Italics = Thought
I do not own Fire Emblem.
Cross published on A03
FOUR YEARS LATER
In the four years since Anankos' death, Haven had developed into a fledgling city. What had once been a ruin, the Havenites had left the old palace, and started to recolonise the city of Gyges. Of course, with their desire to wipe away the past, they had renamed it to the more apt 'Grandhaven'.
The palace was in the middle of rebuilding work. What had once been a temple like building had been torn down. In its place, a tall, simple, four sided tower was being built on its site out of the sand-brown stone.
The streets were deserted, as once more the great hall was playing host to a celebration. It had become part of the fledgling culture in the Kingdom. Celebrations became a way to remind anyone of the freedom they had. The freedom from war, from famine, from the past, from the gods, or to worship whomever they wish.
The King's cheerful tone filled the grand chamber. His queen sat next to him, her smile matching that of her husband. It was her first public appearance since the birth of their twin children some four months ago. Cana was the girl, Caleb the boy. Both had been born healthy, and had already earned the unadulterated love of their elder brother, the now Crown Prince Shigure.
As for the reason for the celebration…..
"Two weeks ago, my family welcomed another member to its ranks." Corrin declared, mug in the air. "My sister, Princess Lilith gave birth to a daughter. So I do hope you'll join me in raising a toast, to Princess Sophie!"
A loud, somewhat drunken cheer rippled around the chamber. Many thumped their mugs on the tables, and stomped on the ground.
"Anymore Royal children due this year my King?" Morgan teased aloud. "First Caleb and Cana, now Sophie…"
This earned a few laughs around the room the King and Queen amongst them.
"Not this year, My Lady Morgan. Three royal children are enough trouble for one year, don't you think?" Corrin joked. "That said, we do need to regrow our dynasty, no?"
"An…enjoyable duty, to be sure." Marc grinned as he stood up. "In any case, allow me to propose a toast. To Haven! To the Havenites! May we ever stand together!"
"WE STAND TOGETHER!"
In a shadowy corner of the palace, unseen by all, a trio of infiltrators snuck about. They had been let in by a disgruntled Havenite in return for money and an estate in the Hoshidan Capital. With Anna at the celebration, no one was watching the gate. It had been difficult to arrange, and the Havenite had already fled to the other side of the gate. A secondary team was sent to cause a distraction, and was led by Kaze. On the other side, Hinoka and Takumi waited with a substantial force of men.
The plan was simple. Find a way to force Corrin to ally with Hoshido against Nohr. To their shame, there was only one way they believed they could achieve this…
"We need to hurry." Ryoma ordered quietly to the pair of ninja at either side. He had left Raijinto back in Hoshido, unwilling to make the mistake his father did in Cheve, so was relying on a standard silver katana. "If we are caught, who knows what Corrin will do to us?"
"I would rather not think of that, your Majesty." One of the Ninja murmured. "I remember how Lady Mikoto was after Ka-..Corrin was taken. It wasn't pretty."
The other kept silent.
Ryoma sped up his pace. "I remember."
It had been perhaps the most uncomfortable few weeks of his life. Mikoto had led an expulsion of the Nohrian's that lived in Hoshido, of which there was a great number. He still remembered the looks of disgust and terror on their faces. Most had been sent into the slums of Nohr's Capital, and likely died in the famine a number of years later. It was one of Mikoto's greatest regrets.
The group worked their way through the winding, half built halls of the palace, headed to where the informant said the nursery was.
There was two 'THUD's behind him, and Ryoma turned around.
Both ninja that had accompanied him lay dead, one with a dagger jammed from the back of the skull, exiting via an eyeball. The other was now attached to the floor by a lance as blood pooled beneath him.
Striding down the hall, drawing his service blade free, was a warrior straight out of Ryoma's nightmares. The one soldier that had defeated his father in single combat. The soldier that taught Corrin. The soldier that had passed the trials of the Rainbow Sage.
Sir Gunter, former champion of Nohr, now Highlord of Haven.
"King Ryoma."
"Sir Gunter."
"You are a threat to my King's children." Gunter scowled. "I will not allow harm to come to the babes."
"Stand down old man." Ryoma forced himself to sound confident. "I have the highest respect for you and your accomplishments, but I must do this for the good of my Kingdom. If you stand down now, I swear on my honour I will not harm you or my niece and nephews."
Gunter spat on the ground. "Your honour matters little. You are not their uncle. You are a foreign power seeking to kidnap them as you did their mother."
The elder warrior pointed his blade toward Ryoma. "So come then, King! Come and face me!"
Ryoma had barely enough to take out his katana out before Gunter's blade cut into his cheek. It soon dawned on him that this old soldier hadn't allowed time to weaken him, and this would not be an easy fight. Ryoma had, to his shame, come to rely on the extra power granted to him by Raijinto, fighting on what was probably equal terms was not something he had become accustomed to.
"Your men!" Gunter bellowed as he ducked out of the way of Ryoma's downward slice, and replying with a forward thrust. "What were their names?!"
Ryoma blinked, and let out a startled yelp as Gunter carried on his attack. Despite being many years his senior, Gunter was still a formidable opponent, with a clear, swift, merciless rhythm to his fighting style.
Metal clattered against metal, Gunter was clearly trying to make as much noise as he was able, slicing vases, the walls and making his blows as loud as he could.
"NAME THEM!"
It was by luck alone that Ryoma landed the blow. Gunter had slowed down just enough, although it took nearly ten minutes of intense duelling that he had been losing, badly. Ryoma rammed his katana behind the elder warriors' defences, and pieced him through the heart.
Gunter grinned through bloody teeth, and forced himself further up the blade. Looking Ryoma dead in the eyes, he hissed his final words.
"Well fought, boy."
With one last, monumental effort, he stabbed his blade clean through the Hoshidan's sword arm. It landed on the ground the same moment as the elderly knight. Faces, old and forgotten, filled his steadily diming vision, the farmer's daughter whom he'd fallen for, the girls with their auburn hair, and a son who never came home from battle. More recent faces joined them, Flora and Felicia, the twin Ice Maidens that had become like daughters. Jakob, the young noble whom had built his walls up, and hardly ever allowed anyone to see his true self. Lilith, the shy stable girl who he was far too soft on. Corrin, the man whom he was actually proud to call his King…
With a small smile on his face, Gunter passed on from this life.
With a shattered realisation, it dawned on Ryoma that he could not answer Gunter's question.
He limped into the Royal nursery, only to find all but one crib empty. From a side room, he could hear the soft, kind voice of a young woman, and the curious tones of a young boy.
"Why can't we bring Cana here Auntie Lil?"
"She's sleepy, Siggy. All that reading you did with her must have tuckered her out…"
"S-So it's my fault?" The boy sniffled.
"N-No no no!..."
As quietly as he came, he picked Cana's napping form up, and limped out, mentally trying to block out the pain.
Lilith missed him by mere minutes.
As he exited the Palace, and to the sound of the bells started to ring out, a single, grief stricken wail broke the peaceful silence. The Havenite guards were swift and efficient. The sounds of battle ringing out in the cool evening air told him that they had found Kaze's group. Sighing, he hurriedly limped toward the Deeprealm gate.
"My King, we've caught on of the intruders!" Silas said, tugging on a chain, dragging a figure along with him. The Man's once green hair was wet and stained red in places, and his armour was covered in mud and blood.
"Suzukaze…" Corrin recognised him.
Through blood caked vision Kaze looked up at him, and choked out a single plea.
"Kill me."
Corrin scowled, and swung a kick into his gut. "No."
Kaze grunted, and coughed out a wad of blood.
"Forgive me…"
"No." Corrin said, softer now.
Kaze looked up at Corrin, trying to hide the tears steadily creeping down his cheeks.
"Forgiveness is the one thing I will not grant you, that and death. You may remain here. Haven is after all, just that. A haven for those that need it. I promised my people two decades of peace at least. I will hold to that, much as it pains me. But if my daughter isn't home and safe in sixteen years' time Suzukaze.." Corrin knelt down low, boring a hole in Kaze's skull with his sole red eye. "I have no qualms burning the world to cinders to get her back. Bring her home before then, and I will forgive you, and no longer pose a threat to either Hoshido or Nohr, I promise you."
Corrin turned away. "…Now if you'll excuse me, I must go and console my wife. Sixteen years, Kaze. Starting now."
Without another word, Corrin stalked off.
"By the D- what the hell happened?!" Hinoka gasped as Ryoma stepped through the gate, lacking an arm. The healers rushed forward to aid their king, one of whom passed the black haired babe over to the Princess.
"Brother! Pull it down! Hurry!" Ryoma shouted.
Takumi nodded and gave the order. With hooked chains, his soldiers hurriedly started to pull the Deeprealm gate down.
"T-Takumi?! What are y-"
"Protecting us. He has an army on the other side, sister." Ryoma said firmly as he sat on a bench. "Smaller than our entire army, true. But far more than we have here."
"What do we do with her then?" Hinoka stared at the small babe in her arms, peacefully oblivious to the world around her.
Takumi looked the babe up and down. "Drown her? Dump her? Toss her in an orph—"any further suggestions were silenced by the mother of all glares from is elder sister.
"Or not." Takumi sighed. "Sorry, I'm just angry and tired. Ryoma lost an arm and only managed to get one of the children. We're at war with one nation and will be at war with another soon."
"No, Corrin will side with us now. He have his daughter."
"..That didn't work with Garon, Brother. I doubt it will work now." Takumi pointed out sadly. "Your dream of reuniting our family may well have just ended."
"..What's her name?" The redhead blurted out as the medics worked on Ryoma's stump.
"Cana. With a 'C'." Ryoma seethed through the pain. "The Nohrian spelling."
"So…?"
"So raise her with a K!" Her brother roared, before sighing deeply. His tone eased off as the healers kept working. "This is your charge, Hinoka. Raise her as a member of our family."
"…..Corrin's not going to simply forget this Ryoma! You've kidnapped his daughter!"
"No." Saizo agreed. "He isn't. But he has no way to follow us, does he? We are safe for now. If we are lucky, we will have raised his own brat as a weapon against him."
Hinoka stumbled back a few steps, as if struck. "I can't believe I'm hearing this…"
"Sister. I did not expect to have to destroy the gate." Ryoma spoke in a sad tone. "I wanted to fight as a family. However since that is not an option any more, we must give her, an innocent, the best life we can as recompense."
"And if Corrin brings an army?" Hinoka asked quietly.
"Later, sister." Ryoma dismissed her. "I must get healed, first."
Hinoka sighed softly as she walked away, and hugged Cana close.
"I'm sorry, little one."
So here we are, the last chapter.
Much as I hate to admit it, Kana's kidnapping was always my overall plan. Corrin couldn't have it all his own way. Please don't take the Hoshidans kidnapping Kana as Nohr favouritism. Hoshido (via Azura) shows that they are quite able/fine with going through with such a 'dishonourable' action, and since Nohr doesn't know where Corrin is, that left Hoshido or Izumo.
And having Izumo as an antagonist would be extremely hard to write and even harder to pull off, so Hoshido it is.
Finally, for the next week, I will be accepting questions for the "End of Story Mailbag". So, from the 8th of September until the 15th, feel free to ask me anything about the Darkworlds 'verse. As long as it isn't so spoilery, I'll answer.
So, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope to see you in Darkhearts.
Until then…
Stay safe!
-Remful