The Second Princess [indefinite hiatus.]

The Future Past | 3

I don't own Fire Emblem.

...

While the other Cynthia merely blanched, the rest of the girls seemed to take a somewhat defensive stance and mask their discomfort with a distant look. The Shepherds started murmuring, so Lissa volunteered to be the one to speak. "What's wrong?"

Finally, the other Kjelle seemed to meet her eyes. They were filled with a solemn sadness that Diana couldn't place.

"Don't bother trying to explain that sacrifice," The other Kjelle spoke for the group. "Because our Diana's dead."

...

"Well. That was something."

"Nice way to break the ice, Morgan," Diana said dully. Her usual spirit was lacking at the very moment. The exalted family was currently gathered in a private tent, all sitting quietly around a table.

After the bombshell that the alternate Kjelle had dropped on everyone, the Shepherds had basically gone into pandemonium. Chrom had to wrestle back their attention and tell everyone to relax. He sent Cynthia and Inigo to go handle the four alternate girls and give them the entire backstory of their world's conquest over Grima, and commanded everyone else to go set up camp.

Once they had, Chrom recalled that Diana needed to speak to all of them about something, so the family went to a private tent to discuss. However, it seemed like everyone was still stunned because of the sudden fate of Diana's alternate self, so everyone was practically frozen in their seats.

That is, until Morgan shattered the silence, of course.

"Someone's gotta start talking," Morgan defended himself. "We're all in shock, but we didn't all sit here for someone to paint a portrait of us dumbly staring into space."

"Morgan's right," Diana sighed. "We do need to talk about my counterpart in this world." The sorceress cleared her throat. "To be honest, I don't even know why I'm shocked. I had considered it a possibility that I wouldn't exist in this world already."

Lucina rubbed her temples. "Yes, but I never thought that you'd actually be dead in this world."

Robin shook her head. The tactician looked fairly stressed, more so than usual. "I don't think any of us expected it. That was quite the shock those girls delivered."

"I don't know why that's so shocking anymore. I've already literally died once, I've faked my death, you guys didn't even remember me for a year." Diana shook her head. "No, I'm just stumped about how I died in this world."

It had been mulling on her mind for quite a while now. Knowing that the girls in this world were five years or more younger than her own time traveling group, this Diana had to be at least seventeen when she passed away.

Considering her origins and her powers, Diana knew that one thing was unsettling.

The soul she had hosted for Grima.

Diana grimaced to herself as she remembered those tragic events from nearly five years ago.

"You all do know about the...soul that Grima used to harvest within me," she began, and watched as her father immediately turned a clear shade of white. He didn't have such good memories of that, and she couldn't blame him. fact, it seemed like everyone was uncomfortable the minute she brought it up, but she continued. "We all know the only way that Grima can be truly defeated is with Mother's own hand and...my death with the Kyuseishu. The only way I could eradicate the soul from Grima is to die by that sword, which promptly erases the memories of me in everyone's minds."