Results are in. Takumi will be paired with Elise in Fates of S.T.E.A.M.
"Is that it?" Chrom asked.
"According to the villagers." Fredrick replied. "It seems our masked man's info was right after all."
"And your friend Severa is in there?" Sumia asked.
"She should be." Lucina replied.
The Shepherds were in the desert looking at an old fortress.
"We need to handle this carefully." Chrom noted. "…Robin?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I trust you to form our strategy?"
Robin turned to him in surprise. "You want ME to form our plan?"
"Why not? Your strategies have served us well so far. The Shepherds could use a tactician like you."
"Heh. Alright. Let's see...All Plegian castles should have a secret entrance of some sort. Let's see if we can get a closer look at it without getting their attention."
"Urgent news, sir! Armed soldiers approach! Their leader claims to be Chrom of Ylisse!"
Nelson growled as he sat on his throne. "Dammit! Why would he come here? Well, if they insist on dogging me, I've got hounds of my own to welcome them with."
He then turned his head to see Severa still dressed in the slave garb that Aversa forced on her and the collar. Upon bringing her to his place Nelson fitted her with some additional accessories. Her right leg had a gold circlet around the middle of her thigh. A matching anklet was around her left ankle. On her right wrist she had a gold bracelet, and one more gold band around her left upper arm. Her hands were securely chained behind her back and two guards held her forearms. The shackles on her ankles made sure she couldn't run. One of the guards held a chain, that was connected to her collar. "I'm not your dog, scum!"
"No, only a stray mutt that refuses to stop yapping." Nelson smirked as he stood up to walk over to her.
"If I'm your solider than why am I still dressed like a slave? Is armor to much too ask for, so I at least don't have to march off into battle like this?!"
"Why? Because you are also my slave, of course! Besides, that body alone could give someone a heart attack. Ever heard of the saying "looks can kill?"
Severa scowled with a deep blush.
"But you'll also be a good dog and do as I say if you ever want—
"Yes, yes, if I ever want to see it again. I'm well, aware."
"I trust you're equally aware of your position, Holland?"
A lone villager across the room gritted his teeth as he griped his lance.
"Loquacious as ever, I see. You'll fight for me, or I'll have that lazy tongue pried from your head. Now, then. Chrom may have the Fire Emblem in his possession... And if I claim that, I've practically claimed the throne. So, go out there, kill anything that moves, and get me that Emblem!"
As Holland left one of the guards, tugged on Severa's chained collar, making her follow them down the halls.
"Ugh, screw this!" Severa thought as she nearly tripped with the heeled shoes and shackles forced on her feet. "I'm not going to wait any longer for Lucina and the others! I'll get out of this alone!"
Once she was guided to the secret exit the guards unchained her arms and legs and disconnected the chain from her collar then opened the door. "Here." One of them said giving her a steel sword. "Don't come back until you killed at least ten."
They shoved her out the door making her stumble into the sand before closing it. Severa grumbled as she stood up, dusting herself off. "Now what? Maybe I can sneak back in when Chrom's army invades and take mom's ring back. All this grief over something so small...Once I get it back, I'm out of here. Maybe I can convince Holland to come with me."
"You there!"
Severa than noticed a familiar Pegasus Knight approach. "...Oh, gods. It's you."
"Have we met?" Cordelia asked. "If so, I'm afraid I've quite forgotten."
"Well, excuse me for being so forgettable!"
Cordelia then took a good look at the girl. "Are you a solider? Why go into battle dressed like that?"
"It's not by choice, thank you very much!" the girl blushed as she covered herself with her arms.
Severa's response gave Cordelia a thought. "Chrom told us we were to rescue someone held here against their will…Is it you?"
"Chrom, Chrom, Chrom! It's ALWAYS Chrom with you!"
Cordelia was caught off guard by Severa's outburst. "...I'm sorry?"
"You should be! And I don't care about your stupid Chrom, so you can just drop it! ...I only want to talk to Holland."
"Holland?"
"Yes, Holland! That sad sack is still in there! He's the villager using a pot for a helmet. Get their attention so I can get to him safely, and then I'll help your stupid army!"
"O...okay?"
"Oh, and Holland's not here of his own will, so don't you dare hurt him!" With that Severa walked away.
"W-wait! Where are you going?"
"To go hide! I'll sneak in once you guys get their attention!"
"Sneak in? On her own?" Fredrick asked.
"That's what she said." Cordelia had just gotten back from scouting and told her the encounter with the girl. "She had red hair in pigtails. Is she the one you were talking about, Lucina?"
"Yes, that's her." Lucina replied. "Thank goodness she's safe."
"She also mentioned someone else here against their will named Holland. She said she'll help us if we let her talk to him."
"Holland?" Chrom asked. "Is he another friend of yours, Lucina?"
"I never heard of anyone by that name before." Lucina replied.
"Me neither." Cynthia added.
"Hey, come to think of it…I heard one of the villagers, say something about Holland." Lissa said. "He said the guy went out to see Nelson and never coming back. He also said there was rumor going around about someone in the village getting money from him."
"So, what do we do? Play along?" Chrom asked.
Robin thought for a minute. "Might not be a bad idea. If she's been here for a while she should have a good idea on the castle's layout. She should be able to find him if we keep the guards busy. Cordelia, you found a hidden entrance?"
"Yes. It was back where I found the girl. There were no guards around. They must all be inside."
"In that case…"
Severa sat behind a rock waiting for something to happen. The harsh sun made her a bit glad that she wasn't wearing much. Anything heavy would boil her alive. The soft warm sand was at least pleasant on her skin. She tried to pretend that she was relaxing on a beach wearing a swimsuit, but the nagging thought in the back of her head and the collar around her neck reminded her that she was in slave clothes lying in the middle of nowhere. She tried to take the heeled shoes off her feet but the clamps around her ankles did a frustratingly good job keeping them in place.
"AAARGH!" She kicked about in frustration, hoping they would loosen, with no success. She sighed to herself giving up.
"Can't believe mother really did come here…" She curled up into a ball and growled at herself. "Damnit! Why did I act that way? She came to save me! And yet I…"
She was drawn from he thoughts when she heard Chrom's army approach. She looked to see Robin, Lucina and Cynthia with them as they approached the hidden entrance.
"THORON!" The Grandmaster shot a bolt of lighting from his hand blowing the door down so the three could charge in. Chrom took the rest of the army through the main entrance as Robin instructed.
"Looks like they made it to Chrom. Finally." Severa groaned standing up. "Now to go find Holland." She hurried inside the hidden entrance. The pathway had no guards stationed in it due to Nelson being confident that nobody would break the door down so easily. He was arrogant to the fact that magic could do the job.
Severa moved as fast as she could. It didn't help that even with her ankles unchained she couldn't run easily while in the heels she wore. She nearly tripped a few times, and the loud sounds they made with each step on the floor echoed in the halls, so she would likely be heard. "Ugh! These stupid shoes! I wish I could just take them off! Why do these things need locks on the ankles?!"
She proceeded a bit more carefully as she heard fighting. She hugged against a wall and peeked around the corner to see Chrom and his men fighting Nelson's guards. She couldn't find Holland anywhere.
"Doesn't look like he's here. That creep, Nelson must have him guarding the treasury…"
She turned around and hurried in the other direction. After coming down another hall she found the lone villager alone guarding the treasure room. "Holland!"
The villagers looked up in with a shocked expression. "Severa! What are you doing here? If he knows you left your post..."
"I'm leaving, Holland, and you're coming with me."
The villager hesitated before giving a answer. "Severa, I...I can't. You know I can't. I have a wife. If I don't earn Nelson's coin, she'll starve. I know it's blood money, but—
"Your wife is PREGNANT, Holland!" Severa yelled. "You know that, don't you?!"
"Of course I know that! And it's none of your concern!"
"Do you love your child, Holland? Do you love your wife?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then stop making excuses! I know that parents will do anything for their children..." Severa sighed and looked down. "But I also know how it feels when a child loses her parents. This world's got far too many kids who've gone through that. If you stay, you'll be killed or worse. And your child deserves better!"
Holland stared at Severa in shock. "Severa, I...I'm sorry. I didn't know. That must have been hard for you." After thinking for another minute, he put on a determined look. "You're right. My child deserves better. Let's get out of here."
Severa flashed a smile. "Really?!"
"Yes, really. But we have to hurry!"
"Right. First I need to take back what Nelson stole from me."
"The treasury is locked. He keeps the key on his person."
"Then I'll go gut him myself and take it!"
"Wh-on your own?!"
"Yes, on my own! Now stay put while I go get it!" Severa hurried back the other way.
"What are those useless fools doing?! Get them! Somebody get them!" Nelson cowered against the throne as Robin, Lucina and Cynthia approached.
"They aren't coming." The tactician replied. "They're too busy, defending themselves to help your sorry hide. It's your own fault for not suspecting somebody might find your little rat hole."
"Rrrrgh…why would the Plegian Prince come here!?"
"We're here to take our friend back you crook!" Cynthia replied. "Now stand down or taste the might of-
"Oh, wait. I remember you girls. You were those other slaves. What happened? Did the king get sick of you and decide to throw you both away? Pity. I could have bought you both to go with my dog!"
Lucina pointed her blade at Nelson. "Enough to talk, Nelson. Just surrender and you can keep your miserable life."
"Me?! Surrender?! Don't make me laugh! This is the opportunity I've been waiting for! Not only can I keep you two as slaves after all, but I can use the king's son as a bargaining chip to claim the throne!"
"Never, villain!"
"Cynthia, wait!"
Ignoring Robin's warning, the Princess charged at the throne on her Pegasus.
Nelson jumped away as she rammed her Steel Lane into the throne. "Arc Wind!"
Cynthia screamed as the spell blew her off her Pegasus. As she stumbled to the floor Nelson grabbed her.
"Cynthia!" Lucina rushed towards him and Robin took out a tome.
"Not a step closer!"
"Ow!"
Nelson brought Cynthia to her feet holding a knife at her neck making Robin and Lucina freeze. "Nothing hasty you two! One wrong move and I'll-
Before Nelson finished his sentence, he heard someone approach. He turned his head to the side and let Cynthia go just in time to jump back to avoid losing his head to a Steel Sword.
After she dropped to the floor she looked up to see who saved her. "Severa?!"
"Traitorous wench!"
"You've got to be loyal before you can be a traitor, you idiot!" The red-haired girl scowled. "And you're one to talk, extorting a poor, innocent girl like me... It's time you learned just how deadly this innocent girl can be!"
She rushed forward and took a swing at Nelson who stepped out of the way.
"Thoron!"
Severa jumped to the side to evade a bolt of lightning. She then closed in and swiped diagonally, get in a good cut on Nelson's shoulder.
"Argh! You brat!"
Severa was about to finish the job but as she stepped forward she stumbled and fell forward, making her drop to her knees. "Ahh! Stupid high heel shoes!"
As she tried to stand back up, Nelson took the opportunity to kick the girl in her bare torso, knocking the wind out of her and sending her a good distance to the ground. She looked up to see Nelson ready another spell.
"Arc Wind!"
Severa rolled out of the way narrowly dodging the attack. But the shock of it as it hit the ground near her sent her hurling like a rag doll slamming her back into a wall.
"Ahhh!" Severa slumped to the cold, hard floor. She stood back up and rushed at Nelson who sidestepped away from a vertical swing. As she ran past him Nelson grabbed the long dangling cloth at the back of the waist of Severa's garments and pulled her in.
"Hey! Let go!" Out of shock and embarrassment, Severa dropped her sword as she was pulled towards Nelson by her waist, forced to take awkward steps, to not fall over again. Nelson swung her around before letting go. Unable to stop her momentum, Severa stumbled forward and crashed into a column.
"AH!" Nelson grabbed the back of the cloth and pulled her in again. "Cut that out!"
Just as Robin, Lucina and Cynthia were about to rush at Nelson he wrapped a arm around Severa's kneck and put his knife at her neck, making them halt.
"You've been a very bad dogie. But if you beg for mercy I might lessen your punishment."
Severa grunted as she gripped the arm, nearly choking her. She lifted on of her right foot up and slammed the tipped heel of her shoe into Nelson's foot. The scream of pain was music to her ears.
"Hah! Guess these heeled shoes aren't all bad after all!"
She managed to slip free from Nelson's grip and was about to grab her sword. But before she could take one step, Nelson grabbed onto one of her pigtails and pulled her back. "Gah! Stop that!"
He grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face into a wall.
"AAAHH!"
Nelson then threw her to the ground. Despite Severa's headache and blurry vision she tried to stand up, but Nelson's foot slammed into her back and pinned her to the ground.
"OW! Get off of me!"
"That does it witch! Time for some harsh discipline!" Nelson took out his tome. "Don't worry! I won't do any damage my healers can't undo! But it will hurt! Not as much as your punishment later, but it WILL hurt!"
As Lucina and Cynthia ran for Robin readied a spell of his own.
"Thor-
SHUNK
Just as they were both about to attack a Bronze Lance came out of nowhere and flew into Nelson's back. He screamed in pain as he stumbled a couple of steps back, and off of Severa before dropping to his knees. Severa looked up to see her weapon on the floor in front of her. She reached her arm out to grab it.
Nelson then grabbed her by the left ankle. Severa was so close to grabbing the sword, when Nelson pulled her away from it. Her fingers brushed the hilt as she slid across the floor. "ACK!" She was still in front of it. She reached again. Nelson grabbed her other ankle and pulled both her legs dragging her closer to him. "NOOOO!"
Despite his appearance and weakened state Nelson was strong enough to lift her just slightly off the floor, making her dangle upside down by her ankles.
Severea struggled to free her legs from his grip."Put...me...down!"
"Fine!"
He let go, and Severa's head dropped onto the floor just bellow her. As her vision became blury, she felt a grip on her shoulder that flipped her onto her back she saw the furry in Nelson's eyes. Blood was slipping out of his mouth and the lance was still through him. He grabbed Severa's neck and started choking her. Sevrea then saw Nelson's dagger on the floor. He must have dropped it. She grabbed the weapon and shoved it into Nelson's heart. The man let out another scream.
"My throne...my...empire..."
Severa effortlessly threw him off her, and he died hitting the floor. "That's what you get, jerk!"
"Severa, are you alright?" Lucina asked.
"Uh, yeah…thanks to whoever that was." she replied standing up.
"You mean him?" Robin asked pointing to a man that stepped out from behind a pillar.
Severa nearly gasped. "Holland?! You idiot! What are you doing here?!"
"This is Holland?" Robin asked.
"To help you…I didn't want to make you go against Nelson alone."
"You dummy! What if someone saw you?! Did you forget what I just told you?!"
"Well, that Pegasus Knight with the red hair saw me but she let me go…"
"Oh…her."
"I'm glad I got here in time…though I don't think I'll shake the feeling of taking a life like that." Holland sighed as he turned to Nelson's corpse. "Even one as monstrous as that."
"Well…thanks Holland." Severa said with a slight smile.
"I should be thanking you. But anyway, at least you can take back what he-
"Oh gods, that's right!" Severa gasped. She searched Nelson's pockets and pulled out a key. "Here it is!"
Robin and the others watched Severa run down the halls.
"Gee…whatever Nelson took from her must mean a lot to her…" Holland said.
Lucina looked down. "It does. And for a good reason."
"Yes, here it is!" Severa smiled.
"Is that a ring?"
The girl turned around to see Chrom. "It's MY ring, and I'll thank you to stop staring so lustily at it! It's worth more then anything in the world to me..."
The prince smiled. "Well, I'm glad you were able to get it back."
"...Hmph."
As Severa left she ran into Robin.
"Severa."
"That reminds me! Care to explain why you didn't try to save us BEFORE I was sold off?!"
"I said I would make my move when Chrom arrived. That just happened to be after it Nelson showed up. Here." Robin tossed a bag over to her.
"What's this?"
"You won't last long on the battlefield like that." Robin replied , making Severa look at herself in the slave clothing with a blush again. "But I couldn't patch your torn clothing, so I took a Plegian armor from the castle. I did the same for Cynthia. As for those shoes and collar, I can get them off you with this." Robin said holding up a lock pick.
"I'll do it myself, thank you!" Severa snapped taking it.
Robin stared as she stormed away. "Isn't she a sweet heart."
"Don't take it personally, Robin." Lucina said as she approached. "She's like that to everyone."
"Is that so? Well anyway, I need to talk to Chrom about returning what was taken from the village. Anything leftover we'll give to Holland, so he can feed his family. We have plenty of money for the war."
Lucina smiled. "You really are a kindhearted tactician."
"Thanks...I like to think I take after my mother."
"Ugh, finally!…Okay, maybe I could have used a little help with unlocking those stupid shoes." Severa had just finished changing out of the slave garb. She now had red armor with a silver stomach and leather armor underneath that had a strap attached to her leather stockings, over witch she had metal boots. Her thighs and shoulders were exposed and her arms were clad in metal gauntlets and on her left arm was a large shield that went up to her shoulder.
"Hey, not bad!"
Severa saw Cynthia approach. "Do you need something?"
"Well, I just wanted to…you know…thank you for saving me."
"Eh, it was nothing." Severa replied looking away.
"But hey, don't be hard on Robin. He tried to save all of us, it just…didn't work out, ya know. And honestly, I don't know what Nelson did to you but it couldn't have been worse than what Aversa did to me and Lucy while you were gone!"
"I know, I know." Severa sighed in shame. "I'll apologize to him later."
"Well, we got some new fancy armor out of it, right?" Cynthia smirked in a heroic pose.
Severa looked at her new gear. "Well…It is kind of nice...Not quite what I would usually wear, but I can work with it. It certainty beats that skimpy junk!" Severa scowled at the slave attire she discarded to the ground.
"Yeah, no kidding." Cynthia blushed remembering how exposed she felt in the clothes Aversa made her wear. "Whelp, I'm gonnna check up on Lucy! See ya!"
After watching Cynthia run off, Severa smiled to herself as she went to join the others.
"Oh...You. Nice armor."
Severa looked to her left to see Cordelia "Wh-what do you want?!"
"Just to thank you for helping us. You fought bravely, er..."
"Severa. ...My name's Severa."
"It suits you somehow. Oh, and my name—
"Cordelia. I know."
"Er, yes, that's... But how did you...? I'm sorry, did I introduce myself before?"
"I guess you must have if I know your name. Gods..." Svera mumbled.
"I...I see. Well, thank you all the same, Severa."
"You already said that! And besides, it's not like I did anything special. I was just fighting to get back what's rightfully mine." The girl said looking at her finger."
"Are you referring to that ring? Oh, goodness. It looks exactly like..." Just then everything made sense to Cordelia. "Ah, I see. That would explain how you know my name. You're a friend of Lucina's, aren't you? ...And you're my child. Isn't that, right?"
Severa started muttering to herself. "...lonely..."
"What was that?"
"I SAID, I thought you'd be lonely, so I came here to see you! ...You're welcome."
"That's very sweet."
"D-don't mock me! You don't care! You don't care at all..."
"How could you possibly think that? I'm thrilled beyond words to meet you."
"...Then why'd you leave me? You said you had to go off to fight for what really mattered, and you never came back! You picked Chrom over me!"
"You have me at a disadvantage, Severa. I can't answer for my future self. But when I said I was fighting for what mattered, I probably meant you. I'd want nothing more than to build a world where you could grow up happy and strong. At least, that's what I want right now."
"You think I don't know that...? I mean, I DO know that, but..."
Cordelia walked up to her daughter and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother to you."
"Well, you're still MY mother, which makes you the best mother in the world." Severa smiled.
"And the luckiest, it seems."
The young girl started to tear up as she hugged her mother back. "Oh, Mom, I missed you so much! I...I'm, sorry I was so mean... I just... I didn't want to lose you again... Promise you won't leave, okay? Promise!"
"I promise."
Holland watched from behind a pillar. He overheard the whole conversation. He smiled as he walked away. "Goodbye, Severa. And thank you."
I know I'm not the best at descriptions so in case it was not clear, Sevrera's armor is the her Hero class attire. In any case the next up is Hinata. Will he be paired with Oboro, Rinkah, Mozume or Sakura?