Inigo had been in love for far too long.

Each day he woke, thinking that today would be the day, the day he got over her, the day he could look at what he must never touch without his heart breaking. He is his mother's son – shy, self-deprecating, and so he felt it in his bones – Lucina was not his to love. The son of a dancer and a thief could never, should never, reach out for the divine. She is of royal blood, branded with Naga's mark, and he… is no one. The chasm between gutter-born and princess is far too great, he reminds himself. He has no right to love her.

But there came a day when things changed, for like all rules, his had been made to be broken.

They were up before dawn in the practice yard, the two of them the best with the sword out of their group (despite Owain's boasts to the contrary, he couldn't be bothered to wake before first light anyway.) It is unsaid but clear that this is no leisurely training session – there are lives to protect, innumerable enemies to defeat, a war to be won.

As the sun rose, they were both breathing hard, and he did his best not to watch a bead of sweat travel south of her throat and into the neckline of her shirt. "I think we should take a break," he suggested mildly, stretching his arms above his head and making his way to the flask of water he'd brought.

She sighed from behind him, "Fine."

He flopped onto the rough-hewn bench and the water was halfway to his lips when he paused; noticing Lucina hadn't brought anything for herself, he offered it to her, "Want some?"

"Yes, thank you," she said, securing her training sword in her belt as if it were a real weapon. He presented the water with an outstretched arm and she stopped, "Just a moment." Shedding her long sleeves, she reached for the leather thong around her wrist and then behind her head to secure the navy tresses there.

"Here let me," Inigo uttered without thinking, and suddenly he was standing behind her, slender fingers captured by his own callused ones. He cursed himself when she stilled, and hurriedly explained, "I know what I'm doing! I used to do the other girls' hair all the time, remember?"

"Well… not particularly," she admitted, but relinquished the tie regardless, dropping her hands to her sides.

The words kept tumbling from his lips in an attempt to conceal his nervousness, "Well, I did, until... There was this one time when we were kids – play-sword-fighting with sticks in the garden…" He gently removed her circlet, carefully placing it on the bench to their right. After lightly finger-combing her hair he began to plait it, a snicker escaping him as he continued the story, "And Owain picked a branch that still had twigs and leaves like a complete dork… and it got stuck in Kjelle's hair after one of his 'signature moves'?"

Lucina emitted a soft gasp, "I forgot all about that."

He chuckled – a rumble from deep in his chest that even she could feel. "And instead of letting someone try to untangle it… Kjelle just calmly pulled a real blade out of her tunic and hacked the whole mess off!" After securing the French braid he'd woven, Inigo smoothed it down from the crown of her head, pausing for moment at the nape of her neck to brush away the stray strands there. "Cyn and Severa were horrified, especially since… well, you know Kjelle. It was no big deal to her. And suddenly it was pigtail-city around here!" he laughed, gently turning her around. He reached to pick up her diadem from beside them, avoiding Lucina's gaze as he replaced it in her hair, the action almost reverent.

"There," he said with a small smile, fingers lingering for a heartbeat too long as their eyes met. "Besides," he continued in what was almost a whisper, letting his hand fall, "I would help my mother braid her hair before she'd teach me her dances… you know, before she and father..." Unable to finish, he cleared his throat, looking away uncomfortably.

"Inigo," Lucina said quietly, reaching for his arm, but he turned away, a hand hurriedly dashing across his face as he interjected "Anyway!" before she could say anything else. "I have plenty of practice, so your hair should be safely out of the way for today!" he said, taking a seat on the bench with a smile that seemed far too bright. She hadn't missed the way his eyes had darkened in pain or how the back of his hand glistened with moisture, but she kept her thoughts to herself and took the flask he was offering to her for a second time.

"Thank you," she said, sitting beside him.

"Anytime, my princess," he proclaimed, the laughter back in his voice but sounding hollow. "There is nothing I would not do for a lady, especially one as charming as you!" Lucina turned to regard him incredulously, and he just responded with a smirk and an exaggerated wink.

Sighing resignedly, she ignored his mock-salacious gestures and changed the subject. "After this, would you be willing to use your other style of swordplay? I think that's one area I need to brush up on fighting against, especially since it's the usual style of assassins."

"Ah, you mean like this?" he asked, standing up and gripping the hilt of his practice sword with the pommel toward his body and the blade extending out to his right.

"Yes, exactly," Lucina confirmed, standing as well to draw her sword. "I've had enough leisure, if you're ready to continue."

"Of course, my lady," he agreed with a flamboyant bow and a wide-toothed grin.

"Inigo!" she snapped, her eyes screwing shut, "Would you please stop playing around? This isn't a game! People's lives are at stake, and it's our duty to protect them!"

His smile faltered during her admonishment, and he inclined his head apologetically, red bangs falling to partially obscure his face. "I meant no offense, princess. Just trying to lighten the mood." He ran his fingers aimlessly over his sword's cross-guard, eyes firmly trained on the repetitive motion as he spoke under his breath, "I know lives are at stake."

Immediately, she regretted her rash words. Hadn't he just mentioned his parents' deaths a few minutes earlier? She mentally berated herself, taking a deep breath and preparing to apologize.

Once again, though, he spoke up before she had a chance to truly gather her thoughts. "Well, I would never want you to be less-than-perfectly prepared to face an assassin! Let's get started, then, shall we?" he beamed at her and crouched, holding his sword at the ready.

"Alright," Lucina acquiesced, deciding to let it go for the moment and settling into her own stance. "Let's."

The sun was merciless as it continued its ascent, and Inigo couldn't help but think that it had always been easier when they let their swords do the talking. Times like this were when he felt the closest to her, their blades and bodies meeting, parrying, moving around each other in what seemed like a dance. They could be honest here, they could be equals here – just him and her, Inigo and Lucina, no titles or etiquette to abide by. There were no questions of his worth, and it felt so good to forget, for a brief interlude, that he could never truly be a part of her world.

But his reverie was rudely interrupted by the telltale sound of hooves clattering into the main courtyard, a messenger frantically shouting for the princess. And she had always been strong, resilient, composed, even when they were children, but Inigo could easily see the panic in her face when her gaze flew to his. There was true, soul-shattering fear behind the rich blue of her eyes, Naga's brand burning in the depths of insecurity.

"Lucina…" had barely left his lips, but she had already dropped her sword and whipped around to race toward the entryway. His face pained, he watched her for a moment before following suit, praying to Naga and anyone who he hoped against hope would listen that this was not the news he thought it might be.

A/N: Just a first "tester" chapter from a baby drabble that turned into a little more than a drabble! I absolutely LOVE Lucina and Inigo together, and thus this little project was born.

Each chapter is 1-2k words, so not too long; there are currently three chapters written and I don't plan on it being more than five. There will not be major spoilers as this will take place in the children's future (not the future past, but the future they originally came from.)

I couldn't find credit for the cover image, so if you know, please let me know!

Just FYI, this is based off of the supports I cultivated in my latest play-through, therefore parentage is as follows:

Gaius/Olivia - Inigo

Chrom/Robin - Lucina (& Morgan, but he won't appear)

Henry/Sumia - Cynthia

Lon'qu/Cherche - Gerome

Frederick/Lissa - Owain

Stahl/Cordelia - Severa

Virion/Sully - Kjelle

Gregor/Tharja - Noire

Vaike/Panne - Yarne

Ricken/Maribelle - Brady

aaaand that's it because I was playing on hard and didn't care about getting Laurent that time around haha. Also, I'm not saying every child is going to be well-developed or focused on or even appear at all in this, since it's so short, but I'm just covering all my bases :D

ANYWAY hopefully someone out there enjoys this little ditty! As it's mostly written, I will be uploading a chapter every Saturday. Thanks for reading!