Alright, and hello there! Welcome, one and all, to my new story, Seeker of the Emblem! Okay, okay, I know what a lot of you people are going to say. "I probably shouldn't be doing this, because I've got too many other stories, and I'm already late on them as it is, yada, yada, yada…" And I agree. I really do have way too many stories at the moment, ad yes, I should have been writing a lot more recently. However, I can solve at least one of these problems with the announcement that my other stories Ocean of Leaves and Mahonokage will be going on temporary Hiatus. Sorry to all of you who read and enjoy those stories, but don't worry. I will be coming back to them at some point, hopefully soon. I just need a break and some freedom with less responsibilities, and those two stories are currently my hardest to write for at the moment. I have almost no motivation for them, and all the things I have planned are so far into the future that I really need to work more on the present plot a lot more before continuing. Sorry, but it's necessary.
On the bright side, however, is this story! So, I should probably explain what's going on here, since it's a little jumbled in text. First of all, this is an SI story. Yes, I know, horribly cliche. But, I will not be doing your typical SI story of just falling into a world, and then twisting it all over the place with my knowledge of the future and basically doing whatever the fuck I want. In fact, at the start, things will be very difficult for my character.
So, there are a few things you need to know to fully understand and appreciate this story. First things first, I am a straight male with absolutely no qualms or doubts about my gender. The SI, however, will be a girl. The reason for this is not, as you may think, that this is basically a female version of me. The SI, at the start of the story, is male, just as I am. He is, however, put into a female body for the rest of the story, and will be dealing with the consequences of that fact accordingly. This will not, however, be the only problems he, or she, will deal with when it comes to her new body.
I have always wondered why, in SI's, when one person's soul and consciousness is shoved into another's body, there are almost always no consequences. Take this story's situation for example. The main character steps into the body of Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening. Now, in as typical story, they would wake up, realize what's happening, and go on their merry way, meddling with the script at will. No fuss, no muss, and absolutely no mention of how being in a body not your own might actually fuck with you in ways you might not expect. Like, I don't know, the foreign soul actually having difficulty integrating with the body it is now inhabiting. That is something I will try to cover in this story. Don't worry, the effects won't last long, and I will definitely be bringing the full brunt of my knowledge of the timeline to bear for the majority of the story, but at first I will not just be fucking with the timeline right off the bat while cackling like a lunatic. That wouldn't be any fun. So, if the SI is acting confused and weird, you probably know why.
Something else you should probably be aware of is that I will be trying to stay as true to myself and my personality as possible. Anything about my history, homelife, or family and friends will be one hundred percent accurate for as far as I can remember. The only things I have changed are my possession and extensive knowledge of the various Fire Emblem games. I know quite a bit about a few of them, but most definitely not all, and I own absolutely none of them. This choice was for expediency's sake, and nothing else. So please don't take offense.
Alright, that should probably be everything for the moment, so I think I shall let you all go. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. See ya!
XXX
Alright, I just wanna say one thing before I start this. Everything you read here is true. The wars, the battles, the loves gained and lost, everyone who died or lived… it's all true. You won't want to believe it; You will read this tale of mine, nod your head, and then return to your quiet little life without looking back. And that's okay. You don't have to believe anything, because I do.
XXX
The simplest of things can change the world. I'm pretty sure some sort of philosopher said something like that, somewhere. And if they didn't… well, who cares? I believe it, and who says I can't be a philosopher myself? Either way, it's a pretty simple statement, but when you really think about it, the smallest of choices truly can either make or break your entire life, and you'll never see it coming. Like deciding to play a Fire Emblem game when you should really be going to bed, for example.
Now, I'm not saying this happens to everybody. Sometimes, the big life-changing decisions come with glaring neon signs and giant warning labels. I, however, never got that. It was simple really. I was up late at night, as usual, and bored out of my ever-loving mind, as usual. I had nothing to watch, nothing to read, and my various writings of fanfiction and real fiction were both giving me a god-size case of writer's block. I might have played one of my various computer games, but the only functioning headphones I had left were utterly shitty wireless things that would say fuck-all every few seconds and drop the signal. This made playing any sort of real game a pain in the ass, since there weren't always subtitles and the music was what made it all worthwhile. Yeah, my life sucks.
Terrible headphones aside, however, I was about five seconds away from banging my head against a wall to free myself of the suffering that was called consciousness when my gaze landed on my old shelf of Fire Emblem games. I am a massive fan for the series, and had pretty much every single one I could get my hands on in America. Each had seen extensive use, and by now I had the plots of them all pretty much memorized, in essence if not word for word, but it had been a while since I had the time to actually sit down and play. Even now, it was getting pretty late, and I probably shouldn't be risking my precious characters by trying complex strategic maneuvers while struggling to keep my eyes open…
Fuck it, I thought, rising from my desk-chair to go over to them. It's only four-thirty. The night is still young...ish. I can play one chapter, at the very least. I snorted at the thought. Yeah right, that was the same excuse that had me up into the wee hours before dawn in the first place. I was a horrible procrastinator, and I knew it. But hey, at least if I kept going long enough I would forget I was tired… probably. It happened sometimes.
As I rifled through the various selections, I struggled to pull my head out of the semi-drunken state it was currently in and towards the odd sense of clarity I could usually find when the hour was closer to dawn than dusk. I got there, sort of, and before long was pulling out Awakening, on a whim. It was the most interesting, I supposed, what with the more advanced tactical systems, actual usage of support for plot purposes, hot dragon chicks, killer bunnies… and it wasn't Fates. Not that I had anything against the newer game; I actually quite enjoyed the story, the branching campaign mechanics, and even the greater variety in unit types, not to mention you had even more tactical choices that Awakening. The problem, however, is their complete and utter failure to utilize the child-characters in a more meaningful, plot-related manner, and more often than not I would forget they even existed after their recruitment story. That alone had me pushing the triple cartridges aside to grab Awakening's singular a whimsical sigh I picked up my dusty 3DS, blew on it a bit, and collapsed onto my twin-sized mattress as I slid the game into place. Booting up the device, I breezed through the menu screen to enter the game proper, watching with hooded eyes as it slowly started. As I watched the opening, my eyelids drifted lower and lower, exhaustion taking its toll and preventing me from noticing until it was too late. Darkness consumed my mind, and I felt myself drifting off, a strange sense of peace filling me.
XXX
"Wake, child. We must speak." My eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice, the sound like a gentle wind caressing me. I didn't jump though, keeping just enough wits about me to remain still for a moment as I tried to gain my bearings. Above me was a plain white ceiling, but not one I recognized. I studied the sight, confusion twisting my mouth into a frown. Why the fuck wasn't I in my room? The emotion was swept away a second later, however, replaced by a numbing peace that would have me recoiling in fear if it wasn't removed as well.
Curiosity, at least, wasn't killed by the odd feeling, and as there was little I could learn from staring at a ceiling, I sat up, careful to move slowly as my awareness expanded to take in the surroundings. It was a room, that much was certain, but one unlike any I had ever seen before. All around, there was nothing but whiteness, a plain, featureless expanse that claimed all I could see. There walls, or even angles, really. I could liken it almost to a mist, but one which was perfectly solid, with no holes or dips to be seen. There was still a sense of enclosure, however, a stillness in the air which suggested we were inside.
Yes, I said we. the only thing in the room, besides me and the perfectly featureless white bed I was laying on wasn't so much a thing as it was a person. A woman to be exact. My vision focused on her as I stood, feeling oddly light on my feet, gaze scrutinizing. I wish I could tell you what she looked like. Every time I try to remember, however, I find myself drawing a blank. It's not even like she was similar to the room,l perfectly featureless and sterile; no, she had features, had a presence which drew my attention before I had even realized she was there. It may have been the utter lack of anything else interesting in the room, with even the bed I had been resting on dissolving back into the utter white as if it had never been, but I doubt it. I could even tell you she was beautiful, more so than any woman I had ever known before or have since, but that's it. IT was almost like she was a sieve, and my thoughts the water, focusing not so much on her but through her. I knew she was there, was perfectly aware of her presence for every second I stayed in it, but it felt more like a slight buzzing at the back of my head. Acknowledged, but any stray thought or loose emotion would have me passing over ti entirely to look in another direction.
"Ah, you're up now." I jumped as she spoke again, but regained control of myself for a second, nodding slightly.
"I suppose," I replied, my lips curling into a smile. I don't know why, really, but that strange peace had me feeling quite other time I would be annoyed at the fact. "WHere are we, exactly." I asked, a sudden jump in my curiosity getting the better of me, when she didn't say anything else for a few seconds. Her voice was really the only thing I could latch onto, if only just, so without it I quickly found my mind wandering.
"My home." Came the reply, and I found myself smiling at nothing again.
"This isn't a dream." I didn't mean for that to slip out, but it was true. My dreams had a very specific quality to them, a weight of some sort. They were rarely this coherent and straight-forward, even if the general surroundings had a similar sort of lack in definition. This place, however, lacked all of that. It wasn't so much lacking as sterile. Plus, there was too much white. I almost never dreamt in white. Black was a much better color for dreams, I had found.
"No, it is not. Dreams are much more fickle things than either you and I." The woman answered, and I turned to look in her general direction once again. Huh, I didn't even notice that I had looked away.
"Why am I here, then? You must have some reason for plucking me from my home in the middle of the night." Right, that was correct. I had been on my bed, a normal one, in my house… weird. How did I get here then?
"You're a clever one. I didn't expect you to realize I was responsible." That answer earned a chuckle from me, the rare shard of amusement slipping through for a moment.
"You're the only other person here, and it is your home. Obviously you at least have a hand in whatever this is." She laughed at my answer, a clear sound that seemed to cut through numb until it faded away.
"Perhaps giving you clarity was a mistake." She sighed, and my eyebrow shot up. If that meant what I thought it meant…
"Are you the one who took my emotions?" I asked, and I got the impression of her nodding from somewhere off to my right.
"Covered, not took. But yes, that would be my fault as well." Her tone was apologetic, but for some reason, I got the feeling she was more pleased at my actions than anything else. Brushing the thought aside, I tilted my head towards her pointedly.
"I'd like them back then, please."For a moment, I felt her stare on me, as if it was coming from all around, and then with an almost audible snap, everything became crystal clear once again. I smiled in thanks, and she nodded.
I suppose we should get down to business, then. I need your help." I frowned at the sudden declaration, reveling in my ability to feel once again. Suspicion bit deep into my mind though, and my brows furrowed questioningly.
"Need my help? What could someone like you, whatever you are, want with me? There is likely little I can offer to a being powerful enough to block emotions with a thought." She frowned as well, though don't ask me how I could tell. I had noticed, since clarity returned to me, that all my knowledge of her was more impressions than anything. I didn't notice anything about her actions, or facial features, that damnable anonymity once again showing its face, but it was like the very room was alive with the woman. If I didn't know better, I would say that the room itself was her, and what I perceived to be the woman was nothing more than my imagination.
"You would be surprised at what I can't do." She replied sourly, and I shifted backwards slightly. Wow, that was a lot of venom there. What the fuck could piss off a being this powerful that much? "Regardless, however. I do need your help. Something has gone wrong, and I am not allowed to interfere. You, however, are not subject to the same laws as I am." The woman sent me a pleading look then, or at least I think she did, and I almost snorted at the thought. Please; a woman whose very presence made the room vibrate in response, and wielded powers that honestly terrified me so much I was actively avoiding thinking about them to preserve my sanity wasn't allowed to do something? That was ridiculous. Still, I supposed I could play along with her game. It wouldn't do to piss off the big bad thingy, would it? I wouldn't even be able to die running if she decided to kill me. Hell, I'd probably sit there and take the killing blow with a big-ass grin on my face, content as a cuddly bunny.
"Alright then. What's the job?" I tried my best to sound genuinely interested, but even as the words came out I knew I failed. Sure, it would be kinda cool if this woman, or whatever she was, actually needed something from me, but I was still very much in doubt. Still, i did my best to look at where I approximated her true presence to be with all the seriousness I could muster.
"You are familiar with the world of Awakening, correct?" I jumped when a small wooden table suddenly appeared in the middle of the space, the dark brown of beautiful mahogany a jarring sight against the backdrop of sheer white. Almost instantly, I moved towards it, my hands reaching out to tap incessantly on the surface. Gods, I had almost forgotten what it was to touch, standing in this perfectly sterile room. I was not the sort of person to stay still for longer than a few seconds. I needed something to fiddle with, even if it was just a plain wooden table top worry at with my fingers.
So preoccupied was I with getting out my pent up energy that I almost missed the large silver bowl sitting in the center of the table. My attention was drawn to it, however, when a stray finger bumped into it, the cool feel of metal making me snap my head towards it. After a brief inspection and realising it was nothing more than a plain featureless grey I almost glanced away. It was a short glimpse of the contents, however, that drew my gaze back, and my eyes widened when I saw what it was.
Inside the bowl was some sort of liquid, one which portrayed a constantly swirling and moving image. Unlike the room and its occupying objects, however, this I was familiar with. I drew in a sharp gasp as I watched the opening credits of Awakening reach their end, before looping again. Slowly, i started to reach out towards the vision, but stopped my hand just short, glancing back towards the mysterious woman who had summoned this.
"What is this?" I asked, my voice cold as my vision returned to thebowl. As I watched it again, I noticed something, however. The short clip was almost exactly like the one I knew and loved, except for one thing. This version was more vivid, almost… real. It was like I was looking at actual people, rather than just cartoon characters on a screen.
"This is the world you so love, child, and it needs your help." My gaze returned to the woman, and I frowned once again.
"Explain." I asked, no longer in a mood for these games. I had an idea as to what was going on here, and if it was what I thought… Well, it almost sounded like I was at the start of a really bad fanfiction. I've written plenty, so I would know.
"You know the story of the Avatar, and how they come to be. You know that when Grima attempts to breach their mind, all their memories are erased. This leads to them being inducted into the Shepherds, which leads to the events you have seen before. Something has gone wrong, however." My eyes narrowed as her tone suddenly turned apprehensive, and before I could think better of it, I made a 'move it along' motion with my hands. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice, and continued, ignorant of my sudden impatience.
"For some reason, when Grima and the Princess returned to the past, they shattered the timeline in ways that were… unforeseen, by higher powers. This is much more than a simple game, you know. The legacy of the emblem is a living thing." I scoffed at that, sinking to a hip to show my disbelief.
"So what, they broke the universe or something?" I asked sarcastically, but the woman ignored my caustic tone, nodding slowly to my surprise.
"Precisely. When grima went for the he didn't just end up wiping their memories. The fell dragon's presence in their mind broke something integral inside them, leaving nothing but an empty husk in its wake. Without them, the Emblem is doomed, and the worlds it protects along with it. So I need someone to take their place." I got the sense that she was giving me a pointed look then, and uncomfortable, I turned to look back at the bowl, focusing on the form of the Avatar in their signature cape.
Fuck, I thought, watching them twirl and fight. This was exactly what I had been both dreading and expecting. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "Me?" I asked grimly, raising my eyes to meet the woman's, although I already knew the answer. Why the fuck is this happening to me? She simply nodded, and i was forced to grit my teeth against the scathing remarks I wanted desperately to release. As much as I didn't like this situation and what was being told to me, I didn't particularly want to anger the most powerful being in the room. I amy be an idiot at times, but not that big of one. Suicidal was something I'd never be.
After several moments of deafening silence, I managed to calm my thoughts, before looking back up at the woman. "So how's this going to work?" I asked, and when surprise radiated from her, I smirked. Bitch probably didn't expect me to be so accepting. It didn't help that I would honestly love to get a real-life chance to visit a Fire Emblem world. My life IRL was utterly boring. Anything to escape was probably a good thing, even if it meant likely getting skewered on a sword somewhere along the way.
"I… right. Well, to put it simply, you're going to have to enter the Avatar's body." Okay, before any of you goes calling me an idiot, I knew perfectly well what she meant by that. Obviously the lady was talking about some kind of possession. But honestly, I was still a bit angry, and as I saw a perfect chance to get payback, a cruel smirk crossed my face.
"Oh, that's just gross. Sorry, but my virginity isn't for sell." My words hung in the empty air, and as the seconds slowly started to stretch out, I was afraid she was about to smite me for my insolence. Just when I was getting ready to dive under the table for cover, however, the woman suddenly burst out laughing, a full-bodied thing that sounded quite odd when combined with the ethereal quality of her voice.
"Oh, that was a funny one." She said finally, after several long minutes. Surprised, I looked at her dubiously, but she didn't seem to notice. "But in all seriousness, no, that's not what I meant. What I was really saying was… this." Before i could ask what 'this' was, there was the sound of snapping fingers, and a section of the floor opened up beneath me. Through the new hole, I could see nothing but sheer blackness, as solid and all-consuming as the white had been previously. I had little time to look, however, before I was suddenly falling, my body slipping into the inky void of darkness. The last thing I heard was a high laughter, following me down until my thoughts finally slipped away and I let unconsciousness claim me once again.
XXX
"Chrom, we have to do something!"
"Well, what do you propose we do?" As I swam up from the depths of unconsciousness, i wasn't paying too much attention to the voices. They were familiar, yes, but I couldn't quite place from where. That wasn't important at the moment, however. What was important was waking up. Gods, I felt like I'd been sleeping for a century, and as I fought against the darkness trying to drag me back down, I was almost convinced I had. Finally though, I managed to pull myself from the grip of lethargy, and with one final effort, I opened my eyes.
The sight that met me was an unusual one, to say the least. I don't know about you, but where I'm from it's not very common to wake up with strange people invading your personal space, let alone strange people with blue hair. Well, one of them had blue hair at least. The other was a bright flaxen blonde that reminded me of wheat, the sun shining down upon it turning a few loose strands almost gold. I blinked once as they stared at me, then blinked again. I guess they weren't going to move.
"Hey there," The blue one said in a deep, masculine voice, smiling gently down at me. I blinked again in response, too distracted by my sudden realization that he was a guy to say anything in response. My brain was all fuzzy for some reason, and I was having difficulty focusing on more than one thing at a time. "Looks like you're finally awake. There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know." His words held an amused tone to them, and as they filtered through my mind, I felt something finally connect. Blinking again, I realized that the guy probably wasn't just talking to the space beside me, since that would mean he was likely insane and despite having known him for all of three seconds, I doubted that was the case, which must mean that he was addressing me. And I was just sitting there blinking at him like an idiot.
"Hello." I finally answered, since it was the only thing I could think of, before pausing at the sound of my own voice. It had this nice, chiming sound to it, like a bell or a bird's chirp, which was weird since neither of those sounded like each other. I didn't remember it sounding like that before, either… I think. My brain was a giant pile of goop at the moment, so I honestly wasn't sure about anything really, except that there was a guy with really weird hair and a girl with more normal hair but an unnaturally cheerful grin on her face currently invading my personal space. I should probably do something about that, actually.
"Is there any particular reason you're so close to me?" I asked, the words flowing out of my mouth before I even realized I had said them. At least the guy seemed just as startled as me, practically flying backwards to nearly bump into his friend. Some rather quick reflexes saved him though, and a moment later he had once again regained his balance. With a sheepish grin, the guy reached his hand up to rub at the back of his neck a pair of startlingly blue eyes meeting mine pleadingly.
"Ah, my apologies about that. I wasn't sure if you were unconscious or merely sleeping." I cocked my head to the side as I contemplated his words for a few seconds. That… actually made sense, sort of. He did say something about being in the middle of a field, and I didn't see any buildings such, I offered him a nod, smiling in what I hoped was a friendly manner. It probably looked somewhat creepy instead, considering how fucked up in the brain I was at the moment. Oh look, I cursed. Wonder if I do that a lot.
"Uh, would you like some help up?" The sound of the man's voice shattered my thought process, and with a start I realized I had been staring blankly at him for several moments. Shaking myself for once again acting like an idiot, I nodded at him, and took the hand he offered with a surge of gratefulness. As I did so, I paused slightly when I saw my hand. It looked strange, with long and delicate fingers that didn't seem familiar at all, like a pianist's hands, but that wasn't what made me frown. No, the blame for that fell on the deep violet mark stretched across it, an ugly caricature of six dark, creepy eyes.
Grima. The name shot through me like a lightning bolt, but slipped away before I could truly grasp its meaning, and my frown deepened even more. Whatever that mark was, it was bad. Even moreso was the fact that it didn't just look like some kind of tattoo. No, the strange symbol went deeper than that, almost as if it had been branded into my skin, marking me like cattle. I suppressed a shiver at the thought. I was no one's property. Ever.
"Are you alright?" the boy asked when he saw my frown, and I smiled at him, grateful for the concern he showed. It was too bad I wasn't interested in men, because he really was good looking, with nice windswept hair and those beautiful baby blues that you could practically drown in, set somehow appropriately in the rugged-but-still-regal angles of his rest of his body wasn't exactly lacking either, wrapped in tight, well-honed muscles from top to bottom and covered only with fine leather armor that even left an entire muscled arm open.
"I'm fine, thank you." I replied, but he still gave me a dubious look. Rolling my eyes, I ignored him, swiveling my head to take a look at our surroundings. As I had guessed, we really were in the middle of a field, with the only structure in sight being a short wooden fence running right beside the dirt road not twenty feet away. There was a tree, too, with a heavily armored warhorse tied to it, casting shade over my previous resting place. What really caught my eye, however, was the one other occupant of the field whom I had yet to notice, standing beside the warhorse and bearing a grim expression on his face.
The man was huge, I had to admit. Standing well over six-and-a-half feet, and with his dark hair and even darker eyes, He could make an decent bid for a grim reaper, were it not for the deep blue plate armor he wore like a second skin. Add to that the massive axe he had slung over his shoulder almost like a walking stick, however, and he still painted a picture almost as terrifying as the emaciated persona of death. The glower he was sending my way didn't help either.
"So, friend, what is your name, if you don't mind my asking?" The sound of the bluenette's voice drew my attention back to him slowly, but as I opened my mouth to answer, I froze. I… I actually didn't know how to anger that question. Fuck, I was so confused at the moment, I couldn't even remember my own name!
"I… uh.. I…"I gabbed for a few seconds, searching for something to say. My brain was like jello, however, and not a single thought was getting through. Then, just as the smile was starting to slip off the man's face, something connected in the middle of all that mess, and I spoke. "Katiana… I think." The word resonated through me oddly as I spoke it, like hitting a cracked bell. It felt… right, but not. Before I could think any further on it, however, I was distracted by the blue-haired guy frowning slightly as he studied me, confusion clouding his features.
"What do you mean, you think?" He asked, and I shook my head in an attempt to focus.
"I… I don't know. Everything's all jumbled. I think that's my name. It sounds right at least."Well, for the most part. There was something familiar about it, to be certain, and honestly, I didn't really want to try to think too hard on it at the moment. For now, until my mind cleared, I was just going to go with gut feeling and hope for the best. I would never get anywhere otherwise. Thankfully, the guy seemed to understand, pulling back slightly to study me again. After a moment, he gave a short nod, though to what I had no idea, and his smile returned once again.
"Well, I won't press you too hard. For now, I suppose we should introduce ourselves." He nodded towards his two companions as he spoke, and my eyes went to the large man first, and then the girl, as he introduced each. "That's Frederick over there looking all gloom and doom, and this here is my delicate little sister, Lissa." I smiled at each, and when The young blonde's face twisted in anger, I found myself suddenly struggling not to laugh.
"I am not delicate!" She yelled, her arms swinging in a desperate attempt to pummel the man for his comment. The boy didn't seem to care, however, shooting me a sly grin as he sidestepped around her, and I even saw Frederick let loose a small smile, the first emotion I had seen on him other than annoyance. After several long moments of chasing the bluenette around the field, she finally stopped in front of me, puffing heavily from the exertion, despite her complaints, the girl clearly wasn't made for a whole lot of physical activity, and it showed in her red cheeks and the strands of hair already falling out of their carefully done pigtails. Lissa turned an apologetic look towards me, an annoyed grimace looking strangely out of place on her soft face.
"You'll have to excuse my brother. He can be a bit thick at times." I nodded encouragingly towards her, a wide smile on my face. I did, however, send a small wink towards the brother in question when I caught his eye where he was standing behind her, looking not at all affected by the short burst of activity. The little bastard was in fact looking inordinately pleased with himself, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at their friendly little sibling play.
"Regardless," The bluenette finally said, stepping closer to me as he flashed a grin. "That's Frederick and Lissa, whereas I am-"
"Chrom." The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it, another jolt of familiarity going through me as I said it. It wasn't like the brand, however, which had instilled terror, but a warm feeling this time, and as my eyes met his, images, broken and disjointed, flashed through my mind, of a him that wasn't him. Older, grimmer, he looked terrible in my mind, like a smile hadn't graced his face in years. I tried to grasp at the thoughts, more clear than any others I had had since waking up, but they slipped through my mind like water through a sieve, cold and untouchable. Before I knew it, I was once again facing the original Chrom, still young and happy even as he arched a questioning brow.
"Yes, actually. You know who I am?" Faced with his questioning stare, I could do nothing but shake my head at the question, confusion rising. No, I didn't know him. I didn't know anything except my own name, and just barely. So how had I known his?
"I… I don't know. I'm not sure." I looked up at him then, fear dawning bright inside me as I realized the truth of those words. I didn't know. Holy fuck, I didn't know anything. Not my real name, where I came from, what I was doing here… hell, I couldn't even remember what I looked like. Everything about me, every tiny little fact that should come to me as easily as breathing, was all jumbled and confused, a giant mass of hysteria and pain sitting in my brain, slowly crumbling. My breath hitched at the thought, and I met his crystal blue eyes, terror filling me. "Does… does anyone have a mirror?" I asked, trying not to notice the trembling in my voice. Before I realized what was happening, my legs suddenly gave way, and I pitched towards the ground, surprise widening my eyes. As the hard surface rushed upwards, my body braced for the impact and inevitable pain, and my eyes closed. This was going to hurt.
When the pain failed to appear, I slowly peeled open my eyes in confusion.. The reason for that became abundantly clear, however, when Chrom's face swam into view, twisted in worry as he held me effortlessly. I blinked in surprise at the sight, but didn't speak as he set me down slowly, too surprised by his unexpected gentleness for words. Well that was new. I was pretty sure nobody had ever caught me like that before, regardless of whether I could access my memories or not. I felt almost flattered, actually.
"Easy there," The man said, setting a hand on my shoulder to steady me where I sat, and I offered a nod in thanks. "Are you alright?" He asked. I glanced at him, and shrugged, unsure of what to say. I felt fine now, but just a few moments before… I flinched as a spike of fear went through me. Right, that. Maybe I wasn't quite so okay as I thought. Chrom watched me for a second, most likely unsure that I wasn't just downplaying whatever was wrong with me, before nodding slowly and turning to glance at Lissa. The younger girl came forward silently, her brow furrowed in worry just like her brother's, and handed him a rather ornate mirror silently. As she shuffled backwards, I felt a surge of regret. Dammit, what was I doing worrying perfect strangers like this? They had no reason to care whatsoever.
Tentatively, I took the offered mirror from Chrom's hands, drawing a deep breath as I held it carefully. Then, when I could no longer put it off, I finally tilted the reflective surface upwards, and took the first look at my face.
Have you ever seen a familiar stranger before? You know, those people who you have no clue who they actually are, but when you look at them, you feel as if you should know them. My day had been filled with them by now, all five minutes of it, but as I looked into that mirror, the feeling intensified ten-fold. I studied my face with the awe of a child looking out into the world for the first time, my branded hand reaching up to feel it carefully as I did so. There was a haunting, regal beauty about me that felt far from justified, scribed deep into the sharp angles of my jaw and cheekbone, and small-but full- cherry red lips. The entire look was turned cold and wintry when framed by the loose white hair falling down in two simple braids to rest on my shoulders. Violet globes looked out shyly from under similarly snowy eyebrows, burning with equal curiosity and trepidation. Over my head was a dark grey hood, with just the barest trimmings of a deep purple to match the shade of my brand visible, part of a coat that continued downwards to drape over my entire body, all the way to my ankles. What truly caught my eye, however, was what was under my coat, namely two small, shapely bumps that I did not remember having before.
I'm a girl? The thought dropped through my mind like a lead weight, heavy and cold. It felt foreign, strange, and for a moment I wondered if the same could have been said for being a guy. That thought was swept away, however, by the realization that I was a fucking girl. And I hadn't even known. Slowly, I lowered the small mirror into my lap with shaking hands, drawing in a deep breath of air as I tried futilely to calm myself. As the seconds passed by, and I continued to breathe in, I could feel the stares of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick on me, uncomfortably hot on my face. It didn't help any, and finally I got fed up with the feeling, raising my eyes to meet Chrom's with a grim smile.
"I'm… I'm sorry. I'm just so confused right now." The blue-haired man smiled gently, reaching to pull the mirror out of my hands. Perhaps he noticed that it was causing me more distress then relief at the moment, but I wasn't completely sure.
"It's alright, we're not here to harm you. Can you tell me what you are doing in the middle of a field, or where you're from?" Chrom's voice was smooth as he spoke, and slowly my smile turned softer, but I shook my head at his question.
"I-I don't know. My mind's a mess. I can't remember anything except my name… and yours." I met his eyes, silently apologizing. Before either of us could say anything further, however, we were distracted by a sudden gasp from the side, and both me and Chrom turned to look at Lissa, smiling as if she had just won some sort of prize.
"I've heard of this before! It's called amnesia!" Her declaration hung in the air for a moment, each of us looking surprised by it, until the silence was suddenly broken by a snort from Frederick.
"What it is, is a load of pegasus dung. She's trying to play us."My gaze shot to the armored man as he spoke, and before I could realize what I was doing, I rose from the ground and stepped towards him, my feet surprisingly silent on the hard dirt field. He was taller than me, by several inches too, but as I stood almost flush to his armored chest, my chin was high, and my violet eyes burned with anger as they met his.
"I am lost, ser knight," I breathed, but from the way he flinched, I knew he could still hear me. "Lost, confused, and barely able to remember my own face. I have woken from a sleep with muddied thoughts and only the shattered remains of what might be a past life." I raised a hand and extended the index finger, pressing it into his chest-plate furiously. "So if you must mock me, ser, kindly do it outside of my hearing." The man stared down at me in surprise, and I suppressed a vicious smirk. The emotion was written clearly across his face, and after another moment, i stepped back, glowing with satisfaction. Perhaps I had gone overboard with that reaction, but somehow, I couldn't find it in myself to care. My thoughts were a bit clearer now, anger and annoyance cutting through the fog consuming my mind, but much was still clouded, and I wasn't in any sort of mood to deal with that kind of shit. I found that I cared little for fools who speak falsehoods without any proof.
Chrom met me with an amused expression, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "I must apologize for Frederick's behavior," he answered, barely suppressed laughter in his voice. "There is a reason we call him Frederick the Wary." I smirked at the title. It fit.
"Someone has to be," The large man grumbled, but I could tell from his voice that his heart wasn't really in the complaint. It seemed he was sulking now, as I deduced with a glance, head lowered slightly and just the slightest tinge of red to his cheeks. Hmm, I guess not many people stood up to someone of his stature and image. Still, a twinge of guilt shot through me as i realized that perhaps I really had gone a bit far. The man was likely only doing his job, whatever it may be.
"I understand your concerns, ser." I said softly, and Frederick's eyes snapped up to my face, surprise clear within them. "These words ring strange even in my own ears. But it is true, I assure you. I have no knowledge outside of these last few minutes, and even then precious little besides your names. I hardly even know where we are right now." For a long moment, I held Frederick's gaze, until he finally looked away, a hint of shame appearing on his face. When the sound of a clearing throat came from Chrom, I turned to look at him.
"Have you never been to Ylisse?" The younger man asked, and for a moment, something sparked in my mind, that weird sense of familiarity once again sweeping through me. It was gone a second later, however, and I shook my head, frowning.
"I might have, once, but I can't remember. Is that the name of this place?" Chrom's brow furrowed at my answer, but it smoothed out when he heard the following question, and a proud smile cracked his lips.
"The halidom of Ylisse, yes, And we are the Shepherds." I could almost hear the capital S in that word, and a curious eyebrow raised itself at him. My gaze swept over the man, with his ornate sword and well-crafted armor, before turning to Frederick and trailing down his own outfit. Once done with my inspection, my eyes returned to Chrom, a bemused expression crossing my face.
"Remind me to steer clear of the sheep around here, then. Ylissean farm animals must be vicious little buggers." For a second, Chrom's face was twisted into confusion, but soon enough understanding dawned on him, and he chuckled at my little joke.
"Well, it is a dangerous job, but I don't know if the sheep are the problem." He replied, matching my grin with one of his own. It died out though, when I remembered what we had been talking about, only to be replaced with a softer expression.
"Ylisse, huh? Sounds beautiful… and peaceful."For a moment, I thought I had said something wrong, because suddenly neither Chrom nor Lissa were smiling anymore, the siblings' expressions turning stormy as they faced away from me.
"It is," Chrom finally said, his voice heavy, and I frowned. What had I said. "But as with all nations, we have our fair share of problems." Lissa nodded along with him sadly, and my head cocked in confusion. Okay... obviously something was wrong. I needed to change the subject, now.
"So what happens now?" I asked, desperate to pull them out of whatever funk they had just fallen into. Luckily it seemed to work, because both their heads shot up to look at me, and I could see the hints of a thankful smiling forming on Chrom's lips. LIssa cheered up even faster, beaming brightly as she grabbed onto my arm happily.
"Well, it's not like we can just leave you here, silly!" She exclaimed, and I couldn't help myself. I burst out giggling as she looked up at me, eyes bright with excitement. I shook with the laughter that consumed, unable to stop even as the young girl joined in.
After several long seconds, I finally managed to get control of myself again, just in time to glance up as Chrom cleared his throat. "As my sister says, We cannot just leave you on the side of the road with no memory to wander about. And as much as I hate to say it, Frederick does have a point as well. It would be best to take you to the capital, just in case." I paused for a moment, surprise and anger shooting through me, but I pushed them down and sighed quietly. I couldn't really blame them for wanting to keep an eye on me, since they did appear to have some sort of authority here, and Chrom really did seem apologetic. That might have had something to do with the annoyed glares his sister was now shooting him, though.
"I suppose there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise?" I asked, already knowing what the answer would be. I hated the idea of being under someone else's power, but I didn't really like the idea of getting to know Frederick's axe in a more personal manner. It looked sharp enough from this distance, thank you very much.
"I'm truly sorry, friend, but it is necessary." I nodded at the answer, sighing in defeat. Until I could figure out who I was and prove my innocence, I was going to be stuck with them. Yeah, this was probably going to suck.