When Marianne von Edmund saw the large egg the first time, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Nothing to indicate where the mother and father of the egg could be. No sign that this was to be the nesting area. Nothing at all. Nothing around in this clearing in the forest. It did seem like a sad cruel fate to bestow onto the egg, to be left alone with no one to love it. Perhaps the egg was a victim of fate, much like her.
She approached the egg, feeling around it, the shell was warm to the touch. The thought did strike her on whether or not the egg could get cold. If it did, could whatever was inside it die? That would be a horrible way to go for an animal whose life hasn't started.
The question to Marianne though was how she could warm up the egg. Hay? Where could she find the hay to cover it? Let alone actually putting the hay on the egg. A fire? Perhaps a small fire could work, the worrying part to her was accidentally cooking the egg should she do this.
Marianne stepped away from the egg, deciding that it was probably best if she come back to the egg later. It was getting dark and her adoptive father is going to be worried about her being gone from the Edmund Estate for too long. She climbed back onto her horse, looking back at the egg before riding away.
The next day Marianne came back with some hay from the stables, only whatever she could stuff in her bags strapped to her horse. Probably not enough to cover the whole egg, but maybe she could start somewhere.
She leaped off her horse, taking each strand of hay and laying them as best she could around close to the egg. Doing so on her knees, with the sun was high above them, sweat starting to gather in her brows. She took a moment to wipe some of it off before continuing laying down the hay.
"Hello," a duo of voices called out from somewhere nearby.
Marianne let out a startled squeak, her head craning around frantically to see who called out to her, "H-Hello?" she shuttered, "Who's there?"
"Down here," the voices said.
Marianne looked down to see two miniature women wearing what looked like priestess outfits that she'd never seen before. Unthinkingly, Marianne placed herself between them and the egg as they watched her.
"Ah y-yes?" Marianne said, staring them in the eye.
"What are you doing with the egg?" they asked.
"I uh...was keeping it warm?" Marianne averted her eyes from them, "Sorry, was this your egg?"
The duo of tiny women shook their heads, "This is the egg of Mothra."
"Moth-ra?" Marianne never heard the name Mothra before.
"Our Goddess," they said, "she has watched over our people since the beginning of time or so they say."
"I see..." Marianne stepped away from the egg, "I should be on my way, sorry to bother you."
Marianne turned to run for her horse before the duo priestesses called out to her.
"You haven't been a bother, it was an awfully kind thing you did for Mothra," they reassured her.
"I..." she turned her gaze back from the little women to the egg, "Could I... see you again?"
The two of them grinned, "Of course!"
"Is everything alright, Marianne?" Margrave von Edmund asked her from across her.
Marianne stopped poking at her vegetarian omelette for a moment, not daring to look her father in the eye, "Um..."
Margrave sighed heavily, "Marianne, I won't bite. Is this about the arrangements made with Garreg Mach Monastery? I can assure you no one is going to know about your crest over there."
"I'm sorry...that's not it..."
The two of them have fallen silence, Margrave staring inquisitively at Marianne as she pushed her food away and started getting off her chair.
"Is the food not to your liking?" he asked as she walked towards the door leading out of the dining room, "I could ask the chef for something else."
She stopped at the door, still not facing him, "No I'm not hungry...sorry for worrying you..."
She pushed open the door before Margrave called out once more, "Marianne."
She stopped, turning her head back to look at her father.
"Look I..." Margrave stopped as if to consider his next words, "Even if you don't find someone to settle down with over there, I think your father and mother would've wanted you to be happy. Them being gone is not your fault, Marianne."
Marianne had nothing to say to that, there was nothing to really say. If only Margrave knew how wrong he was, he's only saying that to make her feel better. At least that is as far as Marianne knew before she left the dining room.
Marianne stared at the ceiling, the plain empty white ceiling above her bed as she lied there. Her bedroom was empty, little there but painted blue walls, a lone blue-white bed, and a small desk. Seemingly void of any life much like herself.
Every waking moment to her is that of standing there in a haze, a place where even the brightest light has dimmed to a mere sliver of itself. Nothing to forward to, nothing to look back on. She is just there, alone, the warmth of a small candle and the coolness of water seemingly out of reach. Every waking moment a dreamless sleep and yet every moment asleep all but a slow, dull waking daze watching night become day.
Her entire existence seems to that of one stuck in a void, no stairs, no paths, no ladders, no way to crawl out. It was as if she were drowning on land, her limbs made of the heaviest of stone, her senses and body numbed to the world outside, almost frosted over. Margrave, goddess bless his soul, clearly cared about her own meager life, that much she knew from the few years spent with him. To come out and be a part of the world. No, it's probably best if she stayed inside, inside this emptiness, lest she feared what could happen should she hatch.
Marianne turned away from the ceiling to see the moon outside the glass door leading out to the balcony. Out there was the egg and the two mysterious women in the forest, her mind drifting towards how they're coping with living inside the forest. She wondered if they are fine with her coming by to see how they're doing as they do seem like kind people, too kind to someone like her.
Well she's go and she'll see how they're doing and if they don't want her there, she understands...
The next day, Marianne arrived on her horse carrying a picnic basket and a blanket. She could see the egg was still there as she got closer, it haven't hatched yet, nor did it look any worse for wear. Then again, Marianne herself has a hard time knowing how the egg was doing unless she were to check with magic.
"You came back friend!" the duo of tiny women greeted her from a tree branch that Marianne wasn't sure how they reached.
"Um hello," she replied, she jumped off her horse and showed them the basket, "I uh brought some food, I wasn't sure if it's okay with you though..."
"That's fine with us," they said.
Marianne placed the basket down and then approached the tree branch and held out her hands to catch them. When she looked up at them, to her surprise, they've disappeared from the branch. That was when she felt tiny feet walking on her palms and she looked down to see them standing on them, leaving her wondering how they got there without her noticing. She most definitely would've seen them fall at least.
Regardless, she gently brought her hands down to the ground and they jumped off.
Marianne had laid the blanket down next to the egg, on it was a tea set, some sandwiches, and a bowl of blueberries. Next to the two tiny women are two spoons holding some tea and sliced blueberries, the two of them are big to drink and eat off the spoons with little issue. Marianne was just nibbling quietly at her sandwich when the two ladies asked her something.
"What is your name, friend?"
Marianne stopped for a moment before answering, "Marianne von Edmund..."
"Marianne?" the one on the left was the only one to speak this time, she pointed at herself and then her sister, "I'm Emi and she is Yumi."
"Emi... Yumi..." Now that Marianne got a closer look at the two of them, there are slight differences between the two. Emi wears an ear ring on her left, Yumi on her right. Their outfits are mirrored opposites of one another, their tops slanting diagonally is two different directions, Emi down to her left and Yumi her right. And to top it off, their fluffy looking hats have two gems in the center of forehead area, Emi's is blue and Yumi's is orange.
"Yep," both Emi and Yumi declared, "And we are the Shobijin! Mothra's fairy priestesses!"
"Shobijin, fairies?" This was the first time Marianne seen a fairy, there were stories, myths, folktale that spoke of them, they were just that, stories. Until now... "You've said Mothra is a Goddess? There's only one Goddess I've known of and I'm sorry to say but I never heard her go by that name."
The two fairies looked at each other, surprise on their faces, "Truly?" They gaze back at Marianne, "For a time, the land was home to many creatures like Mothra. Then the War with the Godslayers happened and many like Mothra have gone to sleep afterwards."
Emi and Yumi turned to point towards a mountain lying across from Marianne, "Our people would watch over Mothra as she slumbers since then, watching and waiting for her return for years. And then one day, she woke up and flew down here to lay her egg."
Marianne glanced over to the egg, "Um...why?"
The Shobijin shrugged, "We don't know."
Marianne looked back at the fairies, a question gnawing at the back of her mind, "Where is Mothra?"
Emi and Yumi looked crestfallen at that question, "Dead."
"I...I'm sorry," Marianne stared down at her lap in shame.
"It's okay," they said, "Because the egg shall be Mothra born anew."
Marianne slowly lifted her eyes back up, "Born anew?"
They nodded, "Yes, in a sense, Mothra never truly left us. She'll always be watching over us."
"I see..."
The egg loomed above the three of them, still and strangely majestic. The one who is to be the next Mothra sleeping away for now. Of course, to Marianne, she wouldn't know what to expect when the egg hatched. Though going by the name, Mothra should resemble a moth shouldn't she?
Still, she could spend the rest of her remaining days here until she finally left for Garreg Mach, it felt so peaceful being here without much to worry about...
Whenever Marianne has free time, she would come over to the forest clearing where Mothra's egg and the Shobijin sit. Some days they would have a picnic, some days they would talk about a number of things, some days they are merely content to sit there and take in the scenery. It truly did felt nice to be away from everything in her life, even for a short while, but she knew it was not to last...
Once she'd caught them singing a song to the egg.
"What's that song?" she'd asked after they finished.
"Our prayer to Mothra," they answered, "Do you want to try singing it?"
Marianne had declined when they asked her, content to listen to them sing. She would hate to ruin this tranquility, here she would almost forget she was marked with a curse, almost being the key word. That's why, she promised to herself to not let anybody, not even herself ruin this.
"Hey Marianne, where are you off to?" Hilda asked her from the stable entrance, "Having a picnic by yourself?"
Marianne stiffened as she regarded her pinked-haired friend, "Oh...Hilda, you're here?"
"Why not," Hilda falls back onto some hay and lazily stretched herself, "Ya think I'm gonna stick around while our families talk about the tedious stuff?"
"I mean it is important...right?"
"I don't know, important enough for you to not sit out as well? Besides Claude can tell us later!"
"I...I don't want to impose," Marianne climbed onto her horse and started walking the horse out of the stable.
"That so?" Hilda rolled slowly back onto her feet, "Mind if I come along?"
"Well I... I'm sorry but maybe you shouldn't..."
"What and leave you by yourself?" Hilda stepped to the side of Marianne's horse, peering up at her, "Who knows what's out there?"
Hilda made clawing motions at Marianne as she continued, "What if you run into a ghoooooooooot? Or two?"
Marianne had to hold back a snort, "Hilda..." she tried to chide.
"Oh oh! And what if you leaving killed me?" she jokingly asked.
Marianne couldn't help let out a mock gasp, "Really?"
Hilda nodded, "Of course! I would die, or age fifty years out of boredom!"
She gripped the reins of Marianne's horse, "You wouldn't have a fair, dainty maiden be subjected to such a fate would you?"
At this point, Marianne tried and failed to suppress her laughter, "Oh, haha, I don't know there c-could be bugs."
Hilda hardly seemed dissuaded, waving it off and flexing her large biceps underneath her long sleeves, "But I'll have you to protect me and my noodle arms yeah? You look like a tough girl yes?"
"Well..."
"Excellent," Hilda scampered to a nearby horse, "Let's go!"
Marianne certainly wasn't planning on Hilda trailing along behind her into the forest. It would've been better if Hilda were to stay behind but... in all honesty, Marianne has trouble racking her brain as to justify doing so to Hilda. She's not exactly someone who took no for an answer on most occasions, and for some reason Hilda made every attempt to be friendly to Marianne over the few years they've known each other, odd given that any effort to do anything at all was otherwise met with resistance. At least, as far as Marianne knows.
She turned her gaze back to Hilda, who noticed and waved, "Nice day for a ride ya?"
"Yeah..." Marianne replied.
Yet with every passing step, the bell tolls in Marianne's head. A slow shameful march towards uncertain doom perhaps. How would Hilda react to the egg in the forest? Would she tell her family about it? And they in turn the rest of the Alliance? What could they do to the egg?
Marianne gulped and turned away, the thought occurring that perhaps they need not ride towards the egg. Instead she and Hilda could just find a different clearing and have a picnic there. Yeah, surely the two fairies would be fine if she didn't come by today.
"Hellooooo," Hilda called out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts, "You alright there, looking awfully nervous."
"W-What do you mean?" Marianne answered, "You always say that."
"I don't know, I mean you looked more nervous than usual? We're not at a ball you know?"
"Well, I-I-I-I..."
Hilda stared at Marianne nervously stuttering before she responded, "Yes?"
"I-I'm sorry, I was thinking about a bear I saw the other day."
Hilda slowly blinked, her eyebrow slowly raising, "You saw a bear?"
"...Yes." Marianne squeaked out under her breath.
"Right..." Marianne turned back to look Hilda in the eye to see she doesn't seem convinced by Marianne's explanation, "First bugs, and now bears? Is something going on? Sure sounds like you're hiding something."
"I'm hiding nothing!" Marianne blurted out, taking in ragged heavy breaths after doing so.
"That's what they all say," a mischievous grin grew on Hilda's face, "Oh you meeting someone?"
"I-I-I-I-!"
"It's fine, wow didn't think you have it in you, nice Marianne!" Hilda rides up next to her and gave her a friendly slap to her back, making her shriek a bit, "So who's the lucky guy or gal or person?"
"Um..."
"Don't worry I'm just going to say hi before leaving you two on your date! Won't tell a soul if that's what you want, Marianne, cross my heart and hope to die."
"Wait, it's not what you think!"
"It's...not," Hilda asked, staring at Marianne both curious and confused.
"No, I saw this lake and thought it looked like a nice place to have a picnic and uh... I just wanted to try it," Marianne's voice came out muffled to her, drowning under the pounding of her heart as she watched Hilda.
"A lake here? Didn't know there's one this far into the woods."
"Hard to believe huh? But I'm sorry to say...but I forgot where it is."
Hilda took a moment to consider Marianne's words, "Well do you want to look for it?"
"A-Ah yes," Inwardly Marianne breathe a sigh of relief, all they have to do was turn away from where the egg was going to be and ride off to another part of the wood. So sure Marianne about her half-baked plan that she forgot one small detail.
"Mothra oh, Mothra..." they had ridden close enough to hear the Shobijin singing their prayer to Mothra.
"What's that?" Hilda perked her head up, "Singing?"
"A-Ah, Hilda?" Marianne called out.
Hilda glanced over at Marianne, "So you wanna check it out?"
"Um..."
Hilda passed Marianne and rode off to see who was singing, Marianne hurrying after her, "Hilda wait!"
It didn't take them look to reach the clearing where the egg was, the singing of the Shobijin having yet to subside as Hilda came charging right at this place.
"What the?! An egg?" Hilda came to screeching halt a few meters from it, much to her horse's displeasure, it letting out a whine as the singing stopped.
"Hilda!" Marianne called out as she slowly stopped her horse nearby.
Hilda turned her gaze to Marianne, a look of understanding slowly dawned on her face, "Say Marianne, did you know about this egg?"
Marianne averted her eyes, before stiffly moving her head back to look Hilda in the eyes and shakily nodding.
"Huh..." Hilda looked at the egg for a moment as Marianne moved to stand right next to her.
"Hello Marianne!" Emi and Yumi called out from...somewhere nearby.
Hilda jumped a bit before looking around, until her gaze landed on Marianne's shoulder. Marianne turned her head to see the Shobijin standing on it, somehow without her noticing.
"Who're you?" Hilda asked, leaning in to get a closer look.
"We're Emi and Yumi," they said, "And we're the Priestesses of Mothra."
"Mothra?" Hilda tilted her head back to the egg, "The egg right? Or the egg's mommy?"
"Yes."
"Okaaaay then... name's Hilda Valentine Goneril by the way."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Hilda..." Hilda turned her head to look at Marianne when she spoke up, "Could you please not tell anyone about this?"
"Yeah sure..." Hilda nodded at the egg, walking over to it, half jokingly, "Don't know if Claude would eventually come across it though, probably would see how big of an omelette could be made out of it."
Hilda lightly taps on the egg as she finished up, admiring the egg as she feels around it.
CRACK!
A single crack appeared, followed by another and another. Multiple cracks spreading out like a spider web across the shell. Hilda jumped back in surprise before looking down at her hand in shock as she backed right into Marianne, nearly making them fall back.
"Hilda!" Marianne screamed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it, I swear!" Hilda shouted.
"Look!" the twin priestesses pointed at the egg and the two girls stopped to watch.
A single piece of the hard shell fell off, something inside budging out slightly. A fracture line slowly forming along one of the ends of the egg as more pieces fall off one by one. In between the two growing halves are the soft, veiny velvet like membrane pulsating as something moved beneath it.
Both Marianne and Hilda gasp in awe at the sight, both taking a step back. Watching the smaller half of the egg shell bit by bit falls off with each push from the creature inside the membrane. Watching as the creature started to make chirping, squeaks, and screeches as it rolls around inside.
Half of the egg has opened more fully, allowing them to see more clearly into the membrane containing what appeared to be a caterpillar rolled up inside and writhing around inside. Then the membrane budged out, stretching further and further, a singular point pressing against it from the inside. The mandibles came out, pulling some of the membrane into its mouth and swallowing it, chewing its way out of the egg.
What eventually stumbled clumsily out of the egg was a gigantic brown caterpillar with blue beady eyes. The feelers flask the mandibles, running parallel to it. Twelve stubby legs line the sides of the caterpillar. Its skin is wrinkly with veins visibly running around the whole body. It brought its head up, peering at them, Mothra has hatched.
Marianne and Hilda stared at Mothra, speechless, before Marianne takes a step forward towards the caterpillar.
"Marianne!" Hilda hissed through her teeth, "Is it friendly?"
"I...think she is," she glanced over to Emi and Yumi, "Right?"
They nodded, "You can touch her."
Marianne stopped directly in front of Mothra, looking up at her imposing figure, one that surely towers above a small fortress. Mothra's eyes met hers, Marianne raising a shaking hand up towards it. Mothra glanced down at the hand, Marianne held her breath, unsure as to what thoughts could be running beneath those soothing eyes.
...
...
...
...
Mothra lowered her head and nuzzled it against her hand, Marianne couldn't help but note the skin was warm and a bit leathery to the touch as she slowly strokes her against it.
"Uh hi," Marianne said.
Mothra responded with a squeak and a low rumbling sound.
"Wow..." Hilda stepped in next to Marianne, Mothra seeing her get close, pushes her head against Hilda. Hilda laughs before she too started petting the caterpillar, "Whoa, pushy one aren't you?"
"Hilda," Marianne said under her breath as she looked over to her, "What do we do?"
Hilda glanced over at Marianne to see her look anxious again, "No idea."
She turned her attention back to the caterpillar, "I have no idea," Hilda said.
AN: While I could make a longer story about Kaiju in Fodlan, I don't know nearly enough about Three Houses outside of fanfics to figure out how that could play out, besides already have Philanthropy and Rose Petals to work on. I just pretty much wrote this mini story on a whim. So I don't see this going beyond a few chapters. If anyone actually wants to write a much longer Godzilla crossover with Three Houses, well nothing is stopping you.