-KINGDOM OF HOSHIDO—
-15 YEARS AGO-
"…..I'm sorry for your loss, King Garon." Sumeragi glared uneasily at the Nohrian King, unsure of his own intent; in a way, the tragedies that befell Nohr were his fault. And yet, he felt a lack of shame, because he would not have sacrificed Hoshido's traditions and independence to save a kingdom not his own.
Garon gritted his teeth. "Lord Sumeragi, with all due respect, I don't care. I pleaded with you to help save my kingdom, and you spat in my face."
"Bite your tongue, Nohrian!" A young Hoshidan Warrior shouted, "you may keep your anger, but you will not defame our-"
"Peace, Reina. He is just in his rage." Sumeragi's eyes did not leave Garon, clearly wary of him, but he nevertheless gestured for Reina to stop. She gripped her lance, sighed, and stepped back.
Garon continued: "My people are starving, suffering, and angry. And now...my dearest Corrin…"
"Again, I am sorry. But it was never Hoshido's place to get invol-"
"Is it not one's place to get involved when they see another dying on the street? Would you leave a man to rot, simply because it would violate some…some archaic blasphemy?!"
Sumeragi narrowed his gaze. "Do not lash your tongue at our country for preserving our own interests."
Garon's eyes shot to meet Sumeragi's gaze, brimming with malice, the purest kind, only brought forth from loss. "No. I think it's time for some…reforms."
Garon snapped his fingers, and an army of Wyvern Knights dropped from the sky. Sumeragi didn't even have to shift his eyes to know he was surrounded.
"Garon…you will not win this war. Don't start it."
Garon grinned. "I didn't start it; but I'm going to finish it."
Immediately, a black knight on horseback leaped from the shadows, spear aimed to take Sumeragi's head. The Hoshidan Lord dodged and, grabbing his katana, struck back.
*KLANG!* The blow deflected off of the knight's thick armor. He knocked Sumeragi off his throne with the flat side of his lance, and prepared to finish him.
"GUNTER!" King Garon yelled. The Nohrian knight retreated.
"Yes, my liege?"
"Sumeragi's life is mine to take."
Suddenly, Reina, atop a Hoshidan Pegasus, lunged at Garon.
"DIE, NOHRIAN SCUM!"
Gunter reacted immediately. Pushing his king out of the way, he slashed viciously at the rider, branding her face with an X-shaped mark.
"You should run while you still can, little girl." Gunter sheathed his lance, and drew his axe in its place.
Reina spat out the blood that ran down her face and into her mouth. She glared at the black knight.
"Not until I repay you for this wonderful scar!" she screamed, before going in for another attack.
"…" Garon turned his attention back to Sumeragi, currently ripping his way through the Wyvern Knights with the grace of a refined warrior.
What a pity it would be to kill him.
Garon threw his mighty axe, with Sumeragi being forced to jump over it due to its sheer size. He landed, but not before Garon had caught up with him.
"HAAA!" Garon slugged Sumeragi with an iron-clad fist, powerful enough to send him hurtling into the castle walls. Beneath the force of the impact, the walls cracked, with Sumeragi's body becoming the center of a small crater. He fell, and hit the floor.
"D-damnit…" he grunted. He took hold of his katana and swung at Garon, but his arms and blade were blasted, and frozen to his torso by ice magic.
"Wha-?"
"I am Kilma of the Ice tribe, ally to King Garon! You hold responsibility for the death of my wife! Prepare to die, for the glory of Nohr!"
Sumeragi could only look to Garon briefly as he was punted into another wall.
*SMASH*
Coughing up blood now, he tried to stand, but could only balance himself on his own blade.
Garon, axe in hand, marched toward Sumeragi, a demented smile wide across his face. "I will burn your people, and take their belongings, resources, and families. They will pay for your sins, and rebuild Nohr with their blood."
"N-no! I'll—"
A swing of Garon's axe finally finished the life of the Hoshidan King.
"You won't."
A Hoshidan samurai, shocked, began to yell. "T-the king! The king is dead! Everyone, the king is dead!"
For a moment, the fighting ceased. The Hoshidan army gazed upon the now lifeless corpse of their king.
Reina, holding back tears, gave the order. "Retreat! All forces….all forces retreat!" The Hoshidan army, at first, failed to move, but one by one they fled their own castle, with neither the manpower nor leadership to fight Garon yet.
"…heh."
"Milord!" Gunter yelled.
"Hmm?"
The black knight presented a small child before the king, with long, white hair and piercing red eyes.
"What's your name, child?"
"…I'm Kamui. I'm the middle princess of Hoshido." She began, before looking to her father. "Why is daddy lying in sauce?"
Garon, at first, thought to discard the vermin, but an idea crept into his head….
"You said…your name was Kamui?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"No. Your name is Corrin. And that is not your father."
Garon reached out to Corrin's head.
"You…are MY child now!"
FIRE EMBLEM FATES: CORRIN VS THE WORLD
A MenacingRelic98 "Production"
Part I: "Yield"
"Lady Corrin! Wake up!"
Corrin's eyes opened slowly and with strain, to the sight of her primary domestics, Felicia and Flora.
"Ugh….go away."
Flora frowned. "Your majesty, you need to get up."
"Whyyyyy…?"
Felicia and Flora looked at each other, nodded, and used their cyromancy to shock Corrin into awakeness. Corrin thrashed violently as the rush of cold surrounded her, kicking the sheets off the bed and scrambling to sit upright.
"Come on!" Corrin complained.
"Your sparring match with Xander, milady! It's today, remember?" Felicia reminded.
"….Oh!"
Immediately, Corrin dashed to her wardrobe and closet, rummaging through various clothes and armor before emerging with her specialized suit, a sort of "skin-tight armor" made from dragon scales.
"Where is Xander now?" Corrin immediately asked.
"Um…I think I saw Lord Xander on the 5th floor balcony."
Corrin immediately ran, her desire to be unfettered beginning to consume her. "Today is the day!" she thought. "No more waiting around, no more isolation! I will fight alongside my brothers and sisters! And we'll be a true family!"
She burst onto the balcony, dripping with excitement from every pore. "Xander! Xander! I'm ready!"
The Nohrian Prince smiled. "I'm glad you're so eager."
"Are you kidding? Today is THE day! I've waited so long for a chance to see the outside world! Maybe I can actually visit the Bottomless Canyon! Is it really bottomless? Oh man, maybe I can see an actual dance show in Cyrkenisa! Or..!"
"Settle down, little princess," Xander began, "You still have to get past me to earn all of that."
Corrin frowned and pouted. "Just let me have my moment, OK? OK." She turned to look at the morning sky, still dark as night for now. Xander chuckled.
"Meet me in the courtyard in twenty minutes, Corrin. This day is going to define the rest of your life." He explained, still smiling.
Twenty minutes did not pass as quickly as Corrin would like. She paced around the courtyard. She adjusted her hair, counted the stars in the still-blackened sky, realized she forgot her shoes, grabbed them, and Xander STILL wasn't there!
"What could be taking him? By the freaking Dusk Dragon…"
Her body shook, and she shook it off. She watched the passage of Gunter and Lilith at the castle's front through the courtyard fence. Her fingers rapidly tapped the fence, a distinct pitter-patter filling the air around her. She slumped against a wall and began to pull at her hair.
"Come on! Uuuugh!"
*Clank!*
Corrin turned to the noise. Xander rode out on horseback through the courtyard's side enterance.
"Ah!" Corrin literally jumped up at the sight. She grabbed her training sword and rushed to her brother.
"Alright alright alright alright! Let's DO THIS!"
Xander only smiled. "Very well. I'll let you take the first swing. Victory by yield. Are you ready?"
Corrin's only response was a wide grin.
They moved to separate sides of the courtyard, facing each other, staring deep into the other's visage. Xander seemed to be focusing, steeling himself…Corrin could tell he was going to play a defensive game. But that was fine by her.
Corrin leapt into a run, charging headfirst at her elder brother. He directed his mount backwards, just a few meager steps, but Corrin did not flinch. She went head on, head on, head on and-!
She darted to the side, slid under the horse, and jumped up to slash and Xander; were they using real swords, she would have drawn blood from his cheek and eye before he was able to parry.
*CLANG!*
Xander knocked Corrin away with force, still with a look of shock from her aggressive tactic. He began to charge forward, blade at his side. Corrin dodged to his left; after all, his weapon was in his right hand, and there was a horse in the way. She went in for another blow—
*CLANG!*
She found herself blocking, as Xander had somehow turned in the blink of an eye. Using his superior size and mounted leverage, he bared down on her blade, attempting to force a disengage. But Corrin held him there; he was not even starting to force her to the ground.
"I ha…have to w-win!" Corrin screamed internally. For just a moment, she lost sight of all reality; the only thing that mattered was this victory, this moment. She felt like her arms were…growing?
She began to force Xander back, began to start breaking his very blade through sheer strength and force of will. With a final shove, she forced Xander to disengage, and knocked him off his mount. He rolled back unto his feet and charged her; his time for holding back was over.
Corrin swung high, but Xander was already gone.
"!" Corrin rolled forward, expecting an attack from behind, but was hit from the right.
"Ahh!" She tumbled away, rolling into a prone position. She scrambled to her feet, but was met with a boot in her chest. Knocking her away with a mighty THUD, she stumbled backward, and tried to use the momentum to spin around Xander. She leapt right at him, blade-first!
Xander ducked, knocked her to the ground, and put his blade to her neck.
"Yield!" he yelled.
"A Nohrian never yields!" Corrin shouted back.
Xander smiled, impressed. "Very good, Corrin." He stood up and offered her a hand.
"I guess that's it then…." Dejected, she held out her hand, and stood.
A long silence. Leo, Camilla, Jakob, and Gunter watched the whole thing, and Corrin turned to them.
"Sorry…"
Leo scoffed. "Sorry? For what? Making me feel inadequate?"
"Hm? But I failed."
Camilla giggled. "Oh, my sweet, sweet Corrin, you are so adorable! Of course he won; he's the greatest warrior in all of Nohr!"
"You preformed more than adequately, milady," Gunter added, "it almost brought a tear to my eye."
A glimmer appeared in Corrin's eye, hope so bright it was almost visible. "So does that mean…?"
Xander approached the group. "Corrin, I have fought many battles, and very rarely do I fight a foe with as much difficulty as you; you have more than earned your place."
"Ha…HAHAHAHA! YES!" Corrin screamed. She jumped for joy, unable to control herself—
"Ow! Ow…." Corrin rubbed her back, as all the bruises and pulled muscles began to scream. Jakob sighed.
"Alright, enough of that milady. Come with me, please; I must tend to your wounds."
Corrin gave a slight giggle and a nod as she followed Jakob inside.
"…"
Leo frowned. "Her performance was clearly satisfactory either way, but brother, how much were you holding back?"
Xander laughed a little. "Well, she did give me a tussle..."
The ride to Krakenburg was surreal to Corrin. She giggled at every little bump of the wagon, enthusiastically pointed and all the different wildlife; things she had heard about, but never seen. This feeling of enlightenment would carry her beyond Krakenburg's border, past its Castle's edge ("Camilla, they built the castle in a CRATER! THAT'S AWESOME!") and straight to her father's foot.
"Hello father! Have you been—er, I mean…."
Corrin knelt before King Garon. "Praised be the king of Nohr."
Though his retainers seemed to wince, Garon smiled. "Rise, my child. You have done well to make it this far."
Corrin stood. "Thank you, Father…"
"However, I must see evidence of your power; it is a harsh, cruel world, and our mortal enemies in Hoshido would stop at nothing to harm you. I must see you can defend yourself, with my own eyes."
Corrin grinned. "What would you like me to do, my king?"
Garon snapped his fingers; one of his retainers, a gaunt and frighteningly pale man who wore a cover over his eye, opened a nearby door; a girl with a wide smile and multicolored hair brought out 3 prisoners. The first one was a woman of dark complexion, with some sort of tribal robe; her eyes burned with rage. The second was a blue haired man of soft features; his facial structure did not seem Hoshidian or Nohrian, but he seemed to be of high class; his attire befit a lord.
The last one, however, gave Corrin pause; a Hoshidian ninja with green hair. He was staring at her, and for some reason it felt like…like…
"Hmph." Corrin shook her head. Why were they here, anyway?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw iron weapons dropped before them; their cuffs prevented the prisoners from reaching for these. Then, a guard presents Corrin with a sword.
"Corrin…are you ready?" Garon asked. And in that moment, she understood. She looked at her father and then back at the prisoners.
Xander stared at Garon in disbelief. "Father, you cannot—"
"If she is to fight, she must learn how to fight a real enemy. One who is willing to kill her."
"Must she do it alone? This is not the way!"
"Xander!" Corrin shouted. He and Garon turned to her.
"It's OK. I…."
A deep breath.
"I'm ready."
Garon smiled and signaled to his pale retainer; he cast some sort of barrier spell, sealing Corrin and the prisoners off from King Garon. Corrin turned to the threat in front of her.
"Speak your names, that I may honor you with a quick death!"
The demon woman spoke first: "I am Rinkah. And you're going to burn!" Her chains went undone on their own and she leapt for a club left on the ground.
"!" Corrin sprung to try and reach the club first, but a loud THWACK in her abdomen made it clear she failed. Grunting, she rolled away before standing. Rinkah was already overhead—
"Hyaa!" Corrin ran right into her, tackling her down to the ground. She rolled forward—over Rinkah's head—and immediately backflipped as Rinkah stood. A swift kick and a loud CRACK! sent Rinkah doubling over. Corrin was set to follow up—
*clink*
Corrin turned back to the prisoners. The green ninja had lost his shackles; he turned to Corrin.
"Kamui…?"
Corrin paused upon hearing that name. Why was it so—
She shook her head again; it didn't matter. "My name is Corrin! You'll not use ninja trickery on me!"
The ninja paused and closed his eyes. "My name is Kaze; proud ninja of Hoshido. Show me what you can do."
Corrin dashed straight at Kaze, and he disappeared; Corrin immediately stopped and thrust her elbow behind her.
"Unf..!" Corrin grabbed Kaze and threw him over her shoulder. He scrambled to his feet and threw a shuriken…poorly. Corrin twisted her body out of the way, but she began to sense that something was off; he wasn't fighting, or at least, wasn't fighting like Rinkah was. She moved to close the gap, blade first—
*TINK*
Corrin found herself locked blade to blade with the blue man.
"Do you have a name?"
"My name is Marth. I pray for your forgiveness."
"You pray? That's an awfully daft thing to say!" Corrin began to smirk.
"I mean, your forgiveness for taking your life." He jumped backward and thrusted, hitting Corrin on her upswing.
"Grrr…" She stepped back. He posture was defensive; maybe if she could—
"AUGH!" She screamed, the shuriken imbedding itself into her neck. She tumbled onto the floor.
"Corrin!" Xander screamed.
All three prisoners approached her. Xander began to panic.
"Father!"
"No."
"FATHER!"
Marth pointed his blade down at Corrin. "Yield. I do not wish to kill you, but I will."
Corrin smirked. "Heh. You must not be from around here, Marth. Otherwise you'd know…"
She grabbed his sword and hit him in the face with her free hand, uncaring of the blade's edge. The blow was fierce enough to send Marth a distance and to wrench free his sword.
"A Nohrian never yields!
Kaze and Rinkah jumped into the action. Corrin threw Marth's sword at Rinkah, and she could not get out of the way.
"Guh-!"
Kaze kept moving. He struck at Corrin with a chop, then put her in a headlock.
"Kamui! Stop!" he cried. Corrin slammed him into a wall, breaking his hold.
"I am not Kamui!" She stabbed him in the gut. The wound was easily a fatal one.
Corrin, paused, at first. It felt so weird…and Kaze was..!
"…." he stood, looking at her. He was so…it was…
Corrin lashed out; she stabbed him again and he…slid, on the blade, to look Corrin in the eyes.
"I'm sorry…Kamui, I….I failed you. Please….remem…b…"
He slumped over, dead. Corrin stared at him, at what she had done; it felt like she killed someone who knew her…it felt like a friend had died….
It felt like….
Like….
…..
TO BE CONTINUED