Author's Note: This is a Post-Conquest story that follows the events of Caeldori as she lives in Ylisse exiled from her home in Hoshido. Pairings are undecided so comment any you would like to see in the future. This is rated T for mostly just violence and maybe suggestive themes.
Caeldori stood in horror at the scene that in front of her. What was once her lively home turned to a sight of massacre, servants and soldiers alike littered the grounds. The invisible soldiers stood unnerved as they butchered her caretakers. Never did they stay their hands even after her subjects surrendered, it made her weep openly. There was no savior, no hero, and not even her father to make matters right. She was daughter of the queen, Hinoka, yet she helplessly let those precious to her in die droves.
As she hesitated to take action, the Nohrian task force sent to the Shirasagi's aid was slowly being quelled. Even the renowned guard under the command of the Nohrian war hero Corrin stood no chance in defeating the invading forces. Shirasagi, and soon to be all of Hoshido, was doomed. The invisible forces simply overwhelmed their already tattered nation. The final Nohr-Hoshido War ended in the enemy's victory, however so too did the Nohrian King fall and his top constitutes were prosecuted. While peace remained for a time, the scars of the war could never be healed, the mass graves made that very evident.
The poor princess realized that Hoshido had not the manpower to retaliate or even defend in another conquest. She cried out as an invisible swordsman dawned a blade toward her. In a brief moment, the ghostly mercenary was pushed back by a guard naginata. Caeldori turned to see her father, barely keeping the enemy's blade in a parry. "Caeldori, what are you still doing here? You need to leave now. The palace is unsafe." He exclaimed, his voice deflected the calm and collected image she had of him. He spoke cold and callus, it was his desperate plea. Her entire body trembled. Her source of security withered down by nameless legionaries.
While the redhead remained reluctant, another call was made at her. "Do I need to repeat myself?!" In an even harsher tone, it was clear he could not hold back the phantom back any longer. His strength was not unmatched, unlike how he was framed in her childhood stories.
"But I can't—" she was cut off by Subaki's groan as the mercenary counter broke the defensive stance. The blade nicked her father's once perfect face, blood trickled down from his cheek. Her legs for some reason regained their strength. Caeldori withdrew a fallen naginata from the palace's ground. With a cry, her weapon cut sloppily through the mercenary. "I can help too!" With the duo, the redhead found certainty that the situation could be managed. Her denial was self-evident, but her duty as the kingdom's crown princess turned her purposefully ignorant.
"Caeldori, there are many more to come. Even together, we can't fight them all off. Had Lord Ryoma still been… please, you must heed my warning." He reiterated, "As the crown princess, the Dawn Dragon's blood lives in you. Shirasagi is lost, but you can still live on. With you alive, Hoshido can continue on."
"But I can't leave you to die!" She protested adamantly, she knew her father to be a martyr type. It was a core belief of all retainer's to place their liege's life above their own. The tales of his unwavering loyalty to his aunt was what made him legendary amongst the pegasus knights. What Caeldori considered fool hearty, Subaki considered it honorable. Though, she was a walking contradiction, especially with her insistence to stay behind.
"Caeldori, do you doubt my abilities?" It was a bluff. The redhead could read her father well, and this scenario screened of him making excuses. Her blind following of his word held her back from tuning on what else he had to iterate. "I can handle myself, you need not worry about me. I will catch up." His half-hearted smile was deceptive, and his prideful tone was equally artificial.
"If you s-say so, daddy." She could not even believe herself. "Dad watch out!" She called out seeing an outlaw aim his bow toward the elder's body. Though her cry fell on deaf ears as the arrow was already flung, it made contact through his chest. Her eyes widened to the horrifying scene, bile rose in her throat. Had she not the maturity, any child her age would have broken down crying.
Subaki coughed up blood, his gaze lazily searched for his kin. The blood loss seemingly already took a toll on the man's vision. "Run!" Another arrow whizzed by, this time it breached the armor atop his shoulder.
Caeldori broke into a mad sprint, scared for her life and not wanting to see her father's last moments. While running, she had a better view of the full extent of the devastation. The plentiful number of invisible soldiers she observed in her path were only a precursor for the army that overran the citadel.
Once in the courtyard, there she spotted the last stand of the royal guards and good number of devotees to the once traitor of Hoshido. Amongst the living, there were quite a few unfamiliar Nohrian faces and some relatives. Her uncle figure and retainer, Azama, tended to the wounded while her mother's other retainer, Setsuna, laid down cover-fire at the distant outlaws.
"Princess Caeldori?" The guards called as if they forgot their precarious position. The priest soon turned to make eye contact with the young girl, even fear showed itself in his squined eyes.
"Caeldori, you're not harmed are you?" Those words betrayed how she originally saw him. Rather than the nihilistic priest that gave pointless wisdom to her mother whenever she was suffering an episode, he was a desperate individual who was suffocated by the weight of his position.
"I am completely fine, Uncle Azama. Is everyone alright?" She responded worried.
"All is well and good err—not really. Even with added reinforcements from Nohr, we don't stand a chance of winning." He frowned, sweat beads fell from his brow all the while. "But since you're safe it is great now. We don't have to stall any longer. I can finally accept my death laying it down to see your safe flight." Her mind froze at his final words. To think that so many of persons chose to lay down their lives for a hapless princess, it was nothing short of confounding to Caeldori. Her mother went on at length of how it was the royal's duty to serve the common folk, yet the entirety of Shirasagi willingly sacrificed themselves to see to her survival.
"What do you mean?!" She cried, only to be silenced as a Nohrian paladin pulled her onto his horse. "Let me go!" The man's grip was harsh, though Caeldori suspected that there was no vendetta in his treatment.
"I am afraid I cannot, Lord Corrin told me to protect his family. Azama, Setsuna, I will be off now." The two retainers nodded in response, finally they voiced their gratitude before turning back to the fray. The redhead struggled to free herself from the captor's grip. If she let the horseman do as he pleased, Caeldori feared she would never see her adoptive family members ever again. Her whimpering was no vice in relieving the guilt that collected on her chest.
"Mitama..." The princess overheard Azama mutter as he healed an already bleeding Setsuna. Both, no, all of the remaining soldiers barely had the strength to stand from what Caeldori could observe. The pitiful sight crushed her confidence. Her preconceived notion of the Dawn Kingdom's prestige shattered by a mysterious foe.
The horse made quick work as the castle's limits came into distance. That was until a wave of combatants manifested, throwing javelins and firing arrows in their direction. It was almost as if the abominations were given the strict order to see to the annihilation of every person in the vicinity. The paladin fortunately dodged the bulk of attacks, but his horse took a near fatal strike from an unlucky arrow.
"Sophie please forgive your father." He muttered, a tear fell from his helm. The scenario was a mirror of what happened prior with both Azama and Subaki. With a push, the young girl fell from the horse abruptly. "For milord, you must live on. I can no longer hold them at bay. I give my life to you, princess. Please, use it to survive and live another day." In a last charge, the man disappeared into the battlefield with sword in hand.
While she outran any pursuers, her providence ran out upon finding herself pinned to a wall. Enemies slowly emerging from all sides, her pursuit was over. Her life was near its end. Caeldori knew not how to act in the face of one's own mortality. The moment seemed so surreal. In disbelief, she closed her eyes and prayed for it to be quick. "Like you're gonna have such a cowardly death!" She heard a shout, to which caused her head to spin to where the new voice originated from.
Clad in Nohrian mercenary armor, a woman, armed with only a steel sword, scowled at her. The attitude was a complete contrast from the respect given to her by the retainers. Had she not already been gaping at her newfound hope, she might have been in shock at the unexplained grudge against her. "Foolish kid, you look so stupid with that sad expression on your face." The juvenile insult did little to faze her.
"W-Who are you?"
"I'm Selena, retainer of Princess Camilla and tasked with the mission of saving Lord Corrin's precious niece." She bellowed proudly, though her eyes turned to a squint a second later. "Now don't go acting all high and mighty now that you know I'm just a soldier." She groaned, though Caeldori had to admit her annoyance did not sound genuine. "I don't need some princess commanding me to do backflips for a last request."
The redhead felt something amiss with the woman. While Selena was unkind, she could almost forgive any affront flung her way. In the eyes of the redhead, she noticed the Nohrian reflect a similar fear. It was puzzling to say the least.
"Is something the matter? You keep giving me glares."
"No! Shut up!" For a brief moment, her harsh remark prolonged the silence. "Look, I'm sorry for my behavior. It's just your face- it really pisses me off."
"W-What why?"
She seemed hesitant to answer first, only to come to an epiphany. Her expression immediately reverted from the noticeable realization to how she held herself just prior. "It reminds me of someone dear to me." She confessed begrudgingly, but an equal amount of relief was perceptible too. "You, uh, look like myself. I had that same silly look on my face when I was your age, and it annoys the hell out of me seeing it."
Before Caeldori could even respond, the steps of the many of soldiers sounded. They acted in one cohesive unit, by far too organized to be either Nohr or Hoshido in this skirmish. "Look we are wasting time; I have a way to get you out of here." Selena voiced, the princess was shocked by this news. There was no mount in any directions, it all smelled of a bluff.
"Wait, how? Surely you can't be serious, those monsters blocked every route!" It was a guess grounded in her own intuition. She was praised by her father as a genius for a reason after all. "Unless you have a wyverns or pegasus that can dodge a flurry of arrows, we are dead." Caeldori said frustrated, all these constant orders and promises ran her thin. Her hope could not take another loss.
"Who said anything about a path?" She held in her hand a crystal. "This was supposed to be for myself, but your idiotic expression made me change my mind. Gods, how grateful you should feel! I'm leaving behind so much for you! So many people dear to me who will never know my fate. Maybe, you can have the curtesy to pass on the grim news to everyone. Ol' Sevy has reached her conclusion. I don't even get to say goodbye to moth—my friends or father!" She spoke furiously while readying the item. "Use this portal to escape." She instructed as the crystal disintegrated into a bright hole.
"Will you be coming with me?" For some reason, the older woman gave her a strange feeling inside. Whether it was out of sympathy or some other reason, there was something unique about the hero. Not like that knight or Uncle Azama, but in her heart there was some sort of feeling that bridged the two of them. It was hard to describe for Caeldori.
"Afraid I can't, this thing only allows one person to leave. Looks like it's the end of the road for me, damn to think it ends here. I hope they'll all forgive me." Selena said to herself, the fear seemed to quiet her up.
The young princess made steps toward the portal, despite how she preferred to have seen Selena go instead. She was only a small distance away from the light when she heard a shriek from behind her. With a parting gaze, the sight was frightful. A cloaked swordmaster slung his katana through Selena's abdomen.
"Cordeli- Caeldori don't look back!" The elder cried out; "It's your duty to continue to live. As the princess, carry on your blood and seek adventure. For the path you take will mold you to be a greater person!" She paused, as she coughed out blood. "Y-You must strive for perfection, then even your comrades will look to you for strength. The lives lost today will never go in vain if you keep l-living. Please... Take care of yourself, I-" Selena stopped herself as the crimson liquid poured from her injury.
While she had seen family die and similar strangers fall in such a manner, even more tears streamed down her cheeks as for some odd reason this goodbye tore her apart greatly. She wanted to cry out, but the portal quickly swallowed her whole.
The light vanished and the swordmaster only remained stoic, was it a win or loss he thought. "Caeldori..." he muttered thinking of how familiar that red hair was, his hazy memories shifting to that of a young girl likely now a mother. Though in the end, it mattered little for the cloaked man.
The wayward princess found herself on the forest floor. Surrounded by a dense number of trees, she looked around worriedly. Of course, there she did not find Selena. Caeldori could only remember the image of her death. Tears welled up once more, as she felt hopeless. That was until a voice was heard from a nearby clearing. "Well, well, what do we have here?" A gruff man chuckled.
As the princess peered in, she spotted a girl of her same age approached by a gruff man. He wasn't heavily armed per se but his expression did not seem innocent, "What is a little girl like you doing so far in the woods? There are many dangerous figures in these parts."
"I-I'm lost, I was just wandering around and got separated from my parents." She cried out, certainly fearing for her own life. As the bigger man neared her, he slowly moved his hand toward her wrist.
Caeldori wasted no time in charging the man. She hit into his side and he stumbled. While he was not hurt, he was shocked by the sudden attack. The redhead ushered the brunette girl to scurry deeper into the forest. The two then reached the thicket of woods. Caeldori let out heavy pants as they traveled far enough where the brute could not see them. "Huff huff a-are you hurt?"
The young girl shook her head frantically, as if she could not will herself to even speak. Though as the brute's chants began to disappear, so too did the other collect herself. "Thank you." She muttered quietly.
"It was no problem; did you know that man?"
The other girl shook her head profusely, "Not at all, I think he was a Plegian bandit."
"Plegian?" Caeldori mouthed, the word seemed unrecognizable to her.
"Yes, Plegia. You know the country we are at war at currently?" The stranger gave an equally puzzled look, very strange to find those who knew little of the world. Everyone's fathers and brothers were fighting brutally across the continent; she could only remain clueless as to the redhead's ignorance.
Caeldori cleared her thoughts, "Say... Where are we?" Upon further inspection, the woods that surrounded her seemed to even variate from her Hoshidan counterparts.
The girl titled her head, then with a shrug answered. "We are in Ylisse, not too far from Themis."
While none of it made sense for Caeldori, she knew little of these lands. Clearly Selena's portal took her somewhere knew, she remembered her elder's words. Although young and troubled, she could only imagine that the woman meant that this was where her family was from. It was painful to think she would need to confront her family someday of this news. Caeldori also recognized that it would even a great task just to find her parents.
"What's your name?"
After she heard the other, she broke from her inner turmoil. Her name she thought, she was reluctant to even give it under such circumstances. Even in the off chance that those invisible soldiers were looking for her here, making herself known would be foolish. That was her excuse to herself, but in truth Caeldori felt undeserving of her name. The daughter that fled, the one who left behind her parents and home. Though if not Caeldori then what she wondered to herself.
"Hello? Oh right, mother told me it was impolite not to introduce myself first. I am Sumia, it's a pleasure." She extended her hand after her crude introduction.
While an alias was a smart idea, it was difficult to come up with a name. However, she could not help but remember Selena's stutter. She thought of that mistake, Cordeli she mused. That would have to do she concluded. As she shook Sumia's hand, she spoke up. "My name is Cordelia, it's a pleasure as well."
Please review if there is anything wrong you noticed. Also, I'll be more motivated to write if you provide any ideas. Pairings remain undecided and the plot will mostly follow the events of Awakening and Fates, though suggestions are appreciated regardless.