who wakes up one morning to find the other passed away in their sleep
I'm a pretty bad person. A reunion at a funeral.
It was almost too well arranged, that Chrom died before her. "Always leaving us behind and charging ahead, huh?" she had murmured to his coffin before the new Shepards, proud, strong, and full of loyal melancholy, bore Chrom away on their shoulders.
As Haura rode with the old Shepards, forming the vanguard behind Chrom's coffin, the streets of Ylisstol filled up behind her, the thousands of lamentations rising up to the sky like the wails of the dead. The day had been too hot and she could see all of her old friends' discomfort. Her hair, even tied up, kept sticking to the back of her neck and she could smell Lon'qu's familiar sweat behind her.
Even five decades later, Haura could taste the tang of Plegian sands and she could have sworn the sky was the same shade of blue that wreathed around Emmeryn as she fell. She felt her mind wandering as they tried to hide their sweating and the march continued on. Lucina rode at the front, older than her future counterpart now, and while she had cried with everyone last night, her face was now clear and pale, back straight and tiara glinting in the sun. Frederick, in full armor even though he had turned entirely grey, rode by her side, constant as ever. Wanting to see how Lissa fared, Haura turned her head slightly.
Haura recognized the figure that had slipped behind Lissa's horse instantly, even if she had not seen her in over two decades. Her hair was tied up the same way she had taught Haura so many years ago and a new mask, nearly identical to her old one except with proper eye holes, adorned her face. Chrom and Haura used to joke about the way dragon blood kept them young, but, Haura's eyes flickering between the princess at the front and the foreseer in the back, it was almost too eerie. Morgan and Severa walked by her, and slowly, Haura could see them fade into the rearguard, all on foot, like mirages from the distant past.
With a sad smile, she turned back to face the front. Lon'qu had noticed as well and touched her elbow. "We will have to invite them to tea afterwards. It's been a long time since we've seen Morgan." He murmured into her ear and Haura caught herself from laughing inappropriately amidst the sobs of the lamenters.
Letting go of the reins with one hand, she threaded her fingers through his by her side, as sweaty and gross as his palms were. Her right shoulder, so stiff nowadays, ached and Haura thought of Chrom's stupid decision to always wear one sleeved tunics, even in winter. She had not cried yet, but her eyes felt cold as she realized she would never greet him in Ferox with a wry smile and a fur-lined cloak. Lon'qu squeezed her hand before pulling away, her hands too warm for him.
"Tea sounds good."