Then

White spots. Drops of rain hitting her head, like arrows falling from the sky. Violent turbulence, the kind that makes her feel sick. A warm sun reminding her of better times. An equally warm smile that hides crooked fangs. Mud that turns into dirt, then moistens back to mud again. White spots again.

Lucina's eyes opened, and she immediately took note of a few things. First, her dreams were still strangely vivid, yet devoid of any real meaning; this frustrated her to no end. Second, her head felt like it was struck by lightning. Third, and most importantly, she'd been tied up against a tree. Testing the strength of her bindings, she found that they were too tough and too tight to simply wriggle or break out of.

If she wasn't tied up, she'd punch herself for being so careless. Some nearby townspeople had warned her of the bandit presence in these woods, but after taking down a few, she thought she'd be safe enough to sleep there. Of course, the second she closed her eyes, someone ran up to her and hit her over the back of her head with a club before she could get to her feet.

The campfire she had previously set up was still going, with four men gathered around it. Lucina had always tried to avoid judging people by their covers – Severa had taught her how much of a mistake that was – but these men looked so much like brigands that it was almost comical. Burly physiques, plenty of scars, loud voices, and ugly expressions. Then again, she supposed all of those qualities could also be attributed to Vaike, and he had quite the heart of gold.

One of them noticed that she was no longer unconscious, and in seconds all their gazes were turned to her. If looks could kill, half of them would be torturing her and the other half would…actually, she figured it was best not to attempt to picture what those two were thinking, with gazes as lecherous as theirs. "Well, lookie here! Up from your nap, are you?" One of them shouted, his loud voice piercing her ears.

"Let's be civil about this." Lucina began, keeping her voice steady in order to avoid sounding too desperate, or even worse, too cocky. "I'm sure there's something you want, and I'm sure I can provide it. There's no need to do anything brash." One benefit to this world, as opposed to hers, was that even brigands and bandits were far more agreeable when the world wasn't ending.

Another one piped up. "Now who said we was gonna do anything brash?" Now he was one who certainly didn't care about how cocky he looked. "We just wanna…er…boss, what're we doing with her again?" He looked up to the biggest one of the bunch, a man who towered over the others. His expression was as stiff as his posture, his eyes unreadable.

The leader spoke. "She ain't worth killing, that's for sure. We'll either sell her or keep her. Let's put it to a vote. Sell?" He and one of the others raised their hands. "Alright. Keep?" The other two with the lecherous gazes raised their hands. "Well then, I suppose we'll have to find some kind of tiebreaker."

The whole situation was rather bizarre. What kind of bandits voted on how they'd treat their prisoners? The group began to argue rather intensely on how they'd solve the tie. One of them suggested just voting over and over again until something changed. Another thought that each side should choose a representative, which would then fight with the other side's until one of them died. The debate kept going until the shrill sound of a crow's caw interrupted all of them. Lucina tilted her head back, seeing it resting on the branch of the tree above her.

"That's it!" One of the brigands exclaimed. "Alright, if that crow stays there for a minute, then we sell her. If it leaves before that, we keep her. How's that sound?" There was murmuring through the group before they all nodded, turning their attention to the bird, watching it in absolute silence.

Oh gods, she was doomed. That was all she could think about as they waited for the crow to do something. She had to get out before her fate was decided, she had to break from her bonds and grab Falchion and strike each and every one of them down. She could even see it resting near the fire, taunting her. As she looked at it, she realized there was another crow pecking at the blade.

Her gaze turned back to the crow above her, only for her to realize it was no longer alone. A couple more crows had joined it, all letting out the occasional shrill caw. "Wait, which one was the one we were supposed to keep track of?" One of the brigands asked, getting shrugs in response from the others.

"Seems like keeping track is a lost caws!" An unfamiliar voice rung out, grabbing everyone's attention and sending their gazes to the campfire, where a young man was standing. That was about all Lucina could gather from him, as the low light of the fire and the dozen crows flying around him kept his appearance well-hidden. "Maybe instead of selling or keeping her, you should just murder her instead!" He sounded uncomfortably giddy, his voice high-pitched and bubbly.

"Hey, back off buddy!" One of the brigands shouted, grabbing his axe from his belt and swinging it around in an attempt to intimidate the stranger. "This ain't your business, got it? Scram before I bash your head in."

The figure seemed to find that rather amusing, if his chuckle was any indication. "I think I should stick around! Birds of a feather, and all that. Say, you wouldn't happen to have any leftover food, would you? I'm feeling pretty peckish!"

The brigand was growing more frustrated by the second. "Oh, so you're a funny guy, huh? I hate funny guys." He began to approach the figure, but before he could get too close, some of the crows flying around him changed their direction, gliding to the brigand. They began to peck and claw at him, sending him back a few steps as he cried out in panic, waving his hands around in a vain attempt to shoo them away. The others took this as a sign to draw their weapons and charge, a tactic which quickly proved to be foolish as they all became swarmed by crows.

With the murder of crows now focused on the brigands, Lucina was finally able to get a good look at the man. He was surprisingly young, most certainly no older than she was. It was easy to tell he was Plegian due to his slightly tanned skin, though, it seemed he had been out of the desert long enough for his skin to begin to pale. His outfit cemented the fact, as it was adorned with the colors and insignia commonly worn by Plegian dark mages. She couldn't get a good look at his eyes, seeing how they looked as if they were almost closed, but his white hair was plain as day.

His gaze shifting to Lucina, he began to walk over to her, signaling her to start struggling more than she had previously. Seeing this, he let out a giggle, unsheathing a dagger from his belt. No, she couldn't die here, she couldn't! She had to save everyone, she had to find her friends, she had to make sure everybody was safe!

She was snapped out of her panic by the sound of snapping rope as her bindings fell to the ground. The man gave her a wide smile, offering a hand. "Nice to meetcha!" She didn't take it, opting to stand up on her own instead. Just as she regained stable footing, one of the brigands charged at him from behind, a heavy axe raised with the intent to kill. Instinct sent Lucina charging into the Plegian, the axe swinging just above her head and chopping off a few strands of her hair.

Hitting the ground knocked the air out of both of them, though the man broke out into a giggle regardless. Lucina, meanwhile, sprang up to her feet, digging her heels into the dirt, waiting for the brigand to make a move. He swung at her, his movement sloppy and predictable, allowing her to duck under his swing and grab his arm bending it back until she heard a loud crack! He screamed in pain, his grip on his axe loose enough for her to yank it from his hand and swing back, taking him down in one blow. The other three brigands had finally shooed away the rest of the crows and were now staring intensely at her and the fresh corpse of one of their comrades.

Lucina wasted no time in running to Falchion, grabbing it and turning to face the three of them. The weight and feel of it was perfectly natural, as if it were an extension of her limbs. The first of them ran at her, his sword raised over her head. Terrible form, but she knew if connected, she'd be too busy trying to reattach her arm to her shoulder to keep fighting. Not wanting to risk a failed dodge, she thrust Falchion in an attempt to strike first. It worked, the tip of the blade sinking into his gut. He quickly yanked his body back, grunting in pain as blood poured down from his stomach. Lucina stifled a growl as she realized he wasn't down for the count just yet.

The leader and his last unharmed crony ran at her, carrying a gigantic axe and rusted spear, respectively. She ran at the one with the spear, swinging upwards at the weapon to throw off his balance. Once that was achieved, she grabbed him by the waist and spun him around just in time for him to take the brunt of the leader's attack. The sound that the hit made was more than enough to confirm that he wasn't getting back up from that.

She sent the corpse at the leader, distracting him long enough for her to thrust Falchion through the dead man's back and out the other end, gouging itself deep into the leader's side. Knowing a swing would be impossible with the body making it exponentially more difficult, she instead opted to twist the double-edged blade around.

Whatever adrenaline that was keeping the leader on his feet wasn't enough anymore, and he fell to his knees as Lucina yanked Falchion away, letting the dead brigand collapse in front of him. Her shoulders heaving up and down with every breath, she raised her weapon for a killing blow, but hesitated when she saw the fear in his eyes. "F-fine, you win!" He shouted, holding his hands up. "Look, you've won. You beat us. No need to end any more lives than necessary, right?"

She sighed, lowering her blade. She despised men like him, but the injuries she dealt were more than enough to ensure he'd never be able to continue life as a brigand. Just as she breathed in a sigh of relief, strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Panic shot up every nerve in her body as she remembered the first brigand, the one she never took down. How could she have been so clueless!?

The leader got up in spite of his wound, ready to swing his axe one last time. Just as he was about to end her, a bolt of lightning shot through his neck, killing him before he even hit the ground. Lucina didn't waste the opportunity, elbowing the man grabbing her right in his wound, making him stumble back, letting go of her. She spun around, swinging Falchion at the same time, hitting him right in the side of his chest. This time, he went down for good.

Adrenaline began to fade, and Lucina found herself digging Falchion into the ground, using it as support to prevent herself from collapsing onto the grass below her. Looking up, she saw that white-haired man smiling down at her, holding his hand out once again. This time, she accepted his offer, letting him pull her up to her feet. She was still unsteady, but she wasn't going to fall this time. "You really did a number on those guys, didn't you?" He asked, his voice implying he found it rather impressive.

"They would have cut me down if it wasn't for your intervention." Lucina paused, looking at him cautiously. "That was your thunder spell that hit him, right?" She wasn't too sure if she could actually trust this man yet, though he had helped her more than once.

"Yup! Oh man, the look on his face was priceless! He was all, 'Grr, growl, I'm gonna chop ya in two!' and then I got him, and he was like, 'Oh no, Henry got me! I should've been paying more attention!'" Another laugh escaped his lips for a few seconds. "Oh right, that's my name. Henry! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"It's…nice…to meet you, Henry. My name is Luci—" She stopped herself, quickly correcting her answer. "Marth. Thank you for rescuing me."

"Well, Lucimarth, it was no trouble at all! I just happened to be in the area, and those guys looked like the kind of people nobody would miss, so I thought, why not? Of course, you look like the kind of person that people would miss, so I didn't hurt you." His reasoning was certainly strange, but if it meant Lucina wasn't going to die tonight, she was fine with it.

"It's, uh, just Marth. And still, I must thank you. I would have certainly perished if you hadn't come to my aid."

"Well, just Marth, you probably wouldn't have died. Nah, they would've sold you on a slave market to some corrupt noble. Then you'd have to live as his slave forever!" He paused, putting a thumb to his chin. "Actually, that would be a lot worse. So yeah, I guess I did do you a favor!"

Henry was certainly making Lucina nervous with how casually he talked about all sorts of awful things. She had gotten used to all sorts of awful things in the future, but she never had a smile when she discussed them. Still, she could tell he wasn't the type to enjoy doing them. He just seemed easily excitable, and more than a little naïve. "What you did with those crows was amazing. How did you do that?"

"Huh?" Henry looked confused. "I didn't do anything. They just helped me out! Animals tend to really like me, after all." He held out a finger, and in no time at all a crow had perched itself on it, letting out a loud caw. "See? Aw, isn't he just the cutest? Aren't you, little guy?" He gave the bird a few scratches on the head before letting it fly off.

The bizarreness of Henry only was heightened by this, but Lucina tried not to judge too hastily. First impressions were, in her experience, often nothing like what a person actually was. "Ah, yes. Very…very cute." Still, it was rather hard for her to feign enthusiasm. She cleared her throat. "Well, I must be on my way. Clearly, resting in these woods is a mistake, so I'd best find a safer place of shelter. Farewell." She turned around and began to walk away, only to hear Henry's footsteps behind her indicating he was following her. "Do you…need something?"

"Nope!" He cheerfully exclaimed, continuing to follow behind her. "Just thought it might be safer for the both of us if we stick together until we're out of here." He made a fair point; they had each saved the other's life, so it would be good to stay close until they were away from danger. Only that long, however. Lucina couldn't afford to get distracted by strangers. She had to continue her mission.

Now

Father and mother know who Lucina is now. They know. Gods, even after she's had her long conversation with them, it still doesn't feel entirely real. It's as if she's dreaming, and she's going to wake up any second now. She's not sure if she wants to wake up or not. They had been so accepting, so quick to believe her, to comfort her. Her heart lights up just from her thinking about it.

They know about her real identity. They know that there are other time travelers like her somewhere out there. They know why she's here, they know about the tragedy that she seeks to prevent. There's one thing, however, that they don't know, and she'll be damned if they're going to find out anytime soon.

Walking around the remains of the battle, Lucina sees piles of ash sitting next to weapons. Risen remains. There had been so many of them that she thought at one point that she was going to drown in a swarm of the monsters. Unfortunately for her, the large numbers of Risen also meant that she was easily separated from her traveling companion. Where in Naga's name is he?

She spots someone walking around nearby with long black hair. If her memory serves her correctly, that woman is Tharja, Noire's mother. She can't tell if she's more or less frightening as a younger woman. Still, she has no choice but to approach her. "H-hello." Lucina curses herself for being unable to prevent herself from stammering.

Tharja turns around, giving her a somewhat curious, somewhat cold look. "Oh, hello. You're the Exalt's daughter, right?" Word travels fast among the Shepherds, apparently. She nods in confirmation. "Right, right. Glad to see Robin's marriage went so well." There's an obvious pang of jealousy in the statement that Lucina chooses to ignore. "You need something?"

"Yes, actually." Okay, no stammering so far. This is good. "I was wondering if you've seen a dark mage around here? He's got white hair, and he giggles a lot. O-oh, and there's usually a few crows nearby him." Not the best description, but it's most of Henry's most noticeable qualities.

Tharja raises an eyebrow. "You know Henry?" The question comes as quite a shock to Lucina. Henry never mentioned knowing this woman.

"You know Henry?" Lucina asks back, incredulously. Tharja seems to find that amusing, letting out a morose chuckle.

"I know of Henry. He's got quite the reputation in Plegia, you know." A grin forms on Tharja's face. "He's known as a nightmare of a dark mage, responsible for all sorts of death and destruction. He even betrayed his country, obliterating the squad he was working with before vanishing from the face of the earth. I honestly had assumed he was dead before I saw him tonight."

"So you did see him." That's certainly a relief for Lucina, who lets out a sigh, ignoring Tharja's comments about Henry's reputation. "Do you know where he is? I've been looking for him for a while now." She gets another raised eyebrow as a response, and quickly explains. "We've traveled together for the past two years. I wanted to make sure he was alright."

Tharja clearly doesn't buy what she's saying, but she doesn't press the issue any more than she already has. Turning around, she points off to the forest. "He went that way, last I saw. No idea if he's still there." A general direction isn't a great start, but it's better than nothing. She hastily thanks Tharja before running off towards the forest, perhaps a bit too fast for her own good.

For a good while, Lucina merely wanders through the thick forest, looking high and low for Henry. "Oh, where are you…" She mutters, worried that he's run off into danger yet again. He's like a magnet for danger, and his poor self-preservation skills certainly don't help in keeping him safe.

Finally, she finds him in a small clearing, sitting on a tree stump and petting a rather affectionate wolf. She leans against a tree, watching for a short while. He says all sorts of compliments to the beast, speaking to it as if it's a pet, rather than a vicious killer. "Who's a good Wolfie? Who's a good Wolfie? That's right, you are, you are!" After a few minutes, his gaze finally drifts over to Lucina's direction, his smile only growing wider. "Alright Wolfie, it's time to go. See ya!" The wolf seems to understand him perfectly, running off into the woods.

"I will never understand how you do that." Lucina says with a chuckle, approaching the dark mage. He gets up from the stump and walks over to her, chuckling right back.

"I guess I'm just a better communicator than you are!" He jokes, giggling at his own humor. "Oh, and a better listener too. Hope that doesn't bother you."

"Oh, shut up." Her chuckle has turned into a full laugh by this point. Once the two are close enough, Lucina takes the initiative as always, pulling him close and planting a kiss on his lips. They stay like that for a few seconds, allowing her to simply lose herself in the moment for a little while longer. However, she eventually pulls away, smiling warmly at him. "If you were a better listener, you wouldn't keep running off. You had me worried sick!"

"Sorry 'bout that, Lucy!" Henry nervously rubbed the back of his head, his chuckle now much more embarrassed. "I was fighting some Risen, and then I wound up over here, and Wolfie just wouldn't stop following me until I gave him some attention! Time flies, I guess."

Pretending to be deeply offended, Lucina scoffs. "Well, I'm glad to know that you think your time is better spent with a wild animal than with me!" Still, the privacy that the situation grants them is rather nice. She knows she should be fully honest with her parents about everything, but telling them about her relationship with Henry feels like a bad idea. Too much shock too fast leads to nothing good.

So when is she supposed to tell them? Thinking about that makes her nervous. Should she let them know in a few days? A few weeks? Months? Should she just wait until the war is over to say anything? If it was possible, she wonders if she'd just never tell anyone. She knows that's not fair to Henry, and it's certainly not realistic, but it's a nice idea nonetheless.

"If it makes you feel better, I've never fallen in love with a wild animal." Henry remarks with a surprising hint of snark. He doesn't often use sarcasm, but he's surprisingly good at it. Lucina just chuckles for a brief moment before giving him another kiss, this one shorter than the first.

"C'mon. We should head back before they start looking for us. I hope you're not too opposed to working with a group." Things are certainly going to be different for the two of them now that they'll be around other people just about constantly. Henry hasn't objected to keeping their relationship a secret for the time being, but it'll be a tough secret to keep regardless.

The two of them step back from eachother before turning to head back to the others. As they do, they both stop dead in their tracks. Lucina's eyes widen in shock as a pit forms in her stomach. Ahead of her, staring in utter surprise, is her aunt Lissa. "H-how long have you—" Lucina stops, knowing full well that she's been there long enough, judging by the equally shocked expression that she has.

What should she do? Oh Gods, this wasn't supposed to happen, she was supposed to keep this under wraps until she felt it was the right time! If Aunt Lissa knows, then the first person she's going to tell is father, and then he'll tell mother, and—

She stops, taking a breath. You have to calm down, Lucina. She thinks to herself, staring at her aunt who, thankfully, hasn't moved yet. You need to get ahead of this. You can get ahead of this. She takes a deep breath. "Aunt Lissa, I can explain."

So, here's my first attempt at a romance-focused fic. I've never really tried to write any significant amount of romantic dialogue before, so pardon me if my first attempt kinda sucks. Still, I wanted to branch out a bit, and this seemed like a nice place to start! Also, I've just loved the idea of Lucina and Henry as a pairing ever since I thought of it, and seeing how I've yet to find anything on it, I do believe I'm the first to ever write something about them. Officially the rarest of pairs.

Anyways, I'd love to hear what you thought of my first stab at a romance story, so I encourage you to drop a review and let me know!