Hello, dear reader! I am very happy you found this fanfic of mine! I had always been a fan of Valkyria Chronicles, both the Games and the Anime, and after finishing Valkyria Chronicles 4, an idea for this fanfic formed in my head. I really enjoyed Crymaria and her character and felt really bad for her the whole story, even if her ending had been happier than Selvaria's, who is my favourite character of the first Game and the Anime. (Behind her Blue Flame made me cry like a little girl) Hope you enjoy!
September 1922
Classified Location,
East European Imperial Alliance
"Cry Mary! Cry Mary!" the mocking and loud screams of the other girls hit Crymaria. The young girl hated her life here. The adults were cruel and emotionless and the other girls mocked her for her weakness. Beginning to cry, Crymaria began to run away from the insult she hated so much. If she was just a bit stronger maybe she would be able to stand up to them, but she was just not courageous enough to do that. Maybe the others were right… Maybe she really was a cry-baby. Sobbing in her corner she did not even realize that the other girls had found her. One of them pulled her by her long hair and dragged her towards the others. Crymaria knew exactly what was about to happen. Closing her eyes she continued to sob and wait for the inevitable.
That inevitable being a fist hitting someone's face, but for once it had not been Crymaria to be the victim of that. The girl that had held her by the hair had let go and now was holding her obviously bleeding nose. "No." was the simple word that made everyone including Mary herself freeze. There – in front of her – stood a girl that seemed even younger than herself and the majority of the bullies, but there was just something about her. Her presence alone seemed to be enough to make the others back off. It reminded Crymaria less of a child of maybe 9 years and more of the Generals who sometimes visited the facility to evaluate them. The other girls glared at her saviour who just glared back intensely. Finally the leader of the group broke eye-contact and cursing she left, taking her entourage with her and leaving Mary and the mysterious girl.
"Why?" Was the only question she was able to ask and the girl didn't move for a few seconds, until she finally turned around to face her. Like her the girl had red eyes, but where Crymaria's hair was a mess of dark violet curls, the younger girls hair was straight and completely silver.
"Please elaborate." The girl finally said after a while.
Crymaria was not sure, what her intensions were, but she decided she could trust her. At least more than anybody else in this hell. "I… wanted to know why you would help me. Everyone else seems to hate me." She inhaled deeply and supressed the urge to cry again. "For good reason… I am weak. Doctor Belgar seems to think so too."
Again the girl just stared at her for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. "Yes. You are weak." She finally said and this time Crymaria did begin to cry. The only person to ever help her, hated her too? Why was life so cruel to her? Closing her eyes she tried to hold back the tears, but they still escaped her eyes. Her eyes immediately snapped open, as she felt something warm on her cheek.
The girl had wiped away her tears with her hand. For some reason Crymaria's heart began to speed up, when the younger girl send a small smile her way. "You don't have to be weak, though. You can be strong, if you want to be." She said with certainty that made Crymaria wide eyed. The older Valkyria sighed.
"I don't know how…" she just murmured, but the other girl heard her. Offering Crymaria her hand she helped her up.
"I'll show you." She offered and Crymaria gasped in shock. "We can be strong together!" The younger girl said enthusiastically and her red eyes seemed to glow with a determination Crymaria had never seen before. "What's you name, by the way?"
Crymaria needed a second to register the question as she was still enraptured by the other girls enthusiasm and determination. " My name is Crymaria Levin." She finally said and the other girl's smile blossomed to a full blown smirk.
"I'm Selvaria Bles, but you may call me Sel!"
April 1925
Classified Location
East European Imperial Alliance
"Bitch!" the taller girl yelled at her, as she pushed Crymaria against the wall. The reaction she received from the shy and introverted girl though was not the one she had expected. Instead of sobbing or whining like the little cry -baby she was, Crymaria just smirked at her. Her heart pounded in her chest and the familiar feeling of fear formed in her stomach, but she remembered the conversation she had had with Sel only a week ago.
Selvaria stood in front of her, her face a stoic mask. "You will never fully defeat your fear." She said and Crymaria quirked an eyebrow at that. "Fear is a natural instinct that every human and animal possesses. You cannot just turn it off."
Crymaria began to frown at her best friends explanation. "So how am I supposed to become strong like you, if I am scared?"
Selvaria smirked. "It's not about not having fear." She said as her smirk grew larger. "It's about not showing your fear. Do you honestly believe I am never scared?" the younger girl asked and Crymaria blushed. She actually did believe that. As Sel saw her facial she began to laugh. "I'm quite often scared. I just hide it behind a stoic mask." She said putting it on. Her smirk disappeared and her mouth formed a straight line. The spark of laughter in her ruby eyes had left and the glare she sent Mary's way mad her shudder.
"I don't think I can do that, Sel." Mary finally said and her friend's facial expression relaxed again.
Selvaria laid a hand on her shoulder. "Just try it, Mary. For me?" she asked sweetly and pouted. Mary thought that she looked ridiculous like that. Sel's perfect face seemed to be made for her stoic mask or a haughty expression, but pouting? It just seemed off. She held back her laughter as she tried the best impression of Sel's scowl and glare.
Sel just stared at her for a few seconds, as her body began to shake. Her mouth twitched and Mary saw how she tried to hold in her laughter. After a few more seconds the stoic Valkyria was at her limit, as she fell to the side, holding her stomach in full blown laughter. "Y-y-you look so ridiculous!" she exclaimed in between breaths as she still rolled on the ground in laughter. Mary tried to frown, but her friend's happiness was just to infectious as she too began to laugh.
As if she were struck by lightning, Selvaria jumped to her feet and stared at Crymaria intensely. The older Valkyria blushed under her friends gaze, but never stopped smiling. Sel rushed towards her and put her hands on her shoulders. "That's IT!" she exclaimed in joy.
Crymaria just rose an eyebrow in confusion. "What's what?"
"You really at terrible at the whole stoic-face-thing." Her best friend told her. "But there might be something else you can use." Now both of Crymaria's eyebrows were lifted at her friend's words. "We can use your smile!" She finally said and looked very proud of herself.
Crymaria on the other hand thought that her best friend had finally lost her mind. "Sooooooo…" she drawled out "I should just smile at my enemies and those who want to hurt me?" she said to her friend with as much sarcasm as she was able to put into those few words. "I am not quite sure how effective that will be…"
Selvaria though did not budge on the idea her kind came up with. "Do you know how powerful a perfectly timed smile can be?" she asked her best friend. "It displays your confidence, but also shows your opponent that you are not scared of anything they could come up." She said and it began to make sense in her mind. Only the strongest people would smile trough even the worst situations. Their enemies would be scared, while their allies would feel, as if everything would be all right. Just like Sel herself had smiled at her the day they met.
The bully just stared at her confused as Mary continued to smirk. Just as she recovered from the shock, Mary's smirk turned into full blow laughter.
"Is that all?" she asked the girl, who paled visibly. She looked at Mary's confident smirk and let her go, as she quickly moved away from the purple-haired girl. A genuine smile settled on Mary's face. Who knew that would actually work? She blushed a bit as her gaze turned to her best friend who smiled at her proudly. Sel knew. She always knew what's best.
November 1929
Classified Location
East European Imperial Alliance
"Mary…" Selvaria tried but was silenced by a swift hand gesture of her best friend's hand.
Crymaria's crimson eyes met her own. Selvaria had to admit that her best friend had changed a lot in the last four years, both mentally and physically. Seven years after Sel had met her, she could barely recognize the shy and fearful girl she once knew. Mary now was a tall, beautiful and confident woman. "I know what you want to say…" she said and her gaze on Selvaria intensified, but a small smile formed on her lips. "And I won't let you even think about it. Go."
"Mary… Please. I don't know if I should…" but again she had been interrupted by her best friend.
This time Crymaria had risen and being two years older and quite tall she towered over the younger woman. "Listen here, Sel. I am strong enough now. You don't need to protect me anymore. I can take care of myself." She took a step away from Selvaria as her gaze drifted towards the door. "If you have a chance to get out here, you take it. I don't think that Prince will wait long for your answer. If…"
"NO!" this time it was Selvaria who interrupted her. "If you think I'll just leave you here to the tender mercy of Doctor Belgar, you are an idiot!" she roared at her best friend. Despite Mary being older and arguably more powerful than her, Sel just saw the young girl from years ago. She promised to help and protect her.
Crymaria just sighed and drew Selvaria into a hug. Pressing her forehead to her best friends she smiled brightly. "Don't worry about me, okay? The next time we'll meet I'll be just as strong as you… Maybe even more." She teased lightly and Selvaria had to laugh. Finally letting go of her best friend Selvaria looked at her and felt a single tear stream down her cheek. Similar to how she had comforted 11 year old Crymaria, the same woman, now an adult, repeated the action and removed the tear from her cheek with a gentle move of her hand.
"Now go, you silly girl. I'll see you later." She said and Selvaria left, but she couldn't get rid of the hammering in her chest and a sickening feeling in her stomach. Selvaria didn't like to leave her here… Not at all, but she needed to trust her best friend. Mary would find a way to escape this place. Sel just knew it.
January 1930
Classified Location
East European Imperial Alliance
Crymaria heard movement outside of her cell and immediately sprung up from her bed. Just as she had risen two men entered her room, one unknown and the other one very well known.
"Doctor Belgar." She greeted with barely contained venom towards the man. Crymaria hated Belgar with every fibre of her body. The screams of the young girls he had tortured to activate their potential still haunted her dreams. The other man had air of authority around him. He was tall with a long mane and trimmed beard of blonde and intelligent green eyes. She estimated him to be around thirty years old.
"Is this her?" the unknown man asked and his deep voice resonated in her small cell.
Doctor Belgar gave a bow to the man. "She is, Prince Alexander." He took a step closer towards Crymaria. A few years ago she would have flinched away from him, but now she just glared at him defiantly. "This is Crymaria Levin, she has the most power among my test subjects, but her mental stability makes her essentially useless. The girl is weak and almost broken. I assure you there are better candidates."
"What about her mental stability?" the prince asked and the anger within Crymaria grew. She was talked about like a priced cattle here.
"I am standing right in front of you!" she growled towards the prince, who didn't seem to react at all. His calculating eyes met hers. Emerald green collided with blood red.
The prince took a step closer towards Crymaria. "Tell me, Miss Levin. What is it you desire most in this world?" He asked and his gaze turned even more intense. Crymaria just smirked and that seemed to throw the prince off for a second until he found his composure again.
"As of right now?" she asked and he nodded. A predatory grin formed on Crymaria's face as she broke eye contact with the prince and shifted her gaze towards Belgar. "Crush this vermin's skull does sound nice." She growled towards Belgar who took a step back. Her eyes shifted towards the prince and he surprised her, as he exploded in laughter.
"It doesn't seem your reports to my younger brother have been correct, Doctor. This one is far from broken or useless." He turned away from the Valkyria and towards the smaller man. "It almost seems like you tried to hide her from my father and I. I guess you would have liked to add her to your little secret research unit?" he asked sarcastically and Crymaria's grin grew as she saw the vermin's eyes widen. "Please, Doctor. You are a brilliant mind, but to play the game of intrigues with Maximilian and I is not very wise." He turned away from the doctor and signalled both him and Mary to follow him as he walked towards the exit of the facility. "Now, doctor, you promised me to show me the power of the Valkyria. Please do go ahead." He said as they had finally reached the main entrance. The two men and her stepped outside and the first thing Crymaria saw was red. There were at least a dozen men clad in red armour under a large red coat. The prince walked towards one of them and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Captain Metternich! Is everything prepared?" he asked the tall black haired man.
"Yes, your highness." He answered simply and the prince grinned under his beard. "Is this her?" the captain asked as he took a look at Crymaria.
"Yes, captain." The prince replied to him with a smirk. The captain just responded to his smirk with his own.
"It seems the myths of the Valkyrian beauty are true. You sure the princess won't be angry, your highness?" the captain asked, his smirk widening. The prince just answered with roaring laughter.
"Old friend! You know Brigitte would murder me, if I ever cheated on her!" he told his subordinate. All of the guards could barely hold in their laughter. The prince just glared at the men all around him. "And you traitors would probably help her!" he accused them still laughing.
Before they could continue their bantering, Mary decided to finally butt in. "Could somebody explain to me, what the hell is going on?" she asked and the smiles on the men disappeared.
The prince turned towards her and nodded towards the captain. "Miss Levin. May I introduce captain Eberhard von Metternich, commanding officer of the royal guard of his majesty Emperor Ludwig II." The man in question gave her an eloquent bow.
"It is an honour to meet one of the famed Valkyria in person. You are what the myths proclaim and even more." He praised her and Mary just stared at him awkwardly. She was not used to praise. The only person ever praising her had been Sel. The captain though did apparently not mind as he continued to smile. "Crown-Prince Alexander and myself are here today on the order of his excellency the Emperor himself." The man told her and Crymaria's eyes widened in shock. The Emperor himself? "The Emperor has send us to this facility to find the most powerful of the Valkyria and let her undergo a test."
The captain nodded towards prince Alexander as he continued where Metternich left off. "This means you, Miss Levin. The dear doctor informed us, you were the most powerful of the Valkyria in the Empire. If you agree you will go trough two different tests. If you fail them you will be send back with Doctor Belgar." He told her.
Crymaria felt hope inside of her chest the first time, since Sel had left. "What if I succeed?" She asked and the prince smirked.
"If you succeed" the man began "My father gave me the order to take you to him, so he can welcome you in the ranks of the royal guard as his personal bodyguard."
Phew! This took longer than I thought. I had the idea since a while and I even had written a few pages, but then I re-read it and it seemed really stupid to me. Therefore I began anew and this is the result. I hope you enjoyed it.
Cheerio!
Arius
