So, I wrote this a while ago, but forgot about it. Oops? Anyway, I figured I'd put this up to show everyone that I'm still alive.
Anyway, the inspiration for this story smacked me in the face when I was listening to the radio one day and heard Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up". After sorting through a flood of images, I came up with this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.
O Father, Where Art Thou?
Theme: #31. Choosing a Target/Setting Your Sights
Genre: Family/Tragedy
Characters/Pairings: Elincia, Ike, Jill
I have always aspired to be like him.
Father was kind and always soft-spoken. He never raised his voice with me, even when I told him that I hated him because he never seemed to have enough time to visit or play. However, every time he came, he always brought me a gift. A doll, some sweets, or a new ribbon to put in my hair. The day after I denounced him, he brought me a beautiful pony.
Father was strong and brave. Nothing ever seemed to scare him. I can still remember that time where I was trying to rescue that puppy in the river. I hadn't really thought it all through properly. I just went and jumped from stone to stone, trying to get to that poor, stranded dog. It wasn't until after I slipped and fell into the river that I realized how stupid I had been. Then Father dove into the river and pulled me out. He even saved the pup.
Father was honourable and dependable. Even though it was my eighth birthday, he immediately left to fend off bandits when someone came knocking at our door, pleading for help. I remember crying and crying because I thought that I wasn't important to him. But later, in the middle of the night, he swept in, picked me up off my bed and took me on my first wyvern ride.
As I grew older, I came to respect him more and more. I learned from Bastian exactly how hard he had to work to govern a kingdom, and how he was a great ruler. He was well-liked by the citizenry and even the most critical nobles only grumbled under their breath at meetings. Above all, he had forged peaceful ties with all of the neighbouring countries. A feat unique only to Crimea.
As I grew older, I came to respect him more and more. He never turned down someone in need if he could help them. Even if they didn't have enough money to pay us properly, he always told them that it was fine and that we would get the job done. When he fought, he wielded his axe with such skill and strength; nothing ever stopped him from reaching his goal.
As I grew older, I came to respect him more and more. He always answered the king's call-to-arms, or the needs of the villagers. Most everyone in the army respected him, and the people of Talrega knew that they could always count on him. When I walked by his side through the streets, people would come up and thank him for this or for that, proffering him gifts that he always declined.
I wanted to be like him. I disciplined myself by learning to control my temper, to be kind to those around me, to give everyone a chance before judging them. Even if I knew, at the time, that I would not govern Crimea, I wanted to keep peaceful relations with the other countries. I told myself that, if I were ever to be an ambassador to another state, I would be ever-so-polite...
I wanted to be like him. Every day, I watched the others train until I could learn to wield a weapon myself. When he finally started teaching me how to use a sword, I practised constantly, so that I could eventually be as good as him. I even told myself that, one day, if I ever led the Mercenaries, I would be just like him and never turn anyone down and that I would always do all in my power to help people.
I wanted to be like him. I would help the woman and children harvest the crops during harvest time, or run errands for the old couple down the hill. Then, when I was old enough, I joined the army, to try and become a model soldier. I always obeyed my superiors, went the extra mile to do my best to prove that I was a loyal soldier of Daein. If I became governor of Talrega, I told myself that I would rule as justly and as reliably as he did.
Then, he was killed. In just a few minutes, the figure that I always looked up to, that I strove to one day equal was dashed from my sights. It almost felt as if my life had lost its meaning.
Why did you leave me all alone? What am I supposed to do now? Father... where did you go?
So, I realize that there were probably other characters that lost their fathers and whatnot. However, these three were the ones that popped into my head first (and were the most canon ones, I believe). I also decided to give first-person a shot and tried out a different style this time around (hopefully it wasn't too confusing). Just a note about the characterization: these inner monologues take place almost immediately after the deaths of Ramon, Greil and Shiharam, respectively, so that's why they may seem to be a bit OOC. Anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you thought!
A note: I have now completed one-tenth of this challenge! Haha, I still have a long way to go.
--FireEdge--