Lucina felt at ease after they caught up with Kjelle. After the two of them had finished eating, they said their goodbyes and headed toward their respective tents. Lucina's was toward the back of the field, not far from a forest. The sight of the trees gave them a feeling of melancholy; it reminded them of when they were alone two years ago. That feeling lingered for a few minutes. They knew that they did not want to be in that position again. Ever.

Above the trees were the stars, beautiful with varying brightness and diverse in color. It made Lucina think of everyone who is around them. It gave a feeling of comfort and a sense of wonder at the same time. It's curious how different these versions of the Shepherds are as well as their friends who traveled back with them. Their experiences from being apart and riveted by the apocalypse has changed all of them in some way, even if trivial. Lucina has had the privilege of hearing some of those stories, but they had never shared the intrinsic details of theirs.

Wonder and comfort may abound, but in the back of their mind, Lucina knew fate was still going its course; there could be more to lose with everything that has been gained. The heir felt a sudden shift in mood, the one the trees gave them, tugging at their sleeve to manifest into something worse.

But Lucina was not going to let that ruin their night. A calm exhale, and then they went into their tent. Before they could get into their covers however, they heard something echo across the wood. It sounded like a human voice, but they were not sure. Roused, Lucina left their tent, grabbing Parallel Falchion and making their way toward the sound. If the sound was from an intruder, they would remove them immediately.

More to lose…

They drew into the woods, eyeing behind every tree they came across, their steps light yet cautious. Lucina's face had a stern expression, their hand steady on Falchion's sheath. They did not want to be detected, so they stayed within the shadows. There were no more voices, but they heard what sounded like many small, rhythmic footsteps. Occasionally, there was also some sort of snapping, and sounds of discontentment. It got louder as Lucina got deeper into the woods, so they knew they were on the right track. Hand shaking on their hilt, they pressed forward.

At this point, they had passed a pile of old leaves near the entrance, and crossed a creek. At the crest of a hill, Lucina could see an open field from below, and a log just before the hill dipped. Their eyes peered down the hill, to see candles' wisps mimicking the moves of a dancer. They were swaying back and forth, growing and dying; it was as if the performer was their master. Lucina could not see the person's face at first. Once the wisps swayed toward them however, Lucina recognized the person immediately.

It was Inigo. Dancing. In the woods at night.

"What?" They murmured, wondering how they heard him from the camp.

Carefully, Lucina made their way down the hill, and approached Inigo as obviously as possible so he was not startled.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Agh! Who's there?" Inigo grunted.

"Inigo, what are you doing all the way out here this late?" Lucina knew why, but they did not want to make it clear that they saw him dancing.

"I'm….on night patrol. Yes, it's very dangerous this time of night."

"If you were on night patrol, you would be at the border of the camp, not way beyond it," Lucina said, unamused at his lie. "Besides, that shift is about to start…I heard a loud noise. Was that you?"

"Oh, so you heard that too?" Inigo tried to fake a smile. "I thought there was suspicious activity, so I went to investigate. Clearly we had the same idea."

Lucina gave him a deadpan glare. "You know, it would be so much easier if you told me that you were dancing."

He chuckled nervously. "Ah-hah, no need to get so upset with me, Miss Ylisse. You know how a face such as this does not suit you–"

"Inigo…" Lucina said, getting angrier.

"Oh…fine." He moaned sadly, knowing his charms did not work. He lowered his voice ."The noise was me yelping from a stubbed toe. Lucina," He got on his knees, " please don't tell anyone I was out here. Not even my mother. I told her that I stopped coming out here, and she does not believe me."

"Alright Inigo," They stepped back, letting out a sigh. Their hand released from their hilt. "I won't say a word. On one condition."

"Anything," he said with more desperation.

"I would be happier if you could stop commenting on my face or my smiling habits."

He gave Lucina a confused glare. "Why that, of all things?" He got up. "You know, I ask out of concern. You are frowning more than normal. And that's saying something, considering how long I have known you."

"I'm asking for respect in return for sealed lips. I think it is a fair trade," Lucina said with a refrained tone, holding back aggravation.

"Alright, fine. But that does not mean I won't check up on you when I suspect something is wrong."

"Thank you, Inigo."

"Of course, Milady."

They turned around, hiding their cringing face. "I'm going to head back to my tent. I suggest you not stay out too long."

"No need to monitor me, I can take care of myself…" He looked up at them. "Is this your way of flirting? Very subtle. I like it."

"Good night, Inigo," they waved their hand dismissively, and began to walk their way up the hill, leaving the dancer in a daze.

"What did I say?"

…

When Lucina got up in the morning, they thought yesterday had been a dream. An exhausting dream that kept them tossing and turning for almost the entire night, until Kjelle had appeared. Then, it would be a peaceful sleep from there,

knowing that their best friend had come back. All of the unease and tension from the rest of the story had been forgotten about. At least, for a while.

The moment that the Ylissean royal slipped out of their tent, however, they realized that the night-dream-mare was real. It hit them first when they spotted Kjelle coming out of her neighboring tent. She waved at Lucina, talked briefly, and headed to the training grounds. They also had plans to go, but not this early.

Speaking of plans, Lucina suddenly remembered they had to bathe today, which was further proof of yesterday's nightmare. It reminded them of all of the tears that fell onto their blanket, how hard and probably how fruitless their training was. The question "why did the gods make me a woman?" echoed in their head over and over as a result.

This question had become a subject of trouble. It felt impossible to navigate as far as feelings go, making it unanswerable as a result. Surely no one else thought that way…right? Lucina must be crazy. Even the people closest to her would not understand. Not even Kjelle, Morgan, mother, or father.

There was nothing they could do with this information. At least, not right now.

A sense of dread came, thinking about the bath again. Lucina did not want to run into anyone coming through that area, and taking a bath meant being there for an extended period of time. The last time it happened, it made them uncomfortable and it was admittedly awkward. Besides, it reinforced the idea that "she" is a woman to anyone who walked through the area. That was the last thing they wanted right now.

But what difference would that make? Everyone already perceives me that way…

Going into the men's bath tent would not be better, Lucina thought. They would never be comfortable there either, even with privacy, they could not wrap their head around that idea. The fact that they have to choose alone is troublesome.

Perhaps I'll bathe tonight when everyone's asleep and no one is around…Hopefully.

Despite coming up with a solution, they had unchecked feelings. A sense of emptiness replaced the unease and took residence in their mind for a while. They ate a late breakfast alone, knowing everyone was out doing their morning tasks. Their only company were the emotions that they had to grapple with. Once they had finished, Lucina felt like returning to their tent to rest, but as soon as they got up from their chair, Morgan greeted them with a contagious smile.

"Good morning!" He beamed.

"Hello, Morgan," Lucina said, trying to hide their surprise.

"Are you busy at the moment?"

With their feet facing away from the mess tent, Lucina took a look at their tent from afar. "I suppose not…Why?"

"Great! Do you care to walk with me around camp? I wanted to talk with you," Morgan asked.

"Er, I actually do have plans, but they can wait," Lucina butted in.

"Are you sure? We can always meet up later."

"I'm positive. Lead the way, brother."

"Alright, sis!" Morgan piped. Lucina tried to shrug it off.

"Say, Morgan…" Lucina started as they began their way through the flower-ladened field in the center of camp.

"Yes?" He turned, looking at them.

The future exalt almost asked him not to call them "sis", but they backed out from fear. "What did you want to speak with me about?"

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to be out here in the nice weather, looking at the flowers, and spending time with you. We haven't got to be together much as of late. You know, with the war and all." He bent down to look at some anemones.

"That is true…" Lucina said, feeling a little guilty, knowing that Morgan knew it was more than that. "Morgan, I…have a question for you."

"Go for it," he replied simply, looking at a bee zip above him.

"I don't understand it. How can you be so joyful at a time like this? You always seem unphased despite our treacherous past and regardless of how many battles we partake in."

"Hm," he put a finger up to his chin. "How do I put this? Let's just say I used to wake up every day, feeling lonely and isolated." He turned to Lucina, giving them full eye contact. His tone shifted completely from his usual playful one to one full of somber. "'Where is everyone?' I would ask. 'Why haven't I found them, and why haven't they found me?' Thinking like that always made me sad, and reminded me of…pain. Unspeakable pain. Pain that I did not want to address, but I did. Every day."

He sighed. "Eventually, I stopped asking. The moment I stopped wondering, I started wandering. I had no idea where I was at any given point in time. I thought I was happier that way. To forget all of my woes, to forget who I loved."

"Is…that why we found you in a tome shop with no explanation?" Lucina asked, sadness whispering in their ear.

"Yup. You caught me in the worst of it. "

"I…understand now. Because everyone you were missing is here, even though some of them are not the exact ones you knew, you feel some sort of relief, correct?"

"Precisely," he said warmly. "I began to feel happy again. The world is all the more beautiful to me that way, war or not." He saw a butterfly land on a flower. "Lucina, I…especially missed you. Without a bigger sibling as a shield, I felt defenseless. You have no idea how hard it was to lose you." His eyes teared up, and so did Lucina's. "I love you so much," he cried, rushing into their arms.

Lucina cried too. This reminded them exactly of when they rushed into their father's arms. When they were alone, having to fight for themself, and fear for the future. They understood Morgan's pain. They lived it, but not in the same way.

"Morgan, I…love you too," they said hesitantly." I missed you a lot too. You made my worst days better."

"And you to mine," he looked up at them with a small smile. He released himself from the embrace. "I'm glad we got to talk. Please come to me if you want to do so again. You're my sister, Lucina. You can trust me with anything."

Sadness and guilt met to intertwine. All Lucina could do was give a solemn nod.

In the distance, the two siblings could hear Robin calling for Morgan. "Oh, that's mother calling for my daily strategy lesson! I'll see you later at lunch…dinner?"

"Dinner I suppose," Lucina replied plainly.

"Alright, see you!" He gave one last final wave, and left to meet Robin.

They waved in response, their hand slowing as Morgan got smaller in Lucina's view. Eventually, they put their arm down, frozen in place and lost in time. Sadness and guilt took form and replaced where Morgan stood. All the beauty around them had been sapped from their view.

Sadness spoke first: I love Morgan, but I really wish he would stop calling me his 'sister'.

Guilt's tongue was throbbing at the head, which made an angrier sound: You should have told Morgan. You should have told everyone how you're feeling. Then, they would stop.

Sadness finished the dialogue, existing amidst guilt's steam: But my feelings make no sense. What am I supposed to do with them?

Lucina looked toward the training grounds, leaving both entities in the background.

Nothing. Do nothing. No one would understand, anyway. Besides, if I ponder on it any longer, I will be late for my training session with Owain. Neither of us want that.

Lucina steeled themself, heading towards one of the only things that remained certain in their life.

…

Entering into the training area, Lucina spotted Owain who was pointing a sword towards a dummy, eyes closed. He was in this crouching position with a stern expression on his face. He stayed there for about a minute, not noticing his cousin had come in.

"General, I am sorry. I must avenge my sister, and it's your head that she wants. I promise that I will end you with my most painless yet effective move…the Binding Blade." He covered half of his face with his sword hand, leaving the sword in the same angle with one arm holding it instead of two. "BINDING BLADE!" He yelled, quickly placing his other hand on the sword, getting into an offensive position, and cleanly slicing the dummy's torso into two. Once the top half fell off, he picked it up, whispering to it. "Your death is not in vain, general. I will remember all you have done for me." He dropped his arms and looked up with a somber expression as if it were raining. "Sister, wherever you are, I pray your soul finds rest." He paused for a brief moment, keeping the dummy piece in his arms.

Abruptly, he threw it down, and covered his face again with his sword hand. His weapon faced the ground. "Alas, his sister did not find rest! The Gods had disclosed that his sister now craves the head of her ex, who's reputation on the battlefield is renowned and feared…Red Hawk…" He lifted his weapon again. "I'm after you. Owain Dark and his swordhand thirsts for blood again!"

Lucina listened to the entire monologue without moving a muscle. However, after his last words, Lucina could not hold in their amusement anymore and laughed. It's just what they needed after a hard morning.

"Hades' Hearth! Who would dare enter the lair of Owain Dark!?" He asked, looking around the room.

Lucina stepped out of the entrance's shadow. "It is I," Lucina started, but was interrupted by a cough from the dust. Awkwardly, they cleared their throat. "...Lucina."

"Cousin!" He walked towards them, changing his tone entirely. "...Er, how long have you been here?"

"Don't worry about me, Owain." They smiled. "Had I interrupted, you would not have learned about your sister's true feelings."

True feelings…

"But I should not be doing all of that in front of royalty!" He stammered.

"Who ever said that? I rather enjoy it." They admire it, even.

"Well, if you're comfortable," a smirk grew on his face. "Then you will be sparring with the Avenging Avenger of Justice!" He took the blade out of his sheath. "Come, Papillon d' espoir, show me what you can do! We have not spared in a fortnight!"

Lucina drew a training blade, put it into their hilt, and stood at a reasonable distance from Owain. Preparing for combat, both contestants stared intently, both waiting for the other to strike first. Knowing Owain, Lucina believed he would strike first, so they put one foot back and prepared for a defensive stance after a period of waiting.

They were right, as Owain swiftly and obviously made his first move with a shout. Without flinching, Lucina blocked his blow, entering into a deadlock. Owain's sword kept pressing against theirs, in hopes that they would cave in. Despite his best efforts, Lucina did not budge, and kicked back their opponent. Owain jumped back, displaying their sword hand. Getting out of the defensive, Lucina rushed over to give a few light stabs in the arms. Feigning an opening, Owain dodged all four swipes with ease.

Lucina began to huff from how sore they were from yesterday, but tried their hardest not to show it. They tried to regain steam, but the time it took to do so, Owain came back without mercy. He twirled, and attempted to knick their shoulder. Narrowly dodging, Lucina remained light on their feet, waiting for a large opening from Owain. As he continued to attempt to land many lighter blows, Lucina struggled to dodge all of them but made it look easy. Once the sword hand slowed his streak, the blue sword got their chance to perform their heavy blow. While tired, their heart showed all exhilaration.

They prepared the training sword from behind, and swooped it above them, aiming for it to land on Owain's chest. Unfortunately, at the weapon's apex, he had sidestepped away and waited for the strike to land on the ground. Taken aback from missing, Lucina tried to reposition themself. Before they could, however, Owain swept them off their feet and pointed his sword toward their chest.

Also huffing, the myrmidon looked at his opponent with blazing brown eyes. "Papillion, you have met your end."

Lucina's heart was still pumping relentlessly, and their arms were near numb. "I suppose so."

"And yet, I don't believe that was your best effort." The wielder of the swordhand dropped his weapon. He grabbed their hand, helping them up.

"What do you mean, Owain? I was very close to beating you this time," They replied, beginning to sound worried. "You were wide open. I thought for sure it would land."

"You would know better than to use your special move for when your enemy is not vulnerable! I may have broken a sweat, but I was not defenseless."

Is…that what happened?

"I'm afraid something came over me," Lucina said to themself out loud.

Not hearing them, he placed his hand on their shoulder. "I think I understand what is going on."

Lucina's heart went rapid again. "You…do?"

"Of course. What you lack is strength. The sword hand can sense it." Owain nodded. "I know exactly what you need to replenish your spirits."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Owain released his hand and walked out of the training grounds, inhaling sharply. Because of the breeze, he could smell the steak coming from the mess tent. The future exalt was not sure what he was doing, so they peered behind them. "Do you smell that? That is the smell of strength that will help you withstand even the meanest swordsman!"

Owain looked at his concerned cousin, his smile changing from playful to friendly. "Let's go replenish ourselves, cousin," he said with a soft tone.

Dropping their shoulders, Lucina felt relieved that he didn't see right through them.

…

The two sword wielders made their way down to the mess tent under a mostly cloudy sky. The sun was barely visible, hiding behind both clouds and mountains. It looked like it would rain, but no rain ever fell.

When they got to the clearing, they found Kjelle at an empty picnic table cracking her knuckles. "Hello, Lucina. Care to eat with me for dinner?" She said, ignoring Owain.

"I don't mind Kjelle, but I would like to sit with the others as well, if that's okay," they replied.

"Alright then," she said indifferently, giving Owain eye contact, and swishing her eyes back to Lucina. "While we wait for our meal, how about a little game?"

"Name your game, Nemesis," Owain steadied his sword hand. "Owain Dark, Avenging Avenger of Justice, is ready for a challenge. Know that I won't go down so easi–"

"Save it," she rolled her eyes. "I was thinking since the table is empty right now, we can take turns arm wrestling while we wait."

Lucina could feel the soreness in their arms from training, as well as a weight on their heart. Their mind was stuck on their loss against Owain. On most days when they lost against anyone, they were able to brush it off and learn from it. Even then, all of the other times they lost were close calls, and every victory they ever had felt satisfying. How did they manage to mess up a basic rule of combat?

Slumping in their boots, Lucina hesitantly croaked. "Actually, Kjelle, could we do it after our meal?"

"Why would we do that?" She raised an eyebrow. "Come on, it will be like old times."

"I'm...afraid it won't be," Lucina said with a lowered voice.

"Oh, classic Lucina. What a joker," Inigo said, approaching the table with Morgan behind him. "We all know you are no mere maiden. You're the princess, the exalt, the beacon of hope. You're a lot more powerful than you say you are."

Lucina took a deep breath, refusing every compliment that was thrown at them. Besides, who's to say that wasn't his way of flirting? Sometimes they could not tell. "Just because I have a royal standing, does not mean I am capable." They stood there, looking like they had something else to say, hesitant to let it leave their tongue. "I made up my mind. I do not wish to arm wrestle today. Perhaps we can tomorrow?"

"Huh…this is unlike you Lucina," Kjelle cocked her head to the side. "You have never backed down from a fight before."

"If it makes you feel better," Owain butted in with his "normal voice". "You did great in training today."

Lucina felt embarrassed, but said nothing aloud. Come on, Owain. No need to make it a scene…

Morgan looked closely at Lucina's expression of discomfort. He got closer to them, whispering in their ear. "Are you okay, Lucina?

They stepped back from him. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just need a moment."

"Alright, if you're sure." Morgan replied, still concerned.

"I will be right back," Lucina said to everyone as they left for one of the bath tents.

The party of four were silent for a few moments. Morgan watched Lucina go towards the bath tents, wondering what was going on in their head. He knew something was wrong, but he could not guess what it was. Even if he did not know what was wrong, he still wanted to help in any way that he could. Maybe giving them a second to cool down would help?

That's all she needs, right…?

Right?

Morgan's bubble of thought was popped by a loud sigh from Inigo who slumped into a picnic table seat. "Pity. I was looking forward to you ladies duking it out."

"Same here," Kjelle echoed his sigh. "Except I'd kick you across camp if you made that same old tired comment," she cleared her throat, about to attempt her impression of Inigo. "'Do you know what kind of women are the most attractive? Strong ones with a bit of flair.'"

Inigo's eyebrows raised. "Now, why would you do something like that? It's true, and you know it. You and Lucina are both strong women, and I must give credit where it's due."

Kjelle clicked her tongue, annoyed. "I know why you do it, and it's not going to work on me. You know I'm not stra–"

Owain slammed his arms against the table, interrupting Kjelle. "Enough! If you want a battle, you got yourself one, Nemesis! I, Owain Dark, will battle in the stead of Papillon d' espoir!"

Kjelle looked offended at the fact he jumped in while she spoke. "Doing that would be a waste of time," she scoffed.

Owain was taken aback. "What!? No it wouldn't be!" He covered his face with his sword hand.

"Yes it would be," she yawned. "I do not need to waste my time."

"Oh come on, Kjelle!" Owain pleaded. Then, he changed his composure, to a more serious one, standing upright and lifting his nose. "My Nemesis? A chicken? No way."

"(Is he trying to mock me? Regardless, he's got me there)," she muttered. Kjelle laid an arm on the table. "Very well Owain, you're right. I never back down from a fight."

Owain eagerly sat on the other side of the table, ushering Inigo to move from the spot he was sitting in. He placed his sword hand against Kjelle's muscular arm while Inigo moved to one end of the table, about to count them off.

"Begin in 5, 4…"

Morgan watched the entire exchange, but remained silent for the entirety of it. He looked up into the sky.

Lucina and I need to talk soon, and fast.

"...3, 2,..."

Kjelle's eyes furrowed, locking into Owain's. "I look forward to crushing you." Owain's face wrinkled more in response.

I hope she isn't leaving us.

"1…commence!" Ingo slashed his arm downwards.

…

Getting near the bath tent, Lucina made sure no one was in the clearing or following them; they wanted to be alone. Going into the women's tent without a clear conscience, they knew it was their only choice. Well, technically it wasn't, as Lucina could have snuck to their own tent. The problem is that for one, they are not a liar. Secondly, should anyone find out, people would be more concerned for them then they already are; Lucina found it exhausting dodging the subject as is.

Before going in, they put an ear against the facility, hearing no chatter or water running. Emptiness' silence was sound to Lucina, so they entered. The entrance flap closed behind them and whatever they decided to do, they knew they needed to be quick; you never knew when someone else needed to come in.

In the cabinet were bowls, so Lucina took one and filled it with water. In hopes that the cold water would calm them, they splashed it on their face. Their heavy eyes shut as the cool solution serenaded them. Then, they rubbed their temples, trying their hardest to reassure themself that today is only a bad day. Strange that they were saying that in a place of discomfort, yet they did not want to leave and face everyone; a conundrum indeed. Even with resistance, the future witness moved their weighted legs and tried to make their way out.

They had nearly made it to the exit, but a face mirror had interrupted their path. Catching a glimpse of themself, Lucina noticed rough, unbrushed locks, scratches covered with dirt on their face, and most noticeably, pale blue eyes with a faded brand on their left.

A brand that yielded a blessing. A brand that yielded a curse. No matter how it was seen, it was tacked onto eyes that no longer shone like the moon or the sea.

This brand now represented something that they weren't: a princess, a daughter, a woman, a lady…

They weren't themself. Their eyes are now open, but they still wore a mask. They had grown so tired of this mask on their face. Even if their butterfly mask had snapped in two over two years ago, it felt like this one was impossible to break out of. It was exhausting to wear, and it allowed no rest.

They began to wonder if this would go on forever.

…

Kjelle and Owain arms were locked, intensely staring into each others' eyes. With the sword hand being almost buried by Kjelle's overworked arm, Owain whispered some encouraging, mystical words to himself. Feeling more determined, he exerted more force. As a result, their arms got back into the neutral position, and Owain whooped out loud.

"SHADOWS OF VALENTIA!"

Kjelle was trying her hardest to block out the annoyance, but her opponent was getting closer, knocking her arm over. Inhaling sharply and flexing her muscle even harder, she managed to make a comeback, knocking Owain's arm down like a domino.

"Oooh! A nice turn of events! It's a knockdown, and the winner is Kjelle!" Inigo said, trying to lift her arm but it got smacked down by her hand before he could.

"Hah! I knew I'd win," she sneered.

Owain got up from the table, putting a hand on the wrist of his other arm. "You may have won, but I will return, Nemesis. You haven't even seen sword hand's final form!"

"Alright, Owain. Come back when you give me a challenge," she said, sounding unimpressed.

Morgan shrugged. "I don't know, Kjelle. That looked like a close match there."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

The conversation would have continued, but the dinner bell rang.

"Perfect," she cracked her knuckles. "Time to fill up before my evening routine." She immediately left to get in line. As soon as she did, the others saw the return of an exhausted Lucina, and went in line with them.

When everyone got their food and sat down, Lucina was silent for most of their meal time. The future exalt interjected occasionally in between banter amongst the others. Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lucina on the other hand had a hard time paying attention to any of the conversation from feeling emotionally drained.

Once they felt full, the person in blue looked off to the side, pushing their plate away from them. "I'll excuse myself," they said quietly, getting out of their chair.

"Lucina, where are you going?" Morgan asked, causing the other to notice Lucina leaving.

"I'm going to call it a night," they said, turning away from the others.

Inigo scoffed. "Seriously! At this fine hour? You cannot waste this beautiful evening by yourself."

Lucina looked at Inigo, did not answer, and continued to walk away.

"Inigo…" Morgan piped in, looking at him intently.

"And that frown? A beautiful woman such as yourself does not deserve to have her face plastered by that ugly thing."

Lucina stopped, but did not say a word. They hid their anger: Clenched fist covered by their cloak, and their clenched teeth hidden by a closed mouth. Lucina tried their hardest not to say anything.

"Inigo…" Morgan said, leaning closer.

"You know, I think you should smile. When you smile, it—"

"Inigo!"

They turned around, eyes bright, pupils small, and a clenched hand trying to pry out an invisible arrow to the stomach.

"Inigo," They huffed. "I need to be alone."

"Ah-hah, no. I do not think you do," Inigo replied as Lucina turned around to walk off. He stepped towards them. "You need us. You said that before, but you keep leaving us, and not telling us what is going on! I don't understand you! What kind of—"

Lucina stomped their foot and turned around to face him, seeing how close Inigo was. "Yes, I do Inigo! I do need to be alone!" They cried, getting teary eyed and gritting their teeth harder. Taking a breath, they retained their composure and said plainly. "You know, for someone who dances alone and wants to keep that to himself, I thought you would understand that." Kjelle shot a glance at Inigo, eyebrows raised. Lucina let out one more huff, and walked away.

"Lucina, wait!" Morgan yelled out, running towards them.

Owain turned to look at Inigo with dying embers in his eyes. "Great, Inigo. You made her mad."

"(Pretty boy likes to dance, huh? Interesting…)" Kjelle muttered to herself. While Inigo snapped at Owain, Kjelle watched Morgan chase Lucina into the woods.

…

"Lucina!" Morgan said, barely keeping up. "Where are you going? Your tent is over there!"

Lucina did not answer, and kept walking towards the forest that lay in the hills.

"Please don't tell me that you're leaving us again! We cannot have you leave again!" He stopped in his tracks, with dimmed eyes. He held out a hand. "I cannot have you leave."

Lucina whipped around, facing Morgan, signaling him to be silent. They got down on their knees and shushed him again when he tried to speak. "Morgan, do not tell anyone what I'm about to do."

Morgan looked even more worried. "What are you going to do? It can't be—"

"Don't worry," Lucina gave a weak smile. "I'm not leaving. Just follow me."

Through the thicket, a passage of old leaves, and across a river, Lucina took Morgan to a log just outside of an open field, the same field Inigo was dancing in. "Here. We'll be safe." They sat down, ushering him to sit beside them. Without hesitation, he sat beside his sibling.

Lucina sighed. "You said that I can trust you no matter what, right Morgan?"

"Yeah," he replied with weight in that one word. "I love you. You're my sister."

"Alright." Lucina took a pause, looking at the green leaves on the trees ahead. "Do not tell anyone, and I mean anyone what I am about to tell you. Do you promise me that?" They let out their pinky.

"Promise," Their pinkies intertwined, locked, and released.

Lucina took a heavy breath, trying to calm their pounding chest of theirs. "Morgan, I…."

His eyes were on theirs, fully drawn in and prepared for anything.

Lucina continued, shakily. "I…I am not a woman."