A Retainer's Resolve
"Hyah!" Frederick shouted, spurring his horse. The sand cushioned the hooves, providing unsteady ground for Viktor to step on.
"Go go go go!" Chrom shouted, one of the Plegians jumping at him. He raised his blade to block the onslaught, blocked for now. The sand slowed them all down as each member of the army was either hindered or occupied with Plegian soldiers.
But not Frederick.
"Hyah!" he shouted again, cracking the reins. Viktor snorted and went faster, his hooves pounding holes into the sand, each a meteor creating a crater.
The morning sun drew up to its highest point and the heat only grew. But Frederick rode all the same, the metal plates of his armor absorbing the heat. He'd cook alive.
He didn't care.
A Plegian rider charged at him. His horse had the advantage of being experienced in the sand where Viktor was not. Frederick hefted his poleax and waited for the right moment.
The Plegian raised his sword to strike as he got close but Frederick swung the axe in a practiced arc, well-honed after years of combat, and severed the man's arm from his torso.
He screamed, but Frederick paid him no mind. He looked up at the top of the structure where Emmeryn stood on the precipice.
"Rise, Sir Frederick of Ylisse, knight of the realm. You will be a shield that protects the weak from malcontent."
"I'm coming," he muttered, hair blowing in the hot desert wind. He glanced to the right as a mage raised his hand to him.
An arrow erupted from his neck and the spell fizzled out, vanishing from significance. Virion.
"Frederick!"
The knight turned his head to the side, seeing a familiar face bashing a man's skull in with an axe. Libra began to run towards Frederick as he rode.
Frederick turned Viktor and reached out his hand. He grunted as Libra clasped his arm and heaved himself up, the horse still in motion.
"Guard my siblings, Frederick. You're one of the few I can trust."
"Keep going, I'll watch your back," Libra said, calm as ever. Frederick continued to ride, wind beginning to blow sand. A sandstorm, the beginnings of one.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Libra grab one of the hand axes strapped to Viktor's side. A scream followed soon after, Libra hitting his mark.
"Go, Viktor, find our liege." Frederick leaned down and whispered.
"Take this horse as your reward. You saved my siblings and you deserve so much more. Have you a boon, I would grant it."
"Libra!" Frederick shouted, taking a hand off the reins and pointing ahead. Four archers had arrows trained on them.
"On it," he said, grabbing the staff off his back. The arrows loosed. Warm healing light surrounded him. The arrows hit, one plinking off his armor and two finding purchase in him, the last in Viktor. Frederick reached down and ripped the arrow out of Viktor, his horse screaming. The light caressed the wound, the leathery skin of Viktor knitting itself back together.
There was hardly a hiccup in the beast's course as Frederick barreled through the archers as they scampered out of the way, lest they be trampled. Libra swung his axe, catching one on the chin as he tried to dodge.
Viktor leapt up the stairs, now on solid stone. The horseshoes clacked on the firm ground and Viktor ran a bit faster in triumph.
"Where are you hit?" Libra shouted. The wind was picking up and Libra spat some sand out after he spoke.
"Stomach," Frederick grunted. "Leg." Sand and blood coated his tongue. He looked up, staring at where Emmeryn stood. He was close.
Libra reached around, his gauntleted hands pressing on Frederick's stomach. "Keep your mouth closed," he said. The warm glow began and Libra ripped the arrow from Frederick.
Frederick felt the arrowhead dislodge from his stomach as darkness covered his eyes for a brief moment, soft warm light pushing back the urge to give up. He let out a shuddering breath, the sand an afterthought now.
"Frederick, I love how I can count on you. You are the reason I keep going every day."
"Frederick?" Libra's voice was muddled.
"Frederick?"
"Frederick!" Libra shouted, his feminine voice reaching a commanding octave. "Focus!"
Frederick gasped, one of his hands grabbing Viktor's mane to steady himself. The wound in his stomach closed, the blood drying in the desert heat.
"Now my leg," he croaked.
"Fred—"
"Do it!" he shouted, eyes blinking furiously. True clarity had yet to come back to his eyes.
Libra reached around to his leg. Preemptive healing magic surged.
"Come back to me, Frederick. Promise me that?"
Frederick roared as Libra ripped the arrow out. His mouth filled with sand as the sandstorm had reached its apex, blustering and blowing kernels of sand against his fine armor.
"Go, Viktor!" Frederick screamed through the pain. His horse heard him and didn't slow. Frederick's leg began to resew. It halted just as it scabbed over.
Libra shouted something that was lost in the wind as tossed the staff aside, the light winking out in the crystal.
Frederick couldn't see her. His vision was obscured.
"Emmeryn!" he called, his voice swept away as soon as the words passed his lips. "My lady!"
Metal struck his armor. Frederick looked down to see a Plegian rearing back his axe to strike again.
Libra leapt off Viktor and tackled the Plegian. The two tumbled to the ground as Libra yelled the same word over and over again. "Go go go go go!"
"Frederick…don't go."
Frederick didn't stop.
He rode. And rode.
And rode.
The sandstorm, as quickly as it came, began to subside. Frederick looked straight up, looking for the precipice.
No one stood on it.
His gaze lowered, following the point to the ground.
Frederick approached, Viktor's tired hooves dragging against the ground. His hands were clamps on the reigns, vice grips at maximum tension.
Her body, laying with poise akin to how she lived her life. The gods must have softened her fall as a small mercy to spare her a bloody visage. He looked at her through teary eyes, the distortion giving life to the disbelief that she could be smiling and alive.
But she was not. He wiped the tears away. Her expression was lips contorted in pain, eyes shut in fear.
"I've always been scared of what I might have to do. About what a future day might force me to do."
"You were an angel, Emm." Frederick wrapped one of her delicate hands in his. He held it over his heart. "An angel to Ylisse, to your siblings, and to me."
She offered no response, eyes shut to never look at him again.
"I've never been so sure of anything, Frederick, as I am of the fact that I am in love with you."
His sobs came softly. They rumbled through his body, the tremors speaking of what he lost.
"Frederick?"
"I won't forget you. Not ever," Frederick choked out. Tears slowly washed the sand off his face.
He shuddered, a cacophony that escalated into a crescendo that was his wail. A scream to the heavens, a plea to give her back, to save her.
But it was too late.
He'd been too late.
Author Notes: I wanted to explore the idea of haste in writing for this piece. The vast majority, aside from the ending lines, was all written in about forty minutes. By writing quickly, I can utilize a different flow and organic thought process instead of thinking over the sentences and how they come together.
I also wanted to try and do something more with this moment than the game did. Emmeryn's death always felt impersonal to me, how we didn't get to know her character very well, we just felt sad on account of Chrom and Lissa being sad. I'm not so arrogant as to assume I can write better, but I wanted to try.
As well the relationship between retainer and lord is inherently interesting to me, how someone is willing to give everything for someone else. It's quite selfless and I wanted to write something about that too.
As well, today is the 23rd of December! That means I am entering my eighth year of writing. EIGHTH. Can you believe that? Sorry that there's no big update of tons of oneshots, that wasn't good for my mental health last year. But I did have this little story done for you all. I hope you enjoyed it and keep supporting me throughout the new year!
Writing Tunes: Final Fantasy XV – Episode Ignis OST
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