Italics = Thought
I do not own Fire Emblem.
Cross published on A03
When the Inquisition calls, it is a good idea to answer. Grand Marshal Morrison was well aware of this fact, which was why she making her way to the Dusk Dragon Temple, in the lowest bowels of the capital.
She herself was not exactly religious. Had her prayers put bread on the table? Had it been the Dusk Dragon that had brought her home when she was on campaign? Had it been by the Gods own grace that a blacksmiths daughter could rise to become head of Nohr's entire military?
No. She thought. It had been Father and Robb and Jon who kept us fed. It was my own strength and my soldiers' arms that had brought us back home. It was my own force of will that allowed me to rise so high.
Faith had worked for some of her comrades, but she preferred the surety of her own skill, rather than belief in a deity that hadn't answered nor aided her.
Despite this, she found herself in a set of full, service armour, not the far too ornamental armour she was expected to wear due to her rank. She preferred her slimmer, sturdier armour, the one she actually wore to battle, (She did bring her officers sword, however. It was far better steel than she would get elsewhere…) as it had proven reliable many times over.
And when dealing with the secret, highly militarised arm of the Priesthood, it paid to be prepared.
Brother Skald greeted her in the main chamber. His hood was down, and there was an unsettlingly welcoming smile on his face.
"My lady Arya." He greeted, his voice, as almost always, was devoid of emotion.
"Brother." Morrison replied, in a plain tone."Why am I here?"
"Corrin is still alive." The priest explained bluntly. "Whilst I applaud his playing of the court, I cannot abide his profaning of our faith. He has forced our King and our country into a war with Hoshido we neither wanted nor needed. We must act. You must inform King Xander. You have to!"
"Why not tell the King yourself?" Morrison asked in a serious tone. She was no messenger, no go-between. If Skald wanted her to tell the King, why did he need her to do it for him?
Brother Skald smiled broadly. It was an ugly smile. Dark, cruel and toad-like. "My dear Marshal, the King does not like me. If I came to him with whispers that his brother was both alive and a traitor, he'd have my head. But you…..you're a war hero. Respected. If you came to him with this, he'd believe you...more so than he would I"
"Brother Skald. What is it you are offering?" That was the way of things. The Inquisition never left dues unpaid. If you did a favour for them, they always returned the favour.
"In return….I will grant you power enough to destroy the Hoshidian armies."
Skald led her into a side room. Its only contents were a large table with a dark looking chest on it, locked with three padlocks. The inquisitor waved a hand, and a trio of priests hurried to remove the locks, and exited at an equally hurried pace. Skald opened the chest, and a wave of rotten smelling fog wafted out of it. After it passed, it revealed an evil looking sword.
"This is Ganglari." Skald intoned. "It will help you slay our enemies. But be warned. If you keep using it, it will kill you. It has a curse we put upon it years ago." It was a convenient lie. The sword had been….procured from Garon's vaults during the chaos resulting from his death. The unnatural glow that seeped from the cruel looking blade helped with the cover.
"It does not matter." Morrison muttered. "I will endure any hardship, pay any price, to keep Nohr safe. If you wish me to back you up, Brother, I will. If you swear to the Dusk Dragon that you speak the truth."
Skald raised an eyebrow. "How would that persuade you Arya?"
Morrison scowled at the use of her first name. "Because you believe, Sir."
The man smiled plainly. "Very well. I, Brother Attor Skald, do swear before the glorious Dusk Dragon that my claims are true. May my soul be the price of my lies."
Without another moment of hesitation, the Grand Marshal of Nohr gripped the hilt of Ganglari, and pulled it out of the chest. After giving it a few practice swings, she discarded her sword, and sheathed Ganglari in its place.
"Fine then. I will speak to the King. If Corrin is alive, he's up to something. It is likely no good for Nohr"
Morrison strode out. "I will meet you in the palace later. Go in Glory, Brother."
"Go in Glory, Grand Marshal."
Skald smiled.
We're coming Corrin. And it doesn't matter where you hide or who you place in our way. We will find you, and we will have our redemption!
Kaze stepped out of the portal, shielding his eyes from the sunlight.
"You have reached the No-One-Is-Truly-Good-Verse. Welcome to Hoshido! Thank you for using The Outrealm Portals." Came a cheerful, faintly familiar voice to his left. The woman wore odd looking clothes, seemingly a mix of Nohrian and Hoshidian fashion. Her red hair was held in a messy ponytail that cascaded down her back.
"An Anna?" Kaze asked, more to himself than the woman before her.
"Yeppers! Portal Overseer Anna, at your service!" The Anna stuck out her tongue, and gave the green haired ninja a salute. "Need directions?"
"...Byakuya. The capital.."
The Anna beamed, and motormouthed her way through directions.
Through some vague miracle, Kaze found the capital after three days of travel. He dragged himself to the palace. The guards didn't stop him on his journey, nor did any try to assist him. He reached the throne room before he was stopped.
By his brother.
"Where have you been?" Saizo snapped
"I must speak to the King." Kaze panted.
"Answer me Suzukaze." Saizo placed a hand on his blade hilt, an obvious threat. One Kaze had no doubts his brother would follow through on.
"It's about his brother."
Suddenly, he had been grabbed by his collar, and hauled into the throne room, and unceremoniously dumped before Ryoma.
The King shot Saizo a glare, and helped Kaze to his feet. "I had feared you dead."
"My King." Kaze said, dropped onto a knee. "I have news you need to hear."
"Suzukaze!" Saizo spoke out "This is hardly the time for ru-"
The King held up a hand, sending Saizo into silence. Ryoma inclined his head to the younger ninja. "Speak, Kaze. I do not kill the messenger simply for bringing me bad news."
The green haired man was silent for a full minute. Mulling his options over.
"Corrin." He said finally. "He's alive."
With the truth now spoken, Kaze spilled everything. The good and the bad. He spared the King, whose face was now ashen, no details. With every word, Kaze's heart was filled with a growing sense of regret and dread. The Havenite Anna had been right.
I'm sorry Corrin. He thought to himself as he watched the King pace from side to side.
"Kaze. Could you replicate the 'Deeprealm' runes?" Ryoma inquired as he faced the throne.
"I do not believe so, my King." Kaze said in a hesitant tone.
"Liar."
It was his brother who spoke, his voice dripping venom. "I know you, Suzukaze. I can tell when you lie. You lie now, to our King. Unless Corrin is your King now? Are you a traitor, brother?"
"No!" Kaze shouted. "I am loyal to Hoshido! The runes are complicated, and there were many. I doubt I even saw all of them. If you truly wish to learn them, petition the Anna's. They will know."
Ryoma glanced at Saizo for confirmation that what Kaze told them was true, or he had at least not told them a lie. When his red haired retainer nodded, Ryoma broke into a stern frown. "I see.."
Kaze kept quiet, allowing his brother's disapproving gaze to fall upon him. The King strode over to him, and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Be proud, Kaze. You've done a great thing here. Despite how ill these tidings are."
"W-What?"
The King smiled sadly. "Whilst I do wish he'd fight under our banner, if he did kill Mother, we will have to face him in battle. Though as long as he is distracted playing King, I am willing to focus on the Nohrian filth he no doubt served."
"If it was Nohr he served..." Kaze murmured.
"Did you say something, Suzukaze?" Ryoma asked.
"Nothing, my King."
The doors to the throne room were thrown open, and Takumi dashed in. He had clearly only just been woken up, as he was in a sleeping robe, and his hair hang loose, not in its usual ponytail. "Brother!"
Ryoma dashed over to his younger brother, and threw his arms around him in a bonecrushing hug. "You're alright…Thank the Dawn Dragon you're alright..."
"Brother." Takumi said, calmly. "It was Corrin. He and Azura did this to me."
Ryoma closed his eyes.
"I know." He said in a mournful tone.
Corrin. The King thought. What have you become?
Please note, Morrison's opinion on religion does in no way reflect my own, nor is it a dig at religion in general.
On a lighter note (and something I may later regret….) here is my MyCastle code:
06671-29060-14273-36274
I should warn you folks, I live in the UK, so it may not work for some of you.
Also, I have a question for you that will help me in the future:
"How do you think Ophelia would act if she was raised by her mother alone?"