A/N: I don't own Fire Emblem. It belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems
The late morning sun beat down relentlessly on the Liberation Army as they were fighting off the dragon knights of Thracia. The stench of blood, corpses, and exertion wafted through out the humid air. The Liberation Army had been fighting ever since they stepped foot on Thracian soil, but they refused to let the exhaustion consume them. They had but one mission, and it was already halfway complete: subdue Thracia. However for one individual, Leaf, there was another mission, a more personal one. He wanted to find the man who killed his parents, and also reunite with his long-lost sister, Altenna.
When he received the shocking news from his lance knight, Fin, that she still lived, he immediately dedicated his efforts into seeking her out in the chaos. She couldn't be that hard to find, after all there weren't many female dragon knights in Thracia.
But as the fighting wore on, there was still no sign of her, nor the weapon she carried: the Gae Bolg. The morning soon changed into the afternoon, and Leaf was becoming more restless about finding Altenna. It was because of this agitation that nearly caught him off guard when the hilt of a lance struck his side, sending him plummeting into the dirt. His mind registered that he was being attacked and he quickly stumbled to his feet with his sword in hand. When he faced his adversary, he nearly dropped his sword out of awe.
In front of him was a woman with brunette hair much like his own, but it was thicker and came down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a rich chocolate color and her skin was a light shade of tan. She wore heavy, red, battle armor and rode on top of a ferocious dragon. For a moment, Leaf thought he could see his father's resemblance in her, then he noticed the lance in her hand. The Gae Bolg. Yes, this was Altenna.
The Gae Bolg was drawn back, ready to thrust, and Leaf barely had enough to react. He raised his sword in the last second to deflect the attack, barrel rolled out of the way to dodge the next, and scrambled back into a standing position, only to see the tip of the Gae Bolg staring threateningly in his face.
"W-Wait!" Leaf cried. "Sister, stay your weapon!"
"What did you just call me?!" Altenna shouted back. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
"I… my name is Leaf. I'm the prince of Lenster."
"I figured that much. Well, I am Altenna, the princess of Thracia and daughter of Trabant. But I don't know where in your right mind that you thought I was your sister."
Leaf shook his head. "Altenna, you are my sister! Cuan and Ethlin were your real parents, but they were slain seventeen years ago. That person was Trabant; he killed our parents!"
"You're saying that the man whom I believe to be my father was the one responsible for murdering my biological parents? That is nonsense! How dare you make such a broad accusation!"
"Lady Altenna!" Leaf and Altenna glanced over to see Fin riding up on his horse with his daughter Nanna running closely behind.
"How do you know my name?!"
Fin dismounted and ran closer to the dragon knight. "Please hear me out! What Prince Leaf speaks is the truth. I am Fin, a humble knight of Lenster. You may not remember me, but I used to take care of you up until you were three and…"
"I DON'T KNOW YOU!" Altenna screamed. "Stop filling my head with lies or I shall impale you all on my spear!"
"L-Lady Altenna…p-please listen…"
Leaf was confused now. Fin, usually the ever calm and composed one, had a certain desperation in his voice that pleaded for Altenna to listen to his story. He wanted Altenna to be swayed to their side, but for what reason?
Altenna covered her ears. "NO! I will NOT listen! You all speak deception and I WILL punish you gravely for it."
Fin dropped to his knees, defeated. "I should have searched for you…" He whispered. "I could have spared you from these lies…if only I had been concerned to look…"
Altenna felt a little pity, seeing the man looking very remorseful, but that was not enough for her to be moved. "I'm sorry, but this is where you'll die."
"Altenna, no!" Leaf intervened just as Altenna was pulling her lance back, which might have ultimately saved Fin's life. "Altenna, look at me! That's all I ask! Take but one good look…and you'll know that I am your brother…"
Altenna narrowed her eyebrows and clutched her lance even tighter. "This is your last chance, Prince of Lenster. If I see nothing that backs up your claim then you will surely…surely…wha…what is… how could this be?!"
Leaf felt relief course through his very being. She was finally getting it now. However, Altenna wouldn't be easily convinced.
"P-Proof…" She stammered. "Show me proof…that what you say is true…"
Leaf pointed towards the lance in her hand. "That weapon you hold right now, that is the Gae Bolg, the holy treasure of Lenster. Only those of Noba heritage can wield it, and you have that very blood, the blood that our father had."
"Father…" That word left Altenna's lips almost involuntarily. She shook her head, trying desperately to get the image of her real father out of her mind, but whenever she looked at Leaf, she could sense the familiarity of his gaze, and she could suddenly recall memories of her mother as well. These flashbacks were overwhelming, so many questions flooding her mind at once. Who was she? Was she the princess of Thracia or of Lenster? Had she been led astray all these years? She needed these answers now; she wouldn't be able to focus like this. Immediately, she snapped the reigns on her dragon and got out of there as quickly as possible, for she could no longer bear to look at Leaf. If anyone could ease her feelings of doubt, that person would be Trabant. He would get to the bottom of this. Perhaps the exhaustion and stress from the battle was playing mind games on her. Surely he would have a solution to the problem and she could focus more easily.
Leaf felt a sense of dread in his stomach as he saw his sister fly away, disappearing into the distance. She didn't believe him, he couldn't convince her to defect to their side. He was hoping for a happy reunion with her, but now it would never happen. All hope, all yearning that she would be able to recognize him was crushed the instant she turned her dragon away into the skies. A sniff brought him out of his thoughts and he heard very heavy breathing accompanying it afterwards. Leaf turned to see Fin still on his knees, but his head was hunched over, his hands were clenched into fists around his trousers, and his shoulders were trembling like an aftershock. That's when he realized it; Fin was crying. This came as sort of a surprise and a concern to Leaf, as well as for Nanna. Fin had never been the type to openly express his emotions, but here he was, weeping bitterly and full of regret.
"F-Father?!" Nanna rushed to his side in an instant, wrapping her arms around him. "What's wrong? Please tell me!"
"This…this was all my fault. I…I could've…th-things wouldn't have…turned out this way. If…If I had…had only…b-bothered to…search…" Fin's voice broke into small sobs as he could not handle anymore guilt.
"Father, it wasn't your fault…"
But at this point, no words could console Fin. His emotions were too great, and though he wasn't reaching the point of hysteria, there was no way he could compose himself to fight.
Leaf sighed. "Nanna, take him off the battlefield until he calms down."
Nanna looked at him with sadness in her eyes, but just nodded. "Let's go, Father." She said and carefully led Fin to a safer place from the battle.
Leaf watched as they went, and looked back at the skies again. There were so many feelings in him all at once and a small part of him was wanting to break down and cry as well.
"Altenna, please come back to us." He prayed. "Do it for us, for the army, for our parents…for Lenster…"
"That Leaf of Lenster is a blasphemous liar!" Altenna grumbled to herself as she stormed through the halls of the Thracian castle. She pushed away the soldiers guarding the entrance to the throne room and threw open the doors. The loud BANG! echoed throughout all of the castle.
"Altenna, is that you?" Trabant muttered as he saw the dragon knight stalking towards him and his son, Areone. "What are you doing?! You better get your ass back to the battle or else I'll…"
"Fath…!" Altenna started to say, but then caught herself.
"He killed our parents!" Leaf's words really impacted her mind. She couldn't even bring herself to call him "father" anymore. Altenna felt a certain anger boiling up inside of her, but it wasn't from confronting Leaf and Fin earlier.
"Well?!" Trabant started to raise his voice. "What are you doing, standing there with that dim-witted look on your face? Go back to your post!"
Altenna jabbed the sharp end of her lance into the ground and approached Trabant in a menacing manner.
"I only need to know one thing." She seethed. "Was Cuan, the king of Lenster, my true father?"
Trabant glowered back at her. "Who told you? Was it that Leaf kid? Or his knight, Fin?"
"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION! Is…WAS CUAN MY TRUE FATHER?!"
"Altenna…" Areone attempted to cut in.
Trabant said nothing at first, but then the harsh expression on his face slowly dissolved and replaced by a more amused one. Soon, he started to chuckle, which made Altenna's blood run cold.
"Ha, I knew this was coming." He said, with a grim smirk on his face. "Yes, Cuan was your father. But why would you care? I raised you, remember?"
Altenna was breathless, like a weight was crushing her lungs and restricting her voice. "Th-then you did kill them…my parents…"
"Heh, Ethlin was an easy kill. Cuan was pathetic. All I had to do was hold a dagger to your throat and he throws his lance on the ground. I can still see the tears running down his devastated face."
Those words were all it took to make Altenna's rage explode inside of her.
"You…YOU MONSTER! And to think I once saw you as my father…you were just using me for your own ambitions!"
"Yeah, so what? Don't like that? Well I'm sorry, sweetheart, but war is one of life's misfortunes. Get over it."
Altenna lunged towards him but her frame was immediately intercepted by Areone. She struggled furiously with all her might, but Areone was stronger and kept a tight grip on her.
"Let…go of me, Areone!" She said through gritted teeth. "This man deserves to die! Stay outta my way!"
"Altenna, you will desist at once, or I will challenge you myself."
This got Altenna to stop trying to wriggle her way out of Areone's grasp. "No…I can't…I won't fight you!"
"Forget it, Altenna. You have trespassed against Father, and now you will be punished by my own hands!"
Altenna barely managed to emit a sharp yelp as she felt Areone's hand connect with the nerves in her neck, until the world around her became dark.
Four hours passed by until Altenna was able to regain consciousness. When she woke up, her head was throbbing and her neck was numb. A hand rested on her shoulder, giving her a small shake.
"Altenna, are you awake?"
Altenna recognized Areone's voice and was immediately relieved. But as she recalled that afternoon's events, she started to grow unsettled.
"Calm down." Areone said again, carefully helping her onto her feet. "I'm not going to harm you. I only knocked you out so Father wouldn't get any ideas."
"Ah…is that so?" Altenna's vision was fuzzy and her head was still aching, but she could still keep her balance. "Where…is he?"
"…Father? He was felled in battle."
Altenna couldn't say she was surprised, but she did feel somewhat of a shock. "I won't ask about the details. But what should I do?"
"There was a young man named Leaf who was calling for you. I assume he's your brother. You should go meet up with him."
"But what about us?"
"Altenna…it's like my father said. This is one of those life's misfortunes. We jut have to get over it."
"No, Areone!" Altenna clasped his hands. "We don't have to fight! We can call off the troops and end this senseless fighting. I can't bear to be on the opposite side of you!"
"I'm sorry, Altenna." Areone pulled her in for an embrace and lightly stroked her hair. "If my father hadn't told me to do as I see fit, I would call for a truce in a heartbeat." Areone started to feel a lump in his throat and immediately pushed Altenna away from him. "Leave now, Altenna! The next time we meet, we will be adversaries. And we will fight to the death. Now go!"
If she wasn't in such a saddened mood, Altenna would have smack him across the face for saying those sorts of things. But she had no desire for it and reluctantly complied, refusing to look back as she retrieved the Gae Bolg before leaving. As she walked out of the castle, thoughts from her childhood began to set in again, only this time she didn't push them aside. They were a part of her, they would never go away.
The fighting from before had subsided, but the peace would only last until Areone would bring his own battalion out. Altenna couldn't bear to think about that now. She could see the Liberation Army in the distance and slowly made her way towards them, praying that they wouldn't attack her. As she drew nearer, some members did notice her approaching, and though they looked a little surprised, they did not go for their weapons. She paid them no mind, instead continuing to walk towards a young man with long blue hair, whom was talking with a green-haired man. The two finished talking, and the green-haired man walked away, leaving just the other and Altenna. Altenna slowly went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. The man, whom Altenna already guessed to be General Celice, turned around, but then looked at her with a start. She pretended not to notice and went down to business.
"General Celice," Altenna began. It dawned at her that this man was probably her cousin and she briefly wondered if they had any play dates together when they were kids. "My name is Altenna. I'm…" She paused to take a deep breath. "I…am the daughter of the late Cuan and Ethlin, Leaf's older sister. I am requesting to join your ranks…"
It was early evening now, and still no sign of a battle waging. Leaf was really hoping that the Thracians wouldn't attack in the dead of night. He was already exhausted enough, both physically and emotionally from finding Altenna and finally avenging his parents. He sat, sharpening his sword next to Nanna and Fin. Nanna was healing her father's injuries, which he sustained from fighting right after getting control over himself. Not one of them spoke, for a feeling of dread still hung over them like a blanket. The last time they had seen Altenna alive was when she was leaving on her dragon back to the castle, no doubt to talk to Trabant. They hadn't seen her after that and that unsettled all of them. Leaf figured that Trabant killed Altenna for finding out, but the man didn't mention anything of the sort when he fought him. Leaf shook his head and got to work on polishing his weapon.
The sound of footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up to see a figure walking towards them. Fin and Nanna noticed this too and tried to get a glimpse of who it might be. The person finally was near enough to recognize, and the three of them were unprepared for the shock from what they saw: Altenna. Leaf immediately sprang to his feet, with Fin and Nanna following suit. Altenna solely focused on Leaf, whom was just staring agape at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She gave him a small smile, but it vanished when she started to speak.
"You were right." She said softly. "About my old life."
She looked at the Gae Bolg in her hands before handing it off to Fin, who took it with very shaky hands. She was at a loss for words at the moment; what else could she say to someone whom she just found out to be her sibling?
"I…I should've believed you." Altenna stammered a bit over her words. "I'm sorry…"
"No." Leaf responded. "Don't be. You've been led astray for so long. It was beyond your control."
Altenna sighed, but then nodded and smiled warmly at her young brother. "But now I am convinced you were telling the truth. I'm able to remember everything…you are my brother…Leaf…"
Leaf wept in pure happiness. So long had he believed that he was the only one left in his family, but now he had found his sister. He wasn't alone in his family anymore. Altenna was glad as well, despite she was still fairly upset about leaving Areone and the country she grew up with her whole life. However, being here with Leaf, her real brother, started to feel like home too, a home that she could adjust to very quickly.
The two slowly closed the distance between themselves and threw their arms tightly around the other. Brother and sister were, after so long, reunited at last.
A/N: Eh, my first time writing anything for FE4 (though I love the game so much ^_^) I'm not really happy with how this came out, especially with Fin's breakdown and the reunion thing with Leaf and Altenna. I feel like I could've done a bit better with those. Also some things may be out of context because I didn't really understand some of the game that well. But let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome. Flamers...meh, it's very cold in my room, so I'm gonna need the heat ;P