A/N: Back a little earlier than I expected, but I was able to get things done as I wanted to and relax a fair bit as well. This is one of two Interludes chapters that will be back to back before things snap back to Nicola's perspective and the Shepherds return from their trek to Regna Ferox. Then I can get the ball really rolling, so to speak, and more of the divergences become noticeable. Next chapter will come on the usual day not this coming weekend, but the following one. If my backlog does get big enough, I'll think about dropping a few chapters on the same day from time to time. I'll need to right a smidge faster before that, however.
If you do like this story and want to find more stories by other authors that don't necessarily write Fire Emblem related stories, swing by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord Server (Code: 9XG3U7a). There are plenty of brilliant writers there in the process to telling their own stories or having already told their stories and it's a pretty nice place. They also have a Podcast on Spotify called the Fanfiction Treehouse Podcast and a YouTube channel by the same name if those interest you. With that, onto the Interlude.
Kiran was similar to what Anna remembered, though he appeared to have taken on some additional baggage. His calm demeanor was gone, thanks to a bit of prodding and a lot of getting in his way on her part, which was a good thing for her. The more unbalanced the summoner was, the more he tired himself out as he grew more and more frustrated with her. Conversely, that meant that he was less likely to reach his red haired friend and, without meaning to, do something thoughtless or wholly unnecessary.
Her sister had mentioned him a lot in their conversations after he'd appeared, sometimes infuriated with him and other times stressing over his well being because he tended to overwork himself without realizing it. It had been years since she'd heard her sister so animated and actually happy, even if that happiness was often buried under layers of stress and a great deal of worrying. Then she died, rejecting an out for herself to stay with her dwindling number of allies, fighting alongside Kiran and the Order of Heroes to do what she believed was just. And yet here he was, alive and... not quite well. Judging by the look of things, he wasn't quite happy about that.
Anna remembered their first meeting. Was it two years ago? She'd traveled so much and seen so many things that the passage of time lost its meaning to her. Still, she remembered that day well as she sidestepped a charge that split the wind. It had been at a beach along Askr's coast, after she and several of her sisters met. They'd just finished determining their cut of any gold Anna, the commander, made from selling pictures of the heroes from their world. That was to say, they destroyed any chance she'd do more than break even from selling the pictures- especially considering she'd inadvertently revealed the existence of the Instant Portrait Device to her order. The look on her face had been priceless, though she'd quickly covered her dismay and laughed it off. Perhaps they'd been a bit too hard on her then.
The guardian vaulted over a slash from Kiran, less from the spear he held and more from the wave of wind that followed it, as she reminisced. She landed with the grace of a cat, floating just above the ground as she focused on staying afloat with her own magic. It was rather unfortunate that the wind was listening to him, it made him far more obnoxious than she really cared to deal with at the moment. Still, his current level of skill wasn't worth her full focus, not when he wasn't bringing the full brunt of it to bear, just some here and there. Instead, Anna continued her recollection.
Once her sister had been rather thoroughly chastened, the guardian decided to follow after her just to make sure it was clear that there were no hard feelings. When the two of them arrived at the Askran beach, there was mild confusion from the Order of Heroes. They'd never met a second Anna before then, so it was somewhat disconcerting to most of them. The only one who didn't seem phased in particular was Kiran, though he was under the assumption that they were twins rather than years apart. The guardian went with it then, finding it flattering, much to her sister's chagrin. Back then Kiran had still worn the coat that appeared when he arrived in Askr, so it was rather difficult for her to make out his features, neon blue eyes aside. His eyes were currently the color of molten metal, blazing brightly as light the color of the night sky gathered around him and his weapon. He let out a battle cry and surged towards her, indigo and violet energy swirling around him as an earsplitting boom erupted from his previous position.
This, she would need to take somewhat seriously. It wasn't something that happened often, outside of spars against Phila and some of the veteran warriors that wandered the land, but it was often because her opponent was doing something dangerous. In this case Kiran was going to hurt himself unknowingly, the power buried within him dangerously close to boiling over. She still hadn't figured out what that power was in the first place, only that it was both feral and deadly calm at once.
With a sigh, Anna blinked the memory of the beachside meeting away and readied herself. Kiran reached her in less than a second, the swirling energy around his weapon gathering towards its tip and exploding outwards in spindly beams of dark light as he thrust the training spear forward. The guardian expertly sidestepped the attack then hopped away as the summoner changed his grip on the cracked and burnt weapon and pivoted into a sweep. The sweep itself was powerful enough to buffet Anna with the wind pressure alone and no doubt would have had her sailing through the air had it made direct contact with her, but that wasn't the concerning aspect of the attack. The concerning part was the ring of ethereal thorn-like blades and barbed chains that erupted around Kiran as he made his full rotation, extending past the wall of wind like a row of jagged teeth.
Anna had to put a bit more effort into dodging that: the full range of each of the blades was longer than it appeared to be, their actual ends invisible to the naked eye. When the blades vanished, Anna paused for a moment before switching to the offensive and closing the distance between herself and Kiran. She'd fought far too many opponents that had similar techniques, where the attack would fade from view while remaining in place with the hopes of catching any unsuspecting opponents off guard and maiming them. She'd been the unsuspecting one on many occasions in her youth and had suffered from it enough times to become cautious.
Her caution was rewarded when she didn't feel invisible blades pierce her flesh as she closed in on the summoner. He attempted to leap back, but Anna wasn't going to let him now that he'd earned her attention. She accelerated, blurring into existence in his face poised to deliver a kick that would shatter his sk- Knock him senseless, she corrected as she adjusted her strength accordingly. It wasn't a surprise to her when Kiran managed to mitigate the brunt of the hit, choosing to flow with the attack rather than resist it and have his jaw broken, she hadn't had enough time to fully commit to the weaker strike. She still sent him skidding back and closed the distance before he could recover in full, smashing through the center of his weapon with the tip of her own.
She was rewarded with a surge of what felt like spine chilling lightning flowing through her as the wooden spear splintered. Her own spear fared no better, its head snapping on impact with Kiran's chest, which was unfortunate for several reasons. The most apparent reason was when the red light that had been gathering steadily in her weapon exploded outwards in a blinding flash, sending both of them sprawling as the remainder of her spear was vaporized. The lesser reasons were lost on Kiran, who managed to rise to a knee and clutch his chest as black and blue sparks gathered around his form. Conversely, Anna felt like she was on fire from the backlash, but was able to blot out the pain as she rose to her feet and pointed at Kiran.
"Yield," she commanded, voice devoid of all emotion.
Kiran let out a deep growl in response, eyes flashing a myriad of colors, but she could tell it wasn't directed towards her. With what felt like great effort, he pushed down the power Anna could feel trying to claw its way to the surface, then buried it as far down as he could. He took a ragged breath and buried the power deeper still, at which point his eyes settled on an earthen brown.
"It appears my temper nearly got the best of me," he managed, bowing his head.
"Not nearly, Kiran-"
"Nicola," the summoner interrupted. "My name is Nicola. I may have gone by Kiran in Askr, but that was never my real name."
"And Nicola is," Anna asked, unconvinced. There was more to it than that from the way his voice had grown sullen and his eyes never left the ground.
"It's the closest thing to it," he answered after a moment. "It may have been Nichol, it may have been Nicolas. That's hazy and Nicola was the best middle ground. My family name, I never forgot."
So Apollonia was his last name then. It had sounded far too fancy to have been made up on the spot and Kiran- Nicola- was a terrible liar. He had a good poker face, though that was much harder to say without that coat of his hiding his face, and he could control his tone well, but his eyes told you everything. They were green when he was excited or interested in something, deep blue when he was curious, and amber when incensed. She wasn't sure why his eyes were brown now: they'd been neon blue, with or without his hood up, on Zenith. Perhaps that had to do with him being alive when he should not have been, from what she had gathered.
He didn't have the putrid scent of agonizing death on him that undead had or the pungent scent of decaying soil or fetid water that Terrors had, ruling him out as either. He also didn't have the cloying scent of wilting flowers, honey and freshly tilled soil that permeated the battlefield where she'd found the remains of the Order of Heroes. The remains of those who had their bodies intact at least. No, he had the scent of a human and something else as he did back on Zenith, something like ash, smoky wood and lightning mixed in with the mundane scent of days old bread most humans had. That had always been something that caught her and her sister's attention. They could never pinpoint what that other scent was, though perhaps her sister found out later. Still, his scent was less important than him being alive when he very well shouldn't have been or stopping him from being an idiot.
"Do you know why I chose to impede you," the guardian asked.
"Because I was going to do something unreasonable in the heat of the moment?"
Anna hummed in response. That and it was fun, for how short the battle was, but she wouldn't tell him that. Instead, she gestured for him to elaborate.
"And because my input would have been unnecessary to Cordelia?"
"Nope, try again."
"Anna, I may be calm now, but I'm in no mood for guessing games." Nicola gave her a cross look. That was fair, best to not antagonize him further when he wasn't in the best frame of mind. She wasn't worried about him attacking, so much as pushing him to become uncooperative.
"Listen closely because I'm not a fan of repeating myself unless I'm being paid a pretty penny to do so," she explained. "It's twofold. The first thing was correct: you were going to do something foolish and utterly unnecessary to help out your friend. She doesn't need that and your involvement would no doubt make things far messier compared to you going and trying to comfort her or be supportive."
"So finding the people that attacked Cordelia and their employers is unnecessary?"
"No, that's absolutely necessary. The issue therein is that you're like me and lack finesse when it comes to helping people you value."
"And I'm in the wrong for wanting to do so, then?" His eyes flashed a very hostile vermillion as the guardian tutted.
"No, I didn't say that. I didn't hear you denying me calling you her friend, so I imagine you value her and care. Enough to get angry over, but perhaps not as much as Sh-"
"I'd rather you not mention that name," the summoner bit out, eyes flaring brighter for just a moment. He took a deep breath. "I don't think Cordelia and I are friends, but she's the closest thing I have to one in the halidom at the moment, aside from your sister and Jake. Seeing one of the people that treats me like an ordinary person hurt wasn't exactly pleasant, especially when I put together the pieces of things after the fact."
"And thus you would have caused a large commotion of sorts, perhaps earning a title akin to my 'Wall Smasher' moniker. One that you pointedly did not wish to acquire, I might add."
"You've made your point."
"Have I? I believe I could go into more detail if you need." She gave Nicola a very sharp look. He matched her look with one of his own. "Regardless of that, the second reason was simple: I have several questions that you need to answer, although I can wait for you to ensure your friend is alright first. Once that is done, you will answer my questions honestly and to the best of your ability, is that understood?"
Nicola nodded slowly, perhaps bitterly. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what the guardian was curious about, but whether or not he had the answers she sought was a different matter entirely.
Lissa was bored. The Shepherds had arrived in Regna Ferox nearly a week ago, after a few harrowing encounters in the cold and a violent encounter once they'd arrived at the border between Ylisse and the cold nation. After the large misunderstanding between the border guards and the Shepherds had been cleared, the band had been taken to meet the East-Khan and had been inducted into a tournament to choose the next ruling Khan of the nation, at which point Virion chose to part with them to take care of 'personal business', but not before promising to return to them once he'd finished up.
Lissa wasn't a participant in the tournament, her lacking combat capabilities ensured that. Instead, she had to "watch" her brother, Robin, Frederick and Sully fight against mercenaries and Feroxi warriors- except it was less watching and more listening because the place she sat had no visibility of the arena. More annoying was the fact that she wasn't allowed to change seats, she was the designated healer of the Shepherds and the healer who'd been assigned to aid her was also here.
The tournament was supposed to be reaching its conclusion in a few days' time, and it looked like the Shepherds were guaranteed a victory, unless the champions of the West-Khan were stronger than the duos that were Robin and Chrom or Frederick and Chrom. The Shepherds hadn't quite decided on their team for the final round, though apparently it was supposed to be a three way battle in a different section of the arena city. Lissa only hoped she'd actually be able to spectate those matches.
"I do believe we will be able to watch the final few matches, dear," the other healer smiled, voice honeyed and breathy. Lissa didn't like her one bit, though she begrudgingly respected her as a superior in the art of healing. She was everything Lissa wasn't: tall, voluptuous and confident in herself, with talents in the magical arts that were a mix of incredible skill and even more natural prowess. She had flowing locks of magenta hair arranged in a long ponytail with asymmetrical bangs and a single braid on the right side of her face, with eyes the color of red wine and an unblemished porcelain-like complexion. She wore a simple black dress that flaunted her figure in a way that dared people to look at her. Lissa was surprised more than anything that she wasn't cold in that attire, the chill of harsh Feroxi winter made the princess shiver despite her wearing far more layers than the other woman.
"I'd hope so," Lissa huffed, looking away from the taller woman. "Things have been rather boring, hearing all of these grand fights in the background, but being back here and only hearing things happen hasn't made things better."
The other woman hummed thoughtfully. "I can see that being... bothersome. In my homeland, a princess such as yourself would have been allowed as much entertainment as she desired. Things were more fantastical there and you would have seen more people like your pegasus riding companion fighting alongside the East-Khan's daughters against Wyvern Riders and beast folk or all of them together against constructed beings of steel and steam. Magic, bright and dark, would decorate the sky in a myriad of colors and shift the landscape from a pristine icefield to a burning plain of scorched earth and further into a field of flowers of all colors. It was a lovely sight, if you can imagine it all."
Lissa could, which was annoying. She felt like she'd been in a place similar to that before, perhaps in a dream that felt all too real. That was another reason she disliked the other woman, aside from the fact that she'd never introduced herself as royalty to her. It felt like she could see into the princess' mind at a moment's notice, without any form of resistance. There was that and the aura she gave off, it felt wrong to say the very least.
The brief instant that she'd brushed hands with the red haired woman had been terrifying to say the least. It was akin to being pulled into an ever spinning tapestry stained with blood ink depicting the fall of cities and mass hysteria. At its very core the woman stood, gesturing towards the princess with an inviting look on her face. It took most of Lissa's willpower to not be drawn in and the rest to school her expression in vain. The magenta haired woman had noticed and gave a knowing smile. Clearly she was dangerous, but Lissa wasn't sure what would happen if she warned her companions- something terrible no doubt.
"Heya, Miss Lissa, Lokke, we're back," called a familiar voice as the Shepherds rounded the corner along with the redhead's companions. Chrom was always a reassuring sight, as was Frederick. Both looked a little scuffed, but not much worse for wear. Sully looked slightly worse off, sporting a bruise under one eye and a few scrapes.
"You should see the other guy," she snorted as Lissa raised an eyebrow, the quiet tension building around her gradually fading. "But more importantly, Rob's in a bad spot."
"One of their sword fighters got me," the tactician struggled to explain. "They were a little too fast and hit a little too hard for my guard to stop them in full. Still managed to take them down and keep myself in the fight, but that green sword of theirs hurt far more than it should have. I'm going to sleep like a rock the moment I get back to the guest quarters."
The Princess looked over to the tactician, leaning on one of Lokke's companions for support as she hobbled over. The silver haired woman looked exhausted and was drenched in sweat. A deep red splotch had spread across her coat near its shoulder area. On closer inspection, it was clear that she'd been stabbed by something small and sharp near her armpit, which meant things were going to be somewhat difficult: there was going to be a great deal of bleeding and Robin did not take well to healing magic as she was now.
"You're going to eat and drink a lot of water before you do," Lissa reprimanded, moving to Robin's side to inspect the injury more closely. From her new position, Lissa was able to see that whatever had stabbed Robin had left a smaller wound before, but it looked like something had happened since then, causing the injury to expand like something had eaten away at its sides from the inside out. The princess blanched, whatever weapon had done that had been thoroughly unpleasant. "Morgan, keep her steady. Sully, you make sure she doesn't crack her head open if she faints."
"Got it," Sully nodded while Morgan shifted Robin's weight to better support her. Of all of Lokke's companions, he was the most normal of them, aside from the fact that he insisted that Robin was his mother when they first met. Being fair he had a number of similar features to the silver haired woman, like the same red eyes and facial structure, the same complexion and the same tics. The teen was even an amnesiac tactician, on par with Robin as she was perhaps a few days prior before the fires of competition entered her eyes. Their coats were entirely identical, bar a bit more wear on Morgan's. The only real difference between the two was the fact that Morgan had dark hair with a discolored stripe running through it while Robin's hair was entirely silver.
Once Sully also had a hold of Robin, Lissa went to work. Lokke watched on, more content to let the princess work and offer advice than provide any form of help. She claimed it was to improve Lissa's capabilities as a healer. Lissa knew she was correct, but also felt that the other woman didn't believe this level of work was worth her time. Was it cowardly, then, to go along with that when she wasn't sure of the consequences for speaking out? She hoped not...
Healing Robin's shoulder was a bloody affair. The first thing the princess went about doing was removing the tactician's coat to get a better look at the wound, then went about cleaning it with sterilized water and cloth. The odd shape of the injury made sealing it more difficult than it should have been in the first place, looking like a small hole in her shoulder that had its edges eaten away at. More than that, however, was the fact that Robin didn't have enough energy to burn for the healing process to work.
Lower tier healing spells like the one Lissa was using took a bit of the caster's vitality and used it to accelerate the target's natural healing processes. That in turn used some of the target's energy, generally using a negligible amount for smaller injuries. More severe injuries required more energy and often left the target of such a healing spell famished or extremely exhausted, but that was what the more powerful healing spells were meant to cover. In cases like Robin's the healer would need to provide more of their vitality to make up for the target's lack of energy, which came with its own set of problems. For one, it was significantly less efficient and was incredibly draining for the healer. More importantly, it could leave the healer in a vulnerable position or in similar shape to their patient if they drew too much from their vitality to heal.
In this particular case Lissa had more than enough vitality to fuel the spell, but that didn't make it any less exhausting for her as she used her newly acquired staff as a focus. Soon sweat was dotting her brow and her brother was holding her upright to keep her steady on her feet. That was when the princess learned of the worst part of the injury: it did not want to stay closed.
"That's not normal," Chrom commented as the fully sealed injury reopened itself along Robin's shoulder, nearly as large as before. "Frederick, you recognized that weapon, did you not?"
"Aye, that was a Wyrmsbane blade," the knight answered, observing Robin carefully as he spoke. Whatever reaction he was looking for, he did not see. "Despite it's rather unorthodox design, I would recognize a blade that color without fail."
"Are they magical," Lissa asked, focusing on sealing the injury once more, breathing deeply as the wound seemed to resist her efforts.
"Only enchanted to pierce more easily through a wyvern or dragon's scales, but to a lesser degree than the Falchion is. Even against a Manakete, one wouldn't cause this sort of harm."
So there was something else at play then. Lissa furrowed her brow, focusing more on sealing the injury only for it to tear open again. At the very least, Robin didn't cry out, but she was nearly as pale as snow at this point. Perhaps it was time for Lissa to try her new spell.
"Frederick, Chrom, catch me if I faint." That was the only warning the princess gave before grasping the gem on her staff and focusing on it. Lissa considered herself to be a somewhat versatile healer, though not the best. She didn't have the sheer skill that Maribelle had or the raw talent that Emmeryn had honed to an exemplary degree, but she was competent. She'd worked her buns off learning and teaching herself until she could at least somewhat compete with her best friend due to the sheer number of things she had learned. In this particular case, she chose to use a spell that she'd rather recently grasped.
Lissa drew from her memories at death's door. It was a hazy, hot feeling that made her heart beat irregularly in her chest. There was creeping cold and a sickly sweet scent in the air as holes formed in her vision then. The silver scar across her chest burned as her eyes began to glow, at first the color of polished emeralds that gradually bled to a deep azure. Her breathing hitched and she had to balance on her staff as the edges of her vision clouded and her consciousness threatened to leave her. Fortunately, she was stubborn.
Chrom called out to her, but the princess tuned him out as she sharpened her focus and intent. The heat and cold clashed in her veins as she relived what she remembered from the night the Risen appeared. She tuned them out as well, they weren't what she needed. No, the feeling she needed was the moment where it dawned on her that she would die if she didn't try to hold on. The need to fight, the spark of hope. The Glimmer of Life.
It was like an ember. Alone and without kindling, it was weak and could easily be snuffed out. When nourished, tended carefully and encouraged, the ember would grow rapidly into a roaring flame that was near impossible to extinguish. That was the same power healers and clerics drew on, often combined with the power of one's faith in the divine. Lissa did not. Lissa drew on a handful of the raw essence of life, of the willpower and strength inherent to living beings. It was like a golden flame, nurturing and warm despite being so hot it made her vision flicker and her breathing hitch. She focused herself again, feeling her legs knock into one another as she unleashed a simple spell. It was neither a great and terrible work of magic nor was it a grand miracle that would make the heavens tear themselves open, It was simply Mending.
When Lissa came to, Frederick had a cross look on his face, as did Robin and Sully. Chrom looked torn between relieved and upset and the other Shepherds were at various other points of the emotional spectrum. At least Robin's shoulder was fine now, the once deep and corroded looking hole in her flesh replaced by angry red skin.
"I may have overdone things," the princess gasped. Perhaps Mend was a bit beyond what she was capable of doing at the moment, at least compared to Heal and the other spells at her disposal. That took more out of her than Physic did, but then Physic was just her casting Heal from afar. Mend actually healed more effectively than either of the other healing spells she'd learned, but it was apparently beyond what she could reasonably do at this point. So she was going to do it again and again until she was no longer taxed by casting it. That would have to wait until Frederick finished admonishing her, though.
"Lady Lissa, that was reckless," the knight began. "While I'm glad you gave a warning in the event that you fainted, which you did, you should do your best to not bring yourself to that point if you can help it. It's reckless and you could have been hurt had your brother and I not been ready to catch you."
"Can't have you passing out and getting hurt trying to patch us up," the redhead agreed, tone reproachful and gentle in one. "Don't go doing anything that puts you at any unnecessary risk. We don't want to nearly lose you a second time."
"I have to agree with Frederick and Sully," Robin shakily breathed, still pale. She needed to replenish her energy rather than talk, but she must have felt it was necessary. "While I do appreciate you healing me, please don't do so at any expense to yourself."
At no expense to herself? Healing was all about helping others at one's own expense. The weaker spells took small amounts of one's vitality, while the intermediate and more advanced spells were much more likely to physically tax the caster. They were like Dark magic in that regard, where there was a cost associated. The difference was that Dark magic would damn your soul while healing magic would send you to an early grave if you were too careless... Which was exactly what she had been.
The retort that was about to spring forth died on her tongue. She was doing it again, valuing herself less than everyone else around her. She needed to stop doing that, but it was difficult to do when she wasn't that important in the grand scheme of things. Sure, she would need to lead the halidom if both her brother and sister died, but that was unlikely before they had their own children and passed the throne down to them. She wasn't even certain she was a legitimate child, what with her lacking the Mark of the Exalt. What if she was a fake, some child adopted in the place of another in the royal family? Her mother had died shortly after she was born, before she could even remember her face, and there had been an illness sweeping through the halidom then. Maybe the real Lissa Lowell had died from that illness and she'd been taken as a replacement. That would have explained the dark glares her father sent her way when he thought she wouldn't notice, beyond her being the 'ordinary' child of the-.
"Lissa?"
The princess blinked. Ah. Her mask was cracking. That wouldn't do.
"M-my bad," she managed, pulling herself together before her wild, negative emotions burst forth like a flood. That had been close. "I got frustrated and I didn't want Robin to stay injured, especially if she's going to be fighting in the final round."
Chrom, Frederick and Robin exchanged looks. They hadn't said anything about that yet, but that had been the plan without a doubt. Frederick, despite being the overall better choice, didn't fare well against mages and neither did Sully, which was an issue when the East-Khan's champions consisted of Marth and one of his two daughters and the third faction had Morgan as one of their two representatives. Morgan, who showed enough proficiency with magic to make Miriel curse and was fast enough to keep up with master swordsmen to a degree. Apparently that was all from Robin, if he really was her son. Lissa doubted it, he was more than likely her brother though.
They didn't know much more about the other participants in the final bout. Marth was Marth, so enigmatic and taciturn. His partner was the elder daughter of the East-Khan, but no one who had seen her fight was willing to divulge any information about it. Then there was Morgan's partner, Sieg. Morgan had no idea how the taller man fought when "serious," only that he was wickedly fast and was able to wield the claymore he carried around in either hand without issue. When asked more about that, Lokke chimed in.
"Morgan was much more focused on surviving our trip here than watching Sieg fight," the magenta haired woman said with a serpent's smile. "I believe he will give you and Marth a tough time, however."
At least Sieg and Morgan weren't there to decide the ruling Khan, they were there for the challenge of it and the supposed reward in store for the winners. If they managed to win, the ruling Khan would be decided by which of the other pairs of warriors had lasted longer. Not that Chrom or Robin had any plans for giving up without a fight. If they lost, they'd bleed their opponents as much as they could, within reason.
Once the tournament was settled, with the Shepherd's victory or defeat, they would stay another couple of weeks to wait out the final throes of the Feroxi winter, then return to the halidom. Lissa hoped they were triumphant, otherwise the majority of this trek would have been for nothing.
Lucina was having a small crisis in the room she'd been given. She hadn't done anything major to adjust the flow of history yet and there were already large changes that she noticed. For one, Nicola had been found much earlier than he had been in her timeline. Back then, he'd fallen from the sky and nearly flattened her aunt after the Exalt had been assassinated, but here he'd been found shortly after Robin. Unfortunately, that was one of the smaller changes.
The group of three people accompanying Morgan weren't supposed to be here. Not Seig, not Aria and especially not Loki, or Lokke as she was calling herself. How that witch had gotten here was a mystery, but she brought trouble wherever she went. At the very least, her companions, if they could be called that, seemed to know that about her and watched her like a hawk, Aria in particular. That didn't make them any less strange. If anything, Morgan was the least strange of them and he was just as much of an airhead as he'd been back home, he was just a head taller and had managed to lose his memory. Sieg knew her from somewhere, he'd revealed as much when they very briefly crossed blades after he arrived, but she couldn't recall him in the slightest. Aria was similar, though they hadn't fought. Instead the cloaked woman began to speak then stopped herself and hurried off. She'd done that every time they'd crossed paths since. At the very least, neither of them caused her blade to react, so they weren't dogs of the Fell Dragon.
Perhaps the biggest change was the fact that Basilio had two daughters in this world, not just Olivia. The East-Khan's elder daughter, Aerie, was to be her partner in the coming battle against her father, Robin, Sieg and Morgan. It was rather irritating that she knew very little about the woman except for the fact that she wasn't human. That much had been made clear when she'd downed an entire keg of Feroxi Fire Wine in a single sitting and hadn't been the slightest bit drunk afterwards. If she hadn't fought and bested Lon'qu before she met Aerie, Lucina would have despaired at dropping into a world where he didn't exist. The Shepherds needed someone like him to help them shape up before the Plegian War began.
"Marth, is everything alright?" Speaking of Aerie, she'd just arrived. Thankfully, the Khan's daughter had the wherewithal to knock before entering the room, giving Lucina enough time to toss on her mask and clear her throat.
"Just a-" The time traveler coughed as her voice came out far too close to its proper tone. "Just a moment!" Her attempt was much better this time, if perhaps a bit too deep now. She'd adjust a bit more as needed. The future princess quickly opened the door and was greeted by a smiling Aerie.
The Khan's daughter had plum colored hair that fell to her mid back and grass green eyes. She had a slightly tanned complexion and an always sunny sort of expression. She was Lucina's height, slightly taller due to her hair, but wasn't as toned or thin as the future princess. She wore a white sundress with golden lining, with disconnected sleeves that were made of a translucent dark material and stockings made of the same material. A pure white cloak with a midnight colored interior was draped over her shoulders, accompanied by a matching scarf and a small pendant with a blue stone in its center. Completing the outfit was a pair of short grey leather boots with silver buckles.
"Did you need something, Aerie," Lucina asked, then feigned coughing to adjust her voice further.
"I was coming to see if you were willing to practice for the match in a few days. We need to put our best foot forward if we're going to beat the East-Khan's champions and those travelers, after all." The young woman tilted her head. "But if you are under the weather I can see if we have any medicine to help you feel better instead."
Oh. She hadn't expected Aerie to be so kind honestly. In that regard, she was like Olivia, except far less timid and by no means a dancer. If anything, she was some form of mage, which didn't bode well against at least three of their opponents. Robin may not have been in the best shape, but her father certainly was and Sieg had nearly gotten her to draw on the power in her blood in their brief exchange. Then there was Morgan, who appeared to have most of his magical skill and a decent amount of skill with a blade despite lacking his memory. There was also very little doubt that all four of her opponents had an ace or two up their sleeves. Being fair, she did as well. She would, however, need to work with her partner before the match came because she very well couldn't take on four skilled warriors at once and expect to come out unscathed.
"No, no, I'm fine," Lucina replied, her voice now where she wanted it. "It would be imperative to get some practice in, if only to see what we are capable of together and apart in addition to devising a strategy for the battle."
They would need one for both Robin and Morgan at the very least.
"If you're certain," Aerie nodded. "Come with me, I know just the place where we can practice and go all out, no holds barred!"
"Is that wise?" Lucina wasn't sure she wanted to go all out, but the plum haired girl insisted. Apparently there weren't a good number of people she could spar against because she was stronger than she looked. The only reason it was her and not Lon'qu accompanying the princess to battle was because Lon'qu was still on the mend from his battle against Lucina. That and the fact that Robin was participating as her father's partner. So long as things didn't change at the last moment, she could work something out.
Lucina was led through the many tunnels and rooms comprising Arena Ferox, with the East-Khan's daughter guiding her along. It was a good thing Aerie chose to wear nearly all white, else the princess would have lost track of her within moments with how fast she turned down corridors or went through doors while other people walked to and from their own destinations. Soon, Lucina found herself in a smaller looking arena carved from white stone. Numerous torches rested along the walls, each of them flaring to life as Aerie and the future princess entered.
"This is the place," the white clad woman announced, her voice echoing surprisingly little. "It's sturdier than it looks, I've tested it with a lot of things just in case. We can go all out here and not worry about many people coming by. Maybe father, sister and possibly Lon'qu when he's feeling up for it, but no one else."
"I see." Lucina nodded. She could go all out here to test her partner's skills, but it was a much better choice to ask for a demonstration from her partner first. And so she did.
The results were... terrifying. Lucina wasn't sure how someone her size had so much raw strength at her disposal. It was like watching Nah rampage, but more compact in size and much much faster. The affinity for Light magic also helped out, though that was more contested. If Robin knew how to interrupt and take control of spells at this point, that could have been problematic to say the least. It would be just as bad if Morgan picked up on that in the middle of the battle as well, but it couldn't be helped. That being said, Aerie was in better physical shape than the both of them combined and then some, possibly more in shape than Lucina herself. Regardless, Aerie was as strong as all can get and Lucina could work with that, they'd just need to work on their cohesion. So they did, working for the next few hours on covering one another's weaknesses and a new trump cared in the event they needed it.
That night the stars shined bright, one in particular glowing like a beacon in the night sky. In one area, its light enveloped a trio of warriors, binding two together under the guidance of the other. In another area, the light reached a young woman who looked to the sky for answers she felt would never come. Across the way, the light touched a training duo, a princess from a bleak future carrying the weight of responsibility and wish of a dead world on her shoulders and a much smaller beacon of eternal light. Of those few, only the beacon noticed the star's shine and clutched the stone around their neck in response, uttering a small prayer for someone thought to be long gone.
"Father... watch over me. I'll make you proud..."
And yet the star's light did not stop shining simply for them. Across the sea sat a ruler of steel and war, clad in crimson that was as much his armor and the blood of those who had challenged his path. To him the star was an omen, a sign of things changing. He would need to move faster. His search for the blade of legend had turned up futile once more and the only reason he allowed the worm spying on him to live was because he'd been outed unknowingly. He was dangerously close to outliving his usefulness.
Elsewhere, the starlight took on a malevolent tint, coinciding with the culmination of a ritual that called forth a servant of the one who slumbered beneath the earth. The dark figure stood, eyes spilling light the color of rubies as it gazed around the ritual chamber in utter apathy. This would have to do for now, while its master bided their time and rested in the deepest recesses of the dark, growing and forever changed by a revelation they'd been given. The slack jawed High Priest would need instruction however, instructions he would follow to the letter or meet his end for disobeying.
The final ones to be touched by the star's light was a band of mercenaries marching through a forest. Their leader cared not for the light and the omen they brought, his interest rested solely in facing a strong opponent like his second in command. His second in command did care for the light and the tale of fortune and woe it weaved with its light.
"The Star of Destiny doth shine," she recited, tightening the clasp on her cloak as she felt something within her stir in response. She'd been told about this many moons ago, the day where the brightest star wove together the threads of fate. Her heart ached in this land, stranded far from her brother and those who'd become her family when hers had been lost. She would find them and protect them if she could, she just needed to be patient. And if destiny or fate got in her way, she'd shatter them both.