Emblemtale: The Ancients
(Before we start, I'd like to preface this by saying sorry if this is bad, I'm a little rusty when it comes to writing)
In the Country of Ordum, there exists two kingdoms, Vauland, land of the humans, known for their stalwart warriors and wayfaring merchants, and Zephina, a kingdom born of the nomadic monsters that once roamed its sprawling plains and daunting mountains, long ago, the monsters discovered an ancient artifact known as the Fire Emblem, which gave them access to powerful magics, allowing them to take themselves from small nomadic tribes, to a bustling kingdom, in response, 7 powerful humans were sent to combat the rising monsters, for fear of them growing too powerful and overthrowing their human neighbors, the power of this magic was too great for the heroes to combat and they were routed, as a sign of good faith, the only thing that remained of these heroes was returned to the Vauland, their very souls were all that remained, ever since this battle, these two lands had been locked in what soon began to feel like eternal war, and when faced with the idea of the conflict leading to a war of attrition, Valtick, the King of the Humans, sent out a mercenary squad to retrieve something he believes will help them turn the tides against the monsters and end the war once and for all...
On a lone mountainside, a young man dressed in a gambeson and greaves covering his trousers, his brown hair was swept out of his face as he studied the map given to him by the king, feeling slightly frustrated that his squad had to trek so far into the mountains, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, fingers lingering on the scar that lay on it, this was Llain, captain of the squad tasked with retrieving the king's secret weapon, whatever it may be.
"Captain Llain!, Captain Llain!" A voice called rousing him from his thoughts, he rolled up the map and turned to face the voice, one of the men from his squad was running up to him, as soon as he reached him, the mercenary doubled over, catching his breath "We...We found the village!"
Llain nodded and picked up his sword that he had rested on the ground and secured it on his hip "Search every hut, make sure no stone goes unturned, the king has said that this place is abandoned, but if there is anyone here, keep your weapons sheathed and see if they can be reasoned with, no one needs to be hurt, understand?" The merc nodded and turned to leave with a salute "Relay that order to the others!" Llain made one last check that his gear was secured before following his men into the village.
Everything was quiet, the mercenary's did not move from the village gate, looking around and waiting for a sign that this place wasn't as dead as it seemed "Hello?" one mercenary called, the only response he got was his own echoing call "Is this the right place?"
"...Well, no use standing around" Llain said, finally breaking the silence and stepping through the gate to the village "Like I said before, search every house and keep weapons sheathed, if someone doesn't comply, words first, swords second, clear?"
"Yes, sir!" The mercenary's responded, spreading out and searching the surrounding houses, with every knock, they were all met with silence.
"Strange...where did everyone go?" Llain muttered to himself, looking through the window of one house "Not even a candle?, Did anyone even live here?"
"Sir!, I think I found something!" A mercenary called out, Llain turned around and saw one of his men approaching him with a book in his hand "I think it's a diary of some sort" he handed the book to Llain and the captain thumbed through the pages.
"...It doesn't say anything about a secret weapon..." Llain spoke, examining the pages "Though it does talk about strange sightings in the woods around here...Monsters coming over the border, maybe?" as Llain read, he noticed a drawing in the diary, it seemed to depict a being made of stone with strange markings adorning its face, while he read, one of his men noticed something moving behind him and crouching behind a barrel next to the house.
"Sir, behind you!" He yelled, quickly drawing his bow and firing an arrow, all of the mercs were surprised to see a young girl run out from behind the barrel, the girl ran towards the village gate, trying as hard as she could to escape from the mercenaries.
"You idiot, it was just a kid!" Llain reprimanded him "Hold on, girl, you don't have to run!" Llain sighed as the girl did not stop "After her, she could get hurt out there!" the squad agreed and ran after the girl.
"The border isn't too far from here!" One of the mercs pointed out "If she goes over the gorge, that's it!" soon, they reached the aforementioned gorge and saw the girl trying to pass over the bridge, the creaking boards echoing around the empty canyon as she passed.
"Stay right there, kid, we're just coming to take you home!" Llain yelled, he stepped on the bridge and felt it creak under his weight "Alright, I'll cross and try to convince her to come with us, stay here and watch out for any other danger" The men nodded as Llain slowly began to cross, trying not break the boards under him.
"Stay away!" The girl called out, falling backwards, Llain looked at her as she scrambled away, he studied her attire, a tattered old tunic that seemed to made from sackcloth, she had smudges of dirt all over her, and her dark brown hair was messy and sticking up at different angles, but most striking of all, she had small, feathery wings behind her, he found himself wondering how long she had been in that abandoned village "Get away from me!, I don't wanna go!"
"Just stay calm, little lady!" Llain replied, trying to soften his voice as he crossed the bridge "We're just trying to get you back home, alright?"
"No!" The girl yelled, pulling something from a pocket, it was a small stone, and Llain braced for her to throw it at him, but soon, there was a bright flash of light and the young girl was replaced by a large, feathery dragon.
"She...She's a Manakete!" One of the mercenaries shouted, pointing at the girl "Draw your weapons!, Those beasts can devour a man whole!"
"Belay that order!, She's just scared!" Llain yelled back, he found his men not listening as they drew their weapons, the archers and mages focused on the dragon as her roar reverberated through the canyon, even causing the bridge to shake beneath them, she reared her head back and expelled a breath of wisp-like mist, buffeting the mercenaries and blowing any stray arrows off course.
"Captain!, The bridge can't take much more!" A merc yelled over the whipping winds, he was soon proven right as the ropes on the bridge began weakening, the snapped and Llain dove for the girl, trying to push her back before the falling bridge sent them both to the canyon floor, but he wasn't fast enough and they were both dropped into the darkness of the canyon "Captain!"
Llain bounced off the canyon wall as he fell, struggling to keep consciousness, he looked around and saw the girl flapping her wings, struggling to keep herself in the air and attempting to fly back to the top, soon though, her strength gave out and she reverted back to her human form, Llain reached out and snagged the collar of her tunic, pulling her close to try and prevent her from sustaining any injuries "Damn!, this won't end well, what was the king planning on doing with this child, anyway!?" Llain rolled over and silently prayed to the gods for a safe landing as he felt the ground rapidly approaching.
They landed with a hard thud as Llain was certain he felt some bones crack, he coughed hard as the impact knocked the wind from his body, he looked at the young girl passed out in his arms, though she seemed uninjured from the fall "This kids made from some sturdy stuff, I guess..." he laughed as he felt his consciousness slipping away from him "Guess we won't be getting that reward from the king..." his eyes began to close, but soon, he saw a figure approaching them "Heh...guess the goddess is on my side..."
"Hello?, is someone there?" The figure called, still approaching, he soon saw the two people passed out in front of him "Oh no!, I thought I heard the bridge collapse, I had hoped no one would be on it, though!" he picked up the girl and dragged Llain behind him "We'll have some medical supplies back at the barracks, you'll be fine!" after trekking through the canyon for what felt like an hour, they finally reached the barracks, the soldier set both of them down and rushed to find medical supplies...
The young girl felt her strength return to her as her eyes slowly opened, she found herself in an unfamiliar location and began to get worried, she was sitting at a table in what seemed like a dungeon, she heard someone humming and got up from the table, she wandered around the dungeon and looked through the cells, most were empty, but one had a figure laying on the ground that felt familiar to her, she continued towards the humming, she soon found a soldier in full armor, his head inside a cupboard searching for something.
"E-Excuse me...?" She called out, the soldier didn't seem to hear her as he continued to rummage through the cabinet "Excuse me..." The girl called out again, this time the soldier seemed to notice her.
"Hmm?, One moment please!" He responded, placing a pouch on the table next to him, he stood straight up and closed the cupboard, he stood an entire head taller than the girl, and when he turned around she began screaming as she was shocked to see he had no skin or muscle on his face, only bone, the skeleton joined in on the screaming as well "Why are we screaming?!"
"Monster!" The girl yelled, falling on her backside and scrambling away from the monster, in response, the monster simply cleared his throat and spoke.
"Yes, I am a monster, you have crossed over into the Kingdom of Monsters!" He announced grandiosely "And I am the Famous Border Guard, Papyrus!" he struck a dramatic pose and waited for the girl to say something, but she only sat there in silence "I-I see you are starstruck!"
"W-Where am I?" The girl finally asked, trying to steady her nerves "Why am I here?" Papyrus placed a gloved hand to his chin and answered.
"Well, you're at the barracks between the human and monster kingdoms, placed at the mouth of the colossal gorge between the lands" he explained, gesturing around "As I was patrolling the gorge for trouble, I saw something falling from the sky, at first I believed it was a shooting star, which was confusing as the sun had barely begun to set, when I traced it to the place it landed, I found you and that human lying on the ground, I must say, even I would not attempt an entrance that dramatic!"
"Human?, was it the guy in the cell?" The girl asked, pointing down the hall at the cell she passed "Do you know who he is?"
"Yes, I do indeed!" Papyrus answered, proudly puffing out his chest "He...is a stranger!" the girl couldn't help but giggle slightly at this response "He seemed to care more for your safety than his own, he took the brunt of the impact while shielding you, it is quite refreshing to see humans care for a young one such as yourself!"
There was a groan from the cell and Papyrus approached it with the girl behind him, they both saw Llain sitting up and struggling against the ropes bound around him "Well, I can't say this is the first time I've seen the inside of a cell, the experience has most certainly not improved."
"You can cease your struggling, human!" Papyrus boasted, placing his hands on his hips "For I, The Great Papyrus, am a master at knot tying!" He opened the cell and grabbed the knot that secured the ropes and hauled Llain to his feet "Now, If you don't mind, I'll be taking you to the capital so you can explain why you were invading our lands!"
"Invading?" Llain scoffed "One man and a child don't make much of an invasion..." he was hauled out of the cell and staggered around, supported by Papyrus "If your so certain we're invading, why isn't the kid bound?"
Papyrus gasped and placed a hand on his chest "I would never subject a fellow monster to the indignity of being captured by their own comrade, besides, I am certain you were, in fact, attempting to kidnap this child and take them into your lands, though I am grateful you put her safety first during your fall!" as the two argued, the girl was shocked by Papyrus' words.
"Monster?, you think I'm a...monster?" She questioned, looking at her winged form in a puddle below her "Is that...what I am?"
"Well, I could go over my list, if you don't mind!" Papyrus replied, pulling a scroll out of his pocket and unrolling it, letting go of Llain and letting him drop to the ground, he cleared his throat and read "Exhibit A: Humans do not have wings!" he pointed at the girls wings and to Llain's back to emphasize his point "And Exhibit B: Humans have round ears!" this time, he pointed to the girls ears, which came to a point "Which leads me to believe you are, in fact, a monster, such as myself, but you need not worry, I will return you to your rightful home!"
"And what of me?" Llain questioned, propping himself against the wall "I take it your king won't take kindly to a supposed 'invader'" Papyrus helped him stand and lead him over to the table and began administering medicine to his wounds.
"King Asgore may be a stern man when it comes to matters of war" Papyrus explained, covering the last of Llain's visible injuries "But I'm certain if you are not an invader as you say, he'll will be lenient, he may even give you a reduced sentence!"
"...You need to work on your bedside manner, friend" Llain replied, dropping his head "How about a deal?, You can take all of the gold I have on me, and you let us slink back into our lands?"
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that" Papyrus answered, helping Llain off of the chair "Even if you aren't an invader, I cannot in good conscience allow you to take this child back to your kingdom, Monsters tend not to last long in human lands, I've even heard tales of unarmed envoys being driven back across the border."
"I can assure you friend, she may have strange abilities, but she is no monster" Llain spoke "This young girl is as human as I am."
"But then how can you explain her wings and ears?" Papyrus asked "I may not have seen many humans in my life, but even I know these are not normal for a human!" he placed one hand on the girls' shoulder and the other on his chest "I will see to it myself that this young girl is returned to her family!"
"And how do you think you can accomplish that?" Llain inquired "You don't even know her name, granted...neither do I, how about, little miss, care to introduce yourself?"
"My name is...Frisk" The girl responded, smiling slightly "And...if it's alright with you two...I would like to go to the monster kingdom...perhaps there would be a place for me there..."
"Of course!" Papyrus cheered, patting Frisk's head "Zephina welcomes all monsters, of all shapes and sizes!" at that, he lead both Frisk and Llain out of the dungeon and into the barracks "We'll make for the capital once I have finished preparations!" he left the two alone and began preparing supplies for their journey.
As Papyrus gathered supplied, Llain turned his attention to Frisk "Hey, are you sure you want to stay?, I'm not so sure the monsters will be so accepting..."
Frisk nodded with a little smile on her face "I'm sure, the only place I felt accepted was in my village...and now that they've vanished...I."
Llain saw tears forming in her eyes and sighed "Well...we can leave that there for now, I'll not press further if you do not wish it, ah!, how rude of me, I'm Captain Llain, though there's no need for formalities around me, you can simply call me Llain" At that, Papyrus returned with a spear and a backpack strapped to his back.
"That should be everything!, are you both ready to depart?" Papyrus asked, the two nodded and they left the barracks, beginning the long trek from the border to the capital, as they traveled, Papyrus struck up a conversation with Frisk, who found that the skeleton, despite his initially threatening appearance, Frisk found him to be quite friendly, even offering to help Llain walk when his injuries flared up.
As the group walked, they soon came upon a group of six hooded men off the side of the road, they were standing in a circle and seemingly in a trance and chanting quietly "I don't like the looks of these blokes...let's just keep our heads down and not arouse suspicion..." Llain warned, keeping an eye on the group.
"Nonsense!" Papyrus said, waving at the men "Magic is quite common in Monster lands, and many use it for quite mundane things, perhaps these men are trying to enchant their soil for the upcoming harvest!"
"Do they look like farmhands?" Llain whispered, before they could get clear of the men, their chanting grew louder and black clouds rolled in over them "I don't think this is going to help with harvests..." before the clouds could converge, one of the cultists took notice of the group and whipped around to face them.
"You have ruined the ritual!" He bellowed, pointing at them "The Praetorites only appear to those who have sworn fealty to them!" at that, he drew his sword and raised it high "Brothers!, we must destroy these interlopers to appease the Praetorites!"
"Well, we've stepped in it now" Llain sighed, shoulder-checking one of the cultists as he charged towards them "Papyrus, untie me, we can even the odds that way!"
"Do not worry, Llain!" Papyrus cheered, knocking a cultists back with the butt of his spear "These fools are no match for The Great Papyrus!" he then dodged a magic spell and dispatched one of the cultists before hitting another across the face with the shaft of his spear.
"Grab the child!" A cultist ordered, conjuring a fireball in his hand "A hostage may change their tone!" as one of the cultists beared down on Frisk, she quickly pulled out her stone again and transformed, blowing him away with a tail swipe.
"Four left..." Llain counted, he examined the battlefield and noticed that Papyrus was being overwhelmed from both sides, he struggled against his ropes and finally got out of them, he picked up one of the fallen cultists swords and quickly rushed over to help Papyrus "Need a hand?"
"Not at all! *Pant *...The Great Papyrus...has enough hands!" Papyrus lied, trying to keep his composure as both cultists attacked him "Perhaps...you can assist Frisk" Llain looked over to Frisk and noticed she had one of the cultists on the run.
"Seems at least one of them has the sense to run" Llain snarked as he watched the man disappear behind the trees, he then took this opportunity to strike down one of the cultists "Let's rap this up and get on our way, right?"
Papyrus and the Cultist were locked in combat, Papyrus tried multiple times to stab the cultist, but he seemed to dodge every attack, Soon, Papyrus was able to trip him up and finish him off "There's one left!" before Papyrus could find the last cultist, he was struck by a fireball.
"You all will pay dearly for interrupting!" The leader shouted, slinging more spells at the group "The return of the ancients will not be halted!"
"Papyrus!, You go left, I'll flank right!" Llain planned, Papyrus nodded in agreement and they charged to attack the leader, but they were both repelled, knocked to the ground and struggling to get back up.
Frisk returned to the battle and saw the two of them on the ground "Frisk!, Get to the Capital!, Save yourself!" Papyrus yelled, leaning on his spear.
"No!" Frisk yelled, flying towards the conflict, standing between the leader and her allies "Let me help!" she then began blowing as hard as she could, nearly blowing the cult leader off his feet, she couldn't keep it up and eventually steamed out, falling over.
"Foolish child!" The leader yelled, about to bring his sword down on Frisk, but he was blocked by Llain's blade.
"Sorry, mate, I'll have to cut in for a moment" Llain said, knocking the man back before finishing him off, Llain sighed in relief once the conflict seemingly ended, he then turned to Frisk and saw that she was slowly turning back into her Human form, she tried to stand but she was forced down by her exhaustion "The way you fight, it's feast or famine with you, isn't it?"
"Sorry...I haven't really trained for this..." Frisk replied, Llain offered her his hand and helped her up "I just couldn't let you two get hurt, though" the two rejoined Papyrus and after they took a moment to rest, they investigated the fallen cultists, surprisingly, some of the bodies had vanished and turned to dust, while others remained behind, Papyrus knelt down and removed the man's hood and was shocked to find that the cultist was human.
"Humans and monsters working together?, Strange..." Papyrus observed, he then turned to investigate the circle the cultists were standing in "Hmm...these runes would indicate a summoning ritual...but what were they trying to summon?"
"Nothing benevolent, that's for sure..." Llain interjected, grabbing the sheathe off of one of the cultist and securing it to his belt before sheathing his sword "Well, perhaps your king would rather hear of this threat as opposed to my 'invasion'."
"Perhaps you are right" Papyrus conceded, he glanced around the field once more, making sure the battle was truly over "Let us be on our way" with that, the three set out once again, an ominous air hanging over them as they made their way to the Capital...
THE END
A.N: I thought this would be a refreshing change of pace, since it's been quite a while since I wrote a crossover, and sorry if this ending seems a bit abrupt, but my computer is about to restart and update, so I had to rush the ending slightly, anyway, I hope you enjoy nonetheless!