o.0.o.0.o
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Vaike came barreling into the garrison one day, practically roaring with fear as he clutched a tiny bundle to his bare chest. Blood pooled from cuts and wounds all across his back, obvious signs of taking the brunt of whatever attack he had withstood.
But nothing would calm him down. He was crying, screaming, shoving the bundle into the healers arms even though it was obvious who needed more attention. Regardless, Maribelle took the child and gave him a once over. With a reassuring healing spell, she finally turned to Vaike and spoke.
The bundle was passed into her arms.
Staring down into it, Rosalie knew exactly who it was. The baby was surprisingly calm, sharp eyes and facial features clearly reminiscent of his mother. His eyes, sharply focused, were looking around the room. The only sign of who his father was was the tufts of light hair on his head.
He could only be maybe six months old. He was so, so small, it was a miracle that Vaike hadn't injured him in some way.
Then, it clicked.
"Vaike, where's Miriel?"
"Miriel…" Vaike groaned as his eyes rolled around in his sockets. Finally, he snapped up, shaking off healers and stumbling towards Chrom. Gripping his biceps tightly, Vaike began pleading. "Chrom, please, you gotta find her! The Grimleal's torched our house, I barely got Laurent here! She's out there, I know she is! She's to smart to go and die like that! You've gotta… You've gotta…"
Finally, the fight and injuries took a toll on him and he just collapsed to his knees. Chrom's eyes were widened slightly.
Don't let him send out forces immediately. Let fate run it's course.
"Chrom, we can't send forces out immediately." Rosalie whispered to him slightly. "We're loosing numbers by the day, if the Grimleal are roaming around…"
"But Rosalie-"
"Chrom," her voice sounded firm, almost forceful, but still a whisper. "Vaike said it himself, Miriel is smart enough to survive. We'll send out a search party in a day or two."
"… Alright."
o.0.o.0.o
The trust that was built between Chrom and Vaike as, quote unquote, rivals, was broken that day. He had heeded my advice and waited some time before we sent soldiers to search for Miriel.
The groups had looked far and wide for any sign of the genius. Holding onto the hope that she was, indeed, to smart to die in something like a house fire. All that they had brought back was her hat and her ring, the former found near the barren wastes of Plegia, fluttering across the ground and the latter glittering in the sand alongside slightly charged pages of books. Some bore runes, having lost their magic from use. Others had pieces of hypothesis's, most of them broken apart and scattered to the wind.
No doubt Miriel was gone. If she hadn't died in the fire, and they managed to drag her across the border, then she was most certainly dead. And if she had wandered into Plegia due to injury clouding her judgement, she was either dead or dying.
No one dared to cross the border. Not with times as they are.
Destruction fell greatest near that tower…
You mean our tower. The tower in which we were destined to feast!
Rosalie rubbed her temple as the thought crossed her was in strong denial. All he could really do was sit and play with his baby boy as best he could manage. He was certain Miriel was out there. He lashed out at any of the wet nurses who tried to take his son. Kept lashing out at any who dared to argue.
He nearly tried to strangle one unfortunate member who perhaps hit a particularly hard nerve.
She looked down into the crib that used to be her daughter's. Her room was quickly filling, but not with toys and other luxuries, but other cribs and beds for little toddlers. We were running out of time, running out of places that were safe.
Laurent was asleep.
Gently, Rosalie reached out towards his head, tears burning around her eyes. What had she done? Why did she wait? What compelled her to tell Chrom to wait?
A sudden hand snatched her wrist. Nostrils and eyes flaring, she was face to face with Vaike.
"What were you doing?" his voice growled out. Rosalie clenched her fist.
"I wasn't doing anything." she responded. "I was just going to stroke his head."
"No, you weren't." Vaike looked down at her dominant hand, her right hand, further glowering. "This hand has the mark of that beast!"
There was a roar that echoed with his words. Almost immediately, the children in the room began to stir and wail. But this didn't even hinder Vaike. She felt a flurry of punches and hits to wherever he could reach. Her face, her neck, her chest… Like an unnaturally powerful machine, Vaike was fueled only by rage.
Then, it all stopped.
"Vaike! Vaike, stop it this instant!"
That was Frederick's voice.
"Rosalie!" Chrom called her name as she brought herself up. "Vaike, are you insane?!"
"To lay such hands on the queen is justifiable treason!" Frederick struggled as more soldiers and guards rounded the corner to restrain Vaike.
"To hell with your bitch of a queen!" Vaike spat as he twisted about, rage burning as he made eye contact with her. "She's the traitor! She's destroying us from the inside! She's destroying everything! DAMN YOU, YOU FUCKING DEVIL-WORSHIPER! DAMN YOUUUUUUUU!"
o.0.o.0.o
…
…
…
Why do you resist?
o.0.o.0.o
Laurent wasn't sure how on earth he had gotten into this predicament, but somehow, he was. Here he stood, at the edges of the Farfort, watching the frivolities of wedding festivities take place. Next to him was a purple-haired girl, smiling most warmly as she overlooked everything happily.
"Pia," he leaned down slightly, whispering even though no one would hear or even see them. "Your hood. If someone catches sight of you, of all people, they'll draw an immediate connection between you and your mother."
"I'm starting to question our parents intelligence." Pia turned to glance at him out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, Lucina appeared before both her parents without her mask. Surely if they just looked her in the eye, they'd connect the dots."
"Yes, but from what little history texts I could get my hands on, there were rumors of infidelity within the Ylisse line. Should they notice the brand, they could chalk it up to her being a secret bastard child."
"Yes, and the other mark, Laurent?"
"… I have no comment." he responded stiffly. Pia suddenly smiled brightly, and whistled under her breath.
Laurent recognized the tune, it was something that they had developed when the world was completely decimated with nothing but living corpses surrounding them, they had decided to develop a whistling code in order to communicate. They had created distress whistles and whistles to indicate that they were present and heard the call… While simplistic, it worked rather well, as it gave them a simple way to communicate without calling to much attention.
And now, Pia was waving happily. Wondering what had caught her attention so, Laurent lifted his head and saw Nah detaching herself from her mother, and making her way towards the dessert table. There, he saw another familiar, hunched over form. Tugging on his sleeve, both looked around, then slipped away from the wedding goers.
Honestly, they weren't all that suspicious. Everyone was so enamored with the bride, groom, and the party that watching two teens wander off didn't seem to draw attention. The only problem Laurent could really foresee was Nowi searching for her kin.
"Brady, Nah, you're safe." Pia smiled with relief, giving each of them a brief hug. "And looking so well! When did you cross over? How long have you been here?"
"I came through midway trough the war." Brady said simply. "I got involved in a theatre troop with Olivia, and eventually joined the Shepherds as a healer."
"I came through recently." Nah explained. "But got trapped in a mansion full of Risen…" hugging her arms, she shuddered. "Thankfully, the Shepherds showed up and were willing to recruit me…"
"It must have been scary, being all alone in such a place." Pia nodded agreeably, giving Nah's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Laurent averted his gaze.
Those two seemed to have gotten lucky. He himself ended up dropping from his time portal in the middle of a barren desert, about three years before the war began. He was completely alone for five miserable, unbearable years, wandering through that dessert. He was so sure that he was never going to find humanity that he was prepared to lay down and die right there.
About midway through his fifth year of complete isolation of wandering through the desert, going from barren town to barren town that he heard a familiar whistle. A calling card.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw the heat warping the image of Pia. Not sure if it was a mirage or not, he only stared as she tripped over herself on the sand, eventually just sliding into him with only the brightest of grins on her face.
"But I'm so happy both of you are safe. And look at who I found!"
With that, she grabbed Laurent's wrist and tugged him closer to the group. Laurent furrowed his brow, then shook his hand free, finally pulled from the trance of the past.
"You look older." Nah commented offhandedly.
"I came through three years before the war began." Laurent said simply. "It seems we're appearing at different times here."
"We figured that out when I began comparing the dates." Pia explained. "Lucina dropped down right as the war was beginning, Mikayla came through about six months after her, we estimated. I came through two years beforehand, and Anthony a year."
"This is all so confusin'." Brady sighed, scratching his head. "But ya found Anthony and Mikayla, you said?"
"Yes." Pia said proudly. "We've also got location on Kjelle. She's watching over Emmeryn's body, and until things settle completely, we don't want to risk moving her yet."
"Hopefully, if all works out," Laurent finally got a chance to speak. "Anthony, Mikayla, and Kjelle will deliver the body and join the Shepherds alongside you two."
"Sure that's safe?" Brady asked.
"So long as no one sees her without her gloves." Pia glanced between the three. "I think we can agree there's no safer place for her and us other than being in the Shepherds."
"Plus, it is relatively common for magic-users to wear gloves, as magic is produced from the palms of our hands." Laurent said simply, holding up his own gloved hand for emphasis. "The gloves deter possible injury to ourselves, so if she uses magic moreso than her blade, then she shouldn't be questions about gloves."
"I'm hearing rumors of a pigtailed pegasus knight wearing Ylissean armor off the southwestern coast." Pia exclaimed excitedly. "Hopefully, it's Cynthia."
"So that leaves Yarne, Gerome, Inigo, Severa, Owain, and Noire." Nah said, counting on her fingers.
"And Morgan." Pia insisted. Laurent averted his gaze. Nah was squeezing her arm and Brady's lip was jutting out, as if he was about to cry.
"Pia, speaking of Morgan…" Brady said slowly, shakily, as if he were to cry. Laurent shot him a look, hoping to Naga above that he wouldn't try to bring Pia to the reality of Morgan's death. Pia needed to come to that reality herself, and bringing up that topic would all but crush every scrap of hope she managed to scrounge together. But what came next surprised him. "I swear to Naga above, I saw him."
"You got a lead on Morgan?!" Pia exclaimed, absolutely elated. "Where?! When?!"
"Are you sure it wasn't Mikayla?" Laurent interjected quickly, not wanting Pia's hopes to get up to high. Silently, he glared at Brady, mentally berating him for filling her with such false hope. Even Nah, who was able to keep quite the straight face, looked slightly peeved.
"Stop lookin' at me like that, the both of you!" Brady snapped at them. "I know what you're thinking, but I know what I saw! I'm swearin' on Naga's name! I'm a priest, and the only thing worse than me lying under her name would be if a manakete lied under her name! He was there in the final battle against Gangrel, he delivered the finishing blow. Morgan… killed the Mad King."
"He's out there." Pia whispered, completely ecstatic, so happy she looked ready to cry. "Oh, I knew he was still alive!"
"Brady, Nah," Laurent chose to quickly change the subject. There was no way Morgan could possibly be alive. They had all seen his fate… He didn't make it through the portal, he is dead. "Where does our parents relationship stand?"
"Well, obviously your parents are doing great." Brady glanced at the wedding festivities. "Virion and Sully eloped, your folks just announced their engagement, and I'm certain Lissa and Donnel are going to be announcing something sooner or later."
"And your parents?" Laurent inquired.
"… Acquaintances?" Nah threw out, though even she looked doubtful. "But even then, it looks like my mother is just dragging my father about, nothing more."
"My parents are friends at this point, but I'm worried." Brady glanced over the crowd. "Chrom and Rosalie ain't married yet… Not even a rumor of a wedding. If something doesn't happen soon, I know my Grandpa is gonna force my Ma into marryin' Chrom. And Naga knows how the hell that will affect us."
"Then you need to push their relationship along." Pia insisted.
"What do ya think I've been doin'?! Sitting here and eatin' the sweets?!"
"Well, you were hovering around the dessert table." Pia teased with a bright smile.
"Shaddup!" Brady shouted. "That's pure nostalgia! It makes me happy!"
"And I'm happy for you in turn." Pia nodded. Brady averted his gaze.
"Irregardless, Brady, we need to make sure things are set right." Laurent insisted, reeling in Pia's teasing before she made light of a situation that was certainly nothing to jest about. "We were guaranteed that this timeline is directly connected to ours. So if somehow our parents do not wed to each other…"
"I know," Brady sighed, then shook his head. "No, I don't know what will happen. But I know that we need to make sure everyone ends up with who they belong with and they stay alive because I don't want to know what will happen if they don't end up together or one of them dies."
"What do you two plan on doing, then?" Nah asked, looking between them.
"I'm going to search for the others, of course." Pia said, as if it were obvious. "I've found Laurent, and I have a lead on Cynthia. I plan on bringing all of them together either to live with Anthony or with the Shepherds." clenching her fists to her chest, she beamed. "I'm sure that I'll be able to find the others as well."
"I'm surprised you got a lead on Cynthia first." Nah closed her eyes with a sigh. "She's eccentric, sure, but you'd think that a masked wyvern rider or a taguel would be easier to spot."
"Yes, but Gerome won't be found unless he wants to, and Yarne knows if he dies, his species will go extinct. No doubt Yarne is in hiding." Pia said simply.
"It'll be easy to find Inigo," Brady said offhandedly with a smirk. "Just look for the nearest brothel."
"Very funny." Pia rolled her eyes.
"So what about you?" Brady turned his attention to Laurent. "We could probably talk to Chrom and have you join the Shepherds now."
"You definitely mark off quite a bit of criteria of being a capable soldier." Nah began listing things off on her hands. "You're intelligent, calm in battle, a powerful mage…"
"Our parents are completely nuts." Brady commented. "All those personalities just clashing together…"
"Hey, that just means everything is more interesting!" Pia insisted with a beaming grin. "It's not like we're all completely dull when it comes to personality, right?"
"Correct." Laurent nodded. "But I'd prefer to remain with Pia." Pushing his glasses up his nose, he continued. "She tends to think with her emotions rather than with her brain. She could use a logical mind on her side."
"Aw, how sweet." Pia smiled.
"Naaaaaaaah!" an excited voice shouted. "Nah, where'd you go?!"
"Mother-!" Nah whipped around as Laurent quickly yanked Pia's hood over her head.
"Nah, look, look! See all the pretty lights?!" Nowi grabbed Nah's hand, pointing to the lanterns flickering overhead. She bounced up and down excitedly, not even bothering to acknowledge Brady, Pia, or himself. "Let's go dance and admire them all! It'll be fun! SO much fun!"
"You go." Nah answered. "As you can see, I'm busy right now."
"Uh-huh, that's what you said when I suggested we make flower crowns. But you were reading a boring book full of writing!"
"That book was on the use of dragonstones in battle. It is a very important text about our history, Nowi!"
"Yeah, but the things you like aren't fun! They're the complete opposite!"
"Of course it's not fun, but it's vital I know and study these kind of things!"
"But it's a wedding! Everything is way better without being such a stick in the mud!"
"Doubtless. It's our duty to learn all the arcane secrets of our dragonstones. We have inherited a unique, and truly powerful, ability. We must cultivate and master it so that we can better serve our allies in battle."
"Blah-blah-blah, big words, big words, big words! Ella and Demyan got married! Wedding are fun! I love weddings, so let's go find Ricken and dance till our legs come off!"
"Now-!" Nah exclaimed as Nowi undid the snap on her cloak, taking her red cape away along with her dragonstone. "Give that back!"
"Nope!" Nowi grinned, bringing it out of reach when Nah lunged for it. "See yaaaaaaa!"
"Nowi!" Nah exclaimed, immediately chasing after the precious heirloom.
"Ah, shoot." Brady was looking over his shoulder. "You two are lucky. Your parents are confirmed. But not only is my Ma set to be married, but I gotta runt pining for her too."
Looking up, Laurent saw Ricken talking to Maribelle. Brady was already making a beeline to intervene.
"Laurent," Once again alone, Pia spoke to him. "You meant what you said about traveling with me?"
"I did." Laurent responded cooly.
"You don't have to. Even if it's a secret, you can reunite with your parents now. I know you'd be interested in finally meeting your mother, she is supposedly as intelligent as you. You'd have amazing conversations with her."
"Perhaps, but I see little point in that now." Laurent stated simply. "Like I said, you don't tend to think with your head sometimes. If you were told a child were trapped in a burning building, say, you would rush into the building with no further information. Whereas I would ask which room is the child in? Plus, I do not want to even discuss your irresponsibility with funding."
"Don't compare me to Severa!" Pia exclaimed. "I'm not irresponsib-"
"If you saw a starving child in the street, what would you do?"
Pia pursed her lips, then averted her gaze.
"That was one time."
"According to Anthony, this was several times." Laurent corrected. "All accompanied with a convincing sob story."
Pia was silent.
"I'm aware that it's within your nature to help young children, and you can… but we can't have you being fooled by petty criminals. Financial irresponsibility, whether selfish or selfless, is financial irresponsibility all the same. Which is where I will step in to make sure you remain on the right path."
Pia's shoulders slumped as she sighed. It was a moment of an abnormal frustration from her, as she usually always addressed each and every one of them with a smile and gentle, open arms. Soon enough, her smile was back.
"I appreciate your advice, but I'm sure I can handle myself."
Laurent himself sighed.
"At least you won't be on your own anymore." Laurent spoke as he glanced back at the wedding. Almost immediately, his eyes fell not on the bride and groom, but his own parents. His father had a glass of ale in the air, drunkedly singing the fifty-third verse of a bar song about bottles of beer on a wall with Gregor. Adjacent, sitting calmly on one of the benches was his mother, shaking her head as she watched the spectacle, but smiling.
"Are you really sure?" Pia pulled him back to reality by placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can think up a convincing lie."
"Pia, I must have surpassed all of you in age at this point," Laurent said simply, figuring he was the first to fall through the portal. "I will not rely on a relationship with my parents in order to get by. I need to act responsibly as the adult that I am. And in doing so, I will travel with you in order to gather our remaining comrades."
"Laurent…" she trailed off, squeezing his shoulder. "Thank you."
"Let us go before someone notices." Laurent advised.
"Yeah…" Pia trailed off, glancing back at her mother. After a moment longer, she clapped her hands together and smiled at him. "All right! I'm good. Let's go."
o.0.o.0.o
Someone was poking her cheek. Fluttering her eyes open, Rosalie saw Chrom's grinning face. She herself smiled, a sense of relief washing over her. Her dream was momentarily forgotten.
"Good morning." Chrom chuckled, holding out his hand to help her up. "Don't tell me the ale's already gotten to you. The party has barely begun!"
"Just a quick rest." Rosalie lied, not willing to admit that the dreams sometimes lulled her to sleep or into a weird trance. Hoping to seem inconspicuous, she had broke off from the party and "And what time are you going off of? I'm fairly certain that it's far past sundown. The vows were exchanged in the evening."
"Yeah, but remember Sully and Virion's wedding?" Chrom chuckled. "This is basically that with no strings or rations attached."
"The villagers certainly seem to be enjoying it." Rosalie mused, watching as Ella twirled about in her dress, which really was just a glamoured white sundress with a crown of lilies on her head. "They don't even seem to care that their Exalt is here."
"Oh, they were respectful at first. But once the ale and the food came out, it was like we were all old friends." Chrom grinned. "Everyone is jovial and having fun. This is refreshing in comparison to the constant council meetings."
"Speaking of the council and weddings," Rosalie mused, closing her eyes. "Sooner or later you're going to have to tell them about us."
"I'm sorry." he replied immediately, gently squeezing her hand. Rosalie hadn't even realized that he was still holding it until now. "I just needed to get Ylisse back to it's former glory and secure the confidence of the people. I love you with all my heart, I truly do."
"I know and understand, Chrom. I said I'd be patient and I'd wait, but that's not my problem at the moment. I don't mind waiting. But… something has come to light very recently that I feel I must discuss with you."
"… What happened? Where you threatened?"
"Of course not." Rosalie shook her head. "But I unintentionally heard Maribelle discussing her betrothal with Lissa."
Chrom's entire face morphed into an expression of discomfort. He quickly averted his gaze, then he slowly exhaled.
"I'm sorry I never mentioned it before." he murmured quietly. "But-"
"It was set up by Emmeryn and Duke Hemmingway, Maribelle's father. And the loophole for you was to find a new bride within a year." Rosalie smiled slightly. "Frederick actually informed me of this."
"Frederick knew?" Chrom looked to be wracking his brain, as if he were trying to figure out when Frederick was told.
"Yes, I was asking him for some… advice, you could say, and he brought it up."
"I should have told you personally. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." he bowed his head apologetically, glancing at their intertwined hands. "With everything that's been happening, I guess I just crossed it from my mind the moment I proposed to you."
"I'm not mad about that, but therein lies my worry." Rosalie glanced back at the partying crowd, then spoke softly. "I think Maribelle's father is planning on pushing this forward quickly. So I'm advising you, as your wife to be and your friend, that you need to tell them."
"I know." Chrom glanced back at her with a determined gaze. "And I promise that I will. The next council meeting is planned a two weeks from today, which should be enough time for us to get home and for the other council members to arrive. Everything is going so well with Ylissetol's resurrection… I'm sure they'd be happy to hear about the long-awaited royal wedding."
"Even if it's to a runaway Plegian?"
"They'll have to respect that." Chrom enveloped her in a hug, speaking softly. "They won't agree with this, they probably won't accept it… But they will have to respect it, because I don't see myself moving forward with anyone else."
"Thank you, Chrom." she smiled over his shoulder, returning his embrace.
o.0.o.0.o
Nah eventually did manage to catch up to her mother, but by then, it was only because Nowi had slowed to a stop. Glancing to see what she was stopping for, she saw none other than her father sitting on the porch steps of a random house with his arms crossed. One of his eyes was slightly swollen.
"Hey Ricken," Nowi said gently, plopping down next to him. Nah herself stayed back in the shadows, watching from afar. "I wanted to surprise you with who I found, but..." glancing around, Nowi sighed. "I think I may have been to quick, and actually lost her."
Ricken glanced at Nowi, quirking an eyebrow curiously.
"No offense to either of you, but why would you think I'd be happy to see Nah?"
"Because you two are similar!" Nowi said proudly.
"I don't think so." Ricken answered simply.
"No way! You two are totally alike!" Nowi began counting off on her fingers, much like how Nah was earlier. "You both want to act, be treated, and be respected as if you are older than you actually are, you both are obsessed with proving yourselves to authority, you both are obsessed with being strong and useful, you both secretly love sweet things-"
"I do not!" Ricken exclaimed while Nah herself thought that same thing. Glancing to the side, she began to wonder if they really were more alike than she imagined.
"You're not still mad, are you?" Nowi asked gently, placing a comforting hand over his. "'Cause if you keep pouting at weddings like this, Ricken, you'll never get a date!"
"I think I'm fine now. I just got kinda mad at a couple of townsfolk because they were speaking badly of Chrom." Ricken exhaled. "I'm sorry. I just sorta snapped."
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better! I've never seen you so angry. ...It was kinda scary!"
"What were they saying that made you so angry?" Nah asked, sitting on the other side of Ricken.
"They were just complaining about how Chrom wasn't paying enough attention to the Farfort, and how he had the audacity to mooch off their food even though Ella invited literally everyone to the wedding."
"If I recall correctly, the Farfort was hardly touched by the war." Nowi said musingly.
"That's right." Ricken nodded his head. "The cities along the border and the capitol was most effected because that's where Gangrel's army touched down and ravaged the place. Evidently, Chrom needed to restore those areas first, so the Farfort was the least of his worries at the moment. And it didn't help that nearly half of the Farfort residents are in fact Plegian refugees. The only reason they're even safe is because Emmeryn allowed them to form their own town in Ylisse. It's like they don't even appreciate how much they risked and sacrificed in order for them to live in peace."
"That must've made your blood boil." Nowi nodded in an understanding manner. Nah understood as well. Ricken had always held Chrom to high regard, his ultimate role model. "It's not very fair, is it?"
"No, it wasn't, but I was wrong to be so angry." Ricken folded his hands and glanced up at the sky. "There are ungrateful fools everywhere, and I can't afford to loose my temper and cause a scene whenever someone says something dumb. Especially if some of them are under the influence of alcohol."
"No way!" Nowi exclaimed. "I don't blame you one bit, especially when I think about how much you admire Chrom!" crossing her arms with a pout, she spoke. "If someone was saying bad things about a person I liked, I'd probably just eat 'em."
"You think so?" Ricken asked with a doubtful look.
"Definitely! You're the kind of person who wants to protect people…" glancing over the Shepherds happily enjoying the part, she smiled. "Just like me."
"Well, I certainly do my best." Ricken bowed his head slightly.
"I guess together we can work to protect everyone, huh?" Nowi smiled a small smile, speaking slightly. "I don't wanna loose anyone else to soon, you know?"
"Nowi…" Ricken trailed off as she stood. Nah gripped the hem of her dress, watching a familiar look cross Nowi's face. A fear of abandonment that also engulfed Nah for a majority of her life. A fear… of always being alone, even unwanted. Glancing back at Ricken however, she smiled brightly.
"Well anyways, it looks like we have another secret, don't we?"
"Er, right." Ricken stood up alongside her, obviously doing his best to overlook the solemn tone her usually happy-go-lucky mother took on. "Hopefully no one will remember this… If you can avoid telling anyone about this, I'd be really grateful."
"Of course!" Nowi held out her hand, pinky finger up. "After all, you're holding onto a secret for me too! Pinky swear on it, okay?"
Ricken looked around for a moment, then rolled his eyes and sighed, locking his own pinky around hers.
"Let's just hope this doesn't happen anymore."
"Hopefully!" Nowi laughed as they shook their hands up and down. "Come on now, Ricken! I was serious about that pouty lip. If you keep that up at weddings, everyone's gonna think you're a killjoy!"
Yanking him up by the hand, Nowi dragged him back into the crowd, not even minding that she was still wearing Nah's cape over her own. Nah herself watched them go, then let out a sigh.
She supposed, just this once, she'd let Nowi and Ricken have their fun, and not bother her mother about her dragonstone.
o.0.o.0.o
By the grace of Naga, Donnel somehow managed to break away from his overexcited sister and mother. If nothing else, his Ma sure knew how to throw a rip-roaring party, and with the funds that both he and his sister had received from the war, this was probably the biggest wedding the Farfort's seen in a decade or two.
But something told Donnel that his Ma probably wouldn't have let Ella or Demyan get away with anything but the best their mother could get for them.
Again he was staring at the engagement ring he had the blacksmith craft. Of course, he was having conflicting ideas in his head. His Ma's own blunt advice alongside Ella's encouragement was fighting for dominance in his head. He knew what he wanted to do… But he was still having doubts.
"What are you doing over here, Donny?"
Donnel practically had a heart attack as he fumbled with the ring, turning his gaze to the lady that plagued his mind. Lissa was smiling brightly, arms crossed behind her back as she smiled brightly at him.
"And what's that?" she craned to look behind his back, where he promptly hidden the ring. "A ring?"
"L-Lissa… This, uh… I was just…" face flushing brightly, he averted his gaze, then held out his hand. "Do ya mind much if I showed ya something?"
"Not in the slightest!" Lissa giggled, immediately placing her hand in his. "Lead the way, hometown hero!"
Donnel's heart was racing as he held her hand, safely tucking the ring into his pocket. The walk was rather short, the silence filled with Lissa speaking excitedly about the wedding, and updating him on several relationship status's in the army. She was jovial, happy to see him again, hoping that he could return with them coming the following days.
Finally, the emerged in a clearing with a huge, spread of wildflowers. Moonlight lit up the grove, giving the flowers an almost ethereal glow.
All at once, Lissa rambling stopped, eyes glowing as she glanced over the scene in awe.
"Whoa…" she gasped. "Geez, where's the scenes like this when we stop to camp, huh?" Running a head, she turned back and laughed. "I swear, camping and bear meat wouldn't be half as bad if I could just sit here and enjoy the view!"
"Yeah, but if everybody came here and camped out all the time, I reckon it wouldn't be so special, right?"
"That's true." Lissa nodded in appreciation, sitting down. "Come and sit with me Donny. You must be tuckered out with this whole ordeal with your sister, huh?"
"I reckon so." Donnel chuckled, settling beside her. There was a silence as a small breeze ruffled the flowers in the clearing, carrying only faint sounds of music from the wedding reception back in the village.
"Anyways, you still haven't answered my question." Lissa finally said. "What's up with the ring?"
Donnel bit his lip for a moment, then slowly pulled the ring out of his pocket. Opening his palm, he showed it to Lissa. Studying it for a moment, Lissa suddenly gasped, scooping it up.
"That stone…!" she exclaimed. "Donny, isn't this that stone your father gave you? The one you were searching for a purpose for?"
"… Y-Yes, ma'am, I reckon it is." Donnel murmured in an embarrassed tone.
"You can't!" Lissa immediately placed the ring in his hand and then closed his fingers around it.
"Huh…?" Donnel asked, uncurling his fingers slightly and looking at the ring. Had Lissa actually caught on?"
"Y-You're… You're not ready!" she exclaimed. "I mean, sure, you're more reliable than I'd thought… And more knowledgeable, and kind, and able to survive great on your own… And you're a hero now, and you're becoming stronger every day… Wait, maybe you are ready…" abruptly, she shook her head, pigtails whipping back and forth as she spoke. "No! No, no, no, what am I saying?! A thousand times no!"
"To soon, eh?" Donnel sighed, bowing his head, his heart sinking to his stomach. He had a feeling his Ma was right. There was a reason that farmboys don't propose to princess's outside of fairy tales… "All right, I reckon yer just lookin' out for me. 'Sides, it's pretty crazy to think of a farmboy like me could ever be with a princess…"
He let out a dejected laugh as he stood, even though he kind of… Really, really wanted to just go home and cry. A little.
… A lot.
"Wait, what?" Lissa suddenly asked with a furrowed brow, scrambling to stand up next to him. "Donny, aren't you talking about some village sweetheart you have? A childhood friend? Who are you talking about?"
"I…" Donnel swallowed his confidence, then turned abruptly and grabbed both her hands in his. "Lissa, I love ya. I don't reckon I could live without ya! I wanna settle down on the farm with ya!"
Lissa let out a gasp as Donnel averted his gaze.
"I'm sorry, Lissa. You were just a little nice to me and I went and got the wrong idea. But now that it's off my chest," he gently released her hands and turned slightly. "You can forget about it. I won't ever mention it again, so don't ya worry…"
"You were planning to give that… give that to me?"
"… Yeah."
He looked back at Lissa, and saw tears brimming around her eyes. Her mouth was slightly agape, and he couldn't help but wince. Now he's gone and done it… He went and made her cry. Now more than ever, he wanted Ella or Demyan or someone to interrupt them so he had a reason to escape this heart wrenching situation…
"I'll just be going now…"
"Augh, stupid Donny!" she suddenly exclaimed, shaking her head back and forth. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"Awww, c'mon now, I said I was sor-!" he cut himself off Lissa suddenly hugged him as he turned. "L-Lissa!"
"How could you just give up so easily?!" she exclaimed, looking up at him. "I never said I wouldn't accept!"
"… Pardon?"
"Donny," she suddenly grabbed his face in her hands. "I would love to marry you!"
"Are… Are ya sure?" Donnel asked, placing his hands on her shoulders and putting a bit of distance between them. "I'm just a farmer from the sticks…"
"I know."
"So if ya get hitched to me, all them noble folk may not think to highly of you."
"They don't think highly of me to begin with, considering I don't have the mark of the Exalt."
"But… No more big dresses or fancy balls or stuff like that… It'd kill me through and through to take yer dreams away from ya."
"This isn't the most convincing proposal, Donny!" Lissa giggled, swiping some tears from her eyes as she spoke. "Besides, none of that stopped us from becoming friends, or to have thing ring being made for me, did it?"
"Well, no, but…" Donnel turned his head slightly, unsure what to say. Lissa smiled, reaching up and holding his face in her hands, bringing his gaze back to hers.
"You're not taking anything away from me." Lissa smiled gently. "You're just giving me a new dream."
"R-Really?" Donnel asked, gently resting one of his hands over hers.
"Yes," she shut her eyes with a big, happy smile on her face. "A dream of starting a happy family with you."
"Golly, Lissa…" Donnel felt his cheeks heat up. Lissa suddenly dropped her hands and spun in a fully, happy circle in the fields.
"You know, I can become a true lady anywhere! Even if it is on a farm, you know?" glancing back at him, she grinned. "I've learned from my sister that being a lady isn't about clothes or dances. It's a matter of character, integrity, and grace. I intend to have all of that. But to be a true lady, a happy wife, and a good mother…" she trailed off with a with a gentle smile. "I couldn't be any of those things without you."
"Lissa…"
"You realized your dream… Found a purpose for that little stone your father gave you so many years ago, right? So…" she held out her hand towards him and smiled. "Will you help me realize mine?"
"Ya bet yer life I will!" Donnel practically stumbled over himself to get on his knee and put the ring on her finger. Glancing at it as Donnel stood, Lissa smiled brightly.
"My gosh, this ring is beautiful! Oh, we're gonna have such a GREAT life together!"
"I swear on Naga's name," Donnel announced, sweeping her off her feet in a hug. "I'll make you the happiest girl in the world!"
"Aw, Donny…" Lissa trailed off with a big, bright smile, tears of joy trailing down her cheeks. "You already have."
o.0.o.0.o
The moment that Demyan hit the bed, he pretty much fell dead asleep. Ella, at this point, expected nothing less from him, honestly. Even as he denies being a cat, he certainly likes to nap like one, and her mother wouldn't let him get a wink of sleep all day. She woke him up at the crack of dawn, then they were running non-stop in doing final preperations.
Apparently, her mother was a perfectionist when it came to weddings.
But even so, she was happy that he went through with all of this. She was pretty certain that there was nothing more terrifying to a man than a high-strung, stressed, and emotional mother-in-law. And her mother was a menace to deal with when she checked off all the previous marks.
At this point, she didn't even care if she was undoing all the work her mother had put in her hair whilst Demyan slept, sprawled across the bed. She was happy, and he had worked hard to make this the happiest day of their lives.
This wedding was pretty significant to not only the Shepherds, but also to the Farfort as a whole. Not only was it a celebration of their holy union, in her mind, but also the celebration of peace finally settling and the capitol being fully revived.
Or at least, revived enough that the Exalt himself could attend their little country bumpkin wedding.
Finally in her nightgown and having-mostly-cleaned the make-up off her face, she leaned over her husband with a soft smile, and gently brushed her lips against his forehead.
She wasn't upset that he passed out here after it all, even if that may be unusual or disappointing for most brides. Snuggling against him, she smiled as he seemed to instinctively roll over and held her to his chest. But tonight, in exchange for his effort and him cooperatively putting up with her mother and the party, she decided to let him rest.
Because now, they had their whole lives to be romantic, at least, as romantic as Demyan can manage to be.
o.0.o.0.o
Heed me…
Heed my call, Rosalie…
…
…
…
o.0.o.0.o
Rosalie knew that sooner or later, they would breech the line. But how far they had managed to get…!
The Risen had poured past the gate of the castle, hurling themselves forward and taking out everything within their path, all so they could obtain their god-forsaken vessel for their soon to be awakening god.
Her hands trembled as she held the blade aloft, half of her forcing herself to fight, the other half being lulled in… Wanting to embrace her destiny.
"Rosalie, remain calm." Chrom said, trying to reassure her. She closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze entirely. He didn't know. She thought that she was under the influence that most Grimleal had fallen to after Validar cast the spell. The spell that lulled them into a trance… A trance that led them to their own sacrifice.
And then, they burst through the barricade that was their last line of defense, and the Risen poured through the walls. Steadying her hand and exhaling, Rosalie leapt forward, quickly ordering her other soldiers to fight as best they could against the oncoming assault.
Just let the children be safe. Don't let them get so far in… They're defenseless!
Out of everything, please don't let them go as well!
Foolish woman. I take as I please.
"Owain, you need to get back!" a little voice cried out. Whipping around, Rosalie saw a little girl with long, slightly wavy pale blond hair, a feather sticking out of her hairband as she tried desperately to hold the other boy back. But the boy, enraptured by the fighting that took place, seemed to be drawn forward.
Hearing a guttaral growl, Rosalie lifted her head and saw an undead assassin had scaled its way up the pillars, taking aim with three arrows notched on one single bow.
"OWAIN!" the name was ripped from her throat as she roared the name across the battlefield. Lissa turned and let out a bloodcurdling scream, but one man took an active run.
The Risen released the arrows just as Donnel hurled himself in front of the boy. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth as he took the pain of three arrows piercing through his armor and jutting out of his back. Then, with everything he could muster, he shoved his son towards his wife. The boy tumbled into Lissa's arms, clinging tightly to his mother as he desperately looked back at his father.
Immediately after, his body was completely assaulted by more attacks. As if the Risen sensed the weakness in this one man, magic caused his body to fling back and forth, writhing from the attacks. Soon, there was a pause as his armor shattered off his form, breaking under the weight of his attacks. Smoke rose slightly from his burned and battered form, open wounds dripping with blood, soaking his clothes.
His head slumped forward, shoulders shaking as he couldn't even find the strength to scream or cry anymore.
"STOP! Stop, stop! Healers!" Rosalie screamed as Lissa stood stock still. Even the Risen seemed to halt in their attacks. "Healers, dammit! Now! NOW!"
A cackling echoed in her head, seemingly bouncing off the walls around her.
Eliminate the maggot.
"No!" Rosalie practically tore at her hair as her gaze was drawn to the Risen who shot the first attack. Donnel couldn't move, Lissa was closer, but she wouldn't be able to get to him in time…!
Donnel let out a final grunt of pain as the last arrow buried itself in the back of his neck. His entire form spasmed for a moment, head tilting back, giving them all a full view of his face. His bloody, burned, agonized face.
His eyes didn't even close all the way before he slumped face first and hit the ground. A moment to late, Rosalie's Thoron completely ripped the Risen to shreds, avenging the brave villager that took a stand for his country and cause.
"Donny!" Lissa shoved Owain into her arms and skidded to a halt in front of him, clearing the last foot on her knees.
Her hands hovered over him, as if years of training and perfecting her art of healing had suddenly flown out the window. Tears had already begun to stream down her cheeks in rivers, but only intensified as she slowly turned him over, head cradled in the crook of her arm as her other hand felt desperately for a pulse.
"Come on, come on Donny…" she shook her head, cupping his cheek in her hand as she sobbed, shaking her head. "Please, you can't… You can't go to Ella and your mother yet… Owain needs his heroic Dad… Pia needs her uncle… I need you here… Please don't go! Not yet! Please! Please!"
A sharp gasp suddenly rose over the sounds of battle. Somehow, the little noise had caught Rosalie's attention, because when she looked over, she saw Pia standing alongside Noire. Noire was frozen, eyes wide and thin trails of tears going down her face, as if the scene was to much for her tiny mind to bare.
But Pia's hands were clasped over her mouth, her entire face pale.
"Get back to the safe room," Rosalie immediately corralled them away, shoving Owain into their little arms.
"No!" Owain suddenly kicked, trying to get back to his parents. "Dad! You've gotta wake up! Please!"
"My uncle…!" Pia exclaimed, craning her neck around her form, her terrified voice overlapping Owain's desperate cries.
Hearing a groaning behind her, Rosalie whipped around and slashed the beast in half.
"All of you, get back to the safe room! NOW!"
Safe room? How humorous! What spirit of arrogance possessed you so? No room is safe! No room will ever be safe! All will bow before me! Before us!
"Shut up!" Rosalie screamed as she obliterated at least seven Risen. "LEAVE US ALONE!"
o.0.o.0.o
…
…
…
Why do you resist?
o.0.o.0.o
Rosalie woke up with tears in her eyes. Stomach turning, she stumbled out of bed and opened the in window. Anything she ate last night came up, falling in a distasteful pile in the field below.
"What's wrong with me?" she asked, head still out the window as her fingers dug into her scalp. "Why am I dreaming of their demise? We're at peace."
She clung to that phrase for a moment.
"We're at peace, we're at peace, we're at peace…" she murmured over and over again with hopes to calm her nauseated self down.
Yes, a small voice in the back of her mind seemed to taunt. But for how long?
o.0.o.0.o
Support Status
ChromxAvatar(Rosalie)- S
FrederickxSumia-A
LissaxDonnel- S
SullyxVirion- S
StahlxCordelia- B
VaikexMiriel- S
Lon'quxPanne- C
LibraxTharja-B
RickenxNowi- B
MaribellexGaius- A
OliviaxHenry- N/A
GregorxCherche- N/A
DemyanxElla- S
AnnaxKellam- A
o.0.o.0.o
Well, I dunno. I don't really have much to say. Probably what with it being do late…
Hope you enjoyed.
Amy47101 signing off! ^.^