CHAPTER THREE

The Other Me

By this point I've mastered the art of hiding in the shadows, I think.

Gangrel has been dead for two years.

Two years since he tasted the faultless blade of the Falchion; since the man who threatened the future fell into a pool of his own blood.

Two years since the King of Iris and the genius strategist who came out of nowhere were wed in a ceremony that saw every citizen of the Holy Kingdom line up outside the gates of the castle to try and catch a glimpse of their new royal couple.

But still, something irks me.

And it's not just the baby my father throws up in the air with a smile on his face as they laugh together. It's not that my mother spends hours talking and singing to the baby that's not quite me. Of course it's not that I'm jealous of myself. That's insane. It's childish.

In fact, it's quite heart-warming to see my mother and father fawning over…me—the baby me, that is, who was just born a few months back. So I'm not jealous. Not at all.

She's cute, if I might add…

I'm still a bit anxious—yes, there's something off about it all. Naga, are you telling me something…?

I bring my hand to touch my left eyelid.

There's no doubt that if my mother and father find me now without my mask, they'll know I'm their daughter just from the mark. The little Lucina resting in her bed, she has this mark…She most definitely is me.

If things aren't quite at rest as everyone thinks, I might have to reveal myself soon enough.

A bittersweet thought, indeed.

I should probably get going pretty soon, but…

My heart is aching… I don't want to leave this version of Iris. It's so happy, so peaceful; truly a city worthy of Emelina's legacy.

Someone's coming. I hug the walls of the castle, making sure to stay in the shadows.

We'll meet again, little Lucina, in some way or another.

I Know I Really Shouldn't Be Happy Right Now, But…

I swallow.

Here I stand, in front of my father, who knows me as Marth, the mysterious woman.

"There's something you should know," I mutter, almost choking the words out. "If I'm to lend you my strength…"

"What is it?" he asks. His voice is strong, familiar, yet somehow gentle—it's almost as if I've missed hearing it…

I take in a deep breath, clench my fists, and walk over to him. Closing the distance, my heart begins to beat rapidly.

I don't know how he'll take it, or even if he'll believe me, but…

When we stand face to face, I sweep my bangs behind my ear, so that he can look straight at the mark of Naga on my left eye.

His eyes widen.

"Wh…?"

"My name…is Lucina…" I murmur.

"L-Lucina…? That's…"

"I come from a future most bleak and terrible… One where there's no one left to save the day… I was allowed to come back here, to this vital time, so that… So that you, my father, might save it."

"You're…?" He looks speechless. "…My daughter?"

I can feel the tears beginning to rise to the surface, pooling in my eyelids before one tear rolls down my face.

"Because in the future…you're not there to save it… I… I wanted to... It's okay if you don't believe me, I just wanted…"

"Lucina," he breathes. Hearing him say that makes me so happy. Just hearing my name roll of his tongue so naturally... I don't think I've ever been happier. "No, I believe you… One-hundred percent… You're…my daughter, Lucina."

He smiles, and lifts his thumb to wipe my tears away.

"F-Father…" I sob.

"It's okay. You don't have to hide anymore," he coos.

"Father!"

I slump into his chest, grabbing the cloth of his tunic, sobbing uncontrollably.

I'm here, with my father, my hero. The father who died when I was small, whom I never had the chance to spend too much time with. I want to stay here forever, with him in this wholehearted embrace.

He kisses the top of my head gently.

"K-Krom?"

He raises his head.

"Yuming," he says.

I pull away slowly from our embrace, wiping the rest of my tears away, and desperately trying to prevent any others from falling.

My mother stands just away from us, hands behind her back, an unsettled look on her face.

"I-I—Uh… I just wanted to, um, check up on you two…" she stammers. "Well, it's not like I don't trust you or anything, Krom, but since you are a young woman, Marth…I…And, um…"

"Yuming, come here," Father beckons her over with a soft gesture.

"Huh? O-Okay, what is it?"

He places a hand on my back, nodding to me. This is my father; he's everything I wanted him to be.

"I," I start, not sure what to say. Should I repeat what I said to Father, or…? "My name is Lucina."

She looks at Father, an eyebrow cocked. She looks sceptical, and my heart drops to my feet. I only have fond memories of Mother. Her smile has been etched into my memory, her soft touch on my face as she sang me an old lullaby my most cherished memory.

She died as she lived, with a smile on her face, when she was wounded in a fight against a madman. I still remember the way she fell to the ground, her abdomen stained with her own deep red blood, and how we crowded around her; me, Wood, Mark and Aunt Liz.

Mark was only little, and he blubbered the loudest. With a smile and a few words telling us she'd be okay because she was going to be with Father, and that they'd protect us all together, she slipped away. Until then, I had thought she was invincible.

"Lucina? As in…"

"M-My mother and father…died when I was quite young…fighting against a great evil. I…I'm from a future where…"

"She is our daughter," Father finishes. "Our little girl."

"Wha—Then…Wait, what's happened to my baby?"

"N-Nothing, dear, she's fine back home…"

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"Then, you believe me?"

"A mother knows," she says. "And you are definitely my daughter."

A mother knows.

I start to cry again.

We hug, and I hear her breath becoming shaky, before my father's strong arms envelop the both of us.

Here we are.

The three of us; a family.

We all part from the embrace.

I'm so happy my heart could burst, and then I remember something.

"My friends…they'll be surfacing in this time. Is it okay if we find them?"

"Your friends? From the future?" Mother asks, a hand on my cheek.

"Yes."

"Why not? Besides, we could use the extra hand," Father winks at me and I let out a little squeak. "There's no way Varm's forces will be as light as Gangrel's…And I think I'm a bit rusty…"

He stretches and flexes and we all laugh together. But I know my father could never be rusty. His fighting ability is the best of anyone in the land.

Mother holds my hand tight as we stumble back to camp. We've run out of words to say to each other for now.

I'm content just like this, though. I'm not asking for much more.

Speaking of the Others…

So now we can focus on bigger issues.

Not that anyone's really focusing on the bigger picture…what with this revelation…

At first, when Mother and Father told the army about my true identity, I could feel that not everyone believed me. But it's amazing how much they trust my parents, and soon the revelation eased into regular conversation. It's like they always knew, or something.

Aunt Liz won't stop asking me questions.

"Which makes you my niece, huh?" she chirps.

I nod. "Yes."

"So what's the future me like?"

I can't help but smile. My memories of Aunt Liz in the future are all warm.

"Always smiling," I say. "You always gave us hope."

She giggles, blushing slightly.

"Whaddabout the great me? Bet I'm pretty great too, right? Right?" Uncle Vake interjects, flinging his arms over our shoulders.

I don't want to tell him he dies in battle, so I opt for, "I have fond memories of you, too, Uncle."

He chuckles. "Uncle," he repeats to himself. "Sounds nice. So, d'we have a kid? Me and Lizzie?"

Oh, do you…

I nod again with a sigh.

Aunt Liz gasps. "Really? Tell me about her!"

Vake shoots her an icy glare. "Her?"

"It's a boy—your son, his name's Wood…He's—uh—just like his dad?"

"So, a bit strange? Hot-headed? Doesn't follow orders?" Mother calls from the other side of the fire.

"H-Hey! I wouldn't be talking, Miss I-fell-in-love-because-we-both-saw-each-other-na—"

"Not in front of Lucina, Vake!" Aunt Liz whines, clapping a hand to his mouth.

"Huh? What is it? Is it something about Mother and Father?" I ask. Their inside jokes often confuse me.

Aunt Liz pats me affectionately on the back. "Nothing you need to worry about, sweetie. So will I get to meet my boy?"

I shrug, because I really don't know who's followed me or not. "Maybe."

"Tell me about 'im. He strong?" Uncle inquires, taking out a rag to polish his axe.

"Oh—Well, yes. He likes training…" I start to remember the time when Wood started chasing Mark around with his toy sword, yelling at him to come and train.

"I don't want to, Wood!"

"Why! You're so weak! How lame!"

"N-No! Please, maybe you could ask Azure! W-Wood, leave me alone! Lucinaaa!"

I chuckle to myself. "He's always badgering Mark to go and train with him…" I mutter.

"Mark?"

Oh, that's right. I didn't tell them.

"My little brother."

Mother pricks her head up. "Little brother?"

"Right. He's a few years younger than me."

"S-So, we get to have another child? Ah, how wonderful," she seems completely open to the idea.

I smile. My mother is such a nice person.

"Is he as cute as Lucina?" Aunt Liz pinches my cheeks. "So cuuuute!"

"Ngah! U-Uh…! W-Well…He's younger than me…A baby, really… He wants to be just like Mother… He spends hours practicing magic and strategy by himself. Sometimes he gets the others to help him."

Mother smiles, and sits down on a log opposite us.

Sometimes I wish I would have inherited her pale pink hair colour or her pretty face. It's no wonder she was able to win over Father.

I wish I could, you know? Win over a boy like that… Not that I have anyone in mind, of course. I'm just speaking generally.

"A little boy," Mother mutters to herself, smiling softly. "I love him already…"

Male Mark = 3

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