Chapter Text
Just outside Ylisstol
Once they had left behind the city gates, Lucina stopped and looked back. Ylisstol castle still loomed in the distance, rising up high over the city. With the snow covering its roof as it did with all the land around them, it made for quite the scenic view.
And one that she could easily see as making the average citizen forget that there was an actual ruler that lived within it.
If there was one thing that Lucina had learned in all her months of living as one of the common folk in the city, it was that in just day-to-day life, the Exalt tended to be a wyvern in the room that most simply ignored. Everyone knew that they were being governed, but it wasn’t like the Exalt just turned up in person at people’s homes and told them what to do and not do. He was too busy dealing with things like international politics and military matters to have the time for that, and besides he was too much of a down-to-earth person to really consider it a necessity.
Point being, outside of the occasional public appearance, most people didn’t really pay much mind to their new Exalt. Especially so since the winter season had made such public appearances a rarity, as they had already been under Lady Emmeryn. Many went through their daily lives without really thinking much about Prince Chrom. Or, as he was now, Exalt Chrom.
Which wasn’t exactly how it was for Lucina.
Since that day when she had gone to get Shulk and see the coronation and wedding, she had not been to the castle. She would have loved to go – though each meeting that she had had with her father here in the past had been short by necessity, and she had only snuck in a few glimpses of him outside of that, she still cherished every chance that she got.
That had been the hardest part about her decision to not reveal herself to him and the Shepherds. This was the opportunity to see her father again, over a decade after his death from her perspective! Yet in order to actually keep him alive, it was best if he didn’t know that she was his daughter. And to keep anyone else from knowing, she was better off not actually being seen together with him. Lucina had never put much stock into people telling her that she took far more after him than she did the rest of her family, but seeing as she was the only person who shared his specific shade of blue hair… and more muscular build… and height (even if she was a bit taller than him)…
Well, it was best to not take any chances. While most people were unlikely to consider the possibility of a time-travelling daughter as the first possible explanation, Lucina didn’t consider it unlikely that she would immediately be pegged as family. It was best to avoid questions along those lines altogether.
And that stung . Especially now that he seemed to be growing into the great man that she had known him to be, instead of that young ( so young, far too young ) boy. Possibly even somebody greater than that, as her father had always carried with him the pain of having lost his sister so suddenly… and the shadow of having gotten his revenge for that. This Chrom had of course now also lost her, but they had at least been able to keep him from making the same mistake.
But given his youth, it was understandable that he could make such a mistake to begin with.
It was still a weird thought that due to the point in time that she had arrived at, he was now younger than her. He might even be younger than her brother Inigo…
Though all that still paled compared to how it must have been to her cousin Owain. Lucina could not help but to smirk a little at that thought. Just like most of her other friends, Owain had been an adult by every possible definition. Lissa meanwhile, at this point in time… the pigtails made her look younger than she was, to be sure. But even so, she was by no means of age.
“Lucina? Is everything alright?” Shulk’s voice suddenly brought her back to reality.
“…Hm? Oh, yeah. I was just a bit lost in thought,” she said. For a second longer, she stared at the castle in the distance. Then, she turned around and walked by Shulk’s side.
It pained her to leave the city, and, by proxy, her father, mother and all the Shepherds behind. The course of history right now was truly unpredictable, and there was no telling what tragedy and challenges could befall them at any moment. But… the Shepherds had been able to fight against the end of the world for many years in her own timeline. They would manage to face whatever was waiting for them without her for a little while.
And besides, even if history at large was beyond her ability to predict, Lucina was altogether without means to know what dangers may lie in wait.
Without taking her eyes off the road ahead, she reached for Shulk’s hand and took it. Even through the gloves that both of them were wearing, feeling it against hers was… comforting. For his part, he initially hesitated, but then took it.
Lucina glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was still staring straight ahead, with an expression that was impossible for her to read.
Letting out a deep but quiet breath, Lucina looked at the road again. She understood. While she had no qualms about what they were to each other now… for him, it was probably very different. Shulk had told her a lot about the things he remembered again now, about his journeys across the Bionis and the Mechonis, and all the things he saw and did along the way.
About how his childhood friend Fiora had turned out to be alive, after all.
Lucina was under no delusion. She had heard how Shulk talked about Fiora. More than that, she had even seen for herself just how driven he had been in his search for her, in the memories that A had shown to her. Even if he himself had not been aware of it, Shulk had feelings for Fiora. And Lucina doubted that Shulk was the type of person to have his feelings dulled just by being apart for a few months. Especially after finding out that she was still alive when he had thought that she had died.
Lucina was however also reasonably certain that Shulk felt something for her . The night that they had spent together upon their reunion was proof enough of that. Granted, they hadn’t done… that since then, or anything even coming close. Their room in the inn had had two beds, and they both had seen their intended use. But the fact alone that he was so obviously troubled about it all made it clear that there was something from his side.
Making things all the more difficult for her.
She wanted to be with him, of course. She wanted him to stay with her, to walk towards the future together. That much was true. But she was also aware just how unfeasible any of that was. Shulk came from a different world, had different people who were friends and like family to him. On a fundamental level, he just did not belong in Ylisse, and no matter how much Lucina would have liked him to stay, he would take any opportunity to go home. That, she did not blame him for. This could not last. They could not last.
If only he was willing to make the most out of what they had while it lasted.
But she would not push him. He knew how they felt about each other. And between the two of them, he was the one who had more baggage in these matters, so she thought it better to let him figure out on his own what he felt was better.
It probably wasn’t the best way to go about it, Lucina realized. In her defence though, she was also trying to save the world, which was something that took up a lot of her own thinking.
Speaking of…
“You are certain that we have the time to travel there on foot?” she asked, half turning to Shulk. Her breath condensed in the cold air.
Shulk nodded. “Positive. It’s… a bit difficult to describe, but I just know that what I’ve seen in that vision is still far enough away for us to make it there in time like this.”
“Mh,” Lucina hummed. “But we could make it there faster if we got another horse, or even a pegasus…”
“No.”
Lucina chuckled. It really had been amazing just how fast Shulk had become so wary of horses after being introduced to them. Within hours of first being on the back of one, he had already declared himself one of nature’s pedestrians, and that horses just had to be Up To Something. He could not elaborate on what that could be, but he had insisted.
And that just was what he thought of horses. Apparently, he had also been on pegasusback in the time that they had spent apart. She probably should have been sympathetic towards him about it, but really, his complete refusal to go into what that had been like was just funny.
So the slow route it was. Well… there were worse fates than being on the road with Shulk again.
The last time they had been travelling together like this has been on the same route, back when she had not even trusted him yet. If her self from back then would have known where their relationship would lead… she probably would have been flabbergasted, to say the least.
But probably also relieved that she was able to allow herself this bit of happiness.
The road towards Regna Ferox
While had admittedly somewhat waned during his stay in Ylisstol, being out of the city and just getting to travel again really did reignite a passionate fascination for this world within Shulk that had not felt for a long time. Seasons, the rising and setting sun… all these things had still been captivating while he had stayed in Ylisstol, but getting to experience them first-hand was still something else.
He still remembered how he and Lucina had first travelled this road, underneath clear skies and a blazing sun. But now? All the land was white (whiter than in the city, at any rate), chilling winds were howling, their cold fingers even reaching through layers and layers of cloth, and the temperatures… well, Shulk wasn’t quite sure just how low they were, but they must have been pretty low. Nothing compared to Valak Mountain, but more than enough to be uncomfortable.
As he walked down the road, his eyes went unfocussed. Right… Valak Mountain. His own journey through the area had not been long, but it had been enough to make several memories of the place.
About how shocked he and the others had been about the cold there, which affected Riki worst of all. How they had found Befalgar Pedestal to the east there, just as night fell and all crystals lit up, shooting beams of light towards the sky. How they had struggled with finding a path so much that they had ended up on Three Sage Summit. How Dunban had once again somehow been able to climb a wall with just his own arm. How Shulk had to be pulled up by Reyn at some points, How Melia had been able to manage it surprisingly well (though Shulk could’ve sworn that she had looked to him for help at some points). And their death-defying jumps down into hot springs from the peak, despite Sharla cautioning against them.
Or the relief they all had felt when they had found Lava Cave. Granted, entering it had been a matter of going from one extreme to another, but at least there had been some warmth. Just a temporary reprieve from all the cold. A cold which he thought should have made the whole mountain less hospitable to wildlife, but had seemingly just given rise to whole new forms of life. Dunban had even been able to help out some Nopon researchers maintain order in the mountain’s ecosystem.
But fascinating as all his memories of the place were, they paled in front of the things that happened while he was there. Setting foot in Ose Tower, the place where his parents died, for the first time in fourteen years. Having Fiora appear in front of him… or rather, this “Meyneth”. Finding out that Metal Face had in truth been Dunban’s old war buddy Mumkhar all along… and of course, meeting Egil, leader of Mechonis, for the first time.
Shulk sighed. There had been many hardships across his journey, that much was undeniable. But he had also been able to make many good memories. And now, that he regained so many of them, it made him even more certain of one thing.
He missed his friends.
But… since dwelling on that thought would have helped nothing, he put it away. Part of him felt guilty for thinking of all them far less these days. But if he didn’t, then he would just hurt. Until he found a way home, there was nothing he could do about it, anyway.
He could do something for others, though – like Lucina. And a few days after they left Ylisstol, he got the opportunity to do just that.
A village somewhere in northern Ylisse
The inn that they were staying at could charitably be described as appropriate for the village that it belonged to. Which was to say, small, shabby, and too unremarkable to even need a name. If you were heading for a village or an inn in these parts, you could only be referring to one thing. So why even bother coming up with a name? There was work to do which was more important.
But since they were only staying for one night, it would suffice. And at least people in this village had a good idea on what sorts of food actually energized you to do the gruelling tasks that every day. The taste was something that could be… argued about, but at least they could be certain that they would have the strength to walk most of the day tomorrow.
(Even if only to get as far away from the place where this passed for food as possible.)
While they were eating, Lucina was idly reading through that notebook for hers again. In all the time that he had known her, Shulk had seen her pull it out a lot. Around the time that they had first met, she had often studied it intensely, and usually just before she had told him where they would go next.
But since the two of them had reunited recently, the way in which she looked at it had… changed somewhat. Before, she had always seemed to be carefully reading every page, often spending several minutes on just one before turning it. Now however, she was just leafing through it absent-mindedly, sometimes turning back pages and stopping at one at random to stare at it wistfully.
Shulk recalled that written down in this notebook was a timeline of events that described the history of Lucina’s future. How things had gone so wrong, gotten so terrible that the only hope left to her was to cross time and return to the past in the hope of preventing these events altogether. She had mentioned to him that this written timeline was what she had been following initially to decide where and how to intervene. But now that the war between Ylisse and Plegia had been resolved peacefully and history’s course had been altered, it just wasn’t useful anymore.
There had to be more to it, though! If this notebook had truly already fulfilled its purpose, then she would not have clung to it this much. Even if Shulk admittedly wasn’t the best at reading people (to put it mildly) he was able to tell this much.
He glanced at the Monado resting by his side. He had always thought of it as a parting gift of his parents’… a memento, and his first and last homework assignment. A mystery, left by them for him to unravel.
So what was this notebook to her?
“Say… I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what are you doing?” he asked, keeping his voice just a bit low. The other villagers who were patronizing the inn were not close enough to really hear anything – while visitors were a rare enough sight and therefore inherently interesting, said visitors carrying weapons was enough of a reason to keep a respectful distance – but he still did not want to risk letting them hear anything they had no business knowing.
Lucina paused as she was turning a page, and looked vacantly at the notebook. Then, she let out a deep breath.
“I suppose just… hanging after some memories,” she said after a moment, still not looking at him.
“Bad ones?”
“No… no, I wouldn’t say so. Maybe in the sense of longing for that which is lost. But not a bitter memory.”
Shulk hummed. “That’s the history of your timeline, isn’t it? Are you thinking about the future that you came from?”
Lucina shut the book and put it down, looking at him. In the flickering light of the lanterns and candles that barely illuminated the nightly tavern, her normally blue eyes were like flames.
“Kind of,” she said quietly. She briefly averted her gaze, and hesitated for a moment. Then she met his eyes again, and slowly said, “… I’m thinking about my friends.”
“That’s… hm, what were their names again… Owain and Laurent. Right?”
Lucina nodded. “They did most of the work. But really, everyone pitched in. Everyone who was left.”
“You did say that Miriel was the mother of one of your friends…” Shulk said slowly, putting a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “Are all of them children of the current Shepherds?”
Lucina nodded again. “Yes. Laurent is the son of Miriel, for example. He’s a lot like her, so I think you would get along with each other pretty well. And Owain… he is the son of Lissa and Lon’qu.” She paused for a moment. “Didn’t I tell you about this before?”
“This is my first time hearing it. I suppose between having to adjust to a whole new world and helping you on your mission, I never really thought to ask you about people that aren’t actually around.”
“I can see that,” Lucina said, chuckling quietly. “But… yes. Many of the Shepherds that you have met are the parents of my friends. I suppose fighting side by side, making it through life and death situations… that’s the sort of thing that can really push people together.”
Saying this, she gave Shulk something that he could only classify as A Look. Feeling his cheeks get warm, he averted his gaze. Thankfully, she said nothing more on that.
“So… I already know a bit about Laurent and Owain. But who else is there?”
“Them included, there are- hold on…” she paused briefly, and counted quietly. “…twelve in total. Do you really want me to tell you about all of them in detail? We would be here a while.”
“Maybe not everything this evening,” Shulk conceded. “But maybe you could at least begin? We could when we’re on the road again tomorrow.”
Lucina raised her eyebrows bemusedly. “Why the sudden interest?”
Shulk sighed. “It’s just… you already know so much about the people in my life. You have seen them for yourself in the memories that this A has shown to you. But I don’t really know anyone that is important to you, except for your parents.” He paused, considered what he had just said, and then added, “Kind of.”
“I suppose you’re right…” Lucina slowly said. She nodded. “I guess we have something to talk about these coming days, then. That should give us something to pass the time.”
“Oh, mind you! Only if you want to. And if it doesn’t bring up any painful memories.”
“Huh? Why should it?” Lucina asked, tilting her head.
Shulk hesitated. “I mean… your friends, they aren’t… aren’t they… you know…?”
Evidently, Lucina didn’t. She just furrowed her brows. “Aren’t what? Speak, Shulk! Or do I need to get somebody to interpret for me?”
“Oh, alright. Aren’t they dead?” he asked. Lucina’s eyes widened, and the confusion lifted from her face. Hastily, Shulk added, “I mean, since you haven’t really talked about them, and they aren’t with you, I thought-”
But before he could actually fully form a proper sentence, Lucina started to giggle.
“Ahh, I can see why you would think that. Uhm… sorry about that. I probably should have been clearer. No, as far as I know, they are still alive. They travelled back to the past together with me.”
“Then why…?”
“Transcending the bounds of time is a tricky business, even for the goddess Naga,” Lucina explained. “While she was able to guarantee that we would end up at roughly the time that we needed to, she was certain that we would not all end up at the same place, let alone at the same time. So… we made a decision. I alone would work towards changing, whereas all the others… they would simply make the most of where and when they ended up. After everything that we have lived through, I felt that they deserved to spend some time in just relative peace. Especially with the risk of us undoing our own existence with my mission.”
Shulk thought about this. “Do you know where they are, then?”
“How should I? I have been so focussed on my mission that I didn’t really have the time to search, let alone listen for clues on their whereabouts. And they practically swore that they would not search for me in turn.”
“But… we’ve had months where all we could do was wait for the next thing to happen. And you’re really content with just knowing that they are out there, but you can’t see them?” Shulk said in a quiet voice.
Lucina let out a small gasp. Whatever she was thinking now, he could not tell. “I… I have to be content with it. The world is not yet saved. I just can’t allow myself this kind of distraction. I mean, how would I know if something were to threaten father and the Shepherds while I was away, and unable to…”
Her voice faltered. The look on her face now made it clear that she had started to realise what it was she was actually arguing… and in what context. Before she could say anything else, Shulk reached out, and took her hands.
“Lucina… look. I’m truly grateful to have you, and I don’t want to part ways with you again for as long I’m here. But I am all alone in this world. Every person that has ever mattered to me is entirely beyond my reach right now. So to see you just ignore any chance that you have to find that matter to you… it doesn’t sit right with me. Please – once we have seen what this vision of mine is about. Let me help you find your friends!”
In the light of the candles and the lanterns, Shulk could see a wet shimmer in her eyes. When at last Lucina did react, it was something between a quiet laugh and a sob. She pulled out one of her hands from under his, and put it on them.
“How can I say no to that? Let’s do it, then. We’ll take this sword before they can get it, gather my friends, and then seize our destiny. That’s how you would put it. Right?”
“It’s how Dunban would put it, at least. But it’s not wrong! We’ll seize our destiny – together.”
The other patrons, who had been eyeing the two of them from the corner of their visions with some curiosity all nodded to each other sagely. They had been out of earshot of the two, but most of them who were at a tavern at this time of day were the ones all too familiar with this sort of sight. Even if in their own lives, this sort of spark was long since gone, they remembered all too well what it was like.
Accordingly, the villagers present had their own thoughts as to what the two would do once they withdrew for the night. Whether or not these thoughts were actually accurate was another matter.
Colony 9 - Dunban and Fiora's House
“Here ya go, Fiora. These should be enough for a start.”
“You know Reyn, you could have just put them down on the nightstand, instead of just tossing them on my bed…” Fiora said somewhat irritably.
“Eh, coulda,” Reyn conceded, scratching the back of his head. “But I figured that you’d want to get started right away, what with you still being stuck in bed for most a the day and whatnot.”
In spite of herself, Fiora grinned, and picked up the weight. “Well, you got that right, at least,” she said, and began lifting it with her right arm. Her atrophied muscles immediately felt like they were on fire, and she thought that she could barely get the thing off her bed, but still managed. She’d have a long road ahead of her.
“You’re wrong about me being stuck in bed, though,” she said conversationally as Reyn watched her proudly. “Sharla has been able to find a new remedy that’s working wonders. I just started taking it the other day, and I can already walk around just fine. Still not as much as I normally can, or would like to, but it’s progress.”
“Oh, thank Bionis for that. Can’t wait for you to be well enough to actually do stuff outside again,” Reyn said earnestly. “Much fun as it is to hang out with the guys from the Defence Force, I miss having you and Shulk around.”
Fiora hummed. On some level she really did appreciate that Reyn didn’t beat around the bush, and just freely mentioned Shulk. They both knew just how much the other missed him, and they also knew each other well enough to know that any mention of him wouldn’t get them all quiet and solemn. In a way, Reyn really was as much of a brother to her as Dunban was, even if in different ways.
“Hey, it’s the same for me. I’d really rather be out there and see this new world we’ve created with my own eyes, and not just sit around in here while I hope that you guys find the time to drop by,” she said, giving her right arm a pause and starting with the left.
“Ah, sorry ‘bout that…” Reyn mumbled sheepishly. “’s just, between all the reconstruction and work for the Defence Force… and… Sharla. I just don’t really find anywhere near as much time to drop as I’d like.”
“Oh? So you’re finally admitting that things are getting somewhere with you and Sharla?” Fiora asked teasingly. But before he had the chance to start stuttering and explain whatever his perspective on his relationship to Sharla was at the moment, Fiora decided to have mercy and just changed the topic. “Anyway… you could just join her the next time she comes by to do a check-up on me.”
“I mean, yeah. But… I dunno, that’d be weird.”
“If you’re that awkward about it, you could just turn your back while she’s doing the actual check-up! And it’s not like that always takes forever,” Fiora joked.
“Eh… fine, I’ll think about it.”
Fiora laughed. “Now that’s more like it! But… yeah, I get spending time with the Defence Force. As soon as I get better, I also wanna do my part for it.”
“Huh? I thought you were all against joining the Defence Force. Why’re you up for it now?” Reyn asked, furrowing his brow.
“Reyn…” she sighed, “do you still remember what things were like when I was so vehemently against joining?”
“’Course I do! That was after the Battle of Sword Valley, when Dunban was still recovering, an’ ol’ Square-Tache basically knocked in your door getting you to take his place. Kept goin’ on about how since Dunban could use the Monado, chances were that you could as well, ‘n all.”
“Right,” Fiora said… and left it at that.
The word hung awkwardly in the air… until it dropped on Reyn’s head like the proverbial penny. His expression lit up, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head again.
“Right, right! Right. You had to take care of Dunban. Kept saying that since the Mechon were gone there was no pressin’ need for you to do anything, and that you didn’t want to risk him losin’ the last family he had. I remember.”
“See? You can work these things out if you put your mind to it.”
“Hey, can you blame me for having that slip my mind? Lotsa stuff has happened since then.”
“…No, I suppose I can’t,” Fiora conceded. “But… yeah. Dunban is up and about now, and even his arm seems to be getting a little better. And there’s no telling what sort of thing this new world has in store for us. I just want to do my part do defend it, since Shulk and the Monado aren’t here with us for now.”
“Yo, I was thinking the same thing! Actually…” he leaned in conspiratorially and continued in a whisper, “We still got these other Monado Replicas that Vanea built for Shulk. I been taking them to practice, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of ‘em.”
“You did?!” Fiora asked, pretending to be shocked. She still remembered all too well that Dunban had confided this exact thing to her just the other day… which was why she had brought it up in the first place. “Now that you mention it… once I’m in a shape to do it, I need to give them a try myself. Since I had Meyneth’s Monado for a while, I do have some experience at least.”
“Nice! Think you could help me, then?” Reyn asked eagerly.
“Sure! Actually, if you could bring them to me once I’m in good enough shape to train with a weapon again…?” she asked, letting the sentence trail off. But for Reyn, she had said enough.
“Aw yeah, I’d love to train together with ya! That’s gonna be awesome.”
“Then it’s a deal!” Fiora said, and raised her free hand to bump her fist against Reyn’s. He laughed heartily.
“Great. Y’know, I had considered askin’ Dunban about using the Monado Replicas, but I just got the feeling that he wouldn’t approve.”
Fiora said nothing, and just focussed on lifting the weights again. Reyn wasn’t wrong per se, but she thought it was better to not get too deep into what she did and didn’t know about the whole topic. Luckily for her, Reyn didn’t seem to suspect anything.
“So,” she said after a moment, “have you seen Riki and Melia recently? I haven’t really seen them since I got out of the chamber.”
“No surprise there,” Reyn said bemusedly, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair next to Fiora’s bed. “Riki’s got three whole new littlepon, and has been workin’ non-stop to get ‘em and all the other ones fed.”
“Mh. Yeah, I had heard about that. So nothing changed on that end. Is he even in the colony right now?”
“Hmm… don’t think so. Last I heard, he was back at Frontier Village.”
“Oh, that’s a shame…” Fiora sighed. “What about Melia, then? Last I heard, she was spending a lot of time with the High Entia survivors, but hasn’t revealed herself as their empress yet.”
Reyn nodded. “Yeah, that’s basically it, as far as I know. Gotta admit, I haven’t really seen her much myself either. Far as I can tell, she basically throwin’ herself at all kindsa work. If you ask me-”
“-she needs a break, but you don’t see her enough to pull her aside?”
“…Yeah!” Reyn said, raising his eyebrows. “How’d you know?”
“I had a hunch. Dunban basically said the same thing.”
“Ah. I see.” He paused. Then, he added, “It’s right, though… this all can’t be easy for her. We still got no idea where Alcamoth ended up, or any clue on how to turn them Telethia back. And then her father ‘n brother…”
Fiora nodded, and stared intently at the weight in her hands.
She really could not blame the others for not having the time to pull Melia aside. All seven of them were famous in the colonies, Frontier Village and the Machina Village, for having fought and defeated Zanza. Accordingly, all of them were heavily involved in all the various reconstruction efforts all over the world, leaving precious little time for themselves.
The only exception was Fiora herself.
So if no one else could do it… then she would have to be there for Melia.
Which was all the more reason to get her body into shape and leave the house again.
Colony 6 - Entrance
“And this should be the last of the Hode Planks. With this, we should be able to construct a few more sheds.”
“Ahh… thank you Miss Melia. If all survivors were as dedicated as you are, then I believe we would have built a new Alcamoth already,” Don Argentis said, directing some High Entia, Homs and Machina to unload the materials from the Armus that were carrying them. Melia meanwhile simply bowed.
“You overestimate my contributions, Sir Argentis. I am but another survivor doing her part. Without the Nopon Merchants trading with the Hodes, we would have been unable to secure the materials. I was merely acting as defence against potential monster attacks along the way.”
“Which is already more than most of us are capable of!” Don Argentis argued. “I have never been a fighter, and at this point I am too old to take up either blade or staff. Young folk like you, that can head out into the wilderness and gather the materials we need are vital indeed.”
“You are too kind…” Melia said in a small voice.
“Or perhaps you are too humble! Your parents truly had formidable foresight when they named you after the empress. You are a credit to the name.”
“I… thank you,” said Melia. Inside, her heart was screaming. But on the outside, she showed nothing at all. Being brought up as a member of the imperial bloodline had instilled in her the ability to keep her feelings to herself, an ability that she had come to value greatly.
“Now then,” Don Argentis said, clapping his hands. “I believe we should be able to take care of the rest. You must be exhausted from your travels. Why don’t you go to one of the restaurants? I can personally vouch for Talonyth – his cuisine is like a taste from home. It’s good enough to make you feel like you’re back at Alcamoth.”
Melia bowed again. “I shall consider your suggestion. Thank you.”
And with that, she headed further into Colony 6. Following its main street, she did head towards the Reconstruction HQ… but passed by Talonyth’s food stall without sparing it as much as a glance. Instead, she headed towards Hoko’s.
The last thing that she needed right now was to be reminded of Alcamoth.
It reminded her too much of everything else that she had lost.
Her father. Her brother. So many of her people. The city itself. And of course… Shulk.
It had all been well and good to tell herself that she had given up on him just before they went to face Zanza for their final battle. But just because her mind had made a decision, didn’t mean that her heart had gotten to that point as well.
She was not sure whether the fact that he currently was not anywhere in this world made this better or worse.
It was true, if he had been here, then he would be together with Fiora, and not her. But Fiora was a wonderful person, beautiful and kind. She would have deserved this. So to know that she was denied this joy as well… yes, perhaps it really did make this worse.
All Melia knew for certain was that she needed time for herself. Time to process things, time to come to terms with her feelings and her pain.
Whether doing that by isolating herself from her friends was a good idea or not… well, that was a different question. And one she also didn’t know the answer to.
It was as much an act of self-care then as it was a decision done for the sake of her people that she did not appear openly as the empress Melia Antiqua. With so much weighing on her mind and her heart, she could not in good conscience step out into the open and reveal herself as the hope of the High Entia. How could she be anyone’s hope, if she had none of her own?
The moment would come where she would fulfil her duty. Of that, there was no doubt in her.
But it would have to wait.
Wait while she remained incognito.
However long it took.
After her dinner at Hoko’s food stall, she headed to the room that Sharla had given her at the former Reconstruction HQ. It was a bit shabby, and hardly fit for an empress. But for right now… it was appropriate.