I'm not late. You guys were just early. Time for Fire Emblem. (In all seriousness, I was camping last week and while I did have access to my Google docs I didn't have much time for writing)

Noire

Noire wasn't sure if she preferred the past to the future, if she was being honest.

Sure, not having to worry about the Risen all the time was nice. But she hadn't really had the time to dwell on it considering for the past three days, she'd been running for her life after she literally fell into a slave traders camp.

After the ambush at Mount Prism, the portal had deposited Noire in pretty much the worst place possible. For a moment, neither she nor the slavers moved. Both parties were stunned. Then one of the men she had just interrupted broke into a wide grin.

"Well boys, it seems fate has taken a liking to us! I could certainly get used to fresh merchandise falling into our laps like this!"

The man and his companions all laughed, and Noire's panic caught up to her. Acting on instinct, she did the only thing she could think of, and threw her bow at the man's face, screamed loudly, and ran like hell.

She managed to get away from them on that first day, but it was safe to say, Noire was not having a good time in the past.

There was no sign of her friends nearby, and when she returned to the slavers camp under the cover of darkness, there had been no sign of them there either, so at the very least, they hadn't been captured. It could only mean that they were instead somewhere else in the past, or, Naga forbid, somewhen else. Noire wasn't even sure when she was. What she wouldn't give for Laurent's intellect, or Yarne's enhanced senses, or even Owain's quick thinking theatrics, anything that could help her out of this situation.

No, instead, she was stuck on her own. Just little old Noire against nature and her pursuers. The first day was spent mostly just running and hiding. Every time she heard voices, she hid in the nearest bushes and kept quiet until they passed. By nightfall, she had finally lost them.

She didn't light a fire, for fear of discovery. In fact, she climbed a tree and tied herself to the branches to avoid being caught unawares on the ground. She managed to stay somewhat warm by packing her sleeping bag with pretty much everything else she kept in her pack. Unfortunately it wasn't a lot, seeing as she was more frail than her friends, meaning she couldn't carry as much.

After a long, miserable night, Noire spent the next day setting snares that she had learned from Nah, who had learned how to make them from her father. Without her bow, she couldn't hunt, so she was forced to use a less reliable method. Magic was an option, given the fact that both her parents were accomplished magic users, she had inherited the talent as well, but she didn't have a magic tome to focus her mana, and her training had been neglected since her mother hadn't wished for her to follow in her footsteps, while her father was more familiar with the healing arts than anything.

Luckily, she managed to catch a small rabbit, for which she hopped Yarne would forgive her for, and ate a hasty meal that was probably very undercooked, but she didn't dare keep the fire lit for any longer, especially because she heard voices not far from her hiding place soon after she had put it out and eaten.

Noire stealthily gathered her meager belongings and tried to sneak away, but a slaver spotted her and shouted, "she's over there!" and the chase began again in earnest.

Using her size to her advantage, Noire darted between trees and bushes too tight for the larger men to fit through easily. Unfortunately, the men were experienced when it came to their job.

A roar echoed from on high, and Noire nearly jumped out of her own skin. Wyverns. Now Noire would have to be even more careful, and she kept an eye on the sky as she darted between trees, desperate to lose her pursuers.

Noire was actually fairly impressed with herself for once. Compared to her friends, she was frail. She got sick easily, she was an insomniac, and she struggled with physical activity. It was why she had taken up the bow. Despite the difficulty the drawstring presented, an archer moved around a lot less than other fighters. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of the life or death situation she found herself in, or maybe it was because she was filled with energy after eating something that wasn't scavenged from ruined and rotted land, but Noire was avoiding her pursuers with speed and grace she would've expected from the lightning fast reflexes of Owain or Lucina, or any other of the groups sword wielders.

The thought of her friends made Noire emotional. Kjelle or Severa would've routed these villains by now. Why couldn't she be more like them? Noire reached up and clutched her necklace. Two important items rested there, both from her mother. One was her wedding ring. The other was a dark magic talisman.

The Talisman took hold of Noires frustration, and it exploded into full blown rage.

Long ago, despite her strange tendencies and frightening disposition, Tharja had been a good person. She valued family and innocent lives. When Robin and Libra, the two most important people in her life, had died in the future, Tharja's grief changed her.

She still cared, in a warped way, but for Noire, it didn't seem like it. In her desperation to find Robin and exact revenge on her husband's murderers, Tharja had delved deep into the evilest aspects of dark magic. Her curses became crueler, her spells more brutal, and her daughter became her unwilling test subject.

One day, Tharja decided her time would be better spent searching for Robin, and before she left, she gave one final gift to Noire.

Depending on who you asked, it could be seen as more of a curse.

The Talisman was powerful. It fed on all of the injustices in Noires life, every unfair hand she'd been dealt, and brought it spilling out in a roaring tidal wave of anger and strength. There'd been several times when the magic item had saved the lives of both Noire and her companions, but every time, it put a strain on Noire herself, and she felt faint and sick after every use. Lucina had forbidden her from using it unless it was an emergency, but Noire knew the truth. It scared her almost as much as it scared Noire herself.

As she ran, Noire reached down, plucked a branch off the ground, and spun shrieking with anger. Her nearest pursuer stopped, surprise written plain on his face, and Noire threw with perfect accuracy.

The branch made impact with the man's eye, and he went down, clutching at his face.

"Continue to chase me if you desire pain and misery!" Noire taunted, before turning and running once more.

Her sudden change of demeanour must have startled the slavers enough for her to get away, at least from the men searching on the ground.

When she felt she was far enough, she stopped and let go of the talisman on her necklace. All at once, her exhaustion caught up with her, and she leaned into the nearest bushes, dry heaving. Once again, the talisman had kept her from harm, at the cost of making her feel like a Risen.

As soon as the need to be sick receded, Noire straightened. Time to keep moving.

She took off, this time at a more of a relaxed pace, and thankfully managed to put a decent amount of distance between herself and her enemies. Satisfied that she was safe for the time being, Noire searched around for a bit until she found a suitable place to sleep. She crawled under a bush that had a small space underneath, and tried to get some sleep.

Sadly, her luck wasn't as good as the previous night, and Noire spent most of the night staring at the branches and leaves above her. When the light of dawn broke through the canopy, she set off once again, this time trying to angle south. If she could leave Regna Ferox and get to Ylisse, she might be able to find and regroup with Lucina and the others.

Unfortunately, Noire's day did not go according to plan.

"If only Mother were here," Noire complained to herself as she crept past a pair of slavers. "She would hex these villains to kingdom come…"

"Sorry little lamb," a sleazy voice said from behind her. "But your moms not here, and now the wolves have come to snatch you up."

Noire didn't even turn to look at the man who had snuck up behind her. She broke into a dead sprint, despite her fatigue, and didn't give the slaver a chance to grab her. Years of instincts honed by fighting and running from the Risen and Grimleal had taught her how to put her fight or flight reaction to good use.

As she ran, Noire dodged the grasping arms of the slavers that came from the woodwork as if from nowhere. She realized somewhat belatedly, that she had stumbled straight into a trap.

Through the trees, a large, ruined castle came into view, and figuring any sort of cover was better than staying out in the open, Noire headed straight for it.

Breathing heavily, Noire rounded the corner and dashed inside, only to discover that the ruins held no other exit.

"It's over…" Noire despaired, "My life is over... Mother, I'll be by your side soon…"

Noire crept deeper into the ruin, her mind filled with terrible thoughts of what her fate might be, now that she had been cornered. Her capture was all but certain now. It would take a miracle to get out of this situation.

Noire clutched at her talisman reflexively, as if it could somehow provide her the strength to fight the slavers. As always, it only brought a burning rage to the surface.

She had only just escaped from the future, only to fall right into a new kind of peril. Those who made a living off the suffering of others deserved no quarter. Noire decided that she hadn't survived this long only to fall victim to a fate such as this.

Noire scanned the ruins for anything she could use to protect herself. She was surrounded by rubble from the decaying roof and old bits of furniture. Surely there was something she could use to bring fiery retribution to her foes.

A minute passed, and Noire could almost feel her anxiety underneath the fury her talisman provided, when she finally spotted a pile of old weapons. She lunged for it, and while most were rusted beyond use, almost miraculously, there was a strung bow in the pile. The string was frayed and the wood had clearly been bent out of shape from being strung for too long, but a bad bow was better than no weapon at all.

Thankfully, Noire's quiver was still securely strapped to her pack, and just in time, she strung an arrow, because the threatening shadow of a wyvern passed over the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"I AM THE FIRE AND FURY!" she declared. "ALL WHO DEFY ME WILL PERISH! REPENT, SCUM! REPENT THOUGH IT WILL SAVE YOU NOT! REPENT AND DESPAIR! BWAAA HA HA HA HA!"

Noire fired a quick three shot volley, and knew she hit the mark when the pained screech of a wyvern reached her ear. Any time an enemy flew over her fort, she fired another arrow, making it clear they would not be able to attack from above.

Noire listened carefully, straining her ears in hopes of gleaning any insight into the plans of her foes, and she was surprised to hear the sounds of battle.

In her surprise, she let go of her talisman, which she had been clutching in her arrow hand, and the magical induced anger left her. Quickly, she snatched it back up, but tucked it into her pocket instead of holding on. Carefully, Noire crept to the door of her fort, and peaked outside, only to nearly crash into another person.

She scrambled back, and nearly notched an arrow, before she saw who it was.

"F-f-father?" She asked incredulously.

"Fear not," Libra said, unphased by being called father due to his time as a priest. "I am called Libra. The Shepherds will help keep you safe. Would you come with me to regroup with my companions?"

It was all Noire could do to nod mutely. She feared that if she spoke, she would spill everything to her father. As mixed as Noire's feelings were towards her mother, she knew she would be safe with her father.

Together, they snuck out of the ruin and moved south, towards the sounds of magic and weapons clashing. Any time they encountered a slaver, Libra would cut them down with his huge battle axe, and for the first time in years, Noire finally felt a bit of hope again, and soon, they had rejoined the main group of the Shepherds.

"I've retrieved the young lady," Libra said calmly, alerting his allies to his return. Noire tried not to flinch when she noticed her mother, who spared a moment between hexing the slavers to give Noire a once over. "Now, let us destroy these heretical villains," Libra finished.

Noire had never actually seen the first generation of Shepherds fight before. She had been too young to be on the battlefield when most of them had died. She had heard tales of their power, but actually seeing it was different. Even in a small group, lowly enemies such as the band of slavers stood no chance. Tharja blasted enemies to bits with hexes and dark magic, while Libra took the front lines with Vaike, and the pair of them formed an impenetrable wall that no ground based enemy could hope to pass. Miriel threw magical gusts of wind skyward to keep the enemies wyvern and griffon riders at bay while-

"Noire!" Laurent said. "It's great to see you again!"

"Laurent, what are- how- why are you so old?" Noire stammered.

Laurent pushed up his glasses. "It's a long story. Fascinating, really, I-"

"Talk later, son! Fight now!" Vaike interrupted.

"Yes, father, my apologies," Laurent replied. He turned to join his mother, and extended a hand to Noire. "Come and help us route these fiends, and I'll explain everything later," he promised.

Noire took the hand, and joined him on the rear line. Together with Laurent and Miriel, they kept the sky clear of enemies. Before long, nearly all the slavers had been routed, and only the leader and a handful of soldiers remained.

"You dare challenge Ezra, Wolf of Ferox?" The man spat. "I rule these woods! It's my right to take little lambs that stray from the path, now hand her over!"

Noire clutched her bow tightly, and reflexively took a step behind Laurent. He was so much taller than he had been the last time she'd seen him, which was only three days ago for her. Clearly, Laurent had been in the past for a long time.

Surprisingly, Tharja stepped forward, anger written clear on her face.

"Scum like you, in charge here? Don't make me laugh. Not even a dark mage would stoop so low to your level of depravity," she shot back.

"What the scary lady said!" Vaike agreed. "I ought to teach you not to be such a creep, wolf boy!"

"Like you could touch me," Ezra gloated, despite the fact that most of his forces were already dead. "You're all just more meat for this wolf!"

Tharja scoffed, and instead of replying, uttered a spell. "Waste," she said disdainfully, and a noxious cloud of dark magic sprung forth from her spell hand, flying straight at the group of slavers, withering any living thing in its path. Ezra's men leapt out of the way, but Ezra himself was too close. With no time to react, it was all the man could do to scream.

When the cloud dissipated, all that was left was a withered, mummified corpse. Noire felt ill at the sight. As always, her mother was terrifying.

"Swear and devote yourselves to honest work, and you may keep your lives," Libra coldly told the surviving slavers. The men nodded rapidly, and scrambled away. Evidently both of Noire's parents were pretty scary.

The Shepherds turned, and Libra gave Noire a reassuring smile.

"You're safe now," he promised. "Do you have a plan for-"

"I sense dark magic on her," Tharja interrupted. "Why does it seem so familiar?"

Noire glanced around helplessly. She felt like running, but Laurent stepped up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Noire, they have already been informed about our future," he said.

"Am I right to assume she is one of your comrades, Laurent?" Miriel asked.

Laurent nodded, and Noire steeled her nerves.

"My name is Noire," she said. "I- I'm- my parents are-"

"Spit it out already, girl," Tharja snapped. "We don't have all day."

"Honey, have patience," Libra prompted. "Go ahead Noire, take all the time you need."

Noire took a deep breath, and had an idea. She patted her pockets, and pulled out her talisman.

"Noire, don't!" Laurent cried. "Lucina specifically requested you not rely on it!"

Noire ignored Laurent's objection, and cackled. "I AM BLOOD AND THUNDER! I AM A RIGHTEOUS FURY! ...I AM YOUR FUTURE DAUGHTER, THARJA AND LIBRA! The ring I bear also hails from the future. A memento of you, my departed mother!"

Tharja looked at her incredulously, while Libra momentarily appeared shocked, before his expression rapidly shifted back to his calming smile.

"And the bizarre talisman?" Tharja inquired.

"Your own handiwork!" Noire replied, allowing her frustration to carry her words. "Wrought to steel the mewling heart of your coward daughter! In its strength did I find blessed escape from grief and solitude! Fear of death and killing, too, it drove from me, until I became an avatar of retribution! Only by clinging to it have I survived the crushing desolation of a ruinated future! BWAA HA HA HA HA!"

Tharja scoffed, and quick as an arrow, snatched the talisman from Noire's hand.

"W-wait!" Noire squeaked. "Without it, I won't-"

"Survive?" Tharja retorted. "You can and you will. And not by becoming some avatar of retribution. Just be my daughter. Leave the retribution to me."

Noire was stunned. It had been so long since she had heard anything nearly as kind as that from her mother. She had always known that Tharja had trouble expressing herself positively, and that was still evident by the way she spoke, however, this version of her mother was not possessed by the same grief and madness that had driven Noire's mother in the future.

"What she means is that now that you're with us, you needn't rely on such ghastly devices to protect yourself," Libra said. "I am pleased to meet you, Noire, and both Tharja and I are overjoyed that you have found your way to us."

Noire nodded, struggling to process her emotions. She could feel tears welling in her eyes when Tharja spoke again.

"My, this is a nasty little number. The future me is good. ...And very, very bad. Hee hee. I can't wait."

"Dear, you can examine the talisman later," Libra intervened. "For now, we must prioritize Noire."

Tharja sighed, but nodded. "Oh fine. In any case, Noire herself is far more interesting. A meeting like this is a dream come true for a practitioner of curses and hexes."

Noire squeaked again, and subconsciously moved to hide behind Laurent.

Libra smiled tiredly. "In any case, we should begin the return journey. Noire, we are going to travel west to Port Ferox to rejoin the other Shepherds. Will you come with us, or would you rather be escorted to Ylisstol, where you will be safe?"

"I- I would like to stay with you, please," Noire pleaded. "I missed you."

"Of course," Libra said. "Then let us be off. You can spend as much time with us as you like."

Noire nodded apprehensively, and the group dispersed to gather up any useful items and secure their belongings. Noire breathed out, and tried to relax.

"Are you well, Noire?" Laurent asked. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Noire shook her head. "There's no need to waste your efforts on me, but thank you."

"For you, it's never a waste," Laurent assured her. "I am always pleased to assist a friend, but I won't force the problem."

"Well… I do have one question," Noire admitted.

"About my age?" Laurent guessed. "You inquired about it during the battle. I must admit, it is somewhat difficult for me to talk about, however… I arrived in the past some three years before Lucina and Morgan. I've been here for over five years now, therefore, I have aged five years. You on the other hand haven't changed at all. How long ago did you land?"

Noire winced. She could hardly imagine being alone for so long. Resisting the urge to hug Laurent, she sighed. "Three days. I fell right into those creepy, vile mens encampment, and I've been running ever since. For me, the ambush at Mount Prism is still fresh."

Laurent nodded, though he looked troubled. "I have long agonized over the fate of our allies. I imagine you have yet to process the event yourself. If there is anything you need, I insist you come to me," he said.

"I couldn't possibly bother you!" Noire yelped. "My problems-"

"Your problems are just as important as any other member of the Shepherds," Laurent cut her off with surprising gentleness. Noire usually had trouble reading Laurent's mood due to his control over his emotions, but it seemed that in the last three days, he had gained a new level of emotional maturity.

Noire blinked. No, three days wasn't right. For Laurent, it had been five years since they had seen each other. That would be difficult to adjust to.

"I… Thank you…" Noire whispered.

Her cheeks felt warm. Even though she felt as if she didn't deserve his attention, it did make her feel warm and fuzzy, regardless if it was strange that Laurent was now over five years older than her when they had previously been fairly close in age.

At that moment, Libra and Tharja returned, taking Noire's attention.

"We are ready to leave," Libra said. "Is everything alright here?"

Noire and Laurent both nodded.

"Good, then we should go. Noire, will you walk with your mother and I? We would like to get to know our daughter."

Noire swallowed nervously, and glanced at Laurent. Laurent gave her an encouraging nod, and Noire turned back to her parents.

"Alright," she said. "That sounds nice."

Maybe the past was better than the future after all.

This chapter is shorter than I'd prefer. Unfortunately the only way I could extend it is if I merged it with another chapter, and the chapter I have planned next already has a solid framework for being a decent length, and having to write that chapter on top of this one would just delay things unnecessarily.

Noire was difficult for me to write. She doesn't come as easily as Lucina and Morgan. Kjelle was also easier to write. Once again my copy of the Awakening Art book came in handy as a reference with its complete support conversation log, so I hope I was able to figure out how to characterize her fairly well.

In any case, next time we'll check up on Severa, who I've found comes much more naturally to me when writing, thanks to that one shot I posted a while back. Hopefully her chapter won't be as hard to write. As always, I appreciate feedback and advice. Let me know what you think! Until next time!