Greetings everyone, I'm back with our last Fates girl left to cover. It has been an long and hard ride, and I'm glad that I was able to see this through to the end, despite all the delays. Now without further ado, time for the (almost) final chapter to begin. -ArcanaHermit
Chapter Thirty-Two: Priorities (Corrin x Effie)
"2001, 2002, 2003"
The counting went on as the silver-haired knight continued on her regimen, repeatedly lifting up a gigantic rock up and down, looking effortless as she was doing so. Close to her, her husband was watching her. Any other time it would have been a look of admiration, but now there was nothing but worry on her mind.
"2099, 2100, 2101."
Strain was finally starting to show on her face, and her lifts were starting to show signs of giving in. Enough was enough, Corrin thought, it was time to stop.
"Effie, I think that's enough."
She ignored him, continuing lifting, her hands shaking more as she did so. Corrin sighed.
"EFFIE!"
The shout got her attention, and she looked at him, staring him for a good while before putting down the rock. The moment she did, she slumped to the ground, her breaths ragged and heavy. Corrin rushed towards her and handed her a waterskin, which she down quickly.
"You're straining yourself too much. I was worried that rock was going to crush you, I think it's important if you take some time off tomorr-"
"No." Effie cut him off. "I have to train. I need to get stronger, I need to protect Lady..."
Her final word was cut short, and she went back to drinking her water. An awkward silence hanged in the air, and neither of them were willing to break it, lest they address that terrible day.
It was a particularly bad skirmish. A squad of invisible monsters caught them off guard and ambushed them. Though they were driven back, there were numerous injured, the most serious one being Lady Elise, who was stabbed in the shoulder.
She laid unconscious for several days before waking up, Effie staying by her side every night, apologizing to her quietly with tears on her face. When she finally woke up, the dam broke and she hugged her fiercely, as vulnerable as he'd even seen her.
Since then, she pitted herself against an even tougher training regimen, and she would often skip meals simply to train. One time she came back to camp, bruised and starved, and it was then that Corrin decided to accompany her. Convincing her to stop was not easy, so the least he could do as her husband was to stop her from pushing herself too far.
"You're pushing yourself too hard. You won't be able to save Elise if you are to exhausted for battle, or even worse, you die during your training. It's best to moderate it." Corrin finished.
Effie stayed silent looking down and feeling ashamed. "Listen...there is something I have to admit to you."
"What is it?" Corrin said, as Effie looked like she was preparing to say something terrible.
"I...during that battle...that got Elise hurt." Effie started. "You and Lady Elise...were both caught off guard, but I recovered quicker than both of you. And I...went to protect you before Lady Elise."
"W-what?" Corrin exclaimed immediately. "B-but I didn't recall fighting with you during that ambush, I remember Hinata coming beside me and-"
"That's because I was dealing with enemies behind you. You didn't have any chance to see me. Meanwhile Lady Elise...Lady Elise..." She repeated, tears welling in her eyes. "I failed her as a retainer."
"Effie..." He said, not knowing exactly what to say, because painful as it is, what she said was right. Effie is first and foremost Elise's protector, and to rush to someone else's aid was considered an unforgivable breach of duty.
"I swore that I would protect her no matter what, but when the ambush came I abandoned her. I don't deserve to live with myself." She said, her despair all the more apparent as she closed her eyes, tears welling up.
For a long while, Corrin didn't know what to say. Anything he could think of to try and lift her spirits felt like it would only make thing worst between them. And so he simply placed a hand on her back and silently consoled her, as the tears continued to flow.
Soon the silence was too much for him to bear, and he stood up and said. "Listen Effie...what you did, I don't think Elise would resent you for that."
Effie raised her head up to him. She looked so...vulnerable, nothing like the headstrong woman he fell in loved with. "B-but she almost died because of my actions."
"You can't say that. Even if you did reached her, she could have still suffered the same injuries, and nothing would have changed, or you could have been killed. What happened has happened, and nothing we can do now will change it."
"Listen." Corrin continued. "Elise is still alive, and still in need of protection. And she won't have that if you're constantly training half to death. If you truly mean to make up for that mistake, be by her side now and protect her with your life, not throw it away in self loathing."
For a moment there was silence as Effie slowly swallowed what he had to say, and finally, for what seemed like an eternity to her, she nodded slowly. "Y-you're right. She still needs me, now more than ever."
She stood up slowly, and looked upwards towards the sky. Her resolve was more apparent in her eyes, like a flicker of flame growing into a large wildfire. She raised her fist. "I swear I won't fail Lady Elise ever again." She said to no one in particular. "I'll protect her with my very life if need be, and even more than that if it keeps her safe."
"I'm glad." Corrin said as he looked at the same broad sky as her. "And I vow to keep you both safe, whatever may come. You two are family, and I vow never to let you both fall as long as I draw breath."
Effie turned to him and smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, I know that I can always count on you."
"It's what husbands are for." Corrin added jokingly. "Come on, let's go back. I'll cook you a feast, alright?"
The thought of an extravagant feast made her mouth water, and she immediately ran towards the direction of camp at breakneck speed, leaving a small cloud of dust in her wake.
Corrin smiled and chased after her. If it makes her the headstrong knight that he remembered, what's a few extra losses to their supplies?
And done, one more chapter to go before I pose the question for my future FE project. It's been quite the ride, and I'm grateful to everyone who stuck by it. -ArcanaHermit