Let's start this New Year right!


DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.

ITALICS=THOUGHTS

BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.

BOLD ITALICS=NARRATOR(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)

Walter Dornez of the Emblem


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Western Hallway)

"The Exalt's treasury has to be around here somewhere."

The ginger-haired thief that separated from the attack force earlier poked his head around the corner of the hall. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he spotted his former comrades facing off against the Shepherds.

"Yeah…" he muttered under his breath. "...I'm gonna do my best to avoid that." The ginger thief quickly plotted a route through the hall that would enable him to pass undetected. Stepping lightly, the thief snuck from one end of the hall to the other, and quickly hid behind a pillar. Sticking close to the shadows of the pillars, he walked from behind one to the next without making a single noise. Even if his footsteps were audible, the sound of steel clashing with steel would've drowned them out anyway.

"Almost there…" the ginger muttered under his breath. He was just a couple of steps away from the exit of the hall; he was so close that he could just taste the goodies that the exalt had stored up.

I really hope she has some sweets I could pilfer; that would make this whole mess worth it. His mouth was watering thinking of all the various candies that someone as important as the Exalt would own. Unfortunately, he was so deep in his fantasizing of candies that he failed to spot check and tripped over the corpse of a fallen fighter.

"Oh crap!" the ginger shouted as he landed flat on his face. He ignored the pain from the fall and scrambled to his feet.

"Stop right there brigand!"

(Play song ~ "The Vaike never forgets! I just don't always remember." [Fire Emblem Awakening OST])

The thief turned around and came face-to-face with the Ylissean prince himself: Chrom.

"Hey, this isn't at all what it looks like!" The thief raised his hands in defense. "I'm not with the rest of these guys!"

Chrom raised an eyebrow, "Just because you're not with these guys, doesn't automatically mean you're not up to no good."

The ginger thief sighed, "True, but I ain't here to hurt anyone, pal."

The blue-haired prince tightened his grip on his sword, "I don't believe you; why else would you be here?"

"Look blue blood, I ain't no assassin like the rest of these guys. I'm just a thief trying to make a living." The ginger replied. "I admit that I was with these guys earlier, but I defected as soon as I heard that we were supposed to kill the Exalt. You see, they said we were only gonna break into a vault of some kind; I wasn't aware that there was gonna be any murdering."

Chrom let out a slight chuckle, "Quite the pacifist criminal, aren't you?"

"Hey, I wouldn't say I'm a pacifist, princey." The thief frowned. " I have no qualms slitting the throat of anyone trying to slit mine. Only reason that I haven't tried to kill you is because you haven't given me any reason to; same can be said about that Exalt sister of yours. I'd never be able bring myself to harm such a sweet lady like her."

Chrom's eyes narrowed, "Is that so…?" The blue-haired prince lowered his sword. "Care to to prove yourself?"

The thief gave Chrom a confused stare. "Beg pardon?"

"You see…" Chrom began to elaborate. "We Shepherds need all the help we can get if we're gonna keep Emmeryn alive. So, I'm willing to let you live if you help us out."

The thief raised his hand to his chin. He thought the request over before responding. "There will be sweet payment, I assume?"

Chrom rolled his eyes. "You want payment, I'll give you payment." The Ylissean prince reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. He then tossed it over to the thief, who opened it up immediately. Chrom's eyes widened slightly when he saw he accidentally handed him a bag of candies.

"Whoops, let me…"

"Now this is a fine payment, you my friend have got my support!" The thief exclaimed as he quickly unwrapped one of the lollipops and popped into his mouth.

Chrom's jaw dropped. "You- you want to be paid in candies?"

The thief nodded, "Yup, I did ask for a "sweet" payment, didn't I?"

Chrom slapped his forehead at the utter ridiculousness of the requested payment. "Well, can I ask you for your name, seeing as we're now allies?"

The thief smirked, "The name's Gaius, blue blood."

(Song ends here)


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Eastern Hallway)

The Shepherds defending the eastern hallway were currently being bombarded by countless fighters and dark mages. The hall wasn't quite as packed as the Atrium or the western hallway, but it was still overwhelming.

"Damn it…" Sully cursed as she engaged several fighters at once. She shoved her lance forward, hoping for a swift victory. The red-haired cavalier was surprised when the attack was deflected, her lance being snapped in two in the process. Sully quickly unsheathed the sword at her hip and parried an incoming attack. She quickly cut the fighter down, swiping her sword across the villains gut. The victory was short lived, as another fighter snuck up behind her and slammed his axe into her side. Sully let out a pained grunt as she quickly turned around and stabbed her assailant through the chest. This created another opening for another fighter to come in and attack her, this time swinging the axe into her back. The cavalier coughed up a glob of blood as she was knocked to the ground. Sully was about to get up and beat the ever living hell out of her attacker, but her attacker delivered a hard kick to her stomach. All the air was knocked out of the redhead's lungs.

"You put up a good fight lass, but this is where ye die." The fighter raised his axe over his head, intent on beheading the cavalier. He did not get the pleasure of doing so, as an arrow embedded itself into the man's skull.

Sully, who was still recovering from the kick to her gut, barely managed to lift her head off the ground to see her savior.

"Are you alright?" Virion knelt beside the injured woman. Sully noted that this was possibly the first time she had ever seen the nobleman as serious as he was now. For once there was no underlying flirtatious tone to his voice, in fact he sounded scared. Sully managed to gather her strength to respond.

"Yeah..." she spoke through clenched teeth. "My armor took most of the impact."

Virion didn't seem convinced, in fact he just looked more concerned. "No, you took more damage than you care to admit." he glanced at the spots where Sully had been hit. The armor in both areas had been shattered on impact. The skin in the area had turned a nauseating deep purple. Some shards of her armor actually embedded themselves into her skin.

"You need to retreat." Virion spoke as he quickly stood back and fired three arrows in quick succession. Each arrow hit their mark perfectly. The archest of archers turned his attention back to Sully. "These are incredibly grave injuries, you won't survive if you don't retreat now."

Sully shook her head in protest. "I ain't leavin', Ruffles…" she struggled to push herself off the ground. "I- I've gotta stay an- and fight!"

"You're too injured to continue, you have to leave!" Virion raised his voice, something that Sully had never seen him do ever. Virion fired several arrows, each embedding themselves into his targets. "A tigress is strong enough to tear through it's foes with little difficulty, but even the tigress is not invincible! You cannot afford to take any more damage!"

Sully let his words sink in. She always assumed that Virion was entire selfish and actually didn't care about her well-being. This was a side of Virion she had never thought existed; a side of Virion that he had boasted about since she first met him. As much as she hated to admit it, Virion was proving himself to be every bit of a hero as he said he was. Most women would swoon over the romantic known as Virion instantaneously, but Sully wasn't some naive woman; many would argue she was more of a man than most men in the world. She found him to be an irritating show off that was more bark than bite. The way he treated her was something she found intolerable; she was not some fair maiden that would fall head-over-heels for some bib wearing noble. She was a knight, a part of the Shepherds, a force reckoned with; she was not some damsel-in-distress.

Yet here she was, injured and overwhelmed; the only thing preventing her from being murdered on the spot was the very man that she often felt irritation working with. She assumed that she was the only reason that the duo ever survived the battles they fought side-by-side in. Looking back, however she realized that she didn't give Virion enough credit. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Virion had saved her skin more times than she had ever saved his. She felt a pang of something in her chest, she didn't know what it was but she suddenly felt thankful that Virion was watching her back.

"You sure you'll be fine on your own, Ruffles?" Sully asked, for the first time legitimately concerned for the Archest of Archers. The silvery blue-haired noble nodded in response. Sully pushed herself off the ground. "You take care of yourself, Ruffles. I don't wanna be told that you fell to some random fighter or something like that."

Virion shot her a smug smirk, "Dearest Sully, have I ever given you reason to worry?" The noble archer dodged a flux spell before quickly eliminating the dark mage that had fired said spell.

"True." Sully returned the smile before retreating from the hallway, towards the throne room.


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Atrium)

"Before we continue, could you grace me with your name, good sir?" Walter stood opposite to the sorcerer he had been fighting. He made sure to position himself in front of the exit that led to the throne room, ensuring that the sorcerer did not get to Emmeryn.

"Well, since you've given me such a bracing workout, I'll indulge you. Since I know that you can't possibly beat me, I see no harm in introducing myself." the sorcerer performed a mock bow. "My name is Validar."

Walter felt a slight throbbing in his head, but it faded rather quickly. "Validar- I'll make sure to remember that long after I've killed you." The butler called forth his wires once more. "After all, you're the first person in this world to ever push me to my limits; that my friend is commendable."

Walter broke out into a sprint, his wires were all orbiting him. Validar retaliated by firing off several waves of fire. The aged butler weaved through the flames, barely even acknowledging their existence. Walter then launched his wires straight at the sorcerer. Validar scoffed at the attack and easily repelled it.

Attack after attack was launched; fire deflected by wires, wires repelled by fire. Attacks were being flung at sonic speed, yet none hit their mark.

After a minute of dodging, Walter managed to get within melee distance of Validar. Unsheathing his rapier, Walter thrusted it towards Validar's chest. Surprisingly, the sorcerer managed dodge the stab and he retaliated by raising a hand towards Walter's face.

"Burn in hell, butler!" Validar cackled as he unleashed a torrent of flames on said butler.

Walter had no time to dodge and was blasted back by the inferno. The aged butler was quick to recover, planting his heel into the ground to stop himself from sliding backwards. He then twirled and launched his wires at Validar. The sorcerer pushed both of his hands forward and blasted the wires with another torrent of flames. Walter clicked his teeth in irritation as he dug his heel into the floor and brought both of his hands down, bringing them just inches above the ground. The wires followed the command and began pushing themselves through the blazing inferno. Validar scoffed at the aged man's attack and he increased the power behind his flames. Walter gritted his teeth as he attempted to force the wires through the inferno. The heat of the fire was so intense that Walter's clothing began to smolder, as if it were on the verge of bursting into flames. The butler quickly realized that he wasn't going to get through the fire and he quickly changed tactics. Letting off the attack, Walter cartwheeled out of the way of the inferno. The flames formed a funnel and blasted past the butler, hitting the wall behind him. The intense heat of the fire began to quickly melt the stone wall.

Walter retaliated and launched his wires at Validar once more. The sorcerer pulled his hands back before pushing them forward, launching flames at several times the power of the last ones. The force of the fire alone was enough to stop the wires from progressing towards him. The fire itself erupted forth in a ring, Validar being the epicenter of the inferno. It was launched so fast that Walter couldn't react in time to leap over it. The butler let out a pained cry as the fires seared him. The unbearable heat scorched his clothes, his usually pristine ensemble beginning to blacken and burn.

When the fires finally subsided, Validar was surprised to see Walter still standing. The sleeves of his shirt had burned away, and several holes were been formed in his pants, waistcoat, and shirt. Several burns were visible on his body, second degree along with a few third degree burns present on his arms and face. His gloves had burned away, leaving him with no weapon other than his rapier.

"What a surprise, you're still standing?" a sadistic grin formed on Validar's face. "Most people would be reduced to charred bones from an attack like that; you really are something else." The sorcerer slowly approached the heavily injured butler. "Alas, this is the end of our little game. You've been quite the entertaining foe"

As Validar approached him, Walter was barely staying conscious. His entire body was in agonizing pain, he could barely feel his arms. It hurt to even lightly grip his rapier, and standing was a trial in itself.

I won't give up here. I have to stop this madman, no matter the cost. Walter breathed heavily through his gritted teeth. Ignoring all the pain, the aged man painfully tightened the grip on his rapier and raised his scorched arm. He cried in agony, but he was determined to kill his foe no matter what. Walter brought his arm down to cut through Validar, but was easily stopped mid-slash. Validar had caught his arm with little to no effort at all.

"Even now you fight, impressive but foolish." Validar commented as he dug his thumb into one of the burns on Walter's arm. Pain shot through the butler's body and he immediately released his grip on the weapon.

"That ends this wonderful battle of ours. Alas, the tales of the Ylissean butler seem to have been grossly exaggerated, such a pity." Validar let out a dark chuckle. "I admit, I was a bit wary of confronting you in a battle, but it seems my worries were all for nought." the sorcerer raised a hand to Walter's face. "I've wasted enough time here, I bid you farewell, Mr. Dornez." As Validar prepared to end Walter's life, he noticed a symbol on the back of Walter's hand. His eyes widened in shock as he registered what exactly was on the back of Walter's hand.

"Yo- you!?" Validar backed away from Walter, the fear and shock visible in his eyes. "You can't be, it's impossible!"

Walter didn't understand what had spooked Validar so much, but he didn't care, this was the opening he needed. The butler ignored the pain once more, picked up his sword and leapt at Validar once again. Unfortunately, Validar recovered from his shock and blasted Walter back with his fire once more. Walter cried in agony as he was launched into a wall. A sickening crack could be heard as he hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. It was over, Walter was not only badly burned, but severely crippled. He knew, just from the pain alone, that several of his bones had broken on impact.

Despite all this, and more, the former Hellsing butler attempted to pick himself off the ground. He immediately regretted this decision, as sharp pains ran through not only his burnt arms, but his entire body. This was the absolute worst he had ever been injured, and he could hardly cope with it. To put it in perspective, he'd have much rather been punched by Millennium's werewolf captain several hundred times than be in his current situation. With that being said, Walter's strength failed completely and he flopped back down onto the ground.

"You…"

Walter lifted his head off the ground to see Validar standing over him.

"As impossible as it is, you're here." The sorcerer had a twisted smile on his face. "Nearly twenty years I've been looking for you, and here you are: an aged old man." Validar knelt beside the injured butler. "I don't know how you're here, nor do I know how you could possibly be as old as you are now. I'm just overjoyed to see you." he began to cackle. "Overjoyed to see you, my…"

"Walter!"

Validar had no time to finish his sentence as a blue blur dashed into the room and immediately began to attack the sorcerer. Walter raised his head and tried to make out the newcomer.

"Luce- Lucina…" Walter coughed up a glob of blood as he watched the Ylissean princess from future attack Validar.

"Walter!" Lissa came dashing in, staff in hand. "Oh Naga, what happened to you!?" she cried as she knelt beside the heavily injured man. She felt like she was going to vomit, never had she seen such severe burns.

"Lis- Lissa, you- you've gotta…" Walter struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "...you've gotta get- get out of here. It's too dangerous, he- he's too strong…"

"Don't talk, Walts! You can't waste your energy on talking!" Lissa quickly got to work on healing Walter's wounds.

Just several meters away, Lucina was aggressively trying to cut Validar down. She was determined to shove her sword straight through the sorcerer's chest.

Validar could've very easily incinerated Lucina then and there, but he didn't wish to waste his magic on her. His fight with Walter had drained his tome of magic, and he didn't have much left to fight with.

Unfortunately the wounds on Walter were far too severe for Lissa to heal. No matter how much she tried, the burns would just not mend.

"Come on! Damn it, why won't you heal!" Lissa was on the verge of tears.

Walter for the most part had accepted his fate. He knew that even if he was patched up, even if he did heal, he was no match for Validar. What could he do? He had no stamina left, no gloves, and his skills with the rapier were nothing to write home about. There was nothing he could do, and that had broken him. It wasn't the injuries that had beaten him, it was the knowledge that he had failed his duty to protect Emmeryn. The knowledge that he had failed Lucina, and that the future was doomed. The knowledge that Walter C. Dornez, "the Angel of Death", was not strong enough.

I've never been strong enough, have I? Walter could hear the sound of Lucina grunting as she fought Validar several meters away. I've been weak all my life, a failure all my life. I made all the wrong decisions a man could make, and when I finally made a good one, I failed. Walter closed his eyes and prepared to accept death, just as he had over a month ago onboard the Deus Ex Machina. It was a fine attempt, but alas this is where my story ends…

"Ah!"

Walter's eyes shot open at the sound of Lucina crying out in pain. The butler slowly turned his head; the sight that greeted him draining all the blood from his face. Lucina was on the ground, her hand on her own gut. A dagger was planted in her, and blood was soaking her hands and clothes.

"Lucky that I had that up my sleeve." Validar chuckled. "I had planned on using that to gut the Exalt, but I don't mind using it to kill you as well." The sorcerer kicked Lucina in the face and followed up by stomping on her chest.

The sound of Lucina crying out in agony caused something in Walter to snap. The aged butler felt something he hadn't felt in years, an emotion that he had largely felt only in the most sadistic of moods. It was rage, unrelenting rage at that. His blood boiled as he watched Validar continuously stomp his foot on Lucina.

(Play song ~ Inu No Kuso [Hellsing Ultimate OST])

"Stop- stop it!" Walter spoke through clenched teeth.

"Walter, stay down, you're gonna get yourself killed!" Lissa attempted to calm Walter, but to no avail. Walter, through all the pain and agony, began to stand. As he did, a hot steam began to emit from his wounds.

"You…" Walter growled, his voice carried a malice that chilled all those present to the bone. "I've had enough of you." The wounds on his arms and face began to heal, alarming Validar immensely. As the burns and various wounds were erased from his body, Walter seemed to be growing younger. His hair grew several inches longer, and any prominent wrinkles on his face had been reduced in prominence. His arms, which had largely been slim, now had some noticeable musculature. When the de-aging had ceased, and the steam no longer poured off his body, Walter looked a decade younger; he looked like a man in his mid-to-late forties, whereas he looked like he was in his late fifties just seconds earlier.

Validar and Lissa were speechless at Walter's sudden transformation. Validar had let up on his brutal assault on Lucina, giving the blue-haired princess a chance to focus on the transformation Walter had underwent.

"Validar," Walter growled. His voice was silky smooth, yet it carried an edge that could chill the Fell Dragon himself. "You are trash, unworthy to be called a man or a monster. Today, I send you to your grave so that you may be cast into the pits of hell." The de-aged butler cracked his knuckles and proceeded to slip on his fingerless leather gloves. Earlier he refused to use the fingerless gloves, but now he couldn't afford to worry about the stamina drain.

"Lissa, take Marth and get out of here." Walter didn't bother to face the blond haired princess. "Retreat to the throne room and tend to her wounds."

"But.." Lissa swallowed as she looked between Walter and Validar, who looked absolutely astounded. "But what if-"

"Do as I tell you, right now!" the de-aged butler was not going to listen to Lissa. "Leave now before I lose what little reason I have left!"

(Song ends here)

The blond healer, albeit hesitant, nodded and ran to grab Lucina. Validar, snapped out of his stupor and raised his hand.

"Oh no, there will be no retreat for you." Just as he began to charge his attack, Validar was suddenly interrupted by Walter suddenly crossing the distance between them. The Angel of Death immediately punched the sorcerer in the gut before grabbing him by the arm. Walter then began to swing him around before throwing him across the room.

"Walt- Walter…?" Lucina's voice was barely above a whisper. Walter turned and knelt beside the injured princess.

"Save your strength." he placed his gloved hand on her cheek. The butler's gunmetal gray eyes softened as they met Lucina's midnight blue eyes. "We're going to save the future, just leave everything to me."

Lucina was reluctant to leave Walter to fight Validar on his own, but she also had faith in the man. Now, more than ever, she knew that Walter would save the present- or was it the past- from becoming like the future she hailed from.

"Please, be careful…" Lucina picked herself off the ground, one hand still clutching her gut. The de-aged butler nodded as he helped her get back on her feet before turning to face Validar. As Lucina and Lissa retreated behind him, Walter focused all his unrelenting fury on making Validar suffer. Without even giving Validar a chance to recover from his earlier attack, Walter crossed the distance between them once more.

(Play song ~ Dead Zone/Elevator Action [Hellsing Ultimate OST])

Keen on torturing the sorcerer for as long as possible, Walter elbowed him in the gut.

Validar coughed up blood as all the air was knocked out of him. He had no time to rest, as Walter delivered a devastating uppercut to his jaw. The sorcerer could feel his jaw pop out of place, as well as a few teeth fly out of his mouth. The uppercut was so powerful that he was actually lifted off the ground a bit. The beat down didn't end there either, as the Ylissean butler grabbed one of Validar's legs, while he was still off the ground, and proceeded to swing him over head. Validar flailed like a rag doll as Walter mercilessly slammed him into the walls and the floor. Every impact broke more and more of his bones, and all the sorcerer could do was flail and scream.

Mercifully, Walter stopped slamming his foe into the various surfaces and instead elected to throw him through one of the walls. The sound of practically all of Validar's bones breaking echoed throughout the atrium. As the butler approached the sorcerer, Walter was surprised that Validar actually managed stand back up.

"Hmm, it seems that I failed to completely break your legs…" Walter's eyes narrowed as he raised a hand. "Allow me to rectify that mistake."

Validar felt his heart beat rapidly as the butler slowly approached. Fear shook him to his very core. At this very moment, he didn't care about killing the Exalt, the very reason he was there in the first place; all he cared about was escaping the monster that was keen on tearing to shreds, or worse.

"Burn! Burn in hell!" Validar shouted at the top of his lungs. "Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" he unleashed all his power in the form of a colossal wave of fire, large enough to fill the whole Atrium. The sorcerer launched his desperate attack at Walter, hoping to reduce him to ashes. Walter seemed unconcerned by the fire, casually strolling into it even.

As the fire engulfed the butler, Validar was sure that he had eliminated him. To his horror, the flames parted and gave way for Walter. His strongest attack, was reduced to a simple candle fire.

Desperate to get away, Validar began barraging Walter with balls of fire, but each were casually batted away by the butler's wires. The sorcerer, at the end of his rope, made a break for it.

Walter, not keen on letting him get away, swiped his hand. His wires followed the command and wrapped themselves around one of Validar's legs. With a single tug, the leg was torn from Validar's body. The sorcerer howled in agony as he tumbled to the ground. The adrenaline coursed through his veins, his body trembling in fear at the monster that had been unleashed, he attempted to crawl away. It wasn't enough, as Walter grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into another wall. The monstrous man held him against the wall.

"Wha- what the- the hell are you?" Validar struggled against Walter's iron grip.

"Who am I?" Walter flashed him a sadistic smile. "I am the Angel of Death, and you…" the butler tightened his grip on Validar's neck. "...are dead."

The sound of Validar's screams would echo throughout the palace until the Shepherds reinforcements arrived, just little under an hour later.

(Song ends here)


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Throne Room)

August 22 (1:42 A.M)

As the last of the attack force was defeated by the arriving Pegasus Knights and Military, the Shepherds convened in the throne room. As their wounds were tended to by Lissa and Maribelle, who had just arrived, Chrom ran to Emmeryn.

"Thank Naga, you're safe!" the usually composed prince was trembling.

"Please, be at peace." Emmeryn embraced her younger brother. "It is thanks to you that I still breathe." As the two shared a tender moment, Phila rushed in.

"Forgive me, I failed in my duty!" The normally stoic captain of the Pegasus Knights looked absolutely distraught. "They should never have made it into the castle in the first place!"

Chrom turned to Phila and shot her a comforting smile. "Peace Phila, there was no way we could've seen this coming. In fact, the only ones that saw this coming were Marth and…" Chrom's voice trailed off. "...Walter." The prince of Ylisse immediately panicked, as the aged butler was nowhere to be found. "Has anyone seen Walter?"

The entirety of the Shepherds began to scan the room, but found no sign of the butler.

"I'm here, sir…"

All heads turned to the entrance of the throne room. The air seemed to be sucked out of the room as Walter came into view. His damaged blood soaked clothing was one thing, but the fact that Walter now looked forty was another.

"Forgive me for my tardiness, I was held up." His voice had much more baritone than earlier.

"Walter..." Chrom swallowed as he took in the butler's appearance. "What happened?" The butler pulled a chair up and practically collapsed into it.

"I had a particularly nasty run in with the leader of this little attack." Walter practically spat. "Suffice to say, he was a bit stronger than his subordinates, but I bested him eventually."

"Is- is that so?" Chrom found himself staring at Walter. It was surreal, as when he first met Walter, the man was sixty nine. Now he looked like he was forty five or something close to that. "I mean, I assume you noticed that…" his voice trailed. "...noticed that you're looking a bit, you know…"

"Younger?" Walter finished the sentence for him. Chrom nodded, and immediately regretted doing so, as Walter shot him what could only be described as a death glare. "No, hardly noticed." The de-aged butler said sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair. "Next time you feel like talking, make sure it's not to ask stupid questions."

That silenced the whole room, as all present stopped what they were doing to stare at the butler. Walter, for the most part, realized what he had just said, and immediately looked guilty.

"Forgive me, I don't know what came over me." he apologized. "I'm just not quite used to this."

Chrom gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's fine, we all have our bouts of anger." the blue-haired prince glanced around the room in search for another blue-haired warrior. "Say, has anyone seen Marth?" When there was no reply, Chrom clicked his teeth in irritation, "Not again!"

The prince immediately ran out of the room, Walter following right behind him.


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Entrance)

(Play song ~ "You may call me Marth." [Fire Emblem Awakening OST])

As soon as the battle was done, and her stab wound was all patched up, Lucina opted to leave the palace before anyone could notice.

All is well, there is no other reason for me to stay any longer. The future princess took one last look at the palace. May this palace remain standing for the centuries to come. May it not crumble and fall, just as it did in my future. Without another word, Lucina turned away from the palace.

"Going somewhere?"

The blue-haired maiden was intercepted by Chrom, who stood in front of her.

"How did you get in front of me?" Lucina was baffled, as she was sure Chrom would not have managed to have caught up to her.

"I know a few shortcuts around the castle." The prince replied. "When you've lived here your whole life, you kind of learn the fastest way to get to around."

Lucina let out a half-hearted laugh. "So it seems." She moved to go around Chrom, but the prince would not let her through.

"You've a bad habit of not saying goodbye." The prince grabbed hold of her forearm.

"Yes, I have a few bad habits, in fact." Lucina didn't bother to attempt to escape his grip, she knew that he wouldn't let her leave so long as he had something to say to her; she knew her father well enough to be assured of that.

"Well, you've a few good habits as well- you saved not only my life but both my sisters as well." Chrom gave her a warm smile. "Is there someway I can repay you? Perhaps a favor of some kind?"

Lucina returned the smile, "No, saving you and the Exalt is reward enough."

Chrom raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? There must be something I can do?"

The blue-haired princess shook her head, "No, nothing at all. I came here for one purpose, and one purpose only: to rewrite the future."

The captain of the Shepherds crossed his arms, "What future is that?"

"Emmeryn's assassination would've led to chaos, according to our blue-haired maiden."

Lucina looked behind Chrom to see the de-aged, and ragged, Walter standing in the shadows of a tree.

"In addition, you would've suffered grave injuries that would affect you for the rest of your life." the middle-aged butler continued. "It's a blessing that dear "Marth" appeared when she did. It's because of her that we were able to mobilize the Shepherds in time to hold off the attack."

Chrom nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I once again ask if you want anything in return for this service?"

"No, nothing at all." Lucina replied once more.

"Than surely, as it would be of no consequence, you'd like to stay in the palace for tonight." Walter suddenly cut in. Lucina stared at him in bewilderment.

"Surely not, I wouldn't wish to overstay my welcome. I can find accommodations else-"

"No, that simply shall not do." the butler interrupted her before she could finish. "You've done us, no the entire Halidom, a great service. The least that can be done is to provide you a warm bed for the night."

"Yes," Chrom chimed in. "There are plenty of rooms in the palace. I'll go inform Emm that you'll be staying in the palace, right now." The prince immediately left to speak with Emmeryn, leaving both Walter and Lucina alone.

"Now you can't refuse, because your poor father has already gone to set up a room for you." The de-aged Walter chuckled at the sight of Chrom dashing back to the castle.

"Yes, father was always one to repay those that had performed great good for the kingdom." Lucina smiled as she watched her father disappear into the palace. "Still, I can't possibly accept a room. I don't even belong here."

Walter's brow furrowed. "Nonsense, you are the future daughter of Chrom. If anything, this is exactly where you belong." He placed a comforting hand on the blue-haired maiden's shoulder. "Whether you're from the future or not, this is still your home. Don't push it away, even if it isn't the home you remember. Even if your father isn't truly your father, you shouldn't be so reluctant to bond with him. Those kinds of bonds, familial bonds, are the kind that transcend time and even blood. Don't throw it away because the Chrom of now isn't the Chrom of the future. I assure you, if he knew that you were his daughter from the future, he'd shower you with all the love that he's capable of."

At this point, Lucina's eyes were watering. Tears were beginning to flow down her cheeks, tears that she had long thought had dried.

"Thank you, Walter, for everything." she embraced the butler, much to his surprise. Walter felt a pang in his chest. He returned the embrace, albeit reluctantly. As he did, he took a moment to check the back of his hand. Much to his relief, the seal was still there.

(Song ends here)


Ylisstol ~ Royal Palace(Throne Room)

August 22 (1:55 A.M)

Time seemed to pass by quickly. As soon as Walter and Lucina entered the throne room, the butler was made aware of two new additions to the Shepherds ranks. One was a woman named Panne. Apparently she came from a near extinct race of creatures called the Taguel. They were shapeshifters, capable of transforming into large animals. Apparently, mankind had looked down upon them for hundreds of years, even hunting them for sport. This seemed to greatly affect Panne's view of the human race in general, as she seemed to harbor a deep resentment of humanity that caused her to, ironically enough, stereotype all of humanity.

There was a time when Walter would have agreed that most of humanity was made up of self interested wastes of flesh, but after years of serving by some of the most remarkable people ever, his view had shifted immensely. Walter quickly made it his goal to show Panne that not all of humankind was made up of murderers.

The other that joined the ranks was a thief named Gaius. He had been caught by Chrom during the battle. The thief had apparently been swayed to their side after being offered candy of all things. Walter, while confused, was happy that Gaius was accepting such cheap pay. Splitting the finances amongst the Shepherds was a trial in itself, so he was glad that he only had to worry about picking up a couple bags of candy for Gaius' payment.

Soon, the discussion between Emmeryn, Chrom, Walter, Frederick, and Phila shifted to that of utmost importance: the Exalt's safety.

"It may take some time to investigate how this plot got as far as it did." Phila rested her chin on her hands. "We have no leads as of right now."

"Actually, I have the name of the man who organized this little fiasco." Walter chimed in. "He introduced himself as "Validar", and from his clothing I could deduce that he was of Plegian origin."

"How'd you manage that?" Phila raised an eyebrow. "How could his clothing give way to the conclusion that he was Plegian?"

Walter interlocked his fingers, "Well, it looked similar to the clothing that both Gangrel and his accomplice, Aversa, wore. Of course, it's only a hypothesis, but I imagine it would be helpful."

"It makes sense, only Plegia would be so bold!" Chrom slammed his fist into the table. "They'd do anything to obtain the Fire Emblem!" The prince turned to his sister. "Emm, you can't stay here! You have to come to Regna Ferox, where it's safe!"

"And leave the people undefended?" Emmeryn shook her head. "War is at our borders, Chrom. Ylisse will not stand against Plegia without it's leader. They must know that their Exalt stands with them."

"I understand that, Emm, I really do, but what if something happens to you? What happens then?"

The room was silent for a bit, the hopelessness of the situation dawning on all of them.

"There has to be somewhere Lady Emmeryn can retreat to for safety, is there not?" Walter broke the silence.

"Yes, there is." Frederick chimed in. "The eastern palace, it's location is not only a fair distance away from the Plegian border, but it's also well hidden."

"Yes, please, grant me at least that." Chrom swallowed. "At least then you'll be safe."

The Exalt silently thought this through before making her decision. "Very well then."

Relief swept through the room at Emmeryn's response, Chrom in particular being the most relieved.

"Thank you, Emm. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

"That concludes this impromptu meeting of ours, time we get rest." Walter got to his feet. "It's best that we not leave immediately; give our forces at least a week to recover. Once that's done, Lady Emmeryn can be escorted to the eastern palace, the Shepherds and Pegasus Knights guarding her for the trip." With one hundred percent agreement on all sides, the five headed off to bed.

Before heading to his room, Walter stopped by the washroom in order to clean himself up a bit. Upon entering, he was taken aback by his appearance. The butler ran his fingers along his smoother skin, still not convinced that the man in the mirror was him.

"Mid-forties, possibly late-forties, by my estimate." Walter muttered to himself as he splashed some water on his face. He spent several minutes washing the blood out of his hands, arms, face, and hair. When he was finally satisfied, the butler finally made his way to his bedroom. Unfortunately, his clothing was in tatters. His favorite plum colored waistcoat was ruined, alongside his gray slacks. The dress shirt wasn't much of a loss though, as he had plenty of those.

As he entered his room, he immediately threw his clothes off, and, despite having just fought in one of the toughest battles of his life, did not collapse into bed. He put on another dress shirt, this one being gray in color, and a pair of black pants. He didn't bother to put on a new tie and waistcoat, as he was too lazy to do so. The butler then sat down at his desk, eager to work on something.

Walter, for the most part, wasn't tired at all. He was restless, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Instead, he opted to be productive and began to work on something. First, he worked on updating the Shepherds' Roster, as he hadn't added Lon'qu or Donnel's entries yet, as the events of the last few days had kept him busy. The butler was going to add Panne and Gaius' entries as soon as he learned more about the two, probably within the next couple days. Next, he proceeded to update his research on weapon durability and the like, followed by him working on a replacement pair of gloves.

Thunk thunk thunk!

The sound of someone knocking on his door caused Walter to raise an eyebrow. He pulled out a pocket watch to check the time.

"Who in blazes would be up at 2:30 in the morning?" He muttered his breath as he made his way to the door. Upon opening the door, Walter felt a pang in his heart.

(Play song ~ Id (Serenity) [Fire Emblem Awakening OST])

"I'm sorry to bother you at this hour." Lucina stood at the door, still in her combat gear for some baffling reason.

"Lucina, what are you doing up at this hour, in your combat gear nonetheless?" The butler leaned against the door.

"Well…" The maiden with the midnight blue hair looked down. "...suffice to say that sleep is eluding me. So…" she placed her hands over her chest. "...I thought it best to pass the time elsewhere. It just so happened that I was passing by your room and I…"

Walter smirked as he watched her struggle to get her words out.

"You're not the best at small talk, are you?" the de-aged butler chuckled ever so slightly. Lucina opened her mouth to talk, but closed it seconds later, instead opting to just nod in agreement with the statement. Walter placed a hand on her back and shuffled her into the room. "You'll have to excuse the blandness of the room, a man like me doesn't really spend time collecting knick knacks for decoration."

Lucina saw that this was largely true, Walter's room had much space to be filled. There was a bookcase in the corner, filled with various books on topics she had never heard of. His desk was against the wall, a window being directly above it. Various utensils were scattered across the desk, including what looked to be like a large spool of wire. The butler's bed was against the wall perpendicular to the desk and bookcase, with his closet and wardrobe being parallel to the bed.

"Better bland than tasteless." Lucina commented as she took a seat on Walter's bed. "I do hope I didn't wake you."

Walter laughed as he sat down at his desk once more. "No, no, I was still awake. Like you, I found myself a tad bit restless." Walter leaned back in the chair. "I decided to make myself a bit more useful; working helps me clear my mind."

The blue-haired princess' brow furrowed. "Clear your mind of what, if you don't mind me asking?"

The butler raised a hand to his chin. "I guess that's a good question; the ever increasing trials and tribulations of the world I suppose." He clicked his teeth as he leaned forward in his chair. "Life seems to throw more at you as you age, and when you get to my age, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming."

Lucina nodded, "Yes that does make sense."

Walter decided to relocate from his desk chair to beside Lucina. "So, mind telling what's keeping you up?"

The maiden squirmed ever so slightly, "Whatever do you mean?"

The butler rolled his eyes, "You didn't come to my room just to make small talk." Walter crossed his arms. "Obviously, something's on your mind, so why don't you tell me about it?"

Lucina's eyes wandered to the ground, which she stared at in silence for a few seconds. "I…" she began.

"Look at me." Walter placed his hands on her shoulders. "Whatever is troubling you, please tell me."

Lucina trembled as her eyes wandered once more, but this time stopping on Walter's. Midnight blue eyes met gunmetal gray as the two continued to stare into each other's eyes for what felt like hours.

"I'm afraid." Lucina broke the silence. "I know that Emmeryn's death has been prevented, but I'm afraid that even if we prevented it from occurring here, it may still occur later." She began tremble. "What if all we're doing is delaying the inevitable? What if me coming back here was in vain?"

Walter raised his hand and placed it on the poor girl's chin. "Don't talk like that, it'll all turn out fine, I swear. I promised you that I'd prevent your future from occurring; so long as my body draws breath." He raised her chin so she was looking into his eyes once more. "Stop thinking about the future for once, focus on the here and the now." Lucina nodded and suddenly, just as she did earlier that, embraced Walter once more.

"Thank you." She buried her face into his chest. Walter smiled and returned the embrace. When the embrace ended, Walter lied Lucina down in his bed.

"Get some rest." he said softly as he tucked her into bed. The blue-haired princess nodded as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

Walter couldn't help but watch her peaceful form, the sweet sound of her soft breathing warming his heart. The butler, sat back at his desk and began working his replacement gloves once more. As he did, however, his eyes continuously wandered over to the sealing sigil on the back of his hand.

It's presence means that, thankfully, I'm still human, but for how long? After my fight with Validar, it took all my willpower to resist the blood lust that had been growing since the beginning of that battle. Soon it won't matter if I'm a human or a vampire, I'll just be a slave to my own desire; my desire to soak in the blood of my enemies. Even then, my body is still de-aging. It won't be long until my body completely gives and I die. Walter glanced over at Lucina's sleeping form. He smiled as she snuggled up into a ball.

She and Chrom are the very people that are tethering me to my humanity. It's because of them that I have a purpose to live for. It's because of them that I've been able to heal my guilt and start over. I can't fail them, I won't fail them! These thoughts weighed heavily on Walter's mind. With Validar, supposedly the man that would've been responsible for Emmeryn's death gone, things should go smoothly from that point forward. He was glad that Validar had not succeeded in his plot, and that the sorcerer had been eliminated. Although, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, as if he'd known the man a long time ago

(Song ends here)


LOCATION UNKNOWN

TIME UNKNOWN

"How is this possible!? Could that man, that monster, could he have been the one I've been searching for for years?" Validar, after suffering the most grueling death possible, now stood in a black void. He had no idea where he was, but he readily assumed that he was in some kind of purgatory.

"If so, how was it that he was as old as he was? None of this is possible!" The sorcerer howled in rage. "How could I have been thwarted!?"

Validar…

The sorcerer ceased his rant then and there. Validar turned to see a hooded figure staring back at him.

"Who are you?" The sorcerer backed away, fearful of the mysterious figure. The hooded figure simply laughed before replying.

I am the power that compels you. You will not fall here, Validar, for that is not your destiny. You shall live on and author a destiny much greater than you know!

Validar, realizing who he was in the presence of, immediately lowered himself to a knee. "It is you…"

The hooded figure tilted its head, bemused by Validar's gesture.

I am the wings of despair, the breath of ruin! The hooded figure raised its hands to the sky.

I am the fell dragon, Grima!


Author's Notes

I wished you a Merry Christmas and now a Happy New Year...

Hey, that wasn't so bad! I managed to get it out much sooner then I anticipated! I thought the fact that I had to type half of this on a touchscreen was going to impede my progress, but hey I was wrong!

Anyway, I hope things didn't get too graphic for you guys. Who am I kidding, this was tame in comparison to actual Hellsing. Still, I may have to bump up that age rating if things start to get more explicit.

Now what a chapter, I gotta say this was a whopper. From beginning to end, a pleasure to write. I'm so glad that I made this a separate part.

Now, to elaborate on Walter's current state, he's still human. He's actually a decade older than his "Dark Walter" body, which most people agree is him in his late twenties to mid thirties. So when your imagining his current appearance, imagine a slightly older Dark Walter. Also, his voice probably sounds less like Ralph Lister (Walter's regular VA) and more like Liam O'Brien (Walter's "Dark Walter" VA). At least, that's the voice that I think he'd have in his forties.

Walter will most likely get even younger as this arc progresses. Who knows how young he'll get!? (I do since I've got it all planned out)

On to the behind the keyboard/touchscreen things that I'm still not sure people read!

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Noob mistake

Let's be blunt, everytime I've played though this chapter's corresponding level in the game, I always forgot to do one thing: recruit Gaius.

Noob mistake, I know, but hey at least I finally did it for the re-run I did to refamiliarize myself with the game's story.

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A hybrid anime transformation

If Walter's de-aging reminds you of a specific anime/manga transformation, then I probably took some inspiration from it. I'm not going to tell you which anime/manga I took specific inspiration from for that de-aging scene, but I'll say that there are three of them. If you really pay attention, it'll be pretty damn obvious what exactly was referenced.

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Gray shirt

When Walter is choosing a new shirt to wear to replace the one that was ruined, he chooses a gray shirt. I mean, this one might be a bit tricky to figure out, but I think my readers are smart enough to figure out the underlying reason as to why I choose to make him wear a gray shirt. If you can't, well that's fine.

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Who comforts who?

In the final scene between Walter and Lucina, I had to debate on who was giving who a pep talk. Was I going to have Lucina comfort Walter on his de-aging or have Walter comfort Lucina? Well, it's obvious which one I choose.

Anyone else notice a "cough" romantic tone "cough" between the two?

Just kidding, the two are just really close friends, like a teacher and student bond.

Then again, I could be lying...

...probably?

...maybe?

...possibly?


I wanna thank all of you who have been reviewing/commenting on the story so far. It's really encouraging to see that people actually like this story. I wrote this story on a whim, not actually thinking it would get anywhere. That's probably why I had no drive to continue it for so long. Then one day, I noticed that even though I hadn't updated in a long time, people still wanted more. I couldn't very well leave you guys hanging, so I spent a whole night writing. You guys, espescially those that have stuck around since the beginning, are the reason this story has come back in the way it has. Without you guys, there'd be no story, it would've been forever incomplete! I know this is all incredibly cheesy, and honestly a bit cliche, but you guys really are the ones that should be thanked. I mean, writing is difficult and all, but being the reader that has to wait patiently for the next chapter is even more of a trial.

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I am sincerely grateful that you guys have stuck with this story for as long as you have. I don't care that this story isn't as big as others, I just wanna tell a story that you guys enjoy. I hope that you guys are excited for what's to come, because boy is it gonna be a trip!

I hope that this year will be a really good year for all of us!

Happy 2018!

~Wizard Can't Name Things


Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!

Leisure Time