Chapter 1 "By Fate We Meet"
"Oh! You're awake!"
"Hey there,"
She feels like she's in a daze. She blinks her eyes once then twice before looking back to the two people hovering above her. A young man and a girl.
"There are better places than the ground to nap you know,"
She could barely put her thoughts together. She tries to think back about what happened but everything was a huge blank. She looks around, but instead of feeling familiarity with her surrounding, it only increases her confusion. Where was she? What was she doing here? She blinks in surprise when a hand came into view, blocking off the view of the trees. Trailing her eyes to the owner of the hand, she was greeted with a small smile by the young man. "Here, give me your hand."
She smiles back albeit shyly and takes his hand.
"Thank you Chrom."
Chrom. The name rolls off of her tongue so easily.
Yes. That's his name.
But Chrom suddenly frowned, "Erm, how do you know my name?". She frowns as well. Was she not supposed to know? She glances down and notices that their still holding hands. "Curious that the lady had knows of milord's name." Said a new voice. All three heads turn to look at the newcomer. A heavily armored knight came into the conversation.
"May we know of yours?"
He smiles politely but she couldn't help but feel a sudden chill when he directed it at her.
"I- I My name… It's uhm-" Her heart pumped faster, her breathing became erratic and then her mind went sporadic. She tries to recall back on her memories but it's futile. All she could recall was a sea of an endless abyss and a sickening feeling that she could associate to drowning.
Then her mind went blank save for memory of someone calling out a name.
The way the person say it sounded as if that person was dear to them. She feels her chest filled with warmth, and she wonders whether it's her name. She looks up to the knight who had been staring at her with suspicion. Just as he was about to say something, she quietly said the name.
The knight furrowed his eyebrows and presses his lips to a thin line whereas the blonde girl took a step closer and leaned in, "Sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite-
"She said her name's Eltri."
Eltri's head shot up to look at Chrom. The young man looked down and took in the details of the young woman in front of him. She was quite short; the top of her head barely reached his shoulders. Her eyes he noticed were light gray with green specks. Her white hair had been tied to a low side pony tail with light pink flower hair tie that he hasn't seen before. The girl was pale but because of that he could easily notice the blush on her face.
Judging from her face which still had a little bit of baby fat, the young woman in front of him would probably between the age of him and his sister. Chrom wonders if she was closer to his age or Lissa's. The fact that she was wearing such a heavy robe covering her figure wasn't helping either…
Chrom must have stared and stayed silent for too long. He snapped out of his trance when the girl pulls her hand away and tightens the coat around her form. She huffs and takes a step back whereas Lissa suddenly stood in between of her and Chrom. The blonde haired princess glares at her brother and places her hands to her hips. Her brother blinks in confusion.
"Err, yes Lissa?"
Lissa snorts, unbecoming of a princess, yes she knows, and narrows her eyes at him before swiftly turning around to address the girl.
Chrom was even more confused. He turned to look at his second in command and found that even Fredrick the wary was giving him the look. "What?" He snaps, irritation bubbling up inside of him. "Why are you all staring at me like that?" Chrom didn't quite like the fact that both of his companions just gave him a look. Was it so hard to just what's going on?
Fredrick coughed to his hand. "Milord did you not realize that you had been staring at the lady for quite some time?"
The blue haired prince scratched his cheek with a finger. "Um, I was kind of just studying her- I don't get what's going on here-
This time it was Fredrick's turn to narrow his eyes at him. "Milord, forgive me for being so blunt but even I would think of the same thing when a man stares at a lady. Directly at her bosoms nonetheless." Heat exploded onto Chrom's face and the young prince of Ylisse had never wanted to be swallowed alive by the ground so badly till now.
"Oh gods, Fredrick that was never my intention! I was just- You know I'm not that kind of man!" To his surprise Fredrick nods. "Of course milord." At that Chrom breathed a sigh of relief. "I would have never doubted you. I'm sure that this… This woman is a sorceress that had temporarily charmed you into staring at her bosoms." Chrom's humiliation came back a hundred times stronger than before.
How could Fredrick say such a thing with a serious face?!
Fredrick gave Chrom a reassuring smile whereas the prince could only openly gape at his knight. "Do not worry milord. I shall protect you and lady Lissa from-
"Hey, Eltri's gonna come with us to the capital okay?"
The two men both stood in shock. Lissa quickly used the opportunity to introduce each them to the shy snow haired woman. Fredrick was the first one to break out of his initial shock. "M-milady, she could be an assassin sent from Plegia! This could all be an act and we're falling right for her trap!" Fredrick all but shouted.
Lissa shook her head and folded her hands behind her back. "Nope. Eltri says that she's not sure where she's going or if she had been traveling with someone. At the very least we could accompany her to the capital; she could find information there about other things." Then with a solemn look she said. "I think this is what you call amnesia. Maybe the city has something that would help her get her memories back. Or maybe there's someone there who knows her!"
When she saw that Fredrick was about to protest, Lissa quickly stomped her foot. "No! We are not leaving a defenseless young woman out here alone! What happens if she encounters a group of lecherous – Chrom could only looked down in shame when he met his sister's eyes when she said the word- men? What then Fredrick? Doesn't this fall into our responsibility to help those in need? Isn't that why the reason the Shephards was created?"
Sometimes, Chrom thought, Lissa could put up quite an argument. Maybe she might fare better in court politics. Not that he was any good at that sort of thing either way. Chrom had thought it had been the end of the discussion but apparently Fredrick wasn't finished.
"But she wears cloak from Plegia! She's a Grimleal! Please reconsider milady! She could endanger us all!"
Chrom shifted his stance to the side. He could now see the young lady standing behind Lissa, clutching tightly on to her cloak with a look of hurt on her face. Chrom knew he had to step in.
"Peace Fredrick!"
"But milord-
Chrom sighed and placed a hand to Falchion's hilt. "If she had wanted to kill us, why not when we were distracted? Why not now when we've let our guard down? Besides, Lissa has a point."
It wasn't until a few minutes later that the problem was solved when Eltri herself had volunteered to be taken as Fredrick's prisoner. And while Lissa was against the idea 'how dare you treat a lady that way Fredrick! Shame on you!' it was the only way for the knight himself to agree on taking Eltri with them. Eltri allowed Fredrick to tie a rope around her wrist and walked beside the knight. Fredrick had opted to walk behind his masters just so he can watch the three of them at the same time. With one hand on the rope, the other hand was used to steer his war horse alongside of him.
Lissa had apologized to Eltri about the treatment and Fredrick's behavior. Calling him, 'Fredrick the wary' While the knight himself claimed that it was a title that he wore with pride. Knowing him, both Chrom and Lissa knew that he probably wasn't kidding. For the most part, Eltri kept her eyes trained on to the ground. That is until she accidentally bumped into the princess causing the both of them to stumble forward.
Fredrick had pulled the rope back so hard that she ended up falling backwards and landing on her rear. The intensity of his glare would have probably rivaled the sun and burned her right on the spot. Eltri shivered and quickly looked down.
"C-Chrom! The village is on fire!"
"Let's go!" Chrom had climbed up to his horse who was then followed by Fredrick. Lissa too was about to run only to remember about the white haired woman. She stops and turns around to face the young woman. "But Chrom! What about Eltri!"
Her brother didn't even turn his head around. "Unless she's on fire as well then the village is our main priority!" Lissa looked down to the ground and bit her lower lips. "It's fine."
Eltri knew the signs of guilt and Lissa was already an open book. The snow haired woman smiled slightly at the blonde. "I'll be fine, go." The princess opened her mouth to protest but was silenced a wave of a hand. "Your brother's right. Those people need you more Lissa. Go." Lissa closes her mouth and tightens her hands into fists. She walks over and extends her hand for the Plegian woman to take which she does. With a light pull, Eltri was back on her feet once more. "Be careful alright?"
The light haired woman smiled at the girl's kindness. Lissa notices how her eyes seemed lighter when she smiles. Eltri nods and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Go."
In a matter of seconds Eltri found herself left alone in the middle of the dirt path by the trio. She dusted her robes as best as she could and looked back to the burning village. She notices the markings on her hand was similar as the ones etched on her robe. She thought back about what the wary knight had called her. She didn't quite like the way Fredrick had addressed her. It was as if he had viewed her as nothing but trash. His words earlier had also hurt her and she knew that she was quite close to crying.
She wonders whether she should flee and runaway to someplace else. Away from all the accusing looks, accusatory remarks and judgmental eyes.
She doesn't want to stay in the company of people who treats her that way.
No.
But what about Lissa?
The snow haired woman frowned. The young girl had defended her and even offered to help her despite being strangers. After a short and silent debate with herself, Eltri quickly jogged over to town.
/
The stench of burnt flesh, sprayed blood and smoke spells out a similar scene the Shepherds had faced before. Lissa clenches her tome tightly in anger as she watches her brother fighting against a berserker. She hates seeing this. She wants the war to stop. For the fighting to stop. For the bloodshed to be stopped. She just wants it all to just stop.
Seeing an incoming brigand, Lissa quickly opened her tome and recited the necessary spell. A fireball erupts into her palm and with a steady aim she shot it straight towards her enemy. Lissa grits her teeth in frustration. It seemed like it would never end; the more brigands they killed the more of them shows up. By the time they've reached the village, nearly half of the buildings have been set on fire. At the very least, the casualties were kept at a minimum.
"I'll show you who's delicate!" Lissa jumps back in time to avoid an incoming arrow and fired back a fireball at the mage. She's even gladder now that she had asked Fredrick to train her. Now she won't be useless, now she doesn't need anyone to protect her, now she can help her brother and their knight and fight side by side. Lissa's always hated on the fact that everyone had called her delicate. They've always need to protect her because of her inability to fight.
She felt useless waiting at the sidelines. The only thing she could do was heal up injuries and even then she could only heal small scratches and bumps at best. When she enters the battlefield, sometimes she felt like she was a sitting duck. Back at the castle she wasn't able to contribute much, what with Emmeryn and Chrom handling everything. She's proud of her siblings and their accomplishments and she wishes to prove that she could pull her own weight as well. And now, she felt like she has a chance.
"Chrom!"
Lissa hurries over to her brother and switches her fire tome for her staff. The gash on his shoulder closed to a thin line. "Thank's Lissa." The princess frowns. Chrom was clearly tired from the way he was panting. The three of them had been fighting for almost half an hour and yet they were no closer to reaching the leader. The brigands had hidden themselves amongst the ruins of the burnt buildings and had ambushed the group a couple of times.
It was as if they were playing a game of hide and seek and tag combined. But this time instead of just getting caught, that person would also have a high chance of getting killed. The trio had wasted their energy roaming around the village trying to find the leader but always getting up ambushed. That wasted their energy twice as fast. If only the staff could also heal away fatigue instead of just wounds. Her frown deepens when her brother staggers to his feet.
"I think we should fall back for a minute, at least to catch your breath."
The prince shook his head. "N-no, the people-
"You can't help the people if you can't even stand Chrom!" Snapped Lissa. "Look, Fredrick said that they've evacuated to the safer parts. You're only going to get yourself killed faster if you don't take a break. Naga help me if you argue or I'll personally have Fredrick tie you up and put you in a corner!"
Chrom stared in shock at his sister's forcefulness. "Maybe you should take up on court politics Lissa." The blond haired princess snorted, throwing his hand over her shoulders and walking him over to a building beside them. "Shut up Chrom."
/
"Sir!"
Fredrick turns and addresses the villager with a small nod. "We've caught'em! We've caught one of them nasty cravens' sir!"
The knight frowns. These were simple villagers who's armed with almost nothing. So how in Naga's name were they able to capture a brigand? "Show me." Chrom had tasked Fredrick to stand guard between the brigands and the villagers in case they were attacked. At first he had been against leaving his master but Chrom had pointed out that he was capable of handling things on his own and now that Lissa had learnt how to wield a tome, they'll be able to handle most of the problems by themselves.
The man nods, his face showed nothing but proud. He runs ahead of the knight while Fredrick need only to have his horse in a gentle trot to keep up. From afar he sees a group of people jeering, and as he nears he could see that some of them were throwing rocks. Fredrick climbs down and approaches the circle and the man who alerted him walked beside of him. "Found the dastard waltzing in and looking around the place sir!" He called out in glee. "Bastards from Plegia think we folks don't know who to fight but we showed'em!"
The people made a path of Fredrick to walk through and all came to a hushed silence when he stood within the inner circle. He eyes the crouching figure covered in its cloak for a second before looking down to the ground. Rocks, glass shards and other miscellaneous littered the ground. Most likely they were some of the things that they used to pelt the intruder with. Fredrick presses his lips to a thin line and sighed quietly through his nose.
"Get up." He grabs them by the arm, nearly lifting the person up by sheer strength before walking away. The crowd comes back to life again and started with the name calling once more. A teen takes off his boots and chucks it over, hitting the person on the head. Fredrick didn't waste any more time to take Eltri away from the villagers.
"Why are you here?"
It sounded more like a statement instead of a question. Fredrick had taken her away and stopped when he was sure that they were far enough from the angry mob. He stares down at her with his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Of course he was still wary of the woman. Regardless of what lady Lissa had said. Eltri doesn't reply, and it takes Fredrick several seconds to notice that something was dripping down from the face of her hood. "Look here, crying won't help you-
"I'm not crying." She whispers.
When Fredrick looks down to the ground a second time, he realizes that the drops were crimson. She makes a move to pull down her hood and at the same time Fredrick drew his blade. When her hood falls down from her face, the knight had already pressed the edge of his blade against her neck. Their eyes briefly met before Eltri looked down. There was a gash on her temple, a busted lip, a bloody nose, a bruise that was already forming on the right side of her face-
"They've mistook me for a villain." Her voice is quiet. So quiet that Fredrick had to strain his ears to hear her.
"And you're claiming that you're not?"
Blood trails down from her nose and down to her chin. He notices that her neck is also decorated with crimson. "No. I want to help."
Fredrick scoffs. "My good lady, if I had ever let any amnesiac person come and help milord and milady, I'm fairly certain that they would have been dead already. Not to mention that you are wearing Plegian robes."
She flinches.
No. No more. No more. No more.
Beside him, his horse tenses and brays and Fredrick know why. He could feel the sudden static in the air and he was swift to react. He only needs to add pressure to his blade as he swung to have her head but the sound of clanging metal echoed into the air. Using the brief confusion to her advantage, Eltri pushes her sword with both hands to push away Fredrick's. She jumps back and lands into a crouch. Extending her hand out, a bolt of electricity came crashing down from above.
Fredrick roles out of the way and covered his face with his forearms from the dust. And by the time he had regained his bearings, Eltri had disappeared. Fredrick cursed.
He had let his prey escaped a second time. And now, both Chrom and Lissa's life are in jeopardy because of him.
Authors Note
Well, I had recently finished the game and I gotta say I'm in love with it. Must. Get. Inigo. To. Father. My. Morgan. Hngh. I've made quite a few stupid mistakes during my first playthrough like not allowing Chrom to interact to other units besides MU and Fredrick. Color me surprise when during the end he ends up proposing. I really thought that I could decline his offer. Really I could. But when my unit suddenly replied with 'My love' I think I cried. So I reloaded my previous save file and spammed the place with reeking boxes and paired Chrom up with Sumia.
But enough about that. Let's talk about this. Yes. I made another story! Let's hope that this time I'm able to actually continue one instead of discontinuing my previous one out of the blue. This story is going to go off of canon from time to time but most of the story line is the same thing. As you can see, Lissa is already a sage by the start of the story. Later on, I'll have some of the characters switch classes. It's more of convenience sake than anything else so yes. Do comment, because reviews (constructive reviews especially) are always welcomed. By the way, can you spot the difference between Eltri and the other Robins from the FE:A stories? Besides their names of course.P.S. Tell me your favorite pairings, mines is FeMUXMaMu. Yes, I like protagonistxprotagonist. (It's like this for all my Pokémon games really) Oh and this is just for fun anyway.