Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

Chapter 1: Fleeting Peace

Hiding in my Skin, Broken from Within

Chapter 1 - Fleeting Peace

Sunlight filtered through the windows of Zelda and Lucina's flat. Zelda yawned and stretched as the gentle light woke her from her slumber. Clad in her lavender cotton nightgown and socks on her feet, she stepped out of bed and put her slippers on. She started walking toward the flat's restroom when she noticed that the door to the study was halfway open. She peered in, noticing the reading lamp was on, and walked in. Sure enough, at the reading desk was Lucina, clad in her silky blue pajamas, asleep with her head resting on her arm. Her hair was a mess and a bit of drool flowed out of her half-open mouth. Moreover, Zelda wondered how Lucina avoided catching a cold, seeing as how Lucina was barefoot.

Reaching her hand out, Zelda gently shook Lucina awake. "Oh, Sleeping Beauty..." she said in a singsong voice, in a somewhat teasing manner.

Lucina groaned as she awoke. "Nnng...Zelda...?"

Turning off the reading lamp, Zelda asked, "Were you in here all night?"

"Huh?" Lucina mumbled. After fully regaining consciousness and noticing the open book on the reading desk, she said, "Yeah, I guess I was."

Zelda paused for a moment, and asked, "Another nightmare, I take it?"

"Ah!" Lucina gasped. She was surprised that Zelda could tell so easily, as in the past, Zelda was awoken whenever Lucina had a nightmare, but Zelda did not wake up when Lucina did the night before.

"I knew it..." Zelda said. "You know, Lucy, if there's anything you want to talk to me about..."

"...I'm fine," Lucina said, standing up. "They're just bad dreams. I'm sure it's nothing."

Zelda looked concerned for a moment, but after seeing that Lucina didn't seem to be in any immediate distress, she said, "Well, I guess we'd better brush up and get ready, then."

"I guess so..." Lucina replied, as she followed Zelda to the bathroom. The two brushed their teeth and washed their faces. After they changed their clothes, Lucina looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair. She thought, Why can't I shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen soon?

"Lucina! Let's go!" Zelda called out from the hallway.

"Coming!" Lucina shouted. She followed Zelda to the hallway and the two waited for one of the elevators to come down to their floor.

Within a matter of seconds, the elevator doors opened with a ding. Shulk and Robin were the first two people Zelda and Lucina saw standing behind the elevator doors.

"Hello, ladies," Robin said.

"Zelda! Lucina! Good morning!" Shulk said, enthusiastically.

"Jovial as ever, aren't you, Shulk," Zelda teased.

"Oh, come now, Zelda!" Shulk replied, chuckling. The two princesses stepped inside the elevator before the doors closed and the elevator continued its descent.

Zelda stood close to Robin, Shulk, and Ness, who was obscured from the initial view when the doors first opened. Lucina, however, distanced herself from the others and looked down at the floor as she walked to the back of the elevator.

"So, Ness," Shulk said, "I heard your friend Lucas is coming back today."

"Yup!" Ness replied. "I hear two more fighters are coming with him."