After some time traveling, Daisuke and I finally arrive in Hoiyoto, and it's just as I remember it. Merchants are vending their wares, ordinary townspeople are conversing, and children laugh and run through the streets. Everyone here seems so happy, a stark contrast from both my own emotions and the state of the world, as it were.
Daisuke follows a path leading away from the center of town, and the buildings thin out as we keep going. Not too much further, the path eventually leads to a one-story house. Someone is out in the front, splitting large pieces of wood with a hefty axe. As we approach, I realize that it's Murata, with the same strong build and bearded face.
"Hello, Mayor Murata," Daisuke calls out.
Murata looks up and sets down his axe. "Good afternoon, Daisuke. What brings you—" His eyes shift over from Daisuke to me, and he blinks quickly. "Oh. I see."
"I found him on a hunting trip with some of the others. He looked pretty awful, and I did recognize him, so I thought I'd take him back here," Daisuke explains.
"It's good to see you again, Mayor Murata," I say. "My name's Harrison. You might not remember me, but—"
"Of course I remember you!" He laughs. "You saved my son. I'll never forget what you did," he says, and crosses his arms. "But the fact that you're here alone, and that Daisuke found you on a hunting trip of all things, tells me there's quite a story behind our reunion."
I bite my lip momentarily. "Yes, there is, though I don't know if you two want to be bored with the details." Although I feel like I'd be comfortable telling these two about the entire story, even going back to Earth, maybe I can get out of telling the whole thing?
"I was going to take a break anyway, so I don't mind," Murata says, and waves us in the direction of his house. "Come on in, you two. Sit down, and we'll have ourselves a regular old story time." I guess that's it for that one. He removes his shoes, then walks in through the open door. Daisuke and I do the same and sit on some mats on the wooden panelled flooring. Murata isn't there, but he reappears a moment later with some ceramic cups and gives them to us before taking one for himself. I take a sip of the contents— it's water. I don't quite know if I was expecting anything different.
"All right," I say to them, steeling myself to tell this story yet again. "What I'm about to say is going to sound incredible, unbelievable, but when I'm all done, if you still doubt me, I can prove it." Murata and Daisuke nod gravely, and I take this as my cue to get into the meat of the story. "I'm not from Hoshido or Nohr, or any of the neutral countries, either. I'm from another world entirely, a world called Earth, a country called the United States. It's… well, it's very different from here, to put it plainly." Neither of the men say anything. "I was on my way home one day, when suddenly, I appeared in a forest and was attacked by a group of Faceless. Lord Xander, the Nohrian crown prince, rescued me and saved my life. The Nohrians took me in and let me stay with them for a while."
At this, Murata twitches. I sigh. "I know you two as Hoshidans probably hate anything that's been within ten feet of Nohr. I get it. But please, don't judge me till the end of my story, okay?"
"Fine," Murata says curtly. Just a few short minutes ago, he was laughing and joking. I study his expression for a moment. Is the mere mention of Nohr enough to cause such a fast change in demeanor?
"So after a while in Nohr, I got mistaken for a Hoshidan spy by one of the king's advisors, and imprisoned and almost killed along with two actual Hoshidan soldiers. Now, Lady Corrin was in Nohr at this time, and with her help, we managed to escape and go back to Hoshido," I explain.
Now I had to account for how we found Corrin. "It was probably just a big coincidence," I start. I know that statement was bullshit, but it's easier than explaining the real interplay between events that caused it. "But we ran into Lady Corrin by the Bottomless Canyon and helped escort her back to Hoshido and reunite her with her birth family. Since I knew Lady Corrin from my time in Nohr, I explained my situation to the Hoshidans and began working with them."
"Which leads us to you traveling with Princess Hinoka to our village, right?" Daisuke asks.
"Yes, that's correct," I answer. "I don't know how fast news spreads around here, but a few days after that outing, the Nohrians made an attempt on Queen Mikoto's life."
"We've been informed," Murata says. "Her injuries caused the barrier to collapse and Nohr to begin invading. And Lord Ryoma has been moving to meet them."
"That's all true. And I tagged along for that. But when we met the Nohrians, Lady Corrin was forced to make a choice between the family she was born into or the family that raised her. To side with the Hoshidans or the Nohrians. And she chose Hoshido. This literally happened a day ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's news to you guys." I shrug.
"Let me guess - you were in that situation as well," Murata says, taking a sip of his water. "You had to decide which nation you were going to side with, since they both took you in on some level."
I nod. "And, well… I was a fucking moron. I chose neither. I couldn't choose. I couldn't fight against the people I met in Nohr or in Hoshido, so I just up and left. I mean, I tried smoothing things over with Lord Xander and Lady Sakura, but I'm just an idiot for doing what I did. I ran away, spent a night out in the sticks, and here I am."
Both the men are again silent. Shit! Are they upset? They must be, I betrayed Hoshido with what I did! Damage control time, let's go. "I know what I did was wrong. I know I betrayed Hoshido. If you guys wanted to just kick me out for being a dirty traitor, you wouldn't be wrong. I'd get up and leave," I add.
Daisuke and Murata look at one another, then Murata speaks. "I don't think you're a traitor. I understand the difficulty of your situation. Truthfully, if it were me, I don't know what I would've done. If you joined Nohr, it might be a different story, but in my mind, you've simply walked away from the conflict. Although if your story so far is any indication, it seems like it will hunt you down sooner or later." He cracks a smile. Good, a return to his earlier, easygoing mood.
I look down. "Thank you… that means a lot. It really does," I say.
"I'm just interested to see your proof," Daisuke says. "You did say you can prove it, right?"
"I did," I reply. I reach into my satchel and retrieve my wallet. This part never gets old. After running through that same song and dance, both seem fairly convinced.
Murata stands up and stretches. "Well, it seems like you're really not kidding around with this whole thing," he says. "After everything you've been through, and, of course, what you did for Wataru back there… I feel that it is my duty to offer you refuge in Hoiyoto."
I look up at him in disbelief. "Wait, really? You mean that?"
He nods. "Yes. You can stay here, and live and eat with my family. But don't think you're just freeloading. Starting tomorrow, we'll figure out a way for you to help out, so you can pull your weight around here. Does that sound like a fair offer?"
I blink again. Is he for real? He has to be, right? This is actually amazing! "Wow… I don't know how to thank you. More than I could have asked for," I reply.
"Well, thank you for what you did," he says, smiling, and holds out his hand. "Glad to have you on board, kid."
I take it and return his smile. Afterward, Daisuke bids his farewell. Not very long after that, a young boy bounds into the house, followed more slowly by a woman who's very obviously his mother, carrying a cloth sack filled with what looks like food. I recognize the boy as Wataru, the mayor's son. This woman must be Murata's wife, then.
Wataru looks at his father, then at me, as if trying to place who I am. Or maybe he's just confused and doesn't remember me at all.
The woman tilts her head and looks at Murata. "Shinjiro, who is this?" she asks. Before he can answer, Wataru runs towards me in a hug.
"Mister soldier!" he yells. "You came back! You came back to visit me!"
I can't help but laugh a little. "Hey, kid! Take it easy! Yes, I did come back," I reply. It's good to know that he thinks of me as a hero, but… he doesn't know what happened. He doesn't know that I killed another person, and that person was a Hoshidan soldier.
Am I really being honest with Murata if I haven't told him that? I'll have to tell him the whole truth… but not now.
The woman sets down what I presume to be the groceries. "Is this… is he?" she starts hesitantly.
Murata nods. "Sachi, let me introduce you to Harrison, the soldier who saved our son's life. And Harrison, this is Sachi, my lovely wife," he says.
"Thank you so much," she says. "You saved our darling son." I awkwardly smile and nod. I'm so used to people berating and belittling me for screwing up. Being praised is just strange now. Anyway, after the introductions, Murata briefly summarizes my story, explaining our plan for the future. Sachi quickly agrees.
"Wataru," Murata says, and his son looks to him attentively. "It's still light outside, so why don't you give Harrison a little tour of Hoiyoto, huh? He's going to be staying here for some time, after all."
"Okay, Papa!" Wataru answers. Just as quickly as he bounded into the house, he dashes outside. "Come on, mister soldier!"
I suppose I should follow him. I give Murata and Sachi a nod in farewell before heading out.
Wataru leads me around Hoiyoto, deftly weaving through the winding streets. He points out all different shops and his friends' houses, and gives a number of people a friendly wave and a smile that I do my best to match without it being awkward. I guess being the mayor's kid means you know most people here, huh?
We run into a group of small children on the side of the road, play-fighting with sticks. I recognize one of them as the girl who brought me over to save Wataru. Sure enough, when he introduces me to his friends, the girl recognizes me as well.
"Show us some cool fighting moves, mister soldier!" one of the boys asks.
What cool fighting moves, I think to myself. I've got no cool fighting moves. Accidentally-stab-a-dude-in-the-chest isn't cool, it's horrifying. But I can't outright admit that sort of thing to the kids. "I would, but it's too dangerous for you to try out for yourselves!" I reply. The kids beg and plead a bit, but they're not too upset over it, thankfully.
After we bid his friends farewell, Wataru walks over and stops in front of a small, plain-looking building. In front is a sign that reads "Apothecary" in gentle, rounded, hand-painted letters, with two Japanese characters directly below it. Next to the building is what looks like some sort of outdoor workshop. There are tools like sickles, shovels, and knives on display at the front, and a well-worn hammer and anvil sitting on what seems to be some sort of workstation. This is probably a blacksmith shop, and the tools up front must be for sale. It's pretty cool to see what these sorts of shops actually look like - and it seems like this is a bit different from the game, as this blacksmith services a civilian population, not soldiers.
"This is Miss Ayane and Taka's shop," Wataru says. "Miss Ayane makes medicines and Taka makes tools and axes and things like that." I sigh. I don't know why he's taking me into the apothecary shop, but at this point, I shouldn't be surprised. He's made it his mission to introduce me to everyone, it seems. "Don't worry, they're super nice!" He knocks on the door. "Miss Ayane?"
"Just a second!" a feminine voice replies from inside. A moment or two of shuffling sounds later, the door opens to reveal a young woman wearing glasses, with long, straight black hair and a slight build - Ayane, I assume. She looks down at Wataru.
"Hello, Wataru," she says gently.
"Hi, Miss Ayane."
"What brings you to the shop today? Can I help you with anything?" she asks. I don't think she's noticed me yet.
"Oh, I don't need anything," Wataru says. "I just want Harrison here to meet everyone in Hoiyoto. Back when those monsters came, he helped Princess Hinoka to fight them and he saved me! Now he needs a place to stay in Hoiyoto, so he's staying in our house," he explains. I awkwardly wave at Ayane from behind Wataru.
Ayane looks at me suspiciously for a moment, then breaks out into a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ayane, and I'm Hoiyoto's apothecary. If you're ever sick or hurt, come here, and I'll get you the medicine you need," she says, holding out her hand.
I take her hand and shake it softly. "That sounds great," I reply. "I'm Harrison. It's a pleasure to meet you too." A beat of silence. An idea hits me. "Do you mind if I take a look inside? I've never been in an apothecary shop before."
"Of course!" Ayane smiles and steps away from the door, allowing us to enter. Inside are shelves upon shelves with products. There are every shape and size of glass bottle, vial, and ampoule, along with other supplies, like crude glass-and-metal syringes, cork stoppers, bandages, and several different types of plant leaves.
Another workbench sits in the back, adorned with a few mortars and pestles, together with some glass and ceramic containers. There's also an impressive two-pan scale, made of well-polished brass, with a collection of small weights. Other larger bottles and supplies rest on the shelf in the back, next to a small library of thick, leather-bound books.
I find myself reading the labels of all the containers intently, making out the small, delicate handwriting on the bottles. Tincture of Willow. Magnolia Extract. Tincture of Ginseng. Essential Oil of Sesame. Tincture of Opium. Wait, opium? That's just sitting up on the shelf like this? Well, it wasn't too-too long ago that heroin was marketed as a cough syrup for children. There's no FDA going around recalling bad medicine here. And despite all the bad things that go with it, opium is an effective painkiller, so I won't say anything. But it's still kind of funny. Everything here makes me feel like I've walked back in time.
I look up from my investigation and make eye contact with Ayane. She smiles again. "You look like you're enjoying yourself."
"I am." I grin back at her. Another idea begins developing in my mind. "So, Ayane… um, well, this is going to sound kind of weird, but just hear me out with this." She nods. "Mayor Murata says that while I stay here in Hoiyoto, I need to help out somehow. Do you think maybe I could work with you?" I ask, my voice wavering with uncertainty. "Where I'm from, the knowledge from the apothecaries and other fields developed into a science called chemistry, and chemists helped make huge advances in medicine. This is a place without healing staves, you know," I explain.
"Now, I'm certainly not a chemist myself, but it's a field I know a lot about and am really interested in. So I think what knowledge and skills I do have would help you out, and we'd both learn and help the people of Hoiyoto in the process." I take a breath and look at Ayane. Her expression doesn't seem to be changing much. She must be considering the prospect. "Plus, I can do the menial stuff for you. Weighing things out, washing out bottles, grinding stuff up in the mortar and pestle," I offer. "Beats actual hard manual labor."
She remains still for a moment, then smiles. "I'd love to have you to help out," she says. "I'd be interested to hear about what you know from… where you're from. Where are you from, anyway? I haven't heard of a place with the things you've described."
"Far away," I say, waving my hand to emphasize the point. "It's kind of a long story, but I'll tell you once we start working together. Of course, I'll have to ask Mayor Murata, but I don't see why he'd say no."
"Great!" Ayane replies. "Taka's not here right now, but I'll have to introduce you two later."
"Taka's the blacksmith, right? With the shop next door?"
"That's right. We live together, so our shops are next to one another," she says. "Anyway, it's getting late. You two should head home."
"Good thinking," I say. "I'll keep you posted on what Mayor Murata says about working here. Have a good night." Wataru and I walk towards the door.
"See you later, Miss Ayane!" Wataru calls.
"Be safe, you two!"
We return to Murata's house as the sun begins getting lower in the sky. From outside, I can smell the delicious scent of cooking food. My stomach rumbles. I haven't eaten in a while. As we enter, I see Sachi cooking something in a sunken hearth in the floor. Once the food is ready, we kneel on mats around a small table and eat. I devour the food as fast as I can without being rude. It's so nice to have something in my stomach. Conversation at the table is sparse. Murata and Sachi look over to one another repeatedly, and I can tell that my presence is creating a palpable awkwardness. But there's not much I can do about that, so I resolve to just avoid making it worse.
"By the way," I begin, looking at Murata. "Wataru introduced me to the Ayane, the apothecary. We got to talking and I think I'd probably actually be a little useful helping her out, since I have some… relevant knowledge, I guess, from where I'm from. I just thought I'd bring it up since I know you wanted me to pull my own weight around here. She's okay with it, but I told her I'd ask you first."
"That sounds fair to me," Murata says. "As long as you're making a contribution to the village in exchange for us putting you up, that's fine." I put work that suits my talents in and I get food out? Can you say 'communism?'
A little while after dinner's over, Murata, Sachi, and Wataru head off to sleep in another room. Murata brings over a small futon that he says they keep for guests and puts it in the room by the entrance. I'm not offended or anything - it makes sense that he wants me sleeping separate from his family. Again, I try to sleep but to no avail. I toss and turn over and over again. I can't stop thinking about it. Hoiyoto provided a temporary distraction, but night has fallen and I'm left to contend with my thoughts, alone and scared.
I get up and walk outside. The cold night air flushes against my face, and I shiver a bit involuntarily. I sit on the grass and stare up at the sky. The moon and the stars shine clearly through the pitch-black night. I don't remember noticing the moon earlier… I suppose the Fire Emblem planet also has one moon. Never thought about it before.
Looking up at the stars, I'm reminded again of that first night I spent in this world, and that moment I shared with Xander. It wasn't anything special, but there was this sense of mutual understanding that told me his kindness was for real. Sure, he went back and said he was just making sure I wasn't a spy - but I think it's still evidence in the corner that he cared about me. Cared about me? Cares about me still, I hope. Could I ever go back to him? Or Corrin? Or any of the Nohrians or Hoshidans? Wouldn't they just kill me on sight? I betrayed them-
My thoughts are interrupted by footsteps behind me. "What are you doing?" a voice says. I twitch instinctively and turn around to see Murata staring me down.
"Nothing- I just- I couldn't sleep," I stammer out as I scramble to my feet.
"You all right, kid?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I want to say yes and then head in and back to bed, but I can't stop myself. "No, no, I'm not," I blurt out, then cover my mouth with my hand when I realize what I've said. Idiot, idiot, idiot! Do you want him to know you fucking killed a Hoshidan soldier?! No, you don't!
"Relax, relax," Murata says, walking next to me and sitting down. "Sit down." I reluctantly acquiesce. Oh, God, I'm gonna get it. "I can tell that something's on your mind. Something big. You might as well tell me," he says, "though I can understand if you don't want to."
I sigh and take a breath deeper than Olympic swimmers do when they launch off the diving blocks. "Mr. Murata…." I begin.
"Call me Shinjiro."
"Shinjiro," I correct myself, though saying it still feels a bit odd. "Everything I told you about my story has been entirely true. But I left out one key detail."
"And that's what's got you sitting outside staring off into the night," he muses.
"Yeah," I reply. "I… After I made my decision, when I was leaving the battlefield, I was confronted by a Hoshidan soldier. I tried to reason with him and resolve the situation, but he attacked me, and I- I had to- I had to..." I gag on my own words as they come out of my mouth. I'm admitting to someone else that I killed another human being. The perversity of it all sends a screwing sense of nausea through my gut.
"You had to kill him, didn't you?"
I bury my face in my hands once again.
A/N: Yes, I'm back! I'm sorry - real life seriously got in the way the last few weeks, what with exams and a bunch of other stuff. I decided to take my time with this chapter and turn out something that I think is better quality rather than rush it to meet the schedule, even if it was something that I worked to. Going forward, I don't know how often I will be able to update, but I'll still try to keep to the once-a-week pattern (but don't be surprised if it doesn't hold!)
I understand for the immediate moment we're seeing a lack of the Fates canon characters, but everything will come in due time. Trust me.
