I return! And I'm here with a one-shot! (Which was going to be a multi-chapter story, but I changed my mind). Yes, I know I should be in the ToS section, but I've been having the worst writer's block ever, and my inspiration for anything ToS has gone down the drain for the moment. Though Fire Emblem is still slightly there.
Matthew: So you thought that if you wrote something, it would bring your "writing spirit" back?
FireEdge: Precisely!
Guy: Good luck getting that done…
FireEdge: Ahem… Anyway, this is going to be a RavenRebecca one-shot, kind of sad actually. Since I decided to try a different view on this relationship.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.
Smile
The sun shone brilliantly in the early summer sky. The blue atmosphere was filled to the brim with white drifting clouds, sailing aimlessly; the thinness of its shape didn't mar the sun's glow when they passed over it. A summer breeze greeted the green leaves of trees and the grass of the seaside meadows. It was wonderful weather for the port of Badon.
The beautiful weather was reflecting a joyous day. For the battle to protect Elibe was finally over. Nergal, his morphs, and even the mighty dragons that had crawled out of their dimension had been defeated. Celebrations filled the air of the large port town. It had already been a few days since they had returned, yet some of the army had still stayed.
Though in one lone space, just on the outskirts of the town stood a small meadow. Filling it were slabs of polished stones, gleaming in the light of the afternoon. Green grass grew around the rocks and around some of the mounds of fresh soil. Small red flowers bloomed on the older graves, their petals mocking those who watched them sway in the wind.
Standing in front of a newly dug grave, the dirt barely new only piled a few days prior, stood a solitary man. Hair as crimson as the poppies on the graves, flew around a face as cold and hard as the tombstones themselves. Long dark trench coat waving about his sturdy frame and his sword at his side.
Raven stared placidly at the grave that stood in front of him, the permanent frown on his face seemed graver than usual. His roan red eyes were unconsciously reading what was engraved on the stone. Just a name, and two simple lines.
Rebecca
Died in the battle that saved Elibe.
Her smile will always be remembered.
She had died too young… Such an innocent person… She didn't deserve her fate. Those were the thoughts that raged through Raven's mind. He could almost hear her cheery voice in his ears, scent the wildflower smell that seemed to radiate from her. See her radiant smile…
The scowl on his face twitched slightly. Turned into a remorseful and sad smile, that only barely touched his thin lips. That nearly a smile had been brought back by the memory of his first encounter with her… How innocent she really had seemed then.
Raven drew his heavy steel sword from the gut of a soldier, sweat glistening on his forehead as he pulled away from the collapsing body. High stone walls loomed above him, as he made his way through the trodden grass between the ancient buildings of the temple that housed the Dragon's Gate.
Glancing around for another enemy, he started forward once more. His blade held near his side, dripping with fresh blood, was ready to kill in an instance.
Suddenly, he caught sight of movement up ahead, just around the corner. Sword ready, he approached the person from behind. But as he turned around, he barely caught himself from driving his blade through the girl in front of him.
This archer was not an enemy, he remembered her slightly from when they had set up camp a few nights ago. The young girl in front of him didn't seem to have taken notice of him yet; she was too absorbed with her task. Restringing her bow.
"What in the blazes…?" He muttered, eyes narrowing at what he saw in front of him. Of course, now the girl realized that there was someone behind her. Whirling around with a squeak of surprise, she stared up at the tall mercenary.
"Ah! I am sorry, am I in your way?" She asked, her green eyes still wide. Her unstrung bow was still in one hand, and the new bowstring in gripped in the other.
"No… that's not it-- What are you doing, dismantling your weapon here?" Demanded Raven, surprised himself. That was a most certainly stupid thing to do on a battlefield!
The green-haired girl blushed, looking at her toes.
"Ah, um, it's just-- My bowstring was getting lax. I was trying to change it with another, you see…" She answered, a meek grin appeared on her face. "I'm just not very good at stringing…" Raven cocked an eyebrow at the girl. An archer that wasn't good at stringing? He certainly hoped the woman could at least shoot.
"Hand me that." He commanded. The words were barely out of his mouth before he even thought of them. The girl stared at him for a few moments before handing it over to him warily.
Propping the short bow on the ground, he took the bowstring and stretched it, starting to tie one end of the string to a notch at the top of the bow. Finishing up, he handed the bow back to her.
"There… that do it? Give her a pull to see if she's not too tight." He said, giving her nod. The girl gave it an eager tug, the bow 'twanged' with the effort. A broad smile graced her lips as she turned to him, braided pigtails bouncing on her shoulders.
"It's perfect!" She beamed. "Thank you so much! Sir…?" The archer paused.
"Raven."
"Sir Raven! I am Rebecca." Rebecca finished, appreciation clear on her flushed face. The name clicked in his mind. He remembered her now, she was sometimes one of the cooks, alongside with that rookie cavalier. Her name must have been lost in the back of his mind during the battle.
"I know. When someone joins your army, you should know his face. Especially in a rag-tag bunch such as this." He muttered, a scowl returning to his lips. The grin faded from Rebecca's face.
"Ah… I-I'm sorry. I'm… I'm not even a proper mercenary…" She said slightly dejectedly.
"I don't know why you're here… But a soldier who can't take care of his own weapon has no place on the battlefield." Raven replied, voicing his opinion when he had first seen her. Rebecca looked slightly hurt, and was silent.
Something inside him winced at the expression on her face. It reminded him of his sister… When he hurt her feelings. With an inward sigh, he spoke up again.
"If you need anything, ask me. I'll do what I can." Not exactly an apology, but he could see another smile starting. Without another word, he strode off. He shouldn't be talking in the middle of a fight.
Yes, how innocent she looked, trying to string her bow. Who would have thought that that fateful meeting would have brought so much?
The sombre smile grew and his eyes softened as he recalled her eagerness. She had been so happy about him fixing her bow for her, that she tried to repay him. He could still remember the surprise he had felt when she had came up to him and asked what food he liked to eat.
Then of course, when he had actually brought him the cooked food. A small chuckle rumbled from his throat. It had indeed been good cooking. It had also been the first time that he had really… learned anything about her…
"… Good! This is good eating." Raven remarked, swallowing the meat dumplings. It tasted of venison, spiced with herbs. Rebecca beamed in relief and pride.
"Phew! There's more! Eat all you can!" She replied, pushing the bag towards him. The red-haired mercenary peered into the bag, picking another dumpling out.
"You bagged all this? You're quite the hunter, aren't you?" Grinned Raven. He had underestimated her. Perhaps her hunting skills were much better than he thought. It definitely didn't rival her cooking though, finishing up another dumpling.
"Ah! You do smile, Raven!" Rebecca cried, her eyes glittering with amusement. Immediately his smile faded into a grimace at her remark. But it only caused her to let out a giggle. He couldn't help but notice that she looked very cute when she did that.
Surprised at his own thought, Raven distracted himself with taking another dumpling, though he didn't eat it yet.
"I'm human. I smile, I cry." He shrugged, taking a bite of the food in his fingers. The girl's head cocked to one side, regarding him.
"Hmm… I can't imagine you crying, Sir Raven. But you have a… nice smile." She grinned as she said her next statement. "Very handsome! You… You look a bit like my brother."
"You have a brother?" Asked Raven curiously, having already swallowed the remainder of his food. Her eyes became downcast as she mentioned her brother, and she hesitated a bit before she answered.
"Yes… He left home five years ago… never returned." Raven was shocked inwardly. Her tale… so similar to his… What had Priscilla felt when he had… disappeared?
"He hasn't even written a letter. I fear… He's probably forgotten all about me…" She continued, and finished, unshed tears glistening in her emerald eyes.
"He wouldn't forget." Answered the red-haired man. He was surprised at the fierceness in his voice.
"What?" She asked, surprise replacing her sadness for a moment.
"There must be something else keeping him from returning home... ...Maybe it's just his fool pride, eh? But, no matter what happens... There is no way he could forget you, Rebecca. No matter how far away he is, he is thinking of you always. ...That's what brothers do." Raven explained, his eyes gazing into the distance, vision lost in the sea blue sky.
But the sound of Rebecca starting to cry made him swing his head around to face her. Momentary shock caught him, but that faded quickly into a rueful smile, his eyes shining with the familiar feeling of seeing a young girl cry.
"… Don't cry." He awed himself when he slid nearer to her, pulling Rebecca in close to his body with one arm, patting her back with the other. "Hmm… you maybe tough, but you're still a child."
The small smile became a full-fledged grin. Kneeling down upon the soft earth, mindless of the stain it might leave afterwards.
Maybe it had been that resemblance to Priscilla that had drawn him to her more and more. He had soon found himself fighting near her in their next battles, helping her, supporting her… They had become… friends.
Next to Lucius and Priscilla, had he really had any friends before? No, not before joining Eliwood's army. After meeting Rebecca, he had become more open, met more people… He owed her more than she thought. Even Lucius and his sister hadn't been able to cause him to be more kind to others.
Maybe that was why he had sworn to protect her…
Rebecca let out a scream, a bandit looming up behind the sniper. His axe upraised, ready to strike down on her with his massive arms.
She was out of arrows, and it was too late to call for help, and she had felt so weary… Was this the end of her? Would she really die like this?
But before the axe could strike her, the bandit stopped and gagged, falling down to the earth. The axe that had been the sealer of her fate clattering on the nearby rocks.
Standing behind the bandit, a tall man yanked out his sword from the enemy's back. Raven wiped his sword on the man's shirt, tucking it back into its sheath. Jumping down from his position, he was instantly at Rebecca's side.
"Are you all right?" He demanded, supporting her tired body with his strong arms. Rebecca blinked back tears, feeling relief from the warmth of him near her.
"I-I think so…" She replied quietly. "I ran out of arrows… And we've been fighting so long… I never saw him coming until it was too late!"
"It's okay. I took care of him, he won't be bothering you." He murmured, unconsciously drawing her closer to him.
"I-I'm sorry…" The sniper mumbled, staring at the ground, her eyes squeezed shut. Raven was silent, staring at her.
"What are you apologizing for? If there's anyone who should be apologizing, it should be me." Stated the hero. "I shouldn't have wandered to far from you, when I knew that your arrow supply was running low. Especially when there were so many enemies around…"
The girl didn't answer, tears openly rolling down her cheeks. She didn't know what to say. Raven was being so… kind, and compassionate. She had never seen him act this way before. But she… she liked this Raven. The one that was caring for her, looking out for her. Like an older brother… Or more than like a brother?
Raven hadn't really known what this feeling inside him was either. He had the strongest urge to protect her. An urge that was more powerful than the one that he felt about Priscilla. Was that even possible? Why did this emotion feel… different than the one that he had towards his own sister?
"Don't cry… I told you not to cry, not when I'm here to watch over you…" Raven whispered hoarsely. And he pulled her close, smoothing her head, feeling her tears soak through his coat.
Raven didn't even realize that tears were streaming down his face, he was so emerged in his thoughts. Now he knew what that feeling was. That feeling to protect her, to make her happy. To never see her cry, or to see that smile off her face.
More tears flowed down his cheeks. Had he really succeeded in protecting her in the end? No, he hadn't…
"REBECCA!" He cried, horror imprinted in every aspect of his features. Agony cracked his voice. Dropping the sword and shield he held, entirely, he ran towards the green-haired sniper.
Dropping to his knees, careless of the marble tiles that bruised them on contact, he knelt next to the fallen girl. A pained look was engraved on her face, her bow abandoned ground next to her twitching fingers. A large gash was torn right into her middle. Blood was accumulating in a puddle on the ground around her, soaking through both their clothing.
"Rebecca! Hold on, be strong!" Raven muttered frantically, gazing into her eyes. Green eyes that looked so sad… They shouldn't be sad, they should be happy.
"R…Rav…en…" She whispered, her throat dry. Coughing, blood dripped from her mouth, trailing down her delicate chin.
"Damn it! Someone help her!" The hero hollered, yelling behind his shoulder. But as one of the healers tried to come closer, the dragon that had been Rebecca's bane blocked her path, roaring and spitting fire to the ceiling.
Letting out a furious cry, he slammed his fist onto the floor next to him, pained eyes staring helplessly at the sniper in his arms. Tears stained his face, tracking trails through the grime and sweat.
"R-Raven." Her voice was stronger now, though faint. "D…Don't cry… I… I lo…" Rebecca's eyes fluttered shut, her voice dying out. The skin beneath his fingers began to feel cold, and he let out another anguished wail.
Head bent over with grief, his eyes were shut tight, refusing to look at the sight in front of him… It wasn't true. It was only a dream. But when he opened his eyes just a crack, tears blurring his vision, Rebecca was still there. Her face pale with death, and blood still covering her body.
"Rebecca…"
"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…" He said, his voice strained, his breathing labored. Tears dripped from his face to the earth beneath. One hand lay on the smooth stone, he bent his over in suffering.
But suddenly, a thought came to him. A rather strange thought to be having in such a situation. Opening his eyes, he stared at her name, engraved with gold.
"I'm human… I smile… I cry…" The hero murmured to the tomb. Blinking more tears fell from his eyes. His roan red irises scanned over the last line of the epitaph.
"But it's your smile that I'll always cherish forever…"
Okay, this turned out pretty much just how I wanted it to be. Some of the scenes were a little choppy, but I think they flowed okay, I hope...
Matthew: So that's good then?
FireEdge: Yup, considering I wrote this at 10 at night… So tired…
Guy: Smart. Really smart.
FireEdge: I'm also a bit sceptical of the ending there… Don't know what to make of it really… So, obviously PLEASE review and tell me what you think! I want to know how I did, especially after such a long period of doing nothing!
Guy: Yeah, or she'll cry.
FireEdge: I would not… But I need something to push me… Or I might lapse back into another writer's block, and no one wants that! So please review, and thank you!
FireEdge