Lady in Waiting
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or Fire Emblem Fates
Chapter 3: Nohrian Winds
Arthur cautiously peeked into the room, hoping to spot a glimpse of its current occupant. Upon arrival at the villa, he had heard that a woman named Marth- Odin's cousin, apparently- had been taken into custody and was left inside one of the guest rooms. He probably should have just stood guard outside and waited for Prince Xander to return, but his curiosity was piqued, and a single glimpse inside wouldn't have hurt.
After all, how could his luck possibly backfire in this situation?
Of course, he really should have known better than to test his legendarily poor luck. As Arthur opened the door enough just to slip his head through, the door suddenly slammed back, sandwiching his head between the frame and the door before it swung wide open. There, standing before him, was a terrifying woman who grabbed him by the collar and clocked him with the mother of all right hooks before everything went black.
…
…
...
As he started to come to, Arthur started to gain awareness of his current looked around and struggled to move his limbs. He was bound to a chair with rope, and the terrifying woman- presumably Marth- sat directly in front of him on the bed, with her arms and legs crossed, holding his axe and glaring daggers into his soul.
Despite the clearly pressing danger, all Arthur could think of at the moment was how this woman looked nothing like Odin. Sure, he shouldn't have expected her to look like Odin in a dress, but he was expecting there to be some resemblance.
"Speak." Marth demanded coldly, tracing the axe's blade upon her finger. "Where am I?"
Arthur gulped. "Miss, this is nothing but a misunderstanding-"
"Oh, so a woman finding herself bound and gagged in some noble's bedroom, robbed of her belongings, with no record of the events of the night prior, and it's 'nothing but a misunderstanding'?" Marth coldly retorted.
Arthur paused, almost contemplating the circumstances that would allow Marth to draw such a conclusion… and completely understanding that the situation that was thrust upon her does not exactly paint them in a good light. "Miss, I see where you might think that-"
"You came into this room. WITH. AN. AXE." She glowered, pointing at the weapon in question.
"...Well, I-uhh... when you put it like that-"
"WHERE. AM. I?"
"You are at the Nohrian Royal Villa, specifically in one of our guest rooms. And I would very much appreciate it if you didn't bring any more harm to any more of my knights than you already have."
In a rare case of fortune for Arthur, Prince Xander walked in, outfitted in full plate armor, staring at the scene in exasperation rather than any urgency. "Would you mind lowering the weapon? I assure you, he can't harm you, and I certainly won't if you don't pull any more stunts."
Ignoring his wishes, Marth stood and pointed the axe at him, glaring menacingly. "Were you the one who brought me here? Return my sword and tell me what's going on!"
Xander just stared her down fearlessly. "Please, put the axe down before you hurt yourself. That axe was a gift for his years of service. If you want answers, lay down the weapon and follow me to my office so we can sort this all out. You're welcome to have this one if it makes you feel more comfortable."
Suddenly, Marth looked over and noticed there was a sword, a well-forged, if plain, steel estoc, in the man's hand in front of her. Huh. He also had a larger, more ornate blade sheathed, and seeing that, she nodded, dropping the axe unceremoniously and holding her hand out.
Seeing her hand outstretched, Xander carefully passed the steel sword in his hand over, sheath and all, opting to keep his own sword sheathed as a sign of good faith.
"Thank you. Please follow me."
Xander waved her over, and Marth reluctantly followed behind, closing the door behind her-
"W-Wait, your highness! I'm still-!" At that, the door slammed. Arthur had been forgotten by his prince, though he suspected Marth had slammed the door in an attempt to ignore the knight who she had tied up.
"...And they're gone." Arthur sighed. "Oh, well. I'm certain someone will come and find me eventually…"
"Haah… finally done…" Selena sighed, slumping on her chair. "I didn't realize we caused so much damage last night."
"I only remember the beatdown Lucina gave us…" Laslow groaned, setting the crates full of empty bottles over to the side. "And I bet Odin only remembers getting thrown out the window."
Odin scoffed, sweeping up the debris into a dustpan. "Oh, please. Like you got chewed out by Lord Leo while Niles was laughing at you behind his back."
"That still beats getting the stuffing beat out of you, that's for sure." Selena countered.
After cleaning up the tavern floor (which wasn't much, to be honest), the trio spent the rest of the night fixing up Lucina's room, which bore the brunt of her rampage. Unfortunately for them, a decent amount of furniture, including the door and window, was destroyed in all the chaos, and the three had to pay a notably large chunk of change out of their wallets. Oh, well. At least Cassita wasn't upset with them anymore.
"Do you think she'll let us stay in the room, now that we're done?" Laslow yawned. "What I wouldn't give for a little nap."
"Weren't we ordered to return to the Royal Villa once we finished?" Selena's eyes narrowed, suppressing the urge to yawn herself.
While the two squabbled over their orders and how far they could push their luck with their employers, Odin's eyes wandered over to the crates of empty bottles Laslow set down earlier. It was only three crates, but the amount of alcohol Lucina drank in that period troubled him greatly. "Are any of you worried about Lucina?"
"We're all worried about her, you dunce." Selena grunted, rubbing her eyes. "I think she drinks more than the three of us combined nowadays, and she used to be a total lightweight!"
"Remember how she implored us to limit our intake of alcohol so our combat abilities wouldn't be hindered?" Laslow reminisced. "And the one time we told her to let loose for once, she went down in one drink?"
The three laughed in reminiscence.
Odin set his hands upon the table. "I recall Mother and Robin hauling her back to her room before Uncle Chrom could see her. Lucina probably would've died of embarrassment if he ever saw her like that."
"And now… look at her." Selena sighed, leaning back in her chair. "She's a total mess now. Gawds, I don't even wanna know how Chrom'll react to seeing her in this state."
"Knowing him, he'll ignore all her new faults and beg her to come back to Ylisstol." Laslow offered.
Selena shrugged, conceding his point. "True."
Odin's eyes wandered towards Lucina's pack by the table, which they set aside while they were cleaning. He reached over and picked it up. "I wonder what she has in here."
Selena glared at him. "Don't even think about it, Odin."
"Eh, what's the harm?" Laslow said. "Aren't you curious about what she brought with her? She completely uprooted herself from Ylisse and ran here of all places."
Unable to find a proper argument for that, Selena relented and Odin opened up the pack.
The first thing they dug up was Lucina's old butterfly shield.
"Hey, I remember this." Selena picked up the shield, examining the dozens of scratches and dents hidden by its blackened silver. "I think that was a wedding present Robin had forged for Lucina. I've seen her wielding it ever since the two lovebirds tied the knot."
"Ah, yes. I remember Sir Chrom chasing Robin all day when their relationship was made known to all the Shepherds." Laslow cupped his chin as he examined the armament. "The shield was almost integral to her armor. How come she just stowed it away?"
"Perhaps it brought back too many memories." Odin suggested. "What else does she have in here?"
The next thing he dug up was a tome, a primer with a worn-out cover but immaculate pages.
Odin's eyes widened as he flipped through it. "Oh, I know what this is. There were rumors in the camp that Robin was trying to create his own magic tome to suit his needs: something that could cast spells ranging from Thunder to Thoron while also being nigh-invulnerable to damage. Guess he actually did it."
"Sounds like a tome that an up-and-coming mage can grow up with." Laslow mused. "Perhaps he was hoping for a future child of his own and wanted him or her to inherit it."
"If he ever did have a child, I'm pretty sure one of us would've met him or her before we went back to the past." Selena pointed out. "...Or worse, the poor kid would've been turned into one of Grima's pawns."
Laslow shuddered at the idea. "Gods, that sounds like a terrible fate. To blindly serve an unholy, twisted version of their father for eternity. I wouldn't wish it upon my enemies."
"There's also the fact that they probably couldn't have a future child in the first place." Odin reminded them. "Barring the unlikely possibility that the child would be displaced from another future."
Selena snorted. "Well, anything's possible, right? If the kid did exist, they'll probably be from the new future we made for them…" she paused in contemplation. "Actually, the two having a child must be impossible now… I guess… now that he's gone..."
The air around the three suddenly turned cold, the depressing realization settling into their very cores.
*knock*
"Are you three done in there?"
The three, knocked out of their stupor, hastily scrambled Lucina's belongings back into her pack as Cassita entered the room, with Odin hiding Lucina's pack behind his back.
Casita whistled. "You three did a mighty fine job cleaning this place up. Maybe I'll ask Xander if I could take you off his hands and hire you full-time."
"Heh, heh… I doubt Prince Xander will agree to that." Selena uncomfortably giggled as the trio shared glances with one another.
If Cassita took notice of their suspicious behavior, she didn't make note of it, instead waving them over. "Well, now that you're done. Why don't the three of you escort me back to the villa. I hear you're shipping out to the Fortress tonight."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lucina slowly marched behind the man down the hallway, eyeing him cautiously before observing the surroundings. The hall was exquisitely decorated, lined with expensive-looking paintings and suits of armor, illuminated by mounted candlelight. Not exactly a place one would expect to wake up in.
As she paced behind the man, she noticed something tucked in her sleeve, partially concealed by her glove. Surreptitiously pulling it out, it read:
Owain is Odin
Severa is Selena
Inigo is Laslow
Just stay put and cooperate.
You're not in any danger.
You'll get the Falchion back.
Trust us, please. We'll always be there for you.
They… they were real…
She gasped incredulously. So they weren't nightmares, they weren't figments of her mind. They were real… That Owain, Severa, and Inigo, they were real…
And she attacked them in her madness, she attempted to kill them in cold blood.
A pang of guilt washed over Lucina, horrified that she nearly put her friends to her sword in a haze of grief-fueled fury. Countless questions went through her mind as she clutched her head, breathing heavily in order to calm herself down. How did they get there? How long have they been here?
And, if she stopped just short of killing them… how did she stop?
There was little time for her to dwell upon it now. She hastily put the note away as the man stopped at one room in particular, opened the door, and motioned for her to enter. Once inside, she sat in one chair while he sat opposite of him behind the desk.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xander, Crown Prince of Nohr." The man, Xander, said calmly, pausing for a moment before continuing. "You are Marth, I presume? Odin's cousin?"
Odin… Odin… Oh, he means Owain. "...Yes. That is correct." Lucina said reluctantly. "How do you know my cousin?"
"Odin has been under the employ of the Royal Family for quite some time now. As have Selena and Laslow. I assume you are also acquainted with them as well." Xander told her. "They think very highly of you. To the extent that they pleaded with me to grant you leniency even after you beat them into the ground."
"...Selena… Laslow…"
"Do you know why you're here?" Xander inquired. "You're here because you put your friends, three of the finest knights in Nohr, through the ringer, tore through a tavern run by a former nursemaid of the Nohrian Royal Family, and nearly endangered the life of the Youngest Princess of Nohr in the process."
His words pierced through her like a bunch of arrows, recalling the events of last night with a frown.
"Normally, the punishment for assaulting our knights for any reason is a year in prison at the very least."
What?
"And endangering a member of a royal family is another decade, perhaps even warranting execution in dire cases."
WHAT?!
"And yet, amazingly, all of them plead for your case, including my sister. Not to mention someone of your talents would make a fine addition to Nohr's military, especially seeing as we could not obtain rope strong enough to restrain you. There's no way anybody could ever even attempt to hold you hostage." Xander then produced a document as well as a pen and ink. "So, we're deciding to hire you."
That caught Lucina off guard. "I don't understand."
"The Nohrian Royal Family has a tradition of enlisting people from all walks of life into their retinue, from nobility to even former criminals. From what I inquired, you're not a bad person, and you're certainly a talented one. So, you would be perfect for enlistment." He slid the document closer. "This is a contract. Serve the Nohrian family for five years at least, and your criminal record will be wiped clean. You will also receive a proper salary and other benefits as well. You can gladly serve alongside your friends again."
"...And if I refuse?"
Xander sighed. "Well, then I'd have to send you to prison. I would not recommend it, if I do say so myself. I'd personally suggest you take the deal; it's not one we make every day."
Lucina hesitantly read through the contract, leaning over to read it while Xander pushed it further towards her…
…
…
…
Xander noticed she was staring at it intensely. "...Are you-"
"I'm still reading." She bluntly stated, not even bothering to look up.
"Ah, alright then."
…
…
…
After a notably long time, Lucina finished reading through the contract and looked up. "I also want my sword returned to me. You can have yours back." She placed the estoc that Xander had handed her down upon the desk and stared at the man in front of her, waiting for his next move.
"Sign the contract and it shall also be returned." Xander replied.
Lucina closed her eyes in thought. This was not a situation she could simply run or fight her way out of. And even if she did, she could probably get her friends in serious trouble. She had enough to apologize for as is. Potentially getting them executed for her own mistakes is something she would never do. She already made more than enough mistakes to last a lifetime.
After a moment of hesitation, Lucina took the pen and slowly signed her current name, Marth, upon it. Slowly pushing the contract back, she left her hand open. "My sword, please."
"Of course." Xander stood up and went to a weapons case by the corner of the room. Unlocking it, he picked up the Falchion, and a badge with the insignia of the Nohrian Royal Family before closing the case and handing both the blades and the badge to her. "Here's your sword, And this badge identifies you as a retainer of the Royal family, made by a secret technique only known to our inner circle." he paused, and glanced at the estoc she put on his desk. "And on second thought, keep that one. Consider it a sign-on bonus." He watched as Lucina took the badge and her sword and picked up the steel sword. "Welcome to the Nohrian Knights, Lady Marth."
Lucina took the Falchion and picked up the steel sword from Xander's desk. She affixed the Falchion back to her hip and moved the steel estoc to her back, before attaching the badge to her belt and begrudgingly bowing to her new employer. "What shall you have me do first?"
Xander took two more bronze swords from the weapons case. "Follow me to the courtyard." he told her. "Of course, a woman of your talents doesn't need it, but it's sort of a tradition that I test the mettle of the new retainers, one I'd rather not break anytime soon." He motioned to the door. "One more thing before we go."
Lucina paused in anticipation.
"Do you know of a fire occurring recently?" He asked, his eyes seemingly scrutinizing everything about her.
"...A fire? If there was a fire in Windmire, I'm certain everyone in the city would know about it." She slowly replied.
"I see." Xander slowly nodded his head. "Follow me, if you please."
"Leo!" the youngest prince, having packed his belongings into the carriage, turned around to find Elise calling out to him. "Have you seen Arthur anywhere?"
"Arthur? I haven't seen him all day." Leo told her. "I thought he'd be standing guard outside Marth's room after Niles and Beruka's shift."
Elise shook her head in denial. "Nah, I was just in the hall; he wasn't there."
"I see. Maybe he's outside." Leo suggested. "Perhaps Marth woke up and Xander's giving her his signature initiation duel, and Arthur went outside to watch."
"Either that or he got catapulted out the window by a chandelier again." Elise joked.
"That too." Leo suppressed a giggle. "Let's check the courtyard. Maybe we can catch the initiation duel while we're at it."
Elise lit up. "Yeah! Let's!"
Meanwhile...
"Help! Can someone hear me!? I really need to use the latrines!"
Lucina followed Xander once more into the Villa Courtyard. Unlike most of Nohr, the courtyard seemed to have actual vegetation. Grass, finely trimmed hedgery… and tomato plants.
Lots of tomato plants.
There were other edible fruits and vegetables growing in the courtyard, but the tomato plants seemed to dwarf all of them in numbers alone.
"You may have some if you want." Xander offered with a hint of pride in his voice. "My little brother Leo makes it his mission to provide food for the rest of the homeland as much as he can. He personally made gardens all throughout Nohr in order to lower our dependence on imports."
"...I'll pass, but thank you. I do appreciate your generosity though." Lucina declined, having no stomach for food at the moment.
"Suit yourself."
Lucina followed him further until they reached a relatively open area in the courtyard, with a decorative patio by the villa walls on her left and a maze of vegetation on her right. At the patio was a stunningly beautiful woman, with luxuriously long, violet hair, slim yet muscular physique, and large… tracts of land… all in a sleek, silken dress, who stood from her seat and approached the two with a near sensual swing of her hips high every step.
"Oh, have you brought her into the fold already?" The woman leaned over and examined Lucina with a predatory gaze, licking her lips with an intense stare.
Noticing she was making Lucina uncomfortable, the woman immediately backed off with a more comforting smile. "Oh, where are my manners? I am Camilla, First Princess of Nohr. It's a pleasure to meet you, darling."
"...You may call me Marth, milady…" Lucina awkwardly bowed before Camilla suddenly pulled her into a hug.
"Oh, heavens me! What an earnest one we have here! You are so adorable~!" Camilla said with glee as she brought Lucina close, hugging her close, pushing the shorter woman's face into her chest.
"...C-Can't… breathe…" Lucina gasped, trying to push the larger woman off.
Xander sighed. "Camilla…"
"Sorry, sorry~." Camilla reluctantly let Lucina go with a giggle as the latter greedily sucked in lungfuls of air upon being freed from the former's grasp.
"Oh, I do apologize for that, darling." Camilla said with a gleeful wink. "I just couldn't help myself; you looked like an abandoned puppy starved for affection."
"I… I was…?" Lucina asked, bewildered.
"Knock it off." Xander told his sister. "We were about to have our duel."
"Oh, you're about to have your initiation already?" Camilla inquired. "Well don't let me stop you. I would love to see our new recruit's strength."
"By all means, spectate." Xander welcomed. "And Beruka, stop hiding and join us."
With the order, a short woman with light blue hair, a bandana, and a piercing gaze, stepped out of her hiding spot behind some shrubbery, and stood at attention. Camilla sat back down and Beruka poured her another glass of wine, chilled with a bucket of partially melted ice.
With that out of the way, Xander stood in the middle of the courtyard, planting one of the bronze swords into the ground while giving the other a quick flourish.
"Here will be the rules of the initiation duel." Xander announced. "At my command, you shall come at me with everything you have. The duel shall not end until one of us yields or until we can no longer continue. And, of course, there shall be no lethal or crippling blows permitted. Do you understand the rules of our engagement?"
Lucina plucked the sword out of the ground, and gave it a curious stare and playful twirl of her own before readying a stance. "I understand, milord."
"Very well, then." Xander readied a combative stance of his own. "You may begin when ready-"
Xander blinked, and with a confident grin, Marth vanished from his sight.
All of Xander's finely-honed instincts screamed at him to move, and he rolled to the right, barely dodging Lucina's leaping strike. It was so fast he didn't even realize she was in the air. He barely had time to recover, as Lucina was on him instantly, swinging her blade with precise swipes, never leaping herself open, never giving him even a moment to hesitate.
The two locked blades, and Xander looked right into her radiant blue eyes.
Gone was any hesitation, doubt, pain, or regret.
In their place lies focus, determination, unyielding strength, and an indomitable will.
This woman would be unlike any other person he had ever crossed blades with…
...And unbeknownst to himself, he liked it.
Camilla watched as Xander and Marth clashed over and over and over again, with the two clashing and weaving between one another in an intricate, hypnotic dance of dominance.
It was almost enthralling to watch, Camilla was at the edge of her seat. Most of these initiation duels were one-sided affairs where Xander had his opponent at the backfoot in moments, followed by an imminent defeat soon after. The longest anyone had lasted against Xander was Laslow, shortly followed by Selena and Odin.
By their own accounts, Marth had personally trained Laslow, Odin, and Selena, three of Nohr's finest, all by herself. But in this case, the students did not surpass the teacher. No, the teacher was the Master, one so far ahead of her pupils that they had no hope to catch up to her.
And Xander? Xander was smiling. Not the polite smile he gives to his subjects, nor the warm smile only seen by family and friends. No, this smile was one of respect. This woman was matching him blow for blow, and there was nothing but the unspoken respect for one another as warriors between them.
...What a strong, powerful woman… ...Camilla wanted Marth in her retinue. Perhaps she'll ask Xander for Marth's contract once the dust settled, provided he doesn't want her for himself first-
"Dibs."
What?
Camilla turned her head, finding Elise sitting in the chair opposite of her, grinning cheekily.
Leo, standing behind her with a frown, spoke up. "You can't just call dibs on her contract. She's not even fully initiated yet."
Elise grinned mischievously. "Ooh, so I guess you want her all for yourself, then? You already have Odin and Niles."
"So what? You have Arthur and Effie." Leo countered.
"Well, yeah, but-" Elise paused and started counting on her fingers, muttering the names of their respective retainers with each of her fingers, before pouting. "Aw, man! Does that mean she automatically goes to Corrin?"
Camilla stood up and tousled the hair of her little siblings. "I believe enough retainers answer to Corrin." Indeed, virtually everyone in the Northern Fortress, be it serf, servant, or soldier, have sworn fealty towards their dear middle sibling, with a select few clearly more loyal than the others. Corrin certainly had a knack for inspiring it in people.
"Aha! So her contract is up for grabs!" Elise cheered before pointing accusingly at Leo. "And I bet you only want her contract so you could score a date with her!"
"W-What?!" Leo was taken aback, flustered.
"Oh, please! Look at her!" Elise then pointed at the hurricane of a woman giving their eldest brother the fight of his life. "Give her a bath and a change of clothes, and she'll look gorgeous!"
"I-I'm not attracted to Marth!" Leo said with a fluster. "And even if I was, which I'm not, I fear what Odin would do to me…"
"Ah, please! Like you could possibly be afraid of Odin!" Elise rebuffed.
Camilla's curiosity was piqued. "Leo, are you telling me… that you are finally interested in the raging tides of love?"
Leo's jaw dropped. "What?"
"What?"
Xander parried one of Marth's strikes, and instead of following up and putting her on the defensive, he whipped his head in bewilderment towards his siblings as their conversation came within earshot, only to return his attention to his duel not a millisecond later when Marth came back at him with a wide overhead swing, punishing him for his momentary distraction with a strike that nearly swatted the sword out of his hands.
It was an amateurish move on his part, but that was not his fault. After all, he knew how dismissive Leo was of the desperate noble daughters that practically throw themselves at his feet in the courts. In fact, Xander was the one who taught him how to 'correctly' remove himself from their advances… to which Leo completely ignored and bluntly denied them any chance of courting him with thinly-veiled insults to their egos. Xander vividly remembered how one particularly… persistent socialite kept trying to engage in conversation with Leo (usually moments after Xander politely turned her down), in which after one too many attempts to get into his pants, Leo lost all patience for ineffectual subtext and called her a pathetic, sheltered brat that knew nothing of suffering, honor or valor.
In the middle of a royal ball.
Out loud.
With their father within earshot.
And things just cascaded from there.
...Wait, where was he going with this again?
"RAAAGH!"
Oh, right. He was still dueling Marth.
Onto more immediate matters, Marth was formidable, relentless even. Her strength and skill spoke of years of combat, honing her abilities to their apex. The fact that he could barely parry her attacks, much less even attempt a counterattack, spoke volumes of her abilities. And she didn't even seem winded. Every other retainer he dueled would have been on their last legs by now, but there was no sign of exhaustion from her. Even he was starting to feel a tinge of exertion within him.
Even so, they were at a standstill. Marth could not get through Xander's defenses, nor could Xander find an opening to initiate a counterattack. But suddenly, Marth's assault stopped, she disengaged and leapt back, crouching low to the ground, putting her bronze sword close to her waist, almost as if she was sheathing her sword, ready to initiate a mortal draw.
Xander recognized it as a Hoshidan Swordmaster technique. He did not know how she came to learn of it, though; Laslow was certainly unfamiliar with Hoshidan combat during the few times they encountered them in skirmishes. However, Xander was more than familiar with their technique, and knew exactly how to counter it.
Xander put his shield up, with his sword at the ready, and charged.
He expected her blade to be parried by his shield upon drawing it, finally leaving her vulnerable.
He did not expect her to roll underneath his shield and lob a handful of grass and soil right into his face.
"What the-?!" Xander immediately shut his eyes and covered his face with his sword hand. "Fighting dirty? Is this really your strategy?!"
"Not strategy, tactics!" Marth cheekily corrected, snaking one hand behind Xander's head and swatting it, further stunning him and allowing her to slam his blade out of his loosened fingers with her own.
Xander was now disarmed, and Marth had a blade to his chest.
Marth had him dead to rights.
Leo's jaw dropped. "Did… did that just happen?"
Camilla giggled, impressed. "Well, that's something you don't see very often." She removed the bottle of chilled wine from the ice bucket and handed the bucket to her little brother. "Leo, come with me."
Elise couldn't believe her eyes, at the edge of her seat in awe of the climax of the duel. Xander, her brother, one of, if not the greatest knight in Nohr, was defeated in single combat.
Ooh, Corrin was gonna flip when-
"-did you think was going to happen when you went inside?! It's all your fault!"
"...Sorry!"
Elise turned her head, finding Effie and Arthur approaching the younger three Royal siblings.
"Effie? And Arthur!" Elise exclaimed, her eyes wandering towards her perpetually unlucky retainer. "Where were you? I was looking for you all day!"
"Good afternoon, Milady. I found him just a few minutes ago." Effie bowed, cutting Arthur off before he could get a word in. "Apparently, he was tied up in Marth's room after he scared the poor woman silly. I half-expected to find him hanging from a chandelier with his axe between his buttcheeks... again."
Arthur coughed into his hand, embarrassed. "Yes, apologies, Milady. I had a lapse of judgment and should have waited for Lord Xander's orders before I acted."
Elise snorted and hopped off her chair. "You got that right." She took a quick glance at Xander and Marth before returning immediately back to her retainers. "Effie, can you grab-" she paused and doubled back to her brother and Marth. "Wait, what the-?"
Moments before…
Camilla giggled humorously while she and Leo, the latter carrying the half-melted ice bucket in his arms, approached Marth and Xander, the latter still sputtering, trying to rub the dirt out of his eyes.
"You're not going to get the dirt out like that, Xander." Camilla teased… before taking the half-melted ice bucket out of Leo's hands and splashing half of its contents on their elder brother's face.
"Gah! C-Cold!" Xander recoiled back, startled, the dirt washed from his eyes as Camilla cheekily tossed the bucket back into Leo's unsuspecting hands, with the eldest brother wiping his face clean, opening his eyes with an annoyed glare. "What was that for?"
"I-I uh…" Leo was caught off-guard, his voice stuttering, awkwardly pointing at Camilla, the true perpetrator of said practical joke.
"Oh, don't take it too personally, Xander. We just wanted to help." Camilla smiled placatingly, pulling out a handkerchief and patting his face dry. "Besides, I know the victor of a duel when I see one."
"You got that right." Leo agreed before looking to the side, noticing the sword Marth had pointed. "Marth, do you mind putting that away? You've long since made your point."
He gently pushed the bronze blade away from its blunt side, barely even touching it, and the sword immediately slipped out of her grasp, clattering unceremoniously onto the ground.
"What in the?"
And then they noticed it.
Marth's hand was still outstretched, shaking. No, not just her hands, her legs, her shoulders… her everything. Her bright blue eyes widened to the size of plates, her irises shrunk to the size of pins, and she was gasping rapidly, heavily, seemingly losing more breath than she was drawing in.
"Marth, darling?" Camilla's voice became increasingly worried, having seen this sort of behavior from many, many unfortunate veterans before. "Marth, calm yourself. There's no need to panic. You won."
She touched her shoulder, and barely seemed to register it at all. She seemed trapped in her own world, and whatever world it was, it seemed wholly unpleasant.
"Uhh… Marth?" Leo approached her, snapping his fingers in front of his face. "You're starting to scare me…"
Xander leaned in and examined their new retainer. "Those three did say she was troubled. Perhaps things were worse for her than the others."
"Effie, staff."
"Here, milady."
Elise scampered up to the four with her Restore staff in hand and Effie and Arthur at her heels. "Don't worry, I got this."
"What? No." Xander snatched the staff out of her hands before she could use it.
Elise was startled by Xander's actions. "What? Why not? It worked last time."
"You can't just let her rely on a Restore staff all the time." Xander told her sternly. "What if she has another one of these episodes and you don't have the staff, or not even there at all? I've seen many soldiers that don't succumb to the bottle give up all their gold to opportunistic, ill-reputed healers just to keep their wits about them one day longer. She can't keep using such an easy fix forever."
"Oh, and we're supposed to leave her like this? Or let Selena, Odin, and Laslow get their butts kicked every time we need her lucid again?" Elise countered.
Xander stared at Elise, and then back at the borderline catatonic Marth beside them, before reluctantly handing her back the staff. "One more time. You can use the staff for her one more time. After that, she will have to learn how to manage her problems without it."
"But-"
"What she's going through is not uncommon." Xander informed her. "There are countless brave soldiers who become shells of their former selves after war. And while not everyone is so lucky, there are people who come back from the brink. Not necessarily back to who they once were, but always much stronger." He paused, glancing at Marth once again, before continuing. "If our retainers have so much faith in her, then it stands to reason for us to believe she can recover as well. And she has people to rely on as well. Selena, Odin, Laslow. I know for sure Corrin will do everything to help once you're at the Fortress. And as her employers, we'll do our best to help her as well. Do you understand?"
"..." Elise quietly nodded. And in the corner of his eyes, he noticed Leo nodding in agreement and Camilla beaming at their two younger siblings with pride.
Xander smiled softly. "Then help her. That's what a true healer does."
Elise mirrored her big brother's smile and waved her staff, washing over Marth with a wave of gentle light.
"..." Marth blinked, rubbing her eyes. "W-What in the world? What happened?"
"What happened is you won." Xander, acting as though nothing had happened, "I am impressed by your skill… and your tactics. No wonder those three hold you in high regard.
Marth picked up the bronze sword from the ground and handed it to him before bowing. "I am honored by your words, Prince Xander. You also made for a formidable opponent."
Xander stepped aside and gestured to his two youngest siblings. "This is my little brother, Prince Leo, and you've already met my little sister Princess Elise."
"It's a pleasure, Marth." Leo bowed.
"Glad to meet you properly!" Elise curtsied.
After the two introduced themselves, Xander continued, gently pushing Elise forward. "While you ultimately answer to all members of the Royal Family, you shall be serving Elise for the foreseeable future. Do you have any objections?"
Marth shook her head. "I do not, sir."
Satisfied, Xander nodded. "Good. You all shall depart for the Northern Fortress as soon as Selena, Odin and Laslow return. You're all dismissed."
Xander and Camilla left, with the latter pouting and saying something inaudible to her brother, and the former recoiling in response.
Leo gave her a comforting smile.
Effie eyed her cautiously.
Arthur gulped, clearly uncomfortable in her presence.
Elise, however, grinned widely and went in to embrace her new retainer. "I'll be in your care, Marth! I'm counting on you!"
A/N:
Hey everyone! I hope y'all are doing alright! Once again, big shoutout to my friend SK for editing and giving this chapter a beta read. She's not even a Fire Emblem fan but she's enjoying what we're showing her. We're planning on getting her Three Houses for her birthday.
This chapter was a really fun chapter to write, what did you guys think?
Just for fun, who did you guys have as the fathers of Odin, Laslow, and Selena in Awakening? When my brother and I did our first runs of Awakening, our builds for the second generation were vastly different from one another, and I'm sure yours is too. Same goes for Lucina's build and her potential sibling: completely different from one another. Fun times.
Anyways, that's it for now. Please review!