A/N: Oh hey, an update! Not as pleased as I have been with other chapters, but this one has its moments :) At any rate, this chapter was a lesson in RESEARCH xD
Lucina had always lived in a world of impossibilities. She had seen the eyes of Grima and had survived. She had traveled to the past to avert a world apocalypse. She had changed both her fate and the fate of her loved ones. Now, she found herself on an island floating in the sky, standing face to face with a goddess.
Perhaps it all could have been an elaborate hoax, but Lucina felt very little doubt now that she saw with her own eyes. Palutena's presence was not unlike one she had felt before. In fact, Lucina could see some resemblance between this "goddess of light" and the all-mighty dragon, Naga. The green hair was only the beginning of the similarities. But the differences were there as well. While Naga bore an air of ancient wisdom and solemnity, Palutena glowed with warm and youthful energy.
Although she had been invited to remove her mask, Lucina continued to hesitate. "You know who I am?"
Palutena nodded, a smile never leaving her kind face. "Your name is Lucina, correct? Princess of Ylisse?"
The winged boy nearly jumped out of his feathers. "W-wait, 'Princess'?"
Lucina didn't turn to look at him, instead keeping her gaze pointed at the goddess. To her surprise, however, a voice echoed through the room around them, seeming to have no discernable origin. The Exalt's daughter recognized soon, however, that the words were in her mind—similar to the way when Nah, Nowi, or Tiki spoke in their dragon forms. Lucina immediately lifted her eyes to the foyer's last occupant.
"Don't tell me—out of all the games you've played, you haven't picked up the newest Fire Emblem?" the white-and-pink dragon smirked down at Pit.
"I played Shadow Dragon!" the angel objected.
"I was talking about Awakening, you nitwit!"
"Awakening? Oh, um…" Pit suddenly looked sheepish.
"He's not allowed to play anything over E ten and up," Palutena explained.
"…Really?" The dragon arched a brow.
"I know!" Pit groaned. "I keep telling her I'm over 100 years old now, but she won't even let me play Twilight Princess…"
Lucina turned to the angel with renewed amazement. How could he be that old? He looked no older than she was—younger, in fact. She would have pegged him for being fourteen or fifteen… Or five.
The dragon rumbled with laughter. "Ha, right. Guess we wouldn't want to corrupt your young precious mind. It's a shame, though. You're missing out on a great game."
The angel repeated his groan with more gusto. "Palkia, you're not helping me here."
Lucina glanced back up at the dragon, who Pit had called Palkia. She had no idea what they were talking about, or why they thought the Fire Emblem was some sort of game (perhaps a misunderstanding?). Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "Are you a Manakete?"
The giant reptile smirked. "If I was, I'd be the most broken unit ever."
"There's a lot of explaining we need to do," Palutena cut in before Lucina could ask what a "broken unit" was. "But I have a few questions to ask you, first. So… the mask?"
The goddess gestured once again to Lucina. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her, breathlessly waiting for the unveiling. Lucina clenched her jaw, conscious of their stares. She felt hesitant to remove her mask. To her, it had been a source of security. Since leaving the world of her parent's past, it had shielded her from strangers and kept her anonymous. At the same time, it served as a painful reminder of her self-induced exile. Still, it had no use here. Palutena somehow knew who she was. What point was there in hiding?
Reaching up her hands, Lucina untied the bands of her mask. As it fell from her face, her long cobalt hair fell in waves past her shoulders, unmasking her true identity. She opened her eyes, revealing unflinching sapphire orbs that returned the goddess's patient gaze with the pride that spoke of her noble bloodline. One was marked clearly with the sacred symbol of Naga.
Pit, of course, was the one to state the obvious. "S-she… She really is a girl!" He took a step back, clearly floored even when the others seemed unsurprised.
"Pit. You have the observational skills of a Zubat…" muttered Palkia.
"What are you talking about? Zubat don't have eyes…"
Ignoring her snort of contempt, Pit opened his mouth as if to ask Lucina more questions. However, his goddess quickly stepped in.
"Sorry, Pit, but you'll have to save your questions for later. First, I think Lucina should tell us her story." Turning to her, the goddess asked, "How did you get here?"
Lucina knitted her brows together, letting her gaze fall to the white tiled floor. There wasn't much of a story to tell. After the Fell Dragon Grima was defeated, she had spent most of her time wandering the continents, searching for her place in the world. After some time…
"I… came to the Outrealm Gate," the blue-haired youth said.
Palkia suddenly roared with outrage. "OLD MAN HUBBA?! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! THAT PERVERTED SON OF A—"
"Palkia!" Palutena tersely hissed. "Not in front of the angel!"
Said angel, oblivious to whatever phrase Palkia had been intending to use, was more concerned with names. "Who's Old Man Hubba? What's the Outrealm Gate?"
Manakete or not, the last thing Lucina wanted to deal with was a livid dragon. Speaking quickly, she interjected, "I did not encounter the fortune-teller."
Palkia and Palutena immediately clammed up, staring.
"When I arrived," Lucina continued, "it was Anna that greeted me at the Gate."
"Anna?" the dragon frowned. She and the Palutena exchanged looks, but it was the goddess that urged, "Go on."
The ex-princess reflected back on her strange encounter with the Anna gatekeeper. She was one of a dozen identical women who traveled her old world selling goods, and while all had their quirks this one had been especially curious.
The Gate of the past had been no different from the Gate of the future. The island it rested on was nothing more than a barren rock jutting from the ocean, devoid of life both green and breathing. The occasional ruin struck the imagination that it might not have always been so, but Lucina suspected the decimated buildings had held religious rather than practical purposes.
The last time Lucina had traveled to the Outrealm, she had been guided by Naga and accompanied by trusted comrades. Risen had harried them from all directions, giving them no peace until they slipped through the Gate.
Now, Lucina was alone, and the island was dead silent.
It was strange; the landmarks were familiar to her, and yet she felt as if she were drifting through a dream, or a ghost of a memory. Nothing felt real.
A far off dream that was like a scattered memory… A scattered memory that was like a far off dream…
Lost in herself, Lucina hardly expected to run into anyone. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she rounded a corner and collided with a colorfully dressed redhead.
"Well, will you look who it is?" Anna greeted, putting a hand on her hip. "The former Princess of Ylisse, finally gracing my doorstep. It's about time, hun—I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up. Looks like Hubba just lost a bet."
Lucina eyed the woman warily through the slits in her mask. She knew better than to make assumptions of familiarity with Annas. She had dealt with many, both in the past and the future-past, and it was impossible to tell them apart. When dealing with anyone member of the clan of identical-appearing women, it was always a necessity to ask, "Have we met?"
"Nope," Anna replied casually, as if it was the most natural thing to know someone's secrets without ever meeting face-to-face. "This is the first time we've ever met."
Disturbed, Lucina began, "Then how do you—"
"Details," the redhead waved her hand impatiently. "They don't matter. What really matters is: what are you going to do now?"
Lucina stared, stricken with sudden speechlessness.
Anna grinned. "Welcome to the Outrealm Gate. Care to visit another world?"
She stepped aside, swinging her arm in a grand gesture as if to reveal the sight behind her. Lucina tightened her jaw, recognizing the valley before them. At the bottom rested the Gate. Nondescript in appearance, it had been crudely carved from the surrounding stone with little adornments etched into its surface. Lucina would have passed it off for ordinary and insignificant, were it not for the eerie blue light escaping the cracks.
"You knew I was coming," said Lucina, stating rather than asking.
"Obviously. I know your story better than you think—you came back from the future of despair to rewrite history. You saved your father, changed the Heart of Grima, and saw the end of the Fell Dragon. You did all that you wanted and more… But now that your work here is done, you find yourself in a world you don't belong to. It was only a matter of time before you ended up on these shores."
The cobalt-haired princess winced. Her inner turmoil had been laid bare before her by a complete stranger with unsettling lucidity. To say she was disturbed was a sad understatement. How did this Anna know so much? It seemed impossible, unless she was some kind of seer or oracle. Who knew? The Anna clan was an enigma in this world no one could understand; they kept their secrets to themselves. This woman was no different, having made it clear that she wasn't going to answer any personal questions.
Swallowing her misgivings, Lucina decided to move on with other questions—some she was reluctant to ask. "Can the Gate take me back?"
"To the future? Your future? 'Fraid not, hun. The Gate doesn't quite work like that—see, you can only travel back in time. Going forward is a messy business… At any rate, that future doesn't exist anymore. Even if there was a way, what would be the point?"
That news came as another crushing blow to Lucina, despite how insouciantly Anna delivered it. Naga had, of course, warned her of this. Even though Lucina had accepted that, she had had hopes that perhaps…
She turned her gaze back to the stone doors. Even beneath her mask, her expression was unreadable even though she was on the edge of despair. "Where else do these doors lead?"
Anna shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."
"…Beg pardon?"
"Well you see, it all depends on which worlds are closest to ours at the moment you step through."
"Which worlds… are closest?"
"What, are you really gonna make me explain it?" The woman sighed with exaggeration. "Fine, it's like this: you are currently standing at the edge of the world; if you step beyond this point, you'll find yourself at the beginning of another. See, the Gate can take you through both time and space. I should mention, though, that the worlds are always in motion. You'll never know which one you'll end up in, though they usually tend to be in need."
Wrapping her mind around the concept of time-travel had been difficult enough for Lucina, but now the redheaded gatekeeper was heaping even more abstract knowledge on her head. She felt her head spinning as she thought about it—worlds other than her own. At the same time, the revelation wasn't mind-blowing to the point it was crippling. In fact, it seemed reasonable… maybe even logical.
"I suppose my journey, if anything, has taught me that anything is possible," she mused out loud, not really addressing the gatekeeper.
Anna, however, heard it. "Bingo!" She snapped her fingers. "Anything is possible—that's the best attitude you could ever ask for when facing life. That's what I always say. Given that, it's possible for you to become whatever you want. So I got a question for you now, Princess Lucina: what do you want out of life?"
Unprepared for the question, Lucina faltered. "Wh-what?"
"You know, you've always acted for the good of others—which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But now, you're here, and you're alone. Your past no longer exists, and there's no going back. So what will you do now—for you?"
When the princess remained silent, Anna began circling around her. "You got two choices, really. You can stay here in this world and do Naga knows what for how long… OR…" Anna held her forefinger in the air dramatically. "You take a chance and let the Gate take you wherever it may."
Lucina trained her sapphire eyes on the doors. Anna was right about one thing: in the future-past, her decisions were mostly made on behalf of the people's welfare. Many had been difficult. Some she had made without a second thought to save lives. None had been made selfishly.
No one was depending on her now. For the first time for as long as she could remember, Lucina faced a decision she could be entirely selfish with. Rather than feeling liberating, it felt… uncomfortable.
Should she stay? Or should she go?
The ex-princess thought of the reasons why she had come to this world in the first place. As Anna had said, she had done all that she had set out to do. Disasters had been averted, and destiny rewritten. The road hadn't been easy, and several times her mission seemed doomed to failure, but she had done it. The new future was bright for the Lucina of this Age. But where did that leave the old Lucina?
Where did she belong?
Perhaps if she had been like her comrades from the future, she could have lingered. However, the mark that meant to signify her royal heritage now made her an outcast. She couldn't stay in Ylisse. There would be questions, complications. Even though she had made the world a better place, it remained a different place—one that had no place for her.
Could she be selfish? Just this one time?
Watching Lucina's inner struggle, the mischievous glint normally seen in Anna's eyes extinguished. Facing the princess, Anna with somberness said, "There is still much good you can do."
"…I will go."
Anna smiled approvingly. "That's my girl."
The redhead turned to the Gate, producing a rod seemingly from nowhere. Waving it, she beckoned the doors to open. Lucina watched glumly as they slowly answered, swinging outward and bathing her in an ethereal blue light. The last time she had seen this sight, she had been escaping a dying world, surrounded by friends and enemies alike. Now she stood calmly before the Gates with no real urgency; the anxiety she felt now came from a longing, not pure desperation. She still had to wonder: was she doing the right thing?
No turning back now.
"When you go through, you'll be asked three questions," Anna informed the young woman as she took her by the shoulder, gently prodding her forward. "Answer them honestly, and the magic will do the rest!"
Curious—she hadn't been told that last time. But this was not the same, and Lucina had no time to ask about it.
"Thank you, Anna." A grin from Lucina was rare, but a genuine one found its way. Bracing herself, Lucina stepped past the doorstep.
"Anna gave me an offer," Lucina chose to summarize her experience in as few words as possible. "I decided to take it."
She left it there, making it clear she didn't want to explain further. Palutena seemed to catch on to her unspoken request, saying nothing as she studied the young woman with tight lips. Pit opened his mouth as if to ask questions regardless, but silenced by the tip of a dragon's tail.
Taking the opportunity to change the subject, Lucina asked, "What is going on in this world? What were those creatures?"
Palutena exhaled, rubbing her temple with a forefinger. Today was just one problem right after another. First an outraged dragon, then the Heartless, and now an Outsider… All together they culminated into a monstrous headache she couldn't deal with all at once. The goddess needed a reprieve—a moment to gather her thoughts.
"You probably have questions more to ask me," she finally replied. "I will answer them as best as I can, but not now. We'll talk after lunch. For now, you should rest. Pit, can you show her to the guest chambers?"
The angel looked incredibly put off. "Are you gonna have me play escort all day long?"
"Pretty please?" She returned his frown with an apologetic look, which seemed to pacify the boy into submission.
"…All right, but only because you asked. Er, this way, your highness."
Lucina gave the goddess one last glance before following the angel, clearly disappointed but too tired to object. Palutena listened until their footsteps faded down the hallway.
"Things just got complicated," the goddess sighed as soon as she was sure they were out of ear-shot.
Her draconian guest snorted. "If Kingdom Hearts is involved, of course it will be complicated." Sobering, Palkia asked, "You think Anna knows?"
"Honestly, I don't know what to think of that woman. But she must have known something."
"Should we contact Naga?"
"No. She's had enough to deal with lately. I wouldn't be surprised if she went back to sleep again after all she went through."
"What are you going to do with the girl, then?"
"I hate to say it, but… we need her help. You saw for yourself that Falchion's effective against the Heartless. Pit's strong, but he can't take them on alone. And besides…" The goddess glanced back down the hall. "Where else does she have to go? She's Lost, now."
A/N: The scene with Anna gave me quite a bit of grief-when I first wrote it, I hadn't realized that Lucina had actually been to the Outrealm Gates before (I didn't want to consider any DLC to be canon for this story, but looks like it will be oops). As it turns out, that's how she came to the past in the first place. So... basically I had to rewrite the last half if this chapter (which is why I'm not too pleased with it) xD But hey! Finally, Lucina and Pit interactions! Awkwardness! xD