This story here is based on one of my playthrough of Fate's Conquest game. The main pairings are:

Camilla x Keaton, Xander x Peri, Corrin x Silas. There's a lot more, but I get the feeling this story will be a collection of drabbled/sneak peaks at their life. There's a main story behind it, but I'll update it sporadically, because school, life, and other fic projects took over my life. I had started this a while ago, so I have more chapters written yet, but I wanted to see the reception of this first chapter. I'm someone who work with feedback. I've always loved Fire emblem and written a lot of fics that are far too ambitious to ever be published. This one holds itself together easily with fewer chapters, so I get the feeling I can complete it.

Rating T for now, because despite some light smuts coming up, I don't think we'll cross into full M category. If you think I'm wrong, feel free to tell me so.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

My every dark sides

Chapter 1

Keaton couldn't believe his luck. Most people around the camp had no taste for real treasure. But he knew when he had something marvellous in front of him. Bones, dead animals, rare bugs, special shards of glass, shiny fur. He also knew which women in camp made head turns. Elise, Nyx and Mozu were all cute. Beruka was scary, but not as much as Charlotte when she would get mad at him. But despite the tall and strong Corrin, the sharp-tongued Selena, he always ended up looking after another one. He'd never thought a human woman would catch his fancy. But lady Camilla was something else. On the battlefield, it was easy fighting alongside her. He could feel how much she cared for her comrades beneath her strength. He trusted her almost instantly.

And now she had accepted marrying him!

"Yessssss!"

"Keaton, do you really have to wag your tail like that?"

"I'm not…"

Looking down, he realized she was right. He was an open book in this form.

"Damn tail. I'm just so glad you said yes!" he insisted, running a nervous hand trough his hair.

Camilla looked as confident as always, despite the light blush on her cheeks. He had no idea if he could try holding her even though she'd agreed to his proposal.

"Would it be alright if we went out together to buy rings? Real rings?"

"What's wrong with the one I found?" he asked, barely refraining from pouting.

It was a shiny silvery thing with dark stones. A little green muss here and there, and the smell was just like a dark forest. It felt perfect! Camilla simply smiled, rolling her eyes in good humor. She was happy. She closed his fingers over the ring in his palm.

"I want a ring that hasn't been worn by anyone before me. You don't have to worry about gold or anything."

"I can find gold if that's what you like."

"Keaton, please, I'm not marrying you for money. I love you."

That reminded him of her attraction for the blood scent on him. The dark sides he supposedly hid. Keaton had never thought that he hid anything well. He felt a mixture of worries and butterflies fluttering together in his stomach. On impulse, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand towards his face. Her smell was almost intoxicating.

"What are you…?!"

Her cheeks flushed, because a glint of something new, something not childish at all in his eyes had just washed over her.

"We can hold hands, right?"

The glint was already disappearing and Camilla blinked in surprise. Keaton was laughing heartily and it made her heart soar. He was genuinely happy. She let him hold her hand, surprised by the fact this simple gesture she had shared with her brothers and sisters so many times before suddenly felt much more intimate. Somehow, she wondered if her relationship with the wolfskin would evolve too slowly to her own taste.

…

"They've got archers!" Xander warned her.

"I noticed!" Camilla retorted, pulling hard on her wyvern's reins. Keaton was on the ground just below her, growling angrily.

Their marriage had been delayed by a few things. Like the sudden invasion on their castle grounds. Camilla had rushed to the front, ready to take out anyone standing in her way. She was strong and well trained, but archers were dangerous for her mount. She casted a thunder spell just as the arrow was launched. Her wyvern panicked, his left wing torn apart. The wind threw her hair in her face while they both fell, turning in dangerous loops. Camilla had trained for such cases, but the fear was still there.

Let go and make sure to fall well, she tried to tell herself over the battle noises. Shrieks, steel against steel, horses neighing and orders shouted around. She heard a guttural sound and a howl. Her ears couldn't distinguish the human voice from the wolf's.

Was he alright?

A scaly wing hit her in the face, drawing blood. Her circlet dug into her head as she got hit by another part of her wyvern, before to fall flat on the uneven ground. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her book had fallen from her hands, her mind was still turning, falling. The ground seemed to shift beneath her. She grabbed for it. Her left arm didn't move right. She tried assessing the damage. A dull ache in the back of her neck. Ribs broken. She managed to breathe.

I need to see!

A paw covered her back, literally gathered her and laid her on the real ground. She saw the white fur on his stomach. Felt his shadow covering hers. Keaton had cushioned her fall and was now shielding her from the enemy, guarding her like a mad animal. She tried to remove the blood running from her forehead and to push back her hair, but her circlet had broken and her lilac locks were everywhere.

"Keaton?"

It was Xandar's voice. It sounded tired, but mostly worried. She noticed that the battle was over. Corrin was looking for more invaders while Elise ran around their base, fixing wounds. And Keaton stood over her, snarling at her elder brother.

Camilla tried to raise herself, but Keaton's hand kept her beneath him. His fur had turned back into his half buttoned and over-shirt. He was shaking slightly, but she could tell he was ready to shift right back.

"Don't take another step." The wolf warned Xander, a deep rumbling in his throat.

She couldn't see his eyes but she knew the dark bloodlust was there. She had to let him know it was okay.

"Keat… Keaton." She croaked.

Her armor felt too tight around her ribs, but she forgot that as he looked down to her. There was blood on his face too, on his lower lip and splashed over his chin and cheeks. His nostrils were dilated and he was breathing fast. She'd never seen him like that. His ears were pulled back but they lowered in anxiety as he saw the fear in her eyes.

"Camilla?"

"I'm fine."

Keaton gritted his teeth together at that. She didn't look fine. Scarlet drips of blood were drying on her hair, a slash was running across her face and he could almost smell her broken bones. His shoulders jumped and he had to hold everything back not to collapse over her in a stuttering, trembling mess.

"I'm sorry. I should have been faste..."

He was interrupted by Xander pushing him away, so that Jakob would be able to fix her wounds. Camilla watched as if she wasn't there, as Keaton snapped his teeth in anger and roared. The future king waved his sword at him, ordering him to stand back.

"If you want her to be better, you'll stay away."

Camilla wanted to yell at Xander, at everyone. Why were they reacting like this? Why did they acted so warry of Keaton suddenly? He loved her, of course he would overreact over something like this. The wolf walked away and her voice wouldn't come out as Corrin's butler fixed rib after rib, awakening pain to accelerate the healing process. Her brother was livid and Jakob stayed professional as always. As soon as he was done, she asked Xander to help her to her feet.

"You shouldn't push yourself."

"And you shouldn't tell me what to do!"

"Camilla, are you okay?!" Elise asked, tears showing up in her eyes.

"I'm fine, sweetie, I'm all fixed up. Where's… Where's Keaton?"

"I think he needs time alone," Leo warned her.

"That's the last thing he…!"

"Camilla, you should listen to them. Your fiancé…"

Corrin sadly pointed the archer's body, a few meters away and she noticed the man's head had been ripped off. The flesh was messily torn. Fangs had done this. She understood why everyone looked so scared. Keaton had never acted so violently towards an enemy before. And his rage had almost been directed at Xander before that he came back to his senses.

"What do you think I'd do if someone tried hurting you, Corrin?!"

Her darling sister shook her head.

"He wasn't himself, Camilla. You should have seen his eyes. He wouldn't let us near you until you talked to him." Xander reminded her.

"Listen, I need to see him."

"Maybe you should give him time. Look after your wyvern, if something can be done for the poor beast." Leo suggested.

Camilla felt torn apart. Keaton had just shown her another part of himself and everyone else had dejected him. But she couldn't be foolish. It would be a bad example for Elise. And Corrin. She sighed deeply.

"Fine."

But she was talking to him before the next sunrise.

…

It was late in the night when she managed to slip out of camp to look around for her fiancé. Keaton had shut himself in a cave and was chewing on a bone when she threw a rock inside his refuge. Camilla didn't want to meet a bear without a moment notice.

"Go away." He barked angrily.

She walked right in, her smile falling upside down as she realized just how dark the cave was. She could barely make out his eyes in the darkness and not much else.

"Keaton? It's me."

"I know. I can tell by your smell."

"Does this mean I should have taken a bath?"

He lowered his ears and sniffed once, sadness filling his words.

"You always smell nice."

Butterflies sore in her chest and she forced herself to remain calm and unflustered. It was foolish and given her fiancé's tastes, she didn't know if it could be considered a compliment. Camilla followed his voice, palping her way inside his temporary lair.

"Can you see in here?"

"Better than…" He paused and sighed. "I think you should go back to camp."

"Keaton…"

He shuffled away from her just as she was closing in and she almost tripped on the bones scattered on the ground.

"What are those? They're not humans are they?"

"Some deer. There were wolfs here at another time."

That explained the foul smell that was invading her nose. She held back a grimace and breathed out, making sure to breathe in with her mouth.

"Keaton, I came all the way here to be with you, so don't run."

She gave him time to answer and wasn't entirely surprised with his whiny tone.

"Why? I almost attacked your brother…"

Making him talk was all part of her plan to catch up to him. Her hand fell on his tight and she gripped him, making sure he wouldn't get away this time, not caring about being improper or not. She wrapped her arms around his torso, feeling him tensing up next to her. His breathing went erratic and the panic was back in her heart at the idea he could be scared of being with her.

"It's okay." She tried to reassure him.

"You're still hurt. I wasn't fast enough and afterwards… I almost lost it."

"It's okay, Keaton." She repeated.

"You were scared too."

"Not by you. Never by you."

He gulped down, his fluffy ears twitching on his head. He was scared shitless. He needed her safe. How could he become her husband if he wasn't strong enough to defend her?

"Keaton, stop beating yourself up over it. I told you before… I like those dark parts of yourself you're trying to hide."

His arms pulled her closer to him as he started shaking for real.

"I've never went this far, Camilla. I've never felt this lost before. I don't know what I could do if you…"

She shivered in his arms, realizing just how much he cared about her. Enough to go mad if she died. It was a bit scary, even for her, but at the same time… It made her love him even more.

"I'm here, Keaton."

She stroked his shoulders, feeling the trembling that he was desperately trying to hold back.

"Will you still be mine, Camilla?"

His hands fell to the small of her back and pressed her flush against him. She heard him breathing hard and gulping down as he waited for her answer. His tail was moving behind them in swift, nervous motions.

"I..."

Her hand hovered above his heart, beating madly in his ribcage. She felt just as nervous as him, held this close, feeling his warmth but unable to see his eyes clearly.

"Only if you're also mine." She whispered.

He relaxed and stroked his face against hers, his nose blowing hot air on her forehead and ears.

"Keaton, look at me."

He obliged her, the brief flash of his smile glinting in the dark cave. His eyes were the same deep crimson, so similar to blood, yet they grounded her. She slid her hands up his shoulders, framing his face.

"I'm yours." She told him, their eyes locked together.

That seemed to unlock something within him. She barely blinked and his lips were on hers, at first an hesitant caress, but as soon as she relaxed in his embrace, he let go of his restraint and became demanding. He gathered her hair in one hand, holding her closer. She had to bent her neck and turn her head slightly, but she kissed him back even if the position was unfamiliar. His lips were drawing something new in her, Camilla felt heat rushing to all the wrong places, but this felt so damn right. The cave's smell was almost forgotten as she discovered how feverish her wolf man could be.

He tasted like blood and sweat and she should have been afraid. But she had been trained by Garon himself in blood and sweat and worse. It might be insane, but she belonged in those arms. Something wild lurked in that man, just as wild as the violence she could unleash on her enemies. She felt his hands on her scalp, on her nape, running down her back. Keaton was working on pure instincts and he liked how she reacted to him. Her curves were welcoming his every touch. Although she wouldn't let go of his head, not wanting the kisses to stop. They soon parted for air and her hands slid to his chest, starting a fire in his heart.

"I'm all yours, Camilla, all yours. I'll make you happy, I swear."

He was genuine again, in a sincerity that almost hurt. Camilla had never thought happiness suited her.

"Let me see you in the light, Keaton."

He guided her out of the cave, being careful to watch her every step, a hand on the small of her back, the other holding her wrist gently, not at all commanding, but guiding her all the same. There was nothing childish about his demeanour right now, but for some reason, she knew most of it would be gone as soon as they'd reach their base. He would reveal himself only for her.

Better make it last.

As they walked out and into the small forest, the cold air hit them both like a freezing shower. The night was fresh and slightly damp. She took a good look at him, his sharp chin, the white and black mane falling down his shoulders. His fluffy ears, moving as he detailed their surroundings. His thin lips curved up in the corners, lips she was eager to kiss again. She removed some dried blood from his cheek. Their eyes locked together and she shook her head, a tender expression on her face as he was clearly tensing.

"I'm not afraid of you, darling."

The sweet name granted her a tighter embrace.

"Like what you see?"

She laughed at his cheekiness.

"Very much. Get down here."

His barking laugh resounded in the night as he raised her in his arms for another kiss, and then a dozen more. She surrendered herself to him entirely. Until his lips slipped down her jaw and his tongue ran over her neck, his teeth barely grazing her skin. Her moan surprised her and she pushed him away as gently as she could, feeling like a hot mess that had nothing to do with a princess.

"Why don't we save some for the wedding night?"

He nodded, panting and scratching the back of his neck to regain a bit of his countenance. His tail was wagging.

"Don't do that when you kiss me," she asked him, trying to grab the furry appendage.

"Hey, don't touch it! It's… it's rude." He stammered, paling a bit as he evaded her.

"But you wag it like that whenever you find some disgusting bug. I'm not a bug!"

"I can tell you're the greatest treasure I'd ever find. I'm just… really happy."

He sounded ready to apologize and she smiled, still flushed from their furious make-out session.

"I don't think that word even began to describe it."

She hugged him close and noticed something new, poking at her.

"You are more than just happy," she teased him.

"I didn't mean… Well I did but…"

He could dig himself quite a hole when he started.

"It's okay, as long as you don't grind on my leg like a dog. Elise had one who'd do that and it…"

"I'd never do that!" he protested, taking a step away from her, looking mortified that she'd even think he could...

All her teasing was just to hide her own shyness. She decided to slightly switch the subject.

"Keaton, have you… ever been with other women?"

Camilla lowered her eyes, feeling a bit ashamed to even ask him. But he sounded a lot more experienced then she'd thought about this kind of situation. And the way he'd kissed her…

"Nope. When we wolfskin mate, it's forever."

She noticed his sheepish grin and felt a mixture of relief and fear. Did wolfskin live a lot longer than human? She didn't want him alone if she were to die, be it on the battlefield or from old age.

"Did you… What about you, Camilla?"

For some reason, this line of thought brought her to a memory she had thought buried far and deep within her mind. Garon had been a good father, but he treated his daughters differently than his sons. Since she was aiming to become a warrior and a wyvern rider at that, the king had worried for her safety and integrity. When she was fourteen, Garon had literally forced Camilla to watch what the horror of wars could mean for a woman. Ordering her never to fall prey to such indignity. And foremost, forcing her to look as some unknown servant was used like an animal by a monstrous man, repeating to her the words: "Don't let it break you, my eldest daughter. You're stronger than that."

At the time, she had felt a great disgust for men and even repulsion whenever someone that wasn't one of her brothers tried touching her. She cuddled her two sisters even more, worried that something, anything close to the atrocity she'd seen could happen to either of them. Camilla never really worried about herself. Unless she loved a man, she wouldn't let anyone close to her. She wouldn't fall prey to her own desires, not if it meant being a helpless puppet in dirty hands. She paled so much that Keaton panicked.

"Are you okay? Did… Did anyone tried to hurt you in the past?!"

He sounded ready to tear off more throats and his indignation would have been heartwarming if she didn't feel chilled to the bones by her dark memories. Now that she thought of it, her father had orchestrated the whole ordeal, pretending the man was from Hoshido, throwing one innocent girl in his hands, an innocent girl that could have been her dear Corrin if Garon had been slightly more deranged. At fourteen, she had lost what little remained of her innocence and was asked to kill the Hoshidan monster. His blood was the first that fell on her hands and she had felt just as raped as the poor maiden… That one had been killed too, to ease her suffering. Garon kept telling her not to break and Camilla hadn't been able to talk about the whole ordeal to anyone, Leo being too young, her sisters not needing that kind of imagery. And Xander… She knew Xander would have listened. Xander would have understood why she'd scream when she woke up in the middle of the night, but Xander would have been so disappointed in their father and she couldn't do that to him. He already had far too much on his plate.

So instead she'd dwelled in her own nightmares. Trying hard not to break, not to show weakness. She had flirted in court, but her heart was devoid of hope at that time. All those she could trust were her brothers and sisters. Her retainers were both women, and she'd protect them if the need arise, because they had been hurt already by this cruel world they lived in. She hadn't realized she was shaking, suddenly eyeing Keaton with a whole new perspective. The man child hadn't been threatening before. He killed people of course, but it always seemed to be in self-defence. And he loved her. Surely, love made anything that happened between a man and a woman better than what she'd seen and heard. Kissing him just now must have been the proof to that. Camilla didn't want to allow fear into her heart, but Garon had set it there long ago and the nightmare she'd thought forgotten was still vivid.

"Camilla, please, what's wrong? Is it something I said?"

"No, no." She sighed, coming back to herself, realizing she was shaking slightly, realizing that her hands were frozen in his. She felt small and not as confident as she should, but Keaton was looking at her with nothing but worry in his red eyes.

"If any man ever tried to…"

She shook her head and a tear fell down, making her gasp in shock. Why was she so emotional?

"I've never… No man ever did anything to me. Not-to-me." She said in one shaky breath.

Keaton's ears rose on his head and she could tell he was still worried. She felt stupid, standing there, filled with fears when she could tell this man respected her and loved her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing hard as she tried to tamper down the memories flashing back in her mind. And all she could think was that she couldn't break. She couldn't break down after all this time. Not when her life was slowly getting normal. Not when the war could be won and peace earned.

"Camilla?" His voice sounded weak, saturated by emotion.

How could she say it was fine when she still shook this much, when she gripped on his shirt as if her life depended on it?

"I…"

"It's okay. Whatever happened in the past, to you or to anyone. It's okay, Camilla."

Don't break, don't break, don't break.

His arms held her with all the strength he dared to use around her. She felt safe here, even if she could hear his heart beating madly, even if she felt lost and terrified.

"I won't break." She mumbled into his chest.

"It's okay," he repeated. "I'm here to help and fix you."

That almost made her laugh. She tried picturing what he would bring her in hope to fix her. She held on tighter to him and broke down instead.

To be continued…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

I just love Keaton. And somehow, I love him better with Camilla then anyone else. We'll have Elise with Kaze and Leo with Azura, but I see them as side pairings. I really want to focus on Camilla and Xander's relationships here. Please review to let me know what you think.