I forgot to add. And it's been pointed out and I feel like a douchebag! But it won't break my stride.

The "Sew" in the title is actually part of a running gag about Ninian. It unfolds throughout the story; someting like this needs a bit of humor splashed around. I certainly hope that people read this even if it looks like a typo/incorrect diction. Maybe I should just change it. Oh well.


Hector of Ostia was just a year older than his friend Eliwood of Pherae when he went through his ascension ceremony to be named leader of not only Ostia, but also the head of the Lycian League. His ceremony took place some three months before Eliwood's own, and in that short time frame, he took – much to everyone's surprise – a meek young knight of Ilia named Florina as his bride. Despite the people's fears, the young lass proved to be more than just charming and sweet; she quickly took it as her own role to help manage Ostia's finances and the likes, and was very popular at court. When Hector and she traveled the distance to the southern coast of Elibe to see Eliwood named Marquess, she had already been accepted in name and popularity much more quickly than any previous Lady of the House.

During the festivities after Eliwood's own ceremony, rumor was abound that the young man, as his dear friend had, would be taking a mere commoner as his own bride. There was abundant proof to feed the curiosities of the maids and the ladies of the foreign court, but the poor girl who was followed by scathing words and glances held herself strong and served her new lord happily – after all, she had only moved to Pherae when Eliwood and his knights had returned from some quest to avenge his late father, and as the truth would be, she had traveled with the lot of them for some time, and she and the new Marquess Pherae were quite a bit closer than one would normally expect. And, as it would be, during the year that Eliwood had traversed the continent in search of truth, Florina of Ostia had befriended Ninian, the maiden who had captured young Lord Eliwood's heart. That was, perhaps, the meeting that triggered a strange fate for the both of them, a calling that could save or destroy the world.

Chapter One : Letters

"I really do miss you a lot," the flowing script read. Florina couldn't help but grin as she read her dear friend's letter – sent by Lord Eliwood's personal courier, of course, for utmost privacy. It had been three years now since she had seen Ninian, since she had attended her marriage to Lord Eliwood alongside her dear, overworked husband. She could remember their parting embrace – the closest of friends, they had become in such a short time. It hurt ever so badly to be this far away, but a council meeting of the Lords of the League was in the process of being scheduled currently, and the possibility of seeing her friend made her smile all the wider.

"The people are beginning to talk, though." The sudden flaws in Ninian's otherwise impeccable writing nearly wiped the happiness right out of Florina's heart. "Lord Eliwood and I have been sharing a bedroom for nigh two years, but I still have not produced an heir, nor even a little girl. I highly doubt I am pregnant as I write this, of course – you mustn't tell anyone, but my dear has been feeling quite under the weather for three weeks now, and he has barely had the strength to kiss me at the end of the night, let alone try for a child." Florina nodded despite herself – she couldn't help but understand that situation all too well, with her husband being the most important person in Lycia currently.

"Forgive me this history lesson, love, but I was raised in a faraway land, and I cannot help but fear that I will never bear a child. Are you familiar with the circumstances of the Scouring? From what I was raised knowing, dragonkind lost the wars because of their inability to reproduce as quickly as the humans. A female dragon cannot bear children more than once every several hundred years, and I think not that Lord Eliwood can wait that long. There is also a possibility that I am not able to conceive at all; you do remember dear Rebecca, do you not? She also misses you very much, but that aside, we had a discussion about my heritage some fortnight ago, and she raised concern that, bless her heart, I would be as fertile as a mule.

"I will try to keep my hopes up despite this all. Lord Eliwood asked for a private audience with me yesterday upon the morn, and he spoke of taking in an orphaned child and feigning a pregnancy if I do not conceive within two more years. I feel terrible when I think of such a thing – it will be the end of the true Pherae bloodline, and it will be my fault, but even so, he tells me every day that he loves me and does not care much about such things as wicked blue blood, so I should not worry myself. He really does lighten the mood more often than not.

"Since I have spoken of Rebecca just now, I thought that it would be best to lighten up this dark topic with some news. It seems that she has missed her monthly cycle twice now – I am rather glad that I do not have this to worry about, but it does make it harder to discern whether or not I could be with child. Anyway, she shows no other sign of her pregnancy, but her husband is right proud of himself for accomplishing this much, and she shows her love for him by scolding him all the more. They were made for each other, I tell you." At this, Florina giggled – Rebecca, who had been appointed as Ninian's first lady-in-waiting, had the patience of a perturbed hornet when it came to one thing: men. And, as fate would have it, she had fallen for a knight of the Caelin canton who was known for his incessant foolishness and love of all women - polar opposites, but otherwise inseparable. Florina was surprised that Sain had made such a change in his usual debauchery for his wife, but he was a good friend, and in that, she had learned that he was a good man.

"I will write again quite soon, and send it with the usual messenger. I apologize for this rather depressing matter, but I felt there to be no better person to share my fears with. Do write me soon, Florina of Ostia, and know that my best wishes are always with you. With love and adoration, Ninian of Pherae."

Florina's mind was reeling by the time she read Ninian's usual sweet closing lines. While she and the whole of the group that had traveled at Eliwood's side in his quest to find his father knew of Ninian's shocking identity – a half-human, half-dragon from a land far beyond their own, unreachable except through a magical gate that was sealed from the other side – she had never known the bit about a dragon's reproductive cycle. According to her friend, there was a staggering possibility that there would be no heir to the Pherae bloodline, and she knew that if it were found out that Lord Eliwood had even dared to mention a fake pregnancy – well, he would probably be lynched, no matter how the people adored him and his kindly wife, whom they had grown to respect and love as if she were a Lycian princess, herself. Florina could not even tell her husband of this. While Hector and Eliwood had gone to school together and kept in contact as much as possible, the knowledge would just be a burden to him – another dark secret to keep, something else always on his mind on a sleepless night. Florina couldn't do that to him, so she folded the letter and tucked it carefully into her desk, in a secret drawer where nobody would find it. If Eliwood felt the need to discuss this matter with her husband, so be it. But – her poor Ninian! Her heart did weep for the beautiful dragon girl.

At least the news of Rebecca's pregnancy lifted her spirits the tiniest bit. Florina had received her very first job as a mercenary knight serving alongside the Caelin knight Sain, and despite his tendencies, he really was a good man, and quite honest in all matters. Though, she had been somewhat upset upon hearing of their marriage initially – the news had been delivered via word of mouth from another man who had loved Rebecca very much and had just been stopping by Ostia for a visit. Oh, Wil was the sweetest boy she knew – he wasn't gruff like her beloved Hector, and he was a bit loud at times, but always so excitable and happy. It had felt so wrong to see the hurt in his eyes, but he had smiled for Rebecca before leaving the castle and disappearing somewhere. Florina hadn't been able to contact him since that day, and she hoped very much that he was doing well wherever he was.

With all this weighing heavily on her heart, she put out the single candle on the desk in her study and left the room. Hector would be in Thria for several more days, helping sort out some dispute that hardly seemed as important as Ninian's dilemma, so she didn't even have his strong arms to grab onto, and only a cold bed waited for her in the next room. For the first night in what seemed like forever, she became the weak young girl she had once been and cried herself to sleep, her tears a prayer for her dearest friends who had so many troubles without deserving a single one.


Hector of Ostia stared down at the paper in his hands in disbelief. Not only was Eliwood's usual neat writing all wrong and hard to read, but the paper appeared to be spotted in something – coffee, tea, blood, tears; there really was no telling with his red-haired friend. Though, judging by the contents of the letter, he assumed the sloppiness was mostly due to the last option. He'd not heard or read anything so depressing from Eliwood since the terrible episode back when the previous Marquess Pherae had been murdered in front of them, and that was quite a long time ago now. "Hector," the beginning of the letter read, "I am in need of your reassurance."

And that? It never, ever happened. At least not when it came to matters of the heart or soul. Eliwood had always been the cool-headed one of the pair, though he occasionally lost his temper back in the day. Somehow, Hector couldn't imagine what had become of his blood brother for him to be this distressed.

"Last night, Merlinus pulled me aside and relayed a message from our people in Laus. The dastard has been spreading rumors that Ninian was a lady of the night, and that she is impotent from that line of work on top of being of common blood. I've been informed that he has sent this 'fear' of his in word to Araphen, Khathelet, and Ryerde, and each of them have, in turn, sent private demands that Ninian conceive by the end of the summer, or else my title shall be put in jeopardy for bringing 'such filth' to the courts of Lycia."

Hector wanted to vomit. That cur Laus had been trying to get Eliwood in trouble since they were children, had nearly killed him in the ordeal with his father, and now this? It was common knowledge that Ninian had been a dancer traveling with her brother, a young musician, and that they had traveled with Eliwood and his small army those few years ago, but Ninian had been much too quiet and sweet to be anything more than just that – an innocent, beautiful woman who danced for love and happiness and peace, never for anything tainted or ill of heart. Hell, her younger brother had been a bit of a spitfire at times, but neither of them were capable of doing anything so immoral as what Eric of Laus had dared insinuate.

"Don't get me wrong – I know that you would prevent me from being voted out of the council, as our leader, but do not think that I am appealing to you on a political note. This is merely friend-to-friend, brother-to-brother. I need to tell you, while Ninian may have been perfectly chaste on our wedding night, I fear that the last part of his words could be true. She has always spoken truthfully to me, and she came to me one night last week in tears. I could barely calm her down, but once I had, she proceeded to inform me that Laus's words are being spoken even in the streets of Pherae, and that the sweet milk maid who she meets every morning with tea had heard people who normally speak not but words of praise for her suddenly change their minds and say filthy things. You know Ninian – she does not deserve to be treated as such. I cannot do anything to quell the gossip, lest I lose my honor as a ruler, but seeing her weep so tears me up inside. I can only smile so much.

"Hector, as a dragon, she may not be able to bear me a child. At this point, even a girl would put the people at rest, and while I am happy with just her at my side, I do not know what I am to do. Marcus has bade me not to worry, but I must. I love her; she is my wife for that very reason. I cannot give her up. I shall never cast her aside for her imperfections. Tell me, what am I to do if I have no children?"

There wasn't even a farewell. And, try as he might, Hector could think of nothing to tell Eliwood on the matter. With a sigh, he took a piece of parchment and scribbled a short note in return.

"Be strong for her and do not worry. The time will come. Now stop crying like a baby and do your job as a man." And then, as an added note at the bottom, "I'm sorry. Best wishes."

Hector folded the paper and sealed it before handing it to the bewildered messenger girl. "If you make it there by the end of the day, I'll double your payment on the return trip." He turned and stalked from the room, trying not to worry too much lest he be delayed further on this god-forsaken political trip. Thria was not a place he enjoyed being for more than a day at a time, and he missed his wife dearly.


This eventually unfolds into the world's most messed-up love web. There is no shape that could contain such an amorphous wad of utter crap. And, for the curious, this is very longfic and spans both the time-between and the second generation of Elibe-verse games.

As of this chapter, we have confirmed the marriages of Eliwood/Ninian, Hector/Florina, and Sain/Rebecca. Now, watch as it all unravels. Well, all except EliNini; I don't think anything could ever seperate those two fluffy lovebunnies, no matter how hard they tried.

Next chapter involves introduction of Hector's feelings about the Cornwells, as well as the precursor to Florina's affair. Also, we start to see actual tension in Eliwood and Ninian's marriage. Oh, the drama.