Awakening: The Failsafe

So... fanfiction. What goes in this paragraph anyway? I've been writing original stories for a while now, but I've decided to put them on the backburner for a while and do this instead. Why? Dunno; let's see how it turns out.

Awakening from the viewpoints of the children characters, with some altered plot points to avoid you having to read what has already happened in the game. Biggest difference is that the children are a little more organized this time around, as opposed to waiting for up to five years for Chrom's army to come and rescue them.

I'm expecting readers to have at least nearly finished the main plotline of Awakening, so there may be some spoilers and unexplained bits for those who haven't. I've also made my own excuses and backstory for Morgan, because I like mages armoured in black (deal with it).

There won't be many references to the parent characters' pairings, but those that are mentioned are arbitrarily taken from one of my playthroughs of the game.

No OCs; no OTP stuff (I'm leaving that up to you to decide); just good old fashioned beat-the-snot-out-of-a-giant-dragon-(not-quite-a)- god fun. Any criticisms are welcome, especially the constructive ones.

Updates are during the first week of each month (starting 1st-7th September 2013)and will be roughly 4000 words each. Update intervals may shorten, depending on how much my writing suffers with the renewal of schoolwork, but I vow it will NEVER take longer than one month to upload. Thanks for reading and, above all, enjoy the read.

Prologue: Fellblood Rising

The party ran up the stairs, fleeing the hordes of Risen snarling at their feet. Kjelle saw an arrow headed for Severa's heel and took the blow with her large steel shield. The young mage, Laurent, no older than perhaps fifteen years, hurled thunderbolts and fireballs down the temple's ascent, stopping the advance as much as he could.

A dark shadow descended towards them and Gerome made the leap onto the incoming wyvern's back. Once the others were inside, Minerva swiped at the thin set of stairs with her tail, collapsing the only entrance with some help from Nah's dragonform and Laurent's Mjölnir spell.

Only flying beasts and their riders could risk the gap and Noire expertly picked them off, single arrows felling each one. A griffon came close, but Cynthia's lance landed a deadly blow to the beast's neck, her Pegasus swooping low under the unnaturally sharpened talons.

The Risen were now regrouping on the other side of the pit, some of those who had fallen with the staircase clawing their way out of the rubble. The twelve teenagers retreated into the temple, closing and barring the doors behind them.

'Be careful, Lucy!' Cynthia called after her sister, who was already climbing towards the sacred statue of Naga.

Gerome, now on foot, was in tow, muttering a few words of encouragement. 'We would not have followed you this far if we did not believe in you.' he finished, passing a blue metal mask to the would-be Exalt.

She gave the all too familiar acknowledging nod in return and continued up the stairs as he returned to the others.

'What do we do now?' asked a near-panicking Yarne, already knowing the answer.

'We defend Lucina with our lives.' The simple instruction from Gerome somehow gave them all the necessary encouragement.

'WE WILL REND FLESH FROM BONE AND BATHE IN THEIR BLOOD!' the talisman roared in agreement.

'Welcome, Lucina Divineblood.'

Lucina was on one knee before the dragon's statue. 'Do you know why we are here, milady?'

'You plan to use the Failsafe. No explanation is required, nor should any delay be accepted. You have not awakened my true power, but I will use what little I have to open the gate and defend your escape.'

A blue ring of light spread out from the altar. 'Each of you must walk into the light to travel.'

Lucina ran back down the stairs. 'It's ready. We just need to go into that blue circle.' she pointed toward the altar.

A solid mass of shadows formed before the group, inspiring each to aim their weapons squarely at the chest of the Black-Armoured Mage.

'Gods, no! How did she get in here?!' Lucina cried, almost losing her remaining will.

'Her intentions are pure.' The Divine Dragon's voice flowed through the temple.

Laurent was not as forgiving as those who lowered their weapons. A stream of Thoron bolts flowed from his hands and the mage allowed her armour to be dissolved away, revealing the young girl inside.

'Laurent!' Lucina's voice calmed the boy before she turned her own anger on the girl. 'Explain your business, fellblood, before I let them finish what Laurent started.'

The girl turned to Laurent, who refused to meet her eye and instead began the ascent to the light.

'I learned of the Failsafe a few days ago, but I did not report it.'

'ANY WORD FROM HER MOUTH IS A LIE! WE SHOULD KILL HER AND USE HER BONES AS DREAMCATCHERS!'

Lucina whipped around and ripped the talisman from Noire's hands, returning the young archer to her naturally meek self.

'Thank you.' she muttered, unsure if anyone heard it.

'I am not, as you have every reason to believe, loyal to Grima. I am loyal only to my father.'

'Your father is dead and all our parents are dead because of him.' Severa spat.

The mage continued unfazed. 'And I consider giving you the chance to change this world a better way of honouring him. I did not warn my father of the Failsafe, but he must have known as soon as I did anyway. I am here to offer my lance in covering your escape.'

'And we believe you just because.' Brady snapped, cracking his staff on the floor and receiving an agreeing nod from Severa.

'As I said, her intentions are pure.'

The door rattled, hard knocks suddenly emanating from it.

Lucina turned to her band of soldiers. 'Go. I will follow you shortly.'

They knew better than to argue, but Gerome lingered, staring blankly into her marked eye before bowing his head and leading Minerva to the light.

'You are lucky we have given you this chance, even with Naga's encouragement.'

'I know. I have committed atrocities for which you should never forgive me.'

The knocking grew faster and stronger. Naga's image appeared beside the mage, a mere ghost of her potential, and wielding an ethereal Falchion. The mage turned to the door and the shadows collected to form her armour and lance. Lucina placed the mask over her face and began to draw her own Falchion.

'You should go before you miss the chance… and let my brother know I'm sorry.'

The doors exploded inwards as Lucina let her blade slide back into its scabbard and ran. The mage loosed a stream of Arcfire into the oncoming mass before plunging her lance into the hoard. Some of the Risen ignored their enemies and made a beeline for the light. Lucina managed to push some of them off the sides of the stairs and followed two in front of her into the Failsafe as the Black-Armoured Mage's last words rang through the temple.

'I am Morgan Fellblood and in honour of my father, my mother and my brother, I shall fight to protect a better world until one of you tears my head from my neck!'

The Fell Dragon's roar signalled his arrival and confirmed that soon there would be naught but corpses and rubble.

Yes, this was short, but it was just a prologue and you are getting a full chapter in two weeks' time as opposed to usual gap of a month. Hope you liked it!

Have a nice day,

Thy Random Ninja