"How can fathers be like? What have fathers been like? What is a father? What is not a father?"

"Surely, there are blood fathers, related to you by blood. Rudolf is one such father, father of Alm, yet could he truly be considered a father? He was his son's greatest enemy, and right when he was born, he gave him away for some one else to take care of him. Yet, even such an action had a meaning, for he meant for his son to bring humanity out from being coddled in the bosoms of gods, even when the king must die in the course of such a grand plan. Was he a true father?"

"Sometimes, fathers may not be related in anything except for by name. Garon took the small Corrin in in the wake of a sea of murder, in a lust for greater power by leaning his ear towards a darkened dragon god. He provided no comfort, no compassion, unlike how Mycen had treated Celica and Alm in another reality far, far away from the lands that possess both Hoshido and Nohr, only exploiting the half-dragon girl for his own benefit. Surely, he is not a father, we can all agree."

"But what of birth fathers that wish for more in their son than he can give? Cornelius is one such father, to strike his son in times of his self-presumed weakness, to wish for a war-king from a prince of peace. Does he love his son still? We can only assume he does so, as his child had mourned for him as he mourned for his nation and mother and the unknown fate of his sister. Such a father can be an ambiguous subject in different stances."

The voice paused, as if to catch their breath. Nothing could be seen behind the cowl obscuring his visage, save for his story-spilling mouth. A small crowd surrounded around them. The voice was unfamiliar with these lands, but they could at least find a brief solace in its laced familiarity.

"What of fathers unknown?" one from the crowd had asked. The amalgamation of men, women and children alike murmured in wonder, together.

"Chrom's father is such a figure. It can be quite assured that his children had not much love for that late tyrant, and strive to seperate themselves from such a legacy, even if it's painfully obvious that his son is only repeating the same mistake as his forefather."

"Some fathers could scarce be known by their children. All of Lord Sigurd's army and companions, engulfed with fire, left their children behind with a broken legacy to flee to some backwater lands to live out in hiding, save for Sir Fin, but who could really say he was blessed. And Cuan, his late master, was a fool, to march out into the sands of death with no regard for his life, unaware of the consequences for his actions. Yet, could such a fate be a blessing in disguise?"

"Lord Hector fell to his wounds in front of his children, Sir Greil could only follow suit in front of his shocked son, and . What sort of trauma is this, to allow your own children to hear your dying breath and watch the light fade from your own eyes? They are such cruel, cruel fathers. At least King Fado and Hassar of the Lorca tribe had the sense to send their children away before they met the same fate."

"And what happens to the children who cannot suffer such grief?" The voice stopped, as if to clear his throat and prevent it from choking up in tears. "Emporer Vigarde was resurrected, and demons were brought onto the world as punishment for defiance of the natural laws of the world, and at the end, there was no happiness for neither son nor father. Lucina sought to murder her father's best friend, allegedly his killer, without seeking out the answers to more pressing questions than her own selfish anguish."

"Eliwood was, perhaps, one of the very few fathers that were able to escape such a hate. Why is it? Is it perhaps his search of his father is not one guided by hate? Hell, he seems to not have much hate for much in this world. No one quite knows why only he was left blessed of a fate of life, even if it is to be spent in the clutches of illness. Roy is blessed, indeed."

"So appreciate your father, cherish them before they perish too soon in the grasp of death. They will almost always be able to provide for you all that you need and impart knowledge and wisdom that you will most likely need in your long journey through life."

The voice rose from his seat and left before questions could be asked of his lecture. He clutched a tome in his hand, his lips grim. A figure approached him, one that he knew well as his only true companion beyond the Dragon's Gate.

"You should know how being a father was like," he started before the being could speak. The other could only smile sadly.

"I only pretended to be a father. At least I was able to apologize to Sety at the end. And you?"

The voice looked at the tome in his hand. "I'm not a bad strategist. Perhaps I can serve for a little while in the next realm, wherever it may be. Maybe another father would not have to die. Would you care to come with me, oh sympathetic dragon?" His last words were spoken in a grim sort of jest, yet his intentions were honest and true.

"Of course, Knoll. Of course."

A/N:

This made more sense in my mind. Happy father's day to all of the dads! Even the ones that have passed away... Requiescat in pace, my dear A-man (Hector). Make sure to treat your dad something nice today! :D

And... yeah. Holsety and Knoll are here for some reason.

Edit: I discovered the only reason why Eliwood isn't a dead dad like his fellow compatriots. He's secretly actually the mom.