Between a rock and a hard place, a fire emblem fanfic

Title: Between a rock and a hard place

A/N: For the Our Future: Awakening Trio Fanzine! I know they all get endings of staying in Nohr/taking back people with them/going back to the future, and I reject all of those endings. You're all sticking to your game and friends/family, there will be no bittersweet one-way ticket partings under my watch.

Summary: There were decisions to make, choices to weigh, and no matter what the outcome, they'd have to live with their regrets. Whether it's in the world of the future, the country of Nohr, or in Ylisse's past, they had to pick one.

…

Owain grunted as lunged forward, his sword slashing a Risen in half. The demonic being let out a guttural call before falling, its dark energy dissipating in the wind. As he straightened, he glanced around the abandoned plaza. Broken stalls and blood-stained cobblestone were all that remained of a once thriving marketplace. Where customers used to throng, the bodies of the Risen lay, broken and bloodied from the onslaught. His friends stood nearby, panting as they put away their weapons.

There were no other enemies around.

Perfect.

"Our foe is vanquished and yet my blood is still boiling," Owain growled, clutching his arm. His nails dug into his wrist for dramatic effect, his sword shaking as his arm trembled. "This curse lusts for more death."

"Yes, the market is clear," Lucina replied simply, flicking the blood off her sword before sheathing it once more. She wiped her cheek, smearing it red from a cut. With tired eyes, she studied the skies. "I don't think there will be any reserves coming in to fight."

"My hand must wait another day," Owain bemoaned. Sheathing his sword, he stretched his hand to the sky. "If only—" he took a step back, "if only—"

Another step back and he tripped over a loose stone. Before he could react, he'd fallen flat on his rear, the wind knocked out of him. It hurt more than he'd expected and Owain winced, momentarily pulled out of the act. "Ouch!"

Worried, Lucina quickly approached and knelt beside him. Her hands hovered over his chest, as though she didn't know where to touch. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no." Owain gave a shaky smile. Now that he'd fallen, he'd lost all strength in his legs. The battle must have worn him out more than he'd expected. "The energy toll has been taken and now I must recover."

Lucina stared at him for a long moment before sighing and nodding. "Right. If you can talk like that, I suppose you're fine."

She didn't get up, instead opting to sit down next to him. Legs stretched out in front of her, she turned her face to the sky and closed her eyes, relishing the cool breeze. It was rare for his cousin to relax, rarer for her to actually stay still. Lucina never admitted when she was tired, though he knew better than anyone just how much she did.

For once, he was content to remain quiet. Owain took a deep breath, ignoring his smarting behind as he studied their surroundings. He'd been to a marketplace when he was younger; he could still remember the bright colours and endless chatter, the mouth-watering smells and taste of fresh fruit.

None of that was here. None of that had been in any marketplace for a decade, at least. Grima destroyed congregation places and markets were the first to go. Still, it felt eerie to sit somewhere so open that was also so empty and quiet. It made him homesick for a life that was no longer his.

"It's quiet," Lucina muttered, echoing his thoughts.

"Not even a ghost in sight," Owain replied, still looking at a broken stall, the posts splintered from the fight.

"It'll change," Lucina replied, clenching and unclenching her fists. Her shoulders were still tense, as though she was prepared for the next battle. "When we get all the stones and the shield together, when we go back, it'll change."

Despite her words, she didn't sound confident. Owain turned to her, his expression serious. "We'll reverse fate itself, fighting gods and devils alike."

Lucina took it all in stride, used to his proclamations by now. "I'll save my father." She hesitated, a dark cloud crossing her face. Quietly, she stated, "We'll kill Grima."

But Grima wasn't just Grima.

"What about your mom?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Lucina flinched. "That…I…I don't know." Her hand reached up, clutching her chest, and she hunched forward slightly. "No, I do know, but…it aches."

His chest ached too. Robin had been the fun aunt, the one who went along with his mother's pranks and Owain's dramatics. He reached down, gripping Lucina's other hand. Her skin felt hot, like it was barely containing the multitude of emotions within. "Are you sure? There must be another way."

"No, I have to." Lucina shook her head, though her hand turned and she clasped him back. "There are no choices. We only have one chance at this and this…killing her…it's the only option we know the outcome of. Anything else might change things for the worse."

"Oh." Owain didn't know what else to say about that. And really, what could he say? Grima was their enemy, the cause of all this destruction. And Grima was Robin, was Lucina's mom, was the woman who used to sneak them candies when they were little.

There were no good options here, just decisions and regrets.

Lucina's hand trembled in his and Owain squeezed tightly. If that was her choice, then his was to stick by her side. He cracked a smile and puffed his chest. "Grima won't escape my evil eye. My blood howls for a fight and we will hunt the demon through the abyss of time till we sate my lust."

It was a small smile, but she smiled nonetheless. "You almost sound like a villain."

"I'm an anti-hero," Owain corrected, remembering his arguments with Cynthia. "The dark protagonist who leaves bodies in my wake."

"Darling," Camilla said softly, her right-hand cradling Severa's jaw. Her thumb lightly stroked her cheek as she smiled. "Be a dear and wait here."

Severa frowned grumpily. If there was one thing she hated about being Camilla's retainer, it was that her master seemed to forget what retainer meant. It had been the same with Lucina; whether it was the world of the Risen or the country of Nohr, Severa worked for lords who didn't care for personal safety.

It was annoying and mildly insulting. Nohr didn't have possessed corpses loitering about, but it did have thugs and ruffians of every stripe lingering in the shadows and hiding in the corners. Add in a war with Hoshido, and who knew what the enemy would do? A smart one would assassinate, and it was more than easy to find a willing killer even here in the heart of the capital. These underground markets that Camilla and Elise liked to frequent were full of dark, shady alleys for mischief to occur.

And even then, Camilla just wanted Severa to wait here while she wandered around unaccompanied?

Well, not entirely unaccompanied. Elise and Corrin were there, but the former wasn't a fighter by any stretch of the imagination and the latter still had ties with the enemy. At least Azura wasn't here; just looking at her gave Severa a headache. Nothing had been simple since Corrin returned from Hoshido and Anankos's already complicated quest was getting worse.

"Absolutely not," Severa growled, glaring darkly at their surroundings. "It's not safe here."

"Beruka's here too," Camilla pointed out, her attention now turning to her other retainer. She stroked the ex-assassin's short hair. "You won't let anything happen, would you, darling?"

Beruka snorted and shook her head. Short and stocky as she was, she could disappear entirely at will. "Of course not."

Elise tugged on Camilla's arm, impatient as ever. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, just a moment." Camilla wrapped her arms around Corrin and planted a kiss on her sister's forehead. "You'll wait here too, right? It's a little hard to pick a surprise gift if the receiver is there."

Corrin sighed and patted Camilla's arm. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Great!" Camilla smiled and squeezed Corrin once. Then she gracefully stepped back, pivoted, and hooked her arm through Elise's. "Now, where shall we go first?"

"See you later," Elise chirped, waving at Corrin. "You'll love the gift."

"I'm sure I will…" Corrin waved back as she watched her sisters' disappear into the milling crowds. Her smile dropped along with her hand, and she sighed. "Why did I have to come if they didn't need me"

"Don't ask me," Severa grumbled, not happy that she was alone with Corrin of all people. Beruka had already melted into the shadows, the traitor. She glanced around with an appraising eye, though she couldn't catch hide nor tail of her partner.

It was strange how home-like Nohr was. When she'd first arrived, she'd been startled by the sheer amount of people and noise. Everything was more. And yet, the more time she spent here, the more she realized it was just like her desolate home. Even without a dragon and the Risen, the country was as quiet as the grave. There were few festivals, fewer celebrations, and it seemed like the king was doing all he could to stamp out the very concept of happiness. Even the markets were held underground, away from prying eyes.

Perhaps Hoshido would be different. From what she'd heard, it was a more open, honest place.

But she wasn't assigned to that country, and they were at war. Festive towns were best left to her memories and imagination.

"Penny for your thoughts, Selena," Corrin asked hesitantly.

Severa snorted. Was the princess trying to become friends? "They're more expensive than that."

"Two pennies?" Corrin tried again.

Severa gave her a dry look. Was she dense or just stubborn? Not that Severa could answer her anyways—it wasn't like she could talk about her home over tea. It was better to just change the topic and steer the conversation to safer waters. "Why are you here?"

With a slightly sheepish expression, Corrin scratched her cheek. "I want to know why too. They don't need me to pick out a gift and by the time they're done, we'll probably have to head back. I could have just stayed in the castle."

"No, not that," Severa cut in, irritated. "Here. Nohr. Not Hoshido."

"Oh. That." Corrin froze mid scratch. She lowered her gaze, pondering the question. Gnawing her lip, she mumbled, "That's…well…."

"You could have stayed there," Severa pointed out snidely. It had rankled her, how easily Corrin had abandoned Hoshido, how she had hesitated before taking Xander's hand. Nothing about it sat right with her, though she couldn't pinpoint why. Was it a matter of loyalty? Family?

Maybe she was projecting and being a little mean. No one had ever accused Severa of being nice.

"I could have," Corrin agreed, clasping her hands in front of her. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, her shoulders hunching slightly as she looked around. "They were nice there. They treated me like family."

Severa scowled. "You are family."

"Right." Corrin rubbed her head, sighing. "That hasn't really sunk in yet. Still, yeah. They're family."

"And yet you're here." She hated it when people beat around the bush.

"And yet I'm here," Corrin repeated, her gaze turning to her two sisters as they stood in front of a stall. "Because they are my family too. They always will be. It's greedy of me, but I want both. I still think there's a way to unite everyone."

It hit too close to home. Severa should have expected that, yet a pang of homesickness flooded her. Worse yet, she wasn't sure where she was homesick for. That empty world, scarred and broken? The past that wasn't hers, with facsimiles of her family?

A Cordelia that wasn't her Cordelia, a mom that was both hers and not. A warmth that wasn't for her but was hers nonetheless.

Anankos's had offered them a path home when they finished here. It was obvious where Owain and Inigo wanted to go, but Severa wasn't so sure. Even now, she couldn't say where she was thinking when she thought of home, of going back.

Or if she even wanted to go back.

Who was she to question Corrin's loyalties when her own were torn? Severa gripped her sleeve. "That's greedy. You can't have it all. At some point, you have to choose."

"You too, huh? I expected as much." Corrin rubbed her wrist and sighed. Her eyes were still on her sisters and her expression softened. "I did make my choice already. The rest is wishful thinking…we all need a goal."

Severa followed her gaze. "Do you regret it?"

"Sometimes." Corrin replied, longing clear in her voice. "But like you said, a choice had to be made and I would make it again. I don't think I could ever turn away Xander's hand. Nor would I ever want to. Just…" Her fingers curled into a fist and she smiled sadly. "If I can, I still want to grasp their hands too. I wanted to spend more time with them, to become a real family." Her brow furrowed and she straightened slightly. "No, I will do it. I won't give up on them too."

"They're trying to kill us," Severa pointed out.

Corrin shook her head. "I still have to try, that's what family does."

Severa knew that look, that tone. Lucina had had the same one when Naga had offered them a single chance to change everything. It took courage to try. Begrudgingly, she had to respect Corrin.

That didn't make it any less a pipe dream.

"If you say so," Severa muttered.

Inigo felt nauseous. It was hard not to when he peeked through the curtains, at the hoards of people walking through the marketplace. Families held their children's hands, couples clung to one another, and friends teased each other as they moved from stall to stall.

His world hadn't been this crowded. Nohr hadn't been this crowded. Inigo hadn't thought it was possible for this many people to be in one place in the first place; maybe he should have visited Hoshido, if only to prepare himself for this sight. The stark difference between the Ylisse of the future and the Ylisse of the present reminded Inigo once again that he was a man out of time.

And now, he had to perform in front of those people. He should never have agreed to this in the first place.

"Inigo?" Olivia asked, her normally quiet voice loud on the empty stage.

He glanced at the crowds once more before letting go of the curtain, letting the cotton cloth fall into place. Turning back to his mother, he watched as she nervously readjusted her clothing, her fingers moving to still her mind. It was a tactic he'd used before and it sometimes surprised him to see what traits of his were his mother's, which were his father's.

It was something he'd never gotten a chance to think about in the future, not deeply.

"Don't worry," Olivia said, forcing a smile as she turned her bracelet. Her words would have been more reassuring if she didn't radiate fear.

Somehow, seeing her like that helped calm him down. Inigo smiled as he approached his mother. "It's our first performance together, what is there to worry about?"

Olivia blinked owlishly and slowly looked up at him. She giggled softly. "You must get that confidence from your father."

He wondered about that. "He wishes I'd use it better."

"He just wants what's best for you. So do I." Olivia reached forward and squeezed his hand with both of hers, sandwiching his palm between hers. "Regardless of where you go."

Ah, so they had noticed Lucina's furtive looks, her uncertainty on whether they should stay or disappear. Inigo understood the feeling; he'd had it when Anankos had offered him his pick of destinations after saving Nohr. Would it have been better to disappear then or to return to the past? Yet, he hadn't wanted to separate from the others, not like this. Wherever they ended up, they should all end up together.

And, he had been a little selfish. A little greedy. His mother's hands were warm as they held his and he didn't want to let go. Not now, not ever. Inigo had saved three worlds and fought countless battles. He had travelled through time and space and taken down god-like beings. Naga would forgive him for wanting this one thing.

"Do you miss Ferox?" Inigo asked. His other hand reached up to cover his mom's, so her hand was just as sandwiched as his. This warmth was real, regardless of whether it was for him or for the other Inigo.

Was it possible to be homesick for a place that no longer existed? For a person that was both there and not? This was his home, yet it wasn't. This was his world, yet it wasn't.

She was his mother, yet she wasn't. Severa had once confessed she almost preferred the other, dead world, because she knew exactly where she stood there. It was a simple place: their parents were dead, their world needed rebuilding, they only had each other.

Here, they had everything and nothing. Like cuckoos, they had invaded a nest that wasn't theirs to begin with.

"Ferox…" Olivia gazed into his eyes, trying to read his intentions. She was an open book to him; was he the same to her? After a few minutes, she averted her gaze and gnawed her lip. "A little."

Inigo prodded. "A little?"

"A little," Olivia repeated, louder and stronger now. "I miss Basilio, though I don't miss his bad jokes. And the cold, I don't really want that. But I was there for a long time, so it's like a second home to me."

"Would you go back?" Inigo asked. His mother never had the chance. The war hadn't stopped at country lines.

"Maybe. I don't know." Olivia shrugged helplessly. "It depends, if your father wants to, maybe. But I also like it here. If we left, I'd miss Ylisse too."

That wasn't the answer he was looking for. "But if you had to pick one—"

"Why do I have to pick one?" Olivia raised a brow, confused. "I can just visit."

"If you couldn't." Inigo bit his cheek but pushed on. "If you had to pick one."

"Then…" Olivia withdrew her hands. He missed them immediately. She rested one palm on her chest, the other on his. "The other place would still be here. I'd miss it, but it's still with me. Just like how all those dances and songs are still with me." After a second, she flushed, as though realizing what she said. Quietly, she mumbled, "At least, that's what I think. Oh, but I'm still picking both. I can see both. I want both."

If he got his confidence from his father, his greed was from his mother. Even if she didn't seem like it, she was just as selfish as he was.

It didn't take away the pain, but it eased it slightly. He licked his lips. "Can I…stay with you? Just a little longer?"

"Of course." Unlike before, her words were sharp and strong, her response immediate. Olivia's eyes met his. "For as long as you want. You'll always have a home with me."

It was all he needed to hear. There was a sound, a cheer, and Inigo flashed a brilliant smile as he stepped away. "Shall we?"

Olivia's smile was just as bright as she slipped into her first dance stance.