Greetings everyone! For those who do not know me, I am Jetstream Girge. I have been writing in the Elsword archive for a while, but had a few Fire Emblem ideas that I wanted to write. This will only be a couple chapters long, so it will not run for a very long. This is my very first attempt at a Fire Emblem fan fiction, so I hope it is up to snuff. So without further ado, here is my first chapter of Id Curse!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its content. The art for the cover image is also not my own. All credits for art go to the original artist.

"Home at last." These words floated out of the mouth of the blue-haired male as he took in a deep breath of air, savoring its taste. It felt like an eternity since he had last set foot in Ylisse, but in truth it had only been less than a day. After all, the Outrealms operated according to rules of their own, separate from the world that the Exalt of Ylisse knew.

But there was another reason he felt as if centuries had passed…

"Chrom… Are you going to tell Lucina?" A pegasus of ebony color swooped down until it was lightly tapping the ground with its hooves as it glided through the air, its rider looking at the Exalt with sad eyes.

"Gods Sumia… What am I supposed to tell her; that her husband and my best friend decided to sacrifice his life to save an Outrealm?" He brought a hand to the bridge of his nose and winced as he tried to hold back the tears. "You know how she is about people sacrificing their lives, even if it is for the greater good."

"I know that, but still… She is our daughter, and she is not stupid. She will notice he is not amongst the group that left when we were summoned by Naga." The dark flier's eyes were noticeably shimmering with tears as well.

"Please Sumia, don't cry. You will set me off and everyone else if you do." Chrom choked on the words as he drove the sobs down his throat.

Yes, he was sad. But he was just as angry. Angry that Naga allowed Robin to make such a foolish decision.

He thought back to earlier in the day and the events that led up to the tactician's demise…

"Well met, Outrealm warriors." An all too familiar voice rang throughout the seemingly endless room. The Shepherds had once again entered the Outrealm Gate to the south of Ylisse in order to train against the phantoms they often ran into in the alternate universe. This time however…

"Naga. So this must be about that alternate future again…" It was not the first time Naga had called on Chrom and his Shepherds to aid in some Outrealm struggle. They had already intervened in several conflicts throughout the worlds, including a desperate bid to defend their children in the far future from a preemptive demise. And all of that was coming to a head it seemed.

"Indeed. Thanks to you, the eight children you assisted managed to reach Ylisstol. Meanwhile, three more took the Emblem and the final Gemstone to the princess. But their time, too, grows short. They and the princess are soon fated to die at the fell dragon's hands. If the princess is lost, nothing can save their world from its demise. Please... You must intervene before it is too late." The unease in the goddess' voice was palpable.

This future seemed to always find a way to bring the world to destruction. First it was the uphill battle to protect four children while they made off with Gules and Azure. Next was a pitched battle against wave after wave of heavy mounted Risen that saw the Shepherds holding them off until two more escaped with Argent and Sable and protect the decoys long enough for them to flee as well. Each time, it was as if some greater power was working to ensure the world would be plunged into despair. And here they were again, but Chrom's answer was the same as the last two times…

"Don't worry. We'll save them all." His voice was filled with conviction and hope. It was the same voice that drove his allies to put their faith in his ideals for peace, not just worldwide, but across all worlds. And it was this voice that could even put a god at ease.

"Thank you. Then I will send you now to the brink—the moment in time before the world falls. Again I offer the same counsel. The world you are about to visit bears a great resemblance to your own. You may encounter people you know or people you love... If you do, fight by their sides. It will give them great courage and strength." Naga smiled at the young man's determination as she once again briefed the fighters on what was to come.

"I understand." Chrom motioned for his soldiers to prepare for battle, and the clinking of metal plates and the sliding of steel rang through the endless hall.

"This will likely be your final battle in their world. Now that my Voice there has been silenced, I cannot bind your worlds together for long. Still, I believe you will find the faint light of hope sleeping within the fell dragon. I believe that you will work a miracle greater than any despair he can sow. Now go, warriors. Let destiny once again be reshaped by your hands!" With a final call to arms, the goddess vanished, leaving the otherworldly warriors to prepare for coming battle…

"We don't know what we will run into, just like all the other battles we have fought in this Outrealm." Robin was standing before a door of light that shined some ways down the endless hall; the entrance to their final confrontation in this Outrealm. "Just do what we have doing so far. Find the children and keep them safe. Kellam, you will be instrumental in this. Find the most weakened child and defend them."

No one heard him answer, but it could be assumed that he was nodding so hard that it was a miracle not a single person heard his armor rattle around. Regardless, Robin continued to distribute roles to the different Shepherds. He finally came to Chrom.

"Chrom, you heard what Naga said, right?" He looked his friend in the eye, gauging his reaction.

"Of course. The princess is in danger. Which means…" Chrom's eyes were hard as the realization dawned upon them. "Lucina… My daughter… Is in peril."

"Looks like it. We'll protect her Chrom. Don't worry. She is my wife after all." Robin suddenly lifted a finger in the air as if to pause. "Actually, technically my wife is back in Ylisse and this one is an entirely different person…"

"Please don't make it even more complicated, Robin. My head hurts enough thinking about all this crossing-worlds stuff." Chrom seemed to have developed a habit of bringing his hand to the bridge of his nose whenever he did not want to think since he took the throne a couple years back.

"Is that an order, Exalt?" The grandmaster smirked at the great lord, earning him a good-natured glare from his friend.

"Need you ask?" An exasperated huff flew out of Chrom's mouth.

"Alright, alright. We'll keep it simple then. You and Sumia stay by Lucina and protect her. I'll stay to the rear and cover you as we advance or retreat." Robin now set his hand on his friend's armored shoulder, causing Chrom to smile.

"That would be very much appreciated, my friend. Though… Are you sure you are fit to be fighting now?" His eyes now narrowed in concern; and for good reason.

"I don't hear Grima's voice anymore. I think it is safe to say that it is completely gone. But…" The tactician's eyes suddenly found the floor very interesting. "It still doesn't change what I am. In order to contain Grima, I sacrificed all those Plegians on the Dragon's Table…"

"Robin, what you did saved countless more lives. As it stood, we would have needed a miracle to defeat Grima if he was resurrected. The fact that you were able to accept his power and then destroy his consciousness, the consciousness of a GOD no less, saved so many people than were sacrificed." Now it was Chrom's turn to reassure his friend with a supportive hand as well.

"Thank you, Chrom. As for if I am fit to fight, you saw how I did the last couple times we were here. As long as I don't tap into Grima's powers, everything should be fine." Robin gave off an almost careless grin as Chrom lightly punched his shoulder.

"Just because Lucina isn't here to keep an eye on you doesn't mean you get to be reckless. No one will blame you if you decide to back out now." Chrom looked his friend in the eye as he continued. "Frankly, I would rather see you living a normal life with my daughter and your child, Morgan. They are waiting for you and I don't want to be the one to tell them that you got possessed by a demon dragon god."

"Don't worry. You won't have to, Chrom." Robin gave one last reassuring smile as he looked up from their conversation. He now found the Shepherds prepared for battle. They were armed with the best weapons they found, were stocked up on elixirs in the event they needed a quick heal, and their gazes steeled with determination.

"That's your queue, esteemed leader." He nudged Chrom playfully in the ribs who took a moment to clear his throat.

"Everyone, as Naga said, this will likely be the final battle in this world. We don't know what is on the other side of that portal, but we must save these children and avert this disastrous destiny. Now raise your weapons and let those Risen know we are coming to kick their rotting arses out of here!" Drawing Falchion, he lifted the holy blade and was greeted with the battle cries of his soldiers. "Let's go! Time to change destiny!"

With a final call to arms, Chrom, closely followed by Robin and the rest of the Shepherds marched through the portal. But they were not prepared for the devastation that lied on the other side…

From the top of Ylisstol, the rising smoke from the burning city created a hazy wall about the battlements. All that could pierce the grim barrier was the orange glow of raging flames and countless pairs of glowing red eyes from airborne Risen. However, as nature would have it, a draft of air kept the suffocating mass away from the roof proper, giving Lucina, Gerome, Severa and Laurent a clear view of the spanning stone structure. Unfortunately, they probably would have rather been blinded by the smoke so their hopes would not be shattered by not only the countless Risen seeming to appear out of thin air, but the figure standing at the opposite end of Ylisstol.

His physical features were rather unimpressive, possessing an average build and weight and an unbecoming face and clothed in robes of black and highlights of purple. His hair was probably the feature that stood out the most of his appearance, its stark white coloration standing out against the blackened sky. In fact, if not for the fact that a persistent aura of shadows pulsed around him and his human eyes giving off a crimson glint, the four children would not have spared him another look. But they knew who this was.

It was Grima, or at least the evil dragon god's avatar. A vessel meant to carry the will of the powerful being into the land and nothing more. Already the thing had taunted them with words of despair and destruction, having been personally responsible for the death of Lady Tiki only moments ago. And with Naga having forsaken this world and Mount Prism overrun with Grima's horde, hope was now beyond faint, not even a glimmer.

This was further reinforced when the avatar of the evil dragon disabled them with devastating magic. As far as they knew, this was only a fraction of the fell dragon's power, but all four of them were left on their knees, gasping for breath as their bodies were racked with excruciating pain.

All of this compounded with Cynthia and Owain's group being delayed by Risen forces to bring the remaining Gemstones left the princess and her friends in a very dire situation. Lucina was a strong girl with an iron will forged through hardship and strife and an unshakeable drive to conquer evil. But now, even her faith in a better tomorrow was shaken by this display of power. For the first time in her life, the thought of surrendering to this grim fate crossed her mind.

That was when they appeared.

As though they were sent down from the heavens as one last blessing, several armed soldiers flashed into existence from the sky. Not only that, she recognized several of them as members of the old Shepherds. She could see Cordelia, the mother of Severa, Miriel, Laurent's mother and Cherche, the woman who gave birth to and left Minerva to Gerome. Even Minerva was with her!

But, the ones she was most shocked to see were the two people in front of her. She did not need to see their faces as they were facing the fell dragon's avatar, but she knew that pegasus of black fur and head of blue hair anywhere. She felt a lump in her throat and sobs of joy about to overtake her when she heard a voice behind her.

"Lissa! Maribelle! Get to work on getting the children healed up! They can't afford another hit like that in their condition!" She was about to turn and face the owner of the commanding tone, but the relief from the healing light of fortify staves made her pause. She felt strength rush back into her limbs and her breathing instantly improved. Knowing that now was not the time to throwing curious glances around, she rose to her feet and stared down her enemy.

As much as she wanted to embrace her parents and cry in their arms, that had to wait. The fell dragon stood before them and was poised to strike. And it wasted no time in doing so. Waves and waves of Risen charged forward, the foot soldiers scrambling over rubble and leaping over the holes in the floor (technically roof, but this was all in perspective) as the flying troops dived at them from the blackened clouds of smoke overhead.

"Lucina! Retreat to the stairs behind us! We'll cover you and the others! Go!" Once again, the commanding call resounded behind her and in her mind, the layout of Ylisstol appeared. There were indeed several sets of stairs in that direction and the last time she checked they were intact. It would be a great defensive position where they could bottleneck the Risen forces in order to lick them off one by one. So she quickly called out to Gerome, Severa and Laurent, who were just recovering from the shock of their parents seemingly return from the dead.

"Gerome! Severa! Laurent! Retreat to the stairs! We can hold them off from there!" Her answers came in the form of a rather long verbal acknowledgement from Laurent, a nod from Severa and Minerva's cry. Now with a plan she wheeled around to sprint for the staircase, and noticed a brief streak of white.

Wait… white?

She spun to get a better look at the blur, but was blocked off by Minerva's, Cherche's Minerva's, wings as the veteran wyvern lord barreled forward and cleaved two falcon riding Risen in a single swipe. Lucina was forced to turn and continue her flight along with her friends to the other side of the roof, only catching glances of the chaos around her.

It was incredible. She had heard stories of the Shepherds' prowess in battle, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. Cordelia and her husband Lon'qu looked like they were performing a choreographed dance with their weapons, leaving scores of slain Risen fading away at their feet (or under the wings of the pegasus, in Cordelia's case). Cherche and Vaike, a veteran Shepherd from the group's founding and Gerome's father, swatted aside even the general class of Risen as though they were toys. Nothing got past the devastating magic combination of Ricken and his wife Miriel. If they were not incinerated by the female sage's flames, they were torn to shreds by the male's blades of wind.

And then there were her parents. She had seen her father practice his fencing before and her mother's lance work. The duo was unstoppable, even as they were protecting a fleeing comrade. Chrom stood at the front of the formation, cutting down each Risen soldier that dared to cross his path. The few that got past him were either blasted by Sumia's magic or ran through with her lance. Her pegasus even stomped on a couple of the undead troops' faces for good measure. She could not believe that she would get to see such a show of power and cunning. They were as powerful if not more than the stories she heard from the townsfolk after their passing. She recognized Maribelle and aunt Lissa in the middle of the defensive formation the Shepherds threw up, occasionally sending magical attacks into the Risen ranks, sending out bolts of lightning from Lissa's bolt axe or healing the rare injury, even the self-inflicted ones. (Vaike nearly dislocated his wrist when he attacked a pile of rubble, saying it looked like it had those glowing eye things)

Finally, Lucina and her companions made it to the staircase and took a moment to catch their breath and look out over the battle. More and more Risen continued to charge forward, their numbers seemingly limitless, but the Shepherds of old cut them down like wheat. That was when they noticed someone they did not recognize amongst the chaos.

The individual in question was garbed in a dark cloak and was calling out to the other Shepherds with varying commands. He must have been the tactician, as his commands were flawless and calculated. He predicted when and where the Risen were going to strike on their formation and addressed any openings that appeared in the Shepherds' iron wall. It seemed he was quite a capable combatant as well, as he displayed some impressive swordsmanship and annihilated a few unlucky Risen with a powerful bolt from his thoron tome. But they could not make out his features, as his hood was kept up and he never turned from the battle to face them. But it seemed that this water tight defense was his doing and the children were more than grateful for his presence.

After a few more minutes of hectic fighting and occasional conversation with their respective parents, the children noticed that the Risen attacks were becoming less frequent. The initial assault was about over and the Shepherds were now pushing forward, picking off stragglers that tried to slip past them to get to Lucina and company. That was when they heard a laugh that chilled them to the bone.

"For a final gambit, Naga, this one is certainly the best you can muster. But even legendary warriors from beyond cannot stop me. Let me show you…" The fell dragon's avatar spoke in a terrifying tone that seemed to warp the very air itself. "True despair…"

At his declaration, Lucina saw the avatar raise on of his arms as though beckoning to something and her blood froze. A great dark shape rose from behind the palace and thrust its head through the veil of smoke.

It was the fell dragon incarnate. It seemed that the avatar was capable of calling forth the fell dragon itself to do its bidding, and the bonelike snout of the dragon inched closer to the Shepherds.

"Oh gods…" This was all Lucina could muster before the maw of the dragon unleashed a stream of dark flames that swept across the battlefield.

"Everyone get down!" The man in the hood cried out and the Shepherds scrambled for cover behind anything they could find. Lucina, Gerome, Laurent and Severa dove further down the stairs to avoid the wildfire and escaped with no injuries. But the flames were not even hot; they could not feel any sort of heat coming from them. But they felt an incredible pressure about them, one that could not be described save terrifying. If they were caught in that attack, they would have been utterly destroyed. They were flames meant to snuff the life from any that were caught in its wake.

But what about the Shepherds?

After the flames subsided, the children scrambled up the stairs, their hearts in their throats. To their relief, their heroes were alive and kicking, but they looked worn. Lissa and Maribelle were already casting their best restoration magics on the group, but even as they brought their weapons to the ready again, it was clear that they were clearly on the brink.

A single attack? That was all it took?

Grima's minions did not waste the opportunity. They surged forward with relentless ferocity at the Shepherds' buckling defenses. They were still able to ward them off, but they were getting injured more often and allowing for some soldiers to get past them. The princess and her friends were forced to finally defend themselves as these stragglers attacked them. There were not many of them, but they were steadily increasing in number.

"Incoming! Miriel! Ricken! It's looking at you!" A panicked cry erupted from the hooded man towards the sage duo, who whipped their heads to the great dragon above them. Dark flames leaked from its mouth as its six crimson orbs focused on them. With a chilling roar, it unleashed a ball of the same dark flames as before, forcing Miriel to dive into her husband to push them both under a ruined statue of a past Exalt. The attack exploded in a ground shaking blast and the flames scattered around the impact site.

"Mother! Father!" Laurent cried out to his parents, gripping hat with worry. To his great relief, they crawled out from the safety of their cover, but they were visibly shaking with weakness. A pair of Risen warriors leaped at the magic wielding duo and nearly severed their heads from their bodies, but a two bolts from the tactician's thoron tome ensured that they survived. Miriel and Ricken took the chance to uncork their respective elixirs that were tied to their belts and took a swig from the powerful concoctions. In no time at all, they back to fighting, but were visibly less fluid and quick as they were before.

Things were looking worse now. The fell dragon's avatar was commanding the dragon to send occasional attacks at the Shepherds, forcing them to break formation lest they be consumed by its flames. And after each attack they would grow weaker and weaker, leading to more injuries and slip ups. The children were now fighting off large groups of Risen that made it past their guardians and were now struggling to ward them off.

But the Risen continued marching forward, throwing themselves at the Shepherds and the children. And with the support of the fell dragon above it was clear that it was now an uphill battle and the hill was only getting taller and taller.

"This can't be how it ends… Not like this. Not when we finally had a glimpse of hope." Lucina muttered under her breath. "Naga, please… save us…" Hopelessness finally began to overtake her, she was pleading for her life and for the lives of those that were fighting before her. But Naga was gone and these warriors from beyond were her last blessing. She could not expect any more aid from the benevolent god. Only the devil could save them from this grim fate…

"Cordelia! Lon'qu! It's coming for you next! Take cover!" At Robin's cry, the flacon knight swooped down and scooped up her husband moments before another ball of death exploded where he stood moments ago. The deadly flames licked at them and the force of the explosion threw Cordelia and her passenger off the flying mount, sending them to ground where they struggled to stand back up.

"Lissa! Maribelle!"

"On it!" Even though the war cleric claimed she was still firing on all cylinders (he could not understand what that meant) Robin could hear her voice quivering from exhaustion. The healing duo quickly rejuvenated the injured pair and the fighting pair was able to fend off the Risen attempting to take advantage of their situation until Cordelia's mount returned. They were only barely able to escape before they were surrounded.

Heaving a relieved sigh, Robin focused on the battle once again. Everything had been going according to plan initially. The children were able to escape to a more defensible position and the Shepherds had started pushing the Risen back.

But since the fell dragon began to rain its fire down on them, it quickly turned into a struggle to survive, with each of the evil god's breaths bringing them closer and closer to death. Though he sounded as confident as he always did, he was panicking.

At this rate, if the Risen did not kill them when they were too exhausted to fight Grima would destroy them with its flames of death. Robin did not account for the fell dragon itself to bring its might to bear in his initial plans, but here it was, and it was tearing apart his comrades. Normally, he would have Chrom and Sumia charge forward and take out the avatar, but with constant wave of Risen throwing themselves at them, the royal couple could only stand their ground. If they broke formation to attack Grima, the Risen would either flank them or swarm over the children.

Either way, it was a loss on their end and the fell dragon would probably kill them anyways. Those flames were capable of snuffing out life itself instead of burning like normal flames. It explained why Grima continued its assault even as its minions threw themselves in the line of fire. They were already dead and were not affected by the deadly flames. So Grima could fire its attacks into the fray with reckless abandon until the Shepherds laid dead before it.

"Robin! Stay strong! We can do this!" Chrom's call shook the grand master from his panicked stupor. The great lord continued to cut a swath through the legions of Risen, but his sword play was getting more and more sloppy. Sumia was forced to come to his aid more frequently rather than pick off the stragglers, and she and her mount were showing signs of wear. Things were looking bleak.

Robin shot an angry glare at the head of the dread dragon hanging overhead.

"If only we could force its focus elsewhere… But what do we have that will grab its attention without putting everyone else at risk?" Ideas spun in his head as he tried to figure out some way to draw the beast's attention away from his allies. But everything he came up with would likely result in one of his comrades perishing. He had made it this far without having to sacrifice a single person and losing none to any unforeseen events on the battlefield, and he would be damned if that changed now.

Then it hit him. They did have something that could ward off the fell dragon.

Chrom had undergone the Awakening at Naga's urging after Robin contained Grima in their world in the event he would ever lose control. But that was not what he had in mind. Robin even consulted with the god to find out that if Grima were to resurrect, the only way to vanquish him for good was to have him deal the killing blow to himself. In other words, commit suicide. This meant Robin held the power to fell this beast in this world if the same rules applied.

Of course there were risks to what he was considering, but he could change the course of this battle with this crazy idea. And if his friends and allies could live at his expense so be it.

"Chrom… I am sorry…" The whisper barely made it to the lord's ear and he turned to see his friend engulfed in a black aura; the same black aura that Grima's avatar emitted.

"Robin, what the hell are you-"

"Everyone! Get ready to push them back! I am going to keep Grima occupied! Don't worry about me!" With this declaration, Robin raised his arm and made a deal with the devil.

He tapped into the powers that he gained from the Dragon's Table, the lives of thousands of Plegian citizens, and brought it forth for all to see.

With a great knell of terror a head rose from the smoke behind him, and then flourished its fangs; Grima incarnate of his world.

"I will damn myself and live a life of suffering if it is to save my friends. Grima, here I come!" The head shot forth on its serpentine neck and engaged the other fell dragon with its great fangs.

The battle of the gods had begun…

So here is my first shot at Fire Emblem fan fiction. I hope it came out alright. Please Read and Review so I can get an idea about how I am doing so far. Critical reviews are HIGHLY valued. Thank you for reading! Until next time!