(It's no secret that people think Celica made some pretty poor and irrational decisions in Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia. So for fun, I decided to give our red haired priestess some much needed attention. And just to give it that personal touch, I'm adding a self-insert. Enjoy~)
The island of the necrodragon was obviously a very empty place. No one ever came here. And only those with a death wish dared set foot on its sandy shores. Well, all except Celica. With the aid of her seraphim magic, she managed to defeat the beast who terrorized this island. And inside the cave here, there was plenty of rewards to make the detour well worth it. But there was one thing that Celica would never quite forget on this forebodingly quiet island. Her growing band of allies had stepped foot in the shrine for Mila. A very curious thing for the secret princess. Did someone build it here long ago? Or maybe this island once held civilization before the necrodragon arrived. Whatever the reason, it was a welcome sight.
Celica knelt before the statue. "Servant of Mila, I seek enlightenment. What has happened to our beloved earth mother?" The statue then responded, "Unfortunately, I know not, bearer of the brand. For I was stationed her long ago, and have not abandoned my post once. For what it is worth, I shall aid you however possible." Celica was wondering why she even bothered, since she knew the spirits of the statues never left for any reason other than Mila's direct command.
Mae patted her on the back, "No worries. I mean, we got through a lot to get here as it is." That was very true. So Celica journeyed in further to the springs, and that's when she found something she definitely didn't anticipate: It was a fire. Not like the torches, which never went out thanks to the magic of the place: a man made fire that you would cook food over. Celica was no genius on the ways of the world, but fires don't build themselves. Especially since this one is still burning strong. Saber scratched his head. "What kind of weirdo hunkers down in a shrine in the middle of nowhere?" That's when Celica remembered something. On their way here there was a shadowy figure in the distance. She didn't bother disturbing it because for all she knew it could be a terror, but seemed much less 'shriveled', for lack of a better word.
Celica decided it was best to return to the alter and ask the statue. "Has anyone else been here recently? It appears someone has settled down here." The statue paused a minute. "Indeed. Many moons ago a strange woman came to this place. They were strong, much like yourself, but their heart was much less bright. It needs no reiteration that this is not a place people come to by choice. Not once have they spoken to me, implying she is unaware of my existence." That didn't make any sense. Every Zofian knew of the statues. Whether or not they responded was a matter of importance or faith.
"Uh, milady? If it's alright with you we should probably leave now that we're recharged." Boey suggested. Celica thought about it. She was curious, and this woman didn't sound like she was dangerous. "Hmm... sure. I just wanna check this out. Maybe we can gain a new ally." Saber raised an eyebrow, "Lass, we did good against the necrodragon, but sometimes you gotta know when you're pushing your luck." Saber offered. "Mila would want me to think of others. Besides, we fought a cantor and a zombie dragon, so not much else could prove troublesome from one person." Saber did see her point, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to have his weapon ready at all times.
As the group trudged through the darkness of this damp cave, they soon came upon the same shadowy figure from before. "Remember, they probably haven't seen anyone in a while. Don't do anything to startle them." Celica quietly walked up, allowing her friends to wait for her signal to show themselves. She saw it was indeed a woman. She was sitting down and fishing using a handcrafted fishing pole. She wore a deep sea blue suit of armor that covered the essentials but otherwise allowed plenty of movement. It also had plenty of black inscriptions here and there. She also wore a matching circlet that was made to resemble rose petals. Her eyes were purple, and seemed to be naturally narrow. Her long hair was black, and she had very pale skin.
Celica sat down next to her, amazed she didn't notice her yet. Either she wasn't paying attention or just didn't care. "Um... hello there?" The woman paused and turned her eyes to look at her, but not her head. "Hello." Her voice was serious, but calm. And conveying a sense of emotional detachment. The woman only looked at her for a few seconds before returning to her fishing as if it was more interesting than her. This only confused Celica even more. She didn't appear lonely in the slightest.
"Pardon me, ma'am, but I wanted to know why you were here?" This time the woman didn't even bother looking at her while responding. "The story wouldn't interest you, traveler. Besides, you've got bigger problems than me." Celica edged a bit closer. "You mean the necrodragon? I killed it. It's dead now." That made her pause and turn her head to face her. "Interesting." Wasn't much of a talker, was she? "I erm... guess you could say I'm a traveler. I'm planning on going to Mila's temple and I need strong fighters to-" but the woman cut her off. Putting her fishing rod down,
"Then unfortunately I cannot help you. For I am an outcast. I am not allowed to leave." An outcast!? Since when was it a just punishment sending people here!? "Are you saying you were banished here?" She nodded. "B-but why? What did you do?" She leant back against the cold wet ground. "Nothing. I just failed to meet my family's standards. In Rigel you live and die by your strength. When I failed to meet the expectations I was given, uncle banished me to Zofia to 'mend the family's honor'. When I was forced across the border, King Lima labeled me a spy and sentenced me here." Celica was crushed by this revelation. Her father was always crooked, but this is just inhumane.
"Listen kid, I appreciate that I'm amusing to you, but my hands are tied. You'll need someone else." Celica wanted to atone for this, even if it wasn't her crime. "Lima is dead. And so is the whole royal family for that matter. We'll need all the help we can get. All I want is to make this better. So could you please trust me?" The woman then burst out laughing, much to Celica's concern. "Hah! So Lima finally kicked the bucket, eh? Good riddance, I say. How you zofians worshipped that hairless monkey is a mystery to me." Her smile then faded in an instant. "Wait. Did you say 'we'?"
Celica looked to her friends in hiding as a sign to come out, and they obliged. The woman smirked at the sight. "Heh. Aren't you popular." She stood up and stretched. "Welp, if what you say is true I might as well leave this dump. Heck, maybe the excitement will keep me busy a while. Before we go, could you toss me your name?" Celica stood up, "Celica. With me are Genny, Valibar, Boe-" but the woman cut her off again. "Great. My handle is Roscara. Anyone you need destroyed can answer to me." She said, dusting herself off and pulling out her spellbook. Celica reassures herself that at the very least she'll be joining them. She'll probably just need to help her with her people skills in the future.
Roscara has joined your army!
(So just to clarify, this isn't gonna become a whole series like my last fanfic, but I'll probably add to it when i have to time and motivation. Don't worry, this story will fix the hot mess that is Celica's story soon enough.)