Hello and welcome to my newest story, first ever Fire Emblem story, Free Fall. I started playing around with this idea in my head since I played the DLC "Before Awakening". That being said, this story is going to be slightly AU from the games. There are just a few things I want to say before you get to reading what is really more of a prologue than a first chapter. Since I can only list four characters involved, I want to let you know that this story is mostly going to focus on ten different characters from Awakening, Birthright, and Conquest. I'm not going to tell you which ten they are, but you'll know who they are by the end of this chapter. As for story timelines, I'm writing this after the main storyline of Awakening has finished, though Chrom hasn't technically married. Awakening is also a bit AU because I'm going to say that most characters haven't gotten married, so children are kind of the only ones that know who their father is as the children have come back from the future. So, Lucina knows who her mother and father are, but in this story, Chrom still has not married her mother. This is mostly because I'm not sure what I'm doing with pairings or just how big romance of any sort will play in this story. Birthright and Conquest have not occurred in this storyline, so basically the two kingdoms hate each other, but the things with Corrin have not gone down. I hope that all makes sense and is not super confusing. Oh, and I know that some DLC explain certain pasts, I'm just disregarding most of those, specifically Hidden Truths. The last thing I think is important to mention up front is that I've partly saying this is AU because I have only played Awakening and Fates. There may be some deep lore things that I kind of go against in this story, if that happens, I'm sorry. I'm going to try to read through wiki pages and that jazz, but I just want to let you know that I might stray away from some of the lore of the games, other than the two I have played.
I do sometimes have trouble sticking a character's voice, especially when they aren't my original creation. I'm going to try and work on getting them right, but it might take a little while to really find each one in my writing. So, I apologize if you feel that any of the characters are way too out of character, I'm doing my best to work on character voice.
One other thing, I am in college right now. I graduate in less than two months, which is exciting. It, however, also means that I have a lot of work to do in said less than two months. This is important as I do not intend to edit most of my chapters written during that time. There will probably be grammar and spelling mistakes scattered throughout. I realize that, and I will do my best to keep them to a minimum. I just want to give you a heads up that things might not be super clean as I am mostly writing right now for stress relief and fun. Once I graduate, I am much more likely to thoroughly read through these chapters for mistakes.
I do not own Fire Emblem, all rights go to those who created/own it.
"What are these things? And where did they come from?" the exalt's hand gripped tightly around the hilt of Falchion. He couldn't believe his eyes. After all his troops went through, he thought the war was finally over. Yet, as he gazed down from the raised ground, he could see the creatures spilling in.
"From the future?" Lucina asked, sounding uncertain. She had hoped that their fighting would stop the world she'd arrived from. Even seeing the portal the creatures were coming in from, she held a hope that there was a new possibility.
"It doesn't matter," Chrom decided, unsheathing his weapon. He lifted the blade and pointed it in the direction of the portal. "Shepherds, push back these fiends!"
His soldiers spread out; rushing down the hill they'd situated themselves on, engaging with their newest enemy.
They were awoken early in the morning with screams echoing from the capital city. The streets were filled with citizens begging for the shepherds to arrive with hast to the borders. When they reached what was once an open field full of flowing grass and wild flowers, they found a portal and monstrous creatures they'd never seen before. There was little time to plan an attack, it didn't help that they were recently down a tactician. Instead, they rounded up together, planning to push back as many creatures as possible. Chrom only hoped that once they'd pushed them back towards the portal, the mages in his army would be able to do something about the portal itself, preferably close it.
Slashing through the air, Chrom led the attack. Each time his sword ripped through a creature, another seemed to take its place. It was as though they were multiplying, and the army would never make it through all of them.
"Sir!" he heard from above him. He looked up to find Cordelia, Sumia, and Cherche all flying above him on their mounts. It was Cordelia calling out to him, her lance in hand. "We'll fly ahead!"
"Be careful!" he called up to them, and received a small gesture to show that they'd heard him. While he feared for them, he could spend little time focusing on them as he had his own problems to face.
At first glance, the creatures looked as though they were simply common animals, but with further inspection, held the same aura as the Risen that'd arrived alongside Lucina. Now, a group of them were circling Chrom, waiting for the right moment to ambush him in an attack. He turned, attempting to keep an eye on each of them, readying himself for the lunge.
He heard one behind him spring forward, turning on his heel, he whipped Falchion through the air. When his blade made contact with the creature, it disintegrated into dust. With a pivot, he swung back around jabbing his sword forward into the belly of a bear-like creature. The sheer number of enemies was overwhelming him as his mind went into autopilot, slashing to keep up with the onslaught of creatures.
"Chrom!" a voice he rarely heard hollered, as the Chon'sin-born man swept into the center of the battle. When Basilio had first introduced Chrom to the man, he wasn't sure he wanted him in his army. It wasn't that he didn't trust the warrior, but his unease with the women shepherds caused a bit of a fuss at first. It took some getting used to, but for the most part, they were all handling each other well. Now, as he stared down the creatures, he was grateful to have Lon'qu on his side.
Standing back to back, the two began taking down a number of the creatures, actually managing to make a slow headway towards the portal. The rift shone of a bright white light in an oval shape, much like that which Lucina had come through years before. The closer that he got to the portal, the harder it was for him to look directly at it. Instead, he focused on the creatures still pouring out from it, instantly attempting to attack anything in sight. As the numbers in front of them began to dwindle, he caught sight of the fliers ahead, even closer to the portal. Cordelia and Cherche were rushing at the creatures, taking them down with ease while Sumia backed them up.
"Sumia, Cordelia, fall back!" Chrom ordered, pointing back towards where they came from. "Bring Tharja and Miriel to the portal!"
With he and Lon'qu forming a small clearing near the portal, he believed that the mages would be able to find someway to close the portal. He could feel his muscles beginning to strain under the pressure of fighting, and Frederick calling out somewhere on the battlefield. Everything was either coming together or falling apart, and he couldn't tell which one it was.
As the Pegasus riders descended to the earth, Tharja and Miriel dropped down into the mud building up from trampling hooves and feet. By the time they were on the ground, Sumia and Cordelia were already in the air again.
"Can you close it?" Chrom asked, not stepping away from the battle as the creatures continued to lunge at them.
Miriel's index finger rested on her chin, as she considered if they would be able to get the job done. Tharja, on the other hand, was staring quite amused out to the battlefield. The dark mage was another person he questioned at times, wondering if the shepherds were truly the proper place for her, but he believed in trusting people, and gave her the benefit of a doubt. As the first mage lifted a large tome she'd brought with her, the second finally pulled her attention towards the portal.
Tharja gave it a look over before letting out a heavy, exasperated sigh, "I suppose."
Chrom nodded his head, noticing that his distraction away from the fight was causing a build up of creatures on Lon'qu. "We'll keep them away from you," he told the mages before rushing back into the fray. While he was focused on hacking each creature the rampaged towards him or the mages, he could hear their voices rising with incantation.
A cry from the sky caused Chrom to take pause. He watched as a flock of birds rushed at Sumia. His first thought was to reach her, aid her in any way possible. That was, however, harder to actually be done from the ground. The only peace of mind that came to him was seeing that Cherche and Cordelia were already taking care of the matter. Unfortunately, his hopeful mood was short lived.
He didn't even hear Lon'qu's voice until it was too late. A glimpse of a boar-like creature charging towards him caused his heart to begin racing. Lon'qu shoved him backwards, taking the full tackle of the creature as he fell back. Chrom watched in desperation, unable to stop it all from happening, as his soldier was flung back towards the portal.
It all happened so fast, Chrom wasn't even sure he could explain how or when each event occurred. He could remember the call of Cherche's voice, ordering her wyvern around. The attempt of stopping Lon'qu from hitting the portal, but the momentum threw them both into the portal. Without a thought, Chrom forced himself to his feet, running as fast as possible after his shepherds. He could hear the call of a voice, Sumia or perhaps Cordelia, behind him. And then, everything went black.
"Elise, we aren't playing games," Leo called out, warning his younger sister. When she didn't reappear, he considered what other leverage could be used in such a time to get her to listen. "If you misbehave, Xander will not allow you to accompany us to visit Corrin."
At that, his sister's head popped out from behind a tree, her hair dangling towards the ground. She puffed out her cheeks, giving him a displeased look. "That's not funny, Leo."
"I wasn't joking. A bad report will ensure that you get left at home this time," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Nothing could put a smile on Leo's face faster than seeing his younger sister cheerfully dancing about, well perhaps a compliment from his older siblings, but he preferred she didn't when they were handed a specific mission. "Come, get back on your mount. We just have to survey the last of this section before returning back to the castle."
Ever since he was a child, Leo spent a great deal of time in the Woods of the Forlorn. It was part of being a member of royalty in Nohr, as his brother often took him out to the woods to train. Even after Xander's responsibilities doubled and he had less time to spend with Leo, the dark mage found the woods to be the most secluded place to practice his skills in. As expected, he often brought Elise out to the woods when she was young, attempting to teach her what Xander had once taught him, that there was nothing to fear within the woods of their homeland. Only, it seemed to backfire on him, as now Elise often wished to play out in the woods, not what the ventures were originally intended to be about.
"Father said that we could go see Corrin tomorrow, right? I can't wait to see him!" Elise giggled as she pulled herself onto her mount. "I'm going to tell him all about the training I've been doing. I bet he'll be really proud!"
And there it was. Corrin, the most treasured of the five siblings. He was kept away from the rest of them, hidden in the Northern Fortress away from the world. Their older siblings spent a most of their time training and dotting on him. Even Elise looked up to him for his approval. Leo couldn't help but find himself resentful of his brother.
"Let's just focus on this first," Leo said, pulling the reins of his horse in order to move in the direction of their last location.
Word had gotten to their father, King Garon, that there were strange creatures coming through the Woods of the Forlorn. He'd sent out his children to check over the land, find out what the problem was. From inside of the woods, they had all split up, Leo taking Elise with him. Their retainers were also about in the forest, though they'd lost them rather quickly. It was the downside of being on horseback; it was rather frustrating to go so slowly, but too easy to lose those you traveled with.
The horses trotted down a small path forged from constant travels, and Leo kept his eyes peeled for any unusual sights. He'd doubted that they would find any problems as his father had expected, assuming that the creatures were the mistake of some over zealous mage.
That was, until his sister pointed out, "Look, is that Selena?" His eyes followed her finger that was pointing further into the woods than he was expecting for them to go. It was hard to get a clear sight of her, but from the vibrant red hair, he could only assume his sister was right.
Yet, it wasn't the girl that caught his attention. Instead, it was the blinding light coming from her direction. With the light shining out into the forest, he could barely see what his older sister's retainer was doing. "Elise, stay back here," he commanded, though didn't stop her when she disobeyed his command.
Without a word, he slipped out his tome, preparing for what might come. He knew that Camilla trusted the woman, but he was not so quick to agree. Not in the least amount because she showed up out of nowhere, not even knowing where to claim where she came from. Her fighting style was nothing that he had ever seen before, and to him seemed more similar to Hoshidan fighting than Nohrian. But, he could not stop his sister from making her own decisions. Which was why, for the most part, he put up with such a soldier fighting beside him.
"Selena?" he called, when he was in clear sight of her.
The mercenary jumped, as though she hadn't expected anyone to find her out in the woods. When she turned around, her hand was already grabbing for the hilt of her sword, as though she expected a fight as much as Leo did. He studied her, trying to take in the look that was plastered on her face. His little trust in her was dwindling by the minute.
"Prince Leo?" she asked, shaking her head, as she seemed to be forcing herself in the moment. "I got a little turned around, and then I found this out here. I was just about to try and find Prince Xander or Princess Camilla to inform them of my findings."
His eyes narrowed, distrusting the words that spilled from the woman's mouth. From what he could tell, she had, had no intention of seeking out her liege. His fingers traced the cover of his tome as he considered what options he had. While his focus was on the retainer, he couldn't stop his eyes from glancing to the portal she was standing in front of. Where had it come from? Better yet, where did it go to?
"Leo, what is that?" Elise asked, passing by him.
He wanted to grab his sister, stop her from interfering with the conversation, but it was too late, she was already out of arm's reach. It broke the conversation away from what Selena was doing out in the woods by herself.
"Elise, don't go close. We don't know what it is," he ordered, glad that this time she listened to him.
He opened his tome, the thought of attacking the retainer still on his mind, but he pushed it out as he thought of attempting to break the portal with his powers. At the least, no harm could happen in attempting to get rid of the portal, right? He lifted his hand, ready to cast a spell, when a creature sprang forth from the portal.
It vaulted forward, shoving hard into Selena's back. The retainer hit the ground with a slam. With a wave of his hand, a wooden branch flew out of the ground, tearing through the creature and sending it up in dust. Only, the excitement of the attack sent Elise's horse into a panic, rearing back on its hind legs.
"Elise, get control over your steed," Leo said, forcing his own horse forward to attempt to calm it down.
"I'm trying!" she said, pulling on the reins, which was doing nothing. When the horse landed back down on all fours, it started in a gallop, directly for the portal.
Leo's own horse jumped over the retainer on the ground, flying at the bright light after his dear sister.
"No!" Selena yelled, but she could not stop him from going into the portal.
He would not allow danger to come to his sister, even if he wasn't the one she looked up to the most.
"Lord Ryoma," a navy blue haired woman said, giving a small curtsy to the prince. In her hands, he could see a bundle of what he could only assume was clothing. Since she first joined the royal army, it was clear that her talents were not limited to the battlefield. She had a gentle hand for clothing, brought on by her family's talent in kimono making.
Ryoma nodded his head, letting her know she was allowed to approach him. When she reached his side, she passed the bundle out to him. Quickly, he opened the outer cloth and held up the ceremonial wear. It was just as he'd requested, the Queen's birthday was approaching, and he needed a new outfit for formal events.
"It is perfect, Oboro." Ryoma gave her a nod of approval.
He could see the tension leave her face when she sat how much he appreciated her willingness to make his wear. He hadn't considered much of how she would feel knowing there was pressure on her to make the heir apparent new clothing.
"What a relief," Oboro said, a hand over her heart. Though, she glanced over her shoulder, staring at the tree line.
"Don't mind him," Ryoma said, knowing that she was sensing the eyes watching them. Ryoma could never say why Saizo chose any given time to make himself aware to others. It wasn't for the fact that Oboro needed to be watched over, as she was a trusted retainer of his brother. At least, Ryoma trusted her.
They were standing just outside of Castle Shirasagi, with little room between the castle walls and the line of trees. At the tree line, the ground began falling at a steep decline. It was not the safest place to sit out, but it was the location that Ryoma highly preferred. He could see the entire capital city from where he sat, and could watch the wind bustle through the trees.
"I should get back to Lord Takumi," Oboro said, giving another small curtsy to the elder prince.
"Yes, of course," Ryoma said, rising from his seated position. "I should take this inside as well. I wouldn't want it to be ruined from the weather, not after all of the work you put into it."
A flush of red covered Oboro's face, not so much out of desire but out of embarrassment of compliments. Ryoma had noticed that whenever she aided any of the royal family in their fashion woes, her least favorite part was the compliments and gratitude sent in her direction. It was as though she simply did not know how to respond to such comments.
"It was truly nothing, my lord," Oboro reconfirmed.
"No need to be so shy about it. Your skill is unmatched inside this castle," Ryoma said, wondering what it was that made Oboro so uncomfortable about her skills. As though people in Hoshido didn't expect so much from her, despite her parents clear ties to the royal family and clothes making. If she had not come from a family of kimono makers, he would understand it, but not from Oboro who had.
A wind began to pick up, there to remind Hoshido that the winter cold was coming. Without his heavy armor, the air easily moved through Ryoma's clothing and chilled him down to the bone.
"Saizo, are you going to join us?" Ryoma gave a look to the tree line where his retainer was hiding. It took almost an entire year for Ryoma to get used to being watched at all times, even with the fact that he almost never knew when Saizo was actually watching him. It was part of having two ninjas as retainers. They were sly, which benefited them in battle, but also meant that he could not always tell where they were. So, for the most part, he just always assumed they were nearby.
With a heavy gust of wind, Ryoma felt the bundle of clothing slide from his hands. He reached out, grabbing for it before it could fly away from him, but to no luck. Instantly, he scolded himself for his loose grip. Stepping forward, after the clothes, he grabbed the hakama, but the wind picked up once more throwing the haori into the trees.
"Lord Ryoma, I can make another," Oboro said, catching up to him as he reached the tree line.
"No, I'll get it," Ryoma said, insistent. He didn't want to force Takumi's retainer to waste more time on him. He'd already forced her to create completely new formal attire for him, and did not wish to force her to do it all over again, especially when it was his mistake.
He was about to step down, over the edge, when his own retainer dropped down from the branches. "Lord Ryoma, allow me," Saizo said. He was a man of little words, often preferring to simply take action to explaining himself.
"There is nothing to worry about, Saizo. Hold this," Ryoma said, stepping past his retainer as he handed him the hakama. He let gravity take over, sliding him down the hill. As he reached the branch that the kimono fell onto, he grabbed onto the trunk of the tree. Pulling lightly on the cloth, he managed to get it untangled and back into his possession.
That's when it caught his eye. He hadn't noticed the gleaming portal tucked away in the trees. Staring at it now, he felt almost entranced by the light. Where had it come from? He held the haori in his hand, but let himself slide down the hill towards the portal.
"Lord Ryoma?" he could hear the concern in his retainer's voice, not something the man often let show through.
"I found something," he hollered back up. "It looks like a portal."
"A portal?" it was Oboro's turn to sound worried.
"Lord Ryoma, come back up here. Kagero and I will inspect it," Saizo said, attempting to be a voice of reason.
For a second, Ryoma considered stepping forward, entering the portal. Yet, his better judgment stopped him, causing him to turn around and face his and his brother's retainers. The walk back up the hill would be slightly harder than going down, as it looked steeper from below than it did from above. Stepping one foot forward, he moved to start the long, tedious hike back up, when he felt his foot slide against the slick grass. His hand reached out for a branch or trunk, but as he landed on his forearms, he could feel his feet already falling into the portal.
The last thing he saw, just before he was enveloped in the light, was Saizo grabbing Oboro's arm and tugging her down the hill. A sinking feeling began to fill his stomach.