Disclaimer: Fire Emblem is copyrighted by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. I mean no infringement of this copyright.

Characters: Uther, OC, mentions of Hector.

Pairings: None.

Warnings: character death, spoilers for Chapter 31H.

Author's Notes: Uther is a character that I genuinely like. His limited interaction with Hector gives me that vibe of a close bond between siblings that seems to be a Fire Emblem custom, and yet I also feel the kind of overly fatherly vibes that Hector mentions. I'd like to work more with Uther because he didn't get enough screentime as far as I'm concerned.

Downside to this? His fate is set in stone and I never write happy stuff. BP AWAY!

"My lord, it's better that Lord Hector come to Ositia to see you."

"The risk is too great. Every single Lycian territory has at least one spy in this city, and that's not even accounting for foreign spies."

"The risk in you leaving the safety of the castle is far greater! Please understand that your health-"

"Be quiet! Didn't I just tell you about the spies?!"

Uther had left it at that at the time, and taken off for the border of Worde and Thria to meet with Hector's group. He knew it had been the right decision- if any of the foreign agents at the Ositian court had caught wind of the tale Hector and Eliwood had spun before him, Elibe may well have been in chaos by now. And yet, he had to admit that Father Alasius had been proven correct as well.

The old priest had tried desperately to keep Uther chained to Castle Ositia for the past few months, having been one of the only people who knew about the marquess' rapidly diminishing health. Uther had kept it a secret even from Hector, almost panicking when his brother had picked up on his less-than-healthy coloring during their meeting. After dismissing Hector, taking his oath that he would return alive, Uther had spoken with Oswin privately to reinforce the order that his bad condition be kept a secret from the younger lord, regardless of circumstances. Actually, it might not hurt to send him a message to remind him of that last part…

"Please try to sit up, my lord. You do require some sort of nourishment." The priest was far from strong enough to force Uther to sit up so he could eat, but with his help, the marquess managed to muster just enough strength to lift his upper body, resting it against the pillow set up against the headrest of the bed. He sighed deeply in exhaustion- the smallest motions seemed like unending trials before his once-powerful body.

In the weeks since his meeting with his brother, Uther had lost what had to be almost half his body weight and basically all of his strength. Illness had done to the marquess of Ositia what no man could: it had ended his life. Father Alasius firmly held on to the notion that with faith, magic, and dedication, the marquess could be saved, but Uther knew better. If he lived to the end of the week, it would be a miracle.

Truthfully, Uther was fine with dying. He had known this from the moment he had ascended the throne- he was nothing more than a placeholder for Ositia's REAL marquess. He'd been sick by the time his parents had both died. He'd been doomed to die young, the process only sped up by his position. The plans he'd had for Ositia; he'd never see them come to fruition. The court he'd set up; it would never serve him.

Everything he had done had been in preparation for Hector's ascension. He'd bought his brother the time to be a child, and to be a reckless and violent child at that. He'd ensured that Ositia, and by proxy Lycia, didn't plunge itself into a course for destruction. The plans he had made were never intended to be more than advice to Hector, and he'd picked his retainers with the needs and preferences of his brother in mind.

Hector had no signs whatsoever of suffering the disease that had taken their parents, and that had killed him. Hector would live, and for all his teasing and mocking his brother, Uther had faith that he would lead Lycia well. He had the advantage of being able to trust the rulers-to-be of Pherae and Caelin at least. Especially with Eliwood and Lyndis by his side, Hector was deserving of all faith that Lycia had…

"Lord Uther?" He snapped out of it when his caretaker waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Please, do try to not lose your focus…" The priest sounded desperate. He knew that Uther's internalising meant his time was drawing ever nearer. He tried to make himself sound stern, but Uther could hear that it was a plea for him to not die.

It was useless. He had lost almost all will to live. He had seen first his father, and then his mother, suffer for weeks before they finally succumbed and passed on. He had no desire to go through the same… a selfish desire, perhaps, but he felt entitled to a little selfishness at the end of his life.

"Father," he said, mustering all the strength he had to speak. "You have to do something for me."

"Anything, my lord."

"All contact with Hector's group is to go via Oswin. Write him with orders… should I die, he has to keep my death a secret from Hector." He knew the priest was confused, so he took a second to gather his strength again to explain. "I cannot put Hector before the choice of abandoning Eliwood for my sake, or abandoning me for the sake of his friend." He knew well that Hector didn't care about the world, but forcing him to choose between his brother or his best friend… Uther would make that choice for him so that Hector wouldn't come to resent himself for his decision.

"Lord Uther, if you keep that mindset it is unlikely that your brother will return in time to say farewell…"

"So be it." Uther slumped in the pillows. "Just do as I said, right now."

The priest took off, although he returned just a few minutes later to write the message under Uther's supervision. As he was still capable of concentrating on reading, the marquess could approve of the letter to be sent off to Oswin. His exhaustion plain to see to the priest that had cared for him since he was young, Father Alasius helped him get back into a lying position before leaving to send the messenger away.

Uther felt his mind settling, suddenly aware of how slowly he was breathing. Just a few more minutes, he told himself. As soon as he returns…

Minutes later, Father Alasius returned with empty hands and the news that he'd sent a Pegasus Knight to deliver the orders to Oswin. Uther let out a deep, satisfied sigh. "Thank you," he said, shutting his eyes and feeling his body grow even heavier than it had been the past weeks. "He'll be fine… he promised."

"Yes." The priest took his liege's hand. "He will return. And he will be a fine leader for Lycia."

"He will…" Uther was no longer aware of his caretaker's touch. "Hector… I believe…" He couldn't finish his line of thought anymore, as his consciousness slipped away and his dying bed gave way to darkness.

Father Alasius rose from the chair next to his liege's bed almost half an hour after the man had breathed his last, pulling the blanket higher up over the marquess' face and closing the drapes in the room. As he left to inform the courtiers and the commanding officers of their military, he looked back at the bed one last time.

"Please rest easy, Your Grace."