, rebelling in the moment they had before sunrise, "I meant this-" he waved to his hair, his eye, "I despise hiding my true self from these new friends of ours, hiding it from our Lieges. I hate looking in the mirror and seeing not the hair of my father but this dull, lifeless grey. I miss Lucina laughing at father and mother, I miss our friends, I miss living," he sighed, glancing away from her gaze, unable to meet it, "I miss our home."
Hands slammed themselves against the ground on either side of his head, Sev—no, it was Selena now, no matter how nostalgic the times were—Selena looked down at him, her hair creating a curtain of red, cutting off the rest of the world, and he turned to look into her eyes, reddish-brown orbs that pierced his soul. "Stupid Inigo," she admonished, a scowl that made his heart ache tugging at her lips, "Only you would worry about something like that," he could hear the quivering in her voice, and he reached around her waist, pulling her down to him and gently rising his lips to hers.
"At least we still have Owain?" he smirked as they drifted apart, a profuse redness rising to both their faces.
"Gods, of course you mention that idiot at a time like this, stupid Inigo," Selena huffed as she pushed his head back into the dirt, crossing her arms, "We're lucky that he hasn't made a bigger fool of himself than he is these past few years!"
"Yes, but he has managed to play his part quite effectively, wouldn't you say? My cousin always was quite the actor."
"Hmph, he could still try to make that outfit of his look less dumb…" the swordswoman shivered in the night breeze, reminding the two of their obvious… predicament, "Ugh, it's freezing out here. Give me your shirt," she demanded.
"Uh, Severa? Yours is just over there," Inigo pointed to the red garment not two feet away, "Not that you wouldn't look ravishing in my clothes, but-"
"Just give me your shirt, okay!?" the redhead barked, turning away from him as her face began to match the shade of her hair, "And stop calling me by that name, what if someone heard us, idiot!?"
"Fine, fine," the swordsman smirked as he reached out and grabbed the grey shirt from off the ground, holding it out to his… lover? Companion? They could work out the specifics some other time. He watched as she snatched it from his grip, doing this adorable thing where she would try to avoid eye contact with you as her nose scrunched up, much to his amusement, "Should we try to make it back to camp before they come looking for us, or-?"
"No!" Selena exclaimed before reigning herself back in, her head poking through the neckline, "I mean, no, because you are obviously pretty comfortable like this and I wouldn't want to make you move…" she was still doing it, and all the former prince could think of was how he wanted to melt that icy exterior just a bit more.
"Fine by me," he shot her a stunning smile, which she returned with a pout, "I'd love to stay like this with someone so beautiful."
Amongst the trees, there could only be heard indignant squawks of embarrassment as a cloud drifted in front of the moon.
-(I)-
"Inigo!" the halls echoed with the voice of a young girl, her short-cut cobalt hair bobbing against her yellow dress as her bare feet slapped off the marble floor, "Where are you, brother? Mother is getting worried!" she was met with deafening silence in return, and her blue eyes–the left bearing the mark of Naga–darting about, "Where could he be?"
"Perhaps he is off focusing the power of his chosen one's seal!" the Princess jumped in surprise as another young one, a brown-haired child with a wooden sword strapped to his back, joined her, jogging up from behind, "We of the Exalt's blood must train ourselves from birth, lest we lose control of our dark potential, cousin!"
"Owain, this is serious," she pouted, her eyebrows furrowing as she put her hands to her hips, "Inigo never runs off like this, what if he's in trouble!? It's my job as his big sister to protect him, father told me so."
"And as I am honor-bound by the call of my heroic heritage, I shall find him as well!" the young boy struggled for a second before pulling out the wooden blade, a recreation of a Killing Edge that he had asked his mother for since it "looked like his father's loyal blade", "For I, Prince Owain of Ylisse, am the dark hero of this tragic world, and will not turn his head at a cry for help!"
"Owain!" the girl puffed her cheeks, peeved at her cousin, "This isn't time for playing around, he's been missing for an hour! Father mentioned at breakfast that Cordelia was bringing her daughter with her today, and I haven't seen Inigo since. I'm scared that he might've gotten hurt somewhere, so stop being silly," she ordered.
"Oh," the boy froze, his sword drooping along with his smile, "M-maybe he'll be in the library? Or Uncle Chrom's room?" he let his playful act drop, sinking into a concentrated frown, "But why did he hide like that, Lucina?"
The young girl fiddled with the edge of her dress, frowning. "I don't know, he just froze up when mother talked about him finally meeting the others today."
"Hmm… a case of a missing prince?" Owain rubbed at his chin, trying to imitate the Kingdom's genius tactician when mulling over a difficult decision, before he raised his sword with twice the enthusiasm, beginning to march off down the hall, "Then the two chosen heroes of House Ylisse shall see what fate awaits us in this grand quest. Let us away on our grand adventure!"
"Didn't Aunt Maribelle tell you to stop talking like that?"
"Nonsense! The secret code of the Justice Cabal shall not be silenced! And my father said it was good to have my kind of focus on becoming strong," the boy beamed as he marched on, and Lucina frowned in confusion.
"I don't think how you talk was what Uncle Lon'qu meant…" she muttered as she followed her cousin.
The two children made their way through the castle, searching every nook and cranny they could think of for their younger relative, their anxiety for his well-being increasing with each place they found him absent. It wasn't long before they found themselves in front of a thick set of oak doors, inlaid with gold and silver. The Exalt's chambers.
"Do you trust…? Your… soul that he is… uh…" Owain started, but trailed off as the gears turned in his head, trying to come up with some manner of combination that would sound cool in his mind, "That he is… within the vault that are these doors- yes! Do you feel deep in your accursed blood that your bloodkin is within these vaulted doors?" the brunette boy posed, hand in front of his face as he reverse-gripped his fake sword, much to Lucina's frustration.
"Didn't I tell you before to take this seriously?" she scolded him with her finger, "What if he isn't in here? Then what do we do?"
"Well, uh…" her cousin was a bit lost for words, but quickly put himself toward finding some, "We… find Frederick to help us?" he shrugged apologetically, an uneasy smile plastered on his features.
"Then go look for him now, just in case," she nodded as Owain darted off like the Fell Dragon of legend itself were on his tail, satisfied that he'd do what she told him to. Turning back to her parent's room, she could tell that Inigo had slipped inside. He was still a little too young to fully close the doors at times, and there was the slightest of cracks between the massive things. She pushed, opening up the room, "Inigo?" she whispered, stepping inside. The room was dark, with the silk curtains pulled over the large windows. Against the wall, there was an extinguished fireplace below a large portrait of their family, with a baby Inigo sitting in the lap of their mother, Lucina herself standing beside them with her father standing behind them all, a soft smile on his face. In the middle of the room sat a large, soft bed with a red canopy.
"Eep!" Lucina heard a small noise as a head of blue hair ducked beneath the sheets, the resulting small mound in the usually pristine bedspread quivering slightly as she frowned, "N-n-no one i-is h-here," the small voice was muffled as she approached, "Y-you can l-l-leave now."
"Hmm," she frowned as she reached the bed, pulling back the sheets to find the young prince curled up, looking at her with frightened eyes, "Brother, have you been hiding here all this time?"
The young boy with blue eyes–one with the Mark of Naga as well, in his right–and matching hair to hers nodded hesitantly. Any frustration that Lucina had built up over his disappearance deflated at the six year old's frightened mannerisms, and she quickly clambered under the sheets with him and wrapped her arms around his head. "Sister, d-do I have to g-go a-a-and meet those p-people…?" he let out a scared squeak as he buried his head into her shoulder.
Lucina smiled softly as he snuggled up to her, his tiny body shivering at the thought of having to go out and meet new people. Inigo had always been scared of others, something he had gotten from their mother–Olivia–'s, side. Lucina could still remember the stories her father would tell her about their wedding, how she was barely able to squeak out her vows in front of nearly the whole of Ylisse. Then again, her mother told her about how Chrom had constantly made a fool of himself around his friends, never able to pick up on sarcasm or most adult jokes. Maybe social ineptity was genetic. "Inigo, you don't have to meet them if you don't want to," she whispered to him, rubbing her hand along his back.
"R-really?" he gazed up at her, puppy dog eyes watering as he tried not to cry.
"Mhm," the princess nodded, "But you know that father and mother will be sad if you don't, this is the fifth time they've tried to have you meet them," he frowned, curling up even tighter.
"But what if they call me weird like Morgan did?" he asked, and Lucina remembered how Robin's child had come with him one week for a castle visit. She was the same age as Inigo himself, and when they had been introduced the first thing Morgan had said to Inigo and Lucina was that their branded eyes were strange. Inigo had run off crying at that comment, and it took him days before he was willing to meet her again.
"It's the same answer as it always is. I'll call them weird right back," the future wielder of Falchion assured him, and he sniffed, squirming out of her grasp and off the bed. Lucina smiled upon learning he was still in his night-clothes.
"O-okay," the young prince muttered weakly as Lucina followed him to the door, opening it for him and following him through.
"Ah, my mighty cousin!" she heard as she shut the wooden slabs behind them, turning to see Owain jogging towards them with Frederick on his tail, the retainer's gait as straight and formal as a butler, "I see your royal visage has been discovered! How are you on this day of fate?"
"H-hi Owain," Inigo gave his cousin a nervous grin, pink rising up on his cheeks. He made to move behind Lucina, but the brunette arrived too fast, barreling into him as the two sprawled to the floor, Inigo landing on his arm, "Ow, Owain! T-that hurt!" he groaned, rubbing his elbow.
"Prince Owain, what would your mother say about this?" Frederick 'The Wary' frowned, Lucina mirroring him, "You must aspire to be more careful, apologize at once!"
"Oops," Owain blinked, gulping at the furious glares sent his way, "My bad, cousin of mine."
"Very good. You sent for me, Milady?" Frederick turned from the target of his admonishment to his Liege's daughter. He gazed down at her with strict attention, the imposing silver axe at his side swaying from his rapid stop, "I see that you discovered our wayward Lord, was there anything else you needed?"
"Hmph," she shot a final glare at Owain before giving the Great Knight her full attention, "That'll be all, Mr. Frederick!" she gave his armored legs a quick hug, "I'm sorry for taking you away from father."
The Knight kneeled down, a slight smile crossing his normally strict face as he placed a hand to her shoulder. "Nonsense, Princess Lucina. I would fulfill any request you gave, even if it cost me my life."
"Freddy, I would never tell you to do something like that!" the young girl stomped a foot down, frowning, "Never say that ever again you big, stupid idiot!"
"Of course, Milady," the Butler/Retainer nodded, his smile widening as he strode over to Inigo, hefting him off the ground and to his feet, "Now, I must go and aid our young Prince in getting dressed. If you two need anything, just call," he told the two other royals as he led the blue-haired boy to his room.
"Ahem! So…" Owain coughed, fidgeting on the spot, "Shall we… go forth and find our allies? I hear that Cynthia and Morgan are soon to emerge from the aether!"
Lucina sighed. "Okay," she nodded, giving her foolish cousin a small smile as she watched her brother glance back at her, and upon seeing his little, still-wet eyes, she furrowed her brow in determination, "Yeah. Let's go, cousin."
-(I)-
"Laslow!" the mercenary's eyes snapped open as something smacked him in the face, and he jolted up to find his fiery redhead shoving his uniform into his arms, "Get dressed, now. Your stupid idea is going to make us late!"
"My… stupid…?" he groaned, still groggy in the early morning… sun… "Shit."
Xander was going to murder him.
It had been about three weeks since the prince had joined up with Lord Corrin's small Hoshido/Nohr combined army, three weeks since the three survivors of a destroyed future had been reunited. He remembered how Selena had chewed him and Odin out that first night, screaming about how idiotic they'd been in staying with their Lords, almost biting his head off when he pointed out that she'd never leave Lady Camilla if their positions were reversed.
"Ah, the greatest allies of darkness!" a cheery voice greeted them as they approached the edge of camp, hastily tucking in their shirts and double-checking the belts and straps that kept their armor in place, "How do you two fare this auburn morn?"
"Shut up, Odin," Selena growled as she pushed past, her face as red as Leo's tomato soup, refusing to make eye contact with either of her friends.
"She's angry," Odin blinked in shock, his exuberant attitude replaced with confusion as Laslow stopped next to him, face just as flushed, "What did you manage to say last night to conjure her fury?"
"Hello to you too, Owain," his cousin huffed, running a hand through his grey hair, "A great many things were said, not all bad, but we hadn't much time to… recover before we headed back here," Odin raised a brow at the name–none of them had gone by that for a while. But Laslow himself had broken that rule last night, and he definitely knew Selena had, "We'll be fine, there's just a bit of tension, nothing you need to worry about."
The Dark mage leaned in close, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "Does it have anything to do with you leaving your tent? I know you go out to dance when you need to think, but…"
He received a sidelong glance from Laslow. "You saw me leave? When?"
"I was patrolling the night with Niles when we caught eye of a figure exiting your tent for the woods," Odin gave him a meek grimace, "And when he revealed he beheld the ashen garments of my dear cousin…"
"Oh, gods," the mercenary buried his face in his hands, "Please tell me he didn't follow me."
"Fear not, Laslow of the Azure Skies!" he was patted on the back, Odin giving a reassuring smile, "For his intrigue was halted with a reminder of his grand duties, so your cloistered passion is still so. But… I did send Selena after you," his smile turned nervous as his cousin whipped his head up, eyeing Odin with… something, "I-I was worried! I did not wish for a demon of doubt or pain to be tormenting your mind, and since I couldn't just leave Niles, I-" he was cut off as Laslow wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and his younger cousin began guiding him further into the camp, a chuckle on his lips.
"So that's why she startled me, because my older cousin was worried. If Cynthia were here, she'd tease you something fierce."
A slightly pink tinge rose up in the Dark Mage's cheeks at the thought of the equally personable Pegasus Knight. "Yeah, she would."
"Well, let's go and get breakfast, I am starved. Maybe we can exchange some untold stories from home-" Laslow began yanking a little as he changed the subject, but Odin resisted, shaking his head a little.
"It is unbecoming of a chosen one to leave a trusted friend unattended," he refused, "I shall inquire upon our dear Selena in case she is plagued with horrendous visions sown by your covert meeting."
"She's just tired," the mercenary reassured him, tugging at Odin's uniformed cape, "And if she needs someone to talk to, she has Lady Camilla and Beruka. If you really want to know what we talked about, I'll tell you about what happened soon, but please don't try and mediate. Selena and I are adults, we can smooth things out ourselves."
"Mmm…" Odin let out a uneasy groan, not comfortable with leaving their friendship up to chance, but he ultimately relented, allowing Laslow to drag him off towards the mess tent, "I shall allow this path of destiny to be my path, but I walk it reluctantly."
"Good enough for me," the grey-haired man hastily dragged his blonde cousin away, the both of them unaware of the red-haired woman listening to them as she hid behind a tent.
It hadn't been her initial plan to spy, but some urge kept nagging at the back of her mind. All in all, she was worried, and she knew exactly why. It was that stupid flirt's attitude. She knew that he'd liked her–at the very least for her looks–since he had begun asking every lady in sight out to tea. He was very vocal about those kinds of compliments, very… flippant. And because of that… well…
I could never betray someone as exquisite as you, love.
She shivered at the memory of his hands, far too soft for anyone who did what they did had any right having, running down her sides, his voice heavy and… Gods, why did he have to sound so sincere, she scowled, her face heating up further with each pound of her heart. But with each thump, that black pit in her gut began to grow, worry chewing at her stomach.
What if he left, forgot? What if he dropped her at the first bimbo on the street? What if it was all just a lie like to get her to bed with him like she'd feared the night before? What if he went away with a promise on his lips, only to never return? What if all she had left of him was his parting words, or a sword, a lance, a bag of candy…?
What if…?
What if…?
"Five minutes and twenty-two seconds," Selena jumped as a monotone voice sounded behind her. She spun around, hand on the hilt of her sword as she came face to face with a familiar pale-blue haired assassin.
She grit her teeth, huffing in annoyance as she let herself relax. "Gods, Beruka. You can't just appear behind someone like that."
Her fellow retainer stared at her with those emotionless eyes. "Why?"
"Because I could have killed you, that's why."
"Unlikely," Beruka stated, arms tensed like she was ready to grab her axe at any time, "You were too focused on overhearing Odin and Laslow."
"Shut up," Selena scowled, turning from her tentmate, "Why would I want to listen to those two idiots? Maybe I was just standing here," the former assassin didn't reply to that, much to the redhead's frustration, simply staring with that blank, focused look, "Well? Aren't you going to ask me why I was standing here?"
"..." the Wyvern Rider looked at her, confused, "Why… are you standing here?"
Selena sunk to the ground, burying her face behind her knees in embarrassment. "I was listening to those two idiots," she felt the grass shift as her friend sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was cold.
"What did they say?"
Selena considered telling Beruka about her and Laslow's entanglement for a moment. Ini- Laslow hadn't said anything about it to Odin yet, but he said he'd tell him later, so should she wait, or… "I… might need time to think before I tell," she chewed over each word, emulating that grey-haired idiot, "Yeah, time…"
"Ah. Is there any way I can assist?" the mercenary felt Beruka place a hand on her shoulder, far more caring that her cold and distant demeanor would let on.
Selena began to shake her head, but an idea began to dawn as she thought of Laslow's… habits, one that could maybe solve her crisis. "Actually, I think I will tell you. Could we go and see Lady Camilla to talk about it with her, too? I have an idea I know she'll just love."
-(I)-
"Inigo, love, could you stay still?" a beautiful, pink-haired woman huffed as she attempted to fit her son's arms into a navy tunic. The young, blue-haired boy whined nervously as he forced himself still, legs fidgeting as he allowed Olivia to adorn him.
"Darling~!" a voice called from outside the door, posh and proud, "Guess who~!"
A grunt escaped the Queen's lips as she managed to yank Inigo's arm through a sleeve. "Hello, Maribelle," she panted, wiping a small bead of sweat from her brow as the blonde noble walked through the dressing room's open door.
"Oh, my. Dressing him yourself?" her friend–the Duchess of Themis after her father had retired the role–mused, a decorative fan held slyly to cover her smirk, "You have handmaids for that now, dear. You're the queen, you must act like it."
"I-it's no excuse to leave Inigo alone, Mari. You know how he gets around others," a disgruntled reply came from the former dancer as her son stared at the intruder, rushing behind Olivia's leg nervously.
"Tsk. Darling, you musn't be so easy on the boy," Maribelle tutted, snapping her fan closed as she strutted over to the pair, glancing disapprovingly at the young boy, who only burrowed further into his mother's leg, "I swear, I leave him at the orphanage for one day and Brady starts speaking like a sewer rat! Libra finds no issue in it, but I just know the ladies will hound me in court about it."
"Those vultures," Olivia grimaced at the thought of sneering faces and hidden laughs, "Sometimes I still think I hear mutters about my being lowborn…" she felt the grip on her leg as her little boy clutched even tighter.
"I've yet to see Chrom as furious as the day you were mocked off the throne," the drill-haired beauty scowled, "I don't think I've ever been so furious. It's making me red just remembering it," she flipped open her fan, hastily fluttering it back and forth.
"Yes, I remember you chasing Duchess Martin from the castle with your parasol," Olivia worked to suppress a giggle as she kneeled down to Inigo, detangling his arms and holding his shoulders as she looked him up and down, "But if those cruel women try to mock your adorable little Brady, I'll try some of that 'Queenly Power' you said to use."
"Ohoho!" the two friends shared a laugh as Maribelle bent down to overview Inigo as well, "My, my, you've outdone yourself, Milady! He looks positively dapper!" she crooned, slipping out a small comb and tidying up his hair, "Just like Chrom when he was your age!" the prince was in a simple navy tunic with silver lining, baggy white pants and a small white beret, completely contrasted with the heavy blush that reached from nose to ear.
The young boy only trembled, screwing his eyes shut as if trying to deny Maribelle was even in front of him. "Inigo," Olivia frowned, "What do you say when someone says you look nice?"
"T-" the boy's voice was barely louder than a mouse's as he shrunk in on himself, "T-thank you."
"But of course, Milord," the older lady curtsied politely, making the young boy blush even harder.
"Maribelle," Olivia frowned in faux-admonishment, "You know that he gets nervous when people address him like that!"
"T'was a mere jest," chuckles echoed around the room as the door opened, another, younger blonde sticking her head through the door, "Ah, Lissa darling!" Maribelle smiled as she saw the newcomer, hurrying over and catching her in a crushing hug, "It has been far too long! How is Owain?"
"Ack! Maribelle-!" the Princess grunted, eyes bugging out as her ponytails bobbed, "T-too tigh- gah!"
"Oh! Sorry, dear. Got carried away…" the Duchess smiled as she released her old friend. Just outside the door, she could see a head of brown hair just outside, "Hello, Lon'qu. You'd better be treating my Lissa well!" she waved with a pleasant smile.
"Quiet, woman!" the swordmaster shrieked indignantly, "I still don't fully forgive you for forcing me into that… that establishment."
"Well. At least we know that your fear cannot be overcome by jumping in headfirst, don't we?"
"C'mon you two, it's been eight years…" Lissa moaned, burying her face in her hands, "Do you have to argue about this every time you see each other?"
"Of course. At this point it's tradition!" Maribelle grinned, Lon'qu merely glancing away with a grimacing blush, "I do hope you two didn't come to say hello?"
The Ylissean princess shook her head. "Actually, I was here to check on Olivia. I didn't know you were here yet. Is Brady already playing with the others?"
"He will be arriving with his father soon, I merely wished to see how our Queen was faring."
"Hehe, that's good," Lissa smiled sweetly, "But we should probably get going, everyone else was starting to show up when I left, they're probably already serving tea!"
The duchess flicked her fan together, strutting towards the door. "Then let us not keep them waiting."
"Inigo," Olivia held her hand out to her son as the other two filed out of the room, "Are you ready?" the young boy shook his head as he grasped it, "Oh? Why not?"
"M'scared," he muttered, his grip tightening.
"You're scared?"
"M'hm."
"Of what, love?"
"W-what if they're mean, like Morgan was?"
The queen glanced at the door, long-since closed. That Tactician's daughter was always a little monster, chaotic and crazed, and her dragon blood had never helped. Olivia swore to the day that she could never figure out how Robin had managed to court the very voice of Naga herself, yet the proof itself had scared her boy off on multiple occasions. "Honey, you know that Morgan never means any of it. She's always been energetic."
"I-I don't want to say anything weird, I don't want to go, but I don't want to make you sad that I didn't…" he mumbled, eyes wide and wet in a way that made Olivia's heart twinge. So that was what it was about. Inigo's shyness had become a common trend these days, ever since that first meeting with Morgan a little over a year ago. Even in the eyes of a young child, such rejection by their perceived peers could have a lasting effect, especially in the world of a child. Olivia had hoped that she could spare him that by having him meet other children, but she'd failed. However, since she got him into this situation, maybe…
Olivia turned to the door, thinking on past memories with one of those who had left. Just maybe she could use what Maribelle had taught her all those years ago. "Well, love," she stood, smiling at her son, "I'll be there to help you, okay?"
The young boy stared up at her, eyes bright, and he nodded quietly as she lead him out of the room and down the hall. They passed paintings of old rulers, suits of gleaming armor, great tapestries depicting legends of old, such as the tale of the Earth Dragon and the Hero Prince. The pair paused by a newer painting for a moment–one of a slim, blonde woman with the Mark of Naga on her forehead–before continuing their walk, arriving at an arch to a large garden, the sounds of children and adults laughing in the early spring air. Inigo froze, unable to make himself go any further, and Olivia knelt down once more. "M-mother, I d-don't-"
"Shhh, shhh," Olivia wrapped him in a quick hug, rubbing soothing circles along his back, "It will be okay, my little Lilac, just trust me, okay?"
"O-okay," he whispered, allowing her to nudge him into the archway, revealing a scene of blooming flowers and seemingly endless green to the tyke as he gulped nervously.
The garden was fairly simple, as far as royal gardens went, with a ring of various flower bushes and plants forming a rectangular ring around a two-part area, one a stone-paved patio with tables and chairs beneath umbrellas, where a colorful group of men and women were sitting, chatting away over tea and sweets, the other a small grassy lawn with trees and rocks for clambering, a handful of children just a colorful, if not more so, as their parents. The young prince's eyes immediately found his Father, his blue locks beginning to grey at the fringes of his hairline, slight wrinkles etching their way into his face, yet none of these took away from the confident, caring smile that he wore as he tried to talk his way out of an arm wrestling match with a heavily muscled man stuffed into a dress shirt. He found his sister, locked in a play duel with his older cousin as the other children looked on. He studied the others, always interested yet too scared to join, seeing a young boy with messy blonde hair waving about a stick made to look like a staff standing next to that green-haired girl that he know considered his friend, who held up a gem-like stone that Inigo nearly shrieked at seeing, a memory of far too many teeth flashing up in his mind. Next to them sat a young girl with brown ponytails, cheering enthusiastically for Owain as the young salmon-haired boy next to her quietly rooted for Lucina. Inigo would keep an eye on them, for Lucina's sake. Across the ring stood a tall, black-haired gal that looked far more tough than anyone else around, standing next to a short, ginger-haired boy with thick glasses and heavy robes, a floppy mage's hat stuffed on his head. Next to them were two others, one a young boy with dark rabbit ears and a white tuft stuck between them, a small girl with dark green hair standing next to him in a shawl and red hood. "It's a shame Tharja and Kellam couldn't join us," Inigo heard from the adult's tables, "But Kellam's brother was having another child, soit can't be helped," another voice cut in, but the young boy tuned it out. Lastly, he caught sight of orange hair facing away from him, done up in pigtails that reached shoulder-length-
"So?" the young boy jolted as his mother placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing supportively, "Are you ready to be brave?"
His stomach tying itself into knots as he glanced at the other kids, all laughing as Lucina poked Owain in the gut, causing him to topple over in an exaggerated fashion. "I-I think so," he stammered, and he heard his mother's voice in his ear.
"So, what I was taught by a close friend of mine was that the best way to overcome a fear of talking to others was to talk with men. But since you're a boy, the best way for you to overcome it is to talk with girls! Do you think you can do that?" her voice was soothing, and he gulped as he nodded, everything in his body tingling with fearful anticipation, "Good. Now get out there, tiger!" she smiled at him, wide and loving, pumping her fists in a show of support as he nudged him forward.
And so, he started walking, the tip, tap of his shoes on the stone turning to the rustling of grass as he made his way towards the other children, the butterflies in his gut doing backflips now. He needed to just get this over with so he could go back, needed to get to the closest person–the orange pigtail one. He quickened his pace, all the voiced just mulching together into some mass urging him to go back, to stop before he made himself look stupid like he had with Morgan, but…
He risked a look back, seeing his mother there, shooting him a supporting smile as she urged him on, and he renewed his push, coming right up behind the girl. She was a bit taller than him, with her hands on her hips as she laughed at Owain, who was acting as Lucina's footrest. He was only about half a foot behind her, and made to pull on her sleeve to get her attention. With one final glance, he could see his mother holding her hands to her mouth, eyes watering as he tugged on the sleeve of a red tunic. "A-ah, exc-excuse m-m-m-" he murmured, his own eyes darting downwards as his face flushed in embarrassment, "M-my name i-is Inigo, cou-could I p-play with you?" he screwed his eyes closed, shivering in anticipation, but no reply came. He glanced up, seeing no reaction. They didn't even want to listen to him.
Eyes tearing up, he began to turn away, seeing a red-haired woman from the adult section stand, an orange-haired man trying to keep her seated as she opened her mouth-
"Hey!" he felt a hand grab his shoulder, turning him around, and he came face to face with the orange-haired girl, red eyes scanning his face suspiciously, "I thought someone was trying to get my attention! Who're you?" the young prince was frozen, unable to bring himself to speak as the taller kid cocked her head to the side, curious of the newcomer, "Hey, what's that in your eye-" she frowned before her expression widened, "You're Inigo, right? Lucina's brother?"
"Mm," he nodded. It felt like there was something stuck in his throat he couldn't talk around as the eyes of every child turned to look at him, eyeing him up and down.
"She's told us a lot about you, but it makes sense that you can't talk in front of someone as strong and cool as me," the girl smiled, and the only thing Inigo could notice was that she had a tooth missing as she waved, "Hi! I'm Severa."
"Mhm…" he only stared bug-eyed at nothing, all the eyes making him start to sweat, it was like each one could stare into his soul-
"Hey!" he heard Severa bark, and he snapped out of it to see a frown on her face, "Don't you know that it's rude to not introduce yourself to a lady? Gods."
"Ah! S-sorry…" the young prince hastily tried to smile, bringing up a shaking hand partway, and out of the corner of his eye he could see his mother and sister smiling at him, "H-hi Se-Se-Severa, m-my name is I-Inigo, nice to meet you."
And that's that! I'll probably just use this as a relaxation story to improve my romance and downtime chops since most of my other stuff is fighting-focused. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!
