Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I hope that you all are doing your best to stay cool in this heat wave. Please stay safe!
In other news, we have officially passed the mark for this story's one year anniversary! Thank you all so much for all of your support over the course of this year. I'm so glad you all are enjoying this series so much and I hope to continue providing you all with more enjoyable content. As for this entry in particular, I wanted to post this during Valentine's Day for the Valentine's banner but oh well. It may not be in season, but I hope you all enjoy!
FireEmblemMaster101: No worries! Yep, things are getting pretty crazy in FEH as of recently; although considering the antics of the gods that we know of through mythology and pop culture, maybe the actions demonstrated by the Vanaheimr (the featured realm of the current Book) goddesses isn't as crazy as they appear.
Brian303: Thank you very much, and thanks for all your support! Maybe one day Fjorm will catch a break (but let's not hold our breath).
Jay Hayden: Maaaaaybe it's for the best no one mentions that little tidbit to Fjorm!
Purple Zero: Thank you! Don't worry, no Heroes were harmed during the course of these events! And yeah, I suppose Heidr is pretty much Lucina but slightly amnesiac. Wonder how things are going to go once everyone (Kiran included) figures out that Heidr is pretty much Kiran's magic child from the future.
Guest: Thanks! And yes, as much as I am a fan of this particular ship (if you couldn't tell by now lol), Intsys really likes to hammer it home how down bad Fjorm is for the summoner. I wouldn't mind seeing potential hints of romantic interest from certain other free OC's like Eir or Reginn to shake things up, or even some new dynamic like what they've been teasing with the banter between Seidr and Heidr regarding the summoner.
Guest: Welp, guess that theory has been confirmed. Askr better prepare itself for a potential surprise blizzard.
Love's Battlefield
"Hrahh!"
"Agh!"
Fjorm grunted as her back hit the ground beneath her, her arms quivering from withstanding the blow she had just blocked with Leiptr. With gritted teeth, Fjorm forced herself upright, intent on finishing this fight despite the soreness in her body. As the Nifl princess struggled to her feet with the help of Leiptr, she heard the boisterous voice of her opponent call out to her.
"Oho? Still got some fight in you, huh?"
Regaining her footing, Fjorm stared back at her opponent, her eyes narrowing at the grin he wore. "I…" Her face settling into a mask of determination, Fjorm raised Leiptr towards her foe and declared. "I won't lose…this fight!"
Across from her, Hector barked out a laugh. "That's the spirit! Now come on, let's put on a show to remember!" Shifting back into a fight stance, the Ostian lord hefted Armads above his head before slamming it into the earth, stretching an arm forward in challenge. "Give me all you got!"
Around them, the crowd of Heroes and civilians cheered in excitement. Despite this, Fjorm paid her onlookers little mind as she readied herself to reengage Hector. As she steadied her breathing, the Nifl princess allowed herself to briefly reflect on how she got herself in this situation.
In truth, she didn't. At least, not entirely of her own accord. No, the reason Fjorm had gotten into this bout was because of a certain blonde princess of Askr. Sharena had approached Fjorm a few days prior to the beginning of the Day of Devotion festival, encouraging her fellow princess to enter the festival's annual tournament.
Initially confused, Fjorm had at first declined the suggestion, seeing no reason to participate. That was until Sharena had mentioned the special prize given to the winner of the tournament.
"Whoever receives this prize is promised everlasting love with whoever they share it with!"
That had caught the Nifl princess' attention. Of course, all of this could have been a wildly exaggerated embellishment by Sharena and this was nothing more than an annual friendly competition overseen by the Askran royal family. However, on the off chance that Sharena was telling the truth…and the tournament's prize did ensure the winner everlasting love with whoever they chose to share the grand prize with…
Soon enough, Fjorm had found herself entered as a competitor in the Day of Devotion's annual tournament. Not only that, Fjorm earned herself victory after victory, all to obtain that special prize. Funnily enough, Sharena never mentioned what exactly the prize was. However, with each competitor she faced, it became increasingly clear to Fjorm that whatever this prize was it certainly was enough to spur many of her opponents to fight as if their lives depended on it.
Normally congenial and mild-mannered Heroes such as Lilina and Faye fought with a ferocity and focus Fjorm had never witnessed before, while other Heroes such as Alm and Ike demonstrated twice the vigor they normally displayed in combat. Nevertheless, Fjorm refused to back down, managing to overcome every challenger she was placed against until she was qualified to fight in the final round. All Fjorm had to do now was defeat this last challenger and the special prize of the Day of Devotion tournament would be hers!
"Take this!"
"Ah!"
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Fjorm yelped as she narrowly avoided another swing from Armads, lunging forward with Leiptr at Hector's unarmored torso. However, the blue-haired young man was quick to block her strike, causing her attack to harmlessly bounce off the surface of the legendary thunder axe. Capitalizing on Fjorm's loss of momentum, Hector reared back, Armads held high for a downward chop. With wide eyes, Fjorm managed to hop backward to avoid the weapon's devastating impact, before running forward to capitalize on her opponent's brief window of vulnerability.
Seeing the princess rush toward him, Hector brough up an arm to defend himself while his other arm worked to wrest Armads free from the earth. However, instead of directly attacking, Fjorm leapt forward and used Armads as a springboard to somersault over Hector, while using the flat edge of Leiptr to smack the Ostian general's head as she passed. Landing behind the stunned lord, Fjorm spun on her heel and thrust the butt of her lance toward's Hector's back.
But once again, Hector proved quick on the draw. Succeeding in withdrawing Armads, Hector yelled as he swung behind him, knocking away Fjorm's strike. Both winded, each combatant staggered briefly before clashing once more, their weapons locked together.
"Ngh, not bad! You're really giving it your all." Hector grunted as the two struggled against each other. With a smirk, he added, "Must be a really special someone for you to be fighting this hard!"
Recognizing Hector's attempts at derailing her focus, Fjorm squashed her feelings of embarrassment as she retorted in a strained voice, "I…could say the same for you."
"Ha, hardly!" Hector barked out. "I'm just here for the fights, not the prize!" His cocky smirk slipping into a casual grin, Hector admitted, "When I win this, I'll give the prize to Lilina; she'd probably appreciate it more than I would."
Despite her current situation, Fjorm chuckled. "Well, isn't that sweet of you? I'm sure she would love that."
"Hey! I ain't sweet!"
With that declaration, Hector broke the deadlock before using the hooked end of Armads to tear Leiptr out of Fjorm's hands. The princess hardly had time to be shocked before she was forced to dodge the following swing from Armads, rolling under the massive weapon. As she did, Fjorm focused her power into her hands as she briefly clasped Hector's foot, encasing it in ice before sprinting toward her fallen weapon.
After retrieving Leiptr, Fjorm took advantage of the brief respite to calculate her next move, already feeling her strength slipping away as she watched Hector free himself from her ice trap. She was outmatched, that much was obvious; Hector had the advantage of strength, experience, and weaponry. There would be no overpowering him, even if she could manage to separate him from Armads.
Fjorm took a deep breath as she considered her options before an idea came to her mind. Steeling herself, Fjorm slowly began approaching Hector, determination burning in her eyes. Noticing this subtle change, Hector flashed a wolfish grin as he spun Armads in challenge as he approached her. "Alright, let's end this!" He called out in acknowledgement.
The crowd's cheers renewed as they watched the two Heroes charge towards each other once again, eager to see who would come out victorious. Bolstered by the crowd, Hector's grin broadened as he tapped into Armads power, electricity crackling around the blade as it carved a path in the dirt. Fjorm, meanwhile, kept her eyes fixed on Hector, frost beginning to billow from Leiptr's edge as it began to leave a frozen trail behind her as she increased her pace. As the two combatants closed the gap between them, Hector raised Armads above his head as Fjorm readied Leiptr in a two-handed grip.
"Hrrah!" Hector bellowed as he made a short leap forward, preparing a devastating overhead blow.
"For the one I love!" Fjorm declared boldly as she ground herself firmly in place, prepared to face her opponent.
However, instead of the clash he was expecting, Hector watched in surprise as Fjorm sidestepped his overhead strike at the last minute. His surprise quickly changed to shock when he noticed the trail of frozen earth in front of him, a discovery that came a second too late as his foot landed on the slick surface.
"WH-WHooaaa!" The Ostian lord yelped as he began to slide forward, Armads slipping from his grasp as he automatically attempted to regain his balance. Looking back toward his fallen weapon, Hector noticed Fjorm kneeling at the other end of the frozen trail, her hand placed on the ice as she watched Hector with a triumphant smirk.
Turning his head around, Hector's eyes widened in panic upon noticing a thick slab of ice manifest in front of him, not even having a moment to cry out in surprise before his unarmored frame collided face-first into the frozen obstacle. With a groan, Hector collapsed dazed, sluggishly bringing a hand to his sore face before losing consciousness.
Fjorm breathed a sigh of relief as she stood to her feet, the crowd roaring around her. Giving a tired smile, Fjorm lifted Leiptr above her in victory.
"Well done, child."
Fjorm turned her head towards the direction of the voice, noticing the crowd behind her shuffling aside to allow the Askr royal family to approach her, all dressed in similar attire for the Day of Devotion festival. Standing at attention, Fjorm bowed her head in respect as King Gustav approached her, with Queen Henriette and the royal siblings hanging behind.
Holding up a hand to silence the crowd, Gustav then addressed Fjorm as he commanded, "Raise your head." Fjorm obediently complied, her eyes meeting the king's as he continued. "You have fought well today, princess of Nifl. Therefore, as overseer of this tournament, I hereby declare you as this year's champion of this year's Day of Devotion tournament!"
As the crowd around them broke out in cheers once more, Gustav turned aside slightly to beckon Henriette and his children to approach. As they did, Fjorm took notice of an ornate heart-shaped box the queen was holding as the king declared, "It is our honor to award you the grand prize of this tournament."
"Congratulations, dear!" Henriette said with a loving smile as she presented the heart-shaped box to Fjorm, who received it with a grateful smile of her own. To Henriette's side, Alfonse and Sharena approached the Nifl princess to offer their own congratulations.
"You did it, Fjorm! I knew you could!" Sharena cheered with a radiant expression on her face.
Alfonse nodded in agreement as he shook Fjorm's hand. "Well done, Fjorm. Congratulations on your victory."
"Th-thank you, everyone." Fjorm replied as she met the eyes of all the Askran royal family, before returning it to the prize in her hands. Curious as to what was inside, Fjorm carefully undid the decorative ribbon sealing the box before removing the lid to reveal…
"Chocolates?"
"Not just any chocolates, dear." Henriette chimed in, noticing Fjorm's perplexed expression. "These chocolates were made by Askr's most talented confectioner. The recipe used to make these treats are a family kept secret that has been passed down for generations and is only ever used for the purpose of the Day of Devotion festival." With a mischievous wink akin to her daughter, Henriette added playfully, "In fact, it's said that a couple that shares these chocolates together will be guaranteed love and happiness for the rest of their days!"
"I-I see…" Fjorm whispered, a jubilant smile spreading across her face. She knew for a fact a certain summoner would greatly appreciate these chocolates. Now all she had to do was find a secluded place to meet him and then-
"Oh, I can't wait to see who you'll present these to!" Henriette cooed with an innocent smile.
"…I-I beg your pardon?"
Nodding, Henriette explained to the confused Nifl princess, "That's right, dear. As part of the tournament's tradition, the winner of the tournament is given the chance to present their prize to their special one as a proclamation of their love." With a pleasant giggle, the queen added, "Based on your earlier shout and how hard you fought this whole tournament, it must be someone truly special!"
Fjorm blinked once, then twice in disbelief, before her eyes widened in dread as she shook her head. "I-I wasn't told about this!"
"Oh, really?" Henriette said, a concerned expression on her face. "Sharena encouraged you to enter this tournament, correct? Did she forget to mention this tradition?"
Fjorm slowly turned her gaze toward her fellow princess, who had since taken a great interest in her slippers as she fidgeted in place. That scene, as well as the disapproving scowl Alfonse directed at his sister, was all the answer Fjorm needed.
"Well, in any case," Henriette continued with a carefree smile. "Why don't you call up your special one, dear. Are they in this crowd?"
Snapping away from Sharena, Fjorm returned her attention back to Henriette, her earlier ire towards Sharena melting away into panic. "P-P-Please, wait! I can't – I can't do this!"
Henriette smiled patiently as she approached Fjorm. "Oh, dear, there's no need to be nervous. This moment is meant to be special for you and your special one." With a wistful sigh, Henriette placed a hand on her lightly blushing cheek. "Why, I still recall the day my dear husband won this very tournament and presented the prize to me! Do you recall that day, my love?"
Behind a stunned Fjorm, Gustav nodded with the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Of course, how could I ever forget?"
"Now then," Henriette declared with a clap of her hands. "Let's not keep everyone waiting!"
"I…I…um…" Fjorm looked around nervously for any sort of excuse, any form of escape from her present predicament. After a quick cursory glance at the expectant crowd around her, Fjorm blurted out in desperation, "H-He's not here!"
Admittedly, a part of Fjorm felt slightly guilty for the murmurs and expressions of disappointment from the crowd and from Queen Henriette. There was even a begrudging part of her that felt bad upon witnessing Sharena's disappointed pout, knowing the other princess only did this for her sake (even though she didn't ask for it). Despite all this, Fjorm breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the moment of panic passed.
"I'm here! I'm…hoo…I'm here…!"
Only for that panic to come right back, her heart skipping a beat before hammering away full force at the sound of that familiar voice. Hearing light cheers from the crowd, Fjorm slowly turned her head to witness the object of her affections stumble his way through the crowd, stopping mere feet before her and the Askr royals before leaning forward with a winded expression.
After catching his breath, Kiran straightened up as he looked around before asking, "Aw, man. Did I miss the tournament?"
It was King Gustav who answered first, addressing the summoner in a stern tone. "Indeed, summoner. Of course, that would not have been so had you arrived in a timely manner."
Despite her internal panic, Fjorm held back a sympathetic giggle as she watched Kiran immediately straighten up, a nervous expression on his face as he met the king's stern gaze. "W-well," Kiran stuttered, doing his best not to fidget in place under Gustav's scrutinizing stare. "I was on my way here, Y-Your Highness, b-but I kept getting stopped by people wishing me a happy Day of Devotion…and giving me presents…so many presents…" Realizing he was rambling, Kiran swallowed timidly before all but squeaking, "I'm sorry."
The tension was broken by Henriette's amused giggle as she said, "There's no need to fear, dear summoner." The queen then made her way to her husband's side before saying, "My dear husband is merely joking. Isn't that right, my love?"
At the king's brief nod and grunt of affirmation, Kiran noticeably sagged in relief, to everyone's amusement. Above the din of giggles, Alfonse could be heard commenting, "I'm afraid Kiran hasn't had the opportunity to get acquainted with father's brand of humor, Mother."
After composing himself, Kiran asked, "So, um, what's going on now?"
"Fjorm just won the Day of Devotion tournament! And~!" With a cheeky smile, Sharena made her way to Kiran's side, staring directly at Fjorm as she said with blatant enthusiasm, "She was just about to present the tournament's prize to her special someone~!"
For a brief second, Fjorm could have sworn she saw a conflicted, anxious look flicker across Kiran's face before it settled once again into his usual carefree grin as he turned to Fjorm. "Oh, really? That's great! Congrats on the win, Fjorm; wish I was here to see it for myself!"
"Erm, th-thank you, Kiran." Fjorm stammered out, nerves once again getting the best of her as she felt her face begin to warm both from Kiran's praise and from what she knew was coming next. Sure enough, the proverbial nail in the coffin came in the form of an innocent question from Kiran himself.
"So, who're you giving the prize to, Fjorm?"
This was it. There was no escape this time, at least not without publicly ruining an established Askr tradition and potentially besmirching friendly relations between the royal families of Nifl and Askr for generations to come. Fjorm became keenly aware of the countless pairs of eyes fixed solely on her, especially those of the Askr royal family and a certain curious summoner. As her face began to heat into a now likely visible blush, Fjorm bashfully gazed downward at her feet, doing her best to take calming breaths as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.
She had arrived at this point for the sake of the one she loved, and she would stand by her words.
With determined steps that hopefully hid her inner anxiousness, Fjorm strode forward, doing her best to ignore the excited murmurs of the crowd and the broadening grin of Sharena as she came to a stop in front of Kiran. Heart hammering in her ears alongside the rising exclamations from the crowd, Fjorm presented the box of chocolates to a visibly shocked Kiran, barely managing to stutter out, "K-Kiran, I p-present this Day of Devotion prize…to you."
A hush instantly fell over the crowd as all present waited with bated breath to see what Kiran would do next. Fjorm herself fought the urge to bite her lip in nervousness as she awaited Kiran's response.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kiran nodded as he raised his hands to accept the box of chocolates. As he did, although she wouldn't dare admit it aloud, Fjorm felt her heart flutter anew as she witnessed a subtle blush form on Kiran's cheeks, visible only to her thanks to Kiran's hood. "Um, o-ok. I-I mean-!" Kiran quickly reiterated as his usually composed voice raised slightly. "Yes! I, er, accept!"
Around them the crowd roared in approval, causing the blushes on both the Summoner's and Nifl princess' cheeks to darken a shade in embarrassment. Off to the side, Sharena excitedly clutched Alfonse's arm in unrestrained excitement while said prince merely smiled appreciatively at the scene before him.
Throughout all this, Fjorm fidgeted silently in place, feeling as if a massive weight had been lifted off her. That feeling of weightlessness increased when she beheld the summoner investigate the box further, his entire countenance lighting up as he beheld the chocolate within, bringing a radiant smile to Fjorm's own features. While the method was certainly underhanded, perhaps Fjorm would make the time to thank Sharena for her meddling. But for now, the Nifl princess was content to just bask in the glow of the moment, confident that nothing could disrupt her current elation.
"Here, Fjorm. Try one!"
"Oh! U-Um…!" Fjorm sputtered, her previous tranquil mood instantly shattered when Kiran offered one of the chocolates to her with an innocent smile on his face. It occurred to Fjorm that Kiran must not have been told about the tradition involving these chocolates either, nor the implications of his actions. However, not wanting to be rude, Fjorm bashfully accepted the chocolate from Kiran's hand, pointedly ignoring the squeal of delight from Sharena as she popped the confection into her mouth. It was sweet, not unlike the individual it came from.
"Now, kiss!"
"What?!" Fjorm squeaked at the teasing demand from Sharena. Her surprise at the brazen comment soon turned to horror as said demand was quickly echoed amongst the onlookers, causing Fjorm to bury her face in her hands to hide her mortified blush. Beside her, Kiran blinked in stunned silence, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as Sharena began to playfully push Kiran toward Fjorm whilst Alfonse shook his head in defeat at his sister's antics. Henriette, meanwhile, watched the scene unfold with an amused chuckle as she clutched the arm of her husband, thinking to herself how wonderful young love was.
"Urrgh…"
A few feet away, Hector began to stir, groaning as he slowly propped himself up into a sitting position on the ground. After regaining his bearings, the blue-haired lord looked around in confusion at the rambunctious crowd, eventually catching a glimpse of an irate – and blushing – Fjorm berating a laughing Sharena as Kiran stood awkwardly to the side of the two girls while holding a heart-shaped box, the rest of the Askran family watching with expressions of varying amusement.
"H-Hey, what'd I miss…?"