Chapter 22: Revelations

Severa blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

Is she saying what I think she's saying?

She couldn't stop a nervous giggle from escaping her. "So your brother's a priest of Grima? That can't be true, can it?"

"I fear that it is."

Severa shook her head, still incredulous. "But he's… he's the Exalt's son. Doesn't that go against everything they stand for?"

"No." Lucina shuddered. "There is more to his lineage—to our lineage than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Before my father was killed, before the Fell Dragon stole her flesh and devoured her mind… Grima's Vessel was my mother."

Lucina's words pierced Severa like a spike of ice. A memory from the final battle came rushing back—the slim, dark-cloaked woman whose power had brought all of them to their knees. Lucina's mother…

"Gods," said Severa, her voice numb. "I didn't… I never knew."

"You weren't meant to." Lucina paced back toward the window, her breathing unsteady. "None of you were. Your father and mother feared that if it became common knowledge, the people would turn against me. For her to be a Plegian was one thing, but the bearer of Grima's Brand…"

"And you…" An image flashed in front of Severa's eyes: Lucina's sword piercing the Vessel's heart, blazing with the light of the Awakening.

Lucina's voice was hollow. "I killed her. It was the only way."

"Lucina, that thing… whatever it was, it wasn't your mother—"

"But it was! Don't you see?" Lucina turned back to Severa, a note of anguish in her voice. "Grima hesitated before the end… left me an opening. My mother's body might have been seized, but her spirit was still there."

There was a moment of silence as Severa processed her Exalt's words. It was clear to her that she wouldn't be able to change Lucina's mind on this—and besides, there were more immediate matters to consider.

"And your brother?"

"Morgan. That's his name. When Mother vanished after she…" Lucina's voice caught for a moment before she continued. "After Father died, she took Morgan with her."

Severa could feel a headache coming on at the torrent of new information. He vanished after Chrom died? But that doesn't make any sense…

She voiced her confusion. "If it happened then, wouldn't we know about him?"

"Normally, yes. But…" The Exalt shifted uncomfortably. "Noire's parents saw to it. When Morgan vanished, the rest of you were inconsolable, afraid it might be you next, constantly worried… Henry said he couldn't bear to see it. So he and Tharja devised a curse, to fix what they saw as the root of the problem. And all of you agreed to it."

"We… did?"

Lucina's voice was soft. "Yes."

"Gods…" Severa stared at the floor, feeling sick. But you didn't, did you, Lucina?

You've been carrying this burden alone, all this time, and none of us ever realized it. What does that say about our friendship?

"Lucina, I—"

The Exalt cut in to stop Severa, smiling wanly. "If you're about to apologize, please don't. I alone bear responsibility for the choices that I made. The fault is not yours."

"But I couldn't do anything to help you!"

"Severa, look at me."

Reluctantly, Severa lifted her eyes to meet Lucina's. "Yes?"

"I chose this. I saw it as my royal duty—to keep it a secret from everyone else, to keep the burden from them. And with the passing of time, I had almost convinced myself that it no longer mattered—that I could simply forget." Her shoulders sagged in weariness. "I was wrong."

"I guess I can understand why you wouldn't want to keep it to yourself anymore," said Severa. "But I still don't know why you're telling me."

"Because I know that I can trust you," said Lucina simply. She glanced over at the door. "If Laurent knew, he might worry that my emotions were clouding my judgment—and he'd probably be right. If Morgan really is a threat, I don't know if I would have the resolve to… to deal with him."

"But you can't just give up on him either." Severa finished the thought her Exalt had started. "Because he hasn't given you any reason to suspect him yet, and he's still your brother."

Lucina looked relieved. "I knew you would understand. You know my mind in a way that nobody else does."

"We've been together for a long time," said Severa with an offhand shrug. "When you fight at a friend's side for this long, you're bound to pick up a few of their thinking patterns." Doubly so, if you're already motivated to find out more about that friend…

Lucina laughed—a quick, nervous sound, but a laugh nonetheless. "Exactly. To be honest, that's one of the other reasons I told you. I feel guilty that I've kept it from you for so long, especially since you've never kept any secrets from me."

Severa laughed, too, but it was a hollow sound. "Don't worry, Lucina. I'll keep this to myself until you're ready to bring it into the open. Until then we'll try to figure out how to deal with this together." She nodded to the papers on Lucina's desk. "We can just think of it as another problem to be solved. We've gotten pretty good at that, right?"

The Exalt rubbed at her forehead, letting out a long, pent-up breath. "…Yes, of course." She smiled wanly. "Thank you, Severa. Without your advice, I'd probably worry myself into an early grave."

Severa winced at the phrasing but let it pass without comment. "Well, right now, my advice is that you get some sleep. It's already getting late, and staying up worrying won't do either of us any good."

"True enough." Lucina waved languidly. "Goodnight, Severa."

Severa gave her friend a flourishing bow as she backed out the door. "Sleep well, Your Grace."

She could hear Lucina's soft laughter as she closed the door behind her, and she took comfort from that. At least I can help to ease her mind.

Severa waited until the telltale light of the candle-flame had disappeared from under the Exalt's door before heading off to her own room.

As she walked through the darkened halls, her mind continued to dwell on their conversation—the trust that the Exalt had shown her, and the heart of what they had discussed.

"You've never kept any secrets from me."

Lucina's words had pierced her more deeply than any lance. There are no secrets between us, save one. And I may never have the courage to tell.