The Dragon Bride

First Contact - Part 3

Lucina stood in front of the goblin tunnel that she was about to enter. Beside her was Jade and Adwin as the only witnesses to the beginning of her new quest. She patted herself to make sure everything she needed was already on her. Her armor, stained from many battles past, Devilsbane hung on her side, her hand over its handle to make sure it would take the trip into the darkness alongside her, just as it had when she entered the Screaming Gate. Opposite of her blade, she held the small vial that Marilyn had given her while an unlit lantern hung from her wrist. Inside her chest plate were enough rations for two days which she hoped would shrink by just contacting the sack she carried them on. And most important of all, the handkerchief her future wife had given her was tucked inside her cuirass, deep down so as to never lose it.

"Are you sure you want to do this, dear?" Asked the worrisome voice of Jade. She stood in the doorway of her sibling's lavatory, keeping a safe distance from the potion Lucina had acquired.

The knight turned around and smiled with her fake face. "I'll always be sure of helping my kingdom and my family." She responded, causing Jade to bring a hand to her chest as she felt her words reach deep inside her.

"Well... family is a bit hasty, don't you think?" Adwin intervened causing Jade to frown deeply at them. "I-I mean that came out wrong, I just meant the wedding vows haven't yet been exchanged! Call me old-fashioned I suppose..." They quickly corrected themselves. At the very least it was comforting for Lucina that they were so bad at lying.

Lucina shook her head and brought the concoction up to her chest, ready to drink it all.

"How long will you be in there?" Asked Jade.

"As long as it takes me"

"No... Sir Luke." Jade called out once again. "I mean at what point do we call for help if you've not returned?" Lucina gained a perplexed look on her face.

"Well, it's hard to say." She admitted. "I suppose if I'm gone more than a day. That sounds about right."

"That tiny flask will shrink you for a whole day?" Adwin interjected, surprised. Lucina did not answer. The thought had not even crossed her mind...

"I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Adwin was quick to pursue the topic.

"I uh..." She stuttered trying to think of a way she could explain it without coming off as a complete fool. "I must've... forgotten to ask my friend how long the Rétréserum lasts for..."

"You forgot?!" It was Jade's turn to chime in.

"It just didn't come up!"

"You mean to tell us that in the conversation that was exclusively about how to deal with a goblin infestation the topic of the efficacy of the solution simply... did not come up?" Adwin pressed on, half-mocking the knight.

"...I mean when you put it like that..."

"Alright that's enough!" Jade interrupted both of them. "This is getting us nowhere!" She turned to see Lucina's disguised face. "We're calling the mission off..."

"Jade no!" The knight protested. "This is too important to simply ignore! We can't just-" Her fiancée raised her palm and in an instant, Lucina bit her tongue and stopped talking.

"I am not risking you! Should the horde come, we'll meet them here." She spoke solemnly. "I trust the Radiant Legion will be able to stop them before any damage is done to us, the palace or the city. Adwin, go tell father to round up any able-bodied soldier and have them on high alert." They simply nodded and ran off into the hallways of the castle.

"And if they are unable to?" Lucina defied her partner. "What then? We barely know enough about these creatures to properly mount a defense against thousands of them!"

"My decision is final, Lucina!" She barked, letting her true name ring through the room. Lucina took a step back as Jade brought a hand up to her face, unsure if she had really just screamed at her fiancée. "I... I'm sorry." Lucina sighed and aimed her sight at the floor, as if she had been defeated by her words.

"Me too." Without a second of hesitation, she uncorked the vial and emptied the liquid into her mouth before Jade could even process what was happening. Lucina ran towards the opening in the bathroom and thankfully, the potion acted quickly as she shrunk down to half her size. Jade rushed to try and catch her to no avail, she dropped into the hole without even touching the sides.

"Lucina, I order you to come back!" She called out to the shrunken knight as she tried to reach her with her arm. As she came up with nothing but dirt and rubble, her tone grew desperate. "Don't you dare leave me!"

"I'm sorry Jade..." Lucina's voice escaped from the tunnel. "But I can't risk you either." With her piece said, she ran deeper into the tunnel, until no sound or light from the outside could reach her.