Author's Note: Welp, here we are everyone. The entry it seems many of you have been waiting for and anticipating ever since we all bore witness to THAT scene in Chapter 8 of Book 7. I thought hard about how I wanted to portray that one scene in the context of this story, and this is the result. Hopefully, this entry will be worth the wait for you all, so let's not waste any time! I hope you all enjoy!
Jay Hayden: Aw, thank you!
FireEmblemMaster101: Very true! No, Fjorm doesn't have a Brave alt in Heroes (...yet...). After playing through Engage, I found myself surprisingly endeared to Alear (especially the female version) because of their cute, utterly baffled reactions to the antics of their comrades. Hope to finish TMS #FE as well; still enjoying the ride whenever I do manage to hop back in!
NewbieRead13: Thank you for enjoying last chapter, friend! As for the other matter regarding a certain goddess of hope's request, wait no more!
Guest: Well, you won't have to wonder for long, friend!
PrinceDoebler: While you're not wrong, one can dream. Who knows, that dream may come true for us one day!
Purple Zero: Thank you! And hey, fulfilling Seidr's "request" AND getting another Fjorm alt? Sounds like an absolute win!
Divine Misgivings
Fjorm yawned as she wandered through the Order of Hero's camp, intent on heading to her tent for a quick nap, despite it still being afternoon.
It hadn't been that long since the Order had successfully retrieved the Ár from Lady Nerϸuz and subsequently returned it to King Njӧrðr's possession. With the relic in hand, the king of Vanaheimr then directed the Order to the Light Temple in order to perform a special rite that would aid them in stopping Gullveig, with Seiðr acting as their guide. After some additional travel and a brief skirmish with more of the Golden Seer's forces, they finally arrived at the temple. Deciding everyone needed a break, Anna suggested they make camp temporarily within the temple's grounds in order to replenish everyone's strength.
As Fjorm began approaching where her tent was located, she overhead a pair of voices nearby. Since they seemed to be coming from a location near Fjorm's tent, the princess couldn't help but eavesdrop, immediately identifying the voices as belonging to Kiran and Seiðr. It wasn't long until Fjorm inevitably reached the source, spotting the summoner and the Vanaheimr goddess speaking outside of Kiran's tent.
"Pardon me, Kiran, but do you have a moment? I was hoping to speak with you about something important." The goddess asked politely. In front of her, Kiran nodded with his usual smile.
"Sure thing, Seiðr. What's up?"
Curiously, Seiðr appeared to cast a nervous glance about her before responding, "Er, might we hold this conversation in a more…private location?"
Kiran's smile quickly shifted into one of concern as he nodded. "Oh, uh, sure. We could head inside my tent if that works?" Upon receiving a confirming nod from Seiðr, the pair entered Kiran's tent, the flap closing behind them and obscuring them from Fjorm's view.
As the exchange came to a visible close, Fjorm's face settled into a deep frown. It wasn't a fact she liked to admit, but Fjorm had been wary of the Order's new ally ever since she appeared at Askr's castle. After the mysterious goddess managed to get them lost on their way to Vanaheimr, Fjorm couldn't help but present her reservations to Kiran, Anna, and the Askran siblings.
While Kiran and Alfonse took her thoughts into serious consideration, Sharena of course was quick to tease Fjorm, implying that there were other reasons why she was wary of Seiðr, to which the Nifl princess vehemently denied. Even Anna, who had her own second thoughts about Seiðr, couldn't completely hide the amused glint in her eyes upon hearing Fjorm's thoughts. Nevertheless, the group decided to continue trusting in Seiðr's guidance, and it hasn't led them astray so far.
With that interaction in mind, Fjorm took a deep breath to calm herself as she reluctantly turned her gaze away from Kiran's tent. There was no need to fear or cause any trouble, she reasoned to herself. Seiðr had proven herself to be an ally of the Order thus far, so surely that meant she was worthy of trust…right?
Fjorm paused once more after only traveling a few steps, her mind immediately latching onto that sliver of distrust. But was it truly distrust? After all, how many of the Order's current allies – even some of Fjorm's close friends – had started out as its enemies, intent on Kiran and the Order's destruction? Laegjarn and Laevatein, Eir, Reginn, the Jӧtun sisters – all initially foes before deciding to join forces with the Order of Heroes.
So, in light of all that, was Seiðr truly worthy of trust so easily?
So wrapped up was she in her musings that Fjorm was jarred to discover her standing right outside of Kiran's tent. A light blush forming on her cheeks as she quickly around her to see if anyone noticed her entranced wandering, Fjorm was relieved to see no onlookers. Turning her attention back to the summoner's tent, the Nifl princess could now faintly make out Seiðr's voice as she spoke with Kiran.
Fjorm knew she should just walk away, that she had no business eavesdropping and should have more faith in Kiran's judgment, but she found herself rooted to the spot. Taking another deep breath, Fjorm resolved to linger a little longer…just long enough to ensure there was no foul play afoot. After all, she rationalized as she leaned in slightly closer to the tent's flap, Seiðr could have lured the summoner into a private spot to threaten him, or blackmail him into some scheme, or-
"Would you create a child with me?"
"…wh-wh-WHA-"
"Gah!?"
Anna bolted upright in her cot, wide awake as she grabbed her axe which was resting nearby. She could have sworn she heard some sort of cry within the camp, which could only mean an enemy attack. Springing to her feet, the redheaded commander immediately exited her tent, taking care not to slip on the snowy ground as she made her way toward…
…wait, snow?
"Huh?" Coming to a stop, Anna observed the ground beneath her only to confirm that, yes, there was a light dusting of snow and frost blanketing the previously barren ground. Looking up, Anna gasped as she noticed a light flurry hanging in the air…along with what looked to be a miniature iceberg jutting out from a section of the camp.
"What in Askr's name…?
"Commander Anna! Come quick!"
Jerking ahead away from the bizarre sight, Anna registered Sharena rushing toward her. "Sharena! What's going on?" As the Askran princess came to a stop before her, Anna further questioned, "Are we under attack? Has Gullveig found us already?"
Sharena shook her head, a conflicted expression on her face. "N-no! It's, well, um…" At a peculiar loss for words, Sharena turned and beckoned Anna to follow her. "J-just follow me! Hurry!" Thoroughly confused, Anna nonetheless complied as she followed the flustered princess.
As they made their way through the camp – taking care to avoid patches of snow and ice – Anna began to hear shouts that gradually became louder and louder. When the pair finally reached their destination, which turned out to be where the miniature iceberg was, a strange sight greeted Anna. "What the…?"
"Fjorm! Please, calm down!"
"Let go, Alfonse!"
The scene that was playing out before Anna was nothing short of pure chaos. At the foot of the iceberg on one end was a furious Fjorm, her face set in an icy glare as she struggled against Alfonse, who was doing his best to prevent the livid young woman from escaping his grasp. Across from them, Kiran was also trying to talk down the raging princess whilst a mortified and confused Seiðr watched from behind the summoner.
"Please, Fjorm!" Kiran called out in as calm a voice as he could muster, though Anna could tell by the summoner's body language that the blatant hostility exhibited by the Nifl princess was affecting the young man. "Just let us explain-"
"Explain what, Kiran?!" Fjorm cut in, her turquoise eyes glaring fiercely past the summoner directly at Seiðr. "She was trying to seduce you!"
"Um…" Anna glanced to her side at Sharena with a look that clearly said 'explain', but all she received from the Askran princess was a clueless shrug. Sighing, Anna pinched the bridge of her nose as she began walking forward to clean up yet another mess, courtesy of the Order of Heroes.
"Um, pardon me, child of Midgard. Might I…speak with you?"
Lifting her head, a flurry of emotions swirled in Fjorm's head as she beheld her unexpected guest from where she sat on her cot. "…Seiðr. What is it?"
Timidly entering the Nifl princess' tent, the Vanaheimr goddess fidgeted uncomfortably in the presence of Fjorm. "I…wished to offer my sincerest apologies to you for what transpired today."
Fjorm sighed heavily as she shook her head and got to her feet. "No, there's nothing for you to apologize for." With an expression of genuine shame and remorse, Fjorm continued, "I am fully to blame for what transpired. I should not have been eavesdropping on you and Kiran in the first place, and I completely overreacted and endangered not only you and Kiran, but everyone in the camp." With a deep bow, Fjorm said, "Truly, there aren't any words adequate to say how truly sorry I am for my behavior towards you, Seiðr."
Upon hearing the Nifl princess' apology, Seiðr relaxed as she stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on Fjorm's shoulder, causing the Nifl princess to raise her head. "I happily accept your apology, child of Midgard. Although…" The goddess' face flushed a subtle rosy hue as she said, "I feel as though I still must offer you my own apologies. Even if my…request to Kiran was purely for the sake of Vanaheimr, I am mortified to discover that I have unintentionally encroached upon an established relationship between two mortals!"
"Wh-what?!" Fjorm couldn't help but exclaim, her own face erupting into a fiery blush at Seiðr's words. "E-established relationship? Wh-what do you mean?"
Still rosy-cheeked herself, Seiðr regarded Fjorm with confusion. "Am I mistaken? I had heard from one of Askr's children that you and Kiran were already devoted to each other. Sharena, I believe the child's name was."
"Of course," Fjorm muttered inwardly, making a mental note to have a chat with Sharena later. Instead, the Nifl princess replied, "I-It's alright, Seiðr, really. Whatever Sharena said I assure you is nothing more than exaggeration."
A dubious expression briefly flickered upon Seiðr's face before she nodded in acceptance. "As you say, child of Midgard. Nevertheless, you have my deepest apologies." With a serene smile, Seiðr added, "It is my hope that you and I could become close allies going forward."
Fjorm returned Seiðr's smile with her own as she nodded in agreement. "Yes, I would like nothing more than to do just that, Seiðr."
After a bit more conversation, Seiðr bid farewell to Fjorm and exited the tent, leaving Fjorm alone with her thoughts concerning the conversation she just had. She was glad there was no ill-will between her and Seiðr and she genuinely meant it when she expressed wanting to become close allies moving forward. However, no matter how hard she tried, Fjorm just couldn't shake that one phrase out of her head:
"Would you create a child with me?"
"A ch-child...with Kiran..."
With a thoughtful frown (and a vivid blush), Fjorm laid down on her cot once more, her gaze boring into the ceiling of her tent.
Yes, she would work hard to become better allies with Seiðr and make up for the shameful display earlier on. However…perhaps she should continue to keep a close eye on the mysterious goddess going forward.
Just in case.
Well? Did I meet your expectations and fulfill the hype? If so, great! If not...well, better luck next time. If that is the case, please accept this humble omake as a consolation gift! Have an amazing day, everybody!
"Wow, the realm of light is so pretty! I just can't get over it!" Sharena gushed as she turned to her walking companion with stars in her eyes. "Don't you think so, Fjorm?"
Fjorm nodded with a smile of her own. "It certainly is breathtaking," she agreed, taking in the intricately crafted architecture that seemed to blend almost seamlessly in with the vegetation growing all around them.
The Order of Heroes had just arrived at the Land Temple in order to retrieve the Ár of King Njӧrðr from the Vanaheimr king's sister, the land goddess Nerϸuz. According to Seiðr, Nerϸuz was allegedly a kindhearted being who adored all living creatures on the land, mortals especially. That gave the Order hope as they made their way further onto the temple grounds that perhaps this whole situation could be resolved with peaceful negotiation rather than the usual violence.
"Well, it has been such a long time since I have had guests. Why have you come I wonder?"
Immediately, all eyes turned to the direction of the unknown voice as Seiðr stammered out in surprise, "L-Lady Nerϸuz!"
Looking for herself, Fjorm was instantly amazed by the being that stood before them. Nerϸuz was…truly a sight to behold. Tall, voluptuous, and surrounded by strange floating ornaments, the land goddess regarded the members of the Order of Heroes with a focused scrutiny that for some reason unnerved Fjorm.
"Y-You!" Nerϸuz suddenly exclaimed, causing all members of the Order to reflexively tense up in anticipation. "My…my…"
"Huh? What's with that look she's giving us?" Sharena whispered to Fjorm, who kept her eyes fixed intently on Nerϸuz, wondering herself what was about to happen with a slight feeling of apprehension.
"My…how precious you all are~!"
"…what?" Fjorm questioned, her confusion clearly shared amongst everyone around her.
"...Us?" Alfonse voiced his own confusion as Nerϸuz continued to gush.
"You, children of Midgard!" The land goddess said in response to Alfonse's question. "Each and every one of you! Look at you…" With a loving expression, Nerϸuz asked, "Could you be any more adorable?" Her delighted expression then shifted to a softer look as she cooed, "You sweet little darlings…I will keep you safe!" Arms outstretched with a loving smile, the land goddess declared, "Now, come here and let me squeeze you! You don't mind, do you? Of course not~!"
"What-?"
Kiran hardly had time to even voice his question before Nerϸuz suddenly dashed forward and caught him in her arms, wrapping the surprised summoner in a tender hug that, due to the significant size difference between summoner and goddess, inadvertently pressed Kiran against Nerϸuz' generous bosom. Whether said goddess realized this or not was unclear as she giggled blissfully.
"Aw, just adorable! Look at your little face; cute even when you haven't a clue what's happening…" With obvious glee, Nerϸuz tightened her grip on the flailing Kiran as she continued, "So small, so young…so sweet! My, you children of Midgard are as adorable as ever~!"
Sharena giggled from where she stood as Alfonse, Anna, and Seiðr all watched the scene play out with expressions ranging from amused to embarrassed on Kiran's behalf. "Aw, she's got a point; Kiran looks so cute when flustered! Right, Fjorm~?"
"…dangerous…"
"Huh?" Taking her eyes off the scene before her, Sharena's eyes widened in shock upon seeing Fjorm clutching Leiptr in a death grip, the Nifl princess' expression severe as frost swirled angrily around Leiptr's blade.
"She's dangerous…" Fjorm muttered again in a low voice.
"W-Wait, Fjorm! We wanted to solve this without violence, remember? Fjorm!"