***Spoilers for Fire Emblem Fates, Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2.***
Chapter 2 - The Confines of Freedom
Nighttime had fallen on the forest where three soldiers were patrolling. Two of them wore black iron and leather cuirasses with red stripes and a golden sun. They were armed with iron naginatas. The other soldier wore a dark red shirt and held a large fan, the typical garb of a diviner. All three of them had torches, though none of them were lit.
"I don't like this quiet," one of the spear fighters said.
"You've said that every night for the past week," the other spear fighter noted, reaching under his black helmet to scratch his head.
"Yeah, but this night is particularly quiet."
"Shh!" The diviner put his finger to his lips as he gave the other two soldiers a stern look. He then pointed deeper into the forest. The two spear fighters gripped their naginatas and waited nervously. A distant moan made the three of them come closer. "Maybe two hundred paces ahead," he whispered.
"What should we do?"
"We should report this back to camp."
"I'll be perfectly happy going back to camp. But what do we tell them we encountered?"
Another moan closed their mouths for a few seconds.
"One hundred paces."
The three of them remained completely silent after that. They started hearing slow, heavy footsteps. The steps were getting closer. Soon, they could hear loud breaths. Finally, a loud groan announced that they had been noticed. The slow steps turned into the rapid percussion of running. The loud clatter of iron chain links made one of the spear fighters lift his naginata in defense. He could see a dark, humanoid-shaped shadow ahead.
Suddenly, the chains made contact with the blade of his naginata. He swung the naginata downwards to knock the chains down, then twirled the naginata and thrust it at the shadow. The loud groan of pain sent a shiver down the spear fighter's spine, but encouraged him to keep attacking. "Attack!" he shouted, withdrawing his naginata from a fleshy material and twirling it around to slash across the chest. He could hear the sound of a blade cutting into flesh and sending blood to the ground. Then, his hearing stopped as a fist connected with his helmet, sending him flying to the side. The spear fighter coughed a few times as he struggled to sit up. He saw his opponent approaching him, a loud groan paralyzing him on the ground. The creature stepped into a sliver of moonlight, allowing all three of the soldiers to see a glimpse of their opponent.
"Mo… monster!"
The tall, sickly green-skinned humanoid creature wearing a black mask and chains hanging from its wrists stopped in front of the fallen spear fighter. It raised its chained hands, ready to strike down.
"Hah!" The other spear fighter took the opportunity to make a wide swing downwards on the side of his opponent. Another groan of pain told him to keep attacking. While he fought, the diviner ran up to the fallen spear fighter and dragged him a few paces back.
"Are you okay?" the diviner asked.
The spear fighter coughed a few times and sat up. "Yeah…" he managed to say. He stood up and picked up his naginata. "Let's… let's go!"
The diviner, having confirmed that the spear fighter was okay, stood up and raised several paper cards in his hand. He split the cards into a fan, made a few chants, and created a circle with the cards in front of him. "Ox!" he shouted. A red spirit materialized in front of him and charged the masked creature. It struck the creature in the chest, once again causing a loud groan to escape its congested mouth.
The joy of success was short-lived. The monster marched towards the diviner. The spear fighter tried to stab the monster's side, but it dismissed the naginata with a swing of its thick-skinned hand. It then cocked its fist back, ready to strike the diviner.
Suddenly, a loud thud made the monster fall to the ground. It struggled on the ground for a moment. A woman jumped onto the fallen monster's back, stepped up to the shoulders, lifted a large war club in the air, then dropped it, bashing the monster's head in. The three soldiers all looked at the woman that had just saved them. She wasn't tall, but her exposed chest and her bandage-wrapped arms revealed her rippling muscles. She wore the neckbeads and headdress of one of the Hoshidan tribals. She only had a sarashi for a top. Her white and black pants matched her black boots. She wore red bracers on her forearms. She had short, white hair, but her face and body showed that she was still a young woman.
"Lady Rinkah!" the diviner exclaimed. He recognized her from their camp. While Rinkah had kept to herself, her presence was noticeable, as she provided several of the fires that kept the soldiers warm.
"Thank you, thank you!" one of the spear fighters said.
"Lady," Rinkah noted with some amusement, lifting her club from the monster's head and slinging the club on her shoulder. "They're amassing by the canyon. We're falling back."
"Retreating? But this is Hoshidan land that they tread!"
"And we've only just begun this excursion."
"I'm not your commander. You can take on the whole horde of Faceless if you want." Rinkah turned her head to look at them. "May your deaths be noble."
The three soldiers looked at each other, then nodded. "Very well. We'll inform the camp."
"What will you do?"
"I want to make sure the village is okay. When you've told the camp, call for reinforcements." Rinkah started jogging away.
"Right!"
They separated, with Rinkah running deeper into the forest, away from the soldiers. She strained her ears, since the darkness restricted her vision. The moans of Faceless had increased, indicating at least three others were wandering around the forest. Rinkah slowed down and gripped her club cautiously.
"There's three of them," a voice said from above, in the trees.
"I know," Rinkah said annoyedly. "And only one of them is between me and that village."
"They'll be coming soon."
"And you're telling me this so that I can turn around and retreat, too?"
"This isn't part of our objectives."
Rinkah stopped and turned around at the general direction of the voice. "Look, you can join me or you can leave."
A loud roar indicated a Faceless approaching quickly. Rinkah turned and raised her club, ready to strike. Two shuriken suddenly appeared in the monster's leg, slowing it down. Rinkah looked up at the Faceless, realizing that if she were to jump, she still wouldn't be able to reach the top of the monster's head. She settled with a bash to the weakened leg, burying the shuriken into the leg and dislocating it. The Faceless groaned and reached out towards Rinkah. She raised her club and slammed it down on the Faceless's arm. She then walked up to the grounded monster and bashed the Faceless's head in, silencing it.
Some distant groans made Rinkah look up. "The village!" she exclaimed. She started running. The sound of thunder indicated that a storm was coming. A few drops of rain hit Rinkah's face. She wiped them clear of her vision as she ran. The trees started to clear, and the wooden fence of the village appeared before her.
"Oh, if it isn't the Fire Tribe girl." Rinkah saw an old man, who was the village elder and a diviner.
"Nohr is coming," Rinkah warned, looking around. "They may have Faceless here already."
"But we're on the other side of the Bottomless Canyon. There's nothing to worry about here," the elder said.
Some children saw Rinkah and the elder talking. They ran up and surrounded Rinkah. "Onee-chan, onee-chan! Look what we got!" They showed her some toy weapons, which she was uninterested in.
"Listen, you need to prepare to evacuate. There are only a few Faceless out there, but a Nohrian army is only just behind." The rain was increasing. The kids started running in circles around Rinkah.
"Rain, rain!" they cheered.
"Young miss, let's get you out of the rain, first. We can discuss indoors." The elder beckoned for Rinkah to enter the gates.
"Come on, come on!" the children said excitedly, taking Rinkah's hands and pulling her.
Rinkah stood her ground. "I've told you, but if you want to stay, then that's your decision. I'm going to leave," Rinkah said.
"It's our decision, yes," the elder said, nodding. The children giggled and ran around in the rain.
Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder and crash of lightning made Rinkah jump in surprise.
"Aaagh!" Rinkah cried out from the surprise of cold water splashed on her face, waking her from her memories. She took a few heavy breaths and looked around. Her disoriented eyes couldn't see anything except for a small flicker in the corner of her eye. She shivered as a breeze blew through. She tried to move her arms to wipe the water from her face, but found that her arms were restricted. Her failed attempts at moving her arms were accompanied by the sound of clattering chains. As Rinkah's vision became clearer, she saw that she was in a cold, dark room. Her arms were suspended in the air by chains. She was sitting in some hay, which provided little comfort over the uneven stone floor below. She couldn't distinguish many of the smells in the area, but it was enough to make her gag. As she tried to keep herself from vomiting, she noticed the taste of blood in her mouth.
'I was captured…' Rinkah recalled, closing her eyes. Before her emotions and memories could pool up in her mind, another splash of water brought her back to reality.
"Oye. Hoshidan."
Rinkah turned her head to the source of the voice. Behind the flicker of light, she could see the unclear features of a man's face. 'I am from the Fire Tribe,' Rinkah thought to herself, not yet summoning the strength nor the will to speak aloud.
"She's from the Fire Tribe, actually," another voice said from farther away. A light appeared beyond her room and came closer. As it came closer, it revealed a hallway beyond the small cell that she was in. The light came from a torch, which stopped at some iron bars that separated her cell from the hallway. Holding the torch was a man with platinum hair, a black eyepatch, and an amused smile on his face. "You're looking deliciously uncomfortable."
Rinkah remained quiet and expressionless as she looked at the man. He looked to be more of an outlaw than a soldier, though he carried himself with an annoying air of superiority. He used his free arm to push the cell guard out of the way. He then took some tools out and started working on the cell door lock.
"You can use the keys, you know," the cell guard said, lifting the keys up.
"Oh, I suppose that would be more orthodox," the eye-patched man said, accepting the keys and unlocking the door.
"Is the woman free?"
"We've… found a purpose for her." The eye-patched man looked Rinkah up and down, then smelled her. "Hmm." He picked up the bucket that the guard had been using, entered the cell, and poured the remaining water over Rinkah's head. "Wouldn't want you to spread lice or anything." He leaned over Rinkah, reached above her, and unlocked the cuff around one of her hands. Her arm dropped weakly, followed by her other arm as the man unlocked the other cuff. She rubbed her wrists and looked at her smug liberator.
"And now shall I kill you?" Rinkah asked, summoning strength in her arms.
The man laughed. "You could, I suppose. But wouldn't you want a shot at the Nohrian king and princes?"
Rinkah remained sitting, massaging her wrists as she thought about her options. Her legs, though relaxed, were ready to spring up if necessary, but she allowed the man to continue.
"You're going to be fighting a prince of Nohr. Apparently to test the boy's strength. The leaders of Nohr have some sick minds, so maybe it'll be nice if you manage to kill him and the others."
"What are you saying?" the cell guard asked. "I should have you reported for treason!"
"Hah! Don't bother. They won't care about a lowly guard, and I'll just spread word that you harbor jealousy and ambition. And you'll be executed or maybe used in one of these tests, while your family falls deeper into poverty without their provider."
"You are a cruel person. I don't know why the young prince keeps you."
The eye-patched man laughed again and looked at Rinkah. "Come, captured Fire Tribe warrior. I will root for you in battle, because I do enjoy an underdog story." He extended a hand, which Rinkah looked at skeptically. "And please don't pull me down and attack me. I would hate for the underdog story to end in this cell, having accomplished nothing."
Rinkah glared at the man, then accepted his hand. The man pulled her up to her feet, then smoothly wrapped some iron cuffs around her hand.
"I know, even though we're friends, but this is more for others than it is for I."
"Hey, Hoshidan, if you get away, I don't mind if you kill this man," the cell guard said. "Praise to Garon."
Rinkah said nothing, neither a fan of Garon or of the eye-patched man. After a moment, the eye-patched man tugged on a chain to get Rinkah to start walking. "After you, milady," he said. Rinkah glared at him again, then walked past him and exited the cell.
"Where am I going?" she asked.
"Why, to get you prepared for battle. I know you've been saving your strength to attack me or any unknowing guard, but we can't have you testing the young prince if you're not at full strength."
Rinkah walked up some steps, out of the dungeon floor. "I'll be fighting a prince?"
"Yes. And beyond him are all the other princes and princesses, and the great king himself. I doubt you'll be able to get beyond them, but you can have your dreams."
Rinkah tensed her muscles and controlled her breathing. 'I'm not as strong as before. My arms don't feel as capable with a club, and I don't feel magic coursing through me. Captivity must have sapped my strength. Hopefully, I'll be able to regain something, but today will be a stuggle…'
They passed a few other cell guards and went through some doors. Finally, they were outside. Rinkah took a deep breath, free of the stench of the dungeons. The air was still polluted, but it was a huge upgrade from the windowless dungeons. Rinkah looked up to study the place she was in. She was in a huge circular pit, walking around the perimeter. She could see several lights around the perimeter, as if a city had been built into the walls of the pit. An ominous castle had been built in the center of the pit. The entire city was an impressive though hideous work of architecture and engineering.
"Oh, it looks like you have another visitor. Dear Beruka, are you going to come out of the shadows?"
Rinkah saw a short, light blue-haired woman emerge from the shadows, followed by two guards. "Niles. I suppose you've enjoyed tormenting the prisoner with your incessant speech." The woman, Beruka, spoke quietly but with severity.
"But of course." Niles threw the chains to the ground in front of Rinkah. "I relinquish my responsibility to you. Have fun." He started walking away before Beruka had even taken the chains.
Beruka walked up to Rinkah and looked up, into her eyes. "My orders are to take you to be fed and bathed. You will then be given a weapon and will fight before the king."
"Hmph. So I've been told." Rinkah returned Beruka's cold stare. 'She's strong. Perhaps if I were at full strength, I might be able to defeat her while we're this close. But then what after that?' Rinkah looked at the chains on the ground before her. "You're not going to pick up the chains?" she asked.
"Just walk forward and follow my directions," Beruka said. "If you try to escape, I will place a knife in your leg. But I will fulfill my orders."
"Tch." Rinkah started walking forward. The two other guards took positions by Rinkah's sides. Beruka, like Niles, followed her from behind, and only provided directions when they reached a branching path. Rinkah noticed she was going upwards as they walked around the perimeter of the pit. She saw one of many bridges leading to the center castle, which was probably her destination. They reached and crossed the bridge, then entered a lower part of the castle. Finally, they came to a dining room.
One of the guards unlocked Rinkah's cuffs. "Sit at a table, and food will be brought to you," Beruka said. Rinkah examined the dining room. It was spacious and probably meant for for several soldiers, rather than one prisoner. Torches lined the walls and provided light in the otherwise dark castle. Rinkah found a table nearby and sat down on the bench before it. A servant walked in and placed a bowl of food in front of Rinkah.
Rinkah didn't know how long she had gone without eating, so as soon as the food was placed in front of her, she grabbed the bowl and started chugging the contents. It was a soup, designed not to be flavorful but nutritious. In that regard, it was a step above prison food, which was only meant to sustain a weak life. Nevertheless, Rinkah finished the food quickly and felt her condition improving.
"Now, the bath," Beruka said. She pointed to a doorway. Rinkah licked the bowl clean, stood up, and started walking.
"Tell me about my opponent," Rinkah said, hoping to get more information.
"I've never met him. I've heard he is the cutest boy and the most precious gem in all of Nohr." As with all her previous speech, Beruka spoke this with no emotion.
Rinkah wasn't thinking of Beruka's lack of emotion. 'So if I do defeat him, I will have dealt a great blow to Nohr. And if I don't, then I will at least die in battle.'
Rinkah was brought to a room next to the kitchen. There were spots for several people to bathe, though only one of the wooden tubs was filled with water. Beruka stood by the room entrance, her eyes always on Rinkah. The other guards remained outside the room, on the other side of the entrance. A servant stepped into the room and placed a tray with a towel and Rinkah's clothes near the entrance. "After you bathe, we will provide you with a top," Beruka said.
"That is my top," Rinkah replied, gesturing with her chin towards the pile of clothes. Beruka kept her head straight, though her eyes glanced at the pants, boots, and long, white bandages.
"Those bandages?" Beruka asked, revealing the first hint of emotion.
'They allow for flexibility and speed,' Rinkah didn't say. "It's called a sarashi."
"Very well," Beruka replied, maintaining her vigilance. She placed an hourglass on the floor and flipped it, allowing the sand to start pouring into the bottom. "You have five minutes."
Rinkah removed the oversized prisoner's garb that was provided for her and submerged herself into the waters of the wooden bathtub. The water was cold, but Rinkah appreciated washing herself from the filth she had accumulated. She scrubbed herself with a cloth, then submerged her hair in the water to wash it off.
"Time's up," Beruka said.
Rinkah stood up in the bath and stepped out, water dripping from her body. She took the towel and dried herself, then put on her clothes, all while Beruka observed quietly. As Rinkah wrapped her sarashi around her, Beruka couldn't help but speak up.
"Why wear so little?"
"Hmph. Fight me in battle, and you might learn why I wear this," Rinkah responded.
Beruka was silent while Rinkah finished wrapping her bandages. "Let's go," Beruka finally said. Once again, Rinkah took the lead. When she exited the washroom, the two guards joined her at her sides. Once again, Beruka followed silently from behind. They walked through the maze-like hallways of the castle, before finally reaching a certain door. "Inside, you will find a weapon and your opponent," Beruka explained. One guard walked forward and opened the door, and the other guard pushed Rinkah into the room. "My orders are complete," Beruka said, right before the door closed.
There was only one weapon available, lying on the floor. Rinkah picked it up and examined it. It was a wooden club with iron studs at the end of it. It was fairly balanced, and the weight and material felt genuine. Rinkah's grip on the handle tightened. 'I'm not as strong as before, but I should be able to use this effectively.'
Another door on the other side of the room suddenly opened. Rinkah stepped out and examined her surroundings. She was in a spacious, dark arena. Surrounding the ground floor was another elevated floor, meant for observing the arena. At the center of the room, there seemed to be a small chamber with an open roof.
A man lay motionless just outside the chamber. Rinkah could not see his face, but she did see that he had green hair and wore black ninja clothes and a purple scarf. Standing next to him, a maid with pink hair was healing a short, young man clad in armor and wielding an ominously glowing sword. The sword was a stark contrast to his big, bright, almost innocent-looking eyes.
'This is my opponent.' Rinkah saw a brief glint from the green-haired man as he subtly moved a shuriken. 'So the ninja's alive. Maybe if I can survive long enough, he can join the battle.' She looked at her opponent again. "I am Rinkah, daughter of the Flame Tribe's honorable chieftain! What is your name?"
"Oh, hello. I am Corrin, prince of Nohr."
"I do not like being used as a tool to entertain or test your capabilities, but if I can kill you and others, then perhaps my fallen comrades can rest at ease."
The young man put his hand to his heart. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I hope that they find peace."
Rinkah tightened the grip on her handle and clenched her teeth. 'Is he mocking me? Is this war just flowers and sunshine for him?' She pointed her club at him. "Let us battle!" she shouted, before charging forward.
"Felicia, stay back," Corrin said, tapping the maid on her shoulder.
"R...right!" Felicia said, taking a few steps back and hiding within the center chamber.
'He has the advantage of speed with his sword,' Rinkah thought to herself. 'If I can just overpower him…' Rinkah jumped up into the air and brought her club down, aiming for Corrin's head. Corrin tilted his sword as if to block, which made Rinkah smile. At the last second, however, Corrin stepped to the side and allowed Rinkah's strike to hit air. As soon as Rinkah landed, she rolled forward and stood up again, on the other side of Corrin. "Tch. You move well."
"Thank you, Rinkah," Corrin replied with a bright smile. "I've trained every day under a great knight and sometimes my siblings. The crown prince himself, too!"
Rinkah gritted her teeth again. 'Too much happiness on the battlefield. You won't last long in this world.' Rinkah rushed at Corrin again and swung her club at Corrin's side. Corrin stepped backwards, dodging the strike. 'He knows that blocking with his sword would take a lot of energy,' Rinkah thought to herself. She fought off smiling at another observation. 'But he's leaving openings with his swords just to avoid making contact.'
Rinkah maintained the momentum of her swing and redirected it into a downwards strike. Corrin sidestepped like his response to the previous downwards strike. However, Rinkah took another step forward and brought her elbow into Corrin's arm. "Gah!" Corrin exhaled as he was pushed back. He allowed himself to be thrown back so that he didn't fully absorb the impact of Rinkah's elbow. However, Rinkah already had Corrin's trajectory planned. Now unable to sidestep or change where he was moving, Rinkah swung her club at Corrin's chest. Corrin raised his blade to block it, sending him flying to the side.
"Corrin!" Felicia shouted, as Corrin rolled on the ground and got back on his feet. Felicia readied her healing staff and emerged from the chambers.
Rinkah looked from Corrin to Felicia and back. 'I can't have her healing him, or that would neutralize any of my progress. But I don't want to abandon my attack.'
Corrin suddenly jerked an arm back and shouted in pain. It took a moment for Rinkah to see that some shuriken had appeared and managed to pierce his armor. "Go!" the ninja shouted, slowly standing up from the floor. He raised his hands, then suddenly revealed three shuriken in each hand.
Rinkah turned to Felicia and raced towards her. 'With the healer out of the way, the Nohrian prince can just be worn down to nothing.'
"Oh my!" Felicia exclaimed, dropping her healing staff and unsheathing a dagger from a leg holster.
'That's not going to stop anything,' Rinkah thought to herself as she raised her club to knock Felicia out. Felicia jumped backwards and turned to run.
"Felicia!" Corrin shouted from behind Rinkah. He jumped forward and dodged the first volley of shuriken from the ninja. The second volley, Corrin knocked out of the air with his sword, then swung at the ninja as he ran past. The ninja seemed to disappear into thin air, then reappear a few paces back. Corrin, however, had anticipated the already-injured ninja's escape. He swung his sword, knocking out the shuriken in the ninja's hands, then followed through with his other arm and bashed his backhand into the ninja's face.
Felicia raised a dagger to block a swing, only to have the dagger knocked out of her hands by the heavy club. "Aaah!" Felicia exhaled in pain and fear.
"Felicia!" Corrin shouted again, running towards her. Suddenly, he stomped on the ground and spread his arms. A vein of energy appeared on the ground below him, then shot into the chamber like lightning, creating an evaporating pool of healing energy.
"What?" Rinkah couldn't help but reveal her surprise. She recovered her composure in time to block a dagger from a reinvigorated Felicia. While she didn't hurt Rinkah, her actions were enough to slow Rinkah's response to Corrin's rapid advance. 'He's fast!' Rinkah thought, her eyes on Corrin while her head was still facing Felicia. She swung her club to block Corrin's sword, only to have Corrin angle the blade to slide past the club. He brought the hilt of the sword into Rinkah's face.
Rinkah was not a slow fighter, either. Corrin's hilt hit air as Rinkah leaned backwards. She then kicked her foot high into the air, clipping Corrin's chin as she cartwheeled backwards. She landed back on her feet and brought her iron club up to defend against any counterattack.
The attack came from behind. Rinkah heard a chain rustling behind her. She turned and saw a dagger attached to a chain flying towards her. She batted the dagger away, not allowing it to wrap around her or her weapon. She then turned around again to defend against the blow she was expecting from the Nohrian prince.
Corrin didn't fail Rinkah's expectations. He was already in range before Rinkah turned around, and was able to slash at her back, cutting into some of her top bandages. "Agh!" Rinkah cried, before swinging downwards and making Corrin jump back. As soon as Corrin landed, though, he lunged forward and swung his sword at Rinkah's head. 'Is this it?' Rinkah asked herself. She could feel the air move as the blade approached her face.
The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, the world shaking underneath her. All sounds were masked with a whirring in her ears. She struggled to push herself up with her arms, then fell to her elbows and forearms. Her vision and hearing started to return to her.
"Wow, you guys were tough," Corrin said, crouching next to Rinkah. He brought a helping hand to Rinkah's shoulder. "Are all Hoshidan warriors that tough?"
"Mph… Fire Tribe," Rinkah muttered. She was too weak to swat Corrin's hand away. "Your enemy… Your victory… Finish me."
"You defeated them." The king of Nohr, an old, pale-faced man, stood up from his large chair. He wore a thick robe and battle armor, all with dark colors that matched his grim expression. He provided no compliments, no constructive criticisms, only the fact that Corrin had emerged victorious. He walked to the edge of the observation floor and gazed down at Corrin and the others. "Now kill them."
"Wh…what?" Corrin asked incredulously. "But… they are defeated! They have no weapons!"
Rinkah coughed, then laughed bitterly. "Fool. This… this is how Nohr is," she managed to say between coughs. She could feel her consciousness fading. 'If I die, then I will die standing up.' Rinkah started pushing herself up again. She put a foot under her chest and started straightening it out. A blast of fire and an angry shout was just a blur to Rinkah's fading senses. She was on one knee, pushing her knee to keep her torso up. She lifted her chin and saw that Corrin was standing in front of her, his arms extended. 'You stupid prince,' she thought. She could hear an exchange of shouting and the clash of swords in front of her. She finally stood up shakily, right before an excruciating burning sensation shot throughout her body.
A/N
I'm going to start putting which parts of Fates I may spoil at the beginning of my chapters. I know that I've followed a story, even though I may not have finished the game.
So, in this chapter, I've just been following the game. I wanted to tell the story from a different perspective, though. I may describe Kaze's point of view of the battle before being captured. Not sure if it'll flow well though, or if it's even necessary, so… eh. I don't want to put stuff just for the sake of making the story longer. That's one thing you can let me know if you want me to cover!
One concern I have, that I will now plant the seed in your mind and make you concerned, too, is that I made the Nohrian treatment of Rinkah too kind. I'm actually not sure if I captured Rinkah's personality here. In the game, she was bitter about being captured, but she still fought anyway. I went with a practical Rinkah, still wanting to fight, but waiting for the right opportunity. And I tried to make Niles represent the jerks of Nohr, while Beruka was the respectful but not friendly type. I didn't want to make Niles too hateworthy, since I guess he has some positives about him. I haven't really checked much of his support conversations. So, yeah, another thing you can let me know about is the personalities of the characters.
Anyhoo, please read, review, follow, favorite, PM, share! I appreciate each and every comment you make.
Thanks for the suggestions, P.T. Piranha! I'm more trained in scriptwriting, where you just say, "Corrin: blah blah blah! Felicia: bluh blah bluh blah. Gunther: (angry) blah bluh bluh blah blah!" I hope that the content outweighs the repetitive saidness, but yeah, sometimes "said said said" can be draining. I think there's a looooot less "said" in this chapter though!
KeziaVolition, yeah, them Otherrealms business is tough business. But I'll deal with that when I get there. I think that's 2 game chapters away or something, so plennnnnnty of time to figure it out.
And Guest, great question. Unlike my other stories, I want this one to be up in the air. I'll be honest, I don't love all the characters as much as I did for Awakening. But I can appreciate a bunch of them, so that still leaves a lot of selection. I will spoil for you that Elise will not be participating in the "Kamuibowl." I think you wanted to say it with a K?
I'm up for requests if people want! I think I've narrowed the selection to….less than 8 girls?
-Updated 8/10/16: Some little thingies, and I'm changing sister to onee-san.