I'm back at it with another fic! I actually had this in my thoughts for a while, just took a while for me to be motivated enough to write it down. Anyway, please enjoy reading this! ^_^
Selena had decided to visit her daughter Caeldori on her own while her husband Subaki was off taking care of ruffians with Odin and Laslow. She felt guilty for leaving her daughter all to herself in the deeprealms despite being in the presence of a caretaker, but the war was too dangerous to raise a child, no matter how much she loathed the idea of isolation.
As the mercenary had made her way to the door that separated her from seeing her daughter, she knocked a few times until getting a response back. The door had opened, revealing a female caretaker.
"Ahh, you must be here to visit your daughter. She's doing really well." The caretaker greeted as she beamed at Selena.
"What else would I be here for? Can I have a moment with my daughter in private?" Selena replied, a stern expression on her face.
"Of course, you can," the caretaker commented, completely unfazed by the mercenary's demeanor as she made her way out, "take all the time that you need."
Once the caretaker had left the premises, Selena proceeded to venture inside the small home, and once she had made her way to Caeldori's bedroom, she saw her daughter reading tomes on her bed. It was the first time that Selena had seen Caeldori studying tomes, and she found it to be a nod of her father's pastime.
"Caeldori?" Selena questioned in confusion as she neared her daughter.
"Ah, mother!" Caeldori welcomed in delight at the sight of seeing her mother as she set the tome aside, "I must've been enamored by this tome that I completely forgot that you came to visit."
Selena formed a smirk on her face mainly because although Caeldori had inherited pretty much all of Cordelia's features and best traits, it appeared that her daughter had also inherited Robin's propensity of indulging himself in reading.
'Who would've thought.' the mercenary murmured so that Caeldori wouldn't be able to hear clearly.
"Did you say something, mother?" Caeldori asked.
"Do you have a moment to talk?" Selena questioned as her expression had softened.
"I always have a moment to converse with you, mother," Caeldori replied happily as she gestured for her mother to sit by her, "though I wish that father was here, too."
"Well, he and your uncles had some bandit issues to deal with. He promises to visit you when he gets the chance, for his sake." Selena answered. "Now then, are you up for a bit of me explaining to you about your grandfather?"
The perfectionist's eyes gleamed in joy at the thought of getting to know her grandfather. "Of course, but why so sudden? Mainly because you've been hesitant of telling me before."
Looking back, Selena couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty on the inside because she had only shared stories of her mother to Caeldori but nothing about her father, or even her sister for that matter.
"Plans change," the mercenary simply stated as she adjusted herself on the bed, "also, you reading those tomes is what my father would do in his spare time."
"How was grandfather like?" Caeldori asked.
In Severa's mind, she remembered seeing her father, well the past version of him, back when she was in the mercenary fortress. At the time, she had resented him with every fiber of her being because of how the future had turned out. But after some time, she was able to push those views away, and managed to get the chance to know him more. Although the Robin of her time had passed away when she was young, Severa would hear stories from her mother of how he was kind, witty, and cared for his friends and allies to the very end. However, in order to hide her true identity, Selena had to fabricate a good portion of her story.
"You see," Selena had started as she ruffled through Caeldori's hair, "your grandfather was known as a legendary tactician."
"A tactician? So, he would come up with strategies in order to ensure a decisive victory to the best of his abilities, right?" Caeldori had guessed, much to the amazement of her mother.
"W-wow, you're spot on." the mercenary said in shock. Somehow, she felt a bit inferior being in the presence of her daughter. But she decided to shake those thoughts away.
"Thank you, mother," the perfectionist replied with a smile, eager to know more of her extended family, "but continue, if you may, please."
"My father was kind, caring, and loyal to his cause. He would often tell me of how it wasn't fate that determined our destination but the bonds that we've made along the way, something like that. No matter the situation, he would always try to find a plan." Selena went on about her father, her eyes feeling funny afterwards.
"How was he like with grandmother?" Caeldori continued to bombard her mother with a plethora of questions.
Selena could feel the smirk forming yet again. Even though her mother had initially set her eyes on Chrom, in the end she had chosen Robin.
"Like two lovebirds locked in a cage, if you ask me." the mercenary revealed with a bit of humor added to it. She recalled the time when her parents had gone to the beach, and, ruefully speaking, witnessing them making out in front of the Shepherds. The event almost made her want to vomit, though figuratively speaking, of course.
"Pardon?" Caeldori asked bemusedly.
"If you want a longer version then," Selena continued on as she adjusted her long twin tails, "your grandparents would take rides on a pegasus, pair up in battle, complimenting each other, and would often try to pull pranks on each other. They were such lovey dovey saps, I swear, but they respected each other's capabilities."
"To be honest, that sounds like a true relationship goal." Caeldori chirped in delight, much to the chagrin of Selena.
'Like grandmother, like daughter' Selena wondered, once again noting the similarities between Caeldori and Cordelia.
However, before Selena could loom in her thoughts, Caeldori had asked her a question that she wasn't prepared for.
"How was grandfather like to you?"
Frozen, Selena couldn't begin to conjure up any response. But after some quick thinking, she was able to give a good enough answer to her daughter, even though she had to be careful of accidentally revealing any questionable information.
"How my father was like to me." Selena repeated, her expression becoming blank as a result.
"Mother?" the perfectionist asked worriedly.
"Sorry," Selena apologized to her daughter for making her worry, "I had to regain my thoughts, is all."
Caeldori's expression had softened after being reassured of her mother's well-being, eagering for her to continue.
"To be perfectly honest, I was jealous of how your grandfather was viewed as. He was capable of formulating plans, proficient in magic and a bit of swordsmanship, heck he could get along with people more so than me. I loathed him for being almost as perfect as my mother, but he was also a, a..." Selena couldn't finish her sentence because she felt her tears sliding down her face.
"Are you okay, mother?" Caeldori questioned as she became even more concerned by the second.
"A hero," the mercenary muttered but audible enough for her daughter to hear, "he was a hero."
The perfectionist had stayed silent in order to let her mother regain her composure, knowing just how sensitive the topic was.
"Remember what I told you on how your grandfather would come up with any tactic that would lead us to victory? Well, there was one victory that had become his last." Selena revealed as she wiped her tears away.
"Listen, you don't have to go any further, mother." Caeldori had insisted, feeling guilty for making her mother open up about a personal moment of her life.
Selena shook her head in defiance, annoyed that her daughter would take the blame for herself being in distraught. "You d-did nothing, wrong, Caeldori. I-I chose to explain this to you."
After not hearing a response from her daughter, Selena decided to press on. "During a battle, your grandfather was left with a decision of either letting his friend put a terrible beast to slumber for over a thousand years or slaying it himself but… at the cost of his own life. My mother told me that my father had refused to let his friend do the finishing blow because he couldn't bear to let the next generation having to deal with their problem that he could've prevented. Your grandfather managed t-to defeat the beast, but n-not without losing him as a r-result."
Only the cries of a young girl who had lost her father twice was heard throughout the home. Sure, everything turned out just fine in the end, but the trauma of losing her father again was unwavering to dwell out just yet. Nonetheless, she still felt sick to her stomach for not telling Caeldori the full truth.
"N-no matter how m-much I resent him for doing w-what he did, he o-only wanted to ensure a b-brighter future for all o-of us. Not only was h-he a hero, but he w-was the best father t-to bestow upon m-me!"
Caeldori had swiftly pulled her mother into a loving embrace. The perfectionist was rubbing circles around her mother's back in order to quell her shaking body.
"Mother, I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. My words may be empty to you but," Caeldori said as she hugged her mother tightly, the latter having a soft grip around her daughter, "just know that grandfather is proud to have a daughter like you."
Before Selena could retort, Caeldori had interrupted her from doing so. "Everything that grandfather has done, please remember that it has always been for you. He wanted to give you and others a chance to live a life without fear or despair. I may not understand the context of the situation to the fullest but never doubt your worth because of it."
Filled with emotion from her daughter's words, Selena had embraced her with same intensity. The mercenary cried on her daughter's shoulder blade while the latter proceeded to soothe her once more.
"I'm sorry for making you see me in t-this s-state, Caeldori." Selena croaked, refusing to see her daughter in the eye.
"Don't be," the perfectionist reassured her mother as their grips had softened, "it's okay to vent. I'm always willing to listen."
The two had spent a moment of silence that lasted for quite a while until Selena was able to quell her emotions and resumed back to her old self, but tired in the process.
"Look, Caeldori," Selena started as she gazed at her daughter, "I apologize if it wasn't the explanation that you hoped for in regards to your grandfather."
"Nonsense, mother," Caeldori retorted gently as she gave her mother a reassuring smile, "I still had a chance of getting to know him, even for the slightest bit."
"I see," the mercenary simply stated, her usual smirk coming back, "y'know, we could use some time to read those tomes together. Haven't done so in a long time but it wouldn't hurt to brush up on a few things."
"Really?! You mean it?!" Caeldori asked in joy.
Seeing her daughter's change in demeanor had reminded Selena of her sister, though time would tell if she would reveal Caeldori about the tales of her aunt Morgan. Maybe one day, but who knows.
"You bet," Selena confirmed as she picked up the tome that Caeldori was reading, "now follow along, please. "
Caeldori nodded her head rapidly as she huddled closer to her mother, the both of them reading the tome together. In Selena's mind, she thought that Caeldori would make a fine dark flier, and she didn't doubt it in the slightest. In the end, Selena was glad to be able to see her daughter and to spend quality time with her. But the mercenary knew that one day she would have to go back to her homeland, and most likely leave Subaki and Caeldori behind.
As cruel as that prospect was, it wouldn't be for a while, and Severa was going to spend as much time with her newfound family, despite her hypocrisy.
'Sometimes I can be the worst, don't I? Way to go, Severa.'