Chapter 33: Elincia's Plan

AN: Hey everyone! Another chapter finished and ready for you. I hope you like and enjoy it!

***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***

Elincia and Lucia walked towards the back where Romeo and Juliet were done riding horses.

"Hey Aunt Elincia!" Romeo called out before he and his sister ran towards her. "Where's Sam?"

"The lady did promise to spendeth the entire day with us." Juliet spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Sam's…" Lucia tried to come up with a viable excuse for her kids.

"She's feeling under the weather." Elincia chimed in. "It's unfortunate, but the princess will spend a few more days with us. When she's feeling better, I'm sure she'll play with you all day." The children cheered with joy. "Children, why don't you go admire the flowerbed? I know how hard Juliet has worked on it." Juliet happily ran towards the garden, but Romeo stayed behind.

"I want to improve my fighting. I heard Kieran say there were some bad guys that attacked Nohr…he also said some dumb bitch started-" There was a hard smack against the side of his head.

"How many times must I tell you, Romeo…never curse in the presence of the queen?" Lucia exclaimed. "You are shaming this family."

"Sorry, Aunt Elincia." He quickly apologized.

"It's alright, my darling nephew. Why not go find William? I'm sure he'd love to give you pointers and extra tips." Romeo nodded and went in search of his cousin. Elincia looked out and sighed.

"I swear, one of these days it's going to be peaceful forever…and we're going to lose our damn minds." Lucia smiled and felt a light tap against her arm.

"Never curse in front of the queen." Elincia joked.

"Or what? What are you going to do about it?" She laughed before Elincia gently brushed a few strands of hair out of her best friend's face.

"I want to apologize for before. I didn't mean to become cross with you."

"Mornings are always rough. I just…" Lucia sighed. "What is happening to her? I'm scared for not only her, but for everyone. What Romeo overheard…I've heard rumors as well."

"Like?"

"Nohr, Hoshido, Ylisstol…their kingdoms have fallen. Each has lost valuable allies and members of the royal family." Lucia explained. "That's not all, I'm hearing similar stories from other places around the world. Bombs that have been going off and engulfing different areas and worlds…"

"Ashera…" Elincia shook her head. "And here we are, acting like children while our allies are dying or struggling." Elincia began to sink deep into thought. "Tomorrow, we leave for Gallia."

"But the borders-"

"They will not attack me. In cases of emergency, a meeting from all the nations will be called. We need to see who among us is still alive, if any. We need to decide what to do one way or another."

"…you're sure about this?" Lucia questioned. "Lord Renning and Kieran will be here tomorrow morning…barring some kind of unforeseen circumstance." Lucia sighed. "I'll send word if you-"

"We leave together. We will wait until they return before making some kind of decision. I will allow all to voice their opinion."

"Very well." Lucia smiled. "In the meantime, what are we going to do?"

"Why don't we call the other kingdoms? Check up on them and see if we can help in any way." Elincia suggested.

"Excellent idea. In the meantime, I think I'll take Bastian on a little walk down the road. I'd love to go see Brom or Nephenee again. But their village is a bit too far."

"Alright." Elincia stood up. "You go for a walk. I'll be sure to keep an eye on the children."

"If Sam changes at all, please let me know. We won't be gone long. Thirty minutes, tops." Lucia stood up and waved goodbye to her friend. Elincia stood up and walked towards the computer to call the other kingdoms.

'Just check in. See how they're doing.' Elincia thought to herself as she made a call to Ylisstol. A couple of rings before it was picked up by the prince of Ylisstol and brother to the exalt, Chrom.

"Yllistol kingdom, Chrom speaking." He stated before looking at the screen. "Lady Elincia? Is that you?"

"Hello, my lord Chrom." Elincia smiled. "I…how is Ylisstol? I apologize for not checking in when…when I heard…"

"We are fine, thank you." Chrom said with warmth in his voice. "Ylisstol is still rebuilding our kingdom. Robin has…Robin is a broken woman at the moment. She and I are still coping with the death of our daughter."

"Lucina…she's…"

"One of them, yes." Chrom spoke with a somber tone before clearing his throat. "Any..Anyway, how is Crimea? I have heard that all of Tellius closed its borders."

"Out of fear, my lord." Elincia stated to him. "I cannot speak for the other kingdoms, but I heard young Pelleas became one of them and that Lady Micaiah and Sothe went underground…so, I panicked and abandoned my kingdom."

"You're…you left Crimea?" He asked with surprise.

"We…relocated." Elincia said before gulping hard. "We merely just moved to a different place within Crimea."

"But you are safe. That much would give me comfort." Chrom stated with concern.

"I am well, thank you. Geoffrey, however…"

"No." Chrom shook his head. "Please…not Geoffrey. He isn't…" Elincia's eyes watered and the prince had his answer. "Damn them…Lady Elinica…you have my deepest sympathies." Chrom looked past the camera. "I-no, it's fine." A pause. "Elincia…" He glanced back down at the Crimean queen and then back at whomever he was talking to. "I…suppose it's alright. Don't you want to, I don't know, dress up?" Elincia heard a loud smack followed by Chrom rubbing his cheek.

"Is everything alright?" Elincia questioned.

"It's fine…Robin…wishes to say hello." A woman with white hair appeared next to Chrom. She was wearing a pair of wrinkled grey sweatpants and a wrinkled white t-shirt. Her hair looked quite messy and her eyes looked softer; like she had been crying for weeks.

"Robin…"

"It's always good to see a familiar face." Robin weakly smiled.

"Hello, Robin. I'm glad to see you smiling. Albeit, it's small, but a smile is still a smile." Robin lightly chuckled.

"You always knew how to make me smile. I'm sorry for your loss." Robin sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

"Thank you. But I have no time for grieving. I'm calling to check in on our neighbors. I apologize for our selfish actions, but after speaking with Lucia and if Lady Samantha's condition is true, we feel it necessary to-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on a second…Samantha…she's in Crimea?"

"Yes, but…there have been…complications."

"Like…?" Chrom questioned the queen. "You mean that girl she's traveling with…Genny, right?" He asked his wife.

"Yes. I believe that was her name." Robin nodded her head.

"So, she is real." Elincia murmured.

"Did she find her parents?" Robin inquired.

"This…Genny child is not here. I know not of the location of the child, but I have qualms with Samantha's condition."

"What condition? What are you referring to?"

"Samantha's mind is deteriorating." Elincia spoke as she looked behind her like someone may be listening.

"…what?" Robin gasped and covered her mouth.

"You're kidding." Chrom added with concern.

"She does not remember Genny and from what Lucia tells me, Samantha does not remember her husband."

"Marcus? That's…that's insane." Chrom shook his head with doubt. "How is this possible?"

"I am not sure, but-" A loud scream echoed through the entire fort; loud enough for both Chrom and Robin to hear it.

"…what was that?" robin questioned and, without hesitation, Elincia sprinted towards the stairs and entered Samantha's room.

"Guh…m-m-make…make it stop. I… it hurts…it hurts…" She screamed again and tears fell from her eyes. She was in incredible pain…and yet, there was nothing Elincia could do to help her.

"Samantha!" Elincia cried out as she quickly ran to the bathroom to get a towel for her head. She soaked a towel and placed it upon her head while holding her hand. "Samantha, please…everything is fine. Please be ok…you're doing fine, my dear." She gently held her hand as the screaming subsided. Samantha began breathing heavy and whimpering while quietly sobbing. "…no more…no more…please…" She begged.

"Samantha…talk to me…are you well?" Elinica asked with worry. Samantha took a few more deep breaths before what looked like her whole body reset. She sat up like nothing had happened before.

"…hello?" she quietly uttered. Elincia smiled as she saw the Hylian princess wake up.

"Samantha! I'm so glad you are awake!"

"…who are you?" She quietly spoke. Her words froze the Crimean queen.

"Samantha, you know me. I am Queen Elincia."

"A queen…I…I am not worthy to be in your presence…"

"Samantha, do not speak such nonsense…you are a princess of Hyrule…you are no less important to my homeland than I."

"I am no princess…I'm…I'm here to…" Samantha thought hard, but she couldn't remember why she was here.

"Don't you remember who you are?" She questioned the blonde haired woman. Samantha looked up with worry and fear that she might not have the correct answer.

"It's fine, it's fine." Elincia reassured her. "What…um…what do you remember?"

"I remember many things. Could you be more specific?"

"Your family?"

"I have a mother…and a father, I think."

"You…you think?" Elincia asked with concern. "Are you sure you don't have two mothers?" Samantha thought long and hard on her answer.

"N-no. I don't think so. Do I have two mothers? Do I have siblings? I…where am I from?" She questioned the queen and Elincia did everything she could from breaking down in front of her.

"I…I would like to offer you a position as my personal servant. Would you accept such a position?"

"I…yes. But, I could never aspire to be worthy of-"

"That's enough. From this day forward, you will work for me. In the meantime…" Elincia gulped hard as she tucked in the princess. "As queen of Crimea, I order you to get some rest."

"But-"

"Queen's orders. Surely, you wouldn't disobey an order from the queen."

"No, of course not." Samantha's head gently fell back to the pillow and she closed her eyes. Elincia quietly crept out of the room and carefully shut the door. After she shut the door, she tightly closed her eyes and quietly sobbed.

'Gods, what do I do? Samantha is gone…Zelda is going to kill me. And Samus…oh Gods…' She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. 'No! Pull yourself together…Keep her safe. They'll understand…someday.' Elincia sat down at the computer, and to her surprise, Chrom and Robin were still on the line.

"Elincia? What was-" Chrom began.

"Are you crying?" Robin cut off her husband. Elincia rubbed her eyes and sniffled once more.

"She…she's gone." Elincia's voice cracked.

"Who's gone?" Robin questioned.

"S-S-Sam…her…her mind…"

"No." Chrom quietly uttered. "She can't be. Sam isn't gone."

"She has forgotten her parents…her family…her home…there's nothing left."

"Oh Gods…" Robin sniffled too. "I don't know what's more painful. To lose a child to death, or to lose a child's mind." She quickly turned to Chrom. "We need to call a meeting."

"A meeting? In Ylisstol?" Chrom questioned.

"We need to speak with the other kingdoms. Maybe they would be willing to meet with us, given the circumstances. Aversa has been tracking her movements. She went to Nohr, so we can assume she went to Hoshido as well. We'll call Ryoma and Xander…only the royal families will attend. No guards, just us."

"It sounds like it'd be a trap." Chrom stated. "And who would run Ylisstol in our absence?"

"Frederick can be the interim ruler of Ylisstol. He's capable and I trust him to make the right decisions."

"What about Tellius? It'd be an insult if-"

"I will call a meeting." Elincia stated to the others. "I'll travel-" she paused. "Maybe…maybe the day after tomorrow. It's my birthday and-"

"One hell of an early present, huh?" Chrom smirked before Robin elbowed him.

"Your jokes have terrible timing, my lord Chrom." Elinica lightly smiled while wiping her tears. "It is a good thing that Lucia did not hear you, or she may call you-"

"An asshole, a bastard, dumbass…whichever one you like." Lucia smirked.

"Elincia, tell them what you know. We'll call a meeting and the sooner you hold a meeting with Tellius, the better. We need answers. For Samantha."

"Wait, what? What happened to-"

"For Samantha. I will make calls as soon as I can." Elincia nodded with determination. Chrom and Robin waved goodbye and hung up.

"You want to tell me what's going on with Sam?" Lucia questioned her friend.

"I will, but I need everyone here. Bastian, Marcia, and William. I will inform Uncle Renning and Kieran when they return. Gather them in the dining room. Quickly." Elincia ordered. Without another word, Lucia ran to gather everyone in the dining room. Elincia walked to the kitchen; hands shaking, her stomach in knots, and yet…she wanted something to calm her nerves.

"Your grace!" A cook exclaimed. "What can I make for you?"

"I wish for another pot of tea, please. Chamomile, if it's alright with you."

"Of course! We'll have that up right away."

"Can you bring it to the dining room, please?" She requested. The cook nodded and walked into the kitchen. Elincia made her way to the dining room and sat down. Lucia sat down next to Elincia.

"Will you tell me what's going on? Where's Sam? What happened to her? Why-"

"You've never been a patient woman, Lucia." Elincia lightly chuckled. "I remember you ruined my surprise by telling Zelda about William…I'm still mad at you for that, by the way."

"But that was so long ago, can't you leave it in the past?" Lucia asked, but Elincia's expression told her no. "Asshole."

"You are such a bitch." Elincia responded with a smile and she received a sarcastic gasp from Lucia.

"This is the first time I've ever heard you curse." She stated with a smirk afterwards.

"What are talking about? I've never cursed in my life." Elincia looked shocked and appalled that Lucia would make such a claim. Lucia laughed and even Elincia gave a giggle. "Lucia, do you promise to stay with me? I'm scared."

"Don't worry…" Lucia moved closer to Elincia and rested her head on her shoulder. "I promise to stick with you, no matter what." William entered shortly after and sat across from his mother. Bastian and Marcia took a seat near the queen.

"What is the urgency, my queen?" Bastian questioned her.

"I have some grave news in regards to Lady Samantha."

"What's happened?" William questioned. "Has she turned ill? Has she died?"

"William." Elincia said in a semi-scolding tone. He hesitated and looked away as her expression softened. "Her memory has been completely wiped out."

"What?!" Bastian exclaimed as he stood up. "No, that…this is not possible."

"You're joking. Sam's…" Lucia covered her nose and mouth with her hands. "Oh Gods…"

"There must be something we can do. We can't let her leave like this." William protested.

"I have a plan. For now, she will work as my personal servant." Elincia gulped hard. "It's the only way to ensure she is safe."

"Yeah…" Marcia scoffed. "Like that's not going to bite us in the ass."

"Marcia!" Lucia snapped.

"Don't tell me you don't see how this will play out. When Queen Zelda gets wind of this, we're all dead."

"That…that is a possible outcome." William assessed.

"Here is the plan." Elincia leaned forward, but before she could speak, the cook that Elincia spoke to before arrived and set the tray down before walking away.

"Chamomile tea. For nerves." Elincia poured herself a cup, added, sugar, and a touch of lemon and honey before sipping it.

"Mother? The plan?" William insisted.

"Right." She set the cup down and cleared her throat. "The plan is to not tell anyone. We're to keep her a secret from everyone."

"Well…it was nice knowing you all. Because when Zelda and Samus find out…we're all dead." Marcia stated casually like dying was no big deal.

"Don't speak like that." William stated to the pink haired woman.

"Now hold on a minute. Uncle Renning and Kieran are not aware of this. So tomorrow…we act like nothing is wrong." No one looked Elincia in the eye and no one spoke a word. "You all may speak freely."

"They're going to ask questions, Elincia." Lucia stated. "Lord Renning has the sharpest mind in all of Crimea…behind you and Prince William, respectfully."

"I imagine Kieran will be dense enough where he won't ask questions." Bastian murmured.

"We should ask the former king Caineghis for help. Maybe he could assist us." Marcia suggested.

"In any case…" Elincia set the teacup down; now having finished all her tea. "We stick with my plan. I'll need to call Lord Skrimir and formally request permission to enter Gallia. If you'll excuse me…" She stood up and began walking away.

"Elinica, we'll discuss taking turns watching over her. She may be your personal servant, but someone should watch over her…just to be safe." Lucia smiled. "Go make your call, we'll let you know what we come up with." Elincia nodded and walked away from the group call the royal family in Gallia. She dialed the number and waited for an answer. The other line picked up and a blue haired man answered the call. His eyes were two different colors; one purple, one green.

"Castle Gallia. Ranulf speaking." He stated.

"Hello Ranulf." Elincia smiled. "Is Lord Skrimir around?"

"Hello, Queen Elincia. He's out in the field. I believe he is working with the new recruits. You know how he is when it comes to training. Is there something I may be able to assist you with?"

"I was going to formally request passage into Gallia in two days. I wish to hold a meeting with Gallia's king in addition to the former, Caineghis."

"With the former king Caineghis? Is something the matter?" His eyes narrowed like he was trying to unwrap the mystery.

"I'd rather not say on the phone. In person, I'd be more than happy to discuss these issues…with the king. I mean no offence, but it is quite the personal matter." There was a short pause between the two of them.

"Very well. I will grant you access to our country. Though I have one question I'd like to ask." Elincia gulped hard and nodded to allow him to continue. "You asked for permission in two days. Why two days? The roads in Gallia are cleared, mostly. It is not like you cannot handle yourself or the roads are destroyed…why make such a request?"

"Tomorrow is my birthday. I wish to spend the day within Crimea's walls. Surely, you would understand." Ranulf smiled.

"It's beorc customary to celebrate the day of your birth?" Ranulf questioned the queen. Elincia smiled and nodded her head while Ranulf began laughing. "Beorc have such unusual holidays."

"We also buy gifts for the birthday individual. Perhaps you should look for something special for me." Elincia hinted towards the laguz male. Ranulf gave a hearty laugh.

"Maybe I will…maybe I won't." Ranulf winked and waved goodbye to the queen. The plan was set. Now, all they needed to do was make it through one day. How hard could it be? Elincia yawned and returned to her bedroom; today had been truly eventful and after tomorrow, they'd make their way to Gallia in hopes of finding some kind of cure for Samantha.