Chapter 21: Foreboding

The year went on, fall slipping ever closer to winter.

Severa made daily visits to Lucina's quarters, following through on her promise to help the Exalt with her letters. Each morning, she'd get a tray from the kitchens and bring it up to Lucina's room. The two of them would eat breakfast together, discussing their agenda for the day, and begin work immediately afterward. If their workload, and the weather, permitted, they would spar in the evening, then relax in the baths before turning in for the night. The routine was oddly soothing, in its own way.

From time to time, others would join in their work. Gerome stopped by frequently, lending his knowledge of the duchies around Rosanne to assist in re-establishing diplomatic ties with Valm.

Likewise, Laurent was a recurring guest. He stopped by at the end of every week to deliver reports from Kjelle and Owain. The documents dealt with the day-to-day business of the kingdom—the ongoing effort to exterminate the remaining Risen, the defensive measures taken by the villages in order to safeguard the harvest, the progression of recruitment and training among the new Shepherds, and a dozen other things.

Personally, Severa found much of the material to be unbearably dull. Though maybe it's because I deal with pretty much the same thing with the pegasus knights. When I've got paperwork of my own to do, it's not exactly fun to get more.

Two days after their weekly briefing with Laurent, Severa made her way up to Lucina's room once again. The tray was a bit more crowded than usual: in addition to their usual porridge, Severa had procured a jar of honey and a bowl of dried fruit.

It's a treat. Probably not much of one, but still… I hope it brightens up her day a little.

She reached the door and, since both her hands were occupied with the breakfast tray, knocked with her boot instead. "Lucina, breakfast!"

"Just a moment!" Severa heard the legs of a chair scrape on the floor, and a few moments later Lucina pulled the door open. "Good morning, Severa."

"Morning, Lucina." Severa glanced down at the Exalt's hands, already seeing ink-stains. "Looks like you've already been busy this morning. Didn't I tell you to take it easy?"

"I was having difficulty sleeping," said Lucina. "I woke up perhaps two hours ago and realized that it would be pointless to try to get back to sleep, so…" She shrugged. "Well, I thought I might at least try to get something done on my own."

"I mean, I guess that's okay, but you really shouldn't make it a habit," said Severa, setting down the tray. "If you do, then you'll keep waking up earlier and earlier, until eventually you're not sleeping at all."

Lucina grinned sheepishly. "You're probably right, there. But I can't help worrying; there's just so much to do…"

"That's why I'm here," said Severa, winking. "To help you with your work whenever I can, and make sure that you eat and sleep." She set down the tray, smiling. "Now then, why don't you take a break and we can eat breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me."

They took their seats at the table, and Lucina eagerly spooned honey into her bowl. "Ah, it's always nice to start out the morning with something sweet."

"I thought your morning had started two hours ago," Severa teased.

"I suppose so, but this is the first thing I've eaten since I got up."

Severa took a handful of dried fruit and sprinkled it on top of her own porridge. "So, what're we looking at today?"

"At the moment? Another letter from Duchess Yvette of Clementeau."

"She's one of Gerome's neighbors, right?"

Lucina nodded. "House Clementeau's lands were only lightly touched by the war, and their granaries are mostly intact. With spring planting a season ahead of us…"

"We need to make sure we actually have something to plant," Severa finished. "Makes sense. So what does the Duchess say?"

"She's expressed concern about the security of her estate, and requested military assistance. Even though the Risen are in retreat, her position is still precarious."

"Uh, why? Seems like she would need fewer soldiers now, not more."

"Valm is developing a bandit problem," said Lucina with a sigh. "Well, to be more precise, the continent has had a bandit problem for some time. It's only come to light in the decline of the Risen."

"Bandits… ugh, typical."

"As far as we've been able to determine, the bandits are rogue elements of the former Imperial Army. When Emperor Walhart died, his chain of command crumbled, and his army splintered."

"And now little pieces of it are running all over the place, stealing everything that isn't nailed down? Wonderful." Severa rolled her eyes as she drizzled honey over her bowl.

"I am grateful that our continent avoided the same fate," said Lucina. Severa snorted.

"Only because there's barely enough of our soldiers left to fight the Risen, let alone each other."

The Exalt sighed. "You may have a point. Gods only know why so many of our own nobles have chosen now to settle their grievances with each other."

"Probably because they have too much free time on their hands."

"That seems likely."

"Either that, or jealousy. Some nobles are a lot better off than others. Hell, some commoners are better off than nobles, now that we're rebuilding and their skills are in demand."

"The nobles' resentment certainly isn't helping things," said Lucina. "Sometimes, people who are accustomed to success and easy living take it as a personal affront when others gain those same privileges."

"I'd knock some sense into all of them if I could, but I think that my arms would tire out before I ran out of people who deserved a good rap on the head."

Lucina laughed. "Yes, you wouldn't want to spend too much time on a futile effort. Let's just concentrate on what we can improve for now."

"Less discouraging that way." Severa scraped the last of her honeyed porridge from the bottom of her bowl, sighing in contentment. "All right, Lucina, shall we get back to work?"

"Indeed we shall."

The rest of the morning and afternoon seemed to go by in a blur. Lucina and Severa made their way through two more letters, a draft of a proclamation on distribution of resources during the winter, and a trade agreement from one of the surviving Chon'sin dynasts.

After an afternoon spent bent over desks, it was a relief to work off excess energy during their nightly sparring session. They switched off weapons—first swords, then lances, to ensure that their skills in both varieties of close combat were kept sharp.

Lucina sighed in contentment as they put their weapons away for the night. "Have I mentioned how much I appreciate having a sparring partner who doesn't act as if I'm made of glass?"

"Yeah, only every time we've practiced together for the last few weeks," said Severa with a wink. "Really, though, I should be thanking you. It's been nice not having to hold back. The knights have been making a lot of progress, but they're still nowhere near my level."

"How humble of you."

"It's not bragging if it's true," Severa countered.

"I suppose that I can try to take it as a compliment, then." Lucina smiled. "After all, if you're not holding back at all,, that must mean that I'm on the same level as you."

"More like above it."

"I disagree. You're more than my equal with the lance."

"Only because I spent every day for months yelling at recruits about how to use it properly." Severa scoffed. "I'd have looked pretty stupid if I was making the same mistakes I was warning them off of. So I had to be better than everyone else."

"Then we can agree that each of us has her own area of expertise," said Lucina.

"Sure if you insist." Severa wiped a sleeve across her forehead. "Whew… Even if it's getting cold, I've still managed to work up a sweat."

Lucina laughed. "Then we should head to the baths."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Shortly afterward, the two settled into the main pool, freshly scrubbed and wanting nothing more than to relax.

"I think we got some good work done today," said Lucina. "It's definitely faster to work with you than to do everything by myself."

"Well, obviously. That's why I wanted to help you. You were making everything more difficult than it needed to be." Severa shrugged. "Really, though, you should think of getting more assistants."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, right now you're trying to deal with every single issue personally," said Severa. "Which I guess is great in theory, but it doesn't really leave you with much freedom. If you had more people to help you out, then you'd have more time for yourself."

"What would I use that time for, if I had it?"

"To start off, you could always try getting a full night's sleep."

Lucina smiled wryly. "I'm not sure that I would be able to… I think I would spend too much time worrying about whether or not my assistants were secure in their duties."

"Gods, Lucina, listen to yourself." Severa rolled her eyes. "You trusted Kjelle and Owain's groups to bring back the Gemstones, just like you trusted me, Gerome, and Laurent to get the Fire Emblem out of Plegia."

Lucina's shoulders slumped. "I would have gone with you if I could. And I did worry about you."

"But that was because we were in danger, not because you thought that we couldn't handle the job you gave us."

"The circumstances aren't exactly the same…"

"You're right. The stakes aren't nearly as high this time, which means that it'll be fine if not everything is perfect." Severa smiled encouragingly. "If you're still having trouble justifying it to yourself, think of it as something for everyone else's peace of mind. I know that Laurent and I will both feel much better if you get some of the weight off of your shoulders."

The Exalt bit her lip. "Have I truly been causing youto worry?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that it's your fault, but… yes, we have been concerned about you. You're not just our ruler, you're our friend. And we want you to do what's best for you, not just for Ylisse." Severa smirked. "Though I might suggest that what's good for you is also good for Ylisse. A country tends to fare better when its ruler is secure."

Lucina considered Severa's words for a moment before nodding. "You make a god point. Very well, then… if recruiting more aides to assist in government matters may help to improve the welfare of our people, then I am duty-bound to try it."

"There you go again with the duty talk," said Severa, shaking her head. "Just once, I'd like you to take my advice because it's good, not because I guilted you into it."

"Well, the fact that it was good advice was the other reason I listened to you—"

"E-excuse me, Your Grace?" A timid voice called from near the doorway, cutting into their conversation. Lucina raised her voice to reply.

"I am here. What is it?"

Ellen came into the room, bobbing a quick bow to the Exalt and saluting Severa. "I was told to find you."

"What does Cynthia want now?" said Severa, rolling her eyes. "Couldn't it wait for—"

"Commander Cynthia wasn't the one who sent me," said Ellen. She wrung her hands nervously and gulped. "Sir Laurent is here."

"Laurent?" Severa turned sharply, sending ripples across the pool. "What's he doing in Ylisstol? It's nowhere near the time he'd be giving his next report—"

"He s-said that he had important information. Information that needed to be delivered to the Exalt, immediately, and face-to-face."

Lucina frowned. "Thank you for your message. Bring Laurent to my study, and let him know that I will join him shortly."

"Of course, Your Grace." Ellen gave another awkward bow and hurried out, barely managing to keep her balance as her boots skidded against the wet stones.

Severa watched her subordinate leave before turning back to Lucina. "What do you think this is about?"

"I'm not sure," said Lucina. She climbed out of the pool, wringing water from her hair before reaching for a dry towel. "But whatever it was, Laurent thought it was important enough to break his usual schedule and bring the message personally. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

"We?"

Lucina wrapped herself in the towel, raising her eyebrows at Severa. "Of course both of us should hear the message. You're already privy to many of my 'secrets,' since you've taken it upon yourself to become my assistant. If this could have an effect on matters of state, then you would learn about it anyway. And since you've been acting as my bodyguard as well…"

"I do my best to be useful in as many ways as possible," said Severa. "If you're sure about it, I'll come with you. But let's get dressed first, okay?"

The Exalt laughed. "Good idea."

Ten minutes later, dressed in clean clothes and with still-damp hair, Lucina and Severa entered the Exalt's study.

Laurent was already there, standing stiffly by the window with his hands folded behind him. He bowed shallowly as the others arrived.

"Your Grace. Severa. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

"We knew you would not have visited so suddenly if you did not consider the matter to be urgent," said Lucina.

"Then I will cut right to the heart of the matter," said Laurent. "Inigo and Brady have sent word from their mission."

"I take it this was not a routine report?"

"Not in the slightest. It seems that they may have an opportunity to meet with the new leader of Plegia."

"The… new leader?" Severa frowned. "I didn't think they'd be able to restore order so quickly after King Validar's theocracy fell apart."

"King Validar's government may have fallen, but the religious hierarchy of the Grimleal remains firmly in place." Laurent rubbed at his forehead. "In fact, it's the priests who have prevented Plegia from falling into the same chaos as Valm."

"At least they're good for something."

"What can you tell us about this leader?" said Lucina, folding her arms.

"To tell the truth? Not much." Laurent grimaced. "Much of what we know is hearsay and rumor, and I'm not sure how much of that information can be considered credible. Nonetheless..."

"Share what you've got, and we'll judge for ourselves," said Severa.

"Very well." Laurent cleared his throat. "The new leader is a hierophant, one of the highest-ranking of his order. Though he bears the Mark of Grima, rumor has it that he is unusually young for his station. No one knows for certain, as he keeps his face shrouded in a hood to veil his identity."

"A hierophant of the Grimleal." Lucina looked thoughtful. "That's the same position that King Validar held before he took the throne, isn't it?"

"Precisely. There are even rumors that he's one of Validar's descendants. Some even consider him to be another vessel of Grima."

"Another one? You've got to be kidding me." Severa slammed a fist into her palm. "After all the trouble we went through to get rid of the first one, too…"

"I very much doubt that is true," said Laurent. "From what I have gleaned of the Grimleal's system of beliefs, only a Fellblood of the purest descent can channel Grima's strength."

"We still possess the Fire Emblem and the Gemstones as well," said Lucina. "Without them, the seal on Grima will remain intact."

"Indeed. But that is not the most disturbing of the rumors that have come to my attention."

"Oh gods, it isn't?"

"No." Laurent's expression turned grim. "There is a rumor that the hierophant bears another brand."

Glancing at Lucina, Severa saw the blood drain from her face as Laurent spoke again.

"The Brand of the Exalt."

The… what?!

There was a tense silence before Lucina spoke again, her voice strained.

"You did well to bring this information to me immediately. Thank you, Laurent."

"Of course."

Lucina paced over to the window, looking out into the gathering darkness. "It's getting late. I suggest you remain here until morning. If you ask one of the servants, they can prepare a guest room for you."

"Thank you, Lucina."

"Rest well, Laurent. You are dismissed."

With a deferent nod, the mage made his way out of the study.

Almost as soon as he was gone, Lucina slumped against the wall, taking a deep, unsteady breath. Severa's eyes widened in alarm.

"Lucina, are you—?!"

The Exalt waved her off. "I'm… fine. I was just taken by surprise."

"What, by that idiotic rumor?" Severa gave Lucina a dubious look. "Huh, the Brand of the Exalt. As if…"

Lucina shook her head. "On the contrary, it make sense."

"Are you crazy?"

"No. In fact, had I been thinking clearly, I would have realized that this was almost inevitable."

"Lucina, you're not making any sense."

"I…" Lucina's shoulders slumped. "Forgive me. I was not thinking clearly."

"About what?"

"This is not information with which you would be familiar, but… you deserve to know."

Severa was feeling more and more confused by the minute. "What do you mean?"

"The truth is, I had…" Lucina took a deep breath. "I have a younger brother."