Italics = Thought / The Past
I do not own Fire Emblem.
Cross published on A03
"I-I cannot say. Please believe me when I say that. I wish I-I could…" Mikoto stammered, holding back tears. She had expected that Nohr would have changed her little boy, but not as much as this…
"That is a shame." Corrin sneered. "Guardsmen! I believe my brother told you I am confided to my room. Take me to it."
The guards hesitated for a few moments, before following Corrin's demand. Silently leading him away, the sneer still on his face. "See you later, brother mine."
Corrin's departure was accompanied by the Princes mad giggles.
When he was gone, Ryoma rounded on Azura. "What did you tell him?!"
Azura smiled. "Everything you did and didn't want him to know. The fact he is only your step-sibling. The fact that his birth name is Kamui. The fact that you tried to rename me Aqua. The fact you abandoned him…"
"We didn't!" Ryoma snarled. "We never abandoned him!"
"Then what do you call the last fourteen years?" Azura asked pointedly. "I'd call it giving up, personally."
Confidence returning, Azura turned, and strode after Corrin.
"We aren't done here!"
"Yes." Azura said, unflinching in her walk. "We are."
Ryoma snapped, and pulled Raijinto from his side, and pointed it at Azura. "Azura!"
Azura walked toward him, tossing her staff aside. She walk so close to Raijinto that its tip was touching her chest. She met his gaze, and smiled. "Go ahead. Do it."
"Why tell him anything?! What could you gain?!"
Azura grinned. "Why Ryoma. What makes you think I'm the one who gains anything?"
It is Corrin who will gain EVERYTHING.
Hinoka was in trouble.
First, she had been set upon by Faceless during a picnic with her sister. Luckily, she had her naginata with her.
Secondly, she had lost sight of Sakura.
This was not a good thing. At. All.
She mounted her Pegasus, and charged at the foul beasts, spearing and striking at all Faceless before her.
She was about to lead an attack on the leader, until she was blindsided, and knocked from her Pegasus, who flew skyward.
She looked upward, and stared at the Faceless. It raised its weapon, ready to kill.
Hinoka closed her eyes, and prepared for the end….only for something foul and wet to splash on her face. She opened her eyes, only to see a sword embedded in the monsters chest.
The figure tugged their sword free, and kicked the body aside. The Knight offered Hinoka a hand up, and hauled her to her feet. "Watch your feet, my lady."
"Princess." Hinoka corrected. "Princess Hinoka of Hoshido. Thank you very much."
"…I stand corrected." The Knight said. "Now, there are a few more faceless left."
A single question filled Hinoka's head, looking at the Knights armour "You're not Nohrian are you?"
"Does it matter?"
"Nohrian Scum kidnapped my brother." Hinoka said bluntly. "I hate them. They're monsters. Without honour or decency."
The Knight was about to respond, until a loud roar tore across the field. "Spoke too soon."
He tore toward the roar, Hinoka followed after.
"Hey! Answer my question!"
"Shut up and get ready to fight Princess!"
"….It's dead."
"It is." The Knight conceded.
"How is it dead?" Hinoka questioned loudly.
"…..Likely my companions work."
"Hey uhm…sorry about the whole…'questioning you' thing. I hope you can forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive. Now! Since it would be an insult to my Lord if I didn't start this right, given your royal station..." Silas explained, before clearing his throat.
"Greetings." The young Knight said, taking a bow. "I am Silas, a Knight of Nohr. It has been my singular honour to meet you, Princess Hinoka."
"You…you're Nohrian?" Hinoka queried.
"We are, yes."
Both younger warriors turned, only to see Gunter striding over, wiping Faceless blood from his blade.
Hinoka visibly paled when she recognised him. "S-Sir G-Gunter?!"
"You are correct, your highness. I suppose I should be flattered that both Hoshidian Princesses would recognise me on sight."
"Both?"
Gunter stepped aside, and allowed the short, red headed Princess to run over to Hinoka, and hugged her.
"She is unharmed, I promise you."
Hinoka frowned, and looked Sakura. True to his word, Sakura was unhurt. Hardly a hair out of place. She shot him a bewildered look.
"Princess. Do you assume that as she is Hoshidian, I would allow her, a young girl, to be torn to shreds?"
Hinoka, to her credit, looked embarrassed. "Well…yes actually."
"I appreciate your honesty, young lady. Regardless, you ought to head home. Prince Corrin is headed to your capital."
"B-Brother?! He escaped?!"
Gunter nodded firmly. "He did."
"We've….we've got to go!" Hinoka declared. She climbed onto her pegasus's back, and helped Sakura up. "Know that I owe both of you one. Knights of Nohr."
She offered a salute, and took to the sky.
Silas offered a good natured wave to the Princesses as they left. They couldn't know that he had taken advantage of the situation, and sent Jakob, Flora and Felicia onto Byakuya via a mountain road whilst he and Gunter fought to keep the Princesses alive.
Just because they followed chivalry didn't mean they couldn't have ulterior motives.
The two figures had finished preparations. The male called his countrymen over.
"My fellow Plegians. I swore I'd find a way to save us. To find us a new home. Our new allies have agreed to help us. We'll be afforded a few weeks of peace before we'll need to fight again. One last fight. One last fight before we can have peace."
The man's sister, Morgan spoke up now. "We are so close to removing the chance of victory from the foul Ylisseans. We have to go. To live. So our children will live. So they will have children themselves! Grima may have fallen to our enemies, but we, the Plegian Remnant will survive! We will endure!"
The cheers of their people filled the twins' ears. Morgan smiled, and cooed at the babe in her arms, who gigged softly. In the two months that had passed since her birth, Ophelia had already become beloved by her people, being taken as a symbol of hope for a better life.
"My Ophelia. You will make me proud…..me and your Uncle." Morgan sighed. She had avoided thinking about Owain, but her daughter had made it hard, as the brand of the Exalt had already formed on her left forearm. On her right, less formed but still clear, was Grima's own Brand, matching her own one on the back of her right hand.
Marc and Anna fiddled with the gate circle, currently made of a shiny, metallic blue dust.
"You sure that is the right destination?"
"Of course Marky-Warky. It's the one to Corrin and Azura." Anna beamed, and lit a match. With an over flamboyant motion, she dropped the match onto the circle.
The circle burst into light. A great pillar of white light rocketed skyward.
"Next stop, Notre Sagesse!" Anna declared, and stepped into the light. The Plegian people followed, with the royal twins bringing up the rear. Marc nudged the circle ash as he departed.
As soon as he was through the portal…the pillar faded into the night.
And Lucina wept from her vantage point, as she watched her love leave her for good.
Ryoma pulled Mikoto aside, once Azura went away. "Mother, what do we do now?"
"We have precious little other options…save have him sit on the throne."
Ryoma flinched slightly. "Mother. You know what will happen if the throne rejects him…."
Mikoto gave the eldest of her adoptive children a hard look.
"Better that than remaining as he is."
"Mother! It will. Wipe. His. Memory." Ryoma protested. Despite how Corrin had react and treated him, even this was a risk he didn't wish to take.
Mikoto's expression didn't change. "Then that is what will happen."
Historical Log: Munehito: The Last Emperor of Hoshido.
The last ruler of the Hoshidian Empire was called Munehito. He ruled for forty years, although the last decade was completely occupied by the Nohrian Rebellion. He was personally responsible for causing the rebellion, by way of trying to enslave the populations of the vassal duchies.
He led the royal army at the Battle of Cheve, where he died after being cut down in his tent (although this is from the Nohrian account.).
The royal crown was tossed into the ocean, and Toba's head was sent back to the Hoshidian capital.
The Empire of a five centuries was over. His son, Takahira was crowned King.