Author's Notes: My goodness, am I actually updating this? Yes, actually; yes I am. Okay, the long hiatus is mostly because I was working on my Tales of Symphonia story, Chosen Path, and I like working on one thing over another. I am not saying I will work on this often, but I am getting back into working with Fire Emblem fics in general. Interestingly enough, I actually started working on the end of this fic before going back to finish this chapter.

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother? No, I don't own Fire Emblem, or anything related.


Chapter 6: Road to Daein

Almedha cried for several long hours, unsure of where she was for the moment. Her vision blurred before her, a gray ash clouding the very air. Smoke and dust still spiraled about in a thick, cloying smog as like as not to cause black lung. The embers and sparks that caught in the air only fanned her tears and brought water to her eyes in a continuous cycle. But as always, it eventually subsided, and as the dust settled, she gazed around at her surroundings. The forest looked so grim now, dull and lifeless. This, truly, could not be the famed Serenes she had always heard about from her father and brother.

She rose to her feet, shakily at first, and stepped forward, unsure of where she was going. She wandered under the blackened trees with their skinny long fingers; they looked so bare and bleak without their green gloves. Burned bodies littered about the forest floor, heavily charred and unrecognizable as Herons, save for the faint outline of ruin that had been their wings. How had it come to this? Almedha shuddered at the painful recollection. She could still taste the ash in her mouth, the acrid taste burning the back of her throat.

It was a dreary, overcast day, perhaps to match Almedha's mood. Or perhaps it was mournful sign of the goddess herself? It was said that, out of all the creatures of the world, she held the most love for Heron clan of Serenes. It did not rain that day though, and there was nothing to put out the fires still rising up through the forest. All the more to pity this forsaken place. Had it been so lovely as the poets and author's claimed? One could never tell by the look of it on that day.

The glow of fires put a reddish tinge on Almedha's tear-streaked, and dirt coated face. Where now, could she go? There was little purpose to remaining in Begnion. The only ones who would even think of welcoming her were gone now, burned alongside their home. And those murderous beorc who caused it... It made her blood boil just thinking of them and... and...! She had no inclination to travel back over the mountains and return to Gallia, and quite the same could be said for Crimea. Her only option, she supposed, was Daein.

Oh yes, she had been warned about Daein and Begnion both, neither particularly known for their like of the laguz. But what choice did she have? Just a few she had no desire to make. Either way, it's not like she cared what the people of Daein thought of the laguz. She certainly wasn't afraid of a few, silly beorc. Yes, Almedha was known for her sharp wit, and calculative mind. But she was still a dragon, and as all, or rather most dragons, she bore an insurmountable arrogance and pride in her abilities, and for the more part, with good reason. Dragons were rather fickle creatures, and were not to be taken lightly by any means.

Daein was where she would go then, and see what was to be seen there. A land of ice and snow, she had heard it was described, where the people's hearts were as cold as the temperatures outside. If that were to be the case, then she too could be as cold as ice. Her crimson eyes shut briefly, before opening once more. Determination, and no small amount of steel now shown clearly within the pools of blood. She could be cold, and calculative; she would show just as much regard for beorc as they have shown for the Heron Clan, the peacemakersamong peacemakers. Would Daein be quite so hostile as Begnion? She would seek out the answer in the frozen wastes of the far northeast. And if so, what should she do? Should she go to Crimea afterward? Begnion held nothing for her, and if she should ever return here...

But no. That was not for her to decide. When she had seen Daein; when she had seen Crimea; when she could gauge accurately, the inclinations of the beorc, then, and only then, would she decide. It was not fair, after all, to judge all based on the actions of a select few. Daein could not be held responsible for Begnion's atrocities. Crimea could not be held responsible for Daein's. The same could be true any way one chose to view it.

Her mind now made up, she strode forward with new purpose, crimson eyes narrowing into a frosty gaze. Almedha was the only thing moving in the wood, once so full of life and vitality, now reduce to a place of ash, blackened by the fire and smoke that not long ago raged through the domain of the herons. This desolate place would remain so for quite a long time, Almedha realized. As soon as she stepped out of the wood, there would be nothing living here.

Quite a morose thought, but it was one that was entirely true. Though she had no way of knowing it at the time, nearly twenty years later, her son would set foot in the very wood she saw brought to an abrupt demise. He would lay witness to the atrocity that Begnion committed against the Herons, and even help in the rescue of the Heron Princess. A short change of time before he left, it would be transformed once more to a place of beauty and serenity, for which it was named. Almedha herself, however, had not seen, nor ever saw, the luscious green boughs and warmth and beauty of the Serenes Forest.


Almedha held the cloak tightly around her form as she approached the snowy wastes of Tor Garen, the border between Daein and Begnion. She warily watched the guards patrolling the grounds and paused a moment, a frown tugging down on her lips. Would they even let her pass, she wondered? But then she realized, that even if they wouldn't they could hardly stop her from crossing the border anyway. There were other ways over the mountains surrounding Daein; she merely thought it polite to try the front gate before all else.

The guards seemed rather lax in their pose, one even going so far as to be sleeping on the job. Almedha snorted in disdain. No Goldoan would ever dream of sleeping on watch. The other was lazily leaning against the wall on the other side of the entrance gate. Obviously they were supposed to be watching for travelers and danger, but hours of nothing except the snowfall to break the endless monotony had made them grow weary of the posts.

Almedha walked right up to the two gate-guards, and wondered perhaps if they both were sleeping. Neither had yet noticed her presence, though she now stood right before them. She delicately intertwined her fingers and raised a brow at the lack of response. Almedha waited for several minutes, but the two seemed perfectly oblivious to her. Again, she tried to attract their attention, but using a different approach.

"Excuse me," she spoke with stiff formality, the sort she usually reserved for diplomatic situations. She had decided that it was a rather appropriate beginning, all things considered. Threats of tearing them limb from limb would have to wait until later. It really was unbecoming of a princess after all.

The first guard, the one on the left, snorted and jumped up into a rigid stance. She couldn't see his face, but Almedha assumed he had blinked in surprise after a moment of stuttering. Guttural noises spewed forth from his mouth. He couldn't seem to form any proper words, and the cold had him shivering and set his teeth chattering alongside his tongue-tied mutterings. Several moments of this, and his mouth was able to properly form the phrase, "Ah-erm, miss." He inclined head in what she could only assume was a respectful manner.

Almedha gave him an unimpressed, blank stare in return. "Good evening," she responded curtly.

The fellow apparently had sense enough to wake his still dozing companion, and he roughly elbowed the second man in the ribs, who in turn startled into consciousness. "Ah-!" the second cried as he jumped straight up. "M-miss…"

For some time the two seemed at a loss for what else to say. Instead of waiting for them, Almedha spoke again. "I seek passage into Daein," she stated in a clipped tone. "Am I allowed to come through here?" she questioned.

"W-we'd have to first discuss it with our captain milady," the guard stammered.

"Then be quick about it!" Almedha glared, mouth set into a thin line. Truly pitiful… the man looked nearly ready to keel over with all his trembling.

Almost at once one guard scurried away, leaving Almedha alone to contend with the other until his return. With nothing better to do, Almedha set her sights straight ahead, outright ignoring the soldier. They stayed, locked in this impasse of silence for several long seconds, the man too nervous to speak to her. Almedha merely thought him too far beneath her to bother with. It was beorc, even if they were Begnion beorc, that caused the massacre, and neither of them had been very impressive in speech or watchfulness.

She would give them another chance, certainly. But not these beorc, and not right now. It was still so fresh in her mind. Her heart practically screamed at her to kill them, kill them all! However, logic overrode all else and she would not let such insignificant emotion take hold of her.

The man glanced at her nervously then said, "Milady, if I may ask, but what is a woman like yourself doing traveling all alone? In the middle of winter, might I add."

She gave no response. Nor did she make any indication that she even heard him. A waste of time; kill them, kill them! They were the ones who caused the massacre, they were the ones who hate laguz. They don't deserve to live; they all need to die, die! So what if they had nothing to do with the killing? They were beorc, weren't they? They hate the laguz don't they? They are just the same. They will do it again if given the chance. Kill them, kill them...!

Almedha looked up as she heard the clank of an armored boot against stone. He was still a distance off, but easily noticeable with her sharp hearing. His armor could have alerted her to his exact location if she were over a mile away. No sooner had she thought this, the clanking stopped. A small, wooden side-door opened from inside the wall and the soldier from before hurried over, panting breathlessly.

"You are to pass through m-milady," he said with a shaky salute. "Captain's orders are for you to go quickly."

Almedha frowned at the order, but otherwise made no protest. When she gave a small nod of understanding, the soldier shouted, "Open the gate!" to his companions on the dark stone wall.

Progress was slow at first, but the mechanism turned, lifting the metal gate inch by grueling inch. Each turn was accompanied by a great rumble and clacking of metal, a clatter which made her flinch. Soon it picked up speed and the gears moved more quickly. The mechanism fell into place at the top with a loud bang, firmly securing the gate for its purpose.

"Thank you," Almedha nodded stiffly, with little more than the mere pretense of politeness. She wrapped the cloak more tightly around herself and stepped beneath the sharp spokes at the bottom of the gate. Daein lay ahead, and Begnion was behind her.


Endnotes: I am not saying it was the best, but it was quite a long chapter, and it was better than before. As you can tell, Almedha is still mad, and probably will be for awhile.