Originally, I was going to go Lord of the Flies and strand these three on a tropical island, but I decided quickly that I'd do a forest environment instead, because it's the type of nature I'm familiar with and I think it's also got a lot more dangers.
At the moment, this is a first draft with moderate editing. There is more written and I have a plan of the middle and end, I'm treating this as kind of a teaser, I guess. I really don't know how many people are going to be interested in Hatchet, But With Fire Emblem Characters. If you have any comments or criticism, please let me hear it!
To the south of Faerghus was a great forest. It spanned many miles in all directions, and except for the rare traveler or trader, was void of human habitation. Though it held a great wealth of animal and plant life and was, to one who enjoyed nature, simply breathtaking in its atmosphere, very few could dream of living here. So it was a great misfortune that the three most prominent nobles of Garegg Mach Monastery found themselves alone here.
Of the three, Edelgard was the first to rouse. She could feel grass underneath her hands as her heavy eyelids slowly opened, blinking several times in the setting sun.
Where am I…? Wait, Dimitri and Claude were with me!
Alarmed, Edelgard pushed herself to her feet, wincing at the pain in her knees. Nothing was broken, but she'd would be sore for the next few mornings. The young royal seemed to be in a small clearing, bordered by a thick belt of trees. In the hazy distance was a mountain range, some of them no more than a blur, others so close that Edelgard could count each tree. Apart from the gentle rustle of leaves in a warm afternoon breeze, it was silent.
"Dimitri? Claude?" Edelgard called faintly, but there was no reply. Something small darted a few feet away and vanished under a low-hanging bush. Edelgard hesitated to investigate, partly because of the pain and partly out of shock. Nothing here was familiar.
Our carriage isn't here… What happened? All I remember is the Beasts... it's like they came from nowhere. Almost as if they were-
"Hey! Princess!"
Claude's voice breaking the sleepy silence might have been a cannon shot for how loud it made Edelgard scream. Appearing out of the trees with a huff, Claude raised his arms in apology and exclaimed, "There you are, didn't think you'd have landed so far away."
"Landed?" Edelgard echoed, "what do you-"
Claude frowned, the laughter fading from his vivid eyes. "You didn't hit your head or something, did you? Don't you remember? We were travelling to Faerghus to have a chat with some lord, then all of a sudden, we find ourselves getting shot at. The others told us to leave..."
"No, that's not- where's Dimitri? Is he injured?"
"He's over this way, he'll be glad to see you."
Claude motioned to the direction he'd come, though he'd spoken more quietly. The gravity of the situation was starting to hit Edelgard as she followed Claude, moving with one hand on the sore side of her hip. The lords had been traveling with half a dozen others for their protection- had all of them been killed? A fight would certainly explain the pain she was feeling, Edelgard thought. She could tell that Claude wasn't at his best, either. Though that boy was nothing if not imperceptible, she could see a slight limp in his stride.
Against a stout oak, Dimitri leaned, his eyes closed. His chest was sore and it hurt to breathe deeply, and though he could hear Edelgard and Claude approaching, Dimitri didn't open his eyes until Edelgard bent down to touch her hand to his cheek. She didn't know what she was expecting, but this was a shock.
"Are you in pain?" Edelgard whispered, and Dimitri nodded once in reply. When he opened his eyes, Edelgard could see they were wet and she had a strange urge to dry them, but Claude was talking again as he sat next to the two of them with a brief grimace.
"Yeah, we're all banged up a bit, but at least we're in one piece, eh? And I still got these, they'll be good for something."
Edelgard noticed that Claude was still wearing his quiver, though there were only a few arrows left in it. She remembered then that she still had a small hatchet on a belt around her hip. "Indeed, but… what happened to the ones we were traveling with?"
Any mirth in Claude's eyes died immediately. "Haven't seen a trace of them," he answered grimly, but sensing Edelgard's fear, was quick to add, "but they wouldn't let three higher-ups like us be alone for too long, Princess. They'll send someone to find us right away. So I propose the best thing we can do for now is sit tight and see if we can get a signal fire going. Someone's bound to be around here."
They didn't have many other options, Edelgard could see. Dimitri was gazing mutely at his surroundings, though his eyes were still squinted with pain. But the flaw in Claude's plan would soon become apparent.
"We can't simply start a fire here," Edelgard observed, "not without the risk of burning up the entire forest. We'll have to find somewhere with as little flammable material as possible… close to a river or lake, if we can find one."
"Whoa, hold on," Claude said, trying to help Dimitri to his feet, but he was speaking to Edelgard. "Don't you be going anywhere alone, Princess, we don't know this place. Well, I mean, Dimitri might, but-"
"I've never… been here," Dimitri said, one hand clutching his chest at the new spike of pain. Edelgard winced in sympathy, but then something else came to mind.
"Do we even have something to start a fire with?" she wondered out loud, "all we have are a few weapons, and I was never able to learn fire magic. But even if one of us did, we would need a spell book."
"Let's just focus on finding some shelter for the moment. A cave would be nice, but anything will do for now. Lead the way, Edelgard."
Claude let Dimitri lean on him as the two of them followed Edelgard, who shuddered at the thought of finding a rat or bat if they were fortunate enough to find a cave. She had to stop every once in a while and wait for the other two to catch up, and as much as she wanted to break the tense silence with conversation, she needed the silence to know if anything dangerous was near.
One sound was welcome- that of quietly rushing water, nearby, too. Once Edelgard descended a steep hill, she was greeted with the sight of a stream dividing two halves of land. It was at least knee-deep at the edges and even from here, she could see small flickers of fish and the occasional bird dipping its beak into the water. She turned to Dimitri and Claude, relieved to see that they'd made it without incident down the hill.
"Not what we were looking for, but still welcome," Edelgard said as she stepped closer to the gently rushing water. She'd always had a mild fear of water because of her inability to swim, but unless she were to try to dive into the deepest part, there was no risk of drowning here. The stream was fairly clear and Edelgard could see the rough stones underneath a few feet of water.
"True," Claude added, letting go of Dimitri's hand with a concerned look, "but keep in mind we aren't the only ones who come here. I'm sure there's plenty of critters in these woods who need water just like we do."
"The worst… bears and wolves," Dimitri was saying, the heat of the sun uncomfortable on his face, "but if we stay together… we should be safe."
The sight of the water made Edelgard realize her thirst. She hadn't had anything to drink since waking up, and who knew exactly how long she'd been unconscious? Her gloved hand dipped into the stream- it was like liquid ice despite the sun- and when she brought it to her mouth it was no different from what she drank at the monastery. Claude had been about to warn her, but he realized mid-sentence that they didn't have any other options at the moment, and joined her at the stream in a moment.
The tightness of worry in Edelgard's chest was beginning to loosen as she wiped her wet lips. She was starting to feel the twinges of hunger already, but the princess knew enough about survival to know that the trio could last quite a long time as long as they had water. The other two were thinking along the same lines, because Dimitri spoke in a slightly clearer voice than before, "We should stay close to this place."
"No arguments here," Claude agreed, although he was frowning at the sky. Edelgard looked up as well and realized what he was mulling over.
"How cold does it get here at night, Dimitri?"
"Nothing I… can't handle," Dimitri answered, his gaze fixated on a large fish flapping in the cold depths, "but you'll need warmth. If you… if you can find a suitable rock… you can make sparks… from your hatchet."
"Well, that settles that, then."
Claude was the first to rise, and Edelgard noticed that he seemed a little steadier on his feet now as well. Maybe the two had been succumbing somewhat to dehydration. She, too, felt a bit more energy as she started to look for a way across the stream.
"You should rest, Dimitri," Claude said gently as Dimitri bent over suddenly with a hand at his chest, "I think you might've broken a rib or two. Tell you what, you can hang around here while Edelgard and I look for fire starters, and if you see anything bigger than a rabbit, give us a holler. We'll stay within where we can hear you."
Dimitri nodded, and gratefully accepted Claude's hand as he led him back to a tree to lean against. He was glad for the shade, though already feeling exhausted from the short walk, but knew he wouldn't fall asleep. The pain would keep him awake, if nothing else.
This is a grim predicament, Dimitri thought as he watched Claude and Edelgard find the narrowest part of the stream and take turns jumping over. He didn't laugh or smile as Claude triumphantly leaped across the water and threw up his arms in victory. The three of them were completely alone here, in a forest bereft of humanity and with a new danger around every corner. I've never been one for prayers, but… If Saint Seiros truly exists, or once existed… may she watch over us. I do not want to die here.
Next update is scheduled for this Friday, Jan.21st! I'm really enjoying writing this and I can't wait for it to be done. Any comments are very welcome and highly appreciated!
Also, if you want to hear me talk about my writing and my undying love for Dimitri, I have a twitter now, our_own_vera.