FIRE EMBLEM IS THE PROPERTY OF NINTENDO, AS ARE ALL THE CHARACTERS WITHIN.
Author's note: It took me awhile to decide where I wanted to take this one. I think I'm quite happy with how it turned out... So far! Thank you again for all your amazing reviews and support! It really keeps me going! I didn't think I'd get this chapter out for a few days with the discovery of this amazing new anime (Attack on Titan, seriously, watch it and have your minds blown. Don't expect a happy story if you do though!) This chapter is a two parter, and I intend the second to be my biggest update yet! Let's hope it goes well! Extended author's note at the bottom! Enjoy!
The slender, dark skinned sorcerer was afloat in an endless stream of darkness. Purple haze drifted around the edge of his vision, but other than that, the gaping abyss stretched on far beyond his ability to comprehend. An empty realm of nothingness. No, not nothingness, the man grinned to himself. There was something, someone here. His God. His beloved God.
"Validar..." The voice rung out, coming from no where, yet so intense it seemed to shake the world that had no foundation. The voice was calming to him, yet at the same time it threatened to shatter whatever sanity he had left.
"The time is drawing close, Validar..."
The Plegian King nodded obediently, eager to serve.
"Of course... Your rebirth is upon us. We are ready to-"
Pain racked the man's mortal soul in such a way he didn't think was possible. Every inch of his being felt as if it was being flayed. Yet he couldn't scream. A second later, it was over, leaving the Plegian quivering pitifully in shock.
"You are ready for nothing. The Host is not prepared. As he is now, he will never give over to my will. He will never forsake those insignificant mortals." The voice trailed off and went silent.
Validar was gripped with terror, too afraid to speak lest he anger the God once more.
"The course of action is simple. He currently has ample reason love this world, to protect it. Validar... You will obliterate everything he cares about."
Visions flooded the Plegian's mind, there were people gathered around a camp, in a castle, out on the field. It didn't take him long to identify them as the Shepherds.
"Lay to waste all that he cherishes. All that he loves." A final image was given to Validar's mind, the vision of cerulean haired woman. Validar understood, a sick grin coming to his lips.
"It will be done! He'll be forced to listen to the snap of their bones, their anguished death wails! He'll have nothing left but you." Validar was almost giggling with delight. Then a thought struck him.
"And what of the girl?" As he said this, a young girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen, appeared before him, a long black robe wrapped around her body, and her short mop of hair such a dark blue it was almost black.
"I've already tried to fuse with her. Naga's blood runs to strong through her veins. She'll have no memories of her life, or even how she got here." Validar looked at the girl,
knowing exactly who she was. Yet he felt no attachment to her, she had failed his God and therefore failed him.
"Shall I kill her?"
"Are you so short sighted? Fool. Her potential is great. Indeed, I have plans for this one, Validar. Now, you know what you must do."
Validar could feel himself returning to his body back in the physical world. But before he left the realm of darkness, he could see what appeared to be a tendril of pure shadow gently stroking a lock of the girl's hair out of her eyes. At that exact moment, they fluttered open.
Validar had found himself staring into two incredibly striking eyes. One purple with the mark of his God, the other a brilliant blue, with the Brand of the Exalt.
"Fa...ther?"
Suddenly, Validar was standing on an open field on a mountain top, overlooking a small, peaceful village built next to a river. The sun was setting in the distance, painting a beautiful fiery picture across the landscape. He grinned, knowing exactly what his God wanted.
In the three years since Chrom had found him on the field, Robin had never been happier. It has been nearly two weeks since he had and Lucina had become a couple, and ever since that, every day had become a gift to him. They'd discussed hiding their relationship from the others, specifically Chrom, and had managed all of a week before Lissa had caught them sharing a passionate kiss at the end of a private early morning training session The resulting cry of sheer glee woke the entire camp, and their secret was a secret no more.
To the couples surprise, Chrom had already figured it out and gave them his blessing, granted Robin treated her with the respect expected of a woman of Lucina's position. He had of course agreed, and after that they had been allowed to court openly.
The Shepherds were about half a weeks march from Ylisse's capital and had decided to stop in to rest for the night at a small village that were more than happy to accomdate them.
Word had reached them that a grand festival was being planned to honour their return and triumph over Walhart the Conqueror.
"What dress do you think I should get for the Festival?" Robin looked down to Lucina, who was walking beside him, grasping his right arm in both of hers. She turned to smile sweetly at him.
"You know what I'm going to say, you'll look stunning in anything. Why don't you ask Sumia?" Robin raised an eyebrow as Lucina glanced away embarrassed.
"I-.. I did. I showed her the dress I'd picked out! She... She looked horrified and said I'd scare you off..." The young princess looked quite upset.
"Ha, Sumia has always been quite reserved. I bet it's lovely." Robin gently kissed her forehead in reassurance, and Lucina beamed with delight.
"I assure you it is! I'm not the only one who thinks so!"
"Oh, who else said it would look great?" Robin asked. Cordellia, possibly? Maybe Lissa.
"Tharja!" Uh oh.
"She always seemed so confident in her dress sense, so I asked her what should I wear to the Dance to go with you." Oh dear Gods no.
Lucina seemed almost giddy as she explained her outfit.
"You'll love, Tharja insisted I get it! It's a white gown, with polka dots of EVERY colour! And each one has a different embroidery of a PEGASUS! Isn't it amazing?!"
Tharja you devil. Taking advantage of this girls naivety.
"W-well... As I said, Luce, you'll look stunning I'm sure." The blue haired princess wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, before speeding ahead towards the inn, tactician in tow.
The entirety of the Shepherds were gathered in the dining hall, filling up two of the largest tables, tearing apart a feast that had been prepared for them. The inn keepers had insisted it was free and turned away Chrom's gold when he'd offered it. After managing to wrestle the discarded gold from Anna, Chrom has insisted once more, and the elderly inn holders and reluctantly accepted, insisting all the while how Royalty should never have to pay.
Robin was nibbling on a leaf of lettuce, incredibly full but determined to finish his meal. Lucina sat next to him, and was in the process of politely cutting a piece of meat from her chicken leg with cutlery. He couldn't help but grin to himself. He had become quite used, and grown incredibly fond of her playful, almost childish side she would display when the two were alone together. The contrast between his Lucina, and the Lucina she would become in public was striking.
"OY, BASTARD, GIVE THAT BACK!" All heads turned to the bottom of the table, where Sully had Stahl gripped tightly by his hair, an entire chicken leg hanging from his mouth.
"Buh ish sooo delishooous." The viridian Knight moaned sullenly, moments before a fist struck his temple so hard the man practically flew through the air, chicken leg with him.
"BAH! See what you've done! Idiot!" Sully pushed her chair aside and pursued the chicken leg to the opposite table, where it had landed in Maribelle's hair.
"GYAH! Cretins! Filthy .. Puerile .. CHILDREN " The young noble girl grabbed the piece of meat and tossed it back in the direction it came from, causing Sully to give chase once more.
The entire hall was roaring with laughter, Robin himself was close to having tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. He glanced at Chrom, who was sitting at the end of the table. The Young Prince's face with laced with mirth, though he was clearly trying to remain composed.
"GET BACK HERE YA PIECE OF MEAT!" The leg honed in on Cordelia, who without looking up from her plate, deflected the projectile with a knife, sending it towards Lon'qu, who did the same.
Sully pursued her prey, eyes narrowed in a way akin to a predator. The poultry projectile was snatched out of the air by Anna, who grinned wickedly as she placed it on her plate.
"'Ey, give it back, girly." Sully cracked her knuckles, eyes alight with rage.
"Hmmmmmm. Okay. Two gold." Anna chimed, eyes closed with glee.
"WHAT!?"
"Three gold." Anna chirped, seemingly even happier.
"That's it you little witch! DIE!" Sully tackled Anna off of her chair, as the battle for the chicken raged on. At this point, Chrom was banging the table in fits of laughter.
"It's too much! OH Gods!" Robin's reaction was much the same, he looked to Lucina, who's lips were trembling from the effort of trying not to laugh.
"S-s-should we... Break it up?" As Lucina said this, Maribelle screamed again. In the heat of battle the chicken leg had reached it's way to her golden locks once more.
"Hehe, I think it likes you Mar!" Henry was giggling to himself, deftly dodging the flailing arms of the noble lady.
"No need! Everyone seems to be loving the show."
Eventually the battle wore to a halt, not before Sully punched Gaius for attempting to pilfer her dessert and finished her hard earned chicken. The Shepherds piled out of the dining hall, still recovering from the fits of laughter, most retiring to their rooms in the bottom and upper floors of the inn. Robin and Lucina had left hand in hand, stepping outside the inn and into the small village.
"This is such a beautiful place.." Lucina sighed wistfully leaning her head against Robin's shoulder.
"There weren't any left in my future. The Risen had..." She cut herself off, and cringed.
"I'm sorry, let's not talk about that." Robin released his grip on her hand, instead draping his arm over her shoulder.
"It's fine, Luce, really. How are you sleeping lately anyway?" He'd always had suspicions about her nightmares, but it wasn't until the night on the boat where his fear was truly realised. Ever since he'd been fretting about the fact she might be suffering as he did.
"Honestly?" Lucina seemed quite sombre, staring at the floor. That was, of course, before she smiled sweetly instead eyes closed.
"Never better! I've found the nightmares being replaced with dreams of something much sweeter..." Lucina grinned impishly, causing Robin to come to a halt. They were standing atop the bridge built over the river. The young tactician pulled her closer.
"Oh yeah...?" The young couple leant in to kiss.
"My my." The two youths froze instantly, going red faced. They both turned in tandem to see Cordelia passing by, eyebrow raised in amusement.
"Robin, you're such a romantic! I never thought your knowledge of tactics extended to winning a girl's heart!" The red haired beauty was grinning coyly at the couple, who parted awkwardly.
"Um, hello Cordelia. Nice night, is it not?" Robin muttered quietly, glancing into the river.
"Indeed it is! Just don't let anyone else catch the two of you sneaking off in the dark of night! Who knows what rumours might creep back to camp... And Chrom."
"N-no! It's not like that. We're just heading back, right Robin?" Lucina stammered quickly, spurred by the mention of her father.
"Er, right. Exactly that." Robin agreed, avoiding eye contact with the Pegasus Knight. Cordelia, for her part, was giggling quietly.
"Oh don't worry, no one shall hear a word from me. Enjoy your night, you two!" And with that, Cordelia headed off deeper into the village, a smile on her face, leaving the pair alone once more.
"So, Lucina, shall we- mmph!" The startled tactician was cut off as Lucina grabbed him and kissed him. As they parted, she smiled sweetly once more.
"Now we can head back!" Robin couldn't hide the grin on his face as Lucina grabbed his arm with a smug smirk of her own.
They'd began the short journey back to the inn, both content in silence. As the inn came into sight, a young girl and her mother came to view in the garden of a nearby house.
"Come on, Billy!" The little girl chirped happily, her small hands wrapping around the belly of a over weight ginger cat, who meowed happily at his owner. The mother spotted the young pair, and waved at them, a large smile on her face.
"One day, I'd love to live in a place like this, wouldn't you?" Lucina sighed dreamily. Robin found it hard to disagree with her. The idea of living here with her was especially tempting.
The two entered the inn, quieting down as they did in an attempt to avoid waking the others. The couple went upstairs to Lucina's door.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." Robin placed his hand on her cheek, causing Lucina to nuzzle herself against it.
"Sweet dreams, Robin, I'll see you tomorrow."
"And you, my love." Lucina's eyes widened slightly at this comment, before quickly composing herself and giving him a quick good night kiss. She quickly turned to enter her room.
"My love...? Ha, woops." Robin shook his head at his brashness. Best get rid of these thoughts before I keep myself up.
With that, the tactician found his way to his room, collapsed into the bed, and found himself falling asleep instantly, thinking of nothing but his beloved.
"No, no please! NO!"
What... Was that...?
"No, get away! Get awa-" The sound of steel biting flesh, the spray of blood hitting the earth.
Am I dreaming...? A nightmare again? This one is unlike the others.
The crackle of flames could be heard in the distance, the sound of wood collapsing in on itself.
An ungodly scream of unfiltered fear. Pure dread. Lucina's eyes shot open. The room was no longer pitch black. It was alight with an orange glow.
"Oh Gods, please, no..." She moved to her window, tears already welling in her eyes. With one motion she ripped back the curtains.
She was in her nightmares once more.
The village was set aflame, a few houses having already collapsed in on themselves. Bodies littered the streets, most if not all were missing limbs.
No... Not again...
Her eyes widened in terror as she saw the young girl from earlier sprinting through the streets, clutching her cat to her chest. Even from this distance Lucina could see how terrified she was. She was covered in blood but had no wounds. There was no sign of her mother.
Instantly, Lucina went for her armour and blade. Then she heard the scream. The scream of a child. Sprinting to the window, she looked down to see the girl and the cat cowering behind...
"FATHER!" Chrom was outside already, Frederick and Sumia with him, none of them in armour, but all armed. Chrom had Falchion outstretched, blood stained on it's blade, and the headless body of the girls would be killer. The Prince turned towards the inn.
"EVERYONE, THE RISEN HAVE COME! WE WILL PROTECT THIS VILLAGE!"
Validar stood atop the mountain, staring down at the inferno infront of him. The grin on his face was sickening.
"I'll burn everything you care for, my dear boy."
The Plegian looked around him. He had send atleast one hundred Risen into the village. He had two hundred more on the hill with him... And of course, their secret weapon. Validar grinned sickly. I'm eager to see what damage this creature can do. The man inspected the hulking beast being restrained by chains held by several risen. It was far too dark for him to make out in detail, but it's appearance would be etched into the hearts of any who survived this night. And there won't be many.
"Gyaha. The true fun has yet to begin! All is going according to plan, my Lord..." Validar grinned to himself. Surely his God would be pleased! How couldn't he be!? And now, for the best part of the plan...
"Oh sweet chi-" Validar turned around, to where there had been a sleeping girl. Had been.
"...What..." Validar stood there, dumb founded.
"WHAT!?" NO, God would punish him for this! He'd be flayed, damned for eternity! The frantic King turned to the slack jawed Risen, screaming at them as if he'd get an answer.
"WHERE IN ALL THE HELLS IS THAT BRAT!?"
The young girl was sprinting full speed towards the town, gasping heavily for air. She had no idea where she was. Or why she was here, or who that robed man was. As soon as she had awoken, she acted on instinct and fled towards the village. That was when it went up in flames.
"I... Have... To... Get... There!" the girl panted to herself. HE was there. He had to be. She didn't know how she knew this, but she was certain of it. He bad to be, he'd never abandon her! Utterly exhausted, she dropped to her knees, her clothes soaking up the night time moisture from the grass. She was far from unfit. Something had happened to her. Why couldn't she remember?
Narrowing her eyes against the heat of the flames, which could be felt even at this distance, she once more ran for the village.
"I'm coming... Father!" With that, the girl sprinted into the heart of the inferno.
Author's note: If you're reading this, that means the overwhelmingly goofy and playful tone of the majority of this chapter didn't frighten you away, which is good! I certainly had fun writing the lighter hearted scenes, especially as the story is about to take a very dark turn. Let me know what you think, the reviews are the best part of this experience! I shall see you all in the next chapter!