Author's Note: This is my first Fire Emblem Awakening fanfic. Julia is the name of my female Avatar, just so you know. Thanks for reading! Fire Emblem Awakening is the property of Nintendo/Intelligent Systems. -BB :)

A Dragon in Distress

Sitting at her tiny desk, Nowi opened her diary and grabbed a quill. She tapped her nose with the end of the quill for a moment, lost in thought. Then she dipped her quill in an inkpot and scrawled:

-x-

Well, the war is finally over. We won! Each day was filled with battles against bad guys. The future looked bleak for us, but thanks to Julia we were able to take our future back.

…But, what about my future? I don't want to think about it, but… I know I have to face it eventually. *sigh*

Hm, I wonder what I should do today? This is Nowi, signing off for now!

-x-

Nowi closed her diary with a snap, tossed it onto her unmade bed, and wandered off to the kitchens, even though she wasn't hungry. She just wanted to get her mind off of her nagging thoughts. As she stepped through the winding corridors she ran her hands along the castle walls.

She took her favorite route to the kitchens by going down the hallway filled with beautiful framed portraits of each member of the royal family of Ylisse. Each picture told a story and was in order of genealogy. The final portrait at the end of the hall was of baby Lucina. Nowi smiled as she observed the painting. Lucina was such an adorable baby. Nowi considered going to play with Lucina later today.

The Manakete pushed the kitchen doors open. "Yoohoo! Anyone in here?"

Empty.

Suddenly deciding against food, Nowi sat at a small table in the corner and stared at its wood surface. It was no use. Each day that passed by meant one less day that her friends would be with her. Just the thought of it made her heart break. It's just as well that the kitchens are empty, she thought. I need to get used to being alone... A tear slid down her cheek and landed on her clasped hands.

"Nowi? What's wrong?"

Julia.

Nowi looked up, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. Julia sat next to her, a concerned look on her face. She began to gently stroke Nowi's hair.

"I… I…" Nowi wrapped her arms tightly around Julia's waist and sobbed. As she cried, Nowi thought, Julia is such a good person. She's been here for me on and off the battlefield. All of the Shepherds have.

"Did something happen?" asked Julia.

"N-no…"

"Hmm. Please tell me about it if you're comfortable sharing," Julia said gently. She enveloped Nowi's small hands with her own. "Okay?"

The Manakete took a deep breath. She sat up and told Julia everything, her fear of losing her friends, her fear of being alone. She explained that many people have come and gone in each stage of her life and after each stage losing friends became harder and harder. Julia listened quietly, without interruption.

"…I see." Julia appeared lost in thought. Then she said, "Did Chrom ever tell you about how he and Lissa met me?"

Nowi shook her head no.

Julia smiled, though her eyes looked a little empty. "I was found in a field, my memory completely gone. I had no idea who I was, where I came from, or what I was doing in that field."

Nowi sniffed and hugged her. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Julia…"

Julia shook her head. "But it's okay, because I made new memories with the Shepherds. Nowi, I won't pretend I know how you're feeling. But I will say that I'm a bit jealous of you."

Nowi blinked. "Jealous? But why?"

Julia smiled again, but this time her eyes regained their usual light. "You have all of your memories. Even though your old friends are no longer with you now, they live on through your precious memories."

The Manakete sat still for a moment and thought about what Julia said. It made sense to her. "…You're right. When it is my time, I hope the gods at least let me be with all of my friends."

"I hope so too." Julia squeezed Nowi's hands. "Let's get you something to eat. Do you want to visit Lucina later?"

Nowi wiped her tears away and grinned. "Yeah! Thank you, Julia."

A Dragon in Distress, End