Chapter Text
After successfully stopping the assassination attempt on the Exalt Emmeryn, Lucina disappeared from the Shepherds' eyes. She felt that she had no more roles to play in this war, now that the Exalt was safe. And unnecessarily staying with the Shepherds may ruin her anonymity, that she luckily kept after losing her mask.
She started looking for her allies that came back with her in the past, while continuing her training. She sometimes fulfilled some tasks in the towns she happened to stop by, in order to get money to buy food. Knowing her friends, who were the only ones who will get her trust, along with her father, she knew what kinds of information she should listen to.
For Owain, a skilled swordsman, but too theatrical. For Inigo, a skilled swordsman and failed womanizer. For Brady, a healer with a golden heart, but who looks like a thug. For Kjelle, a strong woman looking for challenges. For Cynthia, a pegasus rider taking herself for a heroine. For Severa, a skilled swordswoman with a bad temper. For Gerome, a wyvern rider with a mask. For Yarne, a Taguel. For Laurent, a mage following the steps of Miriel, however Lucina didn't know what Miriel tried to study. For Noire, a bipolar skilled archer. And finally, for Nah, a Manakete.
Lucina was pessimistic, she didn't know if she would find one of them. Even if some were atypical, hearing rumors that matched those descriptions didn't guarantee that it was them. If she was to hear those rumors, Yarne would be likely to be the one they were talking about. Owain, Brady, Cynthia, Gerome, Noire and Nah were possible, but not likely. And the others, it would be very unlikely.
One day, Lucina heard an interesting rumor, at the Ruins of Times would rest a powerful artifact. Feeling that it can be useful on her quest against Grima, she decided to go there. Once there, she opened some chests, and took what was inside when she found it interesting enough. She didn't like the feeling of looting a sacred place, but did it for the future of humanity.
She finally found the artifact, Naga's Tear, and she could feel the power it emitted.
When she was ready to leave, she saw, while looking at the sky, a too familiar looking portal that she had gone through to enter this world. She saw someone fall from it, and heard when the body hit the ground. Lucina thought that it must have been one of her friends, who, except them, could have gone through the portal? No longer thinking, she started running toward this person, knowing very well that just like her, the newcomer had been followed by Risen.
Upon reaching the mysterious person, Lucina was surprised and saddened, because it wasn't one of her allies. It was a girl that she never saw before. She had blue hair, and a coat that looked very similar to her father's tactician's coat. However, Lucina couldn't just leave an unconscious person surrounded by Risen. While she unsheathed her sword, she heard a voice.
"Hmm hmm… Where… Where am I?" This young girl had woken up. "… Who are you?" She asked when she noticed Lucina's presence.
"For now, it's not important. We are surrounded by monsters. Do you know how to fight?" Lucina answered.
The young girl analyzed her surroundings and realized that indeed, they were surrounded by monsters.
"I… I think I know how to fight."
"Good, in that case help me, we are going to cut a path so that we can escape."
"Wouldn't it be better to wipe them out?"
"Of course it would, that would prevent people from being attacked upon arriving here. But we unfortunately are outnumbered."
"I remember studying strategy, with a little time, I should be able to find a way to do something about them."
Lucina started to ask herself some questions; who was this girl, why did she come through a portal, and was it a coincidence that she studied strategy while having a similar coat to her father's tactician? She didn't have more time to think about these questions, as the mysterious girl spoke again.
"There! There are multiple areas interfering with movements. We can successfully bait them to go there, and we could put them down from a distance. I have a tome. However, it won't slow down the flying monsters…"
"So, we go there, and you take care of the monsters coming from that way, while I protect you from flying units?"
"That's right."
Lucina didn't really trust this girl, but with them being surrounded by Risen, she didn't have a lot of alternatives.
"Very well."
That battle happened the same way that girl predicted. However, one Risen unsettled Lucina, as it repeated "Must kill…future…child..."
Once the battle was over, Lucina turned her attention back to the young girl, and she saw immediately that she had taken an axe blow to the shoulder.
"Ha ha… I didn't think he would throw his axe like that… And you? Are you injured?" The young girl asked, doing her best to not wince because of the pain.
Lucina didn't respond, but searched through her belongings for something that would help to stop the bleeding. She didn't trust her, still, although they had just fought side by side against the Risen. Lucina only found a simple vulnerary.
"Here take this. I'm sorry that I do not have anything better."
"You do not have to apologize. But as for me, I am sorry that you have to use your own resources for me…," the girl said. She wanted to refuse, but accepted the vulnerary as it was a very painful wound.
Once she consumed it, the bleeding stopped. But, blood still crusted her tattered clothing.
"So, where are we?" She asked to break the silence.
"This place is called the Ruins of Times…" Lucina answered.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Morgan. And you, who are you?"
Lucina thought about it for a moment. "You may call me Marth…"
"Marth? Isn't that a boy's name?" Morgan asked, unsure.
"For my own reasons, I have to hide my identity." Lucina simply stated.
Morgan didn’t say anything, but she was visibly confused.
"I, too, have questions for you, Morgan. Where are you from? Why and how did you come here through a portal?"
Morgan tried to think, but she just winced, realizing that she didn’t know. "I'm sorry, I remember almost nothing… I only remembered my name when I introduced myself… Apart from that, I only remember my father and the moments I spent with him… By the way, it is thanks to him that I could create our strategy, my father is a great tactician, and I've been working hard to become his equal! These things didn't seem to be able to think or to make a plan, but I'm glad all my efforts weren't for nothing!" She exclaimed cheerfully.
‘Her father is a tactician… That would explain how she came up with a plan so fast… However, her amnesia’s story doesn't really sound believable…,’ Lucina thought.
"So, you remember your father, but what about your mother?" She asked, trying to see if that could help the girl, in case she wasn't lying.
Morgan tried to think, she thought really hard about it. But, she only winced. "I… I don't know… Who's my mother? … I feel bad for not remembering… WHY can't I remember her!? I hope that she will not be upset about that… I need to find my father, he should know who my mother is… And he should also be able to answer your questions, as I cannot… Sorry, I know that it sounds weird, but I'm telling the truth!" She exclaimed desperately.
Lucina just looked at the girl, who tried to go back to thinking. After examining her, and because she only knew one other person with a coat similar to Morgan's, she decided to try to ask one question directly. "Your father, is it a man named Robin?"
Morgan’s eyes suddenly opened widely. "You know him? Yes, that's him! Where is he?"
"I don't know if you're lying to me or not, but anyway, I can't let you get to him." Lucina said, calmly, and trying to understand how that made any sense.
"What!? Why?" Morgan was visibly angry at Lucina, but also confused, and pained, they fought side by side, and it felt like to her that the other woman was betraying her.
"I will tell you, because either you're telling the truth, or you're lying to me and already know the answer." Lucina said, after thinking about it. "You're not from this world. Here, it's the past—You came back in time, followed by these monsters. Your father does not know you, because you are not born yet. Furthermore, he can't know who your mother is, because he is not married."
"Time travel? Just because I lost my memories doesn't mean that you can make fun of me!" Morgan said, really thinking Lucina was taking her for an idiot.
But Lucina said nothing, and just stared at her.
Morgan, seeing that Lucina wasn’t smiling even in the slightest, reconsidered the idea of the woman making fun of her. "So…you were serious, right? But why would I have came back in time? And you, how could you know?" Morgan said, back to being confused.
"I also came back in time, I came to this world to prevent the apocalypse. In my time, the Fell Dragon, Grima, destroyed everything, and there are not many survivors. Myself am not born yet. The last moment we are sure that his servants weren’t in position of power is in approximately two years." Lucina said, trying to make it short.
"Our future is doomed?!" Morgan didn't know why she believed in the crazy sounding story of Marth.
"About that, here is what makes me suspicious of you. In my time, when he disappeared, the tactician Robin wasn't married nor had any children. So, either you have been lying from the beginning, or really are an amnesiac, and hail from another future than mine, as Naga once warned us about this being possible. Hence why you’ve made it impossible for me to give you the reason for your presence here."
Morgan was agape, and tried to understand everything. "That's a lot to take in… But I understand, I understand why you are doubting me, and why you can't let me go near my father…" She said sadly.
Lucina just continued to stare at Morgan, trying to evaluate her, to see through a possible lie, if something in her demeanor would betray her.
After thinking for a bit longer, Morgan reached a new resolution. "Can I help you in your quest, Marth? I'm also a stranger from this world, but I want my father to live! My mother too, even if I can't remember her…"
"I was not about to just let you disappear like that. You will follow me. However, if you were to be a threat to my mission, I will have to put you down. I will not do it right now, because even if I don't trust you, there is still a chance that you are telling the truth and are innocent."
"I understand, and will do everything in my power for you to put your trust in me, Marth! … Should I get an alias too?"
"That would be for the best. Which one do you want?" Lucina asked, agreeing that if the girl doesn’t lie, she needs to hide her identity, too.
'Hmm… Hmm… An alias… A name I would be comfortable with…'. "What about… Lucina?" Morgan finally answered after thinking as hard as she could.
Lucina was now the one to open her eyes widely. She frowned, too.
"Is there a problem with that name?" Morgan asked, clueless, but seeing the reaction of the other woman.
"Yes…" Lucina said, trying to analyze her even harder.
"Too bad, I like that name… I don't really want to take a boy's name…" Morgan thought that this was the problem.
"You don't have to…" Lucina just answered, without really thinking about it, focused on the young girl.
"Then why is Lucina a problem? Unless it's your na… Oh. Well… Why don’t you choose a name for me, L-Marth?" Morgan asked, embarrassed, realizing that ‘Lucina’ was the one name she shouldn’t have chose.
Lucina analyzed her for another moment, and decided to answer. "You know that you are not getting any less suspicious?" She said, sighing. "For your alias, what do you think of ‘Anthiese’?"
"Sorry about that… That name is good. Does it have some significance?"
"If you really have amnesia, I guess it's normal that you don't know. Marth and Anthiese lived at the same time. I took the name of Marth, because it is a name that brings courage and hope. The real Marth entered the legends, and I needed that to unite the last of our troops… Anthiese was a queen from another continent, and like you, she used magic, and also had a sword."
"I see, very w-"
Morgan fell on the ground.
"So-sorry, I guess that now that my adrenaline has passed, the effects of my blood loss appear more clearly…" She said, trying to get back up.
Lucina, while doubting the girl, could not just leave her on the ground. So, she carried her on her back.
"Wh-"
"There is a village over there. We will wait until you recover before leaving… Anthiese…"
"Tha-thank you." Morgan answered, smiling softly.
That night, Morgan had a short dream, but it was enough to keep her awake afterward. It unsettled her.
"That was so real… Was it a memory… ?"
Morgan closed her eyes to revisualize the scene.
"Morgan,” Lucina said, looking older, and with a big smile on her lips.