Chapter 17: Act 3- The Search part 3; Inigo's Realization
"Wait—" Inigo's normally graceful movements stuttered to a halt, his eyes widening comically as Lucina's words finally registered. "You're MARRIED? To him? Already?!"
Lucina couldn't help but laugh at his expression, a sound that would have been rare in their ruined future. "Yes, Inigo. Odyn and I were married not long ago."
"But... but..." Inigo sputtered, running a hand through his hair as he processed this information. Then suddenly, his expression shifted from shock to something more contemplative. "Although... thinking about it now..."
"Yes?" Lucina prompted, noting the change in his demeanor.
"It's just—" Inigo's voice softened, heavy with memories. "The way you two move together, how he anticipates your needs, the trust in your eyes when you look at him... it's so similar to how you were with him— with the future Odyn. The one who protected us." He paused, a wistful smile touching his lips. "Different, but the same, if that makes any sense."
Lucina's hand unconsciously went to her wedding ring. "You knew him well too, Inigo. The future Odyn. You saw how he was with all of us, but especially..."
"Especially with you," Inigo finished. "He was your guardian, your protector, but there was always something more there. Something none of us quite understood as children." His eyes took on a knowing gleam. "Though I suppose fate has a way of making things clear eventually."
"When I first met this timeline's Odyn," Lucina said softly, "I thought I was seeing a ghost. The same dark skin, those distinctive orange eyes, even the way he carried himself... but he was younger, unburdened by the weight of our ruined future."
"And without the scars," Inigo added quietly. "The future Odyn had so many scars from protecting us... protecting you."
"Yes," Lucina agreed, her voice thick with emotion. "This Odyn has had his own battles, but he hasn't lived through the apocalypse we knew. He still has hope, still sees beauty in the world. It's what drew me to him, even as it marked him as different from the Odyn we knew."
Inigo let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "And here I was, preparing my best 'protective brother' speech about this mysterious dark elf who'd caught your heart. I should have known... should have seen it immediately. The way he watches over you, it's exactly like—" He stopped, emotion catching in his throat.
"Like how our Odyn used to watch over all of us," Lucina finished. "But you're right, it is different too. This isn't just protection born from duty or necessity. It's..."
"Love," Inigo said simply. "Pure and simple. The kind we used to dream about having when we were hiding from Risen in that broken future." He glanced over to where Odyn stood with Roy, noting how the dark elf's eyes still occasionally sought out Lucina, even in casual conversation. "Though I have to admit, the dragon's blessing is new. Our Odyn never manifested anything like that."
"The circumstances of their lives were different," Lucina explained. "This Odyn and Roy received their blessing in their own realm, before coming here. It's part of who they've always been, not something born of desperate necessity like so much of what we knew in the future."
Inigo was quiet for a moment, then a genuine smile spread across his face. "You know what? I take back my shock. Of course you married him. It's like... it's like the world finally got something right. Like all those years the future Odyn spent protecting you, teaching you, caring for you... it was leading to this. To a timeline where you could both be happy."
Lucina's eyes glistened slightly. "Inigo..."
"Just promise me one thing," he said, his normal playful demeanor returning as he stood up, offering her an elegant bow. "Promise me I get to dance at your wedding— oh wait, I already missed it!" He clutched his chest dramatically. "How could you deny a performer his greatest stage?"
Lucina laughed, the sound carrying across the camp and drawing a warm smile from Odyn. "Well, there's always the festival celebrations in Ylisse. I'm sure Mother would love to see your dancing there."
"Ah yes, speaking of which..." Inigo's eyes twinkled mischievously. "How did Chrom take having a dark elf prince for a son-in-law?"
The look Lucina gave him was answer enough, sending them both into fits of laughter that helped ease the weight of their shared memories, even as they celebrated how the past and present had woven together in unexpected ways.
As the Shepherds traveled along the dusty road, the future children found themselves hanging back slightly from the main group, voices low in conspiratorial discussion. Ahead of them, Sybyrh rode beside Chrom, her black and gold-streaked hair catching the sunlight as she laughed at something he'd said.
"I still can't believe it," Inigo muttered, shaking his head as he watched the dark elven queen. "In our timeline, Lady Sybyrh was so... reserved. Almost stern. But here..."
"Here she actually smiles," Severa finished, twirling a lock of her red hair. "And not just those diplomatic smiles she used to give us when we were kids. Real ones." She paused, then added with characteristic directness, "But that's not what we need to be discussing. What we need to talk about is how the others are going to react when they find out about..." She gestured meaningfully toward where Lucina rode alongside Odyn.
Cynthia bounced excitedly in her saddle. "Oh! Oh! I bet Kjelle is going to challenge him to a duel! You know, to prove he's worthy of being our princess's husband and all that."
"She already did that in our timeline with future Odyn," Inigo pointed out. "Remember? When she first started training with us? Though I suppose she might want to test this version too..."
"Gerome's going to brood even harder than usual," Severa predicted with a roll of her eyes. "You know how he gets about changes to the timeline. Finding out Lucina married a dark elf prince from another realm? He's going to spend at least a week lurking dramatically on mountaintops with Minerva."
"What about Laurent?" Cynthia wondered. "He's probably going to want to study the dragon's blessing. Remember how fascinated he was with future Odyn's fighting techniques? And now there's actual dragon magic involved!"
Inigo chuckled. "Oh gods, poor Odyn. Laurent's going to corner him with a thousand questions about the metaphysical implications of cross-realm dragon blessings." His expression turned thoughtful. "Though speaking of studying things, what about Nah? How do you think she'll react to the dragon's blessing?"
"Probably about as well as she's reacting to Roy having it," Severa said with a knowing smirk, nodding toward where Roy was deep in conversation with Nowi. "Though at least that makes sense now - the attraction to dragon power and all that."
"Brady's going to cry," all three of them said simultaneously, then laughed.
"And Yarne..." Cynthia mused, "he'll probably be relieved? I mean, having two more super-powered fighters on our side has to be good for his survival chances, right?"
"Noire might actually take it the best," Severa considered. "She always did say future Odyn had a calming presence. When she wasn't in her... other mood, anyway."
"What about Morgan though?" Inigo asked, glancing at Sybyrh again. "Finding out his sister married someone with power that rivals the dragons themselves..."
"Morgan will probably just be excited to have a new brother-in-law to study tactics with," Lucina's voice came from behind them, making all four future children jump. She had quietly maneuvered her horse behind their little group without them noticing. "Though I appreciate all of you taking such an... active interest in my marriage."
"Luci!" Cynthia exclaimed. "We were just... uh..."
"Gossiping shamelessly about how our friends are going to react to your extremely dramatic life choices?" Severa supplied helpfully, earning a light shove from Inigo.
Lucina's lips curved in amusement. "I heard. Though I notice none of you mentioned how you think Lord Virion will react when he realizes there's another noble who can match his theatrical declarations."
This sent them all into fits of laughter, drawing curious looks from the other Shepherds. Even Sybyrh turned in her saddle to observe them, her orange eyes twinkling with maternal affection - an expression Inigo was still getting used to seeing on her face.
"It's still so strange," he said quietly to the others once Lucina had ridden ahead again. "Seeing Lady Sybyrh like this. Seeing all of them like this. In our time, she was always so focused on protecting us, on maintaining diplomatic relations even as the world fell apart. But here..."
"Here she got to fall in love properly," Severa finished, her usual sharp tone softening slightly. "Just like Lucina did. No apocalypse hanging over their heads, no desperate last stands. Just... love."
"Well, mostly no apocalypse," Cynthia corrected. "We still have to stop Grima."
"True," Inigo agreed, watching as Sybyrh reached over to take Chrom's hand, as natural as breathing. "But maybe that's the difference. In our time, everyone was just trying to survive. Here... here they're living."
They rode in contemplative silence for a moment before Severa spoke up again. "Ten gold pieces says Owain challenges both Odyn and Roy to a dramatic duel while naming at least three new special moves after their dragon's blessing."
"Oh, that's not even a bet," Inigo laughed. "That's just Tuesday with Owain."
The future children's laughter rang out across the convoy once more, a sound of joy and hope that would have been impossible in their own timeline - and all the more precious for it.
To be continued in Chapter 18: Act 3- The Search part 4; Threat beyond Grima?