Lookies! I'm taking a break from Yu-Gi-Oh to write a Fire Emblem fic. ^_^
…I really hope my Yu-Gi-Oh readers don't decide to kill me.
*shrugs* Ah well. Yes. Fire Emblem is my new obsession. I simply looooooooooove this game. And its many bishies. And the many yaoi hints that lie behind the many bishes. ^_~
And… Well… Not to purposely offend anyone, but many of the Fire Emblem fics I've read… aren't… that good. O_o So I kinda felt obligated to write one myself. *shrugs* Not saying that I'd be any good, but hey, let a girl try, ne?
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem doesn't belong to me. How sad. One copy of the game does, though. ^_^ *hugs her game* I loooooooove it…
Warning: Ah… Several warnings…
1) Yaoi, Yuri, Het… Yeah. All kinds of pairings. Major pairings will be announced at the beginning of each chapter.
2) SPOILERS! Major spoilers! This story takes place approximately a year AFTER the game. *nods* It will be treated as if none of the special 2-character endings happened. However, there is indeed a lot of info from the endings and support convos.
Pairing for this chapter: Hinty Hector x Eliwood. Have fun! ^_^
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Chapter One – For the Family We Have Lost…
It was a cool, clear morning, the mists of night dissipating in the light of the newly-risen sun. The chill air bit into the skin of the fiery-haired youth as he tread upon soft blades of grass, still damp with dew. The youth's azure tunic, embroidered with buttery-gold threads, glimmered faintly. Shivering slightly, he pulled his thick cloak closer around his body, concealing the thin sword around his waist and the floral arrangement held delicately in the crook of his arm, mystically pale and centered around a snowy rose. His father always did like roses, and white blossoms for peace.
A tall monolith of smooth granite cut the breeze, marking proudly the resting place of a great man. The youth, deep sapphire eyes liquid and downcast, dropped to a knee, bowing his head in respect.
"Father…" His voice was choked with sorrow, with pain long held in. "Father, it has been so long… And we still miss you; Mother and I. She is brave and strong, putting on an air of tranquility for the court, and for me, but sometimes, when I walk past her room, I could hear her heart-breaking sobs. She does not show her tears to the public, and neither do I. In your stead, we must rule. I am following the noble example you have set, but… it is so difficult… And each night, when our routine activities could no longer provide a distraction, we think of you, and cry…"
The youth squeezed his eyes shut, burying his face into his hands, watching as droplets falling from his eyes turn into torrential streams. Here, alone, he could pay his respects.
"Father, I… I brought flowers. Your special symbols of peace, the peace you have tried so hard to gain. You would have been so glad, were you still here, that we have won and maintained it for almost a full year now. You would have been so happy, in this world… for this time…"
He sighed, shaking his scarlet head, reading out one hand to remove the diadem set in his hair and placing it around the moon-pale bouquet, setting it onto the site of the grave. "I wish you were still alive. I wish it, and Mother wishes it. We have all loved you, along with all our people. Why, Father? Why did it have to be you? You were brave, noble, just, kind… You were everything I have ever wanted to be. You were… so great… And yet, that was the cause of your death."
Death at the Dragon's Gate… Victory at the Dragon's Gate… The Gate that was now sealed by the dragon children Ninian and Nils.
Memory seemed to flutter as a feather upon a shaky breath, flickering in and out of consciousness. Words ran through the youth's mind, whispering, shouting, dancing upon thoughts, transcending time.
"Lord Eliwood, I'm sorry! It's all my fault… If only I had been stronger… If only…"
"No, Ninian, you did nothing wrong."
"Nothing wrong…"
The youth's eyes closed in grief. "Father… Father, are you happy wherever you are? Are you watching over us? Ninian… She did the best she could, didn't she? It is no fault of hers…"
"But Lord Eliwood, I…" A lone tear, pure diamond liquefied, gathered around pale mint-silver lashes, held from falling by such fragile bonds. Garnet eyes filled with regret stared out at him, silently beseeching help.
He brushed his fingers gently across those eyes, erasing any traces of tears and might-have-been's. "Don't cry, Ninian. Tears don't fit a girl of your beauty. Please don't cry. It's not your fault."
Arms… His arms around her, holding her close, the delicate Oracle in human form.
"Even at the end, Father, you sacrificed so much for us." The youth held his arms out, embracing the empty air before him. Embracing memories of… who? Of his beloved father? Of the Dragon girl Ninian? Of a childhood long lost? "At the cost of yourself, you freed them. With your dying breath, you gave us hope. Would that it were someone else that died… Would that you were still alive… Were I given a choice, I would take your place. But… I guess… I guess you wouldn't want that. You would never ask someone else to die for you. But you were the greatest. You deserved to live. And so did so many more… Nergal took Quintessence from so many of the best of our world…"
"This is Durandal, the Sword of Roland. The sword which seeks out and destroys the dragons of legends…"
A creature of ice, wide leathery wings spread, pale cerulean neck exposed, flying towards him, as if it knew naught else…
His hands moved of their own, directed by Durandal, by the spirit of the long-dead hero, slicing a large gash neatly across the Dragon's chest, stilling its fragile heart.
The heart which beat for him.
"So many losses… so much pain… All for one man's ambition…" The youth pound his fists against his thighs in frustration, in anger. "What did he hope to gain? Why did he have to leave such a legacy of sorrow? Even now, we hurt, while he rests in the peaceful oblivion of death."
"Eliwood."'
The youth wondered at his own forgetfulness of the world around him, thus absorbed in his memories, to let a heavily armor-clad warrior get behind him.
"When…" The new arrival hesitated, hearing no response from his friend. "When your mother said that you had slipped out early this morning, I thought you would be here."
The kneeling youth seemed just then to notice his surroundings. The emerald sea around him was dyed golden by a bright sun, set in a sky of the clearest blue. "Has it been that long…?"
"It is now almost noon. It is a fair day."
"A fair day… for a heavy heart…"
The newcomer sighed, running a hand through short, plum-coloured hair, his dark eyes worried. "Eliwood…"
The youth of flame-colured hair stood, taking up his diadem as he turned to face his childhood friend. "Hector. It is good to see you again."
The Ostian Marquess nodded. "And you, my friend. We have been busy this past year, neglecting…" He raised an eyebrow, trying to cheer up the other. "…our sparring matches."
A soft smile touching his lips, the young noble of Pherae nodded. "Indeed we have. I might be getting out of practice. But… I would rather that I did not again need those skills."
"Hn." Hector snorted indelicately. "There are always mountain bandits to fight. Even during peace, there is something to do."
"Oh?" Feeling himself cheered, even if just slightly, the crimson-haired youth cracked another smile at his companion, poking the obsidian chest plate of his armor teasingly. "And will the Marquess of Ostia, not to mention the ruler of the Lycian League, run off to personally take care of every bandit that appears?"
"Bah, of course not." The violet-haired man grinned. "He doesn't have time for that. That's why he needs the help of his loyal servants and his good friend, the Marquess Pherae… and possibly Lady Lyndis of the Lorca."
Eliwood laughed, shaking his head and patting his best friend on the shoulder. Even if no one else, Hector could cheer him up. They had been together for so long, that they knew each other better than their own selves.
Silence stretched, the soft tranquility of knowing you were safe. Two friends, apart for so long, looked each other over carefully, accessing the other's health.
"You look well, Hector. Ruling Ostia has not been too big a challenge for you?"
The taller youth laughed. "Hah hah, nothing is too much for me. And you… How is Pherae? Not tiring yourself out, are you?"
The swordsman shook his head. "No… I am fine… as is Pherae. But still, I wish… I wish my father was still alive. We were so close, Hector! We were there! Maybe… if I were faster, stronger, then he would have been… Maybe he could have still lived…"
"Now… don't say that…" The heavy axe-wielder put an arm awkwardly around his friend's shoulders, not used to seeing such self-doubt from the normally-composed teen. "It was not your fault. You tried the best you could. We all did."
"And I dragged all of you into it… So many died, because of that. Leila… Lord Uther…"
"Eliwood." Taking his friends shoulders, Hector spun him around. "Eliwood, look at me. As you have told Ninian so many times, now I must tell you. It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. The only one to blame is Nergal. He killed our families. He was going to kill the world to get his Quintessence."
"But…" For the first time in so long, Eliwood allowed another to see his tears, clear as the heart of the lake. "But though we saved the world, we could not save those most dear to us."
"We did." The armored youth's voice was serious and firm. "We did save some, Eliwood. My brother was not killed by Nergal, though I still find him to have been at the root of the problem. But… even though I lost my brother – and in all respects, father – I still have my friends. We are all alive. Oswin, Matthew, Lyndis… even Serra. And you. Especially you. Whoever I have lost, I have not lost my best friend."
"Hector… thank you." The shorter teen closed his eyes, leaning against his friend in support. "I have almost forgotten. My friends are still alive. Marcus, Lowen, Isadora, Harken, Bartre, Rebecca, Wil… My people are fine. My mother… mourns for my father too, but she lives yet. And… Lyn and Ninian… And you, Hector. You are all alive and well."
The axe knight nodded. "We should count our blessings. But… that is not the purpose of my visit."
"Oh?"
"I came… to… invite you to a, ah, festival." The Marquess of Ostia shuffled his feet nervously. "To commemorate the defeat of Nergal, I mean. Of course, no one but our little rag-tag 'army' knew what had truly happened, but… everyone is happy with the year-long peace. On… Oswin's suggestions… I am holding a celebration for the anniversary of Nergal's death, and in memory of those who died in our service, and to give everyone a promise that we could uphold. And… I think… just as a reunion. See how we have changed…"
"That was very thoughtful." Eliwood peered up into his companion's face. "But… what are you not telling me?"
"N-not telling you?"
"Uh-huh." The swordsman nodded slightly. "I can tell, Hector. You don't give long explanations like that unless you're trying to say something but not daring to. And you are much too nervous for it to be a simple festival. So what is it?"
"Well…" The taller youth hesitated. "Did you know… that our victory was… on… Beltane eve? So this… festival… will also be."
"I see." The scarlet-haired youth smiled faintly. "Beltane, the celebration of lovers. Do you have someone special in mind?"
"I… er… that is…" Hector swore inwardly, glaring at the ground. He should not have let himself be led into this trap. "Ummm… maybe. And… I think that person might like me too. If you come, you'll see."
"Of course I'll come." The Pheraen noble grinned. "But don't back out on your side of the deal."
The axe knight gave him a mock glare. "You should know better than that. I never back out on my word."
"No, I suppose not."
"Well… I… guess I should go now." Hector's gaze turned upwards, to the afternoon sky. "I must leave soon if I want to make it to a town before nightfall."
"Wait…" A hand lightly brushing his arm stopped him. "Stay here for the night. It is but ten days until Beltane. Let me come with you tomorrow and help with the preparations. My mother can travel at a slower pace with the Pherae Knights."
The taller youth scratched the back of his neck. "I suppose you have a point. Let's leave tomorrow, then. I've already sent Matthew out to try to track down the rest of our 'army' before I left. Hopefully, they'll all make it in time."
"We couldn't very well start a party in their honour without them, now could we?"
"No, I suppose not."
A clear night with a pale crescent moon, waning towards nothingness, invited slow walks in the gardens, quiet chatter between friends. However, soft moonbeams filtered through frosted glass saw two friends, lying side-by-side on a large bed of velvet canopies. It had been a cold dawn earlier, leading to a day of trembling shivers and a night of frozen spring. Two young lords, childhood friends reunited after a long year of ruling, shared the heat from their bodies as they once did, cuddled upon battlefields, readying for war.
My brother…
Lord Hector of Ostia lay on his back, staring at the folds of softly shimmer fabric above him. Beside him, curled up on his side, lay the scarlet-haired Eliwood in the sweet, vulnerable position he had never shown anyone else. But they had been friends for countless years. They knew each other through and through, every secret in every cranny of the other's heart.
Uther… My brother… Seeing Lord Elbert's grave today has so reminded me of you, and the tribute I have not properly paid you. You have raised me, taken care of me, put me above yourself… been more of a father to me than the one who had given me life.
The dark-eyed youth made a soft, irritated noise at the back of his throat, careful not to awaken the frail-looking swordsman beside him. His brother, the previous Marquess of Ostia, was dead. Gone. Forever. There was no more point thinking about it.
But… Even if I must act tough in front of all everyone I know, and perhaps even in front of Eliwood, could I not in my mind be granted a few "what if"s? Or, most precisely, what if the war against Nergal had not been going on, and I had been allowed to be at my brother's side? Maybe I could have helped. At the very least, I could have eased his passing. He directed his anger outwards, lashing out violently with his mind. Nergal, da*n you! You destroyed our families!
Feeling the smaller teen stir beside him, Hector calmed a bit and patted his back gently. He remembered, that during the war, it was usually the other way around. His all-too-responsible friend would stay awake through most of the night, thinking, planning, worrying… and comfort him whenever he started to wake.
"Mmmmm, Hector, get some sleep…"
"You're… still awake, Eliwood?"
A warm marine eye popped open momentarily. "Of course. Now go to sleep. We have to have an early start tomorrow. Whatever you're concerned about can wait another day. You can probably think about it on the way there."
The axe-man gave a small laugh. "Yeah. It's a long and boring ride…"
Behind a few wisps of cottony clouds, just starting to drift in, the moon glimmered softly, its light blessing the people of this world. Some say, behind its pearly exterior, a mystical land fades in and out of reality, guided by a Priestess of fire and ice…
Sleep well… Lord Hector… Lord Eliwood…
We are watching over you… you who saved our people…
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Mmmmmmm, so how was it?
Please R&R ^^