Heart of Stone Chapter One, a fire emblem fanfic

The Ashen Demon was fine with her lot in life, Jeralt gave her instructions, and she'd stab people. But when the future leaders of Fódlan come knocking at their doorstep, the Ashen Demon quickly finds herself the new strategy professor at the Officers Academy. Teaching quickly highlights just how unusual the Ashen Demon is as those hidden in the shadows dreg up that which was best left forgotten.

Heart of Stone
Chapter One
An Inevitable Encounter

Mags met Jeralt Eisner one rainy night during the Wyvern Moon of 1159.

She lived just outside of Remire Village in the servant's quarters of an abandoned summer mannor that once belonged to an Adrestian noble. Mags had just been paid for her job of monster hunting and needed a good tankard of Albinean caperina after a day like that. She made her wyvern, Serge, in the stable, and went straight to the tavern in the village.

Mags was seated at the bar when Jeralt walked in. He was a tall, broad man with shaggy dirty blond hair, unshaven facial hair and grizzled features. His hair and orange tunic were soaked by the rain. However, he wore his traveling cloak draped over the right side of his body, covering his arm and shoulder. He seated himself next to Mags and used his left hand to get out a few pieces of copper. "White lightning," he ordered. Then Mags noticed how he glanced down at his covered right arm. He looked back up at the barkeep. "You wouldn't… happen to have milk do you?"

"You're going to have to wait 'till morning," the barkeep said, handing Jeralt his tankard.

The stranger cursed under his breath. "What about a room?"

"Fifty coppers."

Jeralt's face paled at this information. "I have half of that on me. If I could-"

"Fifty coppers or no room."

Jeralt's brow twitched irritably, his eyes locked on his tankard before the barkeep walked off. He drowned the tankard in one go then he slammed it back down on the bar. Mags watched as Jeralt lowered his traveling cloak off his shoulder ever so slightly. Enough for him to look at whatever it was he was hiding without uncovering his arm altogether. Whatever he held, Mags was positive she heard him mutter, "Sorry, kid," to it.

It clicked after that.

Jeralt finished his white lightning and stood up, headed for the door. Mags had only drunk about a quarter of her caperina. She downed it as quickly as she could. When finished, she stood up to follow Jeralt. "Sir," she called to his retreating figure. "If you need a place to stay, I have enough room."

The man's dark eyes scrutinized Mags for a moment, then his gaze traveled downward at his covered arm, mulling over her offer. She approached the man, only then realizing just how much taller than her he was. "Sir, if I'm right about what you're carrying," Mags said in a hushed tone, gesturing to his right arm, "then, you best think about your child."

That was all it took to convince Jeralt. True to her word, Mags did have enough room, there were enough bedrooms for twenty servants with four to a room. There was a living room by the hearth, and a kitchen and dining room attached.

When they arrived in Mags' home, Jeralt removed his soaked travel cloak, revealing a small baby in the crook of his arm. The child, a little girl, was a tiny thing, with a full head of teal-green hair. Her green eyes looked up at the grown people around her, scrutinizing them as though she were an adult merchant trying to make a sale.

Mags brushed this thought off as nothing short of ridiculous. The child looked like she just came out of the womb. She was simply staring, it was all she could do at this age.

After Mags put away her wet cloak, she got out a jug of cattle milk and tried to find something for the child to nurse on. The servant's quarters was still stocked with its furniture and cheap cutlery when Mags bought it. It was by miracle alone that food hadn't been stored. There may have been something the child could nurse from in the main house. But it was the middle of the night and the state the servants quarters was in when Mags first bought it likely paled in comparison to the manor. It would have been morning before she found anything.

In the end, Mags gave Jeralt the smallest wooden spoon she had. The milk was poured into a bowl, and Jeralt spoon-fed it to the child. The girl stared up at Jeralt, opening her mouth whenever he brought the spoon to her tiny mouth. She'd close it whenever the spoon went back to get more milk from the bowl.

"She's yours?" Mags asked, sitting across from Jeralt.

"She's mine."

"And her mother?"

Jeralt faltered in his machinations. His gaze fell upon his child. Instead of wailing as most babies would have when their food was taken from them, the child simply stared at her father. "Her mother has passed away," Jeralt finally said.

A child that looked brand new without a mother in sight. Well, it wasn't that difficult to figure out what happened.

Silently, Jeralt went back to spoon-feeding the child, until the very moment he brought the spoon to her mouth and she kept it closed. Jeralt brought the girl to his shoulder and she burped instantaneously. After a few moments, he cradled her back in the crook of his arm. The child's eyes closed and remained that way as her little chest rose and fell.

"My apologies if I'm prodding," Mags said, breaking the silence. "But what do you plan to do from here?"

Jeralt opened his mouth, only to close it when no answer came. Twice he did this. "You couldn't afford a room at the tavern, which tells me you're running low on money," said Mags. "Winter will be here soon, and your child is still very young. What do you plan to do?"

"I… I don't know," he finally admitted. "I don't think I thought things out as thoroughly as I should have."

Well, at least he admitted it.

Mags ran her fingers through her hair. She once had luscious black hair that was her pride, now it was a dull dark grey. "Can you fight?" Mags asked through a sigh.

"I... can," Jeralt responded, eyeing Mags.

"Remire Village is down a town guard. I have enough room for the two of you," she gestured to the empty house that was meant to house servants. "Winter's coming, and if you can't get your child out of the rain, there's no way you can protect her from the winter elements. I don't work much, if at all, during the winter, so I can watch your girl while you work."

"You don't have to go out of your way for me."

"Think about it." Mags jabbed a finger at the side of her head, then pointed at his daughter. "Think about her."

Once again, his gaze traveled to the sleeping baby in his arm. Already asleep without much effort, not once did Mags see a child fall asleep as easily as this one did.

Sighing, Jeralt held his free hand across the table. Nodding once, Mags reached out for his hand, and they shook.

Years passed, as they always did. Mags began to care for the child, Luculia, while Jeralt worked as a guard. She taught the girl how to read and write, she taught her arithmetic and what she could remember of Fódlan history. They kept the house, made crafts to sell come spring, kept busy.

Mags never tried to become a mother to Luculia. For one, she was older than Jeralt, or so she thought in the beginning. And for another, though Jeralt never sought companionship in both romance and sex, Mags was always aware it was a possibility. But Mags came to realize that both father and daughter were not ordinary people.

As Luculia grew older, Jeralt quit the guard and started his own mercenary company. So, the three of them started traveling across Fódlan, until Luculia turned fifteen and was permitted to start working. By that point, Serge had died, and Mags' hands were trembling, her bones ached, and she grew tired easily. She was forced to retire about a year or so after Luculia started working. But she never really left the company.

As Jeralt's numbers grew, he purchased the summer manor, and it became their base of operations. So, in recent days, Mags stayed behind at the manor, keeping house and taking messages while the rest of the company traversed across the land. It was a step down from her old life, but it was either this or put herself at risk because of her old age maladies.

It was the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, twenty years since that night. The company had returned from their most recent set of jobs. Mags had just readied a warm cup of tea and sat down when the door burst open. And just like that, it was like Mags had raised a pack of boys. They came in, tracking mud and dirt, dropping their effects and supplies wherever there was open space.

If they thought Mags was going to pick up any of that, they were going to be disappointed.

Luculia brought up the rear with Jeralt. Her teal-green hair was tied into a low pony at the base of her neck, thick and slightly unruly. She was a young woman of twenty now, about as tall as she was going to get, added with Jeralt's confirmation that her mother had been a tiny woman. Luculia was generously endowed and occasionally confided in Mags about the back pain they caused. She was dressed in black garb and armor with bits of pink lining on her clothes. She came in with her bag slung over one shoulder; Mags kept her attention on the young woman, noticing a limp in her step. At the best of times, the limp was subtle, but if it was as noticeable as it was now...

Mags exhaled heavily through her nose; wordlessly, she pulled the chair at her left out as Luculia walked up to the table. The young woman sat with her back to Mags, placing her bag at her feet. She pulled out a second chair and draped her bad leg over the second seat, her shoulders sagged slightly in relief.

When Mags finished her teacup, she disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and came back with an empty teacup and a towel with its ends tied together. As soon as the towel hit Luculia's knee, she ever so slightly. Despite the towel and the fabric of her trousers, Luculia could still feel the chill of ice.

"No trouble this time around?" Mags asked, pouring Luculia a cup of tea.

"Not really," muttered Luculia. "New guy said something odd to me."

"Odd how?"

"He told me 'I love you,' but I didn't understand what he meant."

'New Guy' must have meant Connor, he was... well, the new guy. An archer roughly around the same age as Luculia, and still young enough that reality hadn't sapped that youthful optimism out of him. He must have been in the company for about three months. And Mags did not need to know that he barely spoke to Luculia before he said it. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," Mags said simply. "Connor's a decent archer, but he's a young fool who doesn't truly understand what he said any more than you do."

Silently, Luculia list her head to the left, then she took a sip of her tea. As simple as that, the matter was thoroughly dropped.

She looked so little like Jeralt. Though he grew his hair out, Luculia hadn't even inherited his volume. The girl was not a skinny rail, between training and mercenary work Luculia had muscles. But she was waifish when standing side by side with Jeralt. She was significantly shorter than him and between her hair and eye color, many in the company wondered if Luculia was really Jeralt's daughter. The lack of a mother to compare Luculia to only added to the whispers. It did not help at all that Jeralt wasn't one to share his past, as far as the company knew, he was never married. As far as the company knew, that is.

When the two had finished their tea, Mags fetched a sack of potatoes and a couple of potato peelers and they shed the outer skin. All the while, Anna, a merchant by trade, sat at the table with them, counting the coin she'd made from selling her wears from the job. After about a half-hour of peeling, Issak came to collect the potatoes to mash for dinner that night.

The following morning, the company was more or less given the day to rest. Jeralt and Madoc, essentially the number two, had left early to speak with the mayor of Remire village. Any request they had gotten in their absence were usually given to the mayor until they got back. And Anna was likely in town too, selling even more of her wares.

Luculia, Mal, and Issak were tasked with catching fish for supper that night. So the three of them left the house with creel baskets on their backs and a pole in their hands. There was a small lake a few miles away, an ideal local fishing spot.

Since retiring, Mags struggled to busy herself from day to day. During the winter Mags and a few others in the company would make handicrafts to sell come spring. Spring was pretty much there, they made their money from their handicrafts and it was too early to start preparing for next year. Mags could mend a few clothes, but it was an unspoken agreement amongst the company that each individual were responsible for their own wears. When Luculia was younger Mags passed the days by giving her lessons. Needless to say those were unneeded when Luculia was this age.

Saints, Mags was surely doomed to wither into an empty husk long before her death.

Perhaps she should try gardening. If she could grow a few vegetables, it had to save the company a bit of money…

Luculia and the boys returned around midday with enough fish between them that left Matthias satisfied. Mags did so enjoy his fish soup. After the three of them transferred everything they caught into one creel basket, Luculia dropped it off at the kitchen for Matthias and Zelda and Issak took the baskets to rinse and dry them.

Another couple hours passed and Mags, mercifully, found herself playing a few rounds of chess with Viv. Viv, like a lot of members of the company, did not discuss her past, though Mags always suspected she was an Adrestian noble, or at least she was from a wealthy family. The way she originally carried herself, high head with an attitude that reeked of condensation and a refined way of speaking.

Mags remembered when she first met Viv, she had an immediate dislike for the girl. Her flaxen hair done up prim and properly, thinking that because her trainers went down for her during her sparring lessons, it meant she was a seasoned battle maiden. Mercifully, when reality set in, Viv met it with poise. Five years later, Viv no longer wore her hair primly, she knew better than to underestimate the enemy and reality set in. Mags warmed up to her as that uppity attitude melted away.

The two had started playing chess with each other as the years went on, trying to see who could win the most games. They were roughly in the two-hundreds by now.

Jeralt and Madoc returned later that afternoon, talking between themselves as they found an empty room to continue their conversation in relative privacy before supper. There was a large, round table in the dining room, where everyone took their seat. Mags ended up seated beside Viv by virtue of being within vicinity of each other beforehand. Luculia and Anna entered the room, the teal-haired girl rubbed one eye as she took a seat beside the merchant.

Matthias entered the dining room moments later with a large pot of fish soup. As the soup was ladled into each bowl, a chatter fell amongst the company. Luculia sat in silence, spooning helpings of fish, greens, and milky broth into her mouth. Damn near every other person in the company was speaking with one person or another. It was moments like this that really highlighted how unlike the others Luculia was.

Luculia wasn't simply a quiet girl, she was borderline static. Mags had known Luculia since she was a babe, and never once did she see Luculia laugh or cry. Not even when she suffered the typical scrapes and bruises that came with childhood.

It was difficult to tell what she was thinking at any given moment and talking to her it was easy to assume she had an uncaring attitude. And Luculia never bothered to try and show them that they were wrong. As a result, she didn't have friends, not really, even 'acquaintances' seemed too generous a word. Very few spoke to Luculia in an attempt to get to know her, and Luculia never spoke to anyone to get to know them in return.

It wasn't because she was shy, Luculia could be unapologetically blunt if need be, she simply did not care to know anyone. And if Luculia needed something, she would go to Jeralt or Mags. Luculia did what was asked of her without argument, ate, drank, and slept when she needed. Mags knew Luculia had a decent sum of money, her payment for her work in the company, but she didn't do anything with it, save for occasionally pitching in on one thing or another. There was nothing she desired to own, no hobby to put the money into.

Luculia existed, but she was simply there.

Partway through dinner, Jeralt tapped his tankard of ale against the table a few times. Steadily, the chatter trickled into silence, all eyes turned towards Jeralt expectantly. "So, since we're all here, I'd like to inform you that we have another job already," he announced. "We'll be headed for the Kingdom early tomorrow, so try not to stay up too late, okay?"

Jeralt had never been one to droll, never one to go on tangents. Always to the point. And most liked him for that.

The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus… If Mags were a betting woman, she'd bet that they were meant to quell bandits. The Kingdom was rife with jobs a few years ago after the king and his wife had been slaughtered in Duscur. There had been a bit of unrest ever since. Though the jobs became less and less as more time went on, perhaps because the bandits were wising up, perhaps it was because the crown prince was nearly of age. Perhaps it was both.

As the company scattered for the night Mags took a seat in the sitting room in front of the hearth. Spring was coming, but it could not warm up fast enough for Mags. The wind went right through Mags as the years went by. She did not have the same obligations as the rest of the company, she did not need to turn in early for the night, but she probably would. Why stay awake if everyone else in the house was asleep?

She heard Jeralt approaching Mags before he made himself known. Twenty years as co-parents, it was neigh impossible for either of them to pick up on the other's habits and tells. He took one of the chairs, and sat down on Mags other side; he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, staring into the flames. "I heard the kid got her first love confession," he began. Mags shot him a questioning look before he shrugged. "Overheard some of the older guys teasing Connor about it."

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Luculia was more confused by it than anything else."

"Confused..." Jeralt repeated, glancing long and hard into the fire. "That sounds fairly in-character for her."

A dark shadow fell over Jeralt's eyes. He often said he had no intention of dying, but Jeralt was a realist. And unspoken concern hung over him like a dark cloud, always at the back of his head. Mags was not a fool, she had another fifteen or twenty years, the goddess be generous. Luculia only really liked Mags and Jeralt.

Only two in a world overflowing with people.

What would happen to her if those two people weren't around anymore?

She saw things.

She saw stars so close she could have touched them, she felt euphoria bubble up inside her chest. She was young again, as playful as a newborn, excitable and eager. She wanted to see what was out there in the unknown, beyond the confides of home.

Time passed as she continued to soar, she could see a massive orb, shades of blues, greens, and white swirled around it. There. There is where she would go. It grew larger and larger as she flew.

She couldn't feel it anymore, the soaring sensation. She was stagnated and still. She looked up to see a behemoth of a man, holding onto her as they stood in a rain-soaked battlefield. She could just barely make out the men and women in armor battling against each other behind him. The man was tall and broad. His armor, minimal, just enough to keep his arms protected, his chest was bare, proudly showing off three claw-shaped scars that traveled down from his left shoulder to the right of his torso. His long hair was a shock white, tied back into a simple tail, his beard was surprisingly well-kept compared to everything else about the man.

She only just saw the grin on the man's lips briefly before he took off running. He tossed her to and fro, flicking his wrist to extend her, using her to steal the lives of mortal men. She could have cried out had she the mouth for it.

The man moved, taking out anyone who got in his way, even those fighting for him. He stopped at a ledge, overlooking the battlefield. Ten red lights stood out amongst the darkness brought upon by the rain. Ten others he used her to… She hated this man. Despised him, him and his followers. If she could use her arms…if she could use her arms what she would have done to the man. Make his death as slow and torturous as possible, do to him what he did to her.

Stop it...

He tossed her as though she were a spear. She landed head-first into the mud, she grew warm with the magical energy around her. It expanded, throwing soldiers from both sides back. The man landed beside her and pulled her out of the mud, he flicked his wrist again, extending her once more. He whipped her around, taking down several soldiers in one go, creating an opening for his followers to charge forward, straight towards the lone, immaculate woman.

No!

Her blonde hair was done in a low, loose braid, her golden headpiece resembled a pair of dragon wings. She was wearing a white dress with two slits in the skirt, allowing for easy leg movement. Her cloak was long enough to touch the ground by several inches. She only had bits of golden armor on her forearms and her shins, nothing to protect her front. She carried a sword in her hand, a shield with an ethereal glow strapped to her arm.

One of the man's soldier's bolted for the woman. One of her knights jumped in front of the attack parrying against the man's soldier. "Lady Seiros!"

Seiros… No, that wasn't right…

Seiros's soldier was felled, landing close enough that the impact soiled her white clothing. Her pale green eyes remained locked on the man, a glare fierce enough that she could have willed the man to combust had she the power.

The man threw her down again, clearing the path between Seiros and himself. Gracefully and fluidly, Seiros readied her blade with a renewed sense of determination, she broke out into a run first, her sword clashed with the man, just as she was pulled back. She was parried back and forth against Seiros's sword, the man attacking with his brute strength, Seiros with precision and grace.

Stop it!

She was slammed against Seiros's sword, the man grinned down at Seiros as though she were nothing but a little girl. A little girl in way over his head.

He didn't know what she really was.

Stop it!

In his attempt to put distance between them, the man struck her against Seiros, forcing the woman back several meters. He flicked his wrist, extending her again, and whipped her straight at Seiros.

No… No… she didn't want to do this!

STOP IT!

Seiros just barely dodged the tip of her; the attack was followed up by another that Seiros effortlessly dodged. By the third attack, Seiros intercepted with her sword; she was rapped around Seiros jagged blade, her ability to extend was finally, finally going to be the man's downfall. With a firm tug, Seiros forced her out of the man's hand. Without a second thought, Seiros tossed her sword to the ground, taking her with it. She just barely caught a glimpse of Seiros sprinting towards the behemoth of a man.

She was staring up at the coming dawn, hearing skin hitting skin. She heard something hit the ground, then she could just barely hear Seiros say something. "You'll die for that!" Seiros shouted. She heard something wet, Seiros's ragged breathing and the gurgling sound of the man's dying breaths. "You took… EVERYTHING… THAT I LOVED!"

The sun continued to rise, the echoes of cheers roared. Seiros came into sight, her hands wet with blood, her expression numb. She dropped to the ground, gently running her hands over her. With a shuttering breath, Seiros took her into her hands and cradled her close.

"He's gone now, Mother..."

She blinked, her vision fuzzy. Rubbing one eye, she yawned, sitting up on her throne. After blinking a couple of times, her vision cleared, revealing a young woman at the foot of the stairs below her throne. "Oh my," she said in wonder. "What could have brought you here?"

She was a young woman, her teal-green hair was long and tied in a low tail. Green eyes looked up at her without much judgment. The young woman was dressed in a black garb lined with pink and a bit of armor on her person. What the girl could have been thinking, she didn't know, her face was so placid, it was difficult to tell.

Irritation blossomed in her chest, her brow furrowed. What was she doing here, disturbing her sleep? When she was so vulnerable, anything could have happened. "It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose." She leaned back in her throne, her arms crossed over her chest. "I have not seen the likes of you before. What are you anyway?"

The young woman blinked. Once, twice, thrice. Still, she could not read this young woman. She was likely a mortal woman, she had the look of one, after all. "I'm a demon," the woman said, her tone flat and monotonous.

Of all the…

"Do not deceive," she warned. "You would do well to keep your wit in line."

"Mortal..."

Ha! She was right then. Her lips pulled back into a smile. "I see, then you must have a name of sorts. She rested her chin in one hand and gestured to the woman with the other. "Go on."

But did she not have a name too? Most living, thinking, beings in this world had one. And was she not living and thinking too? Logic dictated it true, and yet… why could she not recall her name?

Something wasn't right with her. Her clothes felt right, an indigo blue, two-piece dress with a couple of slits in the skirt for leg movement. A white and pink ribbon were tied around each of her wrists, thick green hair that fell in slight girls. She had a couple of braids down her front with white and pink ribbons woven in. She felt right… but she didn't feel right.

The woman took a moment to think, it was the only time she broke eye contact with her. "Luculia Alhabor Eisner."

Luculia… Luculia… She heard that name before. "Huh… I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names," she admitted. Not a name, but three. Were humans such fickle creatures that they needed three names to tell them who they were? "Yet, it all feels so… familiar somehow..." She bit back a yawn, suddenly sleepy once again, even though she had just woken up. Her eyelids grew heavy and her eyes were beginning to sting. Why was she so sleepy? "I think it may be time for yet another nap… It is almost… time to… begin..."

As soon as her eyes were closed she heard a voice, deep and familiar. "Hey, kid."

She witnessed Luculia prompt herself onto one elbow as her eyes opened. She was laying down on a bed, her blankets up to her shoulders, and one arm curled around a stuffed black horse toy. A faint light peeked through the open door, revealing a near-barren bedroom, save for a chest of drawers, that carried a worn travel bag and a sheathed sword. Criminy Luculia was committed to being hard to read…

Luculia looked towards the cracked door to find a grizzly looking man already dressed and armed. It was her father, Jeralt. How strange she could know this when she just met Luculia. Logically she couldn't have possibly knew what her father's name was, and yet… she knew nothing about herself.

"Gotta change," Luculia muttered upon tossing the blanket off. Jeralt hesitated, apparently wanting to say something else, but left Luculia to her own devices.

He wasn't the type of parent who would hover over his child like they were a baby chick. Nor was he the type to prod. Oh, no, Jeralt was the type of parent who would give his small daughter a dagger before she even knew how to properly hold a sword.

When the door closed behind Jeralt, Luculia began to exchange her linens for a two-toned black brigandine, with a darker black on the side, a lighter black down the front. There was a pink lining around the bust and the inner upper arms. She had on a pair of black slacks and worn brown boots. Luculia slid on a belt with a small dagger around her waist and grabbed something off the chest of drawers across from her bed, sat down on the edge of her bed, and stretched her left leg out. She brought the object around her knee and eased a few straps into their buckle, and pulled. Luculia bent her knee a couple of times, and the strange thing was, she could feel a pain in the same knee as Luculia's. How odd she could feel what a mortal woman felt.

After she dressed, Luculia readied her bag, placing the stuffed horse toy towards the bottom of the pack. Well, that was a little unexpected. Aside from the horse toy she had already packed a spare set of clothes, partially used bottles of vulnerary and rolls of bandages. There were still a few dried berries and nuts and a bag of hardtack stored away.

Satisfied, Luculia slung the pack over her shoulder, then headed downstairs into the front room. Usually, there were others down here, but they must have been gathered outside, so the room was empty, save for Jeralt.

She witnessed the father and daughter exchange looks. Jeralt opened his mouth slightly when a man dressed as a Swordmaster came bursting in through the front door. "Jeralt! Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed."

The tall, broad man let out a heavy sigh through his nose, already put upon before the job had even started. She believed the term she was looking for to describe Jeralt was 'world-weary.' He was a grizzled man whose eyes looked older than the rest of him. And he already looked like he was middle-aged. "What happened now?"

Madoc balled up both hands momentarily before he relaxed them. Another name she just knew. "I think it might be easier to just show you."

Barely two steps outside the house and, through Luculia, she could see the warm orange light of fire through the trees down the path to Remire Village. Jeralt muttered a curse under his breath, then hurried to ready his horse. Bayard, he was called, and he was a beast of a horse with a beautiful black coat thanks to Luculia coddling him.

Luculia and Madoc raced on foot to the village borders, where the mercenary company were already engaged in battle with a ragtag group of bandits. They happened once in a blue moon usually by some sap unaware of the fact that the village was under the protection of the Blade Breaker and his daughter, the Ashen Demon. And then there were the saps who thought they could go toe to toe with the Blade Breaker. Those didn't last long.

Oh, this was growing vexing!

She knew various tidbits about Luculia's life. About a mortal woman she just met, but nothing of her own. Hmm… 'mortal woman.' Why did she make that distinction when thinking about Luculia? That implied that she was not mortal. Yet, it felt like an appropriate observation, she was not mortal, she was not as delicate as Luculia. But then, what was she if not mortal? What was the alternative?

And if she wasn't mortal, why was she so tied to one?

As they drew closer, Luculia and she noticed three new faces amongst the mercenaries. Three youths, a girl and two boys, each younger than Luculia, if only by a few measly years. The lone girl had long, snowy white hair, she carried an axe in her hands. Her clothes looked easy to move in; a long, sleeveless tunic, a set of black slacks, and leather boots. She had on a pair of silvery grey gauntlets with pieces of armor protecting her shoulders, thighs, and lower body.

One of the boys was towheaded and easily the tallest of the trio. He also wore the most chest armor than either of his companions. A blue brigandine poked out from under his chest piece; his choice of weapon was a plain lance. The second boy had tan brown skin and brown-black hair. He had on a golden-yellow tunic and brown slacks. There was a bracer on one arm, a guard over the left side of his chest, and a leather pauldron on his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a quiver of arrows and bow on his person and a sword in his hand.

Approaching the scene, Luculia removed her sword from its sheath. Immediately, she went for one of the bandits, they parried blades before Luculia allowed herself to crouch down lower and slash at the bandit's legs. He stumbled back trying to find purchase despite the injury; rising back upright, Luculia brought up her elbow, striking the man in the side of the head.

As Luculia turned, aiming to find her next opponent, she spotted the white-haired girl, staring at her and ignoring the rest of the battle.

Of all the stupid…

"All right," she heard over the rhythmic beating of hooves. "What's going on here?"

Luculia and she glanced over her shoulder briefly to find that Jeralt and Bayard had finally arrived. In perfect unison, the three youths looked up in Jeralt's direction. The idiots! As though to silently make a point, Luculia turned on her good leg and brought her blade into the solar plexus of an approaching bandit. "Are you the leader of these mercenaries?" the blond boy asked. "Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you if the situation were not dire." The boy paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder. He continued speaking as soon as he saw that it was relatively safe. "We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope you will be so kind as to lend us your support."

Jeralt's brow twitched momentarily. "Bandits? Here? Damn it..."

"It's true," the snowy-haired girl said, getting straight to the point. "They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp."

"We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered," added the dark-haired boy. "They're after our lives in particular."

Both the girl and the blond boy spoke in a refined, polite manner, though the dark-haired boy was a tad more approachable. All three of them held themselves with their heads held high like they each had something to be proud of. The dark-haired boy said that the bandits were after the three of them, so…

Luculia concluded that they were nobles. Wild guess, the three were trying to make themselves blend in with the rest of their companions. But that wasn't enough in the end. Nobles… nobles generally meant money, which generally meant spoiled brats. It certainly explained why they were being so amateurish by standing around and talking in the middle of a battle where people were after their lives.

"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation," murmured the old man. He took a moment to look past them at Luculia as she drove her blade through the fallen bandit she had struck in the mid-section. Satisfied, Jeralt took a moment to scrutinize the three. "Lemme guess, you were headed for-"

"Captain!" Overhead, a lone pegasus glided down to a landing, its rider, Emma, removed her helmet revealing a short mass of curly blonde hair. "The bandits have surrounded the village. And there's a lot of them."

"Damn it!" Jeralt turned his attention back to the youths. "All right, you lot look like you know your way around a fight well enough. I want the three of you to stick with the kid here," he gestured to Luculia. "I want the four of you to stay here while the rest of us fan out. The last thing we need is those thieves overrunning the village. Matthias! How're the gates?"

"All closed, sir!"

"Good, but there are still other ways to get in. So I want the four of you to stay by the gate here." Jeralt gestured to the youths. "If you end up getting overwhelmed, my girl here will send out the signal."

"So, you're leaving our lives in the hand of one person?" the snowy-haired girl asked haughtily, crossing her arms as she spoke.

Jeralt, completely unphased by the snowy-haired girl's low-key tantrum, mirrored her gaze. "Unless you happen to know how many bandits are after you, then yes. Don't worry, I'm leaving you three in good hands."

From there, Jeralt turned his attention to the mercenaries. The three gates were the official ways to get into Remire Village. But she knew through Luculia that there were also unconventional ways in, such as flying, or through the well at the center of town.

After he gave Emma the instruction to pass along Jeralt's message, Jeralt pulled himself back up on Bayard. He shared one last look with his daughter before he instructed Bayard away from the group.

Without another word, Luculia jumped back into the fray as the other mercenaries filtered out to tackle the other gates.

Despite the idiocy of the trio letting their guard down, Luculia was able to catch glimpses of their fighting style. She decided that the dark-haired boy was scrappier than she would have expected from one of his position. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of a bandit's neck, then as swiftly and borderline seamlessly, he switched to his bow. His arrow struck the shoulder of another bandit running for him.

Tearing her eyes away from the dark-haired boy, Luculia turned towards her back to dodge an axe aimed for her and struck her blade into the side of her attacker. Swiftly, she grabbed her dagger from her belt and plunged the blade into the bandit's neck. She caught sight of the blond boy. With one strike he felled a bandit, but his footwork and other movements were erratic, relying on his brute strength alone.

"Damn it, no one said there'd be mercenaries 'round here!"

Luculia looked up to find a barrel-chested man with wild brown hair and an axe in his hand. The girl with the white hair stood out in particular against the darkness; she sprinted towards the barrel-chested man.

Instincts kicking in, Luculia gave chase after the girl. The girl used the weight of her axe to strike the barrel-chested man in the shoulder. Her grip, however, was loose. When the man's axe struck the shaft of the girl's weapon, her axe flew right out of her hands.

To the girl's credit, she seemed to realize she was at a disadvantage as soon as she lost her axe. She took a dagger from her belt, holding it out in front of her as she backed up into a tree. The man ran towards her, getting a jumping start as he prepared to attack.

Luculia shoved the girl to the side, using her back to shield her as the axe dug itself into her flesh.

In an instant, her eyes snapped open, she was back on her throne. At the end of the stairs, Luculia stumbled forward as though the axe simply shoved her. She straightened herself, flexing her hands to find that her sword wasn't there.

A rush of irritation overtook her. Much like Luculia's knee, she felt the bite of the axe, she could still feel it in her back. If she hadn't acted, Luculia would surely meet her end, and more than likely, so would she. "Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt?!" She slammed her hands on her armrest. "It's like you're trying to get me killed!"

Luculia stared up at her dumbly and more than mildly confused. Slowly, it dawned on her that Luculia hadn't quite realized what she had, how their lives were connected. "Well, it's fine," she said absently leaning back in her chair. "After all, if you don't know the value of your own life you're not going to protect it very well are you?"

"The value of my life?" echoed Luculia.

She let out an exasperated sigh. Was this really what she had to deal with? "It would seem as though your soul and mine are intertwined," she said slowly. "If you were to die now, I would follow after you. And then you do something as foolhardy as that!" She stood up, the skirt of her dress hovering mere inches above the floor. That simple action felt familiar somehow. Like she had stood up from this very throne in front of many others to their adoration. "I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on, right? You can call me Sothis… but I am also known as 'The Beginning.'"

The words came out of her mouth before her mind could fully register what she was saying.

Sothis…

Below, Luculia stared up at her with her head list ever so slightly. Sothis gripped her chin in deep thought. 'The Beginning,' what did that mean? "Who once called me that?"

"What do you mean?" asked Luculia.

"I was not able to recall my name… until just now. How odd." Opening her eyes, Sothis spotted Luculia staring at her. Instantaneously, her brow furrowed. "That look upon your face… Did you think me a child?! A mere child who forgot her own name?!" In response, Luculia's lips pursed and she avoided eye-contact with Sothis. Oh, she did! "Phooey! That 'child' just saved your life! So what does that make you?"

"Less than a child?" Luculia asked tentatively.

Sothis crossed her arms over her chest. "Good. Then you're not entirely hopeless. Still, you threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl. Yet all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for you. You would have surely died had I not intervened."

Luculia's eyes wandered as she went over the facts. Jeralt had taken their healers with him. Even if the attack did not kill Luculia instantly, she likely would have bled out and passed away before help could arrive. And with her, so would Sothis pass on. The realization made Luculia straighten her back, fold an arm over her front, then she bowed. "Thank you."

A pleased grin played upon Sothis's lips. "There now, is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving, after all. Now..." She crossed her arms over her chest again. "What to do…?"

Luculia looked down at the floor, pondering. "If you can stop time," Luculia began at length in her usual monotone, "could you maybe turn back the hands of time?"

Sothis's brow rose and her eyes lit up. "Yes, of course!" She waved her hand out in front of her, summoning a magic circle of golden-yellow with runic characters. Sothis leaned back, briefly scrutinizing the circle. "Yes, I do believe it can be done. I cannot wind back time too far, but just enough for you to change the outcome of things. Now, go!" Sothis gestured to Luculia with a wide arm gesture. "You who… bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek..."

Luculia shoved the girl to the side, then held her sword up to block the axe. When the blade collided, she pushed the man back, knocking him off balance in the process. With one well-placed strike of the sword, the barrel-chested man's axe went flying out of his hands. With another, he went flying back himself, blood spurting out of his bicep.

The man attempted to staunch the bleeding by pressing his opposite hand over the wound, but if Luculia was lucky enough, he wouldn't be using it the same way again. She heard him cursing with "Bitch!" as he scrambled to his feet, and glance over his shoulder. He stared at Luculia, wide-eyed for a moment before he climbed onto his feet and broke for the woods. Luculia moved to follow him when she spotted a pegasus circling overhead.

"Hey – over here!"

Luculia half-turned to see the dark-haired and blond boys approaching the girl and her. "Chasing after the very man who first attacked us," the blond boy began, eyeing the girl as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You couldn't have done anything more foolish than if you ran into battle as bare as a newborn."

The girl, who had gone to fetch her axe, shot the blond boy a glare. "I had no intention of backing down," she said, putting her axe in his sling. "And that is what I showed him by attacking first."

"Yeah... Princess?" the dark-haired boy asked with a hand on his hip. "A strategy like that works just a bit better when you have a backup of some kind. Especially when you're clearly outclassed."

The girl released a haughty 'humph' and turned her head away from the two, complete with her nose in the air. As far as first impressions went, Sothis decided she didn't particularly care for this one. The boys were right, what the girl did was foolish, and if it wasn't for Luculia and Sothis she'd be dead by now. And now she lacked the humility to admit that she might have maybe messed up. If this girl were anyone else, reality would have been a cruel, cruel mistress.

The tension in the air changed abruptly as Bayard trotted up to the quartet. "Looks like no one will be having any bandit problems for the rest of the night." Jeralt dismounted his stallion and passed the reigns to Luculia. "No problems on your end, kid?"

Luculia shook her head.

"The Knights of Seiros are here!"

Jumping out of his skin, Jeralt placed a hand on Bayard's saddle and placed the other over his chest. The first thing any of them saw was three torches; then a group of soldiers emerged from the woods. It was the middle-aged man in a shining suit of silvery armor that was the most stand out of the lot. He had an axe slung over one shoulder and spoke with such volume it would have been surprising if he never went into theater. "We will cut you down for terrorizing our students!" The man paused for a moment, his expression dropping in contemplation. "Wait, a minute is that…?!"

At the sight of the man in armor, Jeralt let out an aggravated sigh and pinched his nose. "Of all the knights, in all the world..."

To the surprise of everyone, the knight discarded his axe and approached Jeralt with open arms. "Captain Jeralt, it is you! Goodness, it's been ages! Don't you recognize me?" The knight gestured to himself. "It's Alois, your old right-hand man!" Grinning, Alois folded his arms over his chest. "Well, that's how I always saw myself anyway. It must have been twenty years ago when you left the monastery. And with little word about it beforehand too. Half the knights were convinced you were dead somewhere, but I always knew you were still alive!"

Already spent by the conversation, Jeralt started to rub one eye with the palm of his hand. "You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that 'captain' nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore. These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend."

Without another word, Jeralt grabbed Bayard's reigns and placed a hand on Luculia's shoulder. A silent gesture to get her to move forward. "Right," said Alois. "Good-bye, Captain." He blinked once, then shook his head. "Wait, that isn't how this ends! I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"

Sighing once again, Jeralt released the reigns and crossed his arms. "Garreg Mach Monastery… I suppose this was inevitable…"

"And what about you, kid?" Alois said officially acknowledging Luculia. "Are you the captain's child?"

Luculia glanced at her father, then back to the man called Alois. He stood out like a sore thumb against the kind of men and women Luculia was used to. A near-literal knight in shining armor. His hair, brown and thick, was brushed neatly back and his facial hair was cut neat and orderly.

Sothis could feel Luculia's thoughts, she half-expected either Jeralt or this Alois to reveal that they were just trying to get a reaction out of her. Luculia had a difficult time believing Jeralt could have known this person. "He's a stranger to me," she said dully.

Jeralt let out a breath that made him sound pained. Sothis could see a flash of pain in Jeralt's eyes. Instantly, she brought the heel of her palm to her forehead. That girl needed to work on telling jokes.

In contrast to Jeralt, Alois released a boisterous roar of laughter. "Great sense of humor, this one! Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain. I'd love for you to join me, won't you?"

Well, this man had a different sense of humor, didn't he?

Luculia, unsure of how to answer Alois, glanced up at Jeralt, wondering what all of this meant for their original job. Jeralt sighed once again, rubbing his temples with one hand. "What's troubling you, Captain?" questioned Alois. "You aren't about to run off again, are you?"

"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros. I'm going to find Madoc and let him know about our change of plans."

Standing dumbly beside Bayard, Luculia watched Jeralt and Alois walk off to meet with the rest of the mercenaries as they regrouped. She could make out a little of what he was saying, that he and Luculia would be going with the knights to the monastery. That the mercenaries were to head to the Kingdom to finish their job and were welcome to meet them at the monastery and they would figure out what would happen from there.

"The Knights of Seiros… They do look rather skilled."

Luculia whipped around, half-expecting to find Sothis standing behind her. But she found no one else but Bayard. How could…?

"I appreciate your help back there." Luculia's head turned to find the three youths had approached her. The white-haired girl, with her hand on her hip, continued, "You're clearly an experienced mercenary. And your father, that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed something?"

Luculia shrugged, halfheartedly. "I don't know."

"Hey, you are coming with us to the monastery, right?" asked the dark-haired boy. "Of course you are! I'd love to bend your ear as we travel. Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it."

"That would be because you ran off," the girl said flatly.

"Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat. Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't followed me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us." Crossing his arms, the dark-haired boy shook his head. "Utterly ridiculous."

"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude," the blond boy asked lightly. "And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all."

Sothis could feel a spark of Luculia's irritation. Most people usually gave up talking to or around Luculia at this point. And she was just fine with it. The fewer people talked to her the better. Now Luculia was getting an alien sensation, a desire to just walk away and go back to the house.

How dull this one was.

"His intentions were clear as day, Dimitri," the girl said snippily. "You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person's words."

"And you will prove a lacking ruler if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on."

"Oh, joy," Claude sighed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He turned to Luculia and gestured to the other two. "A royal debate between Their Highnesses. I wonder how being completely predictable affects one's ability to wield power." He gestured to himself. "Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I'd say your little exchange smacks of naiveté."

"Me? Naïve?" repeated the girl. "Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?"

"This coming from the child who tried to use a mere dagger against a man wielding an axe instead of running," Sothis muttered, crossing her arms. Luculia turned her gaze to the side to see Sothis standing beside her. She glanced back at the three, then back at Sothis. None of them heard her, and the more Luculia stared at Sothis, the more she realized that she could see right through the girl. "A strategic retreat would have been the wiser move. Letting someone with a weapon take over after you lost yours would have been the wise move. But your precious pride got in the way, didn't it?"

"In any case," Dimitri spoke up, cutting a hand between his two companions, his gaze locked on Luculia. "Forgive our digression. I must speak with you if you can spare a moment. The way you held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me that I still have much to learn."

"Your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire," the girl cut him off. "I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's-"

"Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my own proposition. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."

"Whoa, there!" said Claude. "You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey to the monastery before begging for favors. But it seems there's no time for niceties in the world."

That kernel of irritation in Luculia was beginning to grow. How arrogant were these three just assuming Luculia even wanted to work for any one of them in the first place? And unfortunately, Luculia wasn't going to say anything. Sothis didn't need her soul tied to Luculia's to know that.

"All right!" Alois called as the mercenaries took off ahead of them. "That's enough with the small talk. It's time we head off to the monastery."

"Guess we'll have to pick this up another time," said Claude. "Traveling before the sun has even risen. Fun, fun, fun."

"My, my, my, aren't they in such a hurry," said Sothis. She glanced up at Luculia, uncoiling one of her arms. "But, those three are most unique."

'They are,' Luculia thought in agreement. 'That Edelgard seems a refined girl, but she looks as though she's always evaluating me. She's the type of noble who grew up with people going easy on her.'

"That would explain the unearned confidence," Sothis agreed, resting her chin on the back of her knuckles. Luculia stared back at the apparition. Could she hear Luculia's thoughts? "What about that blond one, Dimitri, was it?"

Luculia pondered for a moment. 'He seems quite sincere, but there's a darkness lurking beneath that smile of his.'

"Yes, that one does make me nervous for him. Hopefully, he has someone who can help him when he needs it."

'There's little control in his attacks, however. His allies would have to worry about being knocked out by him before their enemies.'

"That will make someone unpopular exponentially fast."

'Claude's easy smile is striking, but it doesn't reach his eyes. I'm pretty sure he's planning something.'

"Shifty eyes. I get the feeling he wants you to notice. It's too obvious a tell, he's likely getting a read on you by doing that."

'But is he a destructive force or not?'

"He probably wants you to figure that out, too." Out of nowhere, Sothis yawned. She started to rub the corner of her eye. "I am so sleepy once again… I may be sleeping…but I…"

Sothis's image began to fade, Luculia could hear Sothis snoring briefly, and then nothing but the natural sounds surrounding her. She stopped in place, her hand wrapped around Bayards reigns so hard it was a wonder she did not crush the leather.

Everything surrounding Sothis… it wasn't something others normally experienced. Normal people had different dreams if any at all. Their dreams did not speak to them in their sleeping or waking. And turning back time…Luculia lived it and it still seemed outrageous.

But, then again, Luculia always knew she wasn't exactly normal.

Authors Note: Third time trying this out. Mostly because I realized too late that I was telling the story from the wrong perceptive.

Luculia's middle name, Alhabor, is the Arabric name for the star Sirius. It's kind of a remnant of an idea I had before Cindered Shadows was released. It just stuck around because I liked how it sounded.

I've heard someone mention once that, according to the artbook, Seiros dyed her hair, which you can kind of see in the opening cutscene. Between the lighting of that scene, Seiros's concept art, and her artwork and sprite for Heroes, it looks to me like she was trying to pass off as blonde.

I always thought that character's swearing by 'goddess(es)' in any setting that has a goddess is kind of a clunky swear. 'Saints' sounds better. Somewhat influenced by the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo.

Finding me at sammiewritesstuff or decideroffate on tumblr