Chapter 16 - Festival of Dark Nights

Lucina closed her eyes, forcing her breathing into a slow steady rhythm. It would be best if she remained as still as possible for this part, lest any sudden movements render all progress for naught.

She felt a gentle tug at her hair, starting at the roots and slowly working downward to pull from the tips, marking Severa's progress as she pulled Lucina's hair into two long braids. Once completed, Lucina knew that these would be bundled tightly to be hidden underneath the rest of her hair, giving the illusion of shorter hair. She still remembered the last time Severa had done this for her, how she'd waited anxiously as her friend had worked, barely able to remain still while time was yet of the essence. But it had been needed to be done: to properly cement the disguise she'd doned in the moments before stepping into the past.

This time, however, there was little urgency. For unlike how it had been, her reasons for donning her "Marth" disguise were for anything but anonymity. Instead, it was to act as her costume for the festivities of that evening.

It had been Robin who had suggested her choice in outfit, having gone as far as to have a mask commissioned to replace the one she'd worn those years before. While not exact, the piece was as close an approximation as any could have ever hoped, such that even she hadn't noticed the discrepancies at first. Other than being painted a darker shade of blue than her old mask, the exact measurements deviated slightly in places, resulting in a slightly larger and more angled mask. Still, that alone was impressive, considering that it had been crafted from instructions taken entirely from Robin's memory. The fact that he was able to recall the specific details at all, let alone give nearly perfect measurements for each part of the design… once again Lucina found herself impressed with the extent of her husband's impressive mental facilities.

The rest of her costume had followed suit. Robin had picked a new cloak and surcoat, replacing them both with a more formal design than the battle worn pieces of her normal attire. Afterall, as he'd cited to her when she's wondered at the purchase, it wouldn't be much of a costume if the only thing that changed was her hair and the addition of a mask. Which, admittedly was a fair enough argument. Still, she found herself a tad uncomfortable at the thought of such expensive purchases being made for her sake.

Lucina started to shake her head at the thought, only to catch herself at the last instant, forcing her head to remain still and fixed firmly ahead.

It was for the sake of the change of hairstyle the look necessitated that Lucina had sought out Severa earlier that morning. Truth be told, she'd attempted to do up her hair on her own, which had ended up in little more than a tangled disaster. Not only did she have difficulty properly securing the braids while being unable to use sight to guide her work, but she was als hampered by her simple lack of proficiency when it came to such matters. She'd had so little time to indulge in her own appearance when fighting for the survival of her world. While recently she'd finally had the time to worry herself with such things, she yet required more practice.

Yet, even still… she'd felt uncomfortable with asking Severa for help. Learning of her and the others' actions during their stay in this world had left things… awkward between herself and her former companions. She still wasn't sure what she felt in regards to their actions. While she'd accepted Robin's words in their defense as truth, there was simply a world of difference between accepting something as true, and truly embracing it. Try as she might to justify it away, she felt… hurt. She'd trusted all of them, with her very life in more times than she could count. Believed in them. Then to go and be a part of such things…

No… it wasn't that she'd felt like they'd betrayed her trust. While that was perhaps a small part of it, what was really bothering her was that it felt like she had failed them. She had been their leader. She was supposed to be their example, someone to look to for guidance. How poor that example must have been, to having lead them down the path they took.

If there was any to blame, it was herself.

So it was that Lucina remained silent and her eyes closed, focusing her will on remaining still and calm as she waited for Severa to finish. Not only to pass the time quicker, but to avoid meeting her friend's gaze. And to hide the shame reflected in hers.

"If you're going to scold me, can we get it over with? This silence treatment is painful enough as it is…"

Lucina's eyes blinked open. Shock played across the face mirrored before her, eyes pulling wide and lips half-parting with all too visible surprise. "What?" she whispered, beginning to wonder if she couldn't have possibly imagined or misheard Severa's words.

"This is why you asked me to do your hair, wasn't it? An excuse to get us alone so you could chew me out for what I did. So yeah, can we just get to that already? It's bad enough having to wait…"

"No, I wasn't… I wasn't planning on scolding you. I truthfully needed your assistance, and I…" Lucina shook her head, failing to catch herself this time. It was fortunate Severa had already let go of her hair, or it might have ruined the half-finished braids. "I apologize. I did not mean to cause offense. While I must admit, my feelings on what happened are still… difficult for me. I do not wish to cause conflict over them. Not when I myself am still uncertain."

"Wait, no. You don't get to be the one to apologize over this! You did nothing wrong, as usual," Severa countered. She gripped Lucina's arm, yanking her around and jabbing a finger at her chest. "So go ahead, tell me how much I screwed up at being you."

"You…" Lucina fell silent, the Severa's words crashing into her with the weight of a physical blow. "You were trying to be like me?"

Severa opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again, the seething anger that had burned within her but moments before fizzling out. She moved away, her gaze cast down. "Yeah… I guess so…" she whispered. She rubbed her arm with her other hand, her lips pursed, unable to bring herself to speak. "Do you remember when all of us went to those hotsprings? How you told me that my accomplishments were as impressive as anything my mother ever did?"

Lucina nodded slowly.

"When you told me that I… felt vindicated. Like all my hard work and effort actually meant something. Like I didn't just have to live under anyone's shadow. That's why when… when we were told of this world, I accepted it without hesitation. I thought I could be like you, come here to this world and save the whole damn day. Like you would have. Fat lot of good that ended up being.."

She sniffed, shaking her head sharply. "I wanted to be like you, Lucina. To show that I could be as strong, smart, and brave as you. But I couldn't be you, Lucina. I couldn't even live up to your example. Your ideals." She crossed her arms, her gaze still at the floor. "So yeah, I deserve to be scolded. I messed up practically in every way possible. So give me your worst. I mean it."

"Severa…" Lucina closed her eyes, struggling to collect her thoughts. What she said… it both confirmed her fears and cast them aside all at once. Her friends' actions had been undertaken in her example. Yet… the regret carried in Severa's voice was more than apparent. It wasn't that they'd tried to make mistakes because they'd followed her example: rather that they'd made mistakes while trying to follow her example. There was a difference… at least she had to believe there was.

"Do you remember what else I said that day? About myself? How not a day goes by that I do not flinch under the weight of others' expectations. Or my own…" Lucina smiled gently, reaching out and placing a hand on her friend's arm. "To speak truthfully, when I heard of what happened, I was ashamed. I felt that I was somehow to blame, for failing to be a proper example. Perhaps I wasn't, given how I somehow set expectations that not even I could meet. But that doesn't matter now…"

"But… gods, you don't get to just pretend like I didn't screw up, you hear? It's not fair," Severa told her, wiping her eyes.

"I am not saying you didn't make mistakes. Just… that I forgive you. I see now that whatever happened… you didn't intend for things to turn out as they did. No one is infallible. Not even me," Lucina assured.

Severa scoffed at this.

"You don't believe me? I've made my share of mistakes. Things I regret more than anything."

"Like?"

Lucina paused, considering the question for a moment. She thought of her many mistakes and failures, trying to decide which to best illustrate her point. But, try as she might, none seemed truly right for the moment. None except…

She frowned deeply. None but her greatest regret of all. A regret she'd kept secret from all but a few, moments only she, Robin, and her father had ever witnessed. Of the field bathed in a fiery sunset, Robin standing before her, Falchion's tip pointing at his chest.

Taking a deep breath, Lucina steeled her courage. She had always feared the day she would have to ever speak of this, but perhaps this must be known for an understanding to be reached.

"Well… after discovering that Robin had been the one to kill my father in our own time, I confronted him with the intention of killing him." As she said that, Severa's eyes widened, surprised by this revelation, though Lucina continued, undaunted. "In the end, I… couldn't bring myself to go through with it, but it doesn't change the fact I drew my sword against him, against my own husband."

Standing speechless with her mouth agape, Severa quickly collected herself, her expression growing softer as her eyes cast downward. "I didn't know…"

"Few do. My father and Robin are the only ones. Until now. I was so ashamed of what I'd almost done, I couldn't bear to tell another soul," Lucina explained. "I've made my fair share of mistakes, Severa. I am just better at hiding them than most, because I had to. I had to appear infallible, to act as an example. To inspire everyone else. I see now that too was another mistake, as it created an ideal no one could ever hope to reach."

Severa lifted her gaze, meeting Lucina's own for the first time since they'd begun talking. Her eyes glistened as if blinking back tears. "I guess… I guess I should have known I was kidding myself that anyone could be that perfect. Shoulda learned my lesson before now, living under my mother's shadow for so long. Still, doesn't change that I still messed up big time."

Lucina nodded. "I am not going to pretend like you didn't make mistakes. Nor that there is nothing for you to regret. Only that right now, I need you to keep trying. With that same desire to do what I would do. This world can yet be saved, after all. And I'd like to believe, if I were in your place, I wouldn't give up."

Severa laughed, the first joyful sound Lucina had heard from her that day. "Bit optimistic, even for you, huh."

"Yes. I am afraid Robin may have rubbed off on me in that regard," Lucina replied, giving a soft chuckle of her own. "Now, let us hurry and get my hair ready for tonight. I am afraid I've already shown myself to be utterly helpless at this sort of thing, and truly require your expertise."

"Oh? Heh, I suppose there are a few things I'm better than you at, huh? Was that why your hair was in tangles when I started?" Severa teased, wiping away the last remnants of tears from her eyes.

"I… perhaps…" Lucina said, her face flushing in embarrassment. Turning around, Lucina returned to her original spot in from of Severa, who once again set to work finishing the final touches of her costume.

. . . . .

"So you actually disguised yourself like this and pretended to be a boy, using the name 'Marth'?" Corrin questioned, perplexed by the story Lucina told him. Sure, he could understand the need to avoid revealing that she's someone from the future, but he never would have guessed that it would extend to the point of pretending to be the opposite gender. Then again… if he hadn't already known, Lucina actually would easily pass as a boy to another.

"Yeah, I don't really understand that either. I mean, the mask makes sense if you were trying to hide your eye mark brand thing," Elise interjected from where she sat further down the low wall the four were sitting on. "But dressing like a boy and changing your name? Who was going to recognize you?"

Corrin saw Robin laughing lightly at that, exposing the fangs for his costume. "Well, it might seem strange, but think about it. Chrom has Lucina a few years later, and already Lucina revealed that she had the weapon Falchion, identical to Chrom's. The name Lucina and being a girl could be rather incriminating if she made herself known too much," he explained. "She also used the name Marth as a way to give herself more courage. In our world, there isn't a soul that hasn't heard the name Marth."

"But still, seems like a lot of work considering it didn't matter in the end," Elise argued, swinging her legs to kick her heels against the stonework.

"That… That had hardly been part of the plan. Perhaps I could have been more careful with using Falchion so openly but beyond that it was all purely accidental that I revealed my identity so," Lucina countered. Her face flushing pink as she finished, crossing her arms defensively, seemingly in part to hide her embarrassment.

This got another laugh out of the others, and despite himself Corrin felt the corners of his lips twitch into a bit of a smile. So far… the festival hadn't been quite as bad as he'd originally feared it would have been. Though he'd forgone getting a costume for himself other than the simple paper mask Kana had made for him. Despite still recovering from her injuries, his daughter had spent the past several hours dragging him about the city, going from the many booths of festival games and stands selling wide assortments of treats and other festival food. The only reason he'd been allowed this brief respite was thanks to her having gone off in search of Shigure, who'd she'd spotted among the crowds awhile before in the company of some of the other deep realm children.

Thankful he had not had to wait alone, as the two of them had just recently been joined by both his sister and the two travelers from a distant world, their paths crossing as they'd enjoyed the festivities. Not that they'd been the first he'd bumped into that day, as he'd already seen his siblings and many of his friends. He'd even gotten a good laugh out of the ridiculous pirate costume Xander had worn. And a real, genuine laugh at that, much to his brother's chagrin.

All in all, he'd found himself almost having fun. So long as he didn't stop to think or reflect too long, he just might make it the whole way through.

"So who's this Marth person, anyways?" Elise asked, jumping back to the conversation.

"Marth is a hero from our world, living in a age two-thousand years prior. He once united the whole of the continent from which we hail, bringing about a millennia of peace and prosperity not known since," Lucina explained, smiling a bit again as she spoke of the hero who had inspired her choice of alias.

"And you trace your lineage back to him. Let's not forget that," Robin interjected, his voice taking on a teasing edge to accompany the wry grin he now wore. "Not just her, but also Owain as well."

"No wonder he always talks about his sacred blood. He's royalty and a descendant of a hero," Corrin surmised, a small chuckle escaping him. "Wait, is the whole thing about his 'fell hand' actually real?" The thought alarmed him quite a bit.

"No!" Robin and Lucina shouted in unison, eyes going wide.

Corrin exchanged a dubious look with his adopted sister, the sudden outburst leaving him more than a bit unconvinced.

"I… no, it really, really, really isn't. In fact, it use to be his 'sword hand' that he would rave and rant about all the time," Robin quickly added.

"I'm more surprised that he used to be a swordsman," Elise admitted, and with reason, as what everyone was used to from Owain, when he was Odin, was how he would go on and on about his magic that one would never have guessed him to be skilled with a blade.

Robin nodded at that. "Yes. His skill is actually on par with even Lucina's." That definitely caught Corrin off guard. For Owain's skill to rival Lucina's definitely meant that Owain might actually be better than him or rival even Xander.

"Okay, enough about me and my family. Why can't we talk about what Robin's dressed as?" Lucina asked, wanting to shift the attention to her husband now, since by all means, she found his outfit to be rather unique, especially with the fangs he also had.

"Well it's… actually, I'm not quite sure. I bought it from an Anna who set up shop here a few days before the festival. She told me it was a 'vampire' costume. Apparently it's some sort of creature that can only roam in the night, turn into a bat, and drink blood from humans. And also speaks with some accent where the 'w's are switched with a 'v' sound. Or at least that's the accent she used when she explained it to me," Robin answered. "Apparently she thought I looked good in it, and when I tried to ask about other costumes she just brushed me off. Really, I can't help but think she ended up picking out the costume for me, and that I really had little say in the matter."

Some more laughter filled the air, though Corrin found himself stopping earlier than the others.

How long has it been since he could even smile, let alone share a laugh with his friends and loved ones? All Corrin had been remembering lately were the vengeful thoughts towards himself, the desire to lash out at others, and berate himself until he was a crawling mess.

Even now, it was difficult to truly enjoy the festival and the humor being thrown around, as even though his body was there, his mind was farther away. Despite that, Corrin was determined to at least try to enjoy himself. Kana wanted him to have fun, and he wanted to make her happy. Perhaps with this, he could alleviate even some of the pain he had caused her, as well as to atone for how he wronged her.

"Papa! I'm back!" Kana's voice beckoned Corrin's attention. Turning around, he was ready to smile brightly and scoop the girl into his arms to hold her tight. However, that smile instantly vanished the moment his crimson eyes caught sight of the person that had been dragged with Kana. "And I brought big brother with me. Now we can all have fun together."

Corrin averted his gaze, not wanting to meet his son's own stare. He'd… he had hoped Kana was going to spend time with Shigure before returning herself. Given how… strained things had been, Corrin didn't want to make things any more tense than they had to be. With how upset Shigure still was, he had tried his best to give him space. Especially when he only had himself and his own actions to blame for his son's anger.

Shigure glanced at his father for only a brief moment before turning his gaze back to his younger sister. "Kana, I really shouldn't be here. I have other things to d-" Shigure attempted to reason his way out, only for Kana to interrupt him.

"No! We haven't had fun together in forever!" It was rather unusual for Kana to be this assertive, but Corrin realized just how much this meant to her. Even Shigure seemed to notice that, and ceased his attempt to get away.

Corrin then noticed how Elise, Robin, and Lucina had been silently staring at them, before Elise stepped forward. "Alright, this is great. You should have been here earlier, Shigure. Lucina and Robin were talking about some things in their world and how Lucina once dressed up as a boy," she said, causing Lucina's face to flush again.

"I thought we were done with that?" she questioned, making the others begin laughing, though neither Corrin nor Shigure joined them. Corrin tried to meet Shigure's gaze, but he avoided him at every attempt.

"Hey, so why aren't you dressed up as something, Shigure? Even Corrin had a mask on for the most part, so he's at the very least participating," Robin pointed out.

Shigure merely shook his head. "Sadly, I was too occupied to find something suitable. I've never really gotten used to these sorts of festivities," he admitted, but Corrin could tell that Shigure wasn't even remotely invested in the conversation, nor any other topics that the others attempted to give him. The way he was looking at Kana and giving small glances towards Corrin, it was clear to Corrin that Shigure just wanted to leave.

Corrin looked down. Was this okay? Was he really going to let this awkward tension stay in the air? Corrin knew that he was only here for Kana's sake, and it seemed that Shigure was the same, but if things continued as is was, it would only be harder on Kana. He knew that he had to try and reach out to Shigure.

"Forgive me, but I must take my leave now," Shigure abruptly declared and attempted to leave.

Before Shigure could go, Corrin stepped forward, reaching for his son's arm. He grabbed hold of his sleeve, holding him in place. "Shigure, wait, I just want to-"

Corrin's word's were just short as his son turned suddenly, wrenching his arm free from Corrin's grip. "Don't touch me," he told him, his normally calm voice now holding a razor's edge. "I'm sorry… I don't…" He closed his eyes, his breathing coming in slow, heavy puffs, as if struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"I just… I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean…" Corrin started to argue, only for Shigure to turn away once again.

"Big brother, please, don't-" Kana started to plead, taking a step forward after her brother.

At his daughter's words, Corrin too attempted to once again give chase. He shot out a hand, trying to stop him a second time…

...only for Shigure to smack his arm away, anger flashing in his eyes. "Leave me be. I think you've already done enough as is, father. Last thing I need is for you to make everything worse than it already has been for me."

For a single stunned instant no one moved a muscle. Corrin blinked, his mouth falling half open in shock. He tried to form words, only to discover he could not. A weight pressed down against his chest, an icy dagger burying itself deep within his sternum.

Make everything worse, huh? That's all you've been doing, hasn't it?

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…" Corrin's words fell in a faint whisper. He closed his eyes, his hand beginning to shake. "I didn't want to… I won't cause anymore..."

Without another word, Corrin spun around, his head held low as fled the scene, not daring to remain behind and face his son's anger any longer.

This was a mistake. Coming here. He'd just made things worse, like he always had.

. . . . .

Lucina watched in shock, frozen in place for the brief instant where she might have been able to act in time, to stop Corrin before he could flee. Robin too reacted too slow, stepping forward the instant Corrin stepped out of reach, surprise at what had played out showing clearly on his face.

"Father, wait, I didn't…" Shigure called out, reaching out towards his father in the very moment Corrin shoved his way through a nearby crowd, vanishing into the night.

"Dammit…" Shigure's hand slowly fell away, dangling helplessly at his side.

"What are we waiting for? We need to go after him, before-" Elise started to say, lurching forward to give chase, only to be stopped as Robin shot out an arm to stop her.

"No, all of us going all at once will only make things worse," Robin said, shaking his head. He sighed deeply, his eyes turning away from where Corrin had gone. "Besides…"

Lucina followed his gaze, over to where Kana stood motionless away from the others. While she made no sound, her eyes glistened with tears, her shoulders trembling as if fighting back sobs.

"I'll… I'll go. It's my fault, and I need to-" Shigure started to say. He too started forward, but before he could, Lucina grabbed his arm, pulling him around so that he faced his sister. For a moment his eyes widened, seeing the state witnessing his and Corrin's fight had put her in.

"Right now, you need to make sure your sister is well. As hard as it may be, you two should try to enjoy the festivities best you can. One of us will bring Corrin back," Lucina told him.

Shigure nodded, then went to go check on Kana.

"Leave it to me," Robin volunteered. "I thought I managed to get through to him before, but now…" He shook his head yet again, another weary sigh falling from his breath. "Elise, look after your niece and nephew with Lucina, okay?"

"I… you got it," Elise answered after a moment's hesitation. She glanced the way Corrin had gone, before she too went to help calm the still distraught Kana.

"Well, I guess I should…"

Before Robin as a hand to go, Lucina stepped forward. She gripped his arm tightly, anchoring him in place before he had the chance to pull away. A surprised gasp fell from his lips, his eyes widening in time with the confusion that played across his face.

"I apologize, but I must disagree. I do not believe you are the one to speak to him this time," Lucina told him, taking a step back and in the direction Corrin had gone.

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Because I think I finally understand. What has eluded us all this time," Lucina explained. "Because, deep down, I believe Corrin is as alike to me as he is to you."

Robin's eyes widened again for a split second, then relaxed. He nodded his head, expression serious once more as understanding crossed his visage. "I understand. Go, before he gets too far."

Nodding, Lucina spun away, sprinting off into the crowd.

Author's Note: So you know how I said this would be the last chapter of Act 1? Well it turns out I lied. There is going to be one more chapter after this one. Now, in my defense, this was going to all be one chapter, but as what I'd written had already gotten over 10,000 words, I decided to split it into two chapters to at least get the first half out sooner. Good news is the second half, which is going to be chapter 17, is about 90% done, so it should almost certainly be posted one week from now, so there's that.

In a completely unrelated note, I recently found to my pleasant surprise that in Fire Emblem Warriors both Robin and Lucina have support conversations with some of the members of the Fates cast. In particular I loved to see that Robin and Leo had one based around Robin beating Leo at various strategy based games and the two becoming tactician bros, which was something I'd already done a few chapters back. So it was a nice surprise to see something I wrote in a silly fanfic end up being an accurate prediction of actual real canon interactions.

Anyhow, onto guest review responses!

…

Darkness21 - Yeah, the inclusion of the Awakening Trio was nonsense to begin with, thus why half my motivation for writing this entire story was to fix that element by delving deeper into why they were involved and making their actions a bit less stupid. The first of these, as you pointed out, as was to make them smart enough to realize Corrin was the one they were supposed to protect.

As for Garon, the game actually implies that he wasn't actually a bad guy prior to Anankos controlling and later replacing him. In fact, there is some evidence that he had been trying to improve relations between Nohr and Hoshido, which is why Sumeragi brought his whole family to the meeting where Corrin was kidnapped: up to that point Garon had been legitimately trying to work diplomatically for some time and thus Sumeragi didn't suspect a trap.

…

Anyhow, that's all for now. As always, I look forward to hearing your guys' thoughts and feedback. Well then, until next week when we wrap up act 1, I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful day. Take care.