B Rank:

Inigo was the first to notice it.

Well, perhaps that wasn't exactly the truth. He knew he saw it, but didn't know if anyone else saw it as well, so he couldn't just say he was the first to see it.

Perhaps it would be wisest to say that he started to notice it.

Lucina was beginning to smile.

It wasn't the biggest of smiles, and it certainly wasn't present at all times. Nor was it a truly happy smile. At most it was an upturning of lips caused by relief and it was only there some of the time. After all, the world was bleak. Grima's influence was rampant and their recent attempt at acquiring the sacred items for the Awakening was cut short before the mission even began.

But it was there, and he considered that progress at least. Now if only he could get her to smile at him, without the tickling or the face pulling. He did like his hands attached to his wrists, after all.

He noticed that her smile was directed mostly at two others, namely Laurent and Gerome. The ever bookish mage somehow caught her attention with his studious goal of making sure that each and every member of their group was at their top shape. And he himself appreciated Laurent's services as well, so it was natural that Lucina would smile at him, not to mention his magely capabilities on the battlefield.

Gerome, on the other hand, was a little more enigmatic. He was more selective in his services, mainly offering a hand to Noire when it came to supplies and a few spare pointers to Kjelle in her lance work. However, his prowess on the battlefield was what made him. Riding high atop of Minerva, he would land crushing blows on the most stalwart of targets. Not even Lucina's fighting ability could match him when it came to a bout of raw and unbridled power. His reliability in that regard was like no other.

Inigo could see why Lucina would start to smile, if only a little bit, at the other two. But it was unfair. He, who so desperately wanted to see her be genuinely happy, was being offered none of it. And it wasn't like he was making fun of Lucina for her constantly grave demeanor, he was just seeking to make fun! Surely he was misunderstood when it came to trying to brighten the mood.

Still though, he found himself smiling less and less.

It was not that he disliked his companions in this treacherous world. In fact, he had saved them as many times as they saved him and he was more than grateful for their company, even if Laurent often spoke in words longer than he had fingers, and he had all ten of them. Ten fingers! No word should be longer than ten fingers! And though his conversations with Gerome had a shorter lifespan than anything sweet in Cynthia's pack, who swore she picked up her habit from her father, his presence was at least comforting in that both knew the other wasn't dead, and that in itself was a blessing.

It was just that it frustrated him to no end that she would smile and speak with those two who paid little attention to-

Wait.

A troubling thought came to Inigo's mind. What if those two were paying such a mind to Lucina? He had hoped he was alone in his pursuit, but given the circumstances, he could see how the young lord was capable of gathering a following. Her constant hope of finding a way out of the darkness and the way she put others before herself were endearing traits like no other.

Of course! How could he have been so foolish to think that he was the only one after her hand? Perhaps the other two even noticed his attempts and began other paths of wooing her, seeing that his attempts at cheering her up only resulted in nearly being shamed in front of the camp.

He wanted a reason that Lucina would smile at him for, a reason that she could be happy and proud for and over him.

But it looked like dancing was out of the question. His whole man-in-a-box routine went unappreciated, and anything else was… well… that was a… er…

A-Anyway, he had to think of something, but at the same time, he had to see if the other two had the same idea in mind…

When Laurent was approached by Inigo, the mage wondered just what was going through the swordsman's mind.

Actually, wait, no.

Inigo did not approach him. It was he who approached Inigo. It was his personal duty after all, especially since the next morning they were due to jump back in time. Everyone must be prepared to their fullest. Armors checked, wounds examined, weapons sharpened, everything had to be ready for every possible outcome.

When Inigo told Laurent to meet him just a little north of the camp after he completed his rounds for the night, he wondered just what was going through his mind.

There, that was the right way to phrase it.

Inigo had seemed somewhat peculiar in the past few days. Though he still smiled willy-nilly and in general was a jovial fellow, something had seemed off. When he thought that no one was watching, he would stare far into the distance at times, as if lost in thought. It was a rare occurrence to see him like that.

Was the matter serious? Had Laurent failed to pick up on his anxiety? Or perhaps Inigo was not appreciating his constant check-ups?

And so after checking up on Cynthia, informing her for the umpteenth time to actually eat something aside from sweets (how she kept finding them had even him puzzled, as candy in this time of life was a rarity), he made his way to the northern part of the camp, looking for Inigo.

Tents were in short supply. Given that anything resembling a processed product was practically impossible to acquire sans luck, it was difficult to purchase more.

Not to mention that gold had lost all its value except for the most diehard of moneymongers.

And thus Gerome was forced to share a tent with Inigo and Brady. With the priest out taking care of the injuries among them with a salvaged healing staff, it left him with – he cringed – the philanderer, who had just come back from his check-up with Laurent.

But Inigo had been quiet as of late, recently just lying on his bedroll and staring endlessly into the tent canopy. It was odd, but he appreciated the silence nonetheless. It made their way of life actually livable.

And then Inigo got up.

"Come, Gerome," the swordsman said as he moved towards the tent flap.

Had it been any regular occurrence, he would have refused. "Why?"

"It's about Lucina." With no more than that, Inigo was gone.

Did Inigo notice something that he overlooked? For a moment, he ignored it, brushing aside the comment. After all, the last time he had been forced into going along with Inigo he had to watch the floozy go skirt chasing with him as the unfortunate accomplice.

But the man's countenance bothered him.

His hand on his axe, he followed the man as they traveled to the northern side of the camp.

"Gerome?" the blonde mage thought he would be meeting Inigo alone.

"Laurent?" for a rare moment Gerome had a genuine look of confusion.

"Excellent, we are all here now," Inigo started. The three of them stood at the edge of the encampment in the ruins of a fort, tall trees dotting the grounds around them. What they were doing was technically against their own rules, but this was the only way where anyone was capable of having any privacy.

"Inigo, what's going on?"

"No doubt you have your questions, Laurent, but everything will be laid out shortly."

"Inigo," the masked rider growled, "did you bring me here for a pointless game?"

"You could say that, though I would call it far from pointless."

Gerome started to leave.

"But I was not lying when I said it was about Lucina."

Gerome turned back around and Laurent looked at Inigo intently. He liked their reactions. It meant that he was probably on the right track.

"Before we begin, I say we lay out some ground rules. We speak truthfully to each other, we withhold no answers when asked questions, and what we say here must not leave this circle, at least until tomorrow morning," he looked at each of them. "Do I have your word?"

"Is she in some sort of danger?" the mage asked, no doubt bothered by the possibility that he may have missed something over someone so important.

"Your word, gentlemen?" Inigo pressed.

"Very well, then," Laurent said, "You have my word."

Inigo turned to Gerome.

"So be it."

He smiled. "Now that we have the necessities out of the way, it's time to discuss the matter at hand." He looked at both of them. "When it comes to Lucina, what is it that we want for her?" Though he had planned this whole piece out days in advance, he still found it necessary to speak carefully.

"To succeed in this damnable war," the masked rider spat out. "But isn't that obvious?"

"True. That is what each of us wants," Laurent chimed in.

"Perhaps my question was not quite clear enough," Inigo calmly smiled. "Gerome, what do you want to be for Lucina? What do you feel would make this world more bearable for her?"

"… Someone strong and reliable to ensure victory."

"And you, Laurent?" Inigo turned to the mage.

"Someone who can take care of all of the little things so she can focus on the larger tasks at hand."

"And for me," Inigo concluded, "someone who can continue to give her hope, a reason for her to lift the mighty Falchion and press for victory. Now, for our second question: which of us here wishes to see her be happy? That she could forget the turmoil and strife we live in and simply rest in the respite?"

Laurent visibly stiffened. Gerome took a deep breath.

He looked at both of them in the eye. "If we were in a world without Grima, a world where a semblance of culture and structure exists, who here would ask for Lucina's hand in marriage? To seek and make her happy for the rest of her days?"

He raised his own hand. Laurent, the youngest of the three, fidgeted a little before sheepishly nodding his head. "I suppose it is only natural. Her courage in facing the burden she carries is endearing."

"This is foolish," Gerome said. "Do you seek to delude yourselves? Do you not see the world around us? What we wish for is an impossible notion."

"But if such a world existed, would you resign yourself to the hope of companionship with Lucina?"

The rider scoffed, his lips frowning. Eventually he spoke. "So here we are, then. Three fools who wish to earn Lucina's hand in sacred matrimony, a concept I thought was lost on you, Inigo. Is this all you wanted to know?"

He brushed aside the insult. "Peace, Gerome. I had an inkling and I merely needed to confirm it. But now that I know that we are indeed the fools you say we are, allow me to draw your attention to the opportunity that is now open to us." He leaned against one of the trees in the area. "Once we dive into the realm of the past and achieve victory, this time of ours is averted, and, like I said earlier, we will be in a world without Grima. Things are going to be very, very different compared to how it is now. I expect food would be plentiful and gold pieces will be worth a damn."

"The point is that upon victory, we will have attained the world we all want. All we would need to complete it would be to have Lucina at our side and for us to stand at hers."

"You seem optimistic," Laurent said, "How do you know we will even survive to see it?"

"That's the thing, Laurent. There is no doubt that the trials before us will be great," Inigo wore a small smile. "Though I would love to believe that we will all make it through unscathed, I know that it is highly unlikely."

Silence fell among the three. Not only did he raise the point that the three of them were vying for Lucina, but the task at hand was daunting.

"Gerome, Laurent, I propose a game, one that will not only provide such a priceless reward, but, more importantly, the hope we need to ensure that that Lucina achieves victory." Inigo began to pace. "The rules are simple. The next morning, we each announce to Lucina that we seek her hand in marriage. Then we each present her with a gift for her travels. After that, whoever is still alive when Grima is slain will be determined the winner, assuming they still seek her hand. Naturally, should there be more than one eligible victor, the final decision will rest upon Lucina. But the chance of that happening is low."

"A tontine bet," the mage trailed off. "Except instead of waiting for death at old age, survival of the fittest would appear to be the judge of this contest. But how will we determine the order of the gifting?" Laurent said.

Inigo smiled and reached into his pockets. He pulled out a pair of dice, placing one into the hands of the others before pulling out another for himself. "We shall cast our lots with this."

"Look at you two," said Gerome, his hand closing around the die. "Am I the only one who does not agree with this?"

Inigo looked towards the rider. "Then would you agree to give up your chance with Lucina?"

The rider's mouth was shut.

"Remember, Gerome, when we go back we will be in a whole new world. There's going to be many unfamiliar things. We may even see our parents, if the timing is right. And if we work and fight hard for what matters the most, we will have our chance. You, Gerome, boast physical strength beyond any of us and thus have the highest possibility of surviving." Inigo stared straight into the horizontal slits of his mask. "Toss your lot with us, Gerome. Each of us deserves at least a little hope in our lives, after all."

"Indeed," the mage adjusted his glasses, "As ill-suited our predicament may be, the hope it gives us would no doubt bolster our resolve to change this world we inhabit for the better. However, I believe we require more rules than just that, Inigo."

"Speak! I am open to any rules. So long as we all agree upon it, then it is fair game."

"For starters, we may not duel each other. That would be counterproductive towards our ultimate goal of a brighter future, and I'm sure Lucina would not be happy over it. Also, we may not give rings when it comes to the gifts. It is our only way of proving to our parents that we are their children, after all."

"A fair reason. Anything you wish to add, Gerome?"

The rider thought for a final moment in his own secluded mind, no doubt struggling with himself.

"The gift we give must be a personal possession. Aside from that, I have no additions to make."

Inigo smiled at his response. "Naturally. I can think of no other way. Come early morn, we shall ask her to meet us here at the edge of the camp, where we shall each proclaim our intent and adorn Lucina with gifts. Then we allow fate to run its course."

"Now, I believe we have dice to roll."

On the count of three, Gerome, Laurent, and Inigo rolled to see who would present their gifts first.

On the count of three, they rolled for hope.

"Owain, I am not your silver-haired boon companion. Call me that again and you'll regret it."

Severa's tongue was extra sharp this morning, Lucina thought.

"But we are boon companions, don't you see?" Owain continued, obviously undeterred, "We have been tasked by the Exalt to escort her to the northern side of the ruins, her fated meeting place! Boon companions in duty we are, and a faithful job we shall do! It will be like the legend of the Green Knight and the Red Knight, faithful retainers of the Royal Plainswoman! And because of their colors, we must have colors as well!"

Severa did not act upon her threat. Then again she almost never did.

But Lucina was deep in thought over the events of the morning, mostly ignoring the antics of her friend and her cousin.

The first to visit her was Laurent. As she prepared the last strap on her boots and stepped out of the tent, she was greeted by the mage. As he normally met with each person at night to go over their performance for the day, it was surprising to see the man so early in the morning. She was expecting to hear more from him, but all the young man said was to meet him at the northern side of camp after breakfast, taking Owain and Severa with her for protection.

And then Gerome approached her as she was making her initial rounds through the camp. At first, she was almost shocked to see him. Gerome rarely approached anyone. "Come to the northern side of camp after breakfast and bring Owain and Severa with you," was all the man said before turning to head north, the same direction that Laurent did. She didn't even get the opportunity to say that Laurent was going to be there as well.

And then not long after, Inigo found her preparing the early morning fire.

"Lucina! It is good to see you!"

She remembered her own wariness of him that morning when she saw him. Inigo was one of the later risers of the camp, and it took the man even longer to prepare. That morning he was fully decked in his armor and weaponry.

"It is rare to see you up so early, Inigo. Is something the matter?"

"Well, you see, there is something important that I must share with you. Please come to the-"

"Northern side of the ruins after breakfast?"

"Oh, excellent! And be sure to bring-"

"Owain and Severa?"

"Perfect!" the man beamed, "It would appear that Laurent or Gerome has already spoken with you."

"…Inigo, has some kind of illness befallen you three?"

"You could say such, but it will all make so much more sense later. We shall see you soon."

And so here she was, marching with Owain and Severa to the northern side of the ruins. She could only hope that whatever reason they were gathering for, it was not something foolish.

Granted, Inigo was there. That was almost always grounds for something foolish.

"Lucina, tell me again why you, me, and your cousin are heading this way?" Severa jarred her from the events of the morning.

"I honestly cannot say. I was approached by Laurent, Gerome, and Inigo and all three of them asked that I see them after breakfast and to bring you two with me."

"Ugh," she groaned. "Of all days, why do they have to bring it up on the day we planned to travel back in time?"

Lucina remained silent the rest of the way. As they rounded the final corner, she spotted the three young men, milling about.

She gave a huff. "You three better have a good reason to be separated from the rest of us. You know it's against camp rules to be away like this."

"Ah, Lucina!" Inigo spoke first and she bit her lip. "You have finally come."

"Yes, I'm here and your ruse is up. What going on here, exactly? Why are you three so far from camp on your own? Why did each of you approach me this morning?"

"Well, you see," Inigo faltered a moment under her berating tone and ran a hand through his black hair nervously, but he pushed on. "There is, perhaps, no real easy way to say this." He took a breath, let it out, and looked her in the eye.

"The three of us, Gerome, Laurent, and I, wish to court you."

Severa's mouth hung open.

Lucina could not believe her ears.

Only Owain seemed to be overjoyed. "A ray of light in the darkness around us! That I would be witness to such a proclamation of love in this bleak era! I never would have known it to be!"

"Oh, shut up, Owain!" Severa roughly slapped his shoulder, but it did not stop him from continuing.

"Imagine that! My own cousin at the heart of three suitors! Why, it is as if I am in the Legend of Roy, where towards end of his journey he was forced to choose a wife amongst several candidates!" Owain braced Lucina's shoulders and gently shook them. "Pick wisely, brave Lucina!"

"I am not picking anything!" Lucina shouted, roughly shaking off his hands. It was hard to ignore the pink that was creeping up her cheeks.

"Indeed. She's not picking anyone today," Laurent spoke. "We have much on our own plates, after all."

"But we are at the foot of a legend! How can we end this when we are making history?" Owain looked disheartened.

"Allow me to explain," the mage continued. "Over the time that we have fought together, you could say that your endearing traits have become known to us. One way or another, the three of us realized this and decided that, given the opportunity for us to travel back in time and upon our victory over Grima, we would be in a world where matrimony would be a possibility. But the path to victory will be difficult, no doubt. Thus, we have decided to cast our lots at a chance of hope and happiness where we may each strive to do our best to ensure overall victory for you."

"Now, we know that making you choose at this point in time would be useless. Thus, we have decided upon a game of sorts. The rule that we have chosen, if you would accept, is that whoever is still alive when we slay Grima will be your most eligible suitor. In the meantime, we shall each provide you with a personal gift that will help you in your journey."

The mage adjusted his glasses, a small smile on his face. "I hope you find this suitable."

"Gah, fools! All three of you! This game is unnecessary!" Lucina cried out. "I don't need you three acting like suitors right now."

"Then pick one and be done with it." It was Gerome who spoke, and suddenly she found herself falling silent. Her fingers clenched and relaxed. She bit her lip and heaved sighs whenever she tried to speak.

Laurent was always there to offer help and advice. He was insightful, catching the little things that she would have stumbled upon later. Gerome, though stoic and seemingly out of reach, was an unstoppable force on the battlefield. The raw strength coming from him and Minerva never failed to strike down even the heaviest of targets. And despite Inigo's often frustrating antics, she could not deny that she could see deeper than just the words he spouted.

"You can't choose, can you?" Inigo finally spoke. Lucina remained silent. "I suppose we are all to blame. In this period of dead and dying, all we could do was make sure that you survived. Perhaps each of us rubbed off too much onto you, Lucina."

"I am least inclined to believe you of all people, Inigo," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do not think that you escape your reputation as a philanderer so easily."

"I understand that my words may mean little at times," he continued to smile, "That is why the three of us agreed that we would give you a gift. We picked them out with the idea in mind that they would serve you in your journey to the past when we may not be there to support you. I hope you find them satisfactory."

"And if I were to refuse your suitor gifts?"

Inigo only continued to smile. "Then please accept them as gifts that give you the strength you need to save this bleak world of ours."

She could raise no objection to it. Even in the back of her mind she knew that the journey would be difficult. She remained silent as the gifting began.

Gerome was the first to come up. Taking a breath, he slowly undid his mask and placed it into her hands, some of his brown locks falling to frame his face. "Your Mark of the Exalt rests in your iris. This mask will help you hide it until the time is right."

It had been a long time since she had seen his face, she realized as he quickly slipped on another pair.

Laurent was second. He had long taken off his mage's cloak and held the folded cloth in his hands. "It is a little long," he said, throwing it over her and adjusting the belts into place on the front. "But the magic in it will no doubt keep you warm against even the harshest of colds."

She clutched the new fabric as he walked back to his place.

Her eyes turned to Inigo as he walked up to her. Stopping in front of her, he undid the straps to the shield on his shoulder. "Your offhand arm, please."

"Inigo, this is your shield. I… I do not mean to shame you, but-"

"Your offhand arm, please." He did not stop smiling. She extended it to him and he carefully adjusted the shield onto her forearm, satisfied only when it he was sure that it would not fall off. "The shield may be small, but it is made from sturdy metal. It will protect you from harm."

Her heart pounded and her cheeks burned as memories she shared with each of them came back. How did they honestly expect her to make a choice, even if it was to be far off and in the future?

When Inigo walked away, she felt her lips turn thin and she turned her head to the side. "This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen you three do. To put me in a situation like this..."

Watching them, however, she could see just how much the whole deal was affecting the three. Laurent and Inigo hadn't smiled like that since they were children. Even Gerome seemed barely more than tolerant of the whole situation.

And here she was, the focus of all of their attention. It was a nice reprieve in this damned world to know that these men were willing to fight both for her and over her.

She felt her frown disappear in the midst of the idiocy. "However, I cannot deny the turmoil you each bring to my heart." Pulling her hair up, she slipped on Gerome's mask, tightening the straps to better fit her. "Very well then, I accept your terms. When we fell Grima, when this horrid future ceases to exist, I will marry one of you three."

She was not one to throw fuel on the fire, but she could not help it. They would need the hope to succeed, after all. "As your Exalt," she felt her lips turn upward, "don't disappoint me."

Needless to say Owain was ecstatic, much to Severa's chagrin.

When they returned to camp, they were the spectacle of the other half of their members. With a little help from Severa, Lucina's hair was properly folded beneath the outer layer and tied away behind the straps of the mask. Inigo was missing his shield and instead Lucina wore it, the dark blue colors matching perfectly with her outfit. Not to mention the flowing mage cape that was draped over her back as opposed to Laurent.

Each of them wanted to ask questions, but before they could ask, Lucina once again resumed her position as Exalt among the survivors.

"Everyone, make your final preparations. We enter the past no later than midday."

A/N: What is this I don't even-

Wellp, it happened. I think I'm the first to make headway in this strange world of Lucina dealing with three very plausible suitors (although most authors here really favor Gerome and Inigo over Laurent, it seems). But still, I get to claim first dibs on this plot line, according to the filter. I feel accomplished.

Anyway, I have no particular inspiration that I drew this from. It just kind of happened. I realized I never wrote a love triangle fic, decided to fix it, and then one-upped myself and went for a square thingus. Originally it was just going to feature Gerome and Inigo, but I felt that Laurent just balanced the two perfectly and thus was included. Also, figuring out lineage was a pain again, but I think I got everyone with someone in the end.

Also holy crap it feels really hard to write Gerome. He doesn't speak much and therefore it's kind of tough for me to pinpoint his actual character and write it. It's not too tough to write out his actions, but picking his dialogue is entirely different.

In general, this is going to be a romance fic that will be much more lighthearted compared True Grit. I already have one ending planned out and it will be the most likely course for the story. Overall, expect this fic to be funny, touching, thought-provoking, and sad. Hopefully more humorous than sad. Hopefully. Also, aside from the beginning and end, I'm not sure what order of events to take for some things.

I don't own Fire Emblem.

I look forward to your reviews and criticisms. And in this case your pairing hopes, if you feel so inclined, though I doubt it will have minimal, if any, impact in the story.

Also: best story profile picture, or BEST STORY PROFILE PICTURE? It felt oddly fitting given this particular story. No, I didn't make it, but I had to MS Paint it to make sure the whole picture fit.

Another thing: the title here is the first one I came up with and it fits perfectly, but other titles I thought of were:

The Husband Games

The Tontine Bet

Survival of the Fittest

I still think the name Three Is Company is perfect.

EDIT: Whoa! Totally forgot to mention this when I first put it up, but this was beta'd by GuyBrush007! Thanks for following me for so long! I always find myself looking forward to your reviews in particular, as they're always thoughtful.