Chapter 6: Finding Friends; Future Children Assemble!

Chapter 6: Finding Friends; Reunions and Revelations

The clash of steel echoed through the abandoned fortress as Severa fought off another wave of brigands, her twin pigtails whipping around as she spun. "Ugh, you guys are SO annoying!" she growled, parrying a blow. "Can't a girl just do some shopping without—"

An arrow whistled past her ear, and she cursed under her breath. She was good, but even she couldn't hold off this many alone.

"Need a hand?" a familiar voice called out.

Severa's eyes widened as Lucina burst into the courtyard, Falchion gleaming. But what really made her mouth drop open was the sight of who fought at Lucina's side – Odyn, moving in perfect synchronization with her friend, his blade an extension of her own attacks.

"About time!" Severa called back, a knowing smirk spreading across her face as she watched them fight. "And I see you've been busy in more ways than one, Lucy."

Lucina flushed even as she cut down another brigand. "Less talking, more fighting!"

Odyn chuckled, his orange eyes meeting Lucina's briefly as they moved past each other, their combat dance speaking of countless hours training together. "Friend of yours?"

"Best friend," Severa answered for herself, falling into formation with them naturally. "And daughter of your best friend, technically. Speaking of which..." Her expression darkened slightly. "How's my father in this timeline?"

"Robin's fine," Odyn assured her, understanding flickering in his eyes. "And this time, we're going to make sure he stays that way."

The battle ended quickly with the three of them working together. As Severa cleaned her blade, she couldn't help but grin at how Odyn's hand kept finding the small of Lucina's back, how her friend leaned into his touch without seeming to realize it.

"So," Severa drawled, crossing her arms. "Want to tell me how THIS happened?" She gestured between them. "Last I checked, you were a heartbroken twelve-year-old and he was..." She trailed off, seeing the flash of old pain in Lucina's eyes.

"It's... complicated," Lucina admitted, instinctively moving closer to Odyn.

"Isn't it always?" Severa's expression softened. "But I have to say, Lucy... I haven't seen you smile like that since before everything went wrong." She turned to Odyn, her voice taking on a threatening edge. "You better not mess this up. She's been carrying a torch for you across time itself."

"Severa!" Lucina protested, blushing furiously.

"What? Someone has to give him the shovel talk, and since my father isn't exactly in a position to do it right now..." She paused, her confident facade cracking slightly. "How... how are we going to prevent it? Father becoming... you know."

Odyn's arm tightened around Lucina as he answered. "We've been working on a plan. But first, we need to find the others. Your knowledge of what happened to Robin in the future could be crucial."

Severa's eyes darted between them, noting how naturally they fit together. "You really think we can change it? All of it?"

"We have to," Lucina said firmly. "Not just for Robin, but for everyone. And this time..." She looked up at Odyn, love and determination mingling in her orange eyes. "This time we're stronger together."

"Ugh, you two are going to be disgustingly cute, aren't you?" Severa rolled her eyes, but her smile was genuine. "Fine. But you're helping me carry my shopping back to camp. And then you're telling me EVERYTHING about how this happened."

Later that night, around the campfire, Severa listened as they told their story. She watched how Odyn anticipated Lucina's needs without being asked, how Lucina's hand found his during the harder parts of the tale, how they moved in orbit around each other as naturally as breathing.

"You know," she said softly, after they finished, "in our timeline, we all used to wish we had what you two had. Even then, even when you were just his little princess and he was your protector... there was something special there. Something pure." She smiled sadly. "Watching Father lose himself after Odyn died... it wasn't just grief for a friend. It was like losing you broke something fundamental in him, showed him that even the strongest bonds could be severed."

"Not this time," Odyn said firmly, pulling Lucina closer. "This time, we use those bonds to save him. Every connection, every friendship, every love – they're all threads in the tapestry we're weaving to hold him here."

"Besides," Lucina added, "we have something now we didn't have then."

"What's that?" Severa asked.

"Hope," Lucina answered, turning to kiss Odyn softly. "And a love strong enough to change fate itself."

Severa watched them, seeing both the echoes of their past timeline and the promise of this new one in how they held each other. Maybe, just maybe, love really could rewrite destiny.

"Well then," she said, standing up and brushing off her clothes. "Let's go find the others. We've got a future to change." She paused, smirking. "And a wedding to plan, by the looks of it."

"Severa!" Lucina exclaimed, blushing again as Odyn laughed.

But she didn't deny it.

To be continued in Chapter 7: Act 2- Bonds Across Time; Saving Cynthia!