So this is the true starting point of this story. In all actuality, you could have skipped the Prologue just to get here and not much would have changed, but I wanted to start it off in some way other than this, so that's why I wrote the Prologue. Anyways, enjoy!

It was hard for Marth to really be at ease. He couldn't spend a moment of his life without worrying about someone or something, and any moment where he wasn't worrying about others, he was worrying about himself.

Although anxiety wasn't the only thing that kept Marth vulnerable, it was one of the biggest things that made him that way. So many things got to him, even to the point where he started to feel sympathetic towards his own enemies' well being. Marth was someone who held others to a higher regard than himself, and wanted to make sure everyone was okay even when he knew he himself wouldn't be.

But in his efforts trying to ensure everyone's own stability, others were met with some annoyance towards Marth's behavior. Others felt more concerned for him, however, because they just wanted him to be at ease. Most of Altea understood Marth was the way he was, just by looking at his eyes and his posture whenever present in front of others, and it gave off the impression that the kingdom was too much for him to handle. But Marth never backed out of helping others; he wanted to embrace his nature, even if others opposed- including (and especially) his own father.

"Marth, you're late!" King Cornelius's voice boomed across the council room, currently hosting the plan of action in an effort to retaliate against the incoming Dolhr army. Many of Altea's most important subjects as well as a majority of the army were present, and the meeting had been going on for what felt like at least an hour at that point. Being the last invited member to show up, Marth felt nothing but humiliation and embarrassment. "You have some nerve to show up this far into the meeting. We had just gone over the evacuation procedure, and that's where you are involved! Now explain to me, in all the honesty your weak-minded brain could cough out, where were you?"

It was reactions like those why Marth had always feared his own father.

"I'm sorry, it's just… I was over in the marketplace, and I sort of got lost there. I noticed some starving children hiding all the way towards the entrance, they looked so miserable. I-I had to help them out! I hope you understand…" A blatantly obvious tone of nervousness and apprehension was entirely present within Marth's voice, for he had expected his father to react violently towards this saying. His prediction was right, for Cornelius rose up from his seat and approached Marth in an intimidating fashion, a look on his face indicating his contempt.

"It's like you don't even understand your own place anymore!" Cornelius began his rebuke, demonstrating to Marth how fed up he was of his excuses. "Helping those below you will do you nothing! A leader should never worry about their inferiors, they're practically a nuisance giving their kingdom a bad name. You know very well letting your own guard down to help those of lower importance can lead to your own downfall!"

The gap between Marth and Cornelius was very slim, and Marth started to feel more uncomfortable and tense than before. He was also struck with somewhat of a sliver of anger, for he did not approve of Cornelius's dismissal of the needy. It was like Cornelius to speak carelessly and look down upon the ones in poverty, but in Marth's nature he refused to give anyone, especially the suffering, the cold shoulder. He'd been kicked around by his father for doing even as little as showing an appreciation for the people of his home, but it reached a point for him where he felt as though his father didn't even want him to act kindly.

Therefore, in pure frustration, Marth spoke for himself. He brushed away the nervousness in his voice and finally decided to act the way Cornelius thought a prince- or anyone- should act: uptight and relentless on the emotions, but knowing his own self he'd still try not to offend or distress anyone's feelings.

"Father, if you really cared about Altea, you'd care about the ones who fight a war much more devastating than any army of darkness. Status should not be based on someone's wealth or nobility, it should be based on morality. The people who have less fight for much more than I've seen even you try to do. They're faced with the struggles of not having what the nobles do, and they fight hard in the war of acceptance… and I fight in it too. So please, father, just forgive me for my late appearance and help me win in the war of acceptance, the same way I let those poor children do!"

Empathy was a concept Cornelius considered too weak to work. He saw Marth in front of him, all of his emotionally ambitious intent, the tears in his eyes from pure determination and longing, and a tone of voice representing firm devotion. Marth knew what he wanted for his people, but it contradicted everything Cornelius wanted. And purely on his initial grasp of the things Marth had said that could have been considered an "attack", Cornelius decided to focus primarily on those words rather than taking in anything else Marth had said. He just laughed in front of Marth, before subverting his own thoughts and ended up shoving him to the ground as a way to communicate his feelings towards his words.

"Those people fight for nothing! They were thrown in their well-deserved position of poverty because they chose the wrong decisions in their meaningless lives. Why, you have to be foolish to think their lives matter!"

"But they do-"

"And the fact that you said they fight for more than me proves you don't even appreciate your own father!"

Some of the other attendees of the council had actually agreed strongly with Marth's words, the first to represent their support being Malledus, a tactician for the war. He had never known about Cornelius's relationship with his son until now (nor did he really see Marth) and with his first impressions on the prince's mindset, he made up his mind and wanted to side with him.

"The fact that you yelled at Prince Marth for sympathizing with the poor and dismissing his own morality proves you don't even appreciate your own son! Your Majesty… why would you want your own son to live in a world where he'd feel nothing for his peers and only care about himself? By showing his gratitude to the commoners, he's bringing the kingdom closer together than any war ever could!"

Cornelius kept his response to himself, only glaring at Malledus to get him to stop. He walked back over to his seat as Marth got up from the ground.

"Marth, sit down now. Your tardiness will not be tolerated."

"I'm sorry…"

Cornelius turned around in anger.

"Your problems will not be solved through apologies! As of right now, you lack the knowledge of our plans. There are soldiers assigned under your command, and if you make the wrong move, they could possibly die! You would be the sole cause of the death of your own allies, all because of your obliviousness."

These words struck through Marth like a stab through the chest. He rushed over to his seat, just as luxurious as Cornelius's seat and evidently comfier than the rest of the seats, positioned at the end of the table, where he would be facing Cornelius. Just looking at his father made Marth tremble in fear, his body shaking and his mind at such unease. The look on his face could be seen by anyone and they'd immediately want to help him out.

Cornelius had resumed with the meeting.

"Now, Marth, given how much you struggle in your training, I have decided that you will not be fighting against Dolhr's forces. However, you will be evacuated, and there will be soldiers assigned to you, we just didn't know who would come yet. And since you care about others so much and want others to speak for themselves and feel united, your protection will be solely based on volunteers. Those who wish to protect you will protect you."

Marth looked across the table, noticing the rest of the council, sitting uptight and firmly, looking towards him. He felt intimidated by the array of people more physically powerful than he was, but at the same time he felt hopeful, almost honored in a way that people more powerful than him could be willing to protect him.

They're all so powerful and brave, Marth thought to himself. If they truly want to protect me, maybe they see something in me! It could be what I said, maybe I opened their eyes to my motives. I don't know if I'm right, but I definitely hope I'm understandable.

As the meeting had gone on, several of the knights had joined Marth's alliance. Their reasoning was to protect Marth's innocence; Marth had a quality to him that made him infectiously likable, and it was his devotion to his people and kingdom. Marth had not been corrupted by any dark truths or violence; he lived in blissful innocence and saw the world as a place that could be cured of its wounds and can become a harmonious place for all. The members of Marth's newfound alliance wanted to protect Marth from any harm or harsh realization to ensure his rule could start a peaceful era among the rest of Archanea, whose relations with Altea had seemed to be… divisive, to say the least.

But Cornelius couldn't stop thinking about Marth's words. How he prioritized the well-being of others over power. He spent moments upon moments after the meeting in his room, staring out the window, thinking to himself about everything Marth had said: how he thought Altea would be a better place if it showed care to all of its inhabitants, how emotional-based decisions have their benefits, and whether or not Marth truly felt accepted. Seeing as how this very well the meeting could be the very last interaction he had with his son, he started to really reflect on the way he treated him. Throughout the years, Marth had shown an undying loyalty to him, even if he did fear him. He always respected other people's wishes and beliefs, even if they went entirely against his own. However, he wanted his father to change from his ways; after all, Marth's Altea envisioned a peaceful reign without hatred, war, or despair, whereas Cornelius's Altea envisioned a rise to power and war against others who even approached the kingdom with a negative mindset of their leadership.

Noticing how Cornelius was fixated on the window and lost in his own thoughts, Jagen (who had been keeping the king company and is also one of the members of the army fighting directly against Dolhr) decided to get His Majesty's attention by bringing up the very meeting he was reflecting on.

"My king… there is something ailing you at the moment. Is it about the council, or the fact that Altea is in danger?"

"Both, really. That, and… I kind of said some things to Marth that I really didn't mean to say, things that I've done to him for his entire life…"

Jagen nodded in acceptance.

"So you've finally recognized how poorly you've been treating your own son, the kindest soul in all of Altea. I knew this moment would come, just as the kingdom would reach its most vulnerable position."

"I- I really don't know why I acted so harsh towards him. His vision of Altea was a remnant of Anri the Great's rule- a world of peace and harmony. Those two feelings are lost and unknown now."

"Well, sire, you wanted to embrace your ideologies of war and power, and look where that got you. There's tension and turmoil between our allies, who question your own leadership skills. The least you could do is show some change."

"That's exactly what I'm doing! And, Jagen… may I ask a favor of you?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"I want you to go to Marth's room, and tell him that I am sorry for treating him the way I did for all those years and that I want him to be safe. After that… help him out in any way you can. The reason why I'm sending you is because he'll be scared around me, he won't know how to behave. He's been raised that way, and it's all my fault… I'd want to make it up to him, but it's too late now. You're someone who he's comfortable around, so that's why I trust you."

"I will do as you say, Your Majesty."

Jagen bowed to Cornelius and left the room, heading to where Marth was. The king continued to stare out the window, continuing to reflect. He was never the type to really show any other emotion publicly other than either anger or arrogance, and unlike Marth, he never showed his true colors. He always remained emotionally distant. His lovely wife, Queen Liza, was in an unknown location- the last remnant of her well-being was when she announced that she would be leaving to negotiate with the other kingdoms about their relationship with Altea. Liza had disapproved of Cornelius's motives, but it didn't really get to him too much because she barely even spoke a thing about it to him directly. Marth was Cornelius's top priority, and he didn't want to have another failed attempt to fend off the dark forces that had plagued Altea with defeat and hopelessness.

Jagen approached Marth's room, the door not shut. Prince Marth must have forgotten to close the door, Jagen thought. He went into the room and found Marth in the corner, his head positioned downward and sunken to his face, tears flowing down from his eyes and pulses of unease throughout his body. It was when Jagen had shut the door had Marth noticed him, and he felt a bit more at ease.

"Hello, Jagen… may I ask where you have been?"

"Hello to you too, my lord. I was just speaking with your father, and he said many things that had surprised me."

Marth's eyebrows rose and his posture became a bit more formal. Knowing Jagen's reactions to the king, this meant Cornelius was changing- for the better. A smile formed on his face and he happily breathed in.

"Did what I say open him up to our people? I really hope it did."

"He thought hard about what you said and he would like to apologize. He really does love you, he just didn't know at all what he was thinking when treating you the way he did. He is very grateful for your optimism and enthusiasm and he hopes you become a great king."

This made Marth so happy he started crying tears of joy. That day he learned what happiness truly felt like; both from helping others win and himself winning the war of acceptance. Donating to the poor children brought such joy to himself as he felt as though he had gotten closer to his people, and winning his father's approval had proven to himself and others that anyone could be drawn to his innocence. It was only a matter of time for him to use his gift and make Altea the peaceful nation it once was.

Despite not really feeling as though Cornelius had justified himself, however, Jagen did not want to ruin Marth's joy. He knew Marth never felt that feeling much despite his optimism and innocence, so any moment he felt at ease was a moment for him to cherish.

"Tell my father… I forgive him and I love him with all my heart!"

"Very well, my lord."

"After you do, I'd like to talk with you. You know, since this is the night before my evacuation… I'd just like to spend one last moment with you."

Jagen nodded and delivered Marth's message to Cornelius, which brought him satisfaction as well. Jagen went back over to Marth's room and the two of them started their final conversation in Castle Altea, where Marth had stopped feeling joy and went back to feeling upset. Jagen could tell, too; he went back to his curled up position and started hiding his face.

"My liege, you look sad again. What happened?"

"It's just… I'm really gonna miss everyone in Altea. They're all so, so nice… sure, some are a bit overwhelming, but… the kind hearted ones are the ones that are pure. But I understand, it's easy to get sidetracked from the good in the world with all of the negativity. I try not to let myself succumb to that philosophy, though. I'll always look to the light for guidance."

"That is a very wise decision, Prince Marth. Just remain in positivity and optimism, even during times like these. It'll be something to keep your spirit strong."

"I've also never really left Castle Altea before, and I'm scared. What is it like out there? I hope people aren't ruthless or overbearing. I want to get along with everyone and live happily. I don't want everyone to feel nothing but contempt."

"I'm sure you shouldn't worry about this. You have the protection of your alliance, they'll be able to keep you safe."

"Good… well, I should probably pack my things and then say goodbye to everyone before leaving tomorrow morning. I'm sure I have to be up really early in order to leave safely."

Jagen faced Marth, trying to ease him out a bit. He knew Marth loved his people, so he wanted to give him every chance he gets to be with them.

"Don't worry about that, my liege. I'll pack your things for you so you can say goodbye to everyone. I know how much these people mean to you, and they've been taking care of you and wanting you to succeed your whole life. It's hard to let people who you love go, but in the long run, you'll look back at these precious moments and memories with them and you'll be happy you lived the life you did."

Marth hugged Jagen and immediately rushed out the door to spend one last moment with everyone else. Jagen stared out the room and just smiled, something he rarely ever did, and just breathed in and out slowly.

It's hard to come across people like Prince Marth, he thought to himself. People who are so pure of heart and innocent and likable. He just draws you to him, with such energy and soul. To think a royal in this day and age would be like that just sounds otherworldly, but lo and behold, he proves people wrong and acts as kind hearted as ever. I genuinely do believe he will be one of Altea's finest kings.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

So I'm actually very pleased with the way things turned out here, unlike the Prologue. One thing I should tell you is my favorite thing to write is dialogue. I'm not really too crazy over paragraphs of background information because I want the characters' words to be the driving force of the story. Characters are the hearts and souls of stories, after all; they're all people who feel emotion and act towards their own beliefs. I wanted to create a personal story within the Fire Emblem universe, because after all, any form of media really is a reflection of life, particularly written ones. Many of the Fire Emblem games, especially Mystery of the Emblem (my personal favorite), feature worlds that are very fantasized and exaggerated, but characters that feel realistic and grounded. It's best to experience these things as sort of a communication with the writers, how they process and interpret things and use their own psyches and translate them to works of fiction. People express themselves in different ways, no matter how abstract their methods may be. You can communicate your own emotions in any way, no matter what, but no matter which method you choose, it'll always feel genuine because it's your own mindset. Unique and one of a kind.

Speaking of mindsets, that's really what this chapter (and the rest of the story) is all about: conflicting mindsets and ideologies. There are two major types of ruling in kingdoms, and that is logical and emotional ruling. Logical ruling is a practice in which Cornelius takes; he prioritizes the kingdom's stance to reignite the glory days of Altea, and ruled in a way that felt very general and not very unique. Sure, some people wouldn't be as power-hungry as him, but many rulers in the past have been so relentless with their approach that it's debatable whether or not Cornelius really is a tyrant per se, at least in this interpretation. Marth's ruling is obviously done on pure emotion, he doesn't care about power or glory, he only cares about the well-being of others. He wanted to be the very light that cast away the dark forces that plagued the nation, and he wanted to create a path that many others could follow and feel accepted (the War of Acceptance, as Marth would put it). I'm not saying I perfectly understand the characters and the intent behind them initially or anything (judging by the actual content of the games, I'm honestly just making stuff up and rewriting some of them here), but the thing about fanfiction is that this is an author's interpretation of the characters, not a general summarization. I feel as though authors can take as many creative liberties as they want as long as they remain faithful in spirit to the original creation.

I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all later down the line for Chapter 2!