Sara - Gran 776
'Help me… please… help me…' There it was again. The soft, quiet voice calling for me. Asking for help tiredly, like the owner wasn't actually expecting help. They had just run out of other options. I wanted to find them. I wanted to help. But Grandpa always kept me locked up somewhere. The little broken bird in the gilded cage… I was sure there were stories about such things. I hated it. I hated Grandpa. I hated most of the priests. They killed innocent people. Children. For no other reason that power and sick delight.
I would hear them. I would hear their last thoughts. Often, they were something like 'Mommy! Help me!' or 'Stop! Stop, it hurts! Why?!'. Such thoughts would linger for days upon days, settling into the stone itself to echo on and on. I heard them. I always heard them. It made it hard to concentrate. It made it hard to think. I looked for any distraction, voiced whatever thoughts I had, just to try and stop hearing the echoes of the dead spirits. Being in Belhalla was the worst. So many had died here. And I could hear them. I could hear them.
'Deirdre, why…? Why do you not know me? Do you at least know Seliph?' 'Please don't cry, Alicia… you should smile for Caitriona and Conall...' 'I'm sorry, Aideen… Lester… I won't be back in time to see the new baby...' 'Bastards! I will tear you apart for what you did to Lord Sigurd! How dare you take him from us?!' 'Lord Sigurd always relied on my strength and sturdiness, so I will stand tall and keep the rubble off. It's all I can...' 'Lord Sigurd… I will fight for you still, until all breath leaves me. Because there will never be a lord worthier of my loyalty.'
Those ones were particularly loud, probably because there was so much they left behind. But there were others. There were always others. And tied to the loudest.
'Seems I get to see everyone again… Caitriona, Conall… I wish I could've at least seen you two one more time.' 'I am a horrible mother. Julia is somewhere, I forgot Seliph, and Julius is going mad. And all I can do is… ah, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry… Arvis, Sigurd… I messed up...'
And then there were the ones on the wind. Old echoes, newer echoes… all swirling about… all because the spirits were tied to this spot.
'Damn, this is it… Ethlyn, Altena, Leif, Finn… I'm so sorry… Sigurd, I wish I could've seen you one more time, and tell you that while I have many regrets, helping you will never be one.' 'Altena, Quan, Leif, Finn… forgive me… I knew I depended too much on my brother to keep me safe. Sigurd… everyone… just one more time, I…' 'Stupid. Stupid to go against thunder mages with fire. Ah, it's so cold… Tailtiu, Tine, Arthur… I hope you…' 'Well, shit, if I'd known this would happen, I would've told Ayra to run. Sorry, Shanan… Ulster, Larcei… I'm not going to keep my promise…' 'So, this is how it ends. I can't say I don't have regrets, but none of them are choosing this path. Even knowing the end, I would pick it every time. Shanan, be strong. Ulster and Larcei, we will watch over you. I promise.' 'Ah, I need to get up. I know I need to. But I can't move. I can't feel. There's blood everywhere. I think Hilda has… Tine… Arthur… please, be safe and happy…'
Too much. It's too much. Belhalla was always too much. So, I did something I never did before. I snuck outside to wander the gardens of Castle Belhalla. Grandpa would be mad when he learned. But I couldn't stand it. I needed to be outside, in sunshine. Mama always said that sunshine provided miracles. I hoped it would quiet the whispers, or at least not drown out the one voice calling for help. That person was still alive somewhere. I wanted to help them. They sounded like a good person. I wondered if they were hurt because they went against Grandpa. The priests have been very happy since Grandpa's plan worked, but I knew that when they were happy, nice people were miserable. Yes, even I knew that, though I was young and caged. Grandpa was mean. He killed Papa just for loving Mama. And killed Mama when I was little because she tried to leave with me. I missed her. I wished I had met Papa. I…
"Hey, careful!" Someone strong scooped me up by the waist, my feet leaving the ground entirely. I blinked slowly, confused, and then looked up curiously. Two colored eyes, red and blue, looked worriedly at me. "You shouldn't wander so close to the woods if you're daydreaming, miss," he told me. His hair was red, the same color as his left eye. It matched the gem that dangled from his right ear, and the stud in his left. "You nearly got yourself killed."
"I did?" I asked, now even more confused. I heard a growl, though, and looked forward again. I then blinked slowly because there was a great big bear growling at us. I had never seen a bear before. "Bear?"
"Yep." He set me down gently and brought up his hands, approaching the bear slowly. "Easy, fair lady. Easy." He moved carefully, keeping his gaze on the bear. "I know why you are angry. I can help." The bear snarled, and he stopped. But he wasn't afraid. I could tell. "I can help."
I crouched down and watched the staring match between them. The bear growled and growled. The boy met her gaze, and held it. Then the bear slowly retreated, showing that there was a baby bear behind her. A baby bear with blood all over its little paw. Its little, mangled paw. Poor thing...
"Thank you, good lady," the boy murmured, smiling without showing his teeth. He reached back, and a big black dog suddenly appeared, carrying a healing staff in its mouth. "Thank you, Hekate. Stay with the girl, will you?" And the boy walked forward without fear, even though he was so close to very sharp claws and even sharper teeth.
The dog, however, listened to him easily and loped over, licking me all over my face. I giggled at the ticklish feeling and gleefully petted it, marveling at how soft the fur was. I had always read about dogs, but I had never ever seen one before. Much fluffier than I thought. And the fur was going everywhere. It was like when a pillow exploded because you got mad and hit it with a spell. But warmer and cuddlier.
"There we are…" The boy's words caught my attention again, and he backed away slowly from the bears. The baby bear tentatively put pressure on its now-mended paw, finding no pain, and quickly jumped up and down, excited. "Thank you for letting me assist." The mama bear moved forward and nuzzled the boy's face before leaving with her baby, deep into the woods. "Hopefully, the little one will know to avoid sharp, shiny things now. These idiot priests and their traps…" He sighed and turned to me, laughing softly at something. "Seems Hekate decided your clothes could use some fur." He then tilted his head curiously and knelt by me, studying my face closely. "...Do you have Verdanite ancestry?"
"My papa was from there," I told him, feeling a bit excited. No one guessed that so quickly before! Did he have power like mine? ...No. No, that wasn't it. I could already tell. I could sense it. He had power, the Blessings of Holy Blood and the Blessings of Fairies, but no power like mine. "How did you know?"
"Your hair is a very pretty silver." He ruffled my hair, a show of easy affection. I tried not to squeak or be flustered. No one had done anything like that to me since Mama died. I had missed it. "Anyway, I apologize for roughly grabbing you earlier. You were walking right at her, and there's a reason mama bears have their reputation."
"It's fine." It made sense. I hadn't been paying attention at all. "Your dog is pretty."
"Hekate is a wolf, actually, and pretty bratty." Still, he smiled warmly at 'Hekate', and Hekate licked his cheek. "Yes, yes, you're cute. Ah, here." He stood and offered me his hand. After a moment, I took it, clinging when I discovered how warm it was. No one had held my hand in a long time either. "Since you don't know that, I'm going to assume you're visiting Belhalla, or just moved into the castle."
"Visiting." And no doubt would go to some remote temple once Grandpa learned I had escaped. Maybe the Thracian Peninsula. I wouldn't mind that. I thought the quiet voice called for help was that direction. Maybe. It was hard to tell. Too distant. "Who are you?"
"Yeah, you're definitely not from here." He laughed, and led me down a path through the gardens, away from the woods. "I'm Conall."
"Sara." It took me a long moment to remember the name. Grandpa would complain a lot about a 'Conall'. 'Bitch's mangy pup', he would say. As typical, it seemed Grandpa was wrong. "You are a very nice person."
"Most people wait a while to say that." He smiled, though, and Hekate ran ahead, excited about something. "Hekate, leave the fish alone." Hekate stopped and looked back, tail wagging. "I mean it. The fish need time to replenish their numbers after the last hunting spree you went through."
"Hunting?"
"She discovered the pond has 'snacks'." He grimaced, and I giggled. That sounded funny. Imagine a pond filled with bread or something! "So, Sara, where are you visiting from?"
"Um… Darna." It felt like the safest answer. I wasn't really 'from' anywhere. But the Loptyrians were from Yied. Mostly. "It's different here."
"I imagine so!" Conall laughed. Hekate raced back to us and licked his hand, earning a scratch behind the ears. "I've only been through Yied once. Can't say it was a very fun experience."
"Did you get caught in a storm?"
"Something like that." So he said. But because I was holding his hand, I 'felt' more. Flashes of fury, of confusion, of sorrow, of hatred. It swirled into complicated feelings of love and trust and gratitude, enough to make it all weigh heavily on his spirit. "Though not the sort of storm you're thinking." More like a political storm. Caught in the middle of Grandpa's plotting. And then there was a single image, of Grandpa's most prized person, Prince Julius. Laughing and screaming at the same time, and an echo of a promise… "So…"
"Saving someone isn't the same thing as keeping them safe." I said the words softly as the echo of the promise lingered in my head. I knew what had happened to the poor prince. Grandpa had laughed and bragged about it. I knew that not even a god could save him; I knew because the old scriptures said that the gods had tried.
"Huh?" He gave me a weird look, and I looked down, annoyed. I had done what I normally did, said whatever to stop from hearing things, and now he was going to think I was too weird to talk to. Like everyone else. "I'm… afraid I don't know what you mean?" However, Conall… he didn't do that. Instead, he thought about it and then shook his head. "Mmm… It feels almost like a riddle, but I think I'll have to get back to you on the answer."
"Okay." I smiled, relieved that he hadn't… most would just smile, nod, and get away from me as quickly as possible. But he went along with it, even if he didn't understand. I liked that. I liked that a lot.
So, I focused a bit, as much as I could. I didn't really know how to use this power of mine. Tomes and staves were easy, but this… this was hard. Grandpa never listened to me. But I had taught myself some bits of control. Enough that I could 'Read' Conall. And it told me many, many things. It told me he was like the sun, burning in defiance and lighting the way for others. It told me he was a wolf, protecting his 'pack' and hunting for some sort of third option to the conflict Grandpa was inflicting on everything. It told me that his heart was bleeding from jagged holes, yet he still kept going despite the pain. It told me that his mother was a beautiful healer named 'Alicia' (another name I knew from Grandpa because he cursed her even now) and that his father was a strong mercenary named 'Chulainn'. It told me he had a twin sister very far away, one who burned and howled as much as him. It told me he had many friends he worried about all over the continent. And when I followed those 'threads', I found more and more, and I eventually picked up the 'thread' of the person calling for help. Someone Conall had met long, long ago, but wasn't really connected to. There were a few turns to make it to that person. But it showed me others, and they too were calling for help. So many… Grandpa was a mean person, to hurt so, so many...
"Prince Conall…" I automatically hid behind Conall at Grandpa's voice, not wanting to be found here. "Might I ask you something?" Grandpa asked, in that voice he always used when he wanted to kill someone but knew he couldn't. Yet. He spoke of a Diadora with the same voice. "I'm looking for someone."
"There's someones all over the place, you know," Conall replied easily. His voice was much colder than before, and Hekate bristled, growling. They didn't like Grandpa. Good, I liked them. "You have more specifics?"
"A young girl."
"Oh, please don't tell me this is you being creepy-stalker-pedophile again. If it is, I'm definitely burning you." Conall snapped his fingers, and I caught a flicker of flame on his fingertips. After a moment, it burned blue. "So…?"
"Talking to you is infuriating."
"And yet, here you are, initiating a conversation neither of us want." Conall shrugged and shifted a bit. I almost panicked, but then realized he was simply hiding me better. "So?"
"A young girl with long silver hair."
"So, Julia? I think we're all looking for her."
"Bah, why am I bothering? Even if you did know where Sara was, you wouldn't answer." Grandpa growled something under his breath. "Regardless, I had another reason. Prince Julius was looking for you. We're making a trip to Manster."
"...Why?"
"Raydrick has some prisoners that he wants us to see, and Veld wants to show off the children he has captured." Grandpa laughed, and Conall stiffened. "Prince Julius decided that you and Lady Ishtar should come along. None of you have been to Manster, yes?"
"No, I haven't." Conall's voice was neutral. "Tell him that I'll see him soon."
"Excellent." Footsteps. I peeked out cautiously and saw him leaving. So, I stepped out and petted Hekate, wondering just what Conall's reaction would be.
"So, I do have just enough tact, sort of, to not insult him in front of you," Conall began as soon as Grandpa was out of sight. "But I take it you don't exactly take after him, do you?" He smiled slightly at me and I smiled back. "Hekate likes you, for one."
"I hate him," I told him honestly. It felt nice to say that to someone finally. "But I'm too little to run away or anything."
"That you are. Wait until you're fifteen or sixteen. Or find a nice big army with good people who can hide you." He ruffled my hair again, and grinned. "And if you run into me, I promise to help. But for now, I suppose we'd better get you to where you're supposed to be."
"Yes." I was glad I snuck out today. Next time I got this impulse, I would follow it again. And I would pay attention to the threads. When I was older, I could help the people calling for help. I knew it. "Will you walk with me?"
"Of course." He offered his hand again, and I took it. "We'll swing by the kitchens and get you a snack. I bet there's something there you haven't tried before."
"I have always wanted to try chocolate." Yes, I would follow the impulse again. Because things like this showed me more of the world, and since Grandpa hated it, I was determined to love it. "May I?"
"Sure, but keep it from Hekate. It might make her sick."
"Okay!"
Author's Notes: Another one for the 'was not expecting this one' list. So, here's our first FE5 only char: Sara, the granddaughter of Manfroy. She's twelve years old in 776, which is the starting year for FE5. Since Memoirs of the Holy War pushed back Gen2's start by two years, though, the eventual FE5 novelization will cover a prolonged period (3~ years instead of the year, year and a half in-game). So, it's still going to be a couple of years before Sara joins up with Leif and his army. Timeline wise, this is just before/during Chapter 4 of FE5, when Leif is imprisoned in Manster. (The game has a scene that shows Julius, Ishtar, and Manfroy are all there at the same time.) Raydrick and Veld are both villains from FE5.
Now for Sara. Sara is known for being a little… odd personality wise. Her hearing someone calling for help comes from Chapter 16B. I expanded that a bit to her 'hearing' many things to have a good part of her odd personality be because of her uncontrolled power (think of it being a combination of hearing the dead and psychometry), as well as being very sheltered. Hard to seem normal when you hear some of the last thoughts of the dead every minute of the day. I'm going to note that not every Gen1 member who is dead has lines up there (Erinys, for instance, doesn't). Mostly because these were the ones I could think of. Her being able to 'read' Conall is based on Chapter 16B as well, where she knows quite a bit about Leif despite having just met him (and mentions that he asked for help).
Oh, as for her battle wise? Sara is freaking broken. She's got three skills (Wrath, Prayer, and Elite), the ultimate glass cannon growths (Magic, Skill and Speed are all 80% without scroll abuse, though she's also got the same defenses as wet tissue paper), B rank in staves with a guaranteed A upon promotion (and staves are broken in FE5), five movement stars (meaning she has a 25% chance of getting a second turn), and promotes into the Sage class (which is, you guessed it, broken). She's basically the Est of the game, or one of the Ests. I think.