Title: Something Went Wrong
Pairing: Corrin/Jakob
Rating: T (mild violence)
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to anything in the Fire Emblem franchise, including the characters or plot. This story is merely written for fun out of love for the characters and games.
Author's Note: I'll be updating "Your Hands Brought the Morrow" very soon! I've just had this specific idea bouncing around in my head for a while and thought it might be fun to upload it.
I thought it might be interesting for Corrin and Jakob to be in a situation like this and see them work as a team under very dire circumstances. I love writing fluff, but I thought trying something different would be fun. Minor spoilers for mid-game of Conquest and Nohrian/Neutral child units are present.
Enjoy!
-START-
The attack on the castle came so swiftly that nobody had predicted it.
Even Nyx, with her expansive magical knowledge and keen soothsaying abilities, hadn't foreseen the future ambush on the astral plane. Lilith had also been caught off guard and had only awakened from her slumber upon hearing the cries from the units on nightly patrol. The anguished yells she heard were that of Niles and Odin, who had been assigned to the night watch hours before. By the time Lilith joined the fray, the two retainers were already seriously injured to the point of near unconsciousness.
It didn't take long for everyone in the castle to be jarred awake by the chaos and leap into action.
Just as Niles and Odin were about to fall, Ophelia and Nina rushed in to take their places. Their quick thinking bought everyone else a little bit of time.
The battle-hardened Nohrian siblings were some of the first fighters to respond. Their respective retainers followed suit with nothing short of total devotion.
While Xander and Siegbert handled archers and ninjas, Camilla and Elise made easy work of any mounted units that dared to approach the two sisters. Leo and Forrest guarded the center of the castle and attacked any and all sneaky troops that tried to make a beeline for the throne. Forrest also tended to the wounded with various staves and tomes, only attacking when absolutely necessary or to protect his father.
Everyone else came running with great intensity. Even Keaton and his apathetic daughter Velouria, who were usually the last to show passion towards anything that wasn't garbage or dust bunnies, charged into battle with gusto that would have made even the deadliest hitmen pale in comparison. Benny and Ignatius teamed up, as did Arthur and Effie with Percy soaring at their side.
Azura stood close to Kaze, who was doing his best with alongside Midori to protect the songstress from any and all attacks. The blue-haired woman's beautiful voice was a saving grace could be heard across the entire battlefield, even of the cries of agony and pain. The soothing sounds unfortunately mingled with Peri's insane laughter. She was having quite the field day slicing and dicing enemies. Laslow used his dancing whenever possible to motivate the team and rally everyone's dying spirits. Soleil wasn't a great dancer and decided ultimately to stick with her sword when it came to combat.
"Soleil, are you feeling okay?" Laslow asked his daughter was in as calm of a voice he could muster. It didn't help that he was somewhat breathless form dancing. He took a moment to ask his usually collected daughter about her wellness since he couldn't help but notice that the wave of enemies before them seemed endless.
"Better than ever," Soleil lied seamlessly. Although she still didn't fool her father. "Keep 'em coming! I'll take them on all at once!"
After they had enough time to suit up and ready their horses, the castle's knights also joined the battle. Silas was the first to rush the semi-visible enemies and Sophie was responsible for a series of sneak attacks that ended enemies and made whatever clothes they wore evaporate to shreds. Gunter wasn't far away, working solo at first to guard some of the castle's monuments and shops. Resources were already tight enough without their stores being destroyed. Shura, Izana and Mozu were eventually able to join Gunter in his effort to preserve the camp's structures with a combination of up-close and long range attacks.
Even as everyone and their children took on waves of enemies, the attacks didn't lessen and enemies kept respawning.
"Ugh, there's too many!" Selena cried, standing by her liege Camilla loyally and slicing another mercenary that stood in her way. Beruka wasn't far off and could be seen sinking the blade of her axe into a large Faceless.
Even the usually stoic assassin spoke with a degree of urgency nobody else had ever heard before. "Lady Camilla, what is happening?"
"I'm not sure, darling," Camilla told her retainers in dismay. Her beautiful lilac curls were starting to droop and her usually lovely face was marred with lines of worry. "This is quite a hassle, isn't it? We've never faced such a ruthless attack before."
A few meters away, another woman's frustrated scream pierced the night sky. The sound of a blade slicing the air interrupted her and a warm spray of blood covered the dirt. Charlotte stood above the body of a fallen enemy with a wearing a look of pure disgust. A manicured nail flew to her cheek to smear away a drop of blood that had spattered just beneath her eye. "Gods, this is a pain in the butt! Where the hell are they coming from?"
A certain prince was merely a few feet away from her and took a moment to answer the very relevant question.
"I don't know," Xander muttered in exasperation as another enemy was impaled by his mighty Siegfied. Even he was growing impatient from the relentless waves of enemies. Siegbert was gasping for breath at his side, and both of their horses looked equally exhausted. Xander retrieved his blade from the chest of an enemy and snapped the blade briskly in the air to whisk away whatever blood and debris was left clinging to the cool metal. His royal voice blared like a trumpet as he announced loudly, "Everyone, keep fighting! Fall back if you need to heal, but do not let them reach the throne! That's an order!"
The command was easier heard than followed.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Felicia warbled, spinning around in dizzying circles as she deflected attacks from swords and lances alike. Flora was mere feet away, slashing enemies as fast as she could with her frosty daggers and attempting to heal anyone she could from a distance. The two sisters were outnumbered just like everyone else.
"We're completely surrounded…" Flora muttered mournfully. "This might be…"
"No, sister!" Felicia replied as she tossed a dagger into the chest of a nearby mage before they could strike. The enemy let out a guttural cry and crumbled to the ground. "Don't say that! We can't fail Lady Corrin like this!"
"But, sister…"
All of a sudden, a distinct cry of pain rang out through the castle. Everyone that wasn't preoccupied with an enemy looked in the direction of the noise and saw one of their own units splayed on the battlefield.
Shigure groaned with pain and attempted to push himself up from the frozen earth and cobblestone. The young man had been thrown from his Pegasus after a nearly lethal hit from a Silver Bow. Although he was still alive, stains of bright red could be seen on his white and blue armor.
"Shigure!" Azura screamed, having been one of the first people to recognize the cry of her son. When she tried to run to his side, Kaze pulled her back upon seeing a hoard of Faceless approach his body. The large group of monsters looked ready to ambush the weakened man. Even if Azura went in with an ally, rushing in would be akin to suicide.
"Milady, you can't," the ninja barked. His wrist held her arm firmly, although his heart almost shattered when he saw the tortured expressions on her face.
"But…my son…" the woman quivered, desperately trying to escape Kaze's grip so she could run to her precious child and protect him. "Let go! Shigure! Run!"
Although she saw her son's mouth move, his last words were inaudible. The young woman didn't dare to look away as a Faceless raised its gruesome hand to deliver a final blow. Azura screamed her son's name again out of mad desperation.
Seconds later, a shadow soared overhead and cast a dark shape over the battlefield. Another voice, even younger than Shigure's, penetrated the cacophony of terrible sounds on the frontline and attracted the attention of every single Nohrian unit. They all recognized the voice instantly.
The voice was youthful but commanding. Although the syllables were slightly distorted, the bravery they carried was obvious.
"Watch out!"
A large shape deflected the monster's attack and, after a mighty roar and the swing of a steel-like tail, the beast was severed in two at the abdomen. The dismembered creature was thrown away from Shigure's body like a ragdoll.
A large dragon glimmered silver and sapphire under the moonlight. After letting out a triumphant roar, the beast returned to its original form of a young boy with steely hair and dark eyes. The child reached behind them and grasped a Nohrian Blade from its holster attached to their black and gold armor. The weapon was already bloodied from fighting previous enemies and shone brightly under the moonlight. Apparently the Faceless wasn't the first beast to experience the young warrior's wrath.
"Kana…" Shigure gasped, eyes glassy as he looked up at the young boy.
All of a sudden, he felt a warm sensation spread across his back. It wasn't the sticky, metallic heat of blood that he'd felt before when he'd been pierced with the silver arrow. This time, he felt his wounds being mended and the shards of weaponry fade from his body. The man looked over his shoulder and saw a slightly slumped form lingering over him. His gloved hand brandished a polished staff that glowed with healing energy.
The young man lifted his head and gave Shigure a heavily hooded stare. His strawberry blonde locks were almost as wild as Kana's and almost eclipsed the troubadour's distinct face from Shigure's view.
"That could have been bad," his voice drawled lazily. "Are you okay?"
The young Pegasus rider was elated to see one of his closest comrades leaning over him. He cried out his companion's name with unbridled exuberance. "Dwyer!"
Traces of a small smile appeared on Dwyer's face as he offered Shigure a hand to help him up off the cold ground. "I'll take that enthusiasm as a 'yes.'"
Kana swiveled around and scanned the battlefield. More Faceless were rushing toward them from only a few spears away. "Brother! We have company!"
"Damn," Dwyer cursed as he saw the massive hoard rushing towards them. What Faceless lacked in intelligence they made up for in brute strength. Dwyer knew he could take one out his bare hands and martial arts techniques. Fighting a whole army of them was another story. "This isn't good. Shigure, can you stand?"
"I think so," the young man replied, pushing his exhausted body off the ground and reaching for his lance. It had flown a few feet away from him after the last attack. Although he could still wield a weapon, he was far from steady on his feet. The young troubadour had enough magic left to heal Shigure's steed as well, but knew that they might need the magic to heal their own grievous wounds or the injuries of their teammates later in the battle.
"Send your steed back to the stables," Dwyer commanded Shigure. "Can you fight on horseback?"
"I can try," Shigure said with a nod. Although his Pegasus hadn't been fatally wounded, it would be unethical to force the creature to fight any longer. The young man whispered some kind words to the delicate creature and watched it clumsily soar from the battlefield and back to the stables. Hopefully it would be safe there for at least a while longer. Hell, hopefully the stables were still standing.
"Get on," Dwyer said as he dismounted rapidly. Before Shigure could object, Dwyer placed his hands on either side of Shigure's narrow waist and hoisted him atop the creature. "It can't carry us both."
"Wait, what about you?" Shigure inquired with wide eyes from atop the chestnut-colored mount.
"I'll go to the front lines with Kana," Dwyer said as he brandished a dagger from his coat. Shigure's eyes widened as he realized that Dwyer, in addition to being a troubadour, seemed to also know how to wield knives like a butler. Had he really taken time to master both classes? He supposed that wasn't too outlandish when he considered the young man's strict and focused upbringing. Dwyer elaborated plainly, "I can fight without a steed. My father taught me. I'll be fine."
Shigure wore an expression of intense worry. It took Kana less than a second to spy it and flash him a bright grin.
"Don't worry about us!" the young boy insisted. "I've got my Dragonstone and sword like Mama. Dwyer can heal and can use daggers like Papa! We'll be fine!"
"But…if you guys need to escape, without a horse…"
"Go on," Dwyer teased, giving Shigure a lopsided grin before readying another knife in his opposite hand. "There are still enemies near the throne. Go back and fight with the others, okay? Kana and I will take care of everything."
The two brothers gave each other a nod and soared across the battlefield towards the army of Faceless. Midway, Kana shifted into his dragon form and Shigure could see the sharp glints of Dwyer's flying blades under the starlight.
For a moment, the young man was too stunned to move. He knew he had to do something, but was at a loss for specifically what.
Then he realized something. Two people were still mysteriously missing from the battlefield. Shigure gripped his weapon with newfound determination and reared back the horse. With a sharp yell, he bolted in the direction of the castle. He knew there were still enemies to fight, but the other fighters seemed to have the situation mostly under control. There was a more pressing question on his mind as he fiercely galloped across the bloodied plain.
Where was their leader?
The swing of a mighty fist seemed to shatter whatever armor was still intact on her body. After fighting desperately for what felt like hours, Corrin felt as if all life was drained from her body with the final blow. Her words were raspy as she cried out in vehement denial, "No…this can't be…"
Her body hit the ground with a deafening crunch. The next thing she heard was the voice of her usually composed but currently enraged husband. The same man who was just as bloody and battered as she was and had been at her side fighting enemy after enemy since their first encounter: Jakob.
"How dare you!" he cried, his voice blazing with fury as he ran forward and slashed the Faceless with w Silver Dagger. The monster went limp, but Jakob didn't cease his attack. Another large shape slinked up from behind its fallen ally and eyes Jakob with cold, murderous detachment. Jakob stared at the Faceless the same way. His second attack was circumvented by the appearance of another semi-visible mage and archer also approaching the duo. Their red eyes blazed with vengeance and despite multiple injuries to each one of them, they still had enough energy for one more attack. Jakob knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand three blows and deliver three attacks.
There was no way out. Not without Corrin.
The butler ran back to Corrin's side and. Using what little time they had, tried to heal her with a staff. The woman shook her head and pushed his hand back.
"No, Jakob," she pleaded, grunting through pain. "You have to get away. If you stay, you'll also…"
"I'm not leaving you," he swore, pushing against her and using the last of his magic to restore a little of her strength. There was no room for negotiation.
Just when the young woman felt a spark of life in her body, the shadow of a Faceless covered their forms and stood above them. Corrin reached for her Yato, but couldn't react fast enough. Jakob cursed violently and threw his last remaining dagger into the beast's bulging gut. The Faceless barreled over in agony and let out a tortured howl. The small attack gave Corrin the perfect opening to sneak in one final blow with her sword.
"I won't surrender," she practically spat at the beast as she raised her blade for a critical attack. A few slashes later, she had gut the beast and turned its already grotesque form into a lifeless pulp.
When she raised her blade to attack the other two enemies, she found that they were already defeated and laying on the pavement. Confused, the Nohrian Noble lowered her blade and hesitantly watched at two figures approached from behind the defeated bodies of the archer and mage.
To her relief, two blue-haired allies greeted her wary eyes.
"Azura! Shigure!"
The mother and son duo stepped out of the darkness. Azura's naginata and Shigure's lance both dripped with red liquid that indicated they were the ones responsible for the sneak attacks that had saved their lives. Without them, it was quite possible she and Jakob would have perished.
Jakob slowly rose from his kneeling position where Corrin had previously fainted. The butler wasn't usually one for courtesy, but even he wasn't abrasive enough to not give the songstress and her son a thankful bow at their interference. "You found us. Thank you so much for your aid."
"Thank goodness you're both okay!" Shigure exclaimed reverently. "I'm so glad I found you. Nobody else had any idea who you were, so I found my mother on the battlefield and asked her what places in the camp hadn't been checked yet. My Pegasus was wounded, so I'm sorry we couldn't find you both faster…we had no idea you two were cornered."
When the first enemy had been spotted by Niles and Odin, Corrin had immediately run from the castle to attempt to locate the source spawning the waves of strong warriors. Needless to say, her husband and ever-faithful butler Jakob followed her every step of the way.
The two had hoped to find the dimensional rift as soon as possible and close it before more enemies could materialize. The task proved more difficult than either of them thought. Usually rifts that leaked interdimensional enemies weren't such a pain to pinpoint.
Random portals seemed to be a common occurrence, especially when the Deeprealms were concerned. Corrin recalled that children like Sophie and Velouria had even found the strange portals to their parents' dimension completely by accident. Coincidentally, hordes of enemies usually followed.
While attempting to locate and close the alleged portal and prevent as many enemies as possible from entering their realm, the two had become overwhelmed and almost gravely injured from their lack of reinforcements.
Apparently they had defeated the number of enemies sufficient enough to close the dimensional rift, wherever it had been. As she looked around the camp, she saw a great deal of dead bodies and carnage to some of their stores. Thankfully, nobody on their side seemed to be hurt, and all the enemies seemed to have been eliminated. They were lucky to have routed the enemy without any casualties on their end.
"I'm so glad you both are okay," the songstress confessed with teary eyes. "I was so worried when Shigure told me he hadn't seen either of you. You two should know better than to go off alone like that."
Corrin laughed softly and Jakob gave her an even stare. Although she was right, he still didn't like being scolded.
Still, Azura was a kind person and she had just saved them. He let the comment slide. There were more important things to worry about, surely.
"Regardless, thank you for thinking of us," Jakob said with sincere gratitude. Corrin nodded and went to embrace her two comrades, who accepted the affectionate gesture with more hesitation than usual. Such an unusual reaction elicited the immediate curiosity from Jakob. Usually comrades like Leo or Shura and even Flora were the ones to bristle at his wife's hugs and other signs of adoration. Azura and Shigure weren't on that list.
"What's wrong?" the butler asked with a soft chuckle and tilt of the head. The young man always had a slightly more pleasant mood, especially after a long battle and hard-fought victory. "It seems everyone is unharmed. Well, everyone is alive, at least. I should get right to work healing the others."
"Good idea," the princess said with a warm smile. "You and Dwyer can get on that immediately. I'm sure Flora, Felicia, Forrest, Shura and Izana can help too. Goodness, thank goodness we have so many healers!"
Azura and Shigure continued to remain oddly silent. Corrin was so happy after their narrowly clenched victory that she didn't seem to notice anything was immediately wrong. "We need to find out what happened tonight and why, but first, we should all relax! How about a feast of sorts? I'm sure everyone would love that!"
Again, silence followed Corrin's enthusiasm. The young woman noticed their unusual coolness and was about to remark on it when she realized something strange. Usually, at the end of any battle, Kana would run up to her or Jakob and shower them in hugs and kisses. This time, he was absent. Not only that, but she couldn't hear his exuberant voice or hear his dragon-like roars like usual.
"Speaking of Kana and Dwyer, where did those two go?" Jakob asked as he scanned the battlefield. After not spotting them immediately, he sighed in mild annoyance. "I saw them run onto the battlefield. Where could they have gone?"
The young woman looked back to her two blue-haired, Hoshidan allies. Before she could ask them what was wrong, a chill shook her body as she realized what else was amiss. Even though Shigure said his Pegasus had been injured, he was still riding a steed. The young man sat atop of medium-sized, brown horse that was draped with familiar gray and black decorations.
"Is that…Dwyer's horse?" Corrin asked slowly. Silence from both mother and son greeted her inquisition once more. The young woman was exhausted with their silence. When both failed to answer immediately, Corrin raised her voice and asked with more urgency, "Where are Kana and Dwyer?"
Fear squeezed her heart like a vice when both comrades replied with a slight shake of the head.
"We don't know," Shigure piped up hesitantly. When he saw the horror in Corrin and Jakob's eyes, he lowered his head and told them as calmly as he could. "I'm so sorry. Something went wrong."
-END-
The title is taken from a Flamingosis song called 'what went wrong?'
Ironically, I didn't listen to it while writing this. I listened to the soundtrack for VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action…and it's amazing (the game and soundtrack.) It put me in the perfect mood.
Anyway, thanks for making it this far! I'll be back soon with more updates.