A woman with shoulder length blue hair dressed in clothing that would allow her freedom of movement was heading to the Outrealms, the hot springs to be more specific, ever since the death of the Fell Dragon Grima there hasn't been much to do, so this woman decided to see the world and help those that are in need. This woman is Lucina, the heiress to the Ylisse throne, after traveling back in time she and her friends as well as her father's group had successfully defeated Grima and had secured a future that will be prosperous but it was not without sacrifice [i]Gerome...[i] she thought sadly, the wyvern rider had died shortly after the two confessed their love for each other, he took an arrow to protect Lucina but was fatally wounded, the healers tried to save him but it was too late. A single tear fell down the young woman's face. No amount of consoling from anyone, from her friends and comrades to her own father, would ever truly quell the emptiness she now felt. She looked up to see that she had arrived at the Outrealm Gate and standing next to it was Anna, or at least one of her sisters.
"Welcome! How can I help you today?" Anna asks.
"I'm...going to the hot springs..." Lucina mumbled softly.
"Okay, here's your Outrealm Pass, be sure to return it when you return here." Anna said as Lucina steps through the portal "I wonder if I should've told her that the gate's been on the fritz? Nah, I'm sure that nothing's bad going to happen." Anna said as she daydreams of vast amounts of gold and get rich quick schemes.
Lucina noticed something seemed a little off about the portal...She couldn't quite put her finger on it, however... The moment she steps through the portal it was too late and she was spinning violently through it, soon it was too intense and she passed out from the trip.
The bluenette ended up dumped unceremoniously outside of the portal, in an entirely unfamiliar world...
"Oi! What's this then? Someone dressed in a costume?" a male's voice spoke leaning over the unconscious fighter, seeing as there was no one around the man gently picked up Lucina and heads to his car with the intent on taking the young woman to a nearby hospital. Lucina let out a subconscious groan at being picked up. The man spoke softly "It's okay I'm taking you to a hospital." the man spoke carrying her unconcerned with the weapon at her side thinking it was a prop.
And so...
Lucina groaned as her eyes opened. She winced and covered her eyes when she saw a bright light in front of her eyes. Lucina winces as she slowly sits up and when she sees a pair of tubes entering her arm she freaks out and starts to remove the offending tubes.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A man nearby exclaimed. "Easy there!" Lucina whips her head to see a young man in a white coat trying to calm her down.
"Who are you and where am I?" Lucina demanded.
"I'm a doctor, it's okay. You're in the hospital, getting treatment."
Lucina calms down a bit but is a bit wary of the man "And you are?" she asks him.
"My name is William Abernathy." the man said he looked to be in his mid twenties with black hair and blue eyes "Coincidentally, when we were examining you we noticed something about your left eye." the doctor said referring to Lucina's Mark of the Exalt that she inherited.
Lucina frowned and covered it with her hand. "Oh? Interesting..."
"Yes, I was wondering if you can tell me anything about it for your medical records." he asks.
"It's a birthmark, the location varies, my father's is on his right forearm and my aunt had hers on her forehead. What do you mean by medical records?" she asks him.
"You know...Your medical history. Care or treatments you've received in the past."
"I'm afraid I don't have any." Lucina replied.
"I see...You've never been to a hospital, then?"
"I haven't. I've been...lucky..."
"Okay then, I suppose that we'll have to fill out the proper forms here. Your name please?" he asks.
"Lucina."
"And your last name?"
Lucina paused for a moment before answering "Naga." she replied in honor of the Divine Dragon. And so the questions continued, some of them were easy to fill out but others like her date of birth she could not claiming partial amnesia. Soon enough, the Q & A ended.
"Well from what we saw, you are suffering from partial amnesia, you said you had no idea how you wound up in that field alone right?" William asks, Lucina nods in confirmation "Well aside from a minor concussion you seem to be in perfect health. You're free to go." he said handing her a bag "Here are your clothes and your personal affects are on the table." he said before pulling out a card "This is my card, call the number if you have any questions." he said before leaving Lucina alone to change. The young woman sighed in relief when she put her clothes back on. It was a relief to be out of that uncomfortable hospital gown...Now this begged the question...Where in the world was she?
Eleven months later...
Lucina looked outside and it looked that today was going to be bitterly cold, she got dressed and headed outside the apartment building she was staying at, she shivered a bit 'By naga, this place is as fierce as a Ferox winter, and twice as fierce...' Lucina thought as she was headed towards her job as a sales clerk, she looks to her left and decides to cut through the park having used this route a few times in the past when she wanted to arrive early. Lucina began to think about her friends back in Ylisse and how she managed to adapt in the eleven months she had been here.
She smiled as she remembered Robin had worked painstakingly to find a way to communicate with her. It had worn her out, but she was grateful that her friends all knew that she was okay, and living a relatively peaceful life.
Flashback, four months prior...
Lucina groaned at the amount of groceries that she is forced to carry into her apartment, with a "Umpth" she deposits the food on the table and began the long process of putting the food in the refrigerator "I swear these people eat way too much." Lucina frowned at seeing a heavily overweight man, his horse-like wife and son making a spectacle of themselves in the grocery store she was shopping in. She sighed and shook her head, stepping away from the annoying family. She had been in the dairy section...when she felt something lightly bump into her. Blinking, she turned to see a small child with black hair and thick, breaking glasses looking up at her nervously, holding a tub of ice cream. Before she could say anything the walrus of a man called out "Boy get that ice cream here now!" and the boy ran off like he was afraid for his life, Lucina scowled at the actions of the man.
"Excuse me sir." Lucina spoke to the man.
"Oh! Erm...Yes?" Vernon replied as he turned to the bluenette.
"I was curious as to that child you just yelled at." she tells him.
"Well, you see...I'm just having a stressful day." Vernon replied. "I got demoted at work today."
"Really? Still it is no excuse to vent your frustration out on him." Lucina said frowning.
Vernon's face turned purple for a moment, then he plastered on a smile. "Right you are." He replied. "I'm sorry, Harry." He placed a very firm hand on the little boy's shoulder. Lucina didn't fully notice, but Harry shuddered in pain at the contact.
"Something about that man irritates me to no end." Lucina muttered as she finishes placing food in the cupboards she heads to the door and look at the pile of mail that she received. The young woman frowned and knelt down, picking one out of the pile. "Let's see, bill, bill, advertisement, magazine subscription?" Lucina looked at the name of the magazine company and immediately blushed deeply before throwing the subscription away. "D-Doesn't seem to be anything of interest..." All of a sudden there was a brilliant flash of light and when it faded there was a large mirror standing in the living room. Lucina covered her eyes at the flash, then looked at the mirror. "What in the world...?"
"Hello! Hello! Is this thing on?" a very familiar voice spoke 'It can't be!' Lucina thought in shock.
The young woman sprinted to the mirror and pressed her hands against it. "Robin?!"
The image of her reflection changed into that of Robin's "Thank Naga you're alright!" Robin said happily.
"Oh my goodness, Robin! How are you doing this?! How did you find me?!"
"We had some help from Naga and Palutena." Robin replied.
"Palutena? Who's that?" Lucina asks.
"A good friend of Naga's." Robin replied. "But enough of that...Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine."Lucina then filled in Robin about what has happened to her since her arrival in this strange new world "So how long will it be before you can help me?" Lucina asks.
Robin sighed and shook her head. "We...honestly don't know..." She replied.
Lucina deflated at that "Is there anything you can do then?" Lucina asks.
Robin shook her head. "I used up a massive amount of magic just delivering this mirror to you...Be grateful that we can at least stay in contact with one another."
Lucina sighs "Well at least I can keep in contact with everyone. That's better than worrying about them." Lucina said.
Robin noticed how Lucina was acting "Thinking about Gerome?" robin guessed. Lucina looked away sadly. Robin nodded. "...Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucina sighs "I don't know if I'll able to Robin. We had just admitted that we were perfect for each other when he was struck down." Lucina said with tears starting to flow from her eyes "How is his mom taking it?" she asks the Tactician.
"Cherche? Her heart was broken...Now that she's given birth to Gerome in our own timeline, she refuses to leave his side...If she can't be near him, she gets Minerva or Virion to stay with him..."
"Maybe the Lucina of the here and now and that Gerome will lead the life he and I could never have." Lucina said.
"Perhaps..." Robin agreed. Her eyes brightened. "Would you like me to go and get your parents? They've been beside themselves with worry about you."
"I would like that." Lucina responded.
"Then I'll go get them." Robin left the room to inform Chrom and Sumia their daughter had been found.
End flashback...
Lucina smiled at the memory as she was walking carefully to avoid slipping on the ice.
Unfortunately, her little trip to memory lane had distracted her for a brief moment. That moment was enough for her to step on a small patch of ice and stumble forward, getting her upper torso stuck in a snowbank near a small park. Lucina groaned seeing as this would be the third time this month this has happened. The bluenette sighed from within her snowy imprisonment. It seemed the snow had it out for her, as she found herself falling into it in various positions quite a lot...Oh well...Time to get out now... Unbeknownst to her, a familiar little boy was watching her plight... Lucina was startled when she felt a small pair of hands grab her boot and was trying to pull her out of the confining snowbank. The little boy who had seen her was very kindhearted, and couldn't sit by while the woman was stuck in the snow. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to pull her out, and all he succeeded in doing was falling on his seat. The child looked down, feeling guilty he couldn't help, then shivered from the cold air. Lucina was curious as to who was pulling her foot, so she decided it was high time she pulled herself a might push Lucina manages to force herself out of the snowbank, she turned to see her would-be rescuer but to her surprise it was the child that bumped into her four months ago.
The young woman tilted her head and smiled. "Oh...Hello there." She said gently. Harry hesitated before responding.
"Um...H-Hi..."
"Were you the one that tried to pull me out?" Lucina asks him, nervously Harry nods "Even though you couldn't I appreciate the gesture." She noticed the state the child is in "What are you doing out here dressed like that?" she asks him.
Harry looked down at his oversized t-shirt and shivered. "I-It's the only clothes I have...U-Uncle Vernon says he can't afford to buy me better ones..."
Those words set off warning bells in Lucina's head "How about we get out of this cold, okay?" Lucina said gently.
Harry looked up at her. "B-But I can't leave the park...Any further is too far from home..." Lucina frowned, then knelt down, pulled off her cape, and wrapped it around the little boy's tiny body, hoping it would do the trick.
"It's the least I can do since you tried to help me." Lucina said.
Harry smiled at her and snuggled into the fabric. "Th-Thank you...It's...It's really w-warm..." He said softly.
"My name is Lucina, and you are?" Lucina asks the child.
"Um...I...I'm Harry..." The child replied timidly, the lower part of his face hidden in Lucina's cape. Lucina reached down and picks up Harry, he automatically hugs her allowing the warmth to be shared between the two.
Lucina let out a soft giggle at the cuddly gesture and rubbed the back of his head. "You're really quite adorable."
"N-no I'm not, I'm a freak." Harry said shocking Lucina.
"What...?" She said softly. Harry covered his mouth. "Why would you say such an awful thing about yourself...?"
"I-I'm not supposed to say." Harry stuttered. Lucina frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him...only for her eyes to widen in surprise as he let out a cry of pain. Lucina carefully removed the over sized sweatshirt to reveal he was wearing just that and a pair of shorts that were too big on his tiny frame but what she focused on was what she sees on Harry.
Her eyes widened when she saw the bruises, bumps, lacerations, and burns all over his body. What really got to her, however, were his shoulders, which were missing massive swathes of skin, revealing patches of flesh and even a little bit of raw muscle. She swore she could even see a little bone poking out...
How he was even able to stand was beyond her...He was truly a strong child...
'I'll have to talk to Robin and ask her for a few items that I left behind.' Lucina thought darkly as she carries Harry to her apartment also making a mental note to use a sick day to help Harry.
"H-Huh? Wh-Where are you taking me?!" Harry began to panic. "I can't go with you! My uncle will kill me! Please put me down, I don't want him to be mad at me!"
"Harry, your uncle is not going to know about this, I promise." Lucina said 'Not now anyway.' Lucina thought as she planned to bring his uncle to justice, sure killing him is tempting but she was taught to be better than that.
"But he'll be home any minute!" Harry was in hysterics now. "He'll make me drink the chemicals or burn me on the stove again, or-" His eyes widened. "NO! I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL ANYONE THAT!" Tears began to stream down his face and he began thrashing in her grip. "PLEASE PUT ME DOWN! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" He was crying audibly at this point. "PLEASE LET ME GO! P-Please..." He was now hurting to much to struggle, and all he could do was cry helplessly. Lucina saw that she had no choice but to pinch his neck in a certain spot to render him unconscious, she learned the trick from Mirel when talking with her one day about incapacitating enemies. Lucina placed her fingers on the spot and applied enough pressure that soon enough Harry's eyes rolled back and he became unconscious. She felt absolutely terrible doing it to him, but she was going to need him to remain still as she tended to his wounds at her home. Soon Lucina returned to her apartment carrying Harry in tow she heads to the mirror that was in the living room "Robin! I need your help!" Lucina calls out. The mirror turned on, and Robin stepped forward, wearing her nightgown, looking tired.
"What is it Lucina?" Robin asks tiredly.
"Robin...Is there a way you can send me healing materials?" She gestured to Harry's who's injuries were on full display.
Robin was now fully awake and in business mode "I'll have one of the Shepherds fetch me some supplies and I'll send them to you, what in Naga's name happened to that child?" Robin said seriously.
"I have very good reason to believe he's being abused by his relatives." Lucina spat, remembering the obese man from the grocery store.
"So what are you going to do?" Robin asks.
"I'm going to make sure the proper justice is inflicted." Lucina replied. "I'll get that man imprisoned if it's the last thing I ever do."
"From what you informed me about this world that's easier said than done. You can't force him to confess and if you do then you'll be in the hot seat." Robin tells her.
"Then what would you suggest I do?" Lucina asked.
"You need to show them the injuries first, before treating them." Robin replied.
"As much as I want to disagree with you, you have a point, I'll call the police and explain to them what happened minus contacting you." Lucina said.
Robin nodded. "Good luck, Lucina. I'll have the potions ready by tomorrow."
"Thanks." Lucina said before Robin's image fades, she heads to the phone and called the police and explained the situation, moments later they arrived.
"Hello there, Miss Naga." The officer said. "We received your call."
"Thank you, he's right here asleep. I'm afraid that I had to render him unconscious when he was being hysterical." Lucina explained.
The officer nodded in understanding. "We'll have to take him to the station to verify where the wounds came from..."
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asks the officer.
"Yes we do need to verify your story and what happened." the officer said.
Lucina nodded. "All right. ...But I have a request."
"Name it."
"I want legal custody of this boy afterwards."
"That's not my call Miss Naga it'll be up to the courts to decide but you can file for the right to be his guardian while we're at the station." the officer explained.
"I see." Lucina replied with a nod.
"Let me carry him." The officer said. "Wouldn't want you carelessly slipping, now, would we?" He joked. Lucina had a bad feeling he had jinxed her... But handed him Harry regardless. The officer stepped out the door, and Lucina followed, stepping carefully. It would be a highly inappropriate time to-
The instant she set foot on the steps outside, she slipped on a patch of ice and rolled down the stairs like a wheel, eventually hitting a snowbank and ending up with her legs sticking out of the top. The officer raised an eyebrow at the muffling that was heard, no doubt if Lucina was heard there would be several new curse words added to the dictionary, the officer grabs Lucina's legs and with an easy pull frees her from the snowbank.
Lucina glares at the snowbank as though it was sentient "I swear mother nature loves to screw me over somehow." Lucina said bitterly.
The officer raised a brow. "Well, seems you have a spot of bad luck with winter..." Lucina glares at the officer but doesn't say anything, she enters the back of the cruiser where Harry was sleeping, Lucina gently runs her fingers through his hair.
She climbed into the seat next to him, looked at him for a moment, then scooped him into her arms, holding him in her lap. She buckled her seatbelt as the car took off. She chuckled remembering her first time in a car when she had first entered this world...
But that was a story for another time. Right now, she needed to stay focused on getting the little boy in her lap healed up and in her care.
Soon they arrived at the police station and Harry was carried to the medical examiner. Lucina had been incredibly reluctant to put him down, but she knew she had to. As the doctor examined Harry she could not help but feel anxious about the whole situation, but she couldn't help but feel that everything will be alright.
If she did get him into her custody, she would care for him with everything she had.