DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fire Emblem, nor do I own the characters in Fire Emblem. I do, however, own any characters I create for the purpose of this story.
When Swords Cross
CHAPTER 10
Celice's eyes opened and he shot straight up, looking around frantically. He found himself in a bed.
"Oh, good, you're awake."
"Huh?" Celice's head swung to the left. He saw a bald, old man with a gray beard dressed in holy robes. "Who . . . who are you?"
"I'm Bishop Mulligan, the pastor of this church," the old man replied.
"And where is 'this church?'" Celice asked.
"You're in the town of Obmil," Bishop Mulligan replied.
"How long have I been unconscious for?" Celice asked.
"I'm not exactly certain, but I'd say it's been roughly 18 hours," Bishop Mulligan answered. "I don't know exactly when you passed out, so it's impossible for me to tell you for certain. You were already unconscious when your lady friend brought you into town."
This surprised Celice. Nanna got me into town herself? How? She was too badly injured, wasn't she? Then it hit him. "Nanna! What about Nanna? Is she all right?"
"Her wound was very severe," Bishop Mulligan said. "However, we were able to fully heal it."
Relief flooded through Celice's body. "So she's all right?"
"That remains to be seen, I'm afraid," Bishop Mulligan responded. "She lost a lot of blood. She's still unconscious."
Celice threw back the covers and slid off his bed. "Take me to her. I want to see her."
"Careful, now. You mustn't overexert yourself," Bishop Mulligan cautioned. "If you want to see her that badly, I suppose I can take you to her room."
-10-
Bishop Mulligan opened the door to Nanna's room, and Celice walked in. He felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the bed.
Nanna was lying in bed, the covers pulled up to her hips. Her hands were folded across her stomach, and her face was pale. It looked as if she were dead.
Tears began to spill from Celice's eyes. "No, it can't be. She can't be . . ."
"She's still alive, for the time being," Bishop Mulligan said, resting his hand on Celice's shoulder. "She only looks pale because of all the blood she lost."
Celice, however, needed to be convinced for himself. He removed his gloves and put his right hand on Nanna's forehead and his left hand on his own.
"She's colder than I am," he said. "But she's still warmer than our surroundings. So that means . . ."
"As I said, she's still alive," Bishop Mulligan said. "At this point, though, there's nothing more we can do for her. Whether or not she survives depends on the resilience of her own body.
"Forgive me for asking, but . . . your friend here looks very familiar, and her name sounds familiar, as well. Would you know why that would be?"
Celice turned to the bishop and nodded. "She's a noble of Agustria's House Nodion. She's the daughter of Lachesis. I've been told that the physical resemblance between mother and daughter is uncanny, but I've never seen Lachesis myself."
This had clearly caught the holy man off-guard. "And who, may I ask, are you?"
Celice took a deep breath. "My name is Celice Baldos Chalphy."
If the revelation of Nanna's identity had caught the bishop off-guard, the revelation of Celice's identity was akin to a knockout punch. "As in the hero of the holy war? The king of Grandbell? Son of Sigurd the Hero?"
Celice's face flushed a little at the accolades, and nodded. "The same. King Aless had requested Grandbellian support to help fight the bandits, so I came personally. Nanna is with me because she was Agustria's ambassador to Grandbell. We were en route to our rendezvous point to meet the Cross Knights when we were ambushed . . ." Then, the image of the bandits' corpses all around him appeared in his mind. His lapse in discipline came to mind, as well.
"What is it?" the bishop asked.
Celice sighed. "Nanna and I fought the bandits. In the middle of the fight, a bandit I had previously wounded got up and attacked me from behind. Nanna saw it, and . . . leaped in the way of the bandit's attack. When I saw that happen, I . . . I lost myself in my rage. I slaughtered every bandit there in less than a minute. In doing so, I betrayed one of my teacher's most important lessons–never let your anger control you. In the past, I'd been able to control my anger. I never succumbed to rage when I fought in the war. Not even when I fought Emperor Alvis, who killed my father, or Archbishop Manfloy, who, among other things, tore my mother away from my father and me when I was still an infant."
"Well, from the sound of it, what you did saved both your own and Nanna's lives," Bishop Mulligan said. "I wouldn't take it too hard if I were you. It was just one lapse. Instead, focus on the number of times that you did keep your anger under control, and take steps to increase your control of your anger."
"You don't find it bad that it resulted in twenty dead men?" Celice asked, surprised.
Bishop Mulligan shook his head. "You acted in self-defense. If they hadn't ambushed you, they wouldn't be dead."
"Yeah, you have a point," Celice said. "I feel better about it now. Thanks for listening."
Bishop Mulligan smiled. "Of course. If you ever need a willing ear, I'll be here."
-10-
Over the course of the next several days, Celice stood guard outside Nanna's room, waiting for the moment that she would wake up. Fortunately, for the most part, Nanna had regained her color, and her body temperature was rising back to normal. Four days after Celice had awoken in his quarters in Obmil, an unexpected guest arrived.
"Aless!" Celice exclaimed when he saw his fellow king and friend. "How did you find us?"
"The bishop here sent word to the capital immediately after he learned your identities," Aless replied. "I rode out as soon as I could." He then narrowed his eyes as he looked Celice up and down. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, at least physically," Celice replied. "There's just a lump on the back of my head where the bandit hit me in an attempt to knock me out."
"And mentally?" Aless asked.
Celice sighed. "I'm stuck in a state of limbo. I'm relieved that Nanna is alive, but also anxious for her to awaken–if she even does awaken. And even if she does, I'm worried about her response."
"Response?" Aless asked, puzzled.
"I . . . When I was trying to get Nanna to safety, I was in a state of emotional turmoil," Celice said. "I was scared for Nanna's sake, upset by her defeatist attitude–she had kept telling me to leave her behind–and upset with myself for losing control of my anger. Eventually, something snapped, and I . . . I confessed my feelings to her. So I, uh, kinda fulfilled the promise you made me make."
"Well, it wasn't the set of circumstances I'd been hoping for, but at least you did it," Aless remarked. "And now you're worried about whether or not she'll reciprocate your feelings?" Celice nodded. "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. I heard the story about how Nanna crawled into town, with you draped across her back, with the last of her strength. If she hadn't used strength carrying you in, she might be conscious now. But she wanted to make sure that you got medical attention. I'd say that speaks for itself."
"Maybe," Celice said.
"Let's go get something to eat," Aless said.
"No, I'm staying here," Celice replied.
Aless frowned. "Celice, I know you're worried about Nanna, but she isn't going to disappear if you leave for half an hour."
Celice shook his head. "It's not that, Aless. I want to be the first person Nanna sees when she awakens. Just have a servant bring my meal here–they've been doing it all week anyway."
"All right," Aless said, sighing. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all," Celice said, smiling for the first time in days. "I could use the company."
-10-
A day after Aless's arrival, Celice was still sitting in the hallway, on a chair against the wall opposite the door to the room in which Nanna lie. However, as he sat, he thought he heard sounds coming from within Nanna's room. He got up and was about to walk to the door when the door was thrown open. Celice saw Nanna, wide awake, standing in the doorway.
Celice tried to speak, but no words escaped his mouth. It was just as well, for very suddenly Nanna reached out, grabbed Celice's collar in both hands, pulled him toward her, and forcefully pressed her lips to his.
Several seconds passed before Nanna pulled back. Celice, whose face was beet-red at this point, blurted out, "Uh, nice to see you, too." Saying nothing, Nanna grabbed Celice's wrists, pulled him into the room, and sat him down on the bed. She then sat next to him.
Nanna then spoke. "How long have I been out?"
"Five days," Celice replied.
"Have you been waiting out there that whole time?" Nanna asked.
"I have," Celice nodded. "I wanted to be the first person you saw when you awoke."
Nanna pressed up against Celice's side. "You're such a sweetheart, Celice. That's why I love you."
At the sound of the phrase "I love you," Celice got flustered. "You . . . you . . ."
"Did you think I'd grab you and kiss you like that if I didn't?" Nanna remarked.
"Uh . . . guess not," Celice said.
"So, how long have you had feelings for me?" Nanna asked.
Celice pondered for a moment. "Well, I first realized it after that ball. You know, the one where you made me dance with you. But I'm certain my feelings go further back than that. Since before we took Velthomer in the war, at the absolute latest. Though I think the seed was planted the first night we spent in Alster.
"What about you, Nanna?"
"Since you saved my life in northern Thracia," Nanna replied.
They sat in silence for a moment. Then, Nanna spoke. "Celice, do you remember what you said to me right before you passed out?"
"I do," Celice said. "Every word. I don't think I'll forget for as long as I live."
"Remember that last part? About how you said you wanted me in your life forever? That sounded like a proposal to me."
"Huh?" This caught Celice off-guard. "Actually, I guess you have a good point there. I'd love to have you as my wife. However, I'm not going to officially propose yet. We need to return to Grandbell first. Then, I will find your mother and ask her for your hand."
Nanna sat up straight and looked at Celice. "You think my mother is still alive?"
Celice looked off into space. "Yes. I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that she's still alive and out there somewhere."
Another moment passed before Nanna spoke again. "Hey, Celice. Remember when we first met?"
"How could I forget?" Celice remarked. "I think I still have a mark from where you slapped me."
"Yeah, that's what I was going to ask, if you remembered unintentionally seeing up a bit of my skirt," Nanna said. Then, a devious grin spread across her face and she grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Want to get a better look?"
Celice turned red. "What? I . . . I don't . . ."
Nanna burst out in laughter. "I was just kidding, Celice." She then planted a kiss on Celice's cheek. "You're so cute when you blush."
Celice felt the spot on his cheek where Nanna had kissed him. As he did, he could feel something swell within him. He felt as if he had to do something. "Oh, come now, surely you don't think that a mere peck on the cheek will satisfy me?" It was his turn to take the initiative. He stood up and pulled Nanna up to her feet before him. He then placed his hands around the sides of her face.
Nanna found herself staring into Celice's blue eyes and suddenly felt very scared. Why am I so scared? I kissed him a few minutes ago, but now . . . Celice slowly moved in for the kill, and the next thing they knew, their lips met.
Celice lowered his right hand to Nanna's back. He could feel her body tense, then slowly relax. He felt her arms snake up around his neck, and he pulled her closer. He could feel the gentle swell of her breasts press against his chest, and could feel her skirt brush against his legs.
It was a need of air that broke them apart. However, they did not let go of each other. Instead, Nanna nestled her head up against Celice's clavicle. Celice moved his left hand to the middle of her back, and began to slowly stroke her hair with his right hand. He leaned in toward Nanna's left ear and muttered, "I love you, Nanna."
"And I love you, Celice," came Nanna's quiet reply.