Chapter 2: Reminiscence

Severa sat in embarrassed silence for a long moment. Lucina had wrapped up in a towel, but it left most of her legs bare. Severa's eyes were drawn to the scars criss-crossing the princess's calves and thighs: marks of sword and axe cuts, or the teeth and claws of the beasts they'd fought together. There are so many of them...

"Severa?" Lucina's tone was puzzled, and Severa realized that she was staring. She hurriedly averted her eyes, embarrassed.

"Uh, I don't mind," She was glad for the warmth of the pool: it made her blush much less obvious. Severa heard the rustling of cloth as Lucina laid her towel aside, and felt the ripple as the other woman slipped into the pool on her right, but she kept her eyes forward until she was reasonably sure that Lucina was mostly covered by the water.

After a moment, she risked a glance over. Lucina was leaning back, eyes closed and arms resting on the rim of the pool. Her right shoulder, closest to Severa, was scarred as well: a series of parallel slashes, likely from the claws of one of the Risen. Even after all this time, they still look so fresh...

"Has your training been going well?"

The question caught Severa off-guard, and she blinked several times before responding. "Yes, Luci—uh, that is, Your Grace."

Lucina smiled at her. "So formal! You realize you can just call me by my name, right?"

"I..." Severa cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry, Lucina. I just felt like... well, you're the Exalt now, and as a pegasus knight, I should treat you with a bit more respect. You know, to set an example."

Lucina chuckled. "You sound like your mother."

Severa coughed. "Do you really think so?"

"I do. You're just as dedicated as your mother was."

In more ways than you know. "Hmph." Severa turned away huffily, crossing her arms.

For a long moment, the only sound was the quiet dripping of the water, the slight splashes as the ripples from their movement struck the edge. Then, softly, Lucina spoke. "Severa?"

"What?" Severa's reply was more snappish than usual, and she still remained staring away.

"I'm sorry."

Severa stiffened. "What do you have to be sorry for?!"

"I know that you don't like being compared to your mother, and I shouldn't have—"

Severa turned around, sending more waves rippling down the length of the bath, and cut Lucina off before she could continue. "Look, Lucina, it's not that, it's just... well..." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I was talking to Cynthia just a little while ago. About the last battle against Grima and how..." She trailed off.

There was another long, quiet moment, as the waters slowly settled. "And what?" said Lucina, her voice gentle.

"How we thought we... no, we saw our parents." Severa stared at her distorted reflection in the water, her face troubled. "It hardly seems real, does it? But I know it was. We spoke to them, fought alongside them... and when my mother hugged me, I..." Her voice caught. She realized that her eyes were fogging up with tears and hurriedly scrubbed them away.

Lucina gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand. We've barely talked about it since then... we've been so busy with putting the country back together that there's hardly been any time to think about anything else."

"Apart from Cynthia and I, everyone else has left Ylisstol... they're out traveling, or rebuilding the Shepherds, or doing jobs of their own." Severa sighed. "And, well... I guess that Cynthia's not really the best person to talk to about this sort of thing. Most of the time she just talks about how exciting it was to be able to see our parents at their best, but I don't want to upset her."

"But you want someone to talk about it with. Is that it?"

"Well... yes," said Severa reluctantly.

"Oh, Severa..." Lucina shifted closer to her. "You could talk to me about it."

Severa mumbled something under her breath, and Lucina leaned forward slightly. "Sorry, what was that? I'm afraid I didn't hear you."

Severa shook her head. "I just didn't want... to trouble you. I know that you already have a lot of things to worry about, and I didn't want to be a burden."

"You could never be a burden to me," said Lucina, putting a reassuring hand on Severa's shoulder. "Before I am the Exalt, or the princess, I'm your friend. No matter what happens, I promise that I'll always be here for you, okay?"

Severa glanced down at where Lucina's hand was resting. Her own skin seemed especially sensitive: it was as if she could feel every callus, every scar on the Exalt's palm. Gods... it's so warm... "O-okay." She looked up, meeting Lucina's eyes for the first time since the princess had gotten into the bath. They were alight with compassion, and concern, and Lucina smiled as their gazes finally met. That smile nearly broke Severa's restraint. For a wild moment, she wanted to tell Lucina everything, to say the words that her mother had never been able to say, to collapse forward into Lucina's arms, to kiss those smiling lips, and—

With iron willpower, she pressed those thoughts back. No. It wouldn't be right. Not now, not when all of Ylisse looks to her for guidance. She needs a person who can lead alongside her, and I...

I'm not that person.

She drew back, slowly enough to convince both Lucina and herself that she wasn't panicking, and cast around frantically for a change of subject. "So, uh, this bathhouse. It's a unique design, isn't it?"

Lucina nodded blithely, seemingly unaware of the moment that had just passed. "I was told that the bathhouses in Chon'sin are built to this sort of design."

"Told?"

"Yes. I spoke a great deal with Lady Tiki before she left for Mount Prism. Apparently, while she was traveling with father and the others, she saw many like it. She and the princess of Chon'sin, Say'ri, were apparently very close."

Severa blinked. "I... see."

"So when Lady Tiki told me about the Chon'sin style of bathing, I thought that a bathhouse in their style would be just the thing for the Royal Palace." Lucina chuckled. "Cynthia has been very excited about the whole thing. Something about bathing together 'strengthening the invisible ties betwixt our valiant comrades!' Or something like that." Her voice rose into a higher register as she spoke, imitating Cynthia's quite well.

Severa snorted. "That definitely sounds like something she'd say."

"Well, what about you?" said Lucina. "Do you like it?"

"I... well..." Severa crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. "It's a little bit... um... embarrassing, I guess. I'm not used to being naked around so many people."

"I suppose that I can understand that," said Lucina. "Still, it does bring back memories of back when we were kids." There was a contented, faraway look in her eyes. "We'd come home, covered in dirt from playing out in the fields..."

"Playing at being Shepherds," said Severa, grinning. "Running everywhere, waving sticks and ladles about and shouting about how we would vanquish evil! And Owain and his 'twitching sword hand!' I thought he'd grow out of it, but he never did!" Both of them stifled giggles.

"Our mothers would take one look at us and say 'You'd better wash up if you want any dinner!' So we'd squeeze into the tub, and get washed up and dried off, and eat dinner together... Our mothers would braid our hair while we ate and laugh together."

Severa let out a happy sigh. "I guess that we had a lot of fun back then, didn't we?"

"We certainly did." Lucina sighed.

The silence that descended this time was a comfortable one, a mutual reminiscence. At last, Severa yawned and stretched. "Well, if I stay here much longer, I'm going to end up looking like a wrinkled-up fruit." As she began to pull herself up out of the pool, a sudden thought occurred to her, and she turned to look at the Exalt. "Say, Lucina?"

"Yes?"

"Would it make you happy if I braided your hair? Like we used to?"

Lucina's smile seemed to Severa like the sun breaking through the clouds. "It would make me very happy indeed."

I'm sure that I'll be even happier about it than you are, Severa thought. Out loud, she said "All right. I'll go get a brush, then." She clambered out of the pool, wrapping the towel around herself with a certain amount of self-consciousness, and headed back towards the dressing room to retrieve a robe and a brush.

No sooner was Severa out the door than she sagged in relief. Gods, that was much too close. A little bit longer and I might have passed out. She put a hand to her chest, feeling her pulse racing even through the fabric of the towel. The rush of blood made her almost giddy, as though she was walking on air. Is this how my mother felt around Chrom? No wonder she wanted to stay by his side. Even knowing that they could never be together, the joy of being near him was still...

She slapped a hand to either side of her face and shook herself. Focus. If I don't come back with the brush soon, Lucina will wonder what's taking me so long.

Back in the dressing room, she slipped into one of the bathrobes—a standard-issue royal blue—and pulled her hairbrush out of her cubby. The brush was beautifully crafted, its wooden handle worn by long use: it had belonged to her mother, back when Cordelia was still alive, and Severa thought of her mother every time she used it. It was easier that way, to think back to her childhood and remember only the good things about Cordelia. She tried to be perfect as a mother, like she was at everything else. I suppose she did a pretty good job.

Severa quickly brushed out her own hair and tied it back up into her usual style before heading back to Lucina. The Exalt was exactly where Severa had left her, stretched out in the pool. She leaned her head further back as Severa approached, watching the door while upside-down.

"That can not be comfortable," said Severa.

Lucina rolled her neck. "It isn't," she confessed. "Do you need me to move?"

"No, you can stay there," said Severa. "Just let me... get... your hair together..." She gingerly gathered up Lucina's sopping-wet hair, pulling it up out of the pool and onto a towel, and dried it off as well as she could. "Gods, Lucina, you have a lot more hair than I remember."

"Well, it has been awhile since the last time we did this," said Lucina.

"I suppose so." Severa began brushing out Lucina's hair. "Gods, now I'm nervous. I hope I don't make a mess of this."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Would you even notice if I didn't?" The words came out before she had thought them through, and Severa immediately regretted them. "I'm sorry, that was—"

"...pretty funny," said Lucina, turning her head far enough for Severa to see her smiling. "Honestly, Severa, I was beginning to get a little worried about you. The way that you'd been talking, you didn't seem like yourself. I'm glad that you're still the same spirited Severa I know."

"Hmph. Whatever," said Severa, rolling her eyes. Despite her best efforts to keep a straight face, she smiled a little as well.

Lucina took in a deep breath and let it out in a contented sigh. "This is... really nice. We should do this more often: just spending time together, like the old days. It's nice to be able to relax once and a while, after everything that we've done the last few years." Her voice turned serious. "When father died, we had to grow up quickly. There wasn't time for anything like this anymore."

"You grew up more quickly than any of us," said Severa with unusual gentleness, setting down the brush and separating Lucina's hair into several strands.

Lucina chuckled softly. "Well, I am the oldest."

"I—don't mean it like that, exactly." Severa's hands wove in and out, and a neat braid began to form in them. Huh. I guess I do remember how to do this.

"Well, then what exactly do you mean?"

Severa paused. "From the moment that you took up Falchion in Chrom's place, you've been the best of us. Whenever we came close to despairing, we would think of you: your strength, your resolve. You inspired all of us to keep on living." All of us, and especially me. "You were our leader, our light of hope. ...well, I say 'were,' but you still are." She flushed slightly. "Uh, sorry if I got all sappy there. Anyway, that's what I meant."

Lucina turned her head, and to Severa's astonishment, she thought that she saw tears in Lucina's eyes, clouding the mark of the Brand. "Did you... really mean that?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have said so if I didn't mean it," said Severa. She finished tying together the final strands of the braid and clapped her hands together. "There. All finished."

"Thanks, Severa," said Lucina. She wiped her eyes and gave Severa another one of her beautiful smiles. "It was good talking to you."

"Yeah, same to you," said Severa. She straightened up, brushing off her robe. "Well, I need to go wash my gear and get something to eat. Later, Lucina."

Lucina raised a hand from the water and waved languidly. "I'll see you, Severa."

Severa left the bathhouse with a jaunty spring in her step and a merry tune on her lips. I actually managed to carry on a conversation with her... At least I can still function properly. There was a sudden gurgle, and Severa realized with embarrassment that it had been her stomach, growling loudly. She grimaced. Oh, gods. I guess this is what I get for putting off dinner this long. I'd better go eat, or soon it'll be so loud that everyone in the castle will be able to hear it.

Resuming her contented humming, she headed up to her room to change.