Chapter Text
Leif rubs his chin and squints at the smorgasbord of merchandise. It’s dark in the Secret Seller’s tent—dark enough to conveniently obscure any imperfections—but more than that, he has no idea what he’s looking for. Charms, potions, a carved box he begins to open but immediately shuts when a foul odor worms out… He’s been here half an hour, and is just about ready to cut his losses and try another shop, when the tent’s flap is pushed open and morning light streams in.
A young girl with long blue hair, wearing a white dress with braided belts and sandals, stands in the entrance. “Prince Leif?”
There’s a bright, expectant look on her face, a tone in her voice like one picking up an old conversation. “Pardon me?” he asks. “Have we met before?”
“Oh, I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me like this.” She frowns in thought. “Here, maybe this will help.” She gathers her hair up behind her head, fashioning her do into something like a bob, and places her other hand over her face, fingers parted into a ‘V’ shape. She speaks in a masculine cantor: “It must be fate that reunited us, Sage-Lord.”
Leif’s mouth hangs open, and he subconsciously leans forward, parsing the sight. “Prince Marth…?”
The girl lowers her hand from her face, and there’s a faint blush in its wake. “Surprise…?”
He swallows a lump in his throat. “You’re a—“
“Ylissean?”
His mouth purses back up and cracks into a smile. He nods.
“What brings you to the Secret Seller’s tent?” Marth asks.
Anna picks her head up off the counter and groans. “Nothing. I’ve pitched him practically every ware south of Nifl and he won’t buy a thing. Boy, am I happy to see a paying customer, Lucina!”
Lucina. That’s her real name, then. She giggles. “Please, excuse the prince. I’m certain vexation wasn’t his intention.”
Leif sighs. “To be honest, I am having a spot of trouble.”
“What are you in the market for?” Lucina asks.
“My wife Nanna returns from her trip tomorrow, and I wanted to surprise her with a present. But I’m…not great with gifts. The village we grew up in, it was a quaint place with few shops. I’ve never been so spoiled for choice—I’m afraid it’s left me a bit paralyzed.”
Lucina hums and takes a long, slow glance around the tent. “Nanna, you said?” She drifts to a dim corner, plucking something with a metallic rustle. She brings it into the light: an elegant staff topped with a green gemstone, wrapped in decorative wings.
“What’s this?” he asks.
“Ah, a fine choice indeed,” Anna says. “A Rescue staff, a powerful artifact capable of warping far-away allies to your side. I didn’t even know there was one in stock—one of my sisters must’ve shipped it in.”
Lucina twirls the staff, admiring the gemstone. “There’re many pretty bits and baubles here, but I think the princess would prefer something like this.”
“What makes you say that?” He bends down, marveling at the crafstmanship with her.
“How to put this delicately…” she mumbles. “You’re a very passionate man, I hear, and sometimes benefit from a guiding hand to steady your course. Besides, considering Nanna’s caring nature, I think having the magic to protect her loved ones would lift a weight from her shoulders.”
He’s taken aback by the accuracy of her assessment. “That makes a lot of sense. Are you acquainted with Nanna?”
She shakes her head. “I haven’t had the pleasure, no. But stories of her kindness are well known in the Order of Heroes.”
“Do we have ourselves a deal, then?” Anna asks.
Leif nods, then slides the requested gold across the counter.
She grins. “Pleasure doing business with you! The order you requested is ready as well, Lucina.” She hands a cloth-wrapped bundle to Lucina, who pays and thanks her.
The two of them exit the tent to the bright blue sky beating down on Askr Castle Town. Once they’re out of Anna’s earshot, Lucina clears her throat. “I should probably formally introduce myself, shouldn’t I? I am Lucina, crown princess of the Halidom of Ylisse.” She bows. “My apologies for the deception last we met.”
“I trust you had your reasons?” Leif asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Mm.” She nods, and they stroll down the bustling street in comfortable silence.
“By the by, what was it you bought back there?” He freezes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Apologies, that was rude of me to pry.”
She waves her free hand hurriedly. “No, it’s fine. But…”
“Yes?”
“You said Nanna returns tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. She went on a relief mission with Asbel.”
“Do you have any plans for the rest of the day, then?”
He scrunches up his face, running through his itinerary in his head. “No. Nothing urgent, at least.”
“Then…how would you like to spend the day together, Prince Leif? In truth, ever since I heard you were summoned to this world, I’ve been looking forward to meeting with you again.”
“I can’t imagine why, but it would be my pleasure. Is it alright if I call you Lucina? You can call me Leif, of course.”
She smiles. “That would be quite alright, yes. Come, there’s someplace I’d like to show you.”