A/N: This chapter ended up being much larger than I expected when I went through to revise and edit it. I did have fun writing this one, but I also feel I could have done better. It's likely that I'll end up coming back to this chapter to touch it up once it's less familiar to me and I can see mistakes I've made more clearly.
If you do like this story and want to find more stories by other authors that don't necessarily write Fire Emblem related stories, swing by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord Server (Code: 9XG3U7a). There are plenty of brilliant writers there in the process to telling their own stories or having already told their stories and it's a pretty nice place. They also have a Podcast on Spotify called the Fanfiction Treehouse Podcast if that interests you. With that, onto the Chapter.
Ylisstol was a beautiful place Nicola decided as the group reached the capital. A large castle could be seen in the distance, atop a high hill covered in lush green trees. A large cathedral bearing the symbol on Chrom's shoulder could also be seen, closer to the large city than the castle was. The ordinary buildings appeared to be carved from white stone, each simple and elegant in design, though some stood out with unique roofing and signs. The ground was smooth, paved with porous bricks. The streets were filled with people and covered with banners and flags of many colors.
The air was peaceful and it reminded Nicola of Askr during times of peace, though not enough that he felt nostalgia. He'd been here before yet had been a world away, seeing glimpses of the capital in his forays into the World of Awakening as it had been called. A smile ghosted across his face as Chrom and Lissa welcomed him and Robin to the capital.
Robin looked on, stunned. This was more than likely the most magnificent place she'd seen, her lack of memory being considered. The silver haired woman's head whipped around, taking in every inch of the city as if it was a dream that she would forget if she didn't take everything in.
"Milord, it seems that there is a parade in progress," Frederick noted as they moved further into the city.
"Then we may be able to meet the Exalt," Chrom surmised, a grin forming as he lead the group towards the parade.
"T-the Exalt," Robin stammered. "I don't think I'm ready to meet such an important person."
"Oh relax," Lissa grinned, "The exalt is easily the kindest and most accepting person you'll meet."
"Yeah, she's the best big sister we could have," Chrom added, watching Robin and Nicola's expression. The silver haired woman's eyes became as large as saucers as she put two and two together, becoming a stuttering mess as she hurried to call Chrom and Lissa by their proper titles as prince and princess of Ylisstol. Nicola's reaction was less dramatic, but the slight widening of his eyes and arch of his brows showed his own surprise.
"I hadn't realized you two were so important," Nicola said. "I'd hope I haven't made too poor an impression on you."
"Considering you saved Lissa, fought along side us to slay those strange monsters and helped save a town I think you've made a fairly good impression," Chrom said as he lead the group of seven to a group of knights surrounding a woman with long blonde hair wearing a long green and white robe with golden lining. Her face was the epitome of kind serenity as she walked with purpose through the crowd of citizens. She smiled brightly as she saw Chrom, Lissa and Frederick, the trio rushing to greet the nation's leader while Robin looked on in awe. Sully muttered something about causing a scene while Virion simply smiled. No one noticed Nicola wandering off quietly.
"Big sis," Lissa called, rushing to hug the Exalt.
"It's good to see you again Lissa," Emmeryn smiled as she embraced the young woman. Confusion flashed across her face for a moment. Why did her younger sister have the touch of death on her? Death and warmth like Naga's own fused combined with another. "Was everything alright? Were you or Chrom injured?"
"Just a bit," the younger sister tried. "It was alright in the end."
"I take full responsibility," Frederick interjected. "Had I been faster, I could have prevented everything."
"Or you could have taken a far more dire injury," Chrom sighed as he met Emmeryn's eyes. "Perhaps it's for the best that we speak in the palace. We'll meet you there."
"Very well," Emmeryn nodded, "I'll be looking forward to hearing about what nearly mortally wounded our sister." She smiled again, but to Chrom it was like a sea of white blades that never reached her eyes. She was concerned and a bit upset, that much was quite clear.
The group made its way to the royal palace, a massive structure made of carved white stone made of multiple buildings with a singular tower built around a beautiful garden. Windows made of beautiful stained glass depicting the Mark of the Exalt, the Falchion raised in the hands of a blue clad figure standing triumphantly. Another mural depicted a being wreathed in green light bestowing a gift upon a blue haired warrior in the form of a blue mark upon their head. More pictures decorated the walls of the garden in the form of frescoes creating a large mural. The main entrance to the palace was made of smooth stone stairs with thin slabs of marble lining the sides.
Beyond the entrance, the palace was decorated with green and gold rugs and grand chandeliers made of silver lit with bright orange flames. Multiple branching corridors appeared to go on without end were visible from either side of the entrance, each spreading into large wings- the eastern wing containing bedrooms, a large kitchen and a path to the barracks; the western wing containing multiple large chambers, one of which was used as a council chamber. Further within the central path of the palace was a large pair of polished oaken doors leading to an antechamber that opened into another wing of the palace ending in a throne room to the public eye. This room was where the Shepherds and the Exalt spoke after a great deal of silence.
"So, Chrom, tell me why our sister feels as if she brushed closely with death," Emmeryn asked again, eyes as sharp as the Falchion. The prince gulped as he thought of how to best answer his older sister. He obviously couldn't smile and cheerfully explain how the sky tore open, corpses rained down, rose and attacked them- the biggest of them hurling an axe at Lissa and successfully striking her heart. That certainly wouldn't be taken well, but apologizing without explaining the issue would have been just as bad. He'd have to start from the beginning and so, with much reluctance, he did.
He began by explaining the beginning of his trip with Frederick and Lissa as they asked the villages and towns closer to the Ylissean-Plegian border if they'd had any issue with bandits recently. For the most part, the response had been occasional sightings but no direct encounters before Southtown. As they made their way back towards the capital they encountered the amnesiac Robin and, later, the secretive but helpful Nicola. They spoke for a bit, and were thoroughly confused by Nicola's questions and disposition until they all noticed the flames raging from Southtown. The two strangers accompanied them to the town and helped put down the bandits, who were later confirmed to be Plegians, as they worked to save the settlement. Once that was all said and done, the group of five set out, Nicola following them to find a place to study and look into getting back to his home.
Later that evening Nicola and Frederick had a falling out after they'd set up camp, resulting in the former leaving their company and Robin pursuing him. Chrom had chosen to follow them, accompanied by Frederick and Lissa, and reached them in time to see a strange symbol appear in the sky. Undead monsters rained from the sky and the earth erupted in flames, surrounding them. The five of them were soon joined by a mysterious swordsman sharing the Hero King's name, then by Sully and Virion after the fighting began. Working together, and with Robin's guidance, the group ultimately fended off the majority of the monsters. Unfortunately, the leader of the monsters managed to nearly strike down Lissa with its weapon before it was slain.
Chrom had to slow himself as he reached Nicola's miracle, not really knowing how to explain it beyond calling it a grand display of light and magic that saved their sister from death's embrace. He chose to note Nicola's eyes, which had been ablaze with white and blue light as he performed the miracle, and the symbols that appeared in the sky. Once he'd finished, Emmeryn spoke.
"I see," she breathed as her mood calmed. "That is a great deal to take in, though I must ask: where is this Nicola you keep referring to? I see no one fitting his description among you. Did they disappear like the 'Marth' person you mentioned?"
The prince blinked. "What do you mean, he's-"
Chrom paused, looking over his companions. He saw Frederick, Lissa, Robin, Sully and Virion, but no Nicola. When did that happen? Was he lost in the palace? No, surely he'd have spoken up during the recounting of his deeds. So then, where was he?
The prince turned back to Emmeryn. "I've no idea."
"This just keeps getting better," Frederick sighed, seeing the increase in his workload coming.
Nicola was in the process of helping a young woman carry her groceries to her home near the outskirts of Ylisstol. He hadn't been interested in meeting the Exalt at that moment, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to make it through a conversation with her without having to explain the Light's Blessing. He wasn't interested in that and he planned to meet back up with the others a little later, only they were gone when he'd circled back around to look for them.
Thus, the former summoner found himself wandering the capital and taking in the sights. He clearly stood out, based on the way people were looking at him, but he paid it no mind. He found himself at a bath house after finding his old coin pouch from Askr and using a small amount to buy a few sets of simple clothing. There, he spoke with a young mage practicing wind magic and a tanned man with blonde hair calling himself 'Teach' while he bathed then moved to washing his clothes a few rooms over. The young mage joined him, if only to help dry his clothes, after he'd thoroughly soaked and scrubbed them to the point where they'd need to hang overnight. Not much later, the mage rushed off, mentioning something about getting back to practice, failing to notice that Nicola slipped him a few gold as thanks. The blonde man did notice and gave him an odd look, but kept his peace beyond a warning to not do that too often.
After that, Nicola continued his wandering until he came to a marketplace and decided to look for lunch. It wasn't much later that the man had bought three sandwiches stuffed with freshly cooked meat and thick slices of cheese and assorted vegetables. Once he'd finished his meal, Nicola went on to purchase a second waterskin, a large satchel for his clothes and any tools or gear he bought later. He began to leave the market when someone chose to get his attention.
"Oi, you there with the spear," a woman called loudly, angrily. "The hell did you do to it!?"
"Hm? Oh, it's was in poor condition when I acquired it," Nicola began turning to the speaker, only to freeze. "A-anna?"
The woman before him was nearly the splitting image of the commander. She had the same red hair tied into a pony tail, the same red eyes and was of similar stature. She didn't wear the same armor the commander had worn, instead wearing a thick black apron suitable for smithing over a dark green tunic and thick beige trousers. Thick smithing gloves adorned her hands and a smoky headband rested on her forehead. Her eyes were narrowed to irritated points and her hands rested on her hips as she looked over at him.
"Yeah, the name's Anna," she huffed, glaring at the spearman until she noticed the look he was giving her. Her expression softened a smidge. "Ah, I see what's going on. You met another Anna and got a bit confused, didn't you?" She didn't give him time to reply as she continued. "It happens fairly often. Tell you what, come to my shop and let's talk about getting that thing replaced before it snaps from a stiff breeze."
Nicola gave quiet nod and followed the woman in relative silence. This Anna wasn't his Anna, regardless of how similar she looked to the commander. He'd known about the existence of multiple Annas, but this was uncanny in a rather uncomfortable way. At least he could tell the difference between her and the commander or he'd have been having a crisis. For one, the Anna was taller than the commander and a fair bit thinner. In addition, her hair was a darker shade of red than the commander's had been and seemed more unkempt. The largest difference was her presence: the commander had a gentle yet firm presence about her while this Anna felt more strict but good natured. She also appeared to be around Nicola's age, while the Commander was a few years older than him.
The shop wasn't very far off, taking the form of an armory with an adjoining forge being managed by a man with lavender color hair. Anna called out to the man and he nodded in response as he pounded away at a molten piece of metal. Once they were inside, Anna gestured for Nicola to take a seat and she walked behind the shop's single counter. Multiple racks of weapons neatly lined the store's rightmost walls while the leftmost hand multiple stands with different sets of armor on display. Nicola gave an approving nod as he looked armor the shop as he sat down in a nearby chair. Anna then pointed at the spear he held and gestured for him to hand it over. When he did so, she looked over the weapon and shook her head in disapproval.
"Shoddy work, not even fit for a villager to use," she tutted. "Whoever made this made it with the express intent of being low quality because no craftsman worth less than half their weight in salt would make something this shoddy. The shaft is flimsy and weak, the tip is made from metal scrap melted into a spear head and let's not even get started on the socketing. Then there's the damage from use." Anna glanced up at him. "What did you do, try and kill a bear?"
"Successfully killed a bear, yes," Nicola nodded. Clearly Anna wasn't expecting that because she stared at him for a long while, looking for any sign that he was jesting. When she didn't find that in his expression she sighed.
"Of course you did. Anyways, this thing's as good as scrap at this point," Anna continued. "If you plan on using a spear in the future, I'd recommend getting a new one and it just happens that I have a fairly large stock of spears and lances on hand. If you've the coin for it I can find or make you something far better than this one for you, assuming you take care of it."
The sidelong look she gave him said she wasn't quite sure he could.
"That's reasonable," Nicola said agreeably. He normally would try to take care of his weapons, but the past few days had caused the practice to slip his mind. "Do you have any spears or lances that would be good for piercing through armor?"
"Not sure if I have any spears that fit that particular description anymore, the Pegasus Knight Corp tends to buy those out the moment we restock on them," Anna began when another voice piped up.
"We just closed out the contract for the most recent batch of winged spears," called the man who had been working the forge, poking his head into the shop from a door on the right side of the building. Like Anna he had striking red eyes, but his hair was lavender in color. He was taller than her, but not by much, and carried himself in a way that said he knew his way around a fight. He looked over Nicola, then back to Anna before he went on. "Their Wing Commander came by while you were out advertising our wares, shortly after the parade ended."
"Ah and they paid the usual, right? No haggling while I was away?"
"You really think I'd accept anything less than the agreed price," the man smirked. "Nah, she paid the usual and added a bit more on the top because this'll be their last order for awhile. Already counted out my cut and handled the paperwork. The rest is in the usual place."
"Thanks Jake," Anna smiled, before looking back at Nicola. "That's Jake, my partner in crime-"
"Sales," the man corrected. "We were nearly fined the last time you said that."
"Right. Anyways, he's my hired help and he keeps track of things when I'm not here since I'm still a bit green on the merchant side of things," she continued without missing a beat. "If we're out of winged spears, I don't have any others specifically made for piercing armor at the moment. If I can be frank, those are rather tedious to make anyways because of how specific and precisely crafted they need to be. That and the material is both hard to work with and rare if you don't have good connections."
"Aye, nearly had to close up shop and make a trip back home to resupply, but her sis had us covered this go round," Jake as he addressed Nicola. "So, who're you?"
Nicola introduced himself to the duo, describing himself as wanderer stopping by the capital to do some research and restock on goods before moving along. The two merchants accepted that and the trip began discussing a custom spear that met Nicola's specifications, but wasn't as difficult as a winged spear to make. Weight wasn't super important as a factor, considering how most things were light to him, compared to durability and piercing potential in the right hands. The spear tip preferably would have wings to prevent the weapon from getting stuck, which Anna found reasonable: the more expensive spears and lances within their armory had wings for that reason, but they were far different from those on the spears the Pegasus Knights used. Beyond that, Nicola wasn't sure what to specify or ask about. He didn't plan on throwing the weapon and he was almost certain enchanting a spear with magic would be more tedious than crafting a a winged spear. He didn't really want anything too fancy looking either, he would rather not be targeted by unsavory folk because of how fancy his weapon looked.
Anna and Jake hummed with different tones of approval at that and began working on a straightforward design for the weapon. Once the design was finished they showed Nicola the idea and the only change he wanted to make was extending the blade on the bottom of the weapon. He got odd looks from the both of them for that, but was told it was simple enough to do so long as the he didn't mind paying more. He did not, though he was curious for the overall price for the spear in question.
"Easy, that'll be four thousand four hundred and ten gold pieces," Anna said without skipping a beat, beaming. Jake glanced her way then looked back to Nicola who remained quiet. Anna's smile faltered when he reached for his coin pouch and set it on its side.
Dozens of gold and platinum coins poured from the bag, spilling over the counter top and onto the floor. Anna's eyes grew round and Jake frantically began crossing his arms as more coins fell, hundred now forming a sizable pile as Nicola looked on blankly.
"Stop! Stop," Jake hissed, clamping a hand over the small bag to halt the flow of coins. When Nicola gave him a dull look, he continued. "Anna was jesting with that price. The weapon you requested would be about a third of that price, right?"
Anna nodded vigorously, but that didn't hide the gleam in her eyes as she stared over the foreign coinage. She rapped herself on the forehead twice to shake herself out of the money trance then cleared her throat, face flushing red. "R-right. Normally I'm supposed to list a high price for commissions like the one you're making now, then guide the customer towards a more appropriate price, at least that's what my older sisters say. I wasn't expecting you to try to pay that in full with pure gold and platinum."
It was then Jake's turn to be surprised. "Wait, this stuff is pure? I knew it was the real deal and none of that counterfeit shite people occasionally try to use, but you mean to tell me that all of that is pure gold and platinum?" When Anna nodded, he sighed and rubbed his eyes before addressing Nicola. "You know how much this stuff is worth right?"
"The standard rate for gold and ten times as much for platinum," Nicola asked.
'Try thrice that for the gold and even more for the platinum," Anna stated, now looking away from Nicola and the coinage. "Gold is a particularly good conductor for magic and is used as part of the process for making spellbinding ink for tomes or as part of a levin sword or bolt axe. Platinum is that, but better if a lot more malleable."
Anna had began to say more when Nicola replied.
"Huh, back home this was the standard form of coinage." The world froze for her in that moment. What kind of rich nation did he come from where pure gold and platinum coins were minted? The stuff was incredibly rare in most areas and in the areas where it was abundant it was used as a trade good or alloyed with less valuable metals to make the coins used there. Hearing that some place used pure coins meant that they were either absurdly rich in resources or that they didn't value precious metals as highly as they valued... other things. A better question was why did someone in a plain tunic and set of trousers have that much coin on their person on top of a clearly enchanted storage pouch? That was curious indeed, yet it was clear that it was either his own pouch or something he'd had for a long period of time: any common thief would have fainted from the amount of coinage held within the bag had they been unaware of its contents. The lack of a reaction made it clear that he wasn't a thief or that he was a rather masterful one, though he didn't give off that sort of impression.
"I see," Anna managed after a few moments of stunned silence. "Well I uh... your price is... I..."
Speaking was hard at that moment, but thankfully Jake had her covered.
"The price for your weapon will be fourteen hundred and seventy gold," the lavender haired man spoke up. "Normally it would be twelve hundred and sixty, but your adjustments added a bit to the cost. It'll also take around a week to make if you want anything remotely resembling a quality weapon."
"That sounds reasonable enough," Nicola nodded, "Is there anything else?"
"There's paperwork to sign and a contract to get ironed out, essentially saying that we'll be making a spear for you and that you'll be paying for it. There's a bit more to it than that but it's to make sure that we give you what you want in exchange for you meeting or matching the price we've given. In this case, that latter's a formality since you've more than paid for the work."
"I see. Then once the paperwork is readied and finished up I'll be going. I've a few more things I want to look at before I look for place to rest for the evening."
From there things went quickly. Anna and Jake readied the paperwork to finalize the commission Nicola placed with them while Nicola began arranging and ordering the coins on his side of the shop's counter. Once that was out of the way, Nicola looked over the contract and didn't see anything that looked out of the ordinary- not that he knew what to look for in the first place, having never dealt with a paper contract since he'd learned to read. It helped that the Ylissean alphabet was similar to the Askran alphabet, in fact it was simpler than the latter and was missing many of the symbols Askran had. With that done, Nicola made a note to return in a week's time and let the shop, but not before reassuring the smiths that all of the money he'd left was for them.
As he made his way out from the market, he ended up helping a knight to her feet after she tripped near a flower stand. After making sure she was alright and hadn't hit her head or anythi8ng else important he walked her back to her friend, a red haired knight wearing the same uniform. When he explained what happened, the red haired knight playfully chided her friend before the pair introduced themselves as Sumia and Cordelia. The pair tried to gave him their thanks and offered him a small amount of gold, which he tried and failed to decline, before they left the area. Several gold richer, the former summoner bid the knights farewell and continued walking around.
Eventually, Nicola found himself helping the young woman carry her groceries back to her home after the bag she carried tore and spilled assorted fruits and wrapped meats into the center of the street. He moved to help the girl, explaining he was doing so out of goodwill when she panicked at his approach. He spent the next few minutes reassuring the girl and gathering fruit from the ground until she finally trusted him enough to let him help her- he would have looked for a knight to help her out had she not. When they arrived, the youth's mother greeted them and thanked him for the assistance before offering him dinner. Nicola politely declined, telling the mother and daughter that it had been an act of goodwill and that he was rather full at the moment. Nearly an hour later, he would walk into a squadron of knights.
"You there," the first began. "Would your name happen to be Nicola?"
"That would be correct," Nicola nodded. "Is something the matter?"
The first of the knights looked at the others and laughed. "See, that was easier than the captain said it would be, Will."
"Aye, it was. The captain had us thinking he was some sort of super elusive and suspicious sort," the second knight beamed, pointing towards the man.
"He can also hear the both of you," the third knight chimed in, turning to address Nicola directly. "I'm Stahl, these two are Willian and Gregorio. A pleasure to meet you, Ser Nicola."
"Just Nicola, I'm no knight," the former summoner corrected. "I take it someone wants to meet me?"
"Aye, got it in one," Willian smiled. "The Lady Exalt wanted to meet you, something about talkin' to ya."
"That's... uncommon, is it not," Nicola asked. He did not want to meet her, he knew exactly how that would go.
"Aye, but we were tasked to look for ya an' escort ya back to the palace. Something about making sure an honored guest was treated right an' proper." Nicola groaned on the inside as he gave a weak smile to the knights. Clearly Chrom had told her what had happened with the undead. He didn't blame the prince in the slightest, but he really didn't want to deal with the aftermath of his actions.
He sighed, figuring the knights would pester him until he went with them. He certainly wasn't going to strike them down and flee, not when he wasn't being arrested for a crime he definitely hadn't committed or attacked in the middle of the street. Perhaps he could convince the Exalt that he'd helped out of goodwill and needed no reward. Actually, yes, that would be simple if the townsfolk were anything to go by.
"...Unfortunately, I simply must reward you for services rendered. Not only did you fight alongside my brother and defeat a number of fiends, but you also helped route the bandits that attacked Southtown at his side. Most importantly, you saved my dear sister's life," the Exalt stated after Nicola was brought before her and Frederick, who verified he was the one who had traveled with them. "That in itself would place our family in your debt."
"Be that as it may, that wasn't why I saved Princess Lissa, your highness," Nicola tried. "My reward was saving her life with what power I had at the time, I need nothing else."
"Is it not customary where you are from to reward good deeds," Emmeryn asked in return. "I would imagine that small deeds may be overlooked, but not larger ones. It would be remiss of me to give you nothing in return for such a service, unless you would prefer a debt owed."
"I wouldn't-"
"Then I see no problem in rewarding you, Ser Nicola," the Exalt smiled, cutting him off before he could finish his response.
"Just call me Nicola, Lady Exalt. I'm no knight, nor am I worthy of such a title," Nicola breathed unevenly. That was going poorly. She was frustratingly good at reading him, but perhaps that came with being the leader of a nation.
"Then please call me, Emmeryn," she replied. "Any friend of my brother and sister is a friend of mine. Even if they insist that they are simply a stranger."
"I- With all due respect, I can't simply call you by your name," Nicola began. "It would be improper."
"In the same way it would be improper for me to leave you unrewarded," Emmeryn returned, smiling calmly.
Nicola was at a loss. The Exalt wasn't Commander Anna or Fjorm or Gunnthra, just like Chrom wasn't Alfonse and Lissa wasn't Sharena, but she could read him just as easily as all of them combined in such a short span of time. He hated that, but not the person before him. Emmeryn was good person, that much had been evident from the moment he'd seen her in the parade, and wanted what was best for her people, but she was human, flawed. Mortally flawed. Her light shined too brightly, blinding her and leaving both her vulnerable and blissfully- perhaps willfully- unaware. How fooli-
Nicola winced as he felt his thoughts abruptly shift. Where had that come from? The Exalt had done no wrong before him so he couldn't really criticize her when he hardly knew her. And yet some part of him found reason to. Why?
"Are you alright, Nicola," the Exalt asked, watching him as he seemed to freeze then let out a shaky breath. "Do you need to see a healer?"
"No, I'm fine," he replied far too quickly. "I just needed a moment, my apologies."
"I understand that you had a long night not long ago, in addition to two full days worth of travel," The Exalt nodded. "If you need rest, I can arrange a guest room to be prepared for you and continue this conversation at another junction."
"That might be for the best," Nicola agreed, choosing not to argue this time. "I'm probably much more tired than I realized."
"Then please do get some rest, we will continue once you feel better." Emmeryn signaled for two guards to enter the chamber. "Please escort our guest to one of the guest quarters and ensure that he is kept comfortable."
The two guards nodded and without further instruction led the dark haired man away. Once the three of them were out of sight, Emmeryn released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Nicola wasn't supposed to be here. The young man had a shadow of death coiled around him, nearly as dark as the taint of the Fell Dragon on those who had given themselves to it in full. It was clear from the feeling of his vitality that he'd narrowly cheated death or had died for a brief moment rather recently. Perhaps he was one of the Einherjar who had lost their name and form after centuries, awakened in response to the force threatening the land. That certainly fit his skill with a spear, confirmed by her brother and his Shepherds, and the powerful magic he'd wrought. If that wasn't the case, he could have been displaced from an Outrealm and the shadow of death was the sign of his passage. Regardless, the aura about him was unnatural and he seemed to recognize it to some degree because he appeared to be pushing it away rather than letting it draw closer and stain his vitality.
Lissa had described it quite vividly as being within a frozen lake while alight and bound in chains, but that was only the surface of it. Her sister hadn't felt the shadow of death looming over him or the foreign magic that welled with him in the depths of that lake. More than that, Lissa likely hadn't felt the presence that lied deeper still, one that had focused on the Exalt the moment she made contact with Nicola when they'd met. The fact that he seemed to be unaware of that presence was a little more than concerning. That would need to be looked into, for his own sake if not for the sake of others. Perhaps it was for the best that he hadn't joined her brother then, she could better keep an eye on him while he was within the capital and help him through indirect means if needed. Hopefully that was unneeded.
Nicola's rest was plagued with nightmares. He tossed and turned in the lavish bed he'd been granted as a guest, dreaming of Surtr's relentless assault on Askr. He saw the burning villages, ablaze when the conqueror was away and molten hells wracked with blistering heat, the stench of burning flesh and the screams of those being burned alive to fuel the Muspelflame protecting him. Southtown had been like the former, with the townsfolk at least having a chance of living if they fled. The place he dreamt of wasn't so lucky, before the dream took a turn.
The world lurched and Nicola found himself running through a burning city, a mix of one from his own world and Ylisstol superimposed over one another. Alfonse was at his side, covered in soot and bloodied from a nasty gash to his side, while Anna limped behind them with the support of the masked swordswoman and young man with platinum blonde hair and vermillion eyes. The group rounded a corner and ducked into the ruined entrance of a building to just as a wave of burning ash and embers rushed past the open street they'd been on. Alfonse blocked the entrance as best he could with rubble and ruined furniture before the ash and heat could wash over them. The rumbling in the air subsided after a few moments, leaving the group to rest in exhausted silence.
"It's just us now," Alfonse breathed, eyes downcast as he moved to tend to Anna, who'd been gently laid down. Nicola grimaced as he looked at the commander's injured form, knowing with a glance that she'd be unfit for battle. Multiple burns marred her side, just above her left hip, leaving it a charred and blistered mess while thin blades of red tinted glass pierced her right thigh, causing it to swell and inflame severely. Her right eye was a milky white, blinded by a burst of molten heat and light from the battle they'd fled from. Parts of her armor were fused to her flesh, melted or burned onto her by the same burst that claimed her eye. It was a miracle that she was alive, let alone cognizant of her surroundings.
Alfonse went to work, carefully removing each piece of glass from her leg as the commander grit her teeth and endured the pain. A pained gasp escaped her lips as the prince poured a Vulnerary on the injuries, the inflamed and puckered flesh steaming and hissing as it sealed and shrank back to a reasonable size. The masked woman quickly rummaged through the remains of a dresser and withdrew a bottle of strong spirits along with three cups, passing the bottle to Anna after pouring a cup for herself, the blonde and Alfonse.
"Holding out on me, I see," laughed the commander. The laugh quickly devolved into a pained cough before Nicola reached her side and pat her back, smoke and ash leaving her mouth as the coughing fit ended. Without further notice, Anna tipped back the spirits, draining the bottle in mere seconds as color spread across her face. She nodded to the masked woman and cracked a strained smile. "I needed that."
"Hopefully it will dull the pain of Kiran's work," the masked woman replied. She paused and frowned. "If I hadn't gone off on my own..."
"We'd have been caught in the fire blast aimed at our old base of operations," the blonde finished. "Then there'd be no one to stop the Infernal Star and Hel." The masked woman gave a harsh laugh before throwing back her glass of spirits.
"And how are the five of us going to go about doing that, Corrin," she growled as her temper flared. "Alfonse is injured, Anna will hardly be able to move, much less fight, neither of our supposed holy blades work on either of our foes and Kiran's lost the ability to talk after saving us from the last thing those two monsters threw our way. Or do you not remember fighting your siblings alongside the Black Knight of Tellius, our fathers and the numerous Divine Dragons made into thralls!?"
"Easy, Lu," Corrin breathed, pupils narrowing to thin slits. He sighed deeply before continuing. "If we can regroup with Sharena and the others, find some time to recover and plan then strike once all of us are back at full capacity, I'm certain we can end this decisively."
"That's the same sort of optimism that landed us here in the first place," the masked woman hissed. "What makes you think we'll get more time than this before they find us and kill us?"
"We'll have to pray," Corrin began, only for Lucina to interrupt him.
"What would prayer do when the gods we know have gone silent or been turned against us?"
"That's enough," Anna and Alfonse said at once. The two shared a look before the prince continued. "Until proven otherwise, we're the last remnants of the Order of Heroes and- though the odds are stacked against us to no end- the last hope for this world. The more time we spend bickering and not planning our next move, the more time the Infernal Star and Hel have to conquer this world and amass power. We can't afford that and we don't wish to be run down and slain like rats backed into a corner. I agree with Corrin for this, we need to buy time, plan and come up with a way to defeat the those two."
Kiran nodded as he placed his palms over Anna's side and channeled what he knew of healing light and its blessing to her charred side. The charred and blistering flesh began to knead itself back together as the commander held in a cry. Bits of molten metal rippled off of her ruined armor, burning what remained of it as sections where flesh and metal merged were separated by golden light. Alfonse took this time to peel away the remnants of the commander's armor while Lucina drew forth bandages and gently wrapped them around Anna as the light from Kiran sputtered then died. The summoner barely managed to cover his mouth before the coughing fit began and his vision blurred.
"Kiran," Corrin exclaimed, rushing to his side and placing a hand on his forehead, only to recoil from the heat on contact. Kiran was burning up, perhaps literally, but before the dragon prince could bring it up the Summoner shook his head. The worried look Corrin had softened. "You shouldn't over exert yourself, friend. You're still worn out from the last battle, no?"
Kiran nodded begrudgingly as he wiped his mouth, thankful his once white coat was now black. He cast a subtle spell to hide the scent of his blood before Corrin caught on and he began to worry once more. It was one thing for Anna to be injured, it was another for him to be dying from drawing out too much power to keep himself and the others going. They were all exhausted, even Corrin who boasted a far greater constitution than the rest of them due to his draconic heritage. The situation was made worse by most of them nursing wounds that would need to be addressed soon. Anna and Alfonse had the most obvious and visible injuries. Corrin sported bruised ribs, managing to be the least injured of them by way of his sheer resilience, while Lucina was trying and failing to hide a broken hand, cracked femur and two shattered ribs. Kiran was perhaps the second worst off, his entire body strained to the point of nearly pulling itself apart and his very limited magic linked to his vitality while he tried and failed to recover in full due to using his excess energy to keep the air and heat from the ruined city from killing his few remaining allies. Something would have to give soon, else they wouldn't last and he'd have to enact his-
Nicola awoke in a cold sweat. The dream had ended abruptly and left him reeling. It had felt real, like he was going back through his memories, but he knew such a thing was impossible: he'd only visited his world with Alfonse and Veronica, back when she had been an enemy. They stayed there for but a moment when everything had-
Nicola couldn't bring himself focus and his breathing grew erratic. He needed fresh air and he needed it now. The former summoner threw himself out of bed and took deep, gasping breaths as the world grew hazy. He felt like he was burning up like he'd been in the dream, blistering heat bubbling up from within him before he collapsed to the ground. He heard frantic knocking, but it was a muted and dull sound that felt as if it came from far away. The last thing he saw before his conscious winked out was his own reflection, clear of haze as it stared back at him.
Its eyes were a haunting, glowing blue and they held nothing beyond cold disdain.