R/L/A/N

Few things to bear in mind:

1) This was written in 2016 before Dishonoured 2 came out. How I write Emily and Corvo is based on the first game.

2) I have taken my own approach to the world of Fates. How the world works is stuff of my invention.

3) OCs will be present, but in supporting roles only.

4) This story will be divided into acts. After Act 1, the story will play out differently to the games.

5) At the end of some chapters, I'll put a YouTube link to a song. I'm not going copy and paste lyrics in their entirety, but music is important to this tale.

And of course, I own nothing. Fire Emblem is owned by Nintendo and Dishonoured is owned by Bethesda.

The Empress of Gristol (Act 1)

Act 1: Conquest, Birthright or Dishonour?

Prologue: What of Corrin?

The sun's rays were kissing the green glades of Hoshidan grass as twilight marked the sky; the sun dipping over the emerald forest. A clear, crystal lake was sparkling, and the winds were gently caressing its surface; a perfect picture of tranquillity.

One could say it was ruined by the approaching figure, walking alone across the grassy fields to the edge of the forest. Barefooted, she turned onto the dock; the sun glancing off her sleek armour of black and white. Reaching the wooden structure's end, she sat down of the edge and allowed her feet to tickle the lake. The dirt and gravel from her feet drifted away as she looked out across the water, a forlorn spell griping her mind as she pondered her life so far.

Images flashed through her mind: A looming fortress set against a pitch-black sky, a withered tree that stood alone amongst blooming cherry blossoms and a large, dead whale that floated in a white mist…

Without even thinking about it, she looked down at her right hand. Upon which was a weird mark that was etched into her skin. As she gazed upon it, more broken pictures clouded her mind. A stone tower, a golden cat, a painted hound, and that masked man…

The lady sighed and grasped her head like she wanted to tear it open, her nails digging into her scalp as if she was trying to open a large tome that was glued shut. Her fingers grip slackened and her hands fell to her side in defeat. This melancholy didn't last long, as the dark-haired woman decided to ease her mind from its weight. She straightened up, her toes still touching the water, and looked out across the lake as she readied her diaphragm.

"What will we do with a drunken whaler, what will we do with a drunken whaler…"

Her voice, while not of an angel, was fair and in tune as she sung the shanty that haunted her dreams.

"Stuff him in a sack and throw him over, stuff him in a sack and throw him over…" A smile grew as she sang those morbid lines which gave her a twisted comfort that only she would appreciate. "…Early in the morning."

"Feed him to the hungry rats for dinner…" As her dark melody continued to echo across the still water, a mist suddenly descended upon the solitary lady, as if her song called them up to ruin the twilight scenery.

She didn't seem to notice as her eyes were now closed, ignorant of the wisps of mist that surrounded her. Images could be seen in the haze; visions of rats, hoard of rats, scurrying through the air like a plague of locusts. Tall, mechanical legs appeared from above and matched across the lake. Horrible, mutated plants that squirmed like veins that hung limply from human skin.

A carnival of horror and metal that hid in the mist. All the while the woman sang her melody; "Slit his throat with a rusty cleaver, early in the morning."

"Way hay, and up she rises…"

The creatures in the mist began to slow their movement as a new visage appeared amongst them. A tall, hooded man that wore a metallic, skull like mask with misshapen glass eyes. And unlike the other illusions of the mist, his drab coat and sword were as solid as a painting.

"Way hay, and up she rises…"

This man began to slowly walk towards the singer, his head tilted to one side. The rat swarm was in his path, but he walked through it disrupting the apparition without breaking pace or his own image.

"Way hay, and up she rises…"

As he closed in, the stranger raised his hand and began to reach for the dark-haired woman.

"...Early in the morning…"

"Excuse me!"

The singer's eyes jolted open. She blinked for a second before turning to the source of the voice and saw a lady in a white dress. Upon seeing the visitor, the singer raised herself off the edge of the dock and bowed as low as she could.

"Sorry about that," she bleated out nervously. She straitened up and looked behind her to see where the sun was in the sky. It was lower than before, but it was still above the forest and its rays still touched the tranquil lake.

Turning back, she bowed again, "Really, I'm sorry. I thought I was out here alone."

The lady with long azure hair smiled softly, "It's all right. I was coming out here to sing as well. And please, there is no need to bow."

The awkwardness now gone, the dark-haired lady gave a sigh of relief, "Thanks. I still haven't gotten this Hoshidan manners lark." She raised her hand to the newcomer.

"My name is Emily."

"Drunken Sailor" watch?v=urV8MIcLDFk