Chapter 5: A Little Girl's Dream; A Love Rekindled
Hearts Intertwined
The war council had ended hours ago, maps and plans scattered across the command tent's table showing possible locations of Lucina's time-traveling companions. But Lucina remained, studying a particular route that might lead them to both her friends and a way to prevent Robin's possession by Grima.
"You know," Odyn's voice came softly from behind her, "those maps won't change no matter how long you stare at them."
She turned to find him leaning against the tent pole, orange eyes warm in the lantern light. The sight of him still made her heart skip – a feeling both achingly familiar and wonderfully new.
"Seven years," she said suddenly, her voice thick with emotion. "Seven years of carrying you in my heart, of wondering if I'd ever stop seeing you smile at Robin in my nightmares, of wishing I'd been old enough to tell you how I felt before—" She cut herself off, hands trembling slightly as she gripped the edge of the table.
Odyn crossed the space between them slowly, deliberately. "And now?"
"Now?" Lucina looked up at him, her orange eyes meeting his. "Now I'm old enough. Now I understand what I felt then wasn't just a child's crush on her protector. It was the beginning of something that even time couldn't erase." She took a shaky breath. "I love you, Odyn. The you from then, the you from now – they're different, but the core of who you are, what makes you *you*... that's the same. And I've loved that essence of you for so long I don't remember how not to."
Outside the tent, neither of them noticed the small gathering of Shepherds who had paused in their evening routines. Chrom and Sybyrh stood closest, holding hands as they watched their daughter's happiness unfold through the tent's partially open flap.
"You're right," Odyn said softly, reaching up to trace the pointed tip of her ear, so like his own. "I'm not him. I haven't lived through what he did, haven't protected you the way he did." His hand moved to cup her cheek. "But I feel it too – this echo across time, this pull toward you that feels older than memory."
Lucina leaned into his touch, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm not that little girl anymore."
"No," he agreed, his thumb brushing away a tear that had escaped. "You're a warrior who crossed time itself to save everyone she loves. You're stronger than anyone I've ever known. And watching you these past months, seeing your determination, your courage, your heart..." He smiled softly. "How could I not fall in love with you too?"
A small gasp escaped Lucina's lips at his words. Outside, Sybyrh squeezed Chrom's hand, both of them wearing matching smiles as they watched their daughter find happiness in this timeline.
"But what about—" Lucina started to ask, but Odyn gently pressed a finger to her lips.
"No more 'what ifs' tonight," he murmured. "No more fears about the future or ghosts from the past. Just this moment, just us."
He leaned down slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wished. Instead, Lucina rose up to meet him, their first kiss as gentle as a whisper but carrying the weight of years of unspoken love. Her fingers curled into his tunic as his arms wrapped around her, holding her as if she were something precious and strong all at once.
When they finally parted, Lucina's eyes shone with joy instead of tears. "I never thought I'd have this," she whispered. "A second chance, a new future..."
"A love strong enough to transcend time itself," Odyn finished, pressing his forehead to hers.
Outside the tent, the gathered Shepherds shared knowing smiles. Chrom wrapped an arm around Sybyrh as they watched their daughter lean into Odyn's embrace, finally looking unburdened by the weight of her future past.
"About time," Frederick murmured from nearby, his usually stern face softened with approval.
"Young love," Lissa sighed happily, wiping away a tear of her own.
Inside the tent, Odyn and Lucina remained lost in their own world, their pointed ears catching the sounds of their friends' poorly concealed celebration but not caring. They had found each other across time itself – everything else could wait.
"We'll save him," Odyn promised softly. "We'll save Robin, stop Grima, protect everyone. Together."
"Together," Lucina agreed, reaching up to touch his face, memorizing this moment of perfect happiness. "This time, we write our own destiny."
The lantern light flickered, casting their joined shadows against the tent wall – two figures from different times, brought together by fate and choice and a love strong enough to rewrite history itself.
To be continued in Chapter 6: Finding Friends; Future Children Assemble!