Heyo, everyone! Thank you for clicking on my story! Ah...I don't have that much experience writing full length Fire Emblem stories, it's basically all one shots (I highly recommend you check out my Beruka centered one shots if you haven't already), but I feel pretty confident in my abilities. One thing we should get out of the way first: This is NOT a harem story! Yeah, it may seem that way due to the summary but I can assure you that (for the most part) it's not. Which means by the end of this there isn't no "share the guy and get him ultra laid" endings here. We're going in this with one love interest or none at all! What will happen? You'll just have to read to find out.
Enjoy the first chapter, everyone!
...
Dwyer was always a stubborn young man, all one had to do was look at the relationship he shared with his father to figure that out... Despite his lazy nature, he wasn't one to just give up and accept defeat so easily. No, his father may have been a jerk, but he still taught Dwyer some life lessons.
But even he could admit that he was royally screwed.
He saw his caretakers in their thick, heavy armor swarm around him, blocking his view of...whatever it was that was attacking them. He tried to peek over one of the armored guards' shoulder, but he couldn't see a thing. All he could tell was that there was some strange, purple haze surrounding them.
"What's going on?" he asked.
One of the guards shook his head. "I don't know, young master," he admitted. "Whatever these things are, we can hardly see them. It's like they're invisible or something!"
'Invisible?' thought Dwyer, raising an eyebrow. 'That's strange.'
He heard one of his caretakers swing his mighty lance, and it caught hold of something. The enemy was launched backwards, the force behind the strike so powerful that the enemy smashed clean through a wall. The sleepy butler winced as he heard the wall crumble. 'Just when I bought the new wallpaper too...' he sighed.
"Everyone!" he called, gathering the attention of his caretakers. "Don't be afraid to fight!" He held up a sun festival staff, a gift from his father before he dumped his son in this dreary place. "I'll be able to heal you whenever you need it!"
The caretakers seemed to hesitate, unsure whether to leave the young butler alone while they fought the enemy off. However, Dwyer gave them a surprisingly stern look. "Go!" he ordered, and the caretakers charged quickly into battle, two blocking the room's entrance to prevent more invisible enemies from coming inside.
Dwyer took a deep breath and clutched his staff tighter. 'I can do this,' he told himself. 'I just have to keep everyone alive, then I can go back to napping without worry.'
It seemed to be like good motivation. Dwyer saw one of the caretakers buckle, and Dwyer quickly pointed the staff in his direction, energy returning to the man.
Suddenly, he heard a shout coming from the distance. Confused, the boy turned his head, eyes laying on the hole in the wall that revealed the sleepy village. Straining his ears, he inched forward and listened.
"Son!" the voice cried out. "Son! They're coming for you!"
"Father...?" Dwyer questioned under his breath. 'What's Father doing here?' he wondered.
He didn't have time to answer his own question, as he felt something grip the back of his collar. Surprised, Dwyer could do nothing as he was suddenly flipped over, landing painfully on his back. The breath was forced out of his lungs, and he gasped for air as the barely visible ninja effortlessly sliced through his caretakers.
'No...' Dwyer thought, struggling to his feet. 'You can't...' He was kicked down, and when he looked up he came face to face with an arrow mere inches away from him. His eyes trailed up the attacker, who sported a sadistic grin.
'Oh, dammit...'
Then the archer let the arrow loose.
...
Ophelia yawned, blinking the sleep out from her eyes as she struggled to keep up with the rest of the group. This place...this place was not suited for a chosen one, the gloomy nature of it all could drag the most active fighter into a inescapable slumber. She wondered why she was forced to accompany the group to this place, this had absolutely nothing to do with her. Apparently, Mr. Jakob was here to deliver a gift for his son, who was moved from his deeprealm after reaching adult age to the village they were currently at. Ophelia thought it was nice for the man to visit his son, she just didn't see why he had to bring everyone else!
Her father told her that Jakob wanted to introduce his son to the army during the visit. 'Still,' she thought as she glanced over at the group ahead of her. 'There aren't many of us here. Why was I chosen for this?'
Lord Corrin, Jakob, Silas, Kaze, Lady Camilla, Arthur, Arthur's son: Percy, Hayato, her father, Charlotte, Mitama, and herself. Ophelia could understand why some would accompany the butler, Charlotte being his wife, Corrin being his lord, and Silas just being everyone's best friend.
Speaking of the group, Ophelia looked over at Mitama, who looked perfectly happy. The young mage noticed her friend occasionally glancing towards shops advertising new mattresses and other sleeping products. Taking a deep breath, Ophelia walked over to the Hoshidan and attempted to strike conversation.
"So..." she began, too tired to even attempt her heroic dialect. "Do you know anything about Jakob's son?" Mitama shook her head, not taking her starry eyes off of the mattress shop. Ophelia bit her lip. "What do you think he's like, then?"
Mitama paused, tapping her chin in thought. "In this sleepy town/ a mysterious boy lives/ I cannot tell you." she recited, before shaking her head and sighing.
Ophelia felt her shoulders droop. Okay, so Mitama had no clue what this boy may be like. Heck, they didn't even know his name! Ophelia moved herself towards the front of the group, stopping next to Jakob. "Mr. Jakob?" she asked.
Jakob sighed impatiently and turned to the girl. "Yes?"
"What's your son's name?" Ophelia questioned. "And what's he like?"
"Dwyer," the butler answered, frowning. "And he's the laziest, most self centered oaf you'll ever meet."
...well that certainly didn't sound like a good first impression.
"Is that all?" Ophelia pressed further, hoping to gain more information if only to cure her boredom.
"I'll tell you all you need to know, dear daughter!" Odin Dark announced boisterously. "I had the honor of meeting him once, and his tea tastes like a sweet nectar from the gods! Why, it can vanquish all evil in this world!" He laughed, patting his daughter's head. "He may very well be a chosen one, just like you and me!"
Ophelia's eyes widened at this new revelation. Another chosen one?! Just like her and Father?! "R-Really?" she gasped, unable to contain her excitement.
Jakob scoffed. "A chosen one?" he repeated mockingly. "Don't make me laugh, Odin. The boy is damn near worthless."
Ophelia frowned. How dare Jakob talk about a chosen one like that? His own son! She was just about to give the man a piece of her mind, but he hurried off to go ask something from a passerby.
"Excuse me," he said. "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm looking for my son, Dwyer." The passerby shook her head rudely and hurried off, leaving behind the group. Jakob sighed. "As always, that lazy lout is probably snoring away somewhere. Clearly his bad attitude has effected the whole village." He glanced around the buildings. "What a sleepy place."
Ophelia could second last sentence.
Jakob turned to the rest of the group. "Why do I even bother fetching Dwyer his favorite coffee beans?" he wondered. "How did I come to buttle my son, when he should come running to serve me?"
Percy shrugged as he petted his dragon's neck. "Maybe he just doesn't like you?" he suggested, completely oblivious to the awkward looks he was receiving.
"You shut your mouth, boy," Jakob growled before continuing his search. "Now where on earth is he? He said he'd meet us here!"
Ophelia sighed. Humming a small tune to herself, she paced aimlessly until a small movement caught her eye. Glancing up, at first she saw nothing. But the more she stared the more she could see the faint outline of a person sitting on the rooftop. The young mage gasped when she realized what it was, and she quickly yelled for Corrin's attention. "Look!" she gasped, pointing up.
Everyone froze when they saw the invisible soldier. Slowly, the creature turned to them, bobbing its shoulders up and down as if it were laughing. Then, it leaped off the roof and made a mad sprint away.
"Where's that fiend going?" Jakob hissed, before he chased after it. Now wide awake, all the others sprinted into action.
"C'mon, Ace!" Percy ordered as his dragon took off into the sky.
Ophelia looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw more invisible soldiers appear. 'No...' she thought. "There's more of them!"
Jakob cursed, his gaze following the invaders. Then he gasped and quickened his pace. "They're breaking into Dwyer's house!" he cried. "Son! They're coming for you!"
Then they all saw it. Through a hole in the wall, they saw a young man laying helplessly on the floor, an invisible archer aiming an arrow point blank at his face.
"NO!" Jakob shouted. The arrow shot out, but it never hit the young man. Instead, it stuck deep into the floor as the archer looked around in confusion.
Everyone looked behind them, and saw the young man sprawled onto the cobblestone ground underneath Mitama's feet, the girl holding a rescue staff in her hands.
"Are you alright, sir/ You were nearly killed just now/ and yet you still live." Mitama said in her typical haiku.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "That was kind of weak, wasn't it?"
Mitama narrowed her eyes and squeezed her her brush so tight it snapped, but she paid it no mind. "Well excuse me!" she barked. "Do you know how hard it is to come up with a half-decent haiku in this hellhole you call a village?!"
"In this sleepy town/ not knowing it's invaded/ twelve heroes arrive."
Mitama blushed and looked away. "Whatever."
The man grunted before rising to his feet, and Ophelia felt her breath stop momentarily. There was no doubt that despite his...shaggy appearance, he was a handsome looking man. He didn't seem that much like a chosen one, but there was no way Father could be wrong...
"Father..." the young man said, rushing towards Jakob. "Father, these strange soldiers are attacking us, I'm afraid my caretakers may be dead!" Ophelia heard Charlotte gasp.
"I know," Jakob stated. "We're here to get rid of those things." He turned to Corrin. "With your permission, milord, I would like for us to battle these invaders."
Corrin nodded, before ordering everyone to battle. As they rushed off, Ophelia heard Dwyer say, "Alright, I'll keep close and heal any of you who get injured."
"Excuse me?!" Jakob exclaimed. "Dwyer, you leave your comrades to die while you dillydally in the back? That's a coward's game, son."
"Not everything is about fighting, Father..." Dwyer argued. "I can be just as much help healing someone as you can fighting the enemy... Isn't a butler supposed to serve, not show up his masters?"
"Is that an insult, you wretched boy?!" Jakob growled.
Dwyer shook his head. "Of course not," he protested quietly. "But if you want me to jump into battle, you have the wrong son." His eyes narrowed. "I'm a healer, not a fighter."
Jakob sighed, flicking his wrist. An invader that was attempting to ambush them fell down, a dagger between its eyes. "You always did run from a fight," he muttered. "Go on then," he waved his hand, "let your father do all the work."
Ophelia wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about this, and she wondered if they knew she was standing right in front of them. She could feel her opinion of Jakob lessen as he continued to berate his son. The dark mage wasn't sure what history the two shared, but surely a chosen one like Dwyer didn't deserve such unkindness, right?
Dwyer gritted his teeth and clenched a fist. "You never did see me for who I was," he grumbled. "Perhaps I wasn't the best son when I was younger, but now I keep people alive."
Jakob sneered. "Tell that to your caretakers."
Ophelia saw the younger butler flinch, his blonde hair falling over his eyes. Jakob didn't say anything else, turning around and joining the battle. Ophelia awkwardly stood there with the dejected boy, not knowing exactly what to say.
"...sorry you heard all of that," Dwyer apologized. Ophelia blinked.
"Oh no!" she said. "It's perfectly fine, I just... Wish he treated you better?"
Dwyer shrugged. "Eh, whatever," he dismissed. "We should probably get to the battle."
Ophelia nodded. As they ran (more like jogged given Dwyer's speed), she attempted to strike another conversation. "You're...Dwyer, right?"
Dwyer nodded. "Yeah, that's me," he said as they entered the house that was being attacked. "And you are?"
Ophelia launched a spell from Missiletainn at an enemy coming from behind Dwyer. The young butler glanced at the fallen foe, seemingly impressed. "Ophelia Dusk, here to serve!" the dark mage introduced herself.
"...heh," Dwyer grunted. "Interesting."
Ophelia nearly squealed in joy. 'The chosen one recognizes my worth!' she thought. 'Truly it is fate that we meet tonight!'
"Anyway..." Dwyer continued. "We should get back to the battle...Father will be even angrier if he sees me having a casual conversation." He gave a small wave before rushing towards an extremely bruised Arthur. "I'll talk to you some other time, Ophelia Dusk."
"O-Of course!"
Ophelia watched the healer work, before taking a deep breath and rushing into the fray. 'If Father recognizes him as a chosen one, then I will do my best for him!' she proclaimed internally.
...
The battle had ended long ago, and after discovering that what caretakers he had left had abandoned him, Dwyer silently tidied up what was left of the house while the others stayed outside. Mitama had taken this opportunity to power nap, and Percy was flying around the village on his dragon, leaving Ophelia with no one to talk to. Her father was busy discussing things with the other adults, and the young mage strained her ears to listen.
"Just hear me out, Jakob," Corrin was saying. "Your son kept us alive with his healing, I think we should allow him to join our cause!"
"With all due respect, milord," the butler argued. "We are all expected to carry our own weight in the army, and that is simply something Dwyer cannot do. He's not ready."
"Arthur would've died if it wasn't for him," Lady Camilla pointed out. "You and Mitama were too busy with the enemy to heal him."
"I truly would feel safer with the boy backing us up!" Arthur admitted. "He is a worthy seeker of justice in my book!"
"The point of being an army is being able to function as a team, Jakob," Corrin urged. "With half our healers in constant battle, we'll need someone like your son to focus solely on keeping the rest of us alive."
"Are you se-" Jakob stopped, and sighed. "Alright, but someone would have to keep an eye on him. I taught him all the martial arts I know, but he insists that it's worthless on the battlefield."
"...I'll do it."
All heads turned to Ophelia, who stood with her arm clasped behind her back. Jakob looked ready to protest, but an encouraging look from everyone else stopped him. "If you want to waste your time with that oaf, then you'll need Lord Corrin's permission," he said.
Corrin nodded and gave Odin Dark's daughter a smile. "If that's what you want, I see no reason to say no," he decided.
"Oh, isn't this exciting?" Charlotte beamed as she wrapped herself around Jakob's arm. "We'll finally be able to spend time together as a family again!"
Jakob sighed and reluctantly nodded. He gestured to Ophelia. "Go make sure the boy knows," he ordered. "Lord Corrin has decided that we leave in an hour."
Ophelia nodded and ran back inside the house, almost immediately finding Dwyer in the kitchen, brewing a cup of coffee. Dwyer glanced up when the girl entered, and sighed. "Well this is fantastic," he said sarcastically. "My home is gone and my caretakers either left me or are dead. I've been having a great day today."
Ophelia frowned. "Dwyer," she began softly. "Your father wanted me to tell you that we leave in an hour...you're joining the army."
Dwyer didn't make any visible expression. Shaking his head, he took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. I knew I was going to get dragged into all of this sooner or later."
"Oh..."
"Want some?"
Ophelia blinked. "Huh?"
Dwyer gestured to his cup. "Coffee," he confirmed. "Would you like some?"
Ophelia shook her head, remembering her father's words. "Actually..." she said. "I was wondering if I could try your finest cup of...Maiden's Tears?"
Silence.
"What?"
"Tea," Ophelia quickly clarified. "I-I meant tea!" She bit her lip. 'Oh no, he's going to think I'm so weird!'
"Well why didn't you just say so?" Dwyer asked. "I'll make you some right now, hold on a second."
Ophelia nodded, sitting herself down at the table. She folded her hands on her lap and waited patiently.
"So what's it like?"
It took Ophelia a moment to realize that Dwyer had spoken. Acknowledging his question, she thought for a moment before answering. "Well..." she trailed off and thought some more. "When we're not camping, we move to an astral plane where Lord Corrin's fortress is. Everyone there is nice, we have some oddballs here and there..." She thought some more. "There's plenty of people our age there as well, you've already met one of them."
Dwyer smirked. "The girl with the lame haikus," he assumed.
Ophelia giggled and nodded. "That's Mitama," she told him. "I have a feeling you two might get along."
"Maybe," Dwyer halfheartedly agreed. He set a teacup down in front of her. "Here's your tea. It's very hot, so be careful."
"This maiden fears not whatever danger lurks ahead!" Ophelia boldly claimed. 'Oh gosh, I hope that wasn't too much!'
"...What?"
'Gah!' Ophelia waved her hand. "It's nothing..." She raised the cup to her lips and tilted it, letting the liquid flow inside her mouth. Immediately, an intense fire burned deep in her belly, fluttering her stomach and making her feel warm all over. "It...IT'S DEVINE!" she exclaimed as she hurriedly slurped the rest down, moaning sweetly as the warmth of the tea spread all throughout her. "Truly you must be descended from the gods to be able to create such wonder!" she gasped. "Father was right, you are a chosen one!"
Dwyer looked both equally confused and embarrassed. "Uh...Thanks?" He shook his head. "But...my coffee is much better than my tea-"
"Nonsense!" Ophelia hissed. "Dwyer, nothing can possibly be as soul lifting as what you've created just now! You have a gift, Dwyer!"
'He truly is a chosen one,' the dark mage thought with a blush. 'All this time I thought it was just Father and I. But to meet such a wonderful person...It must be fate!' She glanced up at Dwyer, who was trying to protest the girl's claims. She smiled at him. 'Dwyer,' she thought. 'Something tells me the world has big plans for you!'
...
And that's the first chapter! So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the reviews! And remember, stay wykkyd!
