Author's Note: (muttering) Could've let me load it up on Thanksgiving but nooooo.....XD
Anyway, hello, fellow members and FE fans! This is my first FE fanfic...hope you like it! Oh, and warning ahead of time: There'll be lotsa OCs, OC/OC and OC/FE romances due to the demands of the plot (and lack of girls in the game -.-;;).
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Disclaimers: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything related to it! 'Course, my OCs belong to me, and this plot (actually, I'm not sure if I even own the plot) as well. (This is a disclaimer forall of the fanfic because I am just so darn lazy to type it up every time. o.O)
Voice of the Plains
Prologue
One Year Ago: Dragon's Gate
"Slow," commanded the young druid, patting the neck of his chestnut horse. He looked up at the pillar of black light coming from the castle, awed by its impressive size. He could sense a flood of quintessence escaping from there. That could mean…only one thing—
"Master Nergal has fallen," he whispered to himself, his eyes wide and fearful.
"What's going on?!" bellowed a wyvern rider, pulling up by his side. "What—?"
"They've defeated him," replied the druid promptly, pulling on the reins of his restless horse as he shouted up to the figure in the sky. "We must gather the rest of our forces. We need to head back to the Hideout! Hurry!" Without waiting for the rider's reply, he gave his horse a nudge. It broke into a gallop, and the wyvern and its grim rider followed them, flying directly over the two.
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Present-Day: Castle Pherae
"Eliwood! Congratulations on succeeding as the new lord of Pherae!" said Hector, grinning uncertainly down at his red-haired friend. The lord merely nodded, sorrowfully recollecting the memories of his valiant father who had perished a year ago as a result of Nergal's plan to bring the dragons back.
"Lord Eliwood," said Ninian quietly, putting a comforting hand on his arm. He put his own unsteady hand over hers with a faraway look in his eyes. "Your father…he died heroically, trying to save the mankind. You should be proud, not sad."
"That's right!" interjected Serra with a harassed-looking Erk being dragged along by her side. "Be proud! Besides, there's a party happening right now! If you should appear miserable, so would everyone else!"
"Can you please let go of me now, Serra?" the purple-haired mage pleaded, trying to wretch his arm away, but she held on firmly, ignoring his pitiful pleas. A smile slowly appeared across Eliwood's lips, and Hector gave a hearty clap over his back.
"See? There we go! Everyone thinks so, too. Now let's get back to your succession feast!" The blue-haired lord began to head back toward the dining hall, but stopped short and looked back curiously when Eliwood turned toward the other direction.
"Where are you heading?" he asked, his blue eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I have some business to take care of," Eliwood replied simply, giving the other a small wave. "Go on without me. I'll be right there." Before Hector could say anything else, he turned around and headed toward the room where his tactician occupied.
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"Ah. Eliwood. I've been expecting you," smiled the brown-haired lady as the new lord of Pherae entered, setting her reading book down on the table.
"Rai…" he said warmly, closing the door quietly behind him. The mere sight of this lady allowed Eliwood to reminisce on many memories—some sad, some frustrating, but most pleasant and wistful. "Why are you not at the feast?" Rai waved airily at him, grinning good-naturedly.
"I shall be departing soon," she said in her usual lively tone, getting up from her chair. The red-haired lord felt an invisible weight drop into his stomach. "My work here is done." As he watched the lady rise, different emotions swept through him—gratitude, sadness, uncertainness, and affection.
"So soon?" he asked sadly, out of genuine regret. This lady tactician…she had done so much for them—for both him and Lyn, a friend of his. Eliwood reflected a year back when she had led them successfully into defeating Nergal, the inhuman leader of the Black Fang.
"I haven't even returned half the debt I owe you, Rai." She let out a pleasant laughter.
"Debt? Eliwood, I enjoyed being your and Lyn's tactician. I enjoyed everyone's company and it gave me a chance to exercise my learning. No, it ought to be I who should be doing the thanking for granting me that kind of experience. So I thank you, the new lord of Pherae, from the deepest of my heart." She gave a deep curtsy, her loose brown hair spilling around her features. She straightened up and swept her shoulder-length hair out of her face, beaming at the embarrassed lord.
After a moment of comfortable silence, he opened his mouth to speak, and immediately, Rai tensed, expecting the worst. He grinned, knowing what the lady tactician was thinking.
"No, I'm not going to ask you to stay. But…for this feast…perhaps—may you stay for my feast, at least? So that you might say goodbye to everyone? They will all miss you greatly if you depart without a word." He watched as the lady considered it, and allowed another smile to spread across his lips when her head bobbed in agreement.
"I'll be right there. You go on ahead, Eliwood," she said, sweeping her cloak up as he began to retreat from the room with a reassured nod.
Author's Note: Lots of feedback would be helpful. (heheh)
Happy Holidays! Hope you liked my present to you all! (:D)