DAYS OF OUR LIVES STORIES IN THE STYLE OF FIRE EMBLEM

Episode 1

The day Ava poisoned her only son

Fire Emblem Inspired by: King Desmond and Zephiel's scenes in Fire Emblem: Elibian Nights

Setting: After Ava was rescued from Charlie by Rafe

The day Ava was rescued from Charlie by Rafe and Tripp confronted Charlie for his crimes, both estranged mother and son had a shared dream about how they could kill each other. Inspired by Desmond and Zephiel's interaction in Fire Emblem: Elibian Nights. With Ava as Desmond, and Charlie as Zephiel.

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-The night she was rescued from her son's apartment by Salem's police commissioner Rafael 'Rafe' Hernandez, Ava Vitali had a dream. A dream about the son that she loathed and wished he was never born—Charlie Dale.

Drifting into the deep sleep manufactured by the drug Charlie gave her to mess her mind, and the sedative administered by Dr. Kayla Brady to calm her frantic mind down, Ava found herself back in the 16th Century Era.

Or so it seemed.

She had a royal coat on, and looked ravishing with her dark blond hair tied in a bun, adorned with a crown.

She was at a study chamber, sitting by a table with a set of tea and butter cookies. Two plates and tea cups actually.

Looking ahead, she watched a figure approaching her from the castle gardens. At first she thought it was her favorite son. Her pride and joy.

She gasped. Charlie?

It wasn't the baby she expected. Her son Tripp Dalton. This one was the one she didn't want to bond. But for some reasons, she didn't mind him coming in. Gazing at the tea sets before her, she somehow knew, she had a plan for him.

Big plans. For the sake of the Vitali Kingdom.

"You summoned me, Mother?" spoke Charlie.

Ava looked up. Charlie had on a purplish royal garb. The color very similar to the velvet coat Charlie wore when he killed Tripp in front of her during one of her alleged hallucination according to Kayla. The coat had a matching cape with a gold chain strapped over, matching trousers and dark boots. Charlie's hair was cut short and jet black.

Ava blinked, looking rather confused. Somehow she felt like she'd seen this side of Charlie before. Actually she had seen that person before. In a video game. One of those video games that Charlie liked as a kid. Something called Fire Helen or something? As she recalled, that particular figure was blonde and not dark-haired.

"Mother?" Charlie called.

"Oh." She blinked back to reality, "Right. Yes. Sit down Charlie. I wanted to have a…" she paused to swallow her pride, "conversation with you."

Charlie took his seat across from Ava.

"Now," she cleared her throat, "It's obvious that I haven't been the most… loving mother around. I've been doing a lot of thinking in my—"

She noticed a minor nearby and caught sight of a few wrinkles around her jawlines. It quickly hit her that she wasn't getting any younger. "…old age."

Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"and this is something I look back on with regret." She sighed as she reached across the table to grab Charlie's hand. The startled Charlie shook a bit but didn't pull away.

"You are my son, my own flesh and blood." She said, "How could I have been so terrible to you? You are a sterling man, Charlie, and a worthier heir than I ever was."

Charlie blinked; his mouth was ajar.

"It has taken me years to come to terms with this, but I hope you will accept this old fool's apologies." Her voice shook, "For everything I have put you through… I am truly sorry."

Charlie still blinked. He slowly pursed his lips and his eyes trembled to fight back tears.

"You don't understand how long…" he paused, "I've waited to hear you say that."

Ava gave him a warm smile, "This has been a long time coming, yes…" she gently pulled away, "I understand if you do not forgive me… However, I wish to set things right, Charlie."

Charlie gasped.

"With my other son Tripp long gone, traveling the world in a pilgrimage, I'll start by naming you my one, true heir to the Vitali Throne… Hopefully from there, we can finally reconcile…"

"I…" Charlie paused, "cannot simply say that all is forgiven… but I wish to reconcile with you as well, Mother."

Ava let out a heavy sigh of relief, "This makes me happier than you know, Charlie. Here, let us drink!"

She reached out for the tea carafe and served tea for him and herself; then added two sugar cubes in both cups.

Both mother and son raised their filled tea cups. "To the future of Vitali, and to each other!"

"Hear, hear!"

-Across Salem, in Charlie's apartment, a half-asleep Charlie in his bed had his mind running in circles. He remembered his conversation with his brother Tripp earlier that day; and could feel the walls closing in on the crimes he had committed: framing Tripp for Allie's rape, and the rape itself.

But of course, none of this would've happened if Ava had loved him. Even once!

A treacherous snake she was. The one time she ever approached him with sincerity… it was but a ruse to get him to drink from a poisoned tea cup.

Tea? From a poisoned tea cup? He thought in confusion as his mind wandered and traversed into another world, a dreamscape…

Charlie found himself in a 16th Century setting, sitting across from his mother, both dressed in royal garments, drinking tea.

"What are you doing Charlie? It's a trap!" his mind shouted but his lips couldn't help but savor the sweet peppermint taste of the black tea his mother served.

He set the cup down, "Delicious. What is that, peppermint?"

Ava set her teacup down. "Yes, with a dash of chamomile." She smiled.

Charlie noticed Ava's tea cup was still full. Almost untouched. "You didn't take a sip?" he began to say, then something that her mother says got him on high alert, "Wait, did you say chamomile?"

Ava nodded.

Suddenly a huge sense of heaviness pressed inside Charlie's head. He could feel his tongue beginning to swell and his throat closing.

"B-But mother, I'm…" he tried to speak, "I'm… I'm…" he pushed the chair back and stood up. Bad move. The pressing in his head turned into full-on vertigo. He grabbed the table to hold his ground. "I'm…" he tried to speak again.

"Allergic to chamomile?" Ava said, "Yeah. I should've led with that. But then you wouldn't have drank it." She then casually took a sip from her cup.

"You bitch…" Charlie turned to leave but then tripped to his knee, bringing down the tea set to the floor.

"Aw…" Ava pursed her lips, "Now look what you've done? Our perfect teatime is ruined."

Charlie tugged on his collar for air, "Wh-why?"

"Why?" Ava repeated, "Why you asked, well, it's plain and simple really. You will never amount to anything. You will never be heir to the Vitali Throne. You are an illegitimate child who cannot rule this kingdom, this country, and its people. Only your brother Tripp is eligible. Not you. Never you."

Charlie could hear the footsteps closing in until he saw his mother's shoes in front of him as a thick black veil clouded his vision and he barely heard the mocking tone of his mother finishing her words.

"Goodbye Charlie. And good riddance."

Charlie's eyes flew open and he could breathe again, coming in with sharp terrified gasps and sweating on his bed.

Just a dream, he thought. He was a bit relieved. Only a bit.

The thought of his mother poisoning him, killing him, getting rid of him, brought a boiling fury in his chest. Tears streamed down his face, he formed a fist over his bed sheet until his knuckles turned white. He then slammed his fists on the bed.

"DAMN YOU AVA!" he screamed in the piercing darkness in his room, "DAMN YOU TO HELL!"

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Later that night, Charlie managed to fall back asleep and now found himself inside a casket.

He heard organs playing, people whispering. He noticed the adorned ceiling of a painting of gods and humans together. He knew he was at a church, back in that 16th Century era. The place reminds him a lot of one of his favorite video games he played as a teenager growing up—Fire Emblem.

He noticed the coat he wore. A purplish royal garb. He could feel the circlet around his head. And between his hands, a golden dagger. There's no doubt. He was the prince of Bern—err… the prince of Vitali in this dreamscape. But with a twist.

The prince of Bern in the Fire Emblem game faked his own death as a ploy to murder his hateful father the moment he got close to the casket. And Charlie was that prince, ready to serve his hateful mother the same punishment she truly deserved. That explained the dagger in his hands.

He heard footsteps. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and froze as though dead. It was showtime.

"This is the corpse of Master Charlie, Your Majesty." A voice Charlie recognized spoke. It was that of Angelo Vitali.

Then he heard her voice. That treacherous snake's voice Ava.

"Finally." She gloated, "Finally, after all these years, the brat who stood up no matter how many times I trampled him down… died at last!"

He could feel her shadow casting over her, her evil face hovering over his casket. Her vile poisonous breath filling his face. "So you finally kicked the bucket eh?" she let out a mocking scoff and then chuckled, "Eheheh… so you've died huh? Hahaha! What are you gonna do about it now Charlie?"

She exploded with laughter.

Charlie's grip on his dagger tightened, turning white, as his mother's mocking laugh continued to echoed in his ears.

No. No more. That bitch will be laughing straight to her grave!

Charlie opened his eyes and with his dagger gripped hard on hand lunged at Ava and plunged it to her chest. Ava croaked.

The smile faded from Ava's face. Her evil eyes turned into eyes of shock and confusion. She still hadn't processed what had just happened. By the time she realized it, she stumbled backward, blood spilling out of the opening gash the dagger made between her breasts.

But Charlie wasn't done. Holding on to the dagger, he pushed it harder, as if trying to cut a fruit open. Ava cried out.

Charlie caught sight of Angelo standing behind, not budging like a statue. As if he was onboard with that plan, or he had plan this.

"Wh-what? Y…you were… still al-alive…?" Ava whimpered.

Charlie stood up until he was nose to nose with her. Remembering not only today being the day of his burial but a very important day for his mother: her birthday.

"Happy birthday," he paused, "mother."

He pushed the dagger further down her chest and twisted it. Ava screamed as more blood spilled out of her and into Charlie's face and clothes. "You…you vile…bastard…child… I'll… k-kill you… for this… I'll… k-ki…"

She dropped to her knees, tears of anguish and fury painted her face, then her skin turned white and the color in her eyes vanished. Charlie let go of the dagger and with one last breath, Ava dropped to her face in her pool of blood.

Charlie stared into space, standing tall before the corpse of his mother, and Angelo Vitali who still didn't made a move or a sound.

Finally, Angelo spoke. "Care for me to clean this up?"

Charlie looked at Angelo and nodded. Angelo bowed and took his leave.

Charlie woke up the next day, back in Salem. A sense of peace washed over him. He had gotten rid of Ava. He had plunged a knife to her dark chest and killed her. Put her out of her misery.

But then he noticed he was at his apartment. Not in his bedchamber at Castle Vitali in the Vitali Kingdom. This was Salem, and it was yet another day to face the town ready to crucify him for his sins.

At least he had won in his dream. That one he can cherish it as best as he could.

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