Somewhere in the universe, exists a race of beings known as humans. They settled on many different lands across the globe, and there more were born, raised, and died.

Legend tells of a strange land, far away from the struggles and tribulations of the lands of old. There, humanity advanced at an unprecedented rate, no great ages of darkness nor sorrow to hamper their progress. Scriptures speak of ships with great chimneys which can travel without the aid of wind, torches which light themselves without need of fire, and staves which belch fire and lead.

Within this mythical land lay a glorious state by the name of Weisstein. Though not too large of a power in the region, it was neither particularly small or insignificant in the scope of world politics. The state managed to establish a global trading network, finally linking this lost land to the rest of the known world.

Peace and prosperity reigned for ages, but as the rest of the world continued to lag behind those of the New World in terms of technology, people began to have ideas.

Our story begins here...

Somewhere off the coast of Ylisse

Weisstein Radetzky-class Battleship Ausdauer

The sound of cannon fire roared above the thunder and lightning overhead as a fleet of Weisstein warships descended upon its enemy. The lone warship defiantly fired its guns at the incoming fleet, managing to strike a few hits upon its enemies.

"We have hit the Colossus! Her deck is ablaze!"

"Enemy ships returning fire!"

"Evade! Hard to Starboard! All hands brace for impact!"

The 16000 ton battleship suddenly made a hard right turn, throwing some of its crew into the ship's walls. Two columns of sea water suddenly sprayed into the air as the enemy ships' shells sailed overhead.

More lights flashed in the distance, followed by a high-pitched whistling noise. Suddenly, the hull of the ship shook violently from an explosion. Men screamed as they were thrown overboard, or gripped places where limbs used to be.

"We've been hit! Starboard side heavy secondaries are out of commission!"

"There's a fire in one of the magazines!"

"Main guns are returning fire!"

"We're taking in water sir!"

Another explosion rocked the ship.

"Hold just a little longer!" the captain exclaimed. "We need to take Her Highness and her child to safety! We are almost there!"

More muzzle flashes sparked in the distance.

A massive explosion suddenly threw the central funnel off of the ship's superstructure, followed by a shell punching straight into the ships conning tower.

Within the depths of the ship, a young mother pulled her eleven-year old son closer as the explosions became more and more intense.

Oh, how much would she give in order to convince both herself and her son that everything will be alright.

As she hugged the child closer, she knew how this would end.

Halidom of Ylisse

Port City

Five Years Later

"Hey, Fleance!" a voice called. "Take a break! It's lunch time!"

As a bell tolled in the distance, and the sun shined bright from the sky above, sixteen-year old Fleance Werndl look up from his handiwork, sweat dripping from his brow as he did so.

"I'll eat later," he replied, before returning his attention to what lay in front of him. Amidst the chaotic mess of sawdust, springs, and loose gears, sat a strange contraption. The outside consisted of a wooden box, not exactly elegant but well-made all the same, and inside lay a series of springs and gears. A handle jutted out form the side.

Fleance wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Right," said he, gripping the contraption's handle as he did so. "Let's see how it sounds."

He slowly began to turn the handle, and the gears began to rotate and springs began to be plucked. A calm and distinct melody drifted out of the box as Fleance continued to turn the handle.

The tune had a sort of somber tone to it, but that helped sell the product. Not everything in life was exciting.

Fleance heard footsteps from behind him.

"Wow, you made another one!?"

Fleance turned around to see the toymaker's youngest son poking his head out from the stairs leading to the floor below.

He smiled.

"It's still not perfect," Fleance replied. "Some of the notes are out of tune."

The boy in the stairwell seemed to ignore this comment, as he was jumping up and down in excitement.

Fleance sighed before noticing more footsteps as the toymaker himself poked his head out from the stairs.

"Seems like you're done," said he, scratching his beard as he did so. Fleance nodded in reply.

"Great," the toymaker continued. "How about you wash up and head downstairs? Lunch is already on the table."

"Yes sir," Fleance replied. "Where should I put this?"

He pointed at the contraption he made.

"The usual place," the toymaker replied. "I'll do the engravings and such later."

"Thanks."

Fleance then placed the contraption on a nearby bench before heading down the stairs to wash his hands and such.

The toymaker's wife, meanwhile, carefully poured a measured amount of flour into a pan before turning her attention towards Fleance.

"Thank you for your help, Fleance," said she. "Hurry and eat up. You're going to the harbor today, aren't you?"

Fleance looked up in realization of what the woman just said.

"Oh right! I forgot!" said he, and began eating the meal in front of him (which was not much as it was only lunch after all) before heading for his room. There, he immediately grabbed a set of clothes suitable for walking outside, as well as a bread bag and a sword. The sword was a cheap bronze one, but Fleance found it to be perfectly adequate for the purposes of self defense.

Especially since he also had a derringer hidden in his right boot.

After waving goodbye to his employers, Fleance immediately darted towards the port. Seagulls soared overhead and he could smell the salt of the sea as he ran.

Fleance quickly took a right turn, passing by a few colorful shops as he did so. He continued to run, his first destination already in front of him. Ahead sat a hill, and at the top of the hill grew a single tree. Fleance slowed down as he approached said tree. A single stone tablet stuck out from the ground in front of the tree.

He stopped and knelt down in front of the tablet.

"Hello Mother," said he, staring at the tablet as he did so. "How are you?"

Fleance knew that the gravestone would not respond, but he continued to talk anyway.

"Life's gotten really better now," he continued. "Mr. Hartmann (the toymaker) and his family asked me to say hi to you for them. Everything here is peaceful, just like you wanted."

Fleance's smile disappeared.

"It's not the same across the pond, though," he said, referring to the situation in Weisstein. "Uncle seems to be growing more and more paranoid every moment. He's even launched an invasion into the northern countries."

Fleance sighed, before sitting down in front of the grave.

"I won't let him touch the people here," he said. "I promise."

After a brief moment of silence, Fleance stood up and began to walk towards the harbor, his resolve finally hardened.

Hidden Drydock

Port City Harbor

The distinct sound of metal clanging on metal echoed in the depths of the cave which Fleance had entered. Workers chatted around him as they worked and sparks flew from the many steel forges within the (surprisingly well ventilated) cave. As he walked deeper, a number of uniformed men past him, some of him casually saluting to him as they passed.

Soon, he entered the cave's main chamber. Inside lay a massive improvised drydock, with easy access to the sea outside yet practically invisible from the ocean. A certain Radetzky-class Battleship sat at the dock undergoing repairs.

Fleance smiled.

It took five years of brutal manual labor, most of which he personally did at first, but the ship seemed to be relatively seaworthy now.

Five years ago, as an eleven-year old boy, this ship was his home in a land he knew so little about. Repairing this ship to take revenge upon his uncle pushed Fleance to his limits. Things have changed since then, and his mother had left him, but the flame of revenge had died long ago.

This ship would be a shield, not a sword.

Fleance approached a man in a Weisstein naval uniform, who immediately sprang into a salute upon noticing Fleance.

"Your Highness!" said the officer. "Welcome back sire!"

Fleance sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" he said. "You're older than me, Lieutenant Walther."

"But you are Royalty, sire!" Walther exclaimed. "Much more worthy of the Weisstein throne than that tyrant!"

Fleance, once again, sighed.

"When will the Ausdauer be seaworthy again?" he asked. "The holes seem to be patched."

"Within the year, sire," Walther replied. "Without manufacturing machinery and tools it could have been faster, but circumstances are circumstances."

Suddenly, Walther clapped his hands with an idea.

"I just remembered!" said he. "Rumors say that the Exalt and his family will be coming to this city!"

Fleance raised an eyebrow.

"Why, is there something special going on?" he asked.

Walther shrugged.

"Perhaps it is merely a vacation; Exalt Chrom rarely goes on one," he replied. "And about this visit, shall we present the repaired Ausdauer to His Majesty? The ship is for the defense of Ylisse now, is it not?"

Fleance shook his head.

"I don't think he will appreciate it," said he. "This land and its people are too peaceful. They will never appreciate a weapon of war such as this."

Fleance's smile disappeared.

"The Ausdauer will launch only if my Uncle strikes," he concluded. "Understood?"

Walther sprang back into a salute.

"Your wish is our command, your highness!"

Fleance shook his head at the title, before turning to exit the cave.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!"

"Slow down, Morgan! Don't stray too far!"

Amidst the seagulls and the hustle and bustle of business as usual at the harbor, a young girl dashed through the crowd, barely skidding to a halt as she reached the docks.

Morgan, second daughter (by only a few minutes) of the Exalt of Ylisse, stretched as she inhaled the salty air around her. Her sister soon caught up to her, stopping next to Morgan in order to take in the view.

"Wow, you're right," Lucina said, staring in awe at the sight. "It is beautiful."

"I know!" Morgan replied. "The blue, the seagulls, everything!"

She spread her arms to emphasise the point.

"I wish Mother was here to see this."

Silence engulfed the two.

"She sacrificed herself to save the world," Lucina said. "She did what she thought was right."

"I still miss her though," Morgan replied.

The expressions of the two siblings darkened slightly at the mention of their mother, but the sound of footsteps soon brought them out of their little trance.

"Oh, Father!" Morgan exclaimed, running up to her father as she did so. "What are we doing first!?"

Lucina sighed at her sister's energy before letting a smile creep across her face.

"I want souvenirs!" Morgan continued, jumping up and down in excitement.

Chrom smiled at this development and decided entertain his daughter's idea.

"I know, I know," said he. "But first, let us get some food, then we can look for souvenirs."

"Okay!" Morgan replied. She continued to bounce up and down in excitement as they walked towards the nearest restaurant. People in the streets waved, bowed, and greeted the three as they walked. One might expect people of such importance to constantly have a security escort of some sort, but this proved to not be a problem.

Chrom and his children could handle themselves in a fight, and besides these lands belonged to Ylisse.

A land of peace.

As the three walked, Morgan managed to notice someone in the streams of people in the street. Short brown hair. Fair skin. Roughly the same age. Eyes dyed the color of the sea. A bronze sword hung from the belt at his side while he slung a bread bag over his shoulder.

The boy seemed to notice Morgan as well, and sent the girl a wave as well as a soft smile. Morgan waved in return.

And so, on this day, Morgan, second daughter of the Exalt of Ylisse, crossed paths with who would become one of the most important people in her life.

Fleance Werndl von Igelstellung, rightful heir and future King of the Kingdom of Weisstein.

Author's notes: A while back, possibly a few years ago actually, I tried to write a story about what the Fire Emblem universe might look like once firearms were invented. That story kind of flopped, so I decided to take a stab at the concept again. With that said, a few things I would like to point out:

1. As much advanced technology as I can will be contained between 1496 and 1886 in our world. The main exception to this is the Ausdauer, as it is a Radetzky-class Battleship, which served the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1908 to 1918. In this story, the only feature from the original Radetzky-class Battleship used is the overall layout, tonnage, and power plant. The remaining armaments are supposed to fit within the 1496-1886 time frame.

2. I know that in the game, you can't get a female Morgan when Robin is also female. I only made Morgan female because it makes writing her character a little easier for me.

3. This is not a replacement for my other Fire Emblem story. That one will be updated again. Someday. I hope.

Anyway, that's all from me. Please leave a review in the review box below. I value all feedback I get, as it motivates me to write more. I hope to see you in the next chapter!

-SPSH Karl