The air was heavy with the smell of incense and monotonous sounds of prayers.
Today was a day of mourning for Ylisse, as the people bid farewell to one of its longest serving members. A man that has advised three different Exalts, and of those three; Tutoring two of them since they were children.
Lucina could not remember his name, despite him being one of her father's closest confidants. She never really knew the man; she only remembered his funeral.
For it was the first time she became aware of the concept of death; The awareness that her loved ones would not always be with her.
She had asked her father how the man could sleep in such a noisy place, how the heavy air didn't seem to bother him and why he didn't seem to even move.
''It's because he is dead Lucina…''
Lucina tilted her head at this.
''D-dead?''
Her father did not move his gaze from the coffin, but he placed his hand on her head and motioned her to come closer, as if making it clear that he was aware of her question.
''Yes…Dead. As in his soul is no longer with his body. It has…moved on…''
''He won't get up again?''
This seemed to sadden her father.
''No…. never, that is why we are here today. To say our farewells and give our last respect before we bury his body in a place of honour.''
A frightening though grazed the young princess mind, and she absently grabbed her father's leg with her small hands.
''Will we all die?''
The chorus in the background began to sing in a higher tone. Her mother sang along making it hard to hear anything. Her father discreetly went down to her hight before answering.
''Yes Lucina, we all do at some point, but hopefully we'll have plenty of years together before that happens.''
Lucina tightened her grip.
''I don't want you to die. I want you to stay!''
Her father smiled at this.
''And I would like to do nothing else, but everyone dies Lucina, even me…And even if it's painful saying goodbye, take comfort that it happened and know that it is only temporary. If Gods are good, we'll meet again in the next life.''
That confused her.
''Next life?''
''Yes, there is a world beyond this one where Naga resides. We know of it because she speaks to us through her Voice from time to time. Be a good girl and she will allow you to be reunited with your loved ones in the beyond. Now…Can you be a good girl and pray with me for my old mentor?''
Lucina nodded and tried to prey alongside her parents. She was back then too young to be able to read, so she tried to mimic the words her parents spoke to the best of her abilities.
O Naga, Merciful Naga.
Receive his spirit with mercy.
Judge him fairly for his deeds.
So that he may join his kind with no shame.
O Naga, Mother to us all.
Protect our souls from the evil beyond.
And…
And let not their souls wander astray.
Guide their spirit towards realm beyond.
So that they may finally join the house of the kin….
Too many…She has been on too many funerals.
As their priest Libra gave the last rites to their fallen, Lucina couldn't help but feel wary beyond belief.
Amongst their dozens of dead, her sister Cynthia was counted amongst them, alongside two of her friends, Kjelle, and Brady.
Kjelle had been killed during their fight at the gate. She was one of several that got hit when the Valmanese had purred arrow and bolt fire at them once Lucina had closed the portcullis. Her thick armour had slowed her down, and she had been unable to dodge much of the incoming fire. Always the most stubborn of her friends, Kjelle had at first shrugged off her wounds and continued to fight. They would find her standing still in the middle of it all. At first people thought that she was still alive, only to discover that she had succumbed to her wounds as soon as the last of their foes had been vanquished. Brady had been unable to save her, a fact that bought the healer much sorrow, despite him shouting and calling her an idiot and a fool once it became clear that she had passed on.
However, Brady himself would join her much later in the battle as they fanned out and tried to secure the fort. He was killed as his group entered one of the enemies' garrison quarters, the soldiers inside had been armed and had decided to sell their life as dearly as possible. She had been told it was a merciful death, a deep slash from the neck to the abdomen had killed him.
A painless death; a rare blessing in war.
She could only hope that Cynthia's end was just as painless…
Lucina felt useless, as the elder sister it had been her responsibility to protect her younger sister. At this she had failed beyond all sense. Cynthia never even had an opportunity to see their parents again, to talk and interact with them as a daughter should.
She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Not with so many eyes present. It would not do to show such strong emotions while many others did not. She was not supposed to know any of these people.
O Naga!
Thus, we consign these souls to your care.
Comrade in arms, friends, and kin.
All loved and cherished!
Cynthia and her friends deserved better than this.
They deserved their own graves…their own place of honour…
Not a simple mass pyre alongside dozens of strangers in a faraway continent.
Lucina swore to herself that she would return to this place once everything was settled and…do what really? Their ashes would be mixed alongside the others, so it was unlikely that she would be able to give them a proper burial.
If time would have allowed it, she would have dug graves for her sister and friends herself, and even the others who had been under her command.
Yet duty as always forced her away.
She needed to focus on the matters at hand, even if she could feel her mind nearing complete mental collapse by the strain.
While the rest of the battle went as a blur for the princess. She could still vaguely recall some details, like how general Pheros had refused her father's offer of surrender and fought to the death costing the Shepards dearly. And how they managed to secure the fort despite being outnumbered at least five to one, the element of surprise and the veterans of the Shepards had allowed them to carry the day. Those who surrendered had been isolated in the dungeons of the fort.
It had been a near flawless victory in a military sense, but they now found themselves trapped inside the fort as their supposed allies on the outside turned out to be still in league with Walhart. Yet it seemed that their allegiance to the Conqueror was only begrudgingly given, as they had made no move to storm the fort as soon as it became clear that the Ylissean had managed to secure all entrances into the fort. Instead, they had contented themselves with merely surrounding the area to prevent the Ylisseans from getting out.
Still, they needed to come up with a plan soon or risk annihilation. Not only for them but also for their main army outside, who were approaching the fort under the impression that they will be joined by friends.
For this her father had dispatched Henry and his crows. The mage had the unusual ability to turn into a murder of crows and blend in with his familiars. He was sent away before the first light of the day rose, with the instruction of halting their main army and order them to find a defensible position and stay there for one day before retreating back to the harbours.
It might seem strange why they didn't simply order the main army to attack those traitorous Valmanese and from there free the Shepards that was trapped in the fort, but that snake had advised her father against it. For he had found a hidden tunnel that would lead them right outside of their enemies' camp. They could use this under the cover of night the next day, rendezvous with the main army and from there plan their next move.
How terrible convenient that Plegian traitor would discover such a path…
Given that she knew that the Valmanese were ordered to ''contain'' her father and the upper leadership. It was not difficult to figure out the true purpose of this battle.
This was all an effort of that traitor to weaken the Shepards and leave her father further isolated and dependent on his ''genius'' master tactician. And most of all getting rid of her and her friends without rising suspicion.
Lucina didn't doubt that it was that traitors doing that the Valmanese were ordered to not harm the upper leadership. But that also worryingly suggested that the traitor tactician's influence was not only limited to her father and his cat's pawns in Plegia, but actually extended further into the Valmanese ranks as well…
Could the Conqueror himself be involved?
If so, he was another threat that needed to be eliminated.
Now go in peace.
And may Naga watch over us all!
As Libra finished the last rites, the gathering began to disperse and prepare the pyre.
Lucina allowed herself a few more moments to watch her sister and friends before their bodies being consigned to the fire.
Then she heard something that immediately set her blood to boil.
''Say…that is good steel. It'll be a shame to throw it to the fire.''
One female soldier spoke, another one followed up.
''Yes, and some good boots too. Just take it, they won't be needing it anyway.''
A few soldiers approached the bodies with the clear intent of looting them of valuables. As the female soldier made a move towards her sister's corpse, Lucina did not hesitate to call those honourless thieves out. In that moment Lucina couldn't care less of keeping appearances.
''Get away from them your harpies! Those are our comrades! They deserve to be buried with the arms and valuables afforded them!''
The soldiers were not impressed with her outburst.
''Lady, this is war and good equipment is hard to come by. Everyone does it, and we of the living have a greater need then those corpses. On who's authority do you deny us our due?''
The princess was about to invoke her father authority. To say that it was on the authority of the Exalt of Ylisse that she would demand that they cease with this grave robbery, but was beaten to it by a familiar voice…
''On the authority of the Grand tactician Robin of Ylisse! Those people fought well and should be afforded the honour of being buried with their arms and armour.''
Lucina turned around shocked. What was HE doing here?
The soldiers grumbled at this.
''Sir…With all due respect, we need the equipment…''
The tactician gave the soldier a cold stare.
''If you have issues with your equipment, go see the quartermaster when we return to the main army. If the issue is payment, then you'll be adequately compensated for participating in this mission. And now I think you and your friends should go and find more wood. Enough so that we may give each of our fallen their own pyre…''
The same soldier interrupted the tactician.
''But sir! We don't time for this! The Valmanese…''
The tactician made a dismissive wave.
''We have plenty of time, we're not moving out before the next nightfall. Question me again, and I'll have you whipped for insubordination. Now get…''
As the soldiers hurried away, the tactician turned towards the princess. His once authoritarian demeanour seemed to evaporate like mist in the sun. He smiled at her with a small uncertain smile.
''I'm sorry that you have to see that Lucina, it's only right that we offer our fallen the last rites and dignity, yes?''
Lucina was too stunned to answer.
What was the meaning of this? Why did he come to her aid?
The tactician seemed to wait for her to answer before pulling a bit back. His demeanour reminded her of an uncertain child trying to please a parent.
''I'm sorry, I understand some of those were your people. I have been told that they fought well. Did you know any of them?''
Know? Know any of them?! They were her friends! Her sister! He knew damn well who they were! HE had assigned them to her himself!
And then there was the smile at the beginning…How dare he use that smile; how dare he look at her with such familiarity?!
She wanted to scream at him, to hurt him, to kill him…
Now she knew what that sadistic snake wanted; why he helped her.
He was mocking her…
He was playing with her…He wanted her to thank him before all those people around them, to make her show gratefulness to the man that was responsible for the murder of her entire family.
But she would not give him that satisfaction, no she won't! Nor would she make a fool herself by attacking him ''unprovoked'' before her father and all those near them. She had learned to keep appearance since then, just as Brady had advised her to do…
Instead, she kept her expression neutral and replied with a cold voice.
''Can't say that I do, sir…but they were under my command, and I had a responsibility towards them. Now if you would excuse me…''
She turned around and left before her emotions betrayed her. It had hurt to deny her bonds with her sister and friends, but she would make it up to them one day. They would have their own pyre, which means that she would be able to collect their ashes once this was over. She would bring them back to Ylisse were they belong, and she would see to it that they be offered a proper burial.
And after that…
Well, she was not sure what would come after all this. She had spent most of her life hiding and fighting that monster. And the prospect of succeeding in finally putting an end to this once and for all had been an unobtainable dream at best.
What would peace for her even look like? Does she even deserve it?
Only now did Lucina notice that she had been crying, despite her best efforts to keep it in.
She did her usual routine of inhaling and exhaling with deep breaths.
Observe…Analyse…Then act…. Observe…Analyse…Then act….
One thing at the time, first she needed to succeed. She MUST succeed! Failure was not an option.
She owed that to all those people who had died bringing her here.
Thank you all for reading ^^ Next chapter would be either from Lucina's POV or Nah's. But I mostly lean towards a combined chapter. Going on vacation soon, so next chapter might take a while.