Disclaimer: All your Fire Emblem are belong to Intelligent Systems.
Characters: Hector, Eliwood, Roy.
Pairings: None of immediate importance. But for those of you who avoid certain pairings, Eliwood/Ninian is hinted at in part two, as is Roy/Lilina.
Warnings: Character death, leading to slight AU.
Author's Notes: Those of you hoping for a Beyond the Gate update, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. My creative mind works very oddly, and somehow I can't bring it up lately to work on a large, multi-chapter, weekly fic. This doesn't mean Beyond the Gate is cancelled, merely on hiatus. Once I have two or three more chapters on it, I'll resume updating it weekly.
Until then I'll update irregularly with one-shots and the like. Very sorry about this, but when it comes to large projects I really don't want to botch things.
Also FFNet needs a more efficient way to do stuff like this. If there is a way that doesn't involve looking up the people who follow the fic instead of myself and sending separate PMs to all of them, please let me know.
"Hector." He turned around at the sound of his friend's voice. "You look well, for having to govern Ositia as well as raise a daughter on your own."
"Eliwood." Hector wished the same could be said for the redhead. Hector didn't want to think it, but maybe governing Pherae was too much for Eliwood… the people clearly loved him and he was a devoted and just ruler, but he looked incredibly tired. "...you as well. Although your son's been taken off your hands by his studies."
Eliwood chuckled. "He's growing up far too fast."
"He's not the only one," Hector admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Actually…"
"Yes… that's why you're here." Eliwood suddenly became serious. "Come. This is something I want to discuss in private."
Hector, too, had hoped it wouldn't have come to this, but it was inevitable really. With the heirs to the two most powerful Lycian territories being what they were… If they didn't do it now someone would do it for them and that would not lead to favorable conditions for either-
"Eliwood!" The General's train of thought was interrupted when Eliwood suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his chest. Hector caught up to him, not knowing what to do when his friend started taking short, choppy breaths. "What's happening to you?" He wasn't sure why he asked that, seeing as Eliwood was obviously in no state to answer him. He heard footsteps behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see a familiar face. "Marcus! Get a blasted-"
"-Healer! I'm on my way!" Hector didn't know what the Paladin had been doing, but he sure dropped it all to rush off in search of someone who could help his liege.
Hector rested his head on his arms, leaning on the back rest of the chair he was sitting on, looking at the bed further in the room. Lady Eleanora was mostly in his line of sight, but he wouldn't dream of telling the former marchioness to move. He'd say his heart had stopped when he saw Eliwood collapsing, but considering the circumstances that would just not be right.
A heart attack. And judging from the swiftness with which Marcus had recognized it, as well as the experience lady Eleanora apparently had in responding to it, not the first. "…he should be stable," she said, her voice a little shaky. Hector hardly even heard it. He had never known Eliwood suffered of a heart problem… But the redhead seemed to be approachable right now. Healing magic really was something.
"I only have two questions," Hector said, drawing his friend's attention over to him as lady Eleanora scooted over so they could look at each other. "First, how have you kept this a secret from me for so long, and second, for how much longer where you going to?"
Eliwood was apparently unable to sit up. "I was going to tell you," he managed, although clearly not happily. "There was just never a good time."
"Sometime before you scared me to death would have been good." Hector couldn't even make his voice sound angry. A realization had hit him, something that reminded him of a painful farewell he'd had to say in the past. "This will be the end of you, Eliwood. It's going to kill you."
"It is," he acknowledged. "That's why I wanted to get things with Roy and Lilina over with… that way I'd know everything was taken care of when I go."
Hector was both relieved that Eliwood at least acknowledged the seriousness of his disease and shocked at how easily he accepted his own impending death. "…does he know? Roy?"
Eliwood remained silent. Hector took it as a no. "Gods, Eliwood. Were you planning on ever telling anyone you were going to die before 40?" It was out before he realized it. But he knew it was true; he needed only look at Eliwood to know that. Lady Eleanora knew it, too… and Eliwood didn't just know it, he had peace with it.
"You make it sound simple, Hector. I can't count the times I've been about to tell him. Or you, for that matter…" He sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose in the end I didn't want to burden you with the knowledge." He shut his eyes, with an expression Hector recognized as indicating he was thinking on something. "…could you do me a favor, Hector..?"
"Anything." It wasn't until Hector had uttered the word that he realized Eliwood might ask him to put him out of his misery- no way, surely he wouldn't ask that with his mother right there in the room!
"Roy is in Ositia for his studies…" Eliwood opened his eyes. "Can you send a messenger there to send him home? I… he has a right to know. It's my last chance to tell him."
It was a relief to hear. "I'll take care of it. …later."
Lady Eleanora put one hand on his shoulder to draw his attention. "I think it would be best for you to go now, lord Hector." He looked up at her. She, too, clearly suffered under this. "Eliwood needs rest…"
"Ah, right…" He stood up, getting the hint. Judging from the way lady Eleanora looked at her son, and the staff she was holding, she was going to force Eliwood to sleep.
The best way to make sure Roy would come to Pherae would be to go back to Ositia himself, but considering the state Eliwood was in, Hector didn't want to leave. He didn't want to get the letter informing him of his friend's death a week after it happened.
"Marcus," he addressed the aging Paladin by the door, "Do you know where I can find Merlinus?"
Additional Author's notes: This is a two-shot, not a one-shot. In two weeks, May 20th, I will update with part two. I might have the start to a different thing up before then, but I'm not making any promises on those.