any, any, the day the sun went out
It hadn't stopped raining since the Emmeryn died, and it felt like it never would.
Lissa hated the rain. She hated getting soaked and muddy and cold, she hated how it drowned everything and hid the sun behind gray clouds, and she hated the sound of it beating against the barracks. It hardly ever rained while Emmeryn was still alive.
"Lissa, darling..."
"It's never going to stop," Lissa sighed. "Oh, Maribelle, it's like the sun's gone forever now!" Immediately she was pulled into an embrace, Maribelle's curls brushing her cheek and hands rubbing her back.
"It's only a rainy spell," the other girl said gently, "it will dry up soon."
"But not for Ylisse." Her eyes stung with tears, even though she'd been sure she'd cried enough to last a lifetime ever since that day. "Without Emmeryn, Ylisse will never see the sunlight again." Only now did she realize the impact Emmeryn had on everyone, on everything. "I...I just don't know what to do anymore, Maribelle. I should've been with her, I shouldn't have tried to play soldier by going off with the Shepherds! I-"
"Oh, darling, there was nothing you could have done." Maribelle's fingers brushed away the tears that had escaped. "Your sister was the most self-sacrificing person who ever lived, and there's no doubt she'd give her life at the drop of a hat to protect her people." And Lissa knew this, a small part of her always did but that didn't make the memory of seeing Emmeryn fall any less painful. I loved you all. Chrom had refused to sacrifice her for the Fire Emblem, so she'd done it for him.
"It's just not fair." She knew she sounded like a child and she didn't care, she just wanted everything back the way it was. No wars, no fighting, the Shepherds' only job being to protect Ylisse from bandits. Emmeryn still alive and smiling and glorious, shining down on all of Ylisse. I loved you all. Stay strong. She didn't feel strong, she felt angry and hurt and lost.
But Maribelle didn't scold her or tell her she was wrong to feel those things. She only held her closer, gentle hands running through her unbound hair and over her back, the softness of her curls brushing her damp cheeks. Maribelle always understood. She always would.
They shared Maribelle's bed that night, never an easy feat due to the other girl's terrible sleeping positions, but Lissa hardly cared. As long as she could be close to Maribelle, she would have slept on rocks. Legs interlocking, hands clasping, the warmth of another body against her own.
She slept without a single dream that night, and in the morning she could have sworn she saw a tiny bit of sun trying to peek through the clouds.