A Song to Save You
It's so dark.
A sea of black.
He's drowning. He's sinking down, down, and the distant light eludes him once more.
No. Not again. He can't die, he's not ready.
He leaps for the thread, and plummets into the abyss.
Lightning shattered across the skies as the world roared in tune with thunder and death. The armies of Nohr and Hoshido broke upon each other like waves, and Lucina knelt there in the mud, clutching a sobbing Severa in her arms.
"I don't understand," she choked, one hand on Lucina's arm, the other tugging her cloak. "I don't—"
Lucina took in a shaking breath, muscles still burning from their duel. "Nor do I," she admitted truthfully. "But we are not safe here." She hesitated the briefest moment, reacquainting herself with the word. "Severa."
She did not respond. "Stand up," Lucina said, her tension-laden tone softening. "There are people who need our help."
At that Severa stirred, glassy stare fading as she forced herself to her feet. "Right," she said, voice cracking. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword. "Okay."
Nodding swiftly, Lucina cast her gaze back to see Azura approaching—walking, thankfully, not stumbling.
"I'm alright," she assured before Lucina could speak. "It's not much further now."
"Azura, this is Severa," Lucina said, glancing between the two. "She's a friend."
Severa bristled, though Lucina couldn't discern why. Azura looked like she wanted to comment on Lucina's introduction—perhaps concerning the fact the two had been locked in battle just moments before, but seemed to think better of it.
"We need to save Princess Corrin," Azura said, turning to Severa. "Will you help us?"
"That's literally my job," Severa said, her tone regaining a bit of its life. "How about you stop standing around and help me save my—" she fumbled on her last word. "Just— come on!"
Spinning on her heel, Severa marched onward into the thick of the battle, drawing her sword as she began to cut a path forward across the rain-soaked plains. Sharing only the briefest of glances, Azura and Lucina rushed to follow her.
A Nohrian swordsman screamed, blindly rushing Severa. In a single strike, she twisted his blade free, sending it flying through the air. "I'm on your side, asshole!" she spat as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his wrist.
With that, the last of the fighting in their immediate surroundings lulled. Azura took the moment to catch her breath, breathing deep as she leaned against her lance.
Just a little further, she thought to herself, gaze flickering across the battlefield. You can make it just a little further.
A sudden gust of wind overhead wrenched her attention away, a dark shadow passing in its wake. Severa and Lucina spun around with her, blades leveled as they faced the potential threat.
The source of the disturbance remained unseen for several moments more, shrouded by the shadows of the storm, until suddenly a familiar snow-white pegasus touched down before them, and atop it—
"P-please don't be upset—"
"Sakura?!" Azura exclaimed, her words cold with shock. "What are you doing here?"
Sakura clutched her rod like a lifeline, staring down at them from the back of Hinoka's pegasus. Shakily, she took a breath. "When the fighting started, t-they sent me away from the b-battlefield." Swinging one leg over the side of the pegasus, Sakura slid off her saddle to the ground. "But then I overheard you two were going to save Corrin, a-and all I could think was, what if she's hurt? What if someone needs a healer, a-and there's no one there?"
Severa lowered her sword to the ground, arms crossed as she raised an eyebrow. "So you stole a pegasus and flew over here yourself."
"U-um, yeah," Sakura said, barely meeting Severa's glare. "I did." With a gentle pat to the pegasus's flank, the steed reared into the sky and soared back in the direction of the Hoshidan line. "A-and now she's flying back, so you have to let me help!"
"Sakura," Azura said, "that was—"
Incredibly reckless were the words that immediately came to mind. Sakura could fire a yumi, but she wasn't a soldier. She didn't belong out here, swept into the battlefield of a pointless war.
"I-I know," Sakura exclaimed, and oh, there were tears in her eyes—barely visible through the rain as her voice rose a pitch. "B-but we can't lose Corrin again, not when we just got her back! We can't!"
Azura cast a glance towards Lucina, a question glimmering in her eyes. Lucina didn't look particularly pleased with the situation either, but hesitated only a moment before nodding her assent.
With a sigh, Azura rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder and squeezed tight. "We won't lose her. Stay close."
Surprise flashed across Sakura's face, but it quickly gave way to something Azura identified as resolve. Shaking her head firmly, the group pressed on as four.
Sakura stood in the center of their formation, Severa and Lucina on her sides, and Azura the spearhead. As one they cut deeper into the Nohrian lines, weaving amidst easier targets and smaller squadrons.
They're in disarray, Azura realized with sudden clarity. A serpent without its head.
All the more reason to find Corrin and the Nohrian royals. With the departure of the Vallite soldiers, they had no true enemies here. Hoshidans and Nohrians alike were merely victims of the shadow that dictated their fates from the depths of Castle Krakenburg.
As they neared the eye of the storm, the silent stretches between skirmishes continued to lengthen. Nohr's forces did not advance but held themselves inward—their attention focused elsewhere. Though it could only have been scant minutes since Severa had joined them, each step, each breath, each gust of wind felt as though it were an eternity. At last, the group crested over a hill, only to see…
All at once, time seemed to freeze in its tracks—and with it, Azura.
Chaos swept across the field beneath them, shattered Nohrian lines desperately attempting to maintain cohesion. Shields were raised and lances leveled. Archers let loose fruitlessly, most shots missing their target amidst the poor conditions of the storm. What wounded could be seen were quickly snatched up by their comrades, spared from being swept away by the tide.
Yet amidst the chaos there was the calm—a clearing in which the living dared not tread, save four.
The first had been much younger when last she'd known him. The crimson arcs carved through the air by Siegfried, however, made Xander unmistakable, his expression contorted as he parried blows on horseback.
The second had been younger still, and bore much similarity to the first: only his hands weaved spells in place of his brother's sword. Leo.
The third was Princess Camilla, collapsed on the ground unmoving. Her breastplate was cracked, its black metal stained red across her abdomen.
And above her stood the dragon.
Her scales shone silver beneath the storm-lit sky, like the interlocking plates of Vallite armor she's only recognized now, in hindsight. Her horns were like a stag's, but sharp as blades, swung before her in wide arcs as her neck twisted violently back and forth. A sheer screech like bending metal echoed across the plains as her jaw unhinged, unleashing forth a torrent of water that sent Leo careening off his horse with a shout that was quickly swallowed up by the storm.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Severa sighed, her voice so distant that Azura ears that she barely registered it at all.
A single thought echoed through her mind, roaring in her ears in time with the storm and the dragon and the world.
She looked like him.
Robin grimaced, deftly sidestepping an arrow before retaliating with a blast of Arcthunder. The sparking orb hissed as it flew through the air, pouring rain evaporating in its wake.
The Hoshidan archer collapsed to the ground, shocked into unconsciousness. Eyes quickly sweeping his surroundings, Robin breathed a sigh of relief—the remaining soldiers around him were allies. They seized the opportunity as well, stopping to catch their breath and treat their fellow's wounds. Some slipped to their knees, exhaustion burned into their dull gaze. Chances are, they're all conscripts.
Where had this all gone so wrong?
No, he knew the answer to that. He'd accepted the win, stepped aside, and the variables had spun out of control. A pillar of darkness shot through the sky, the rain had begun to fall, and then…
The plains that could have stood as the foundation of peace were now a battlefield. Other Nohrian formations pushed forward around them, commanders shouting desperate orders over the rumbles of thunder. Boots sloshed through the mud; screams vanished into silence—this wasn't working.
Someone slammed into him from behind, choking mid-breath as they staggered back. Robin spun around, meeting the wide-eyed gaze of a boy clutching his spear like a lifeline, scraps of curly hair barely visible beneath his helmet. He couldn't have been any older than—
Robin blinked. The name vanished before he could take hold of it.
The boy stood there stuttering, which clearly wasn't doing him any good, so Robin grabbed his shoulder in one hand—steadying them both. "Hey, look at me. I'm Robin. What's your name?"
Taking a breath, the boy refocused. "Sven. Name's Sven."
"Alright, that's good," Robin assured him. "What are you doing, Sven?"
"I—" Sven started. "I don't know."
The sentiment hit Robin with all the subtlety of a siege tome. This had to end.
"Don't worry," Robin said, lowering his arm. "I've got a plan."
Robin cleared his throat, casting his gaze over the worn and battered soldiers. "Listen up everyone!"
A few exhausted faces tilted his way.
"These plains were supposed to be a foundation of peace. Maybe that can still happen, but shedding more blood here isn't helping anyone!"
No one was shouting about Hoshidan scum, so he took their silence to assume he was getting somewhere.
"This battle has gone on long enough. If we can just reach Prince Xander—" he paused, pointing ahead in the direction the black pillar had manifested, "—we can figure out what happened, and we can end this. Are you with me?"
"Anyone know who this guy is?" one soldier muttered.
One of the mages managed a shrug. "Beats bleeding out in the mud."
"Sounds like a plan to me, sir," Sven said, pulling his spear free from the ground as he stood.
Robin cracked a wry smile he hoped was encouraging. "That's the spirit!"
With the aid of allies (reluctant or otherwise), reaching the epicenter became a dramatically more feasible prospect. He guided them into a standard shield formation, prioritizing defense as they pushed through the most chaotic stretches of the throng. Eventually, the river splitting the plains came into view, guiding their push in the absence of other discernable landmarks.
"Hold," said one of the soldiers, a gruff-voiced knight. She came to a halt, stalling the rest of the formation with her. "Is that Prince Leo?"
Following her gaze, Robin's eyes fell upon a familiar collared form. He was lying nearly face-down in the mud just ahead of them, groaning as he forced himself onto his hands and knees.
"You're fired," Leo grunted as Robin grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet.
"Good to see you too," Robin said. "What happened?"
Leo's gaze flickered as he steadied himself. Robin had never seen him look so… defeated.
His shoulders slumped, and his silence spoke for itself.
The dragon's cry was as a dagger through Azura's throat.
With Leo out of sight, her ire had now fixated itself solely on Prince Xander. Nohrian soldiers tried to reinforce their lord, but any who drew too close were swept away in moments. With each swing her crown of horns threatened to wrench Xander's shield free from his arm, the two exchanging glancing blows as his horse circled her position. But Xander's strikes were slow, his technique clumsy even to Azura's untrained eyes.
He was holding back against an ancient dragon, and he was losing.
"Gods," Lucina hissed. That's not— it couldn't be—"
"It's her," Azura said, her whisper barely audible to her own ears. "It's Corrin."
Standing at Lucina's side, the color suddenly drained from Severa's face. "Th-that's Lady Camilla!" she exclaimed, having caught sight of the motionless figure beneath Corrin's shadow.
"Oh no," Sakura said, voice wavering like a petal caught in a storm. "She needs a healer, o-or else—"
"'Or else' nothing!" Severa spat. "We've got a healer right here, come on!"
"Severa, wait!" Lucina shouted, but the girl was already rushing down the hill, sword drawn.
Below them, a strangled shout rang out. Corrin's unrelenting assault had finally broken Xander's guard. His shield cracked in two, metal halves thudding against the ground as Xander was flung free to the earth. Soldiers rushed to his side as Corrin reared on her hind legs, a hollow screech echoing through the air as her jaws swung wide, surging with radiance—
"HEY!" Severa shouted. She stood before Corrin, sword held tight, and a moment later Lucina joined her side.
"Corrin," she called. "Can you hear us?"
Corrin's attention flickered, her attack evaporating before release. Her serpentine tail swept through the air as she lowered herself to all fours and rounded on Severa and Lucina.
Lucina held firm; Falchion drawn but not raised. "Listen to me. None of us here wish you harm—I swear it."
Corrin stood stock-still. Her face had no visible features, making reading her nearly impossible. Somehow, Azura was struck with a particular sensation nonetheless.
The calm before the storm.
Suddenly, a figure broke through the Nohrian line. Clad in black armor, they held a jagged blade that looked as though it were carved from bone. Several more like them emerged, advancing forward while golden-masked sorcerers took up the rear.
A name flashed through Azura's mind. Wyrmslayers.
"Corrin!" she shouted. "Watch out!"
Corrin spun back, a roar roiling her in her throat as her gaze locked onto the new threat. She swung her horns in another sweeping arc at the new attacker. But the soldier was ready for this, leaping free from her reach before lashing out with the toothed blade.
A piercing wail rang out across the plains. A shard of silver flew through the air, and Corrin reared back—the tip of her right horn cleanly severed.
In the wake of the wound, the soldier stood stock-still—perhaps in shock, or maybe awe at the fact they'd landed a blow at all.
Whatever it was, it didn't last long. With a cry, Azura drove her lance into their exposed side, and they crumpled to the ground and lay still.
"Azura!" Lucina shouted, her voice ringing in alarm.
Panting hard, lance still embedded in the earth, Azura tilted her head to Corrin. The dragon loomed overhead; her expressionless gaze unfaltering. Her silver scales flashed blue as each droplet of rain made contact, the tendrils trailing from the back of her head drifting in the wind.
She could kill me in seconds, Azura realized, the thought coming to her through no real will of her own. I wouldn't even feel it.
Despite that, she reached out her hand. Her fingers brushed against the side of Corrin's head, and she couldn't bring herself to breathe.
"It's alright," Azura said. "I'm with you."
A soft, rumbling sound resonated from within Corrin, like the distant crashing of waves against the shore.
The creature lunged, its every whisper a roar, every swipe of its tail the strength of a hundred blades. Spears were as toothpicks against its scales, arrows—even less.
It hurts.
With a single step, the earth withered and quaked. With the mere flap of its wings, the winds bent to its whim.
Everyone.
Everyone must hurt.
Another soldier crashed against it, their fanged blade raised—Threat, pain, weak—and the creature's tail smashed into their arm. With the blade gone, the creature's claws shoved its former wielder to the mud, from which they did not rise.
A song of light split through the haze, a glimpse of blue flashed in the corner of the creature's eye, and she felt her body surge with strength. Raw power poured forth from her maw, a tide that would sweep them all away, because she was strong now. She was STRONG.
She spun once more, her tail whipping through the air in her wake, but— but no attackers threw themselves upon her. Motionless forms surrounded her, the remaining soldiers cowering far from reach, and the creature thought—good. Fear me, for I am terrible. I am the silence and the sea and I am Death. You will never hurt me or hold me or own me again.
The creature roared.
The creature wailed.
The creature heard a song.
"You are the ocean's gray waves…"
It was her.
"Destined to seek,"
As she sang, a solitary ray of sunlight broke through the cover of the storm.
"Life beyond the shore."
Falchion's golden sheen glistened beneath its glow.
"Just out of reach…"
Ever so slightly, the creature's head twitched.
"Yet the waters ever change—"
All at once, the creature crumpled to the ground. The girl's song stuttered in her throat, catching the creature's upper body in an embrace. Misty light surged from her scales, and as the girl too slipped to her knees her voice returned in a whisper.
"Flowing like time…"
In tune with her song, bubbles glistened around them like stars.
"The path is, yours to climb."
It was her claws first. They vanished into the mist, then her body—shrinking in on itself as the power ebbed off her in waves. The weight of her horns vanished from her head; her wings retracted themselves into her back. Her sight softened; the piercing call of rain against the ground faded into pittering normalcy.
The creature's thoughts, too, vanished into memory. Like a dream half-remembered.
The golden sliver that was Falchion glimmered in the corner of her eye as Lucina sheathed her blade.
"Azura," Corrin sobbed, face buried in her shoulder. "Azura."
"It's alright," Azura soothed, fingers flowing through her hair. "It's alright. I have you."
"I— I hurt people, Azura," she said. "I could have hurt— I—"
"But you didn't," Azura said. "You didn't hurt me. None of this is your fault."
"I couldn't stop," she choked, "I was so, so angry, and—"
Corrin's entire body froze, her arms wrapped around Azura's back locking up, eyes staring listlessly forward. "Camilla."
"My kin—"
"Out of the way!" Robin shouted, pushing through the throng of soldiers, Leo close behind. "Make way—come on people!"
A horse thundered through the crowd, shouts ringing out as people leaped free from its path.
Slipping free from beneath the rider's cloak, Robin caught a glimpse of red-blue hair.
"—my gods—"
Corrin wrenched herself back in her haste, crawling forward through the mud. Azura's voice rang out behind her, but her words fell on deft ears.
Sakura and Selena kneeled over her, one murmuring prayers as light poured from her rod, the other peeling back Camilla's breastplate, her hands shaking. The faintest flicker of acknowledgment in Sakura's eyes was all Corrin received.
"I'm sorry," Corrin pleaded, coming to a halt beside Camilla's unconscious body. "I'm sorry—please be okay—please be okay—"
"—my blood."
Behind him, Leo came to a halt. "Xander!"
He was conscious—on the ground, but conscious. Several field healers scurried around him, and he grimaced as he propped himself up on his elbows, much to their chagrin.
"Brother," Leo sighed in relief. "Where—?"
Through the wall of armor and the hazy gray sky, Robin caught sight of the rider once more as she pulled back on the horse's reins, coming to a halt.
"There!" he exclaimed, dashing forward.
"Lilith?" Corrin exclaimed. "What—?"
"Corrin," Lilith sighed, tension and exhaustion and relief flooding free with the word. She slid off Faxi's saddle, eyes moving from Corrin, to Azura, to—
"Oh, gods," Lilith exclaimed. "Is that— okay," she blurted, cutting herself off. "Okay. Corrin, I can help, but you need to trust me. Alright?"
Shakily, Corrin nodded. "Alright."
Lilith lowered herself to the ground and closed her eyes. "Dragons grant me strength…"
"Great Moro, I beseech you!"
Robin froze in his tracks as he broke through the crowd. There was a flash of starlight, wreathed in gold, and in its wake the clearing stood empty.
It's been a little while! I needed a breather after finishing the last chapter (in all its terrible glory), I wrote some stuff for Drakengard 3 and NieR: Automata (find that over on AO3), and I also started college! So yeah, pretty busy! I'm really stoked to be returning to Sea of Stars though, now kicking off Act II! As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated, and feel free to come over to our fanfiction discord, hang out, steal our emotes, and read some fic! That's discord .gg/9XG3U7a
Next up is Chapter 13: In the Stars.