A Remedy of Daggers
Comments and Notes: This idea sparked me quite recently and I was quite hesitant at first to start this story. I had many ideas towards making an AU fanfiction for Jaffar and Nino but this one struck me as the most entertaining and compelling to write. I'm hoping that it is likewise for reading as well. My family owns a HUGE collection of really old prose from all around the world from people of all walks of life. The majority of these books are really old and a lot of them can no longer be found or ordered in book stores or online.
I came across a book one day about Historical Arabian Medicine which was written by a professor from a British University who had lived in the Middle East for a long time. I apologize for not remembering her name at the moment but if anyone is curious I will look into it.
It was considered the 'Golden Ages' throughout most of the Middle East due to it's prolific steps in Science, Math and Medicine while Europe was centuries behind as the continent was still embedded with the Dark Ages. It was only later, in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the Arabic works began to be translated into Latin that such knowledge passed to the west.
Anyways. This is not a history lesson, just a love-story so I'm shutting up now! /
Warning: Rated T (PG-13) For violence, character death, mild sensuality, historic events, religious references and other themes.
Summary: Living a mostly sheltered life in England, Nino is unexpectedly cast aboard ship to a far away land in order to learn the pretentious ways of Arabian Medicine. Can she truly cope with the harsh reality of both her future and past? And what of the gaze of the strange ghostly man by her side? (AU: Crusades Era)
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairings: Jaffar x Nino
Disclaimer: Jaffar, Nino and all things Fire Emblem are under the property of Nintendo. However, any original characters, events, places and plot are property of EtoileCyberPrima and may not be used without permission.
- Chapter One -
Elegy of the Soul
d
It had been raining; only one word could express the whirlwind of emotions hidden within.
Downpour.
The first tip of winter had finally arrived to the people of London. Not from the cold that enveloped its inhabitants for most of the year but from the sheets of light overnight frost that blanketed the now speckled white landscape of England. It's not an occasion for celebration as most of the poorer regions were left to starve and find shelter from an even colder welcome. It's a time of preparation that some due to their fateful misfortune and quality of life were achingly denied.
Unspokenly aware, she is ever grateful… yet when her large navy eyes silently roam around her tiny room before finally lingering at the blinding glare of the window, Nino struggles to keep her eyelids determinedly shut. More often than not sleeping in thick animal furs and covers were tremendously uncomfortable and itchy for the girl but she didn't want to forget.
She promised herself not to.
The chill of the air is bone-quenching, running shivers down her spine. The ebony, gray and ashen hairs prickle her exposed skin leaving an imprint of their texture and touch. The smell rekindling the many dreams kept sacred to her, and the distant barks of domesticated canines roaming around the fields remind her with a sense of familiarity.
Today is a day that would either set her free or deny her forever. There is little and much to celebrate, yet for the most part she feels outside of her own skin. A body without a person, a person without a body. Nino had only imagined this, experiencing it was more than she ever thought possible. To not understand how one was feeling. Was this what it felt like to be emotionless?
Yes, truly. It must have been.
While Nino lived in the only home she could ever remember, certain rules and limitations had kept her away from the outside world for many a time. It wasn't that she was sickly; just that her mother placed many regulations on her before departing toward her very frequent and lengthy trips away. Nino could have tried to break such rules but the small girl never wanted to displease her beloved mother and knew that many watchful underlings and others serving under her family household were ever vigilant to her activities. A severe punishment would not be too far away despite her mothers distance.
Outside of her home, she was allowed to roam within the nearby marketplace with a chaperone and only at certain short times. This had at first made her curious as to why, though with a great deal of time passing it had only placed a heavy rock deep in her heart. Nino had those rules placed upon her since she was young and couldn't break them. It was simply not in her nature to be defiant and the fear of the unpredictable events that would occur after were ever present.
Still more often than not, she found her heart racing at the prospect of exploring beyond the hills and beyond the market stalls. To where she imagined much smaller towns and villages existed. Nino wasn't unrealistic in a sense that she knew there would be poverty, though it did not stop her from dreaming.
Primarily she remembers most a girl stuck in a frosty room of stone walls and earthen floors playing with rag-tag straw dolls waiting for someone to come and join her. Eventually moving to the pasture to listen to the empty sound of the wind. Who growing winded with sleep, unable to stay up to the resonating loneliness within her heart, awakened to find herself placed in her room once more. Sometimes this cycle would go on for weeks depending on her mood. Her life was more habit than anything else; she had not expected anything to change.
And yet it did.
A sudden slam brought Nino out of her thoughts, reminding her that she was trying to go back to sleep. Clenching onto her blankets that were now over her head, Nino slowly shrunk into her covers.
"Dear child, you should be up by now!" A rather stocky, elderly woman spouted while she trudged heavily to Ninos' wooden bed. "This hour is nothing for you! You're usually ris'in up just as timely as the sun without a bat of an eyelash. Best you get dressed, late as you are."
Knowing there was no point to pretend to sleep, Nino quietly mumbled into her feather pillow. "I wish to sleep a bit more, Whelma."
"Nonsense. You know what day it is and your father will have none of it. Your guests have arrived from their long journey and it would be a shame upon your families name not to meet them with e'rnest."
When no reply answered back, Whelma stooped over to roughly grab a handful of the young girls' blankets; a silent threat to the immense cold that would befall Nino should she rip them away from her reach. An expectant stare spread across her features knowing that Nino would bend to her graces as she was expected to.
The head of the maids could not ignore the tell-tales signs of the red blotches around the younger girls' eyes once she did. It was obvious, she had been crying all night. Nino perched at the edge of her bed, her head hanging low and spoke barely above a whisper, "But it's too early for such things."
Observing her knowingly, Whelma gently placed a solid hand on Nino's shoulder. "There's a time for everything, yet there is always time to look into ones future. Don't let this get away from you, milady."
Nino complied when the silent tug meant for her to stand upright. Glancing at her maid now she could see a dress hanging loosely from one of Whelma's bulky arms and turned around to be dressed.
It was hushed once more for a few moments all except for the pulling of certain cloths, this way and that. The green-haired maidens orbs penetrating impassively into the rock walls of her chamber, her thoughts elsewhere. She did not interact with many of the workers within her family's dwelling and Whelma would be considered her closest thing to a friend. Certainly she would feel some distress upon her departure?
Fiddling with her slight hair, Nino broke the silence that usually accompanied the older woman's not so usual routine of covering her. Such things were typically done only on momentous occasions.
"You will miss me, will you not Whelma?"
"…Of course I'll miss you." The older woman started, eyes never leaving the left hem on the side of Ninos' dress. Her statement seemed to drift off as if she didn't intend to finish her sentence; there was a detachment in her voice.
"Then why must I go?" Nino stifled, dropping her hands to the side. Disheartened, she noticed that the new dress was the most intricate she had ever seen. Whoever made it had spent an immense amount of time and effort into it. The weaves starting from the V-shaped neckline came all the way down to the bottom of her chest and reappeared by her hips gracing themselves to the foot of the cloth. More curls cascaded down the side of her shoulders to the split sleeves of her arms. The embroidery creating a look of twirling vines and flowers. It was a white dress laced with striking black and a sash that matched the colors of her eyes. It must have costed a fortune.
A sudden jerk left Nino winded as Whelma glowered. "At least I won't have to find you scurryin' around the pasture all day. Slick as a fox, just like your brothers, Loyd and Linus."
"I'm serious!"
A swift tap landed on the back of Ninos' head, "Don't you lie to me little girl!"
"I-I'm not lying! I don't want to leave!"
"Swear to me."
"I-I don't -"
Whelmas' voice rumbled as she forced the girl to stare eye to eye with her, bending down to stoop to her level. "Lies! All of it! You may not want to go there, but you do want to leave here -
And that is best! I see you daydreaming and starin' into the back of your eyeslids, little child. There is nothing for you here. Fourteen, unmarried, and with most of your family gone from here. You know it in yourself to be true. You want to leave. Maybe not so far but it'll due. You must stop dreaming your life and put good use into it."
"…"
"You wish of leaving and it would serve you well to fulfill it!"
Nino gasped as water began to fill her eyes. The truth hurt too much to admit. Ever since her brother's issue to war became too much for her to bear, she had always dreamt a different life as a means to escape reality of her isolation.
This rather recent news had spread a sense deep sense of dread and agitation marked her spirit yet she could never shake away the subtle shivers of excitement that coiled around her spine.
A small bit of her wanted this very much.
"Your dear, Uncle Legault will be with you. God be good, he's still the same as you remembered. You were always fond of him…" Whelma calmed whipping a tear from Nino's round cheek. "Now turn around and let me finish with this uncooperative thing."
A bittersweet feeling graced Nino as she turned gracefully.
(One Month Before)
Nino was breathless and out of touch with being summoned by her step-father she had not seen in the last two weeks. While he was the only one of her family that still resided in London, he was by far the most distant. At least Sonia still bothered to smile at her whenever she came by. Perhaps this had something to do with her?
The gruesome glare that was her fathers' eyes almost felt as though it could crack and penetrate her skull in half. His gray orbs were sharp yet subdued and despite his hulking stature even when seated, it was his unreadable expression that frightened her. He was wordlessly searching for something within her. The young girl reflexively bit the bottom of her lip, and uncomfortably sat in the oversized chair that resided in Brendan Reeds' office. When she couldn't hold his glance any longer, Nino tensely noticed that the seating was twice her size. His subjects must have all been men.
Clasping her hands Nino held her breath, whatever needed to be addressed must have been serious. Minutes that felt like painful hours passed before Brendan finally shifted to stand. Heavy boots lumbered to the entrance, as he made sure that the doors were locked tight, secure and away from prying ears before he made his way back to sit.
His words cut like a blade.
"You shall be leaving England."
The air was stiff and lank, making it hard for her to breathe as her cobalt eyes widened in shock. She was sure that her lips were wide open as her knees quivered. How could this be? Any words that could have been uttered by Nino had ruthlessly abandoned her.
"I have made arrangements for your departure to the seas, you ship sail next month. Words are meaningless to me, I have made my decision." The tone of finality snapped Nino's trance as she blinked a few times.
"W-where to?"
Emotionless and expressionless, Brendan answered, "Arabia."
Nino gasped loudly, those people were against her father's men. The Crusaders had left to fight against the Arabians, Loyd and Linus as able young men were summoned to take leave by the oaths they had sworn to the King. Surely he could not believe in sending her so far away where war was flourishing. She struggled to produce a simple utterance.
"…Why?"
Her step-father studied her; he was surprised that she still had strength enough to speak. "You are to study the way of their medicine, admittedly they have knowledge that can benefit us and I have met someone who is willing to teach you what he knows. Pray tell with your success, it will help us in the future."
"…"
"You will be under the care of Legualt, who will act as your guardian and protector during my absence. You've probably been ignorant this whole time but he left the stations years ago to scurry around the rest of his life in the desert. For once I must thank the man for letting the heat get to his wits and not returning to England."
Nino's full attention was quipped upon the mention of her 'uncle'.
"I must say, it was a pain as glorious as a brute to the head to track him down, nomadic just like those barbarians. He'll be perfect to getting you accustomed to their ways…he was perfect for the army. Not even god can tell me why he stopped. The bloody fool."
"You will not return until you reach the level that your mentor approves, no matter how long it takes. Could take months, could take years. Until then you best hasten to pack your belongings. Take your leave."
Left with a deathly cold glare and a face to mark it, Nino awkwardly stood upright before scurrying to the giant wooden doors. She did not wish for him to see her face.
"Nino!" The harsh boom resonated throughout the room, as she struggled to crane her head in her step-fathers direction. Her jaw kept tight, chin lifted with her lips quivering, tears threatening to spill from her jewel orbs, Nino stared directly at him. And for an instance Brendan Reed could see a glimmer of strength within her heart.
"Yes?" she stated with restraint.
"You shall not speak a single utterance of this to anyone. Not a single soul. Everything I have spoken for shall not leave this chamber in anyone else's hands but you and I. We do not need to make this more complicated than it already is. Heed this well, only I will let you know of who it is you can speak to about this. For now nothing leaves this chamber."
Nino stiffly nodded leaving the room without a word.
(Present)
Turning around in full circle, arms spread out Nino expectantly waited for Whelmas approval.
"How do I look?" she asked, before bending her knees in a low bow she knew she would have to perform facing her father and their welcomed guest.
"Heavenly…" Whelma whispered softly, attentiveness in her voice. "But it's missing one last thing. Turn around."
Doing so, Nino felt a cold metal press against the back of her neck. The chill sensations making her shiver as she stared down to find a new necklace of gray and black beads, with a single blue one in the middle, the shape of a small oval. Nino sighed; she had been lavished before but never to such an extent.
"This cannot possibly be suitable for traveling, Whelma."
"The Arabs may live in the desert however, your fathers subjects are anything but poor my dear. Your father means to impress."
"I don't know whether I'd disappoint them or disappoint him." Nino whispered truthfully.
The grey-haired woman huffed as she began to brush through her mistresses green locks, "Such words are utter nonsense. Nino, you have the glow of an angel and that was given to you by birth. With such radiance, no one can ever truly be upset with you."
"…"
"…Really?" Nino weakly questioned, unconsciously the image of her mother came to mind.
"You are pure with goodness, child."
Feeling a gentle squeeze on her shoulders, she couldn't help but give a small smile.
"…And damned if no man ever lingered their eyes longer than they should have!"
"W-Whelma!?"
A bark of laughter erupted from the room as the younger girl gasped, struggling to keep her composure. Her face was a pulsating red, an awkward scene in contrast to her short lime hair.
"Y-you mustn't speak of such things! W-we are chaste! Such things are foreign to us, and I have not felt any such desires directed towards me. And a-as such will consider your words as mocking jest!"
Whelma merrily guffawed, "Oh please! I am anything but chaste, and I speak of nothing but the truth!"
Biting her lower lip Nino quieted, it was best she did not reply when she didn't even know how to respond. The older woman watched this with a discerning eye.
"Calm down, I had only meant to remove the stiffness from your bones. Sometimes I don't even remember what I've said or done by the end of the day."
Nino accepted the subtle apology once her breathing regulated, she was not used to such conversations and preferred not to dwell too long on them; suddenly she felt fingers to the back of her neck again.
"Here dearest, let me take this old one off."
A hand instinctively went around an ornament wrapped around her neck. It was a stunning necklace of intricate fashions; round white beads dotted with small stones of red, interlaced with long, ebony diamond beads intertwined in a fashion of patterns. The black ones scrawled complex designs of metal work and were none like Nino had ever seen. In the middle a golden pendant lay almost in a shape of an emblem, with a middle-sized scarlet gem placed right in the center of it. A chain attached to the bottom where a long but thin cross laid. It had been a keepsake from her mother; Nino had worn if for as long as she could remember. Something about its unusual look and elegance startled Nino at first, almost as if it were truly meant just for her and her alone. She hoped it would please Sonia whenever she saw it.
Whelma made a distasteful face but made no comment, as she walked away and strained to bend at the front of the door where a pair of lengthy boots laid. They reached up to the thighs, meant to be unsoiled when touched by water and were small to fit Nino's dainty size.
"Put these on so you won't need to when you're onboard." She said flinging the boots over. "I'll have someone bring breakfast to you in your room and before you ask, our guests and your father have already eaten.
See to it that you'll meet your father out in the pastures by the edge of the forest, when you are ready."
Eating had been the easy part despite her lack of appetite, walking to the abandoned barn boasted another. It had taken her over twenty minutes before she reached her destination. Nino forced herself to consider the reason why she could not ride on a horse. Such a sight would bring attention if anyone were to be present as it was considered unwomanly for a female to ride a horse without a chaperone. People would ask questions and this was to be kept a secret.
She was short and could barely be recognized against the tall of the grass. Gingerly Nino noted that her feet did not ache at all; the maiden was used to running for long periods of time within the pastures they owned as a way to pass the hours. She had done it with her brothers and insisted on keeping it a practice. The simple anxiety of the situation was what bothered her deeply. She did not know what to expect. A sudden gush of cold air blew against her frame as Nino clutched the cape over her dress a bit tighter. She could see the warm puffs of air escaping her lungs.
When Nino reached the side of the barn, she could easily discern the figures of two men. Both were rather large; one was instantly recognized to be her step-father, his attention seemingly rapt in a conversation she could not hear. The other was physically present but covered in a deep navy hooded shall from head to toe where none of his features could be seen. If it weren't for his size and noticeably broad shoulders, Nino would have easily mistaken him to be the faceless picture of death. He was already intimidating from afar, and while the adventurous stories of the Arabs left her many a times in wonder, the rumors about them were anything but good.
Another startling fact was that he was the only one there aside from her father; she had expected to at least see another person. A single foreigner must have meant a very important one.
Nino barely made a sound before it was apparent that the mysterious man had instantly felt her presence. Immediately his back straightened and his posture swiftly faced towards her direction in a smooth motion. He had a keen eye, though where his face remained lay a dark abyss. It seemed that while the wind could touch them, his robes barely moved an inch. As if he didn't even use his feet. Coldness and a sense of terror shook in the core of her bones.
When Brendan Reed finally turned his eyebrows furrowed making the scars on his face doubly more unpleasant to look at. Nino's eye contact faltered as she slowly paced towards them, hands by her side as she dipped her knees to bow before clasping them in front.
"Father." She pronounced faintly, keeping her head down.
It was usually anticipated of their interaction that there would be silent moments before his response, yet today wasn't the case.
"Ah, Nino. It is good to see that you are able-bodied. Your complexion hasn't changed in the slightest."
She wasn't sure if he was being honest or cynical but Nino knew that the point was to be cordial. "Thank you, father. And how fare you and our guest?"
"We bode well." He acknowledged. "I wish of you to meet the man you'll be traveling with for this journey."
Nino eyes awkwardly glanced to the quiet figure that was mutely examining their interaction as well as scrutinizing her being. A certain amount of disturbance muddled her mind with the fact that his face was so blatantly undistinguishable by both her father and herself. More a shadow than a human.
She smiled. "It's an honor sir."
Giving a curt nod, he placed his hefty right hand over his chest. "That makes the both of us it would seem, miss."
It was hard for her to wrap around the unusual accent that the man had spoken in. Lingering was a rich pronunciation enlaced with a hollowing deep twang. Yet it was not as impossible to tell apart compared to some of the French men that her father had allowed her the liberty of speaking with.
"Forgive my boldness, Brendan Reed. But my men have confirmed that the docks will only be safe for another hour at best. We cannot risk being seen after the dawn fog rises, our boat is a stark contrast to your peoples white snow."
Brendan responded quickly, he had looked as if lost in his thoughts beforehand. "Ah yes, I've sent arrangements of food already in your barkentine. You've surprised me with the English ship, very clever."
"Understandable, no one wants to risk suspicion. Nevertheless others will sooner or later be intrigued despite the rather secluded area. We'll need more time to be out of shoreline sight if we don't heed our actions."
"Best be going then. I'll fetch the papers myself and meet you at the harbor."
It had taken Nino a couple of minutes before she realized that her father was already pacing away from them and the piercing gaze of the mysterious man continued once more. Instinctively turning to face him properly, Nino craned her neck to see a flash of sharp amber eyes and a faint distortion of pursed lips. He was very tall.
"Best go with your father, a man never has enough words for his daughter." He uttered calmly, and Nino's instinctively obedient personality surfaced. She mumbled a couple words of thanks before scampering towards her now distant fathers' figure feeling slightly sheepish.
The man's English was excellent, and for some reason Nino allowed herself the liberty of believing it was a good thing.
The boat was larger than Nino had expected; a three-masted ship poised with elegance and size. Standing beside her father only made herself feel twice as small as both parties stood with defiance, strength and a sort of restrained ire. Looking around the blue-eyed beauty could see that many crates were being shipped into the docks as cargo and wondered if perhaps this was the lofty price her father had to pay for sending her away.
Disheartening as it was Nino would make the most out of witnessing the ocean so close for the first time. It was too foggy and cold to see the full stretch of water, an incomplete masterpiece but it would have to do. Her safety mattered more than that.
"Is he not at harbor yet?" Nino quietly asked, gaze swaying back and forth scanning the deck.
"Probably with his men speaking of coordinates. They do better travel during the cover of night, for whatever reason they think the stars are their guides."
It was a rather quaint thought, one that was immediately shoved and ignored. She did not wish to entice her own curiosity for her father's sake; it was a frivolous idea anyhow. "Sounds lovely."
Having her longest conversation with her step-father be about the subject of Arabs would be a sad one. There was a distinctive pause in his voice before Brendan spoke again, grabbing her shoulder to face him in the process.
"Nino." He uttered in a deep, low tone, as she replied in recognition with her wide eyes. She was never used to such contact from him, it was neither pleasant or distasteful. Offhandedly she wondered if he would ever be proud of her afterwards, or if he truly expected to see her again.
No, he sent me for a reason. There should be no room for doubt, he's my father.
A huge lump grew in her throat. What would become of her?
Nino's eyes continued to pour into his, probing for an answer. "Trust only this man, your teacher and your Uncle. No one else. Do not speak to anyone without their consent. Do I make myself clear?"
"Understood." Nino hesitantly replied.
"Should you bear the need of travel; never by any means go to the city of Heaven. Its currently up to it's neck with political affairs and has its arms and legs chained to war. Soon it will not be safe for any woman or child to be there. There will exist no mercy from the Saracens if we are under attack."
The harsh intensity of his rather low voice could not be ignored, a light so bright that she had not seen before glimmered within his silver orbs. A life she witnessed of a man that truly cared.
"I may be one of them but understand that if a Crusader ever passes you by, do not make contact. Do not speak a single utterance to them, hide. Hear me well when I say that they will not appreciate an Englishwoman so young a virgin amongst our enemies. They may take you. Not all of them are as honorable as my sons. Many have been without companionship of the sort."
A sudden horror escaped Nino at the stark boldness of what was being addressed, fear overwhelmed her. "But-!"
"Most men are not truly what they seem. Surviving in the desert for so long does not help ones conscience; many have been lost both mentally and physically.
You have always been too kind, too caring. Look the other way, be brave and expect nothing."
Heavy footstep brought both Brendan Reed and Nino out of their exchange. The tall covered Arabian man stood once more before them. The tapping noise betrayed the panther-like gnat of his walk as the two parted. He spouted a harsh unfamiliar tongue to another before addressing them personally.
"Lady Nino. General Reed."
"Sir." Nino responded with a bow.
"I'm assuming your pleasantries are done?" he questioned with indifference.
Before she could respond, her step-father hastily agreed and a man that she didn't even realize was behind the Arabian, carelessly grabbed her shoulders and escorted her on deck. The guide way was wet upon observation but her shoes as were tailored did not leave a single drop of underlying dampness beneath her feet.
Turning back one last time she just barely missed her father passing a scrolled paper to the nameless foreigner and the small conversation that ensued without her.
"Only this stamp contains my true words. Let Legualt know of this, so that he may be watchful of any other letters that come his way. It's a pleasure doing business with you-"
Everything else became inaudible to Nino's ears as she was swallowed by the jaws of the ship leading her to a land of no water.
To Be Continued.
Author Notes: Please review as this is my first multi-chaptered story and would like to make more. Though in all honesty I need feedback. And yes, a number of the Fire Emblem characters will be seen, others only mentioned. Some will be English, some Arab, others European from other countries. Lol Your reactions to who they will be is sure to be interesting much. :P