AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before I begin, I want to explain a few things. First, this is a Celice/Nanna fanfiction. Yes, I understand that it is an uncommon pairing (since Celice is usually paired with Lana and Nanna is usually paired with Leaf), but if all fanfiction were written about popular pairings, things would get boring. So, I am giving you fair warning. If you dislike this pairing, you should stop reading now. I would prefer to not be flamed on my choice of pairings–it has happened to me in the past, and I am not at all anxious for it to happen again.
Secondly, I am using a bit of creative license. This has to be done, at least a little bit for the continent of Jugdral, due to all the player-based decisions, as well as contradictions that were created by Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. First on the list is the parents. Right now, I am going with the recommended pairings for a player's first file (Midir/Aideen, Holyn/Aira, Beowulf/Lachesis, Claude/Sylvia, Levin/Fury, Jamka/Brigid, and Azel/Tiltyu). The second item has to do with Nanna's father. According to Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, Nanna's father is the same as Delmud's father. According to Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, Delmud's father is Beowulf, but Nanna's father is arguably Fin. In this case, I am going with the former–Delmud and Nanna both have the same father. However, these first two should not really affect the story too much. There will be a few other instances of creative license, but you will see those as you go along. The only real significant factor is the way I decide conflict between the two Jugdral-based games. Wherever there is a conflict, the Seisen no Keifu version of events will prevail (as in the example I provided with Nanna's father).
Just keep these things in mind as you read this story. I have one more thing to mention, and that is a disclaimer. I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the characters that are a part of Fire Emblem. I do, however, own any characters I create for the purposes of this story (which, I promise you, will be few).
Now, without further ado, I present to you:
When Swords Cross
CHAPTER ONE
Celice ran as fast as his legs would carry him. Now that Darna was under the Isaacian Liberation Army's control, it was time to rush to the aid of the Kingdom of Lenster. As he ran, he could feel his stomach tightening. It was not merely due to the battle that was to come. He was also anxious about finally meeting the Lenster forces that were fighting the Empire. He had heard things about each of the three surviving fighters. First was the prince and heir to Lenster's throne, Leaf Faris Claus. Leaf's mother, Ethlin, and Celice's father, Sigurd, were siblings, which made Celice and Leaf cousins. However, despite their blood relation, they had never met. Second was Leaf's guardian and a veteran knight of Lenster, Sir Fin. Fin had served for a few years under the command of his father, Sigurd, alongside Prince Cuan, Leaf's father. At the beginning of Sigurd's first campaign, Fin was inexperienced in battles, but he learned at a frightening pace. Three people in the rebel group–Oifaye, Shanan, and Levin–had known Fin through the campaigns with Sigurd, and always spoke highly of him. The third person was Nanna, a young woman who had been raised in Northern Thracia but had lineage to Agustria's noble house of Nodion. However, Nanna was not a member of Nodion's main family. She was the daughter of Lachesis, who was the younger half-sister of the last lord of Nodion, Eltshan. She was also the younger sister of Celice's fellow fighter and childhood friend, Delmud, and the cousin of Aless, Eltshan's son and another fighter who had joined Celice's army, albeit unwillingly.
Eventually, the sands of the vast and treacherous Yied Desert gave way to soil and plant life. Celice knew that this meant that he was on the border of the former kingdom of Alster. All of the members of Alster's royal family had been either executed or imprisoned when the Empire came in. It was now under control of Lord Blume, the head of Grandbell's noble house of Freege, who governed all of Northern Thracia from Castle Alster. He met with no resistance from Imperial troops, but he was not surprised. He had sent Shanan and Arthur ahead of him, and his mounted troops had outrun him, with one exception–whom Celice had spotted running toward him. He called out, "Oifaye!"
Oifaye slowed his horse down as he approached the Imperial Prince. Oifaye, a distant relative of Celice's, had served under Celice's father from the moment Verdane troops invaded southern Grandbell until the disastrous battle in Barhara. He was a tactical genius; he was only 14 when Sigurd fought off Verdane's invasion force. Now, he was in his mid 30s, and had been forced to shoulder tremendous responsibility at a much younger age than most men. Oifaye had not even turned 18 when Sigurd's army was massacred in Barhara; it was up to him and Shanan, who was even younger, to raise the children of some of Sigurd's troops. For the past 17 years, Oifaye and Shanan had raised six children, taught them in the military arts, and protected them from Imperial troops who wanted the son of Sigurd the Hero, and those who sheltered him, dead.
"Your Highness, we are currently engaged in combat with the forces deployed from Alster to retake Lenster," Oifaye reported. "However, we fear that there may be two groups, and we are only fighting one."
"Where does that leave the other group?" Celice asked.
"Well, the thief that Prince Shanan met back at the Yied Shrine–I believe her name is Patty–went into a nearby town and gathered some information. According to what she heard, Lenster's forces are fighting a group a few miles north of here," Oifaye answered.
"Thank you, Oifaye. I think I'd better go join them."
Oifaye gave Celice a perplexed look. "Shouldn't you meet with the main army?"
"From what you told me, it sounds to me like the rest of the troops can handle Alster's troops without my aid," Celice replied. "On the other hand, we only know of three fighters from Lenster who survived the failed charge on Alster."
"I see," Oifaye said. "Yes, Prince Leaf is your cousin. It is only natural that you want to aid a family member. However, I am sure that Fin is more than enough to handle Alster's forces, assuming he has continued to train these past 17 years."
"Oifaye, no matter how skilled Fin is, he's only one man!" Celice responded.
Oifaye sighed. "Very well, I see there's no convincing you. I will return to the battle. May the blessings of the Crusader Baldo be with you."
"And the same to you, Oifaye," Celice replied. He then turned from Oifaye and ran north.
-1-
As Celice ran north, the battle he had heard about was raging. As Oifaye had predicted, Fin was doing most of the fighting, and was capable of holding off Alster's forces, though he attributed at least part of it to the lance that Prince Cuan had given him so long ago. As Alster's forces focused on the veteran knight, Leaf sniped them off with his mother's old Light Sword, a weapon that could cast low-level light magic at a distance. Neither Leaf nor Fin trusted Leaf's abilities to survive direct combat with heavily-armored Alster knights, so this was the only way for Leaf to contribute to the battle and survive at the same time. However, he was not the only person who adopted this strategy. Nanna, who had inherited from her mother a magical sword herself, fought in a similar manner. However, whenever Fin took a direct hit from an enemy, Nanna would ride forward and heal him with her healing staff. This time, though, when Nanna rode out and healed Fin, he spoke to her.
"Nanna, I heard from one of these soldiers that another army is fighting the bulk of the Alster invasion force just south of here. I'm willing to bet that this is the army that liberated Isaac from the Empire's grasp. I need you to ride south and meet with them."
"What? No, I'm not leaving you and Leaf to fend for yourselves!" Nanna exclaimed.
"Nanna, surely you don't doubt my ability to fight so much that you expect to find me dead after such a brief trip!" Fin shouted.
"But . . . " Nanna began to protest, but a shout cut her off.
"Fin is right, Nanna," said Leaf. "Right now, we need more reinforcements. If you stay, all three of us will eventually fall. We need help!"
Nanna bit her lip. "I understand. I'll be back as soon as possible!" With that, she rode south.
-1-
A few minutes after the battle disappeared from her sight, Nanna heard galloping hooves to her left. She looked, hoping to see reinforcements, but gasped in horror when she saw the Freege crest on the side of the horse's saddle. The rider pulled out a bow, and Nanna urged her horse to run faster. She tried to put as much distance between herself and her assailant as possible, but the arch knight had begun to tail her. She heard the faint "twang" of a bowstring and had her horse veer left. The arrow missed her right arm by mere inches. She turned slightly to get a look at her attacker, drew her Earth Sword, and had it cast its Resire magic. However, the enemy knight managed to dodge the spell, and readied another arrow. Nanna tried to avoid the second arrow, but shouted in pain as it embedded itself in her right leg. She was about to turn around to attempt to cast her sword's magic again when she noticed a figure running in her direction. This time, however, she noticed a crest with the holy sword, Tyrfing, in it on the runner's armor, and knew that this person was an ally. "Hang on, I'll help!" he shouted as he ran toward Nanna and her pursuer. "Run past me! I'll handle the enemy!" Nanna complied, and the fighter stood between her and the arch knight. However, the arch knight also ran past the other person, determined to stop Nanna from getting reinforcements. Then, the other fighter shouted.
"Hey, you! Freege knight! Leave the girl alone!"
"Why should I listen to you when I have a mission to accomplish?!" the arch knight shouted.
"Because my name is Celice Baldos Chalphy!" the fighter shouted. This got the arch knight's full attention. He brought his horse around to bear at Celice. "You see this?" He pointed to the crest on his armor. "This is the crest of a member of House Chalphy."
The arch knight began to laugh. "This is my lucky day!" he shouted. "Not only do we see the fall of Lenster once again, but I will be able to personally deliver the head of the son of Sigurd the Traitor to Emperor Alvis!" With that, he drew an arrow from his quiver and fired it. Celice, however, was too far away for the arrow to do any good, and dodging it required minimal effort. Celice then charged toward his enemy, dodging another arrow as he ran. However, the enemy was not an idiot. He ordered his horse to move, and was able to keep a safe distance between himself and the Imperial Prince.
Celice, seeing that trying to pursue the opponent was futile, decided that he would need to change tactics. When he had been running to meet Lenster's forces, he had been running along the edge of some small woods. He knew that he was going to have to lure the enemy in to the point that Celice could attack with his sword, and he also knew that he would need cover in order to do so. Acting as if he had lost the will to fight, Celice sprinted into the woods. He followed the path in for a few hundred feet, then ran off the path and situated himself behind a particularly large oak. After a moment, he heard the sound of hooves hitting the dirt nearby. He heard the knight mutter, "Now where did that brat run off to . . . ?" and took that as his cue to strike.
Celice turned around and leaped out from behind the tree. However, the enemy's reflexes were quick, and he was able to get a shot off with his bow. Celice tried to dodge, but to no avail–he screamed in pain as the arrow lodged itself in his lower-left abdomen. Despite this, he still was able to leap toward his enemy and thrust his sword forward. A few seconds later, he dislodged the blade from the man's chest, and watched him fall from his horse's saddle. The horse, realizing that its rider was on his deathbed, galloped out of the woods.
The pain from his wound struck Celice hard as his adrenaline slowed. Through the pain, Celice bowed his head to the latest casualty of war. Despite leading an army, Celice detested killing. However, he knew he had to if Jugdral were ever to be free again. Clutching the area around the arrow, which, for fear of blood loss, he left in his body, he began to make his way out of the woods. As he did so, however, he heard more hooves.
Nanna slowed her horse as she approached the injured Celice. She dismounted as soon as the horse came to a stop, but was very careful to put most of her weight on her uninjured leg. Seeing that she was injured, Celice protested. "No, stay on your horse. You're injured, too."
"I can handle it," Nanna replied. "However, your injury needs immediate attention." She gestured to the Heal staff in her hand. "My magic isn't terribly strong, I'm afraid, but I should be able to heal your wound. Just hold still."
Nanna limped over to where Celice stood. Clenching his teeth, Celice moved his arms away from his lower chest and stood up straight. Nanna bent down so that she was eye-level with the arrow. "I'm sorry, but this is probably going to hurt." With one swift motion, she yanked the arrow out. Celice shouted in pain, though it was nothing compared to the pain he had felt when the arrow first entered his abdomen. Blood began to flow from the open wound, but Nanna pulled out a strip of cloth and pressed it to the wound. She then took her staff and touched it to the area of the cloth where the wound was, and muttered a soft, short incantation. Immediately, the bleeding stopped and the wound closed. Nanna then took the cloth, pulled out a sword, and cut off the part with Celice's blood. She then tried to get up, but as she put too much weight on her injured leg, shrieked in pain and fell toward the ground. Thankfully, Celice was there to catch her. He then set her on the ground, and asked her to lay her right leg on its side. She complied, and Celice knelt down in front of her leg.
As he inspected the wound, Celice said, "Unlike you, I lack healing powers, but I do have some medicine and bandages for wounds on me." He then reached into a small sack strapped to his belt and pulled out a paste. He swiftly pulled out the arrow (Nanna shouted in pain) and applied the paste. This time, Nanna hissed as the paste stung her wound. "Sorry, the paste stings a bit, but it'll keep the wound clean and help the blood coagulate." He then pulled out a strip of cloth himself and wrapped it tightly around Nanna's leg. He finished it off by tying it, with the knot right in front of her shin. "There. You should probably keep off it for a while longer, but it won't get infected, nor will it leave a scar." He then grabbed the roll of cloth, which he had sat next to him, and found himself looking at an awkward sight. Due to the fact that Nanna's legs weren't together, he could see a little way up her skirt.
The next thing Celice knew, he heard someone shout "YEEEEK!" and felt something smack him across the face. The blow came with so much force that Celice was knocked sideways. As soon as he realized what happened, his face turned beet-red. He sat up and exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear! It was an accident, I tell you! You have to believe me!"
Nanna looked at Celice as he apologized. With the amount of apologizing Celice was doing, she had a hard time not believing him. "Actually, I think I should apologize. You did treat my wound, after all. That was just a reflex action. And it really doesn't do for me to hit the leader of the rebellion."
The red left Celice's face, which made the red handprint on his left cheek all the more visible. "That was your sword arm, wasn't it?" Celice asked, gingerly rubbing his cheek. Nanna nodded. "So, it seems you know who I am. Now, who are you?"
Nanna gasped. She had gotten so preoccupied with the Freege knight that she had forgotten about her objective. "We don't have much time! We need to get north as soon as possible!" She quickly climbed her horse. "Come on, we'll save time if you ride with me."
"All right, but who are you?" Celice asked as he climbed up behind Nanna.
"My name is Nanna. I'm with the Lenster forces just north of here," Nanna replied.
"Ah, now everything's making sense," Celice said. "Well then, please, take me to Leaf as soon as possible."
"That's my plan, but . . . " Nanna bit her lip. "With all due respect, Prince Celice, Prince Leaf and Sir Fin are fighting an entire group of Alster troops on their own. They sent me for reinforcements. I mean you no offense, but shouldn't we find more troops? I don't think one more will add to our success rate."
"No offense taken, Nanna," Celice responded. "However, I should be enough to help you win. In addition to the sword my father left me, a thief named Patty gave me a Hero Sword in the Yied Desert. With either one of those swords in my hands, I should prove more than a match for any armor knight Alster sends my way. I know that neither is the holy sword Tyrfing, but . . . "
"All right, if you say so, I'll put my faith in you, Prince," Nanna said. She then ordered her horse to run north.
-1-
"Is that the last of your wounds, Sir Fin?"
Fin nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Nanna." He then looked at Celice. "And I owe you much thanks as well, Prince."
"I couldn't let you die, could I?" Celice remarked. "I'm going to need all the help I can get, and the fewer deaths, the better."
"Prince Celice . . . " Leaf began, but Celice held up his hand to cut him off.
"We're cousins, aren't we? Then let's drop the formalities unless we're in court."
"As you wish, Pr–I mean, Celice," Leaf replied. "Anyway, I wanted to know where the remainder of your troops are."
"Well, according to Oifaye's report, they were fighting the bulk of Alster's forces, and were preparing to advance on the castle," Celice answered. "And speak of the devil, here he comes now!"
Sure enough, Oifaye rode toward the spot where the four warriors rested. He came to a stop before Celice. "Your Highness, I am glad to report that the castle is completely surrounded and Lord Aless engaged Lord Blume."
"So does that mean Blume is dead?" Celice asked.
"Unfortunately, no, Lord Blume escaped," Oifaye answered. "He was last seen fleeing east. I believe he may be heading for Conote."
"Thanks, Oifaye. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Oifaye turned around to ride back, but was stopped by a voice. "Sir Oifaye, did you mention the name Aless?" Nanna asked.
Oifaye turned to Nanna. "You must be Lady Nanna, then. Yes, Lord Aless is among our ranks. However . . . "
"However?" Nanna repeated. This time, she was answered by Celice.
"I'm afraid Aless wishes to exact revenge on me."
"Why is that?" Nanna asked.
Celice sighed. "He believes that his father died by my father's hand. No amount of persuasion has managed to convince him otherwise. Not even the word of Oifaye, Prince Shanan, and Levin, all of whom were present at that battle and know that Lord Eltshan had been wrongfully accused of treason and beheaded by the late King Shagaal, was enough to convince him."
"I can take care of that," Nanna stated. "My mother left in my possession a letter that my uncle Eltshan wrote for my cousin about that incident. I would imagine that his word is more than enough for him."
"Very well, then, you may present Lord Eltshan's letter once you see Lord Aless," Oifaye replied. He then turned to Celice. "Your Highness, I pardon for being so forward, but I think we would make better time if you were to ride along with me."
"I couldn't agree more with you, Oifaye," replied Celice. With that, he mounted Oifaye's horse, sat behind the veteran knight, and rode as the horse took off at full speed toward Alster Castle.
