The Second Princess [indefinite hiatus.]

Chapter Seventeen

I don't own Fire Emblem (x5)

...

Lissa was cracking up in a corner while Robin and Chrom looked bashful. Diana smirked. "This is going to be a long night."

Lucina chuckled, ruffling her sister's hair. "It sure is."

And they weren't wrong. The shock was escalating a bit fast.

...

After clearing up the mess, the Shepherds took a rest before boarding ships that Plegia had provided the next day. Though the royal family was still skeptical, they had no choice but to follow the original plan for now.

Diana, on the other hand, had quickly become adapted into 'officially' becoming part of Chrom and Robin's family. Chrom and Robin soon got adjusted to her calling them "Mother" and "Father" though it took some time to get used to. Lucina was no different, only it was a little bit easier as she had not been the one staying with them for about two years.

Currently, they were passengers on the ship, and Robin was quite enthusiastic. "Ah, take it all in!" The tactician looked around her with clear relaxation. "Breathtaking...Somehow our troubles feel a lifetime away out here."

Chrom smiled at his wife. His two daughters stood nearby, as well as Lissa. "Yet in truth, we're headed straight toward them. I should be grateful the Plegians delivered us this fleet, as promised. But it's my first time on a vessel, and my legs...I never fancied myself as a sea captian."

"Let's just enjoy the fresh air for now," Diana sighed, her raven hair blowing in the breeze. She was feeling better after a quick checkup with Lissa, despite her unusual fever the night before.

Lucina smiled and ruffled her younger sister's hair. "This is my first voyage as well. In our time, all ships were destroyed. Smashed to pieces, along with their ports."

Diana sighed. "I couldn't even fix them, no matter how much I tried. But then again, we never had much time for travelling anyway."

Chrom looked at the blue haired princess. "Lucina...something I've been meaning to ask...after you stopped Emm's assassination, why didn't you stay with us, like your sister did?"

Lucina shrugged. "I felt like I had no other choice, though Diana thought otherwise. I couldn't risk altering history any more than necessary. I sought only to divert events that directly led to Grima's return."

Diana smiled at her parents. "I was being a bit paranoid, so I decided to go live with you to make sure that everything went smoothly. I was a bit scared that if something changed, it could alter our existences. But I tried to make sure not to change anything that wasn't necessary."

Lissa raised an eyebrow. "Hey, so wait – what about the guys who tried to kill Chrom in the gardens? What would've happened if you didn't save him?"

Diana and Lucina exchanged glances before the eldest replied. "He would have been gravely wounded. And those wounds would have played a part in the tragedies to come."

"Woah!" Lissa's eyes went wide. "Good thing you changed things, huh?"

"If indeed they have changed..." Lucina murmured. "The river of time always favors its original course. Take the exalt's death...I stalled it, yes, but in the end I was not able to prevent it." Diana squeezed her hand in support.

Chrom looked a bit sad. "You did what you could."

Lucina sighed. "I was so certain it was over. That I'd saved the world. But time simply found another way back to its course. Perhaps the task is simply too great...Perhaps if I'd doen something differently? I reply events in my head, over and over..."