FIRE EMBLEM! NOT MINE! TORMUN! MINE!
In Ylisse, Christmas is a great celebration for the great warrior of old, Kris. This hero helped the hero-king, Marth, to save the land from utter destruction and ruin. Around this time of the year, when the snow starts to fall, the holiday is remembered. It was after all the fighting, all the bloodshed. Kris walked across the land, giving gifts to all the children who could know peace instead of war. Even as the years passed and the hero became older and older, Kris never stopped. They say that even to this day, his spirit still goes out on one night to deliver presents to all children out there.
Tormun closed his book as Morgan and her sister, Namun, lay under their bedsheets. The green haired sisters yawn.
"Ahhhh… Thanks dad…" Namun starts to drift off.
"Yeah… For the story…" Morgan yawns as she snuggles in.
"No problem girls… Now get some sleep. We are going to Uncle Chrom's tomorrow morning… Though, Grandpa Chrom is more fitting… Heh." Tormun gave his two daughters a kiss on their heads before letting them drift off to sleep.
He continued walking down the hallway of his villa to the living room where his wife, Tiki, sat in a rocking chair. Her rounded belly warmed by the fire as she slowly rubs to comfort her unborn child.
"Think you'll be good for tomorrow?" Tormun came up next to his wife.
"I will be fine. I just hope we don't have to walk or fly…" Tiki gave him a soft smile.
"If anything, I'll fly all of us to the palace." He nuzzled up to her neck.
"I shall think on that. Help me to bed?" She extended her and Tormun helped her up.
"I think it will be a warm Christmas Eve night." He said as he led her to their bed room.
Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time
- Laura Ingalls Wilder
"You make me jealous Tormun." Chrom, now a 70 year old man, former exalt says to his best friend.
"Well, we said we were coming to visit, so I expected something of that reaction from you." Tormun simply replied.
"Dear, don't be so headstrong." An equally old Olivia adds.
"I know dear… I just hope the rest make it here fine. It is a bit tough to traverse through the snow of Ylisse in winter." Chrom sighs.
"Gregor… Ahhh… Is here!" An old Gregor, clocking in at 96, hobbles in on a cane.
"Father… Your old bones can't take the movement…" Gerome, in his early 40's, follows with Cherche behind him.
"Gregor, you must heed your son's advice… We aren't what we were when we fought a god." Cherche chuckles at her husband.
"Husband, make yourself known…" Tharja comes in from another hallway, aged to be a grandma, but still has that dark aura around her.
"Right… Noire come out from behind your mother." Kellam said, scaring Tormun as the old man seemingly popped up next to him.
"Y-y-yes… Father." Said woman peeked over her mother's shoulder.
"Sully, do we have to move fast?" Stahl's, now, gritty voice echos in as he is dragged into the room by his hand.
"Yes we do, now shut yer trap, we got here right quick didn't we?" The near fully gray Sully points to the growing group.
"Chrom! We made sure to bring gifts!" Lissa bounds in with a spring in her step despite being close to 70 herself.
"Yeah, ol' man Vaike brought a full load in!" Said grandpa marched in towing behind him a bunch of presents.
"Lon'qu!" An elderly, yet commanding voice rings in also.
"Maribelle, the rush is unnecessary…" Said swordmaster follows his wife in.
"Unnece-! Why I haven't seen half of these people in decades!" The old noblewoman yells at her husband who in turn, just strokes his grey beard.
"At 72 for me, I can say that I am too old for this…" Lon'qu sighs as he strokes his beard.
"Dear, do be care… Oof!" Another feminine voice comes from another hallway.
"Nyeh heh heh. I still catch you after all these years." A familiar laugh joins as well.
"Oh Henry…" Sumia walks in leaning on her husband's arm.
"Oh, just to let you guys know, the rest of our kids are in another room. Virion sends his apologies as well as Cordelia since, y'know, they are running Rosanne right now. Ol' Donny is doing a thing for his village also. Wonder if they got any Risen parts leftover over there since the reeking box outbreak in his little village." Old Henry explained.
"Hey Blue, Bubbles, Pinkie, Pointy Ears. Wow, the whole crew is here." Gaius appears from the shadows.
"Heh, the candy getting to you? Or is it just the old age belly." Tormun teased
"Hardy har har… Try actually being 73… By the way, Libra and Panne are watching the kids at the orphanage and doing a Christmas thing for them." Gaius ran his hand through his greyed hair.
"I'm here!" Nowi bounds in, still the same as ever.
"Alright, let's get this reunion started. Frederick, if you please." Chrom turned to his loyal knight.
"As you say. Let us begin." He blandly said.
A quick rumble ran through the castle.
My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? - Bob Hope
It was a good time for the Shepards. They caught up and told stories. Talked about how their lives have been going. Talks about grandchildren all around, few even talking about newborn, great grandchildren. Ricken and Miriel joined in late after finishing and cleaning up an experiment. After a few hours of talking and eating, Chrom called the old war group together.
"Tormun, I know you would like to say something." The old exalt let his friend take lead.
"To you all here and to the ones not. I thank you for letting me be friends with you all over the years. I am thankful for getting to know you all and… I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't be here without what we did together. I know that… I'll be without you glorious people one day, but… All the more to enjoy our time together. I finish with this… Merry Christmas to you all. Shepards!"
"Shepards!" Was the loud response that was given back…
It was a great Christmas for the Shepards that arrived. To the some that weren't all looked towards the same direction. And in the night sky, a person soars through the sky. A spirit, the spirit of Kris. He smiles as his spirit body flies over the castle.
"Merry Christmas indeed." He murmured to himself.
A/N: Makmix here with the second to last update for the HOLIDAY SPECIALS! New Years is gonna really be a kicker for the story I can say that much.
With that being said, most of the Shepards are old... Scratch that, they are all old! Just some age better than others... Or don't age at all kinda...
Anywho, I hope you all have a great Christmas and what not. Hope you got what you wanted! Cheers!
~ Makmix