#My Legacy;Exalted Cynthia AU

[princess--cynthia]

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[princess--cynthia]

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Participant(s): Exalt Cynthia Ylisse I, @lady-ylisse/Adelaide

Words: 8,348

Type: B-Support

Summary: Shortly after Adelaide discovers she can wield Falchion, the knight and her Exalt set sail for Valm and discuss Cynthia’s past and Adelaide’s future.

Seeing Cynthia standing at the bow of the ship, Adelaide took in a deep breath of ocean air and made her way across the deck. This was to be the young knight’s first time outside of the Ylissean continent, and though she was outwardly nervous, she was also very excited. Adelaide had heard so many stories about Valm from her friends and her parents, and now she would visiting this new continent as a knight, just like her father had. “Good day to you, Your Grace,” greeted the Falcon Knight, already seeming perfectly adjusted to the rocking of the ship. “The morning air seems to agree with you. I trust you slept well?” __ “As well as I could.” Cynthia shrugged, staring out at the sea absently with her arms crossed across her body. She seemed…well, not so much tense as alert, all things considered, even with the slight haze of recollection in her eyes. “I wasn’t with them when they crossed the sea at the start of the Valm war.” She said distantly, eyes flickering over the water. “I never saw how the Ylissean league destroyed the fleet, I only heard about it from my husband. Sometimes he mentions it in his sleep, about how much he regrets it. I’ve got…happier memories about this ocean.” She giggled with a shake of her head. “Haley was a year old by then, I’d given birth to her in the Valmese capital during the temporary rest before we returned home. Have you ever seen a child try to learn to walk on a rocking ship? She seemed so confused when we got to dry land, she was so used to having to lean to one side to walk properly.” She turned to Adelaide with a wan smile on her face, sighing. “It’s a long voyage. Perhaps I should have brought Sigurd with me after all, I know that Robin and the others will take care of him, but…” She shrugged again. “…how are you holding up, Adelaide? This’ll be your first time away from your parents for this long.” __ Adelaide listened quietly as her cousin spoke about the war with Valm, looking past the Exalt to stare into the distant horizon. The young knight hadn’t considered it before, but these waters had so much history behind them. A great battle was fought here and many people lost their lives. It was all so humbling. When Cynthia turned back to her with a wistful smile on her face, Adelaide snapped back into things. The Exalt hadn’t been away from her children since her youngest son was born, and the knight was starting to see that it was already taking its toll on her. “I’m well enough, Your Grace,”Adelaide replied warmly, hoping to lift her cousin’s spirits a bit. “Hehe, though I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone try to walk on a rocking ship before yesterday when we set sail. Father gets so seasick on these kinds of voyages that I was afraid I’d have difficulty adjusting myself. I’ve already written a letter for him and mother to tell them that I’ve found my sea legs and then some.” __ “That’s good. If I know my aunt any, I’m sure she’s worried about you already.” Cynthia smiled back, trying to remain positive. She stepped down onto the deck of the ship, glancing around the ocean again for a few moments. “About your father, actually. How did they take the news?” She asked, patting Falchion as the sword rested against her side. She’d been hoping to pass the blade off to Adelaide for good at some point, finally ridding herself of some of her military responsibilities - like how Chrom had led the Shepherds while Emmeryn ruled. “Once you’d assured him that I wasn’t dead, at least.” __ “About as well as I expected him to,” Adelaide sighed, slumping her shoulders in embarrassment. “After he overcame the worst of his shock, he picked me up in his arms and twirled me around like I was a little girl again. He wanted to take a vow of fealty, but mother wouldn’t allow it. I think I got an idea of what your father and Aunt Lissa must have felt like when they were little.” __ “Hah. Maybe I should have followed you and seen it myself.” Cynthia laughed a little, shaking her head with a sigh. She leaned to one side as a wave rocked the boat, practice from a time long past kicking in and letting her keep her balance. “You know, you can get in your off duty fatigues, Adelaide. It’s not like anyone can sneak up on us in the middle of the open sea.” She offered, stepping up next to her cousin. “And if you insist on staying on-duty, well, the least you could do is get some practice in.” She unbuckled Falchion from her waist and offered it to her with a raised eyebrow. “Well?” __ Nervously biting down on her lip as she looked at Falchion, Adelaide turned her eyes up at Cynthia and tried to smile. It was still hard for her to believe that she was able to wield the divine blade, and harder still for her to accept that she may someday have to. “As your knight, Cynthia, I’m on duty for life,” she sighed, reluctantly holding her hand out to accept the sword. “I may not like this very much, but… alright. I have been practicing my swordplay a bit since last time, but I’m certainly no Khan Lon’qu.“ __ “Well, you’re better than me with them. Besides, it’s not like I’m completely defenseless.” Cynthia patted the lance on her back, waiting for Adelaide to finish strapping on the blade before heading back below decks. She reached out to steady herself as another wave rocked the boat, frowning a little. “Oh, great. It’s going to start storming soon if we’re not lucky.” She sighed, shaking her head. “That’s the last thing I need. The sooner we get this trip over with the better, am I right?” __ After hesitantly strapping on the sword, Adelaide quietly followed after Cynthia and looked up at the sky. Was this really what Naga wanted from her? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe she needed to stop fretting about what was and focus on the things at hand. “I think you may be overreacting,” Adelaide smirked, standing in the stairway between the decks to look outside again. “The water might be a little choppy, but the sky is perfectly clear out there. Are you really that eager to go home?” __ “Yes.” Cynthia said bluntly, glancing over Adelaide’s shoulder and back at the clear sky with a scowl on her face. “I’d also prefer my son to grow up with a mother, or at the very least if something finally kills me I’d prefer something a bit more dramatic than a storm.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the bulkhead, scowling. “You know this trip takes two months either way, right? Plus two months minimum actually talking to this new Emperor to try and sort stuff out. I’ll be lucky if I can get home in eight months, let alone the year.” __ “Four months round trip and two months in Valm is half a year, Cynthia,” Adelaide giggled, hoping to liven her Exalt up by teasing her just a bit. “And nothing’s going to harm you while I’m here. If the ship goes down, Breezy and I will fly you back to Ylisse ourselves. If we get attacked by pirates, you and I alone are more than a match for them. And if you get fed up with the food that the ship’s cook prepares, I’ll be glad to take over for him.”

Coming down the stairs, the young Falcon Knight offered her cousin a warm smile. “The only thing you have worry about are all the reunions you’ll have to schedule. There’s Duke Virion, Dame Cherche, Queen Say’ri… I’m sure it would be nice to catch up with some old friends. Didn’t Gerome leave for Wyvern Valley after the war?” __ “I was adding on two months in case I had to stick around longer, sue me.” Cynthia grumbled at her cousin with a slight glare, pouting. She slumped against the wall of the ship with a sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. “Yeah…I guess it’ll be nice to see some of them again. Although things got a bit, uh, awkward with Gerome and I after I got married, so that might be a little weird. It’s really weird how the one I know the most at this point is probably Say’ri. I never even talked to her during the war, guess that’s what twenty years of frantically sending letters to anyone you know even a little with more experience at this ruling thing does.” She couldn’t help but giggle at something for a moment afterwards, shaking her head. “…hehe…sorry, I just remembered something. Sigurd’s got a little plush pegasus he refuses to give up. He tried to slip it into my bag when we were leaving, I guess he thought it’d fly me out of there if I needed it.” __ “If it could, I’m sure you’d be halfway home already,” the Falcon Knight replied, placing a hand on Cynthia’s shoulder to comfort her. “Your little prince is probably going to be speaking by the time we get back. I heard him call you ‘Mama’ a few times before we left, but it’s hard to imagine what else he might be able to say in half a year.” Shaking her head, Adelaide adjusted herself a bit better to the ship’s rocking and sighed. There was something on her mind she wanted to get out. “…You know, Your Grace: I don’t think it’s any coincidence that you kept in contact with Queen Say’ri. Both of you lost your parents to a war you never asked for, and your siblings are gone too. Aside from how proper she is, I’d say you two have a lot in common… especially when you consider your track records with rebellion. Perhaps you’d have her over sometime in the future? Gerome as well. You certainly could stand to have more friends come to visit.” __ “Yeah, uh, this meeting is about a few months behind schedule.” Cynthia said sheepishly, glancing at her cousin. "I might have kept pushing it back until he’d learned to walk and spoke his first few words. Not sure I’d have been able to live with myself if I’d missed them - I wish I’d been there when Morgan had learned to walk.“ She paused for a moment, frowning. ”…although part of that is because two seconds after Morgan learned to walk she tugged on a hanging tablecloth she was suddenly tall enough to reach and ruined a state dinner, according to Robin. I think if I’d been there I might have been able to intercept her.“ ”…you know, I’d never thought of it that way.“ Cynthia said after Adelaide had mentioned Say'ri, reflecting on it for a few moments. "I guess you’re right. Strange, I don’t think that ever came up in any of the letters. Uh, other than the whole ‘how do I deal with this legacy’ thing, but pretty much everyone I know’s had that rant directed at them at some point so that doesn���t really count.” __ “Well, perhaps you could speak to her a bit about it? In your own, unique… Cynthia kind of way,” Adelaide remarked cheerfully. “If I’ve learned anything from being a knight and growing up in this family, it’s that we sometimes have a lot more in common with the people we believe we’re nothing alike. And if anything, I think it would do your whole family some good to meet some people from far away. Robin already has a lot of experience there, but little Sigurd and the girls have been more cooped up than I have.” __ “Haley’s made regular trips to Plegia.” Cynthia said indignantly for a moment, before sighing in agreement. It was true - she just didn’t like the idea of having her kids out of her sight for very long. She’d lost enough family members already, she’d be damned if she was going to outlive any of her children. “…I know, Adelaide. I know.” She said sullenly, stamping a slightly loose plank back into place with a scowl on her face. “I’ll see if Say'ri wants to talk some more when we get there. Hey, maybe we’ll even find you someone to fraternize with, huh?” __ “Well, it would be nice to catch up with Dame Cherche and her son,” the Falcon Knight replied. “She and father have always been such good friends, and they always had… a thing or two to say about Duke Virion. Hehe, I think she’s the person in the world I’ve ever seen father gossip with. Gerome was a little on the quiet side, but I haven’t really seen him since we were small. Say, Cynthia: what was he like when you were grew up with him? Your Gerome, I mean.” __ “Quiet, kind of shy. Had vertigo for a bit.” Cynthia shrugged, thinking back to a slightly happier point in her childhood with a fond smile on her face. “He looked kind of dorky as a child, but when he grew up…” Partly out of genuine admiration and partly to mess with Adelaide’s head, she let out a whistle and shook her head. “Wow. I mean, gods above. I know I’m married but STILL. Augh, those abs, gods above. You could do way, way worse than him Adelaide - actually, now that I think about it, I’m not sure how you top it.” __ The Falcon Knight chuckled and shook her head. Perhaps it was a little uncomfortable for Cynthia to be forcing her way into Adelaide’s love life, but at least the Exalt seemed to perk up a bit. “I think I may want to look for something a little closer to home. If he kept on with his training, Gerome will be a knight of Rosanne by now. Hehe, abs or otherwise, I am a knight of Ylisse and a member of your personal guard. My place will always be in Ylisse as Gerome’s will likely always be in Rosanne. I’m afraid that’s just the world we live in, Cynthia.” __ “Shame.” Cynthia sighed, deflating a little before glancing at her cousin with a raised eyebrow. It wasn’t like her to even slightly consider it like this - even if just to refute it - and a slow smile started to grow over her face, an air of well-meaning malice settling over her. “You say that, but maybe a short relationship would do you good, even if you have to call it off.” She half-purred, a hand on Adelaide’s shoulder. “You are going to be there for at least three months, you know. Having a bit of fun isn’t anything to complain about, right?” __ “Perhaps,” Adelaide replied, a mocking smile on her face as she nonchalantly brushed Cynthia’s hand off her shoulder, “but I’ve never been in a relationship before. I may be a knight, but I’m afraid my maiden’s heart might not be able to take the sorrow of something so short. If I’m to be of any use to you over the next half year, I’ll have to save the ‘fun’ for another time.” __ “Oh, please, Adelaide.” Cynthia rolled her eyes with a light groan. “I don’t know what’s in those books you read, but I can assure you that whatever your heart is, it’s not a ‘maiden’s at all. I’m sure you can take a little heartbreak.” Still, no reason in pushing her, she supposed. Huffing, Cynthia glanced back over at the sky with a furrowed brow, almost offended that it was such a lovely day outside. She always thought that when somebody felt awful the weather was meant to reflect that - then again, her parents had died on a sunny day. “I think I’m going to go read in my quarters for a while.” She sighed, turning away. “Take some time off, Adelaide. I’ll see you for dinner.” __ Adelaide wanted to smile when she saw that her teasing was getting a reaction out of her cousin, but something was off. Everything from the way Cynthia looked up at the sky to her posture seemed to scream how dissatisfied she was. The young Falcon Knight couldn’t help but feel a little helpless in the face of it all. Adelaide’s duty as a knight was to keep Cynthia safe from harm, but as a cousin, she felt like she was letting her down in some way. “…Very well, Your Grace,” she replied, “I’ll send a pair of my best knights to watch your door until then. Please… try to put your mind at ease.” Climbing the staircase to the upper deck, Adelaide leaned herself up against a mast and closed her eyes, resting her hand on Falchion’s pommel. For such a terrible burden, this sword was lighter than she remembered it being. Perhaps she’d get some practice in to get herself accustomed to it. __ “It’s the middle of the ocean, Adelaide, who’s going to try and break down my door and kill me? Sea ghosts?” Cynthia called out to her as her cousin left, before narrowing her eyes for a second as a small part of her long-buried childlike nature came back to her. “Oh, damn. Maybe a siren.” She mumbled, glancing at the floor as if expecting one of them to rise up and sing to her at that very moment. After absolutely nothing happened, she let out a self-deprecating laugh and headed into her room, throwing the bolt behind her. She could always pretend that nobody was there if she couldn’t see them, after all. She sat on her bunk, ignoring the gentle rocking of the boat as she thumbed through an aged mystery novel, fingers tracing small notes Sumia had left in the margins with a smile on her face. She’d been surprised to find that her mother had actually tried to figure out who did it ahead of time, keeping track and writing page numbers calling back to previous clues - but it was enjoyable. Hours passed, and her smile was long-gone as she reached the point Sumia hadn’t made it any further in before her death. Fingers hovered over the corner of the page, before she groaned and slammed it shut, tossing it ill-naturedly into her bag and storming out of the room. Her guards protested, but she ignored them - walking up to the training circle on the deck and crossing her arms, just watching Adelaide’s form with Falchion. “It feels weird, doesn’t it?” She said once her cousin noticed her. “I think it’s because the actual blade is a magic fang. It’s not weighted like a normal sword, it actually feels like it’s heavier towards the point than the hilt sometimes when you swing. Figuring out how to use the aura that generates is most of the trick behind using Aether.” __ Shadow sparring was something Adelaide practically grew up with, and she had gotten herself into a good rhythm by the time Cynthia arrived on the upper deck. When the ship rocked back to move over a wave, the Falcon Knight practiced her defensive maneuvers. She sidestepped invisible blows, parried invisible strikes, and used her agility to slip and spin past invisible foes. When the ship dipped forward, she went on the attack. Falchion was a little awkward and her offense wasn’t as good as her father’s or Lucina’s, but Adelaide did her best to keep a steady and consistent pace. As soon as she noticed the Exalt watching her from the stairwell, the Falcon Knight sheathed the sword and smiled at her from across the deck. “It’s a bit like wielding a lance,” Adelaide replied, shaking her head, “though quite a bit shorter. It feels like it would probably be very good for piercing and tip slashes, but I can see how it might be difficult to use at closer quarters. Then again, I suppose that isn’t much of a concern when defeating dragons is its main purpose. Hehe, I’m not sure I’m quite ready for that yet! That or Aether. I can’t quite figure out the aura just yet.” __ “…huh. I guess it is.” Cynthia said after a moment, considering it. The two obviously weren’t completely identical, but now that she thought about it the constant focus on the tip of the sword did make it an obvious comparison. She stepped next to her cousin, glancing at the sheathed sword before shrugging. “You’ll get the dragon-slaying down eventually, Adelaide.” She tried to joke, patting her on the shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I think you’d actually look pretty dashing in a storybook, huh? Maybe they could even give you a sainthood!” __ “Hehe, I think I’d be more of a footnote character,” Adelaide giggled, resting her hand on the pommel of the sword. “If anyone’s a saint in this story, it would be you. Cynthia, the otherworldly princess who would become queen. Ehehe! Those kinds of stories tend to write themselves, you know!” __ “I guess.” Cynthia shrugged awkwardly at the ‘praise’, glancing over the side of the boat with a small sigh. “That was meant to be Lucina’s thing. I was always just kind of…there.” She waved her hand at the side to emphasize her point, before forcing a smile back onto her face and drawing one of the training blades from the rack next to the ring. “So, Adelaide. Care to show me how well you’re coming along? Think of it as an evaluation if you have to.” __ Adelaide knitted her brows when her cousin mentioned Lucina. Cynthia had really come up in the world and helped steer Ylisse into an age of peace, but she couldn’t seem to acknowledge the good she had done because of how heavily the past weighed on her. The more Adelaide thought about it, the more she was beginning to see how much they had in common. “…Perhaps tomorrow morning,” the Falcon Knight replied, letting her hand slip from the sword. “I’ve been practicing since you left for your room, and I don’t think I’d put up much of a fight in this state. I was thinking of letting Breezy out of the lower deck to stretch her legs in the sunshine for a while. Maybe you and Ajax would like to join us?” __ “As if anyone else would wait for you to stop being tired.” Cynthia rolled her eyes, but slid the sword back into the rack anyway. The idea of a flight was appealing, if nothing else. She wasn’t opposed to the idea of getting off this damn boat for an hour or two. “Sure, that sounds fun. We’ll have to go easy on it, though, Ajax isn’t getting any younger.” Cynthia giggled. All things considering she should have brought her other pegasus for the journey - but the aging beast’s presence was one of the few familiar things she was likely to have for her stay. Besides, he was just getting slow, he had another five or six years of life in him yet. That and her other pegasus was only hers on a technicality. Sigurd wasn’t meant to have one, being a male, but what was the point of being queen if you couldn’t bend the rules once in a while? __ “I think I can manage easy,” Adelaide kidded. It was clear that poor Cynthia needed some kind of break from the monotony, and there was little that could quite compare to taking to the skies for a leisurely ride. “We have a nice tailwind filling our sails today, so we could probably just ride the slipstream from the ship and glide once we get high enough. Hehe, I’m sure Ajax would appreciate a little zero-effort flying!“ __ “Hah, yeah, he is getting a little old.” She chuckled, mounting Ajax and kicking in her heels a little. The pegasus took off, seemingly determined to prove his rider wrong about needing to ‘take it easy’ with the speed of his ascent. Eventually Cynthia convinced him to level out and they lazily circled, waiting for Adelaide and Breezy to catch up with them. “You know, Adelaide, if you’re having trouble with Aether I can help you with that.” She offered once her cousin was there, smiling at her. “I mean, sure, my sister figured it out for Falchion first - but I figured out how to use it on a lance. I’ll be honest, I should have offered to teach you how to use it a long time ago. Uh, how’s your magic coming along, anyway?” __ The Falcon Knight followed her Exalt to the lower deck where the pegasi and horses were stabled, where Ajax had already been fitted with his saddle and gear. Letting Cynthia take off first, Adelaide quickly got Breezy situated and led up up the ramp to the main deck. By the time the princess got into her own saddle, she could could already see her cousin circling above the main sail. “Hehe, you two didn’t waste any time getting comfortable up here!” Adelaide laughed, circling around so she fly beside her Exalt. “And magic? As in tomes, right? Mother tells me I’ll someday surpass her with a staff, but I’m afraid I’m about as much of a tome specialist as Father is.“ __ “In general. I wasn’t great with the tomes either, no matter how great the dark flier uniform was.” Cynthia shrugged as Adelaide fell into position, relaxing in the saddle with a sigh as Ajax glared daggers at Breezy. “It’s all part of how Aether works. I mean, it helps when you’re using Falchion because you’re channeling what’s left of Naga’s divine magic, but it’s how you can use it with other weapons.” Cynthia explained after a moment, glancing over at her. “It’s another one of the neat things our bloodline gives us, that’s all. I’m still amazed that Owain hasn’t tried - something something power too great for my sword hand, probably.” __ As Adelaide mulled over Cynthia’s explanation, Breezy snorted and tossed her head a bit. Perhaps she sensed the older pegasus’s frustration at seeing her in her prime, but she didn’t seem to care for his attitude. “I always did wonder about that,” Adelaide hummed. “About Aether, I mean. It was the personal technique of the Radiant Hero, wasn’t it? How it ended up in our bloodline isn’t mentioned in the old texts… but it’s curious, don’t you think? Perhaps it has to do with those chosen by-”

Suddenly cutting herself off, the Falcon Knight gulped. What if the reason her cousin couldn’t use Aether was because he hadn’t been chosen to wield Falchion? If Adelaide could wield the sword, then… “Cynthia… you don’t suppose it’s another one of those things that this sword imparts upon us, do you?” __ “Honestly, Adelaide? I hope not.” Cynthia said bluntly, wincing at the idea. “And please never repeat that in front of anyone ever again. The last thing I need is Morgan deciding it’s time to start experimenting with Falchion - /either/ Morgan deciding it’s time to start experimenting with Falchion.” She sighed, glancing at the sword with a slight frown on her face. “Besides…it just doesn’t add up. So, what, it gives out the energy to use aether to all the people that can use it? Not sure it works like that, since I’ve managed to use the move at the same time as Lucina before. I think it’s just a…quirk of the bloodline.” A smile twitched across Cynthia’s lips before a giggle escaped her, the Exalt suddenly looking decades younger for a moment as she shook her head. “Or maybe the bloodthirsty spirit trapped in Owain’s sword hand is stopping him from using it!” __ “Oh, pish posh,” the Falcon Knight pouted jokingly, “Cousin Owain has that spirit under control. He made a point of showing me when he decapitated all of the goblins outside of the Shepherds’ barracks… those poor sunflowers.” Adelaide eased up and allowed herself a moment to laugh. Her eccentric cousin could always put a smile on her face, even he wasn’t there. Maybe this was a safe place to confess something. “You know, Cynthia: Owain is self-conscious about it too. His mother wasn’t born with the Brand, and he can’t use Falchion like you or your sister. When he heard that I could, he wasn’t able to look me in the eye for about a week.” She sighed. “All this talk of our bloodline makes me wonder: why me over him? Or Aunt Lissa? They wanted it. For them, it would mean feeling closer to the family… but for me, it’s still a bit of a difficult pill to swallow. I can’t even look at my Brand without feeling unworthy of it.” __ “Huh…” Cynthia frowned, having not really thought about it that much before. She bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment as she considered the question. “Well…Owain got the brand, at least.” Cynthia said eventually, letting out a sigh. She hated all of this metaphysical stuff her bloodline took with it, but she had to try and settle Adelaide’s nerves somehow. “I dunno, Adelaide. I don’t really put much stock in fate or anything - it might just be random chance that you can use it and Owain can’t.” “There’s a lot of things we want, Adelaide. We don’t always get them - and when we do, it’s not as good as we thought it would be.“ Cynthia shrugged helplessly. "There’s no use fighting it - we’ve just got to do our best with what we’ve been given.” __ “Do our best with what we’ve been given…” she repeated to herself, thinking over what Cynthia just said. After a short pause, the Falcon Knight chuckled. “Heh, you know, Cynthia: I think you’re right. I am fighting this. I’ve been fighting this my whole life…” Adelaide sighed and looked far into the horizon. “My Brand, this sword, our family… I never felt like I deserved any of them before. I wanted so badly to earn that feeling on my own and join the fold later, but that just isn’t my path, is it? Perhaps I need to learn to accept it all… to stop struggling, take what I’ve been given, and know its worth… maybe then, these feelings will leave me be for a while…” __ “Hm…” Cynthia paused to consider her words for a few seconds, sighing. She didn’t want her cousin to feel defeated, yet at the same time the very idea of ‘stop struggling’ disturbed her. Chewing her lip, the exalt drummed her fingers against Ajax’s neck as she tried to figure out how to respond. “There’s a difference between accepting it and not trying to be your own person.” She said eventually, speaking slowly to make sure she used the right words. “I think…well. You might not feel like you deserve it, and maybe you don’t - but what you can do is use what you’ve been given as tools to try and forge your own path. You’ve been born into this family, given a brand and can use the Falchion - so instead of trying to prove yourself worthy of them, ask yourself, what can you do with them?” She glanced forwards again as Ajax started to lower in the air, slowly descending back onto the ship. “I always wanted to be like the princes and princesses in the stories - brave and kind, inspiring the people to better things. Before everything at the end of the war…happened, that was what I was trying to be. Inspiring. I used everything at my disposal to do that. Afterwards, well, everything changed.” She looked at Adelaide again, a serious expression on her face. “Seriously, Adelaide. You’re young, unmarried and have almost limitless tools at your disposal. What kind of person do you want to be? Use what you’ve been given to define yourself, instead of trying to prove like you live up to some 'legacy’ the family’s put on you.” __ “The person I want to be…” Adelaide echoed, looking up at the boundless blue sky above her, “…Well, your knight, for starters. I want to protect you and bring you back home to your family. I want to see little Sigurd’s face when his mama comes home to him, and watch you embrace Robin again. I want to see how the girls have grown, and hear Haley try to deny missing you.” The Falcon Knight closed her eyes and smiled at the thought. "Beyond that, though… I want to make a difference. I want to touch people like mother did. I’m not the pacifist my mother is, but I get… ideas sometimes, you know? Like going out to learn about distant lands, and showing the people there that there isn’t so much that separates us. Ultimately… I suppose I want to be remembered as someone who left the world a little better than she found it. That isn’t too selfish, is it?” __ "Selfish? Oh, please. I wish I was as selfless as you are at your age.” Cynthia grinned after a second, shaking her head. Part of her wanted to force Adelaide into going away from her and following her other dream, but something told her that it’d be like arguing with a brick wall. Then again, perhaps there was a loophole she could abuse…hm. That might be worth looking into. Gods, it had taken her twenty years, but she was finally starting to think like a proper politician. Robin would be at least impressed, if not necessarily proud. “You know…Haley’s getting old enough that she’s started to complain of sitting around in the castle doing nothing but reject suitors and work on her clothes. I was thinking that maybe she could tag along with one of the peace envoys to one of those nations we found through the outrealm gate.” She mused, biting her lip and pretending that the idea had only just come to her. “I didn’t want to send her away with a bunch of strangers, I’m far too busy and as for my husband - well, merely having him around and alive is almost acting as a military deterrent at this point. Nobody wants to invade us in case he does something crazy like set a fleet on fire again. If you really want to go out to distant lands, that might be a way of doing it, huh?” __ “Oh goodness, I… I don’t know,” Adelaide replied, rubbing the back of her head nervously. While it sounded like a wonderful opportunity, the Falcon Knight still had her doubts. “For starters: is Haley really interested in politics and diplomacy? She never really seemed the type, and I’m afraid she’d refuse to participate if she didn’t like it…” She paused again to bite her lip. Her next concern was the big one. “…And then there’s the matter of you, Cynthia. I really did mean it when I said I want to protect you. You’re going to be our Exalt until Lucina is ready to ascend the throne, and then you have the whole rest of your life to travel and explore and enjoy things as you please. I’ll probably be expected to hand back this silly sword when that happens, and I’d like to look after you for as long as I can… like my father did for yours!” __ “Lucina’s twenty-five and happy enough in the military.” Cynthia pointed out with a sigh, shaking her head with a slightly bemused smile. “Far be it from me to force this on her if she doesn’t want it. I know she keeps insisting she’s still there to gain experience, but I’m beginning to suspect she’s hoping to avoid it. She’ll do her duty if asked, of course, but…she’s seen the kind of future it brings. Stress, isolation and in recent years a disturbingly high chance of a violent death.” She couldn’t help but giggle a little, raising an eyebrow at Adelaide when she finished going over the rest of her cousin’s words. “Aw, are you so desperate to get me off the throne? Or are you just hoping that I’ll settle down and make your job easier once I retire? Because I’ve got bad news for you, if I ever get out of this job I’m stacking my family on a group of pegasi and making a beeline for the first tropical island I can see. The council will need to drag me back to that accursed throne in chains.” Despite her jokes, her voice took a serious if quieter tone as they landed on the boat, stepping off Ajax in a smooth motion and running a hand along his mane. “Adelaide, I don’t want you giving up your own life to take care of mine, even if I do abdicate to Lucina. You deserve a chance at your own happiness. Still…if I can’t get rid of you, I guess I’ll just have to make sure I live somewhere interesting.” __ When Cynthia began her descent towards the deck of the ship, Adelaide took one last look out at the horizon before following after her. With the sun sinking low in the sky, the ocean was positively awash with color. The young Falcon Knight couldn’t recall the last time she had seen anything so beautiful. “I don’t see how it could get much more interesting than this,” she replied, still entranced by the sunset as she landed beside her cousin. “And I’m sure you’d find all the peace you could stand on that island of yours… certainly more than Haley would be able to tolerate. With all of that energy beneath her feet, I think she’s going to want to see the world on her own someday. Perhaps looking out for Haley wouldn’t be such a bad plan in the long-term…” Snapping herself out of it, Adelaide quickly dismounted her pegasus and stood at attention before her Exalt. “B-But that’s entirely up to you, Your Grace! I’m simply happy to keep you safe during this mission of yours and all the rest to come.” __ “Oh, you want to see how it can get more interesting? I’ll put Morgan in charge for a month, claim it’s practice in case the worst happens. Then you’ll see interesting.” Cynthia joked, wincing at the very thought of unleashing her daughter on the world. She glanced over at Adelaide, following her eyes and smiling slightly. While she’d almost had enough of travelling over the course of her life, seeing her cousin mystified by something as simple as a view was almost worth the trouble. “I’m sure you’d keep her from causing too much trouble.” She said lightly, guiding Ajax back to the ship’s stables with a smile on her face. “And while you might escape my prying into your romantic life, you’ll be trading it with getting forced into infinite dresses. Happy with that deal?” __ “Ehehe… I think there’s a difference between interesting and insane, Your Grace,” the Falcon Knight chuckled nervously. “As much we all love Morgan, I’m not sure what any of us would do if she made one of her cats a senator. Oh goodness, the very thought!” Covering her mouth to laugh, Adelaide followed Cynthia into the stables. “In all seriousness, though, you needn’t worry about my future life or happiness. I chose this path because I love you and your family. If I’m able to take care of you all, I’ll be happy enough. I’m well aware that aspirations don’t always align with reality, and I’m alright with that.” __ “Hmph. Still think you could stand to be a little more selfish.” Cynthia grumbled, even as she was forced to laugh at the idea of Morgan making one of her cats a senator. Oh, gods, she would wouldn’t she? “There we go, boy. That’s a bit better, isn’t it?” She said softly, rubbing Ajax’s snout for a moment. She got a brief grunt in exchange, another giggle escaping her. “Hehe, I know, you don’t like me treating you like you’re fragile. I promise you’ll get to show off again properly eventually.” __ Though the Falcon Knight managed to more or less make out what her Exalt grumbled beneath her breath, she chose not to comment on it. In her eyes, that ship had sailed long ago. The only one she cared to think of now was the one spiriting them across the sea to Valm. “I know that wasn’t quite the stretch you had in mind, Breezy, but I promise I’ll let you fly to your heart’s content tomorrow morning at sunrise,” Adelaide murmured as she did her pegasus’s bridle and walked her to her stable. “Just try not to give poor Ajax such a hard time while you and the others are down here. Our legs are all going to be a little stiff until we make land.” __ “To think I missed sailing after the first year of being in charge.” Cynthia gagged for a moment, glancing over at Adelaide with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously. I would rather be locked in a room with five diplomats for a week, although I’m probably going to regret saying that when we make land.” She headed out of the stable, waiting for Adelaide to catch up with her patiently. “…gods, it’s like some kind of fight in my head all the time. I want to do a good job and keep anyone else from doing this, but I also want to just get on Ajax, drag my family with me and run.” __ As soon as Adelaide got Breezy stabled and brushed down, she headed to the upper deck and met with Cynthia again. Though the Exalt looked to be staring out into space again, she spoke her heart as she always did. Adelaide couldn’t help but reply in kind. “…There’s really no peace for you in this duty, is there?” the young knight asked, looking up into her cousin’s eyes. “You’ve been at this for so long that you feel trapped between what’s expected of you and what your heart wants… and there isn’t a comfortable way out for you. Cynthia… how do you stand it?” __ “Practice, tenacity and constantly reminding myself that it’s better than the apocalypse.” Cynthia shrugged at Adelaide’s words. It was a conversation she’d had with Robin countless times at this point - especially after Lucina came of age, her husband had been trying to get her to abdicate for over a year now. “Seriously, Adelaide, whenever I start thinking about how much my life sucks I remember how much worse it’s been at times.” She got quiet for a moment, glancing at the sky. “Sometimes I can still see him out the corner of my eye, expecting all of this to get taken away from me. It…leaves me on edge, I guess. The work’s a blessing as well as a curse, at least this way I’m normally either too tired or too busy to let my imagination get to me.” It was a joke, mostly, but parts of it were true. She laughed again, shaking her head sadly. “Maybe we’re both just overthinking it, Lady. Leave it to the philosophers or the smart guys like my husband - let’s just focus on getting our jobs done, yeah?” __ Adelaide frowned, the corner of her mouth twitching a little as she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Cynthia had been through far too much, and she’d been trapped between her sad past and her unhappy present. In many ways… it was like what Adelaide’s mother endured while she was Exalt. To the young knight, such an unfair situation simply couldn’t be allowed to stand. “Cynthia… I mean, Your Grace… very well, then. I believe I know what it is I must do,” Adelaide replied, straightening herself out as well as she could. Though she was more than a little nervous, she had never been so sure before. “It’s my duty to keep you safe and healthy, but you’re shouldering more weight than anyone on their own could and should. It’s going to weigh you down one of these days, and when it does… I won’t sit by and let that happen. I’ve made a decision. If it’s alright with you, Your Grace, I’d like to learn about politics and leadership while we’re in Valm. I’d like to finally earn my right to wield this sword. Don’t you see? I’m not just your knight; I’m your cousin! I could learn to be your representative if you’d allow it. I could help you shoulder the weight. W-What do you say?” __ You’re about to say something noble and self-sacrificing, aren’t you. At least Cynthia had managed to bite her tongue before saying that, turning silently to face Adelaide and listen to what she had to say. It made sense - she should have been put throgh some politics class much earlier, if she hadn’t dedicated herself so thoroughly to the knighthood. “There’s better people to learn from than me.” She laughed eventually, shaking her head and relaxing. “But if it means that I won’t need to head to all these places myself anymore, good enough for me.” She put a hand on her cousin’s shoulder, a solemn look on her face. “By the way, fair warning - you have so much reading to do, and none of it is fun.” __ “Just like that? You really mean it?” Teeming with excitement, the young knight felt her heart racing in her chest. She was going to train to be the Exalt’s representative. Perhaps Falchion had chosen her for a reason after all. “Oh, Cynthi- I mean, Your Grace, I promise I won’t let you down! Be it a sea of enemies or a mountain of books, I will overcome any hurdle to make you and Ylisse proud.” Though Adelaide sorely wanted to reach out and hug her cousin, her professionalism as a knight kept her affections contained. Instead, she cleared her throat and offered her Exalt a polite nod. “And it looks like I have plenty of time to read before we reach Valm. Do you think I could get started tonight after supper?” __ “Sweetie, you don’t know what you’re getting into.” Cynthia chuckled as she bent over, snapping open a trunk and pulling out a three-volume set of books. “Here - I haven’t started on these yet.” She said, somehow cheerful as she dropped the heavy books into Adelaide’s arms. “It’s a complete guide to Valmese heraldry so we don’t get anyone’s troops mixed up while we’re there. Oh, and this-” A folder held together with string ended up added to the pile. “Is a mix of official diplomatic correspondance and personal stuff. If you could sort through it for me and put together some kind of, like, reference model I’d appreciate it.” She leaned forward, an evil smile on her face. “Welcome to the diplomatic corps, Adelaide.” __ Adelaide accepted the first bundle of books with gusto, curiously glancing at the cover of the first as Cynthia explained what they were. Her father taught her to remember Yissean heraldry when she was growing up, and she never failed to impress at the academy. As far as she was concerned, memorizing a few more colorful shields would be easy. Then came the messy folder of letters tied together with a bit of old twine. Adelaide knew that Cynthia had been busy lately, but it seemed irresponsible to have left this much official correspondence unattended. Nevertheless, she wasn’t deterred. “I appreciate it, Your Grace. I promise I won’t let you down,” the young knight replied graciously. “In fact, I can organize your diplomatic portfolio tonight and present you a full report tomorrow morning. And I’ll have these heraldry book back to you within the moon too, if you’d care to catch up yourself! Is there anything else I could cover or is that it for now?” __ “Oh, appreciate it as much as you want, you’re going to hate it eventually.” Cynthia chuckled, before frowning. “And, no, that’s everything. But hey, one warning.” She tapped the correspondence folder with a raised eyebrow, staring her younger cousin straight in the face. “Some of the personal writing in there can get kind of…uh…sensual? And there’s no easy way to tell them apart. So just be kinda cautious when you’re sorting that, yeah?” She let out a sigh of relief, glad to have finally offloaded some of the work to someone else. “Thank you, Adelaide. I’ve got to get back to even more reading.” __ “Um… sensual?” Adelaide replied shrilly, looking down at the stack of letters she had been given. While most of them looked like they came from Ylissean nobles and foreign diplomats, she recognized Robin’s handwriting on a few of the ones at the top… which explained the familiar scent of his cologne. Surely he hadn’t- “C-Cautious, right!” the young knight repeated as she snapped back to attention. Maybe approaching this the way she’d approach a mission was a little silly and maybe she seemed a bit ridiculous in the process, but… was there a ‘but’? Adelaide sighed and couldn’t help but take a moment to laugh at herself. She was taking this far more seriously than Cynthia intended her to. “Heh, you’re very welcome, Cynthia,” she chuckled. “And… thank you too. Really. It may not seem so glamorous to you, but it truly does help me feel more at ease with my place in life. I’ll leave you to your work and bring supper by if you can’t make it to the mess hall tonight.”

[princess--cynthia]

LEGACY || THREAD ARCHIVE

Participant(s): Exalt Cynthia Ylisse I, @lady-ylisse/Adelaide

Words: 7,381

Type: B-Support

Summary: Twenty years after ascending to the throne of Ylisse, Cynthia tries to figure out the mentality of her cousin and bodyguard - Emmeryn’s daughter, Adelaide. 

“Gah.”

Cynthia’s head sunk into her hands at the wordless exhalation, shaking her head slowly. Twenty years into this job and she still couldn’t wrap her head around how on earth her father or aunt had managed it - least alone her sister, for that scant period in the future she had ruled. She slowly stood up from the throne now that the last minister was gone, running her hands through the loose blue hair styled around her shoulders as she started to hook it back into the pigtails she wore when she was younger. Damn what the diplomats thought at this point, she needed some time to be herself.

“Come on, Adelaide.” She said quietly. Her baby cousin had been something of a bastion of strength for her once she’d come of age, transitioning from a glorified babysitter for Cynthia’s kids - something she desperately needed to apologize putting her through one day - to a more than competent right-hand woman, much like her father had been to Chrom or Emmeryn during their rules. “I need a walk…and a change of clothes. Twenty years and I still don’t know how you’re meant to walk in a dress with skirts this long.”

“At once, Your Grace,” the young Falcon Knight replied with a polite nod. Eighteen years of grooming had made the perfect, little knight out of Adelaide. She was courteous, efficient, serious, and totally prepared. After failing to save Chrom from his final fate, how could the girl’s father allow her to be anything less?

“Your boots have been shined and are waiting for you in your bedchambers,” she continued, “and I’ve arranged a selection of outfits for you to choose from. Will we taking a stroll through the gardens today or should I notify the Pegasus Knights that you’ll be visiting your subjects in town?”

“Thank you, Adelaide.” She sighed, shaking her head. Sometimes she wished that her cousin would lighten up, but…well. It was hard to imagine her differently these days, considering her parents’ attitude towards her training.

“The gardens, I think.” She said after a moment. “I want to spend some time with Sigurd, and he’s still not used to crowds. Hopefully he’ll grow out of it eventually - Haley’s so petrified of them that she’s threatened to abdicate should I name her my successor. Not that a Morgan exalthood is a pleasant thought to consider…”

She shuddered, only half-jokingly at the thought of her middle child having that much power. “I hope you didn’t have anything planned for the afternoon.”

“Do I ever?” Adelaide asked rhetorically, a light smile gracing her lips. “Heh, forgive me, Your Grace. I’m yours for as long as you need me.”

Offering her cousin a hand up from the throne, Adelaide dipped her head respectfully. Her poor cousin worked far harder than anyone else she knew. “Allow me to escort you to your chambers, and I’ll send word to the nursery to have Prince Sigurd readied.”

“You really should take some time off EVENTUALLY.” Cynthia scolded her lightly. It was an old conversation, but she wasn’t going to give up on it yet.

Finishing with her hair, she dusted herself down and nodded as Adelaide led her to her quarters, sighing a little. “Yeah, tell them. Make sure he’s got his coat on, it’s getting a bit nippy outside and I don’t want him catching a cold…”

Trying to purge the thoughts of the days discussions - hardly anything seemed like good news these days - she clicked her tongue. “If you can send someone to hunt down Morgan, too, that’d be good. I think she’s buried herself in the back of the library again.”

Adelaide’s expression didn’t change at Cynthia’s scolding. There had been a time when the Falcon Knight dreamed of seeing the world like her parents had with the Shepherds. She imagined the things she could have learned and the people she could have touched. In another life, she might have been a travelling diplomat or even an ambassador. But those dreams had been put to rest long ago.

For as long as Adelaide could remember, her cousin seemed tired… and perhaps even sad. Cynthia had looked the end of the world dead in the eye twice, and was still standing. And though she was able to make a wonderful family for herself here in the present, her parents were gone again and her sister had disappeared. Deciding that she’d do anything to help ease her cousin’s burdens, Adelaide had made peace with her own little life.

“I’ll have one of Captain Cordelia’s knights see to Princess Morgan, while I head to the nursery myself,” she replied pluckily when they reached the door to Cynthia’s chambers. “Please take all the time you need, Your Grace.“

“Alright.” Cynthia nodded, dismissing her cousin as she stepped into her room. Grumbling to herself, she stripped out of the formal dress and left it abandoned on the floor, heading over to her closet and staring at her old pegasus knight uniform for a moment.

“…as if.” She muttered, shifting it off to the side. She pulled down her riding clothes instead, fastening her petticoat and thick trousers around her before pulling on her riding boots. Stomping for a moment to get her foot into the heel properly, she laced them up and shut the closet with a last, longing look at her uniform. “Can’t believe I miss that thing…”

She walked past her walls covered in memorabilia from the wars and adventures she’d used to go on, trinkets from Valm, portraits of her parents and sister, before settling in front of her weapon case. Her fingers traced the spear that she’d made with her mother so long ago, then the brave lance she used during the wars, before she sighed and wrapped her fingers around Falchion’s hilt.

“This is never not going to feel wrong.” She muttered, strapping it to her waist. Rolling her shoulders, she headed back out of her room and smiled when she saw Adelaide returning with her son in her arms.

“There’s my little hero!” She giggled, getting down on her knees and holding out her arms. “Can you walk to mommy yet?”

Adelaide’s little quest hadn’t taken very long, but it certainly wasn’t boring. She returned with Sigurd in time to see to see Cynthia stepping out of her room with Falchion strapped to her waist. The Exalt didn’t wear the old sword very often, perhaps, Adelaide believed, because it brought back too many sad memories.

“There you go, sweet little prince,” the Falcon Knight chimed as she gently stood the little boy up on the floor. Her normally neatly styled hair was a little messy from the tug young Sigurd had given it, but she didn’t let it bother her. “Right to your mother, okay?”

“That’s a clever boy.” Cynthia beamed as her son stumbled across the room, scooping him up with a giggle. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she adjusted his wool coat and raised an eyebrow at the state of Adelaide’s hair.

“He got you again, huh?” She said wryly. “Maybe I should get him on my bodyguard team as well if he can best Ylisse’s finest so easily.”

“And deprive him the chance to join the New Shepherds? Princess Lucina and my poor father will be crushed,” Adelaide joked dryly, brushing her hair back into place with her hand.

“In any case, Your Grace, Princess Morgan wasn’t in the library after all,” the young knight continued, “I saw her and your husband playing a game of chess in the study on my way to the nursery… and as usual, she was winning.”

“Oh, great. He’s going to be smiling all night again.” She grumbled, shaking her head. Resting Sigurd on her side - far away from Falchion’s hilt - she started heading to the gardens, humming a little. They passed the training grounds, the exalt stopping to longingly stare at a few of the knights engaged in lance practice before shaking her head and continuing on.

“I miss my spear.” She grumbled, partly to herself and also to her poor cousin who was duty-bound to listen to her. “I get that they need to see someone using Falchion and all, but - eugh. I sucked with swords when I started training with it, and I’m not that much better now. Plus I barely get to practice anyway. I bet if you put a lance back in my hands I could wipe the floor with half the women in the Knights right now.”

“I’d wager you’re better with it than I could ever be,” Adelaide replied reassuringly. “Besides, Your Grace, you wouldn’t be the first pegasus rider in our family to practice swordplay. In the Hero King’s time, Pegasus Knights like Queen Caeda used swords and spears alike. Perhaps you could be the one to bring that old tradition back?”

“Eugh. Maybe.” Cynthia shuddered at the thought. She just plain didn’t like using swords, and the appeal of Falchion had worn off almost as soon as she realized she’d only gotten it since her father had died.

She reached the gardens and stood there for a moment, staring at the carefully tended rows of flowers. She’d tried to keep them intact herself, but just hadn’t had the time or the patience - thankfully someone else had volunteered, knowing how important they were to her. “You see these, Sigurd? Your grandmother planted the flowers the first time.” She told her child, zoning Adelaide out for a moment as she rested her son on the floor. He stumbled over, shakily walking before sitting on the rocks containing the flowerbeds. “I wish you could have met her…”

Adelaide fell silent as she stood watch over the Exalt and her son. Occasionally, the young Falcon Knight had to remind herself that her liege lady was not the Cynthia she had grown up alongside. Though both had been orphaned by the Fell Dragon, the younger Cynthia and her older sister, Lucina, had grown up in a loving home.

“You know, my prince, your Auntie Emm likes to remind me of something whenever I think of those who aren’t here with us anymore,” the Falcon Knight said, taking a knee beside Cynthia and offering little Sigurd a tender smile. “She says that the people we love never truly leave us. That they live on in the things they left behind and the love they inspired in hearts of others. Just like the flowers here, your grandmother left so much behind for you to get to know her by. Your grandfather too. I like to think that’s their way of watching over you. What do you think, Your Grace?”

Sigurd stared up at Adeliade as she was explaining, clearly trying to follow along but not quite getting it. Cynthia herself was oddly silent, staring wordlessly at the flowerbeds in front of her as her cousin spoke. A hand tightened into a fist, trembling against her thigh as the exalt tried desperately to contain her emotions, closing her eyes and hanging her head down.

“I think,” She said choking a little. “I think that’s probably right, Adelaide.”

Concerned, Sigurd tugged on his mother’s sleeve, as she picked him up again and stood, keeping her head hung for fear of anyone seeing her cry. “…I think we need to go back inside.”

Looking at Cynthia first, and then around the gardens, the Falcon Knight wanted to be sure they were alone here. The more Adelaide thought about it, the more she began to understand how much her cousin needed this. Between Ylisse, her family, and all of her other responsibilities, Cynthia had probably been holding this in for years.

“Your Grace… it’s alright to cry,” the Falcon knight reassured, offering Cynthia her handkerchief. “We’re the only ones here right now, and I think we’re bound to happen upon someone on the way back. Besides… I think this is important. Let me hold Prince Sigurd for you.”

“Right.” Cynthia took a deep breath, handing Adelaide her son carefully. Eyes still brimming with tears, she took the handkerchief and walked over to the corner of the flowerbed. Staring at it for a moment, she crouched down and ran her hand through some of them, staring into a small goldfish pond in the middle for a moment.

She barely recognized the woman staring back out at her for a moment, even if she’d pulled her hair back into her tails again. Lines crossed her face that her makeup were barely managing to hide, bags below her eyes making her look drained and devoid of energy. Streaks of grey were starting to show in her hair, tainting the blue with the threat of stress and age. Even her figure had changed - while she’d tried to keep up her training, it had been hard, and the almost acrobatic form that she’d once been so proud of slowly vanishing, along with the future she’d dreamed of ever since she’d come back in time cruelly ripped away from her for something she never really wanted. A fish disturbed the surface on the pond, and for a moment she thought she saw her mother smiling out at her.

That was when she finally broke, years of frustration and sadness breaking through, and Cynthia started to weep uncontrollably. She buried her face in the handkerchief, trying to keep some kind of appearance of decorum if nothing else. She was there for five long, painful minutes, memories and hopes filling her mind as she let her emotions run rampant, if just for a short while. Eventually her tears ran dry, and she stood up again, clutching the wet handkerchief in a tight fist as she turned back to Adelaide. Falchion swung on her belt, slapping against the side of her thigh in a painful reminder of who she had to be now.

“…I’m sorry you had to see that.” Cynthia said quietly, reaching out to kiss her son’s head while staring at her cousin. “I know it’s not exactly something I should have been doing.”

Adelaide cradled little Sigurd in her arms, being especially careful to keep the young boy from seeing his mother let her emotions out. When her cousin began cry, the Falcon Knight distracted the child with a gentle smile and softly-sung lullaby. Cynthia had the weight of the world sheathed at her waist… and years of repressing her grief must have made that weight unbearable.

“Please, Your Grace, you needn’t apologize. Sometimes tears are necessary… and it seems to me like you’ve been holding yours back for far too long,” Adelaide replied sympathetically. Looking down at the boy in her arms, the Falcon Knight perked up a bit. “Besides, with how quickly Prince Sigurd dozes off, it isn’t like anyone important saw. Your secret is safe with me, Your Grace, and well… if you ever need to share the burden with someone, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you.” Cynthia said again, taking her son into her arms and smiling down at him before sighing. She shook her head, biting her lip for a moment as she let her eyes wander through the gardens again before a more resolved look fell over her face. “Right, well, if the theme of the day is working through some repressed emotion I know where we’re going next.”

She set off towards Sigurd’s nursery at a brisk pace, the look on her face confident if a little…well, perhaps it was a little psychotic in a way. “We’re going to put my little sleepyhead to bed, and then we’re taking a trip down to the training grounds. I think I need to start keeping tabs on my guard’s capabilities myself.”

“That’s the spirit, Your Grace. I believe young Prince– Wh-What?!” A chill ran up the Falcon Knight’s spine as she stopped dead in her tracks. Did Cynthia mean to terrorize the Pegasus Knights of the royal guard… again?

“Your Grace, you know the oaths the guard take before they’re sworn in. They aren’t allowed to lift a finger against you,” she pleaded, making sure not to wake little Sigurd in the process. If Adelaide wanted to save her friends some grief, she’d have to think of something quickly. “Wh-Why don’t you and I have a match instead? I am technically a princess after all! Ehehe…“

“That rule seems a little abusable if I turned out to be a tyrant. I mean, I knew they were loyal, but why didn’t anyone tell me I had a rabidly dedicated death squad at my beck and call?” Cynthia wondered, before freezing. “…oh, gods above, there is no way I can let Morgan become exalt. I am not letting her get a rapidly loyal death squad. That’s the last thing she needs.”

Shaking her head to clear it, she considered Adelaide’s offer for a moment before nodding firmly. “Fine, you’ll do - but don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Reaching Sigurd’s nursery, she placed her son in his crib and smiled, stroking his head with a finger before turning to face her cousin with a slightly less psychotic but still determined look on her face. “Although I still think it’d do them good to practice blocking drills if they’re not allowed to strike back.”

Adelaide nodded politely at the nursemaids, who seemed more than a little surprised to see them back so soon. The young prince had caused quite the ruckus only a few minutes earlier, and here he was no, sleeping perfectly sound.

“I’ll be sure to pass your input along to Captain Cordelia, then. I’m sure she could come up with a new drill along those lines for them to practice,” the young knight replied nonchalantly. Perhaps she was getting her friends into a little bit of a jam, but an afternoon of hard training seemed far kinder than what Cynthia had in mind for them.

“In any case, Your Grace, will we be sparing with swords or spears today?” Adelaide asked. “Father has trained me in both, so I hope to be enough of a challenge for you either way.”

“I want to say lances, but I’m meant to do a solid hour of training with Falchion each day…” Cynthia grimaced, shaking her head with a sigh. “…ah, what the hell. I need to make sure I don’t get rusty anyway, we’ll just cheat and do one round with each.”

She gave her son one last, quick look before leaving the nursery again, grabbing the first training spear she encountered as she practically stormed onto the training grounds. Some of the poor trainees who were in her way practically fled, electing not to stop and stare like the ones on the outskirts were.

“If you hold back, Adelaide, I’m not going to be impressed.” Cynthia said pointedly, turning on a dime to stare daggers at her cousin. It might be a blunted spear, but for a brief moment Cynthia was starting to feel like her old self again, if a bit more restrained.

Adelaide smiled and nodded, following close behind her cousin. She took a little longer to choose out her training spear, making sure the length and weight would be just right for her. Cynthia seemed very enthusiastic to get back onto training grounds with a spear in her hand again, and Adelaide wasn’t about to let her Exalt down.

“I can only promise not to hurt you too badly, Your Grace,” Adelaide chuckled, giving her lance a final twirl to check its balance. “At your ready!”

“Oh please. I’ve been doing this years longer than you have.” Cynthia snorted as she settled down into a fighting stance. Her hands slid down the shaft of her lance, the wood almost achingly familiar to her now. She’d still have preferred to be in her old uniform instead of the clothes she’d always associate with Lucina over herself, but that couldn’t be helped. Good strategy would have been to wait for Adelaide to move first, scout out her fighting style and respond correctly. She wasn’t patient enough for that crap. Instead, she let out a harsh shout, diving forwards with her lance spinning over her head for a few moments before she brought the blunted point plummeting down towards Adelaide’s exposed throat.

A little surprised at Cynthia’s approach, Adelaide quickly sidestepped the blow and maintained eye contact with her cousin. The Exalt was faster than she expected, but speed wasn’t anything Adelaide couldn’t gauge and counter.

“That isn’t going to work, Your Grace,” she replied, taking a swipe at Cynthia’s side. If she could wear the Exalt out a bit, her speed would be far less of an issue to deal with.

“Just testing.” Cynthia said lightly, easily jumping back to avoid the blow. Laughing to herself, she kept the tip of her lance low, ready to flick up if Adelaide was going to try anything.

“Come on, baby cousin. What’re you waiting for?” She taunted, tilting her head as she slowly circled around her guard. “If you’re waiting for me to get tired you’re going to have to wait a long time.”

“Just an opportunity, Your Grace,” the Falcon Knight replied, smiling at her cousin as she secretly studied the way Cynthia was circling. If she could put the Exalt on her toes, she was sure to find the opening she needed to have her on her back.

“Though father told me it was best to make my own!” Waiting until Cynthia took a step, Adelaide stepped in to make a quick swipe at her cousin’s ankle and doubled up to strike at her face. If the Exalt held her ground, Adelaide intended to close the distance and overpower her. If she moved to avoid, she’d keep her moving with another series of swift strikes.

Cynthia’s eyes widened a little at the sudden strike, hopping over the swipe at her ankle and realizing she’d fallen for the feint just a little too easily. Gods above, she was far too rusty at this.

With the lance heading towards her face, Cynthia let her instincts take over and in a series of moves that would probably have made her mother start rolling in her grave, improvised. Dropping her lance, she used one hand to grab the end of Adelaide’s just below the tip as it approached her face. Yanking it forwards to try and pull Adelaide off her balance - or at least open her guard - she brought her right fist darting forwards, missing her cousin’s face and clipping her shoulder instead. Not a bout-finishing blow by any means, but enough to knock her back a few paces.

“Don’t be afraid to make stuff up, Adelaide.” She said cheerfully, considering her options before her cousin recovered. Bending down to retrieve her lance would take far, far too long - and leave her stance too low to properly defend herself. Realizing what her only real option was, she took a jump back and drew Falchion, the magical charm keeping its edges dull during training making it gleam in the sunlight.

In the crowd, someone clapped, and the exalt had to resist the urge to curtsy. Distracting herself like that could end up with her getting humiliated in front of her guard, and that wasn’t an experience she was looking forward to having.

Wincing as she shouldered the blow, Adelaide jerked the shaft of her lance back, hoping to pull Cynthia back with her. All she needed now was a chance. If she could get Cynthia into close quarters, the match was as good as hers. One good blow, and the Exalt would be on her back.

But when that plan didn’t pan out, Adelaide narrowed her eyes as she watched Falchion come out of its scabbard. The only other time she had been on the receiving end of the holy blade was when she was knighted. Even though she now had the advantage of reach, Adelaide had to admit that she was a little intimidated.

“And here I thought you were looking forward to wielding a lance again, Your Grace,” Adelaide taunted, kicking Cynthia’s trainer out of the ring. She’d need to get into her cousin’s head in order to take control of the match. “I hope for Falchion’s sake that you’re able to keep a better grip on it.”

“Yeah, and  you nixed that plan pretty quickly, didn’t you?” Cynthia responded, nodding her head towards the discarded training lance. Her eyes narrowed a little as it was casually kicked out of reach, even more as Adelaide taunted her. Her grip tightened on Falchion’s hilt, the Exalt forcing herself to take a deep breath at her cousin’s later words.

“You shouldn’t have said that.” She said quietly, before lunging forwards. She feinted with the blade, mimicking the same movements that normally led to an overhead swing while keeping the tip low enough to parry any attempts to slide under her guard, lashing out with one foot in what was possibly an overly brutal kick at Adelaide’s shin.

Adelaide saw her opportunity: Cynthia had been thrown off her balance by the taunt and it was beginning to show in how reckless her attack was. This was a good chance to finish things quickly. Taking advantage of Cynthia’s over-committed kick, Adelaide swept her cousin’s ankle to the side with the shaft of her spear, using the Exalt’s momentum to spin her off angle and make a clean opening.

“Hyaah!” With a quick turn and a harsh shout, Adelaide let the lance slip through her hands so she could strike at Cynthia with the weapon’s full length. Surely there was no avoiding this!

No.

Cynthia knew she shouldn’t be so focused on this right now. For Naga’s sake, it was a spar with her baby cousin of all people, not a life or death battle. She should feel proud, not angry. But something about having others watching, having heard Adelaide’s taunt about Falchion - something had switched off in Cynthia’s heart, unleashing feelings that she’d hoped she could have kept long buried.

Reaching out with her free hand mid-fall, she gripped the tip of the training lance, ignoring the pain as its blunted edges dug into her palm. Trickles of blood ran down the inside of her left arm as she yanked the lance to the side to pull her cousin off-balance, Falchion lashing out at the younger woman’s chest in a last, desperate strike.

She missed, and her back slammed into the floor as she finally finished her fall. Wincing, Falchion was jarred from her hand even as she kept her grip on the end of the training lance, slowly standing up without relinquishing her hold and glaring at her cousin.

A flash of steel forced Adelaide a step back, stopping her from finishing Cynthia off as she fell to the ground. Even with a protective charm keeping the holy sword from doing any serious harm, the princess-turned-knight didn’t want to feel the bite of her cousin’s blade any time soon. But when Falchion itself clattered to the ground, Adelaide noticed something that made her eyes wide with shock.

“M-My apologies, Your Grace!” she gasped, relinquishing her grip on her weapon and dropping to a knee. “This was supposed to be a friendly duel. I didn’t meant to draw first blood!”

Adelaide kept her head low. Her heart was still beating from the excitement of the match, but now she felt terrible for what had happened. She should have expected Cynthia to grab at her weapon. Perhaps she shouldn’t have swung so hard… or perhaps she shouldn’t have spun her off balance. What a fool she was to have hurt her Exalt like that.

“Oh for crying out loud.” Cynthia sighed, the sudden exasperation brought on by her reaction evaporating most of her anger in an instant. She tossed the trainer off to the side, glancing at her hand for a second before shrugging and wrapping a handkerchief around it in a makeshift bandage for the time being. “It’s okay, Adelaide. I should have grabbed it below the blade or something.”

“Stand up.” She grumbled, giving her cousin a slight kick on the walk past. The crowd of trainees around them glanced at each other nervously, realizing that the situation had just gotten a bit more serious. The exalt picked up Falchion and stared at it for a moment, eventually sighing and sheathing it again. A light kick brought her original trainer up to her good hand, fingers wrapping around the shaft. “Don’t start grovelling or anything, you know how much I hate that.”

“Yes, Your Grace…” the Falcon Knight responded, quietly rising to her feet as her cousin passed by. She spared a glance at the trainees, asking them to leave with a slight motion of her head. Now wasn’t a good time for an audience. As soon as they got the message and scattered, Adelaide sighed and looked to her cousin again.

“You know I would have taken your hand off and then some if you tried that in a real fight?” she asked, raising a concerned brow. “I don’t mean to lecture you, cousin, but you really mustn’t be so reckless. You’re our queen, Cynthia. What would become of us if something were to happened to you?”

“You wouldn’t have, that’s why there’s metal plates in the palm of the gauntlets and leather along the joints.” Cynthia said absently as she wiped her palm on her skirt, frowning a little. “Besides, losing me wouldn’t be that big a deal. Either they’d give this job to Owain for a year or so, then Micaiah sucks it up and takes it once she’s more experienced.”

Grumbling, she tightened the makeshift bandage a little more, glaring at Adelaide a little. “I’ve been reckless all my life and yet somehow I’m the only one of my closest family who made it into her forties. Auntie Emm’s the only other one who managed that.” She laughed bitterly, unstrapping Falchion from her belt and staring at the sheathed sword before hurling it across the grounds with a scream.

“I HATE THAT THING SO MUCH!”

When the sword clattered to the ground, Adelaide lost the desire to argue back. She had seen Cynthia get upset like this a few times before, and she understood her pain to an extent. To some degree, the Falcon Knight even felt responsible. She was a child who was never fated to exist, born to parents who failed to protect the man they loved so dearly.

“Father told me that it was a miracle mother survived after what happened to her,” she commented weakly, walking towards the sword Cynthia had thrown. “And mother told me that all our lives are miracles… no matter how hard they may seem.”

Falchion had come loose from its sheath and the charm had come off of the hilt, but Adelaide knew that she probably wasn’t one of its chosen wielders. Carefully picking up the sacred blade, the Falcon Knight turned back to her Exalt.

“I won’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through, cousin, but I want you to know that it would be a big deal… especially to me. I’ve always thought that you were pretty miraculous,” Adelaide offered warmly, sheathing Falchion and smiling at Cynthia. “I didn’t become a knight of the royal guard just because father asked me to. I knew how hard things had been for you, and I wanted to help however I could. And if it means being the wary knight to your reckless royal, then… hehe, I’m your knight!”

Cynthia glared at the sword before taking it back, grumbling as she strapped the sheath back around her waist. She was acting like a child again, she knew that - but she just couldn’t help it. This entire day had been…frustrating wasn’t the right word. Perhaps emotional was.

“Thanks.” She said grudgingly a few moments after Adelaide finished talking, standing with her hands loose by her side. Staring at the wall for a few moments, she groaned and sat on the nearest stool, head in her hands. “…let’s just call it a day for now, Adelaide. I need a rest.”

Well, it was more along the lines of needing to go and work off her stress in private for a moment, but there wasn’t any point in phrasing it like that. “If you can pull my husband away from his work early for once, I’d appreciate it. Feel free to use force.”

“Yes, Your Grace!” Adelaide replied with a sharp salute. She expected that allowing Cynthia to return to her normal schedule would help her calm down a bit. But when the Falcon Knight’s hand reached her forehead, something warm splashed against her face.

“Hm?” Brushing a droplet off of her cheek, Adelaide inspected her fingertips to see a red smear left behind. When she looked at her hand, she noticed a thin cut running along the palm of her hand. “Gah! W-Where did this come from?”

“…I’ve got an idea…” Cynthia said slowly, glancing at Adelaide’s hand for a moment. She was suddenly even more grateful that the rest had left for now, because if she was right this likely wasn’t the kind of news that should spread to the public. “Well, two. Either I did actually hit you at one point, or…”

She fingered Falchion’s hilt for a moment thoughtfully, wondering if she should even broach the subject. She knew that her cousin treated the sword with so much respect she almost seemed to fear the blade - but then again, at one point so had she.

Well, if nothing else, it might give the woman a confidence boost. She drew Falchion from the sheath again and tossed it hilt-first towards her knight, trusting in her own reflexes to stop herself from getting hurt. “Catch. Oh, and block!”

Hopefully before Adelaide could really process what was going on, she grabbed one of the small bags of sand normally used for in-flight archery practice and tossed it at her, hard. At worst it’d bruise.

Catch? Blinking in confusion as Falchion sailed through the air before her, Adelaide reached out and grabbed the sword by the hilt. In the moment, her only thought was to stop the sacred blade from hitting the ground again and getting damaged. Then Cynthia’s second command registered with her. Block!

The Exalt had thrown the sandbag so hard that Adelaide barely managed to see it. Panicking, she pivoted on her heel and swung the sword. When bag split apart on impact with the blade, the Falcon Knight was quickly covered in sand… though she was far too stunned to mind.

“No…”

“Remember to breathe, Lady.” Cynthia giggled, walking over to her cousin and glancing at the blade in her hands. Gods alone knew that it looked more natural in her grip than her own - although that may have been spite towards the blade, or even more likely Adelaide’s conditioning to swordsmanship.

Seeing that the knight was still in shock, Cynthia shook her head and let out an exaggerated sigh. She hated exercising authority, but maybe it would snap her out of it. If her father’s training was anything like she remembered it, well…this should be second nature. “CAPTAIN! ATTENTION!”

“Y-Your Grace!” All at once, Adelaide was standing up as straight as a pole. It was more reflex than freewill. Did Cynthia call her to attention? She was never one to pull authority, especially on her own cousin… and was she still holding Falchion? Adelaide remembered cutting through the sandbag, but it felt more like a daydream than something that had just happened.

“I-I’m sorry, Cynthia… I don’t know what got into me,” she apologized, nervously biting her lip in between sentences. “This has never happened to me before…”

“Yeah, it freaked me out the first time too.” Cynthia admitted, picking up a pair of training swords and advancing on her cousin menacingly. It was good to make sure, after all, and perhaps this would help her snap out of her reverie. “We’d better make sure, just in case.”

“Block!” She ordered, swinging one of the swords at Adelaide’s head. Falchion would cut it in two in short order, provided she met it edge-on-edge - that was the bizarre thing about using Falchion. Since the damn thing couldn’t blunt or break, meeting other’s blades on edge instead of with the flat was both possible and recommended.

“Cynthia, I’m serious!” the Falcon Knight protested. “This isn’t supposed to befreaking me out; it isn’t supposed to be happening to me at al– Eeep!”

Seeing her Exalt take a swing at her with a wooden trainer, Adelaide frantically tried to parry the practice sword only to feel it coming apart cleanly against the honed edge of the sacred sword. “P-Please! No more! I really shouldn’t have picked it up in the first place!”

“Focus, Adelaide!” Cynthia barked, tossing the ruined trainer away and circling her cousin carefully. Her eyes flickered down to the blade and back to Adelaide’s face before softening and she lowered the other blade.

“Look, I get it. Knowing you can use that thing kind of sucks.” She said gently. “Especially considering what happened to the last three people who did before me. But you should be proud of yourself, Adelaide. Even if you think you’re not worthy of it, well…welcome to the club.”

Falchion shook in her hands as she stared her cousin down. She would let Cynthia hit her with the trainer before using the holy weapon again. This wasn’t her sword. It wasn’t even her birthright. This whole situation was so wrong.

“Cynthia… Your Grace, with all due respect, I don’t think you do,” Adelaide quaked. “When I was little… I wanted to wield this sword. I wanted to feel like a part of our family… But I realized later that I wasn’t even supposed to be born. All I’ve wanted ever since then was the chance to prove my worth. Don’t you see? Having Falchion choose me as a wielder… it’s like Naga herself is pitying me! I wanted to prove myself, but… it feels like I’ve lost that chance…”

“Adelaide…” Cynthia sighed, shaking her head. She reached out and tussled her hair, stepping away before she could have a chance to give the sword back to her. “Seriously, I used to think the same thing. It used to kill me that Lucina could use it and I couldn’t, like it meant…like it meant that I wasn’t important enough to be a part of that family. Then I learned I could use it, and I became petrified that I was meant to be a replacement for when Lucina died.”

She gestured at the blade helplessly, shrugging her shoulders. “Being able to use that thing - it’s not pity, Adelaide. It might not even be a good thing. Hell, sometimes I’m convinced the stupid thing is cursed. If you really want to prove yourself, stop crying about it and do something already!”

“If it isn’t pity, Cynthia, then it’s some kind of divine joke,” the Falcon Knight quaked, clenching her eyes shut to try to stop herself from tearing up. “By all rights, this is Lucina’s sword. She’s been working her whole life to take the burden of leadership off of your shoulders, but we don’t even know if she can wield it! But me, a body guard? A second-rate royal who was never supposed to exist in the first place? What is Naga trying to say by choosing a nobody like me?”

“Trust me, I’m pretty sure it’s a joke sometimes too.” Cynthia sighed, wincing at the reminder of her…well, younger sister, now. She put a hand on Adelaide’s shoulder trying to comfort her while keeping her composure as much as she could, a small smile on her face. “Maybe Lucina was meant to be the one who used it during the war, and you’re meant to have it during peacetime.”

Her face hardened a little as Adelaide mentioned ‘never supposed to exist’, having to resist the urge to slap the other woman with physical difficulty as she took a deep breath. “Adelaide, for gods’ sakes. Of course you’re supposed to exist. The fact that you didn’t live in the future where everything went straight to shit doesn’t mean you’re not important. What, because only Morgan and Haley came back for me, does that mean Sigurd shouldn’t exist?”

She pressed Falchion’s hilt into the Falcon Knight’s hand again, determination in her eyes. “Also, seriously, you just beat me in front of a bunch of other people. Maybe Falchion’s not meant to be used by the person ruling it, but the person who keeps it safe instead. Like my father had it while your mother was ruling.”

“I… I don’t know,” the Falcon Knight gulped, shaking her head, “I’m not sure about anything. I never even considered this as a possibility, but… maybe you’re right. If Lucina’s to ascend the throne someday, then maybe I have a role in helping her keep Ylisse safe. Maybe Naga is trying show me a path forward that I can’t see just yet.”

Wiping her eyes and carefully sheathing Falchion, Adelaide dropped to a knee and offered the sword back to her cousin. “I’m sorry for putting you through all of this, Cynthia. Fate, destiny, other futures… it’s all so confusing. I don’t even know where to start. Here and now, though, before all else: I am your knight. That’s the one thing I’m sure of.”

“I’d kind of hope Lucina doesn’t end up on the throne. That means all my kids are either dead or abdicated.” Cynthia grumbled a little, trying to make it sound like a joke. Sighing, she reached down to take the sword’s hilt, fingers curling around it as she paused and glanced down at her with light in her eyes.

Drawing the blade smoothly from the sheath, she touched both of Adelaide’s shoulders in smooth succession, hopefully faster than she would be able to object, smiling to herself.

“I know you’ve already been knighted, but sometimes it’s nice to renew some vows. She joked, sheathing Falchion and tossing the blade up into the air for a few moments. She paused again, eyes flickering from Adelaide to the blade before passing it back. “Go on, Adelaide. Tell your parents the good news. I’m going to want that sword back, though, I’m not dead yet.”

Adelaide kept her head respectfully low as Cynthia joked, rolling her eyes at her cousin’s attempt at humor. Lucina was Chrom’s rightful heir, and though Cynthia had been a wonderful Exalt, she also deserved to live her life as she pleased.

With her head so low, though, Adelaide barely had time to realize what her cousin was really up to. When the sword was returned to her hands, the Falcon Knight looked up at her Exalt and gave her a very soft smile.

“As you command, Your Grace,” she replied, hesitantly accepting the sword. Adelaide imagined what this might mean for her future, and a little bit of her cousin’s optimism suddenly rubbed off on her. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. “And… thank you, Cynthia. I don’t say this nearly enough, but I love you. Hehe, I’ll be sure to tell you all about how badly father overreacts tonight. I won’t be surprised if he ends up fainting!”

“He’s going to be very proud of you once his heart attack finishes.” Cynthia agreed with a grin, patting Adelaide on her shoulder. She picked up the training lance she’d been using earlier and slid it back into the rack, humming to herself before glancing at the knight with a hint of pride in her eyes.

“I love you too, Adelaide. Now go on, captain, scat. You’re dismissed.” She waved her off with a laugh. “At ease, off duty, whatever the right order is. Get out of here.”