Karel's Story

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem THEIRS. This story MINE!

Chapter 1

A small boy, no more than 5 years old, named Karel, running mindlessly through the plains of Sacae, carried with him, what he thought to be, a heavy package wrapped in countless bandages. Despite the extra weight, he was grinning wildly. He jumped into the air -

"Yay! Yay! I finally got a real sword!"

The sun was setting on the grassy plains. A million hues of red and gold swept across the sky and painted the clouds a seemingly permanent tinge of murky scarlet; it seemed almost blood-like. As the great star so painstakingly lowered itself unto the horizon, a cold breeze strikingly different from the signature warm zephyrs that so oft roam the plains of Hanon the horseman descended upon the land.

"Karel, don't be so cheerful." stated a calm, yet serious voice.

Immediately upon hearing the stern voice of his father, Karel turned and bowed deeply. Karel's father was not a man to be crossed. He was always very stern, yet never angry. He tolerated little before being irritated. However, if he ever was angry… Karel would say that many a monster now prowled his sleep on account of his father.

"Why is that Father?"

A manic grin spread upon the man's face, contorted in anticipation.

"Because… Your training begins tomorrow!"

Time passes

Next day…

"Aww! You mean I got ready for training only for nothing?"

"What do you mean 'nothing'? This part of the training is the most important of all."

"B-b-but it's just weight training! It's so boring!"

"Silence! Weight training is vital to becoming an excellent swordsman! Without it, you could barely hold a sword, let alone use one in battle. Also, weight training also you to become simply stronger and faster."

A sudden quiet filled the area. Karel's mouth ceased to move hanging slightly open – digesting the information. The birds in the trees stopped chirping. All that could be heard was the wind winding its way through the tall grass.

"Hmph. Very well then, you shall start with 5 pounds on each of your arms and legs."

"But that's so little. I want to get strong faster!"

The words 'I want to get strong faster' repeated themselves in Karel's father's head. For just one moment, he saw himself exactly as Karel, wide-eyed and bright. That was before those dark times came…

At the sight of his father in a daze, Karel repeated his words,

"I want to get strong faster!"

Snapping to attention, Karel's father replied,

"Calm down and take things in steps. For your five-year-old body, a sum of twenty pounds actually a large amount of weight. After all, a sword, at most weighs six. Besides, you can't just take a huge amount of weight at a time, steps are always necessary."

Karel's father, Krael, was a handsome, calm man. He was neither terrifically tall nor short, but somewhere closer to tall. The whole of Karel's family had dark grey –almost black even- hair, but all by custom would wear their hair in a ponytail extending partway between the shoulders and waist. Karel was no exception. He dressed in the same traditional clothes and wore the same style of hair. However, his spirit was miraculously different. Whereas the nearly everyone of his family was collected, serious, and dark, Karel was cheery and bright. The only thing Karel was serious about was growing stronger. It seemed to be an innate feature in the males in the family to desire to become more powerful. On the other hand, the females were bound by tradition to be as feminine as possible, wearing kimonos and only using tessen, or iron fans, for self-defense.

Krael attached the specially made weights onto Karel's arms and legs. Instead of being concentrated in one place, the weight was spread out on each arm and leg so the weights were like extra sleeves or pant legs – simply heavier. Karel's eyes widened at the new feelings of the restraints. It was not easy for him to move. Heck, Karel only weighed 40 pounds. Having an extra half of your weight is not easy for most anyone, especially if you're young. To Karel, it felt like having two swords weights strapped to each arm and leg.

"Whoa!" cried Karel as he stumbled around.

"So you see. It is far heavier than you had imagined." Krael instructed, "You are to keep those weights on every day and to only remove them when I so dictate."

"What!" yelled Karel, "That's totally unfair!"

"Very well then, you shall also to wear an additional weight – on your chest."

"Eh?"

"Or do you want to make it more?"

Karel bowed low, and then abruptly fell over, his face slightly stained with the moss.

"No Father," he mumbled into the grass.

Krael chuckled darkly as he attached another specially made five-pound weight as a sort of breastplate on Karel's chest. Karel slowly struggled to stand. It was one leg, then the other, little by little, standing up. He gradually stood absolutely straight, and tenuously took one step with his sandal. One step. Another step. Slowly but surely, his gait started to become normalized.

"These feel really weird…"

"Ah," said Karel's father, "but you are becoming accustomed to their weight. As time goes on, more and more weight will be added. Now! 20 laps around the hillside!"

"WHAT!" ………

As time went on, Karel became stronger and stronger under the tutelage of his father. After a year of weight training, Karel was allowed to study swordsmanship using a bokken (wooden sword). Also during the course of the same year, Karel's sister, Karla, was born…

The night was very still. The dark violet, almost black sky quivered ominously without the light of the moon. Not a single star twinkled in that dreary night. The clouds buried each one like the undertaker lowers a soulless body. Far below the outreaches of the skies, a mother cried out in pain. Her cries are soon joined by a smaller voice. Soon, both are quieted as a peace endears their hearts to each other.

"It is a girl," whispered the doctor.

Karel's mother, Sharon, gazed upon the newborn baby with warm eyes,

"Her name will be… Karla."

And far, far above, in spite of the heavy cloud cover, one single star miraculously appeared in the sky and shined brightly.