Brave Heroes: The Snake and The Dragon
A Fire Emblem Heroes Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Bonus Chapter 1- Askr Antics
Never had Prince Alfonse been so glad that summoned Heroes were unable to attack each other, save for friendly sparring matches. Then again, if looks could kill, Princess Camilla of Nohr would have reduced the Golden Seer to ashes long ago. As it was, the two women were currently staring each other down, their chests lightly pressing together, neither willing to give an inch.
"Corrin is mine," Camilla asserted. "I've known her since she was just a toddler. You have no right to try and take her for yourself, you slut."
"Me, a slut?" Gullveig raised an eyebrow. "I believe the pot is calling the kettle black here, what with the way you dress..."
"Oh, I'm sure many men who have opposed me thought the same thing... before I split their heads open~" Camilla said with a smile. "Just be glad I can't do the same to you..."
"No, it is you who should be glad that I cannot de-age you to nonexistence," Gullveig shot back. "And it seems the object of our affection has fled into the castle during our argument..."
"Fine then. The first one to find Corrin is the winner. Deal~?" Camilla proposed.
"...Very well, I accept your terms." With that, Gullveig turned and flew toward the castle proper, Camilla jogging briskly after her.
"This can't end well," Alfonse shook his head.
"Worry not, Prince Alfonse," Robin spoke up from nearby. "My fellow tactician Soren has already put a contingency plan in motion, one that we came up with for this exact scenario..."
"Let's hope that it works, then..."
*Inside the castle*
Camilla couldn't help but smirk to herself in triumph. Since Gullveig had her past self's horrible sense of direction, she would get hopelessly lost in the massive castle. Camilla on the other hand, had been living here for far longer, and knew the castle quite well. Not to mention she knew Corrin better than almost anyone. She knew how her sister thought.
And so it was, that Camilla made her way to a small hallway that had an empty closet at the other end... hearing shuffling beyond the door caused her smile to widen. (Just as I thought!) With a flourish, she threw the door open. "There you- are?!"
As she'd expected, Corrin was indeed there... but so was Gullveig, currently hugging the hapless manakete to her ample bosom. "It seems that you are too late," the Golden Seer said with a knowing smirk.
"But... how?!" Camilla gasped in disbelief. You should have been hopelessly lost...!"
"Oh, I did get lost. Multiple times, in fact," Gullveig replied nonchalantly. "But I simply turned back time, again and again, until I found who I was looking for."
"But that's... that's CHEATING!" Camilla screeched.
"You never said that I couldn't use my powers to assist my search," Gullveig pointed out smugly. "You lose."
"I think not," Corrin suddenly spoke in an uncharacteristic male voice... a flash of light, and in the woman's place was none other than the tactician of the Greil Mercenaries!
"YOU?!" Gullveig gasped, shoving Soren away as if he was deadly to the touch. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Our original plan involved tricking you with a decoy, while Corrin hid somewhere else," Soren elaborated as he stood up and brushed himself off. "Fortunately we were able to adapt said plan for this circumstance easily... and don't bother interrogating me about her whereabouts, because I don't know. I told Corrin not to tell me, in fact."
"How dare you, Soren... mark my words, you will come to regret your deception," Gullveig growled. "And why are you smiling? You were deceived as well, princess of Nohr!"
"Just the fact that dear Corrin is safe from your clutches is victory enough for me," Camilla taunted. "The only loser here is you, Golden Seer."
"This time. But time is on my side. Sooner or later, Corrin will be mine." With that, she vanished in a whirl of sand.
"...Indeed, we've only managed to set her back a little," Soren noted grimly. "What we need to do is somehow dissaude her from going after Corrin at all..."
"But couldn't Kiran just send her back?" Camilla proposed.
"Unfortunately, he suffered quite the nosebleed, if you recall," Soren shook his head. "So he will need time to recuperate, even with healers' assistance... not to mention, sending Gullveig back to where she came from would likely doom that world to the cycle of destruction she was meant to perpetrate. After all, we were fortunate enough to have our Gullveig summoned away; why should we deny another Askr the same reprieve?"
"...That makes more sense than I like to admit," Camilla sighed. "Well, at least we know Gullveig still gets lost easily, so that should buy Corrin some time at least..."
"Less than we think, however, given the Golden Seer's mastery of time," Soren countered. "I need to consult with Robin about what we should do from this point forward..."
*Askr Library*
"Here again..." Gullveig sighed in frustration. "I am no different now than I was back then..." At least it would be a good place to hide herself for the time being, having been recently summoned and all... "It would not do to send the denizens of Askr into unnecessary panic, when I cannot perpetuate the cycle in this state..." Not that she really wanted to, but she hadn't had a choice until now... "I wonder if Seidr in this world is still doomed to suffer my curse..."
"Oh, what am I doing here again?!" a familiar voice cried in frustration. "Oh, how will I face the mortals after making another error like this...?!"
(Speak of the goddess...) Gullveig thought, quietly moving herself behind a bookshelf to reduce her visibility. Sure enough, it was Seidr, her face a mix of distress and frustration as she looked about.
"I had heard that Gullveig vanished into the castle after being summoned, and wanted to try lending my assistance again..." the goddess said to herself. "My only hope now is that someone is researching here, and ask for directions..."
(So innocent... so naive,) Gullveig couldn't help but think to herself. She quickly glanced to make sure her snakes heads weren't peeking out, not wanting to be discovered...
"You there!" Gullveig cried out in surprise, jumping out from her hiding spot and whirling around, seeing an old woman with white hair dressed in purple mage's robes and matching hood. So focused had she been on Seidr, she hadn't noticed the druid approaching from behind.
"Ah! Gullveig?!" Seidr cried in shock. "Y-you were here the whole time...?!"
"Damn it!" the Golden Seer hissed, her snakes hissing at the one who'd surprised her. "Who are you?!"
"Niime, a hermit from the continent of Elibe," the old woman introduced herself. "I thought I sensed a strange darkness nearby... but it seems I can't use my elder magic on you, which means you must be a summoned Hero, despite your appearance."
"Indeed, I was summoned here," the gorgon affirmed. "I am Gullveig, the Golden Seer, she who is cursed to lead the mortal realm to ruin. And this is Seidr, who is me in the present, before I was cursed."
"Oh, dear. No wonder you were hiding!" Niime chuckled. "This must seem quite awkward to your younger self."
"Actually, I was looking for her specifically," Seidr noted. "But yes, I am Seidr, a goddess of Vanaheimr. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Niime."
"My, how polite! My idiot grandson could learn a thing or two from you," Niime complimented.
"Don't you think that's being a bit harsh?" Seidr pointed out.
"Hmph! Trust me, you would understand if you met him yourself. But enough about that." Niime turned her gaze on Gullveig, seemingly studying her. "...Yes, you do seem to have the same face as this one. But if you say you are cursed, then what a terrible curse it must be, to transform a goddess like this!"
"Even then, you underestimate the Golden Curse," Gullveig sighed. "Against my will, I am doomed to erase those I love and care for, over and over again, in an unending cycle of death and despair... not even the sweet embrace of death is allowed to me..."
"Gullveig..."Seidr trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"A tool of destruction, against your will... it sounds like the Demon Dragon from my world," Niime observed. "Though her circumstances were somewhat different..."
"How so?" Seidr inquired curiously.
"Well, let's start from the beginning. A thousand years ago, humans and dragons were warring for control of Elibe, but the humans were superior in numbers and spirit. But the dragons, realizing they would lose, created a living weapon to try and turn the tides: the Demon Dragon. But to do this, they needed a sacrifice: the young dragon known as Idunn."
"S-sacrifice...?" Seidr stuttered.
"Indeed. According to the legends, her soul was ripped from her when she was turned," Niime narrated. "She became nothing more than a weapon of war, creating soulless dragons meant only for combat, to slaughter all humans who opposed them..."
"That's terrible... how could they do that to her?!" Seidr said in distress.
"...Were that I was so fortunate to have my soul rent asunder, so I could not think about how many lives I took, or loved ones I erased, over and over again..." Gullveig lamented.
"Tell me, Miss Niime, was she ever saved?!" Seidr pressed.
"In the present time, she was. The leader of the Lycian Army, Roy, wielded the legendary weapon known as the Binding Blade, and defeated Idunn without killing her. Then she was delivered to a small remnant of dragons living in the remote desert village of Arcadia, where she slowly recovered her soul over time. In fact, she herself had been summoned to Askr not long ago," Niime said with a slight smile. "She would be the one with lilac hair, mismatched eyes, and dressed in yellow robes..."
"Oh! Now that you mention it, I think I have seen her before," Seidr nodded. "Thank goodness that Roy was able to save her..."
"Good for her. But it is not so simple for me," Gullveig said bluntly. "If it were, the cycle would have been broken long before now..."
"...My, is that a teardrop I see?" Niime observed.
"What... no, something must have gotten in my eye," the gorgon denied.
"You mustn't lie to a goddess," Seidr reprimanded. "And that includes yourself. Besides, hasn't it occurred to you that your being summoned here was more than mere coincidence?"
"How so?" Gullveig turned to face her younger self.
"The Gullveig of our world was called away by a summoning," she elaborated. "And soon after that, you were summoned here by Kiran. Perhaps you were meant to help end the cycle here..."
"How naively optimistic of you," Gullveig scoffed. "And yet... in all the cycles that I have lived through, this has never happened before..."
"Well, that right there should tell you that things might just be different this time around!" Niime asserted. "How many mortals have grave errors that they wished they could go back in time to undo... but you actually have that chance!"
"...I want to believe you. I really do. But after trying to change things in my world so many times and failing..."
"But again, this isn't your world," Seidr reminded her older self. "We've already deduced that the Golden Curse that Heidr suffers from must transfer to me when she dies... while I want to believe that she could still be saved..."
"She cannot be saved. Her fate was decided from the very moment she was born," Gullveig said bluntly. "As to how I know that, I will not say, because you will refuse to believe me. That being said... if you are willing to accept that Heidr's death is the initial catalyst to your becoming me, then maybe you are slightly smarter than the Seidr I knew. Slightly."
"Then... do you know of a way to at least stop me from being cursed?" Seidr pressed.
Gullveig was silent for a bit, her snakes looking around erratically, almost as if to visualize her internal struggle. "...Very well. I will allow myself to latch onto your hope one last time. When Heidr's time comes, allow me to discreetly follow you and the Order of Heroes to Vanaheimr. I shall do what I can to... mitigate the damage. Once that is done, you must seek out Nerthuz for further assistance."
"Nerthuz? But why not King Njordr?" Seidr couldn't help but ask.
"He will not be able to help you. Do you want the cycle to end, or not?" Gullveig asked in a slightly threatening tone.
"She seems to be sincere in her words, if you ask me," Niime spoke up. "As long as I've lived, I know a thing or two about charlatans trying to deceive me..."
"..." Seidr bowed her head, deep in thought for a moment, before meeting the Golden Seer's gaze once more. "...I can't say I understand, but very well. If this is what has to be done to stop the destruction of Midgard's future, then so be it."
"You will understand, when the time comes," Gullveig responded. "Oh, and one more thing. Tell no one of what we have discussed, save Kiran. That goes for you as well." Her snakes briefly hissed at Niime.
"Oh, don't you worry. A hermit like me knows how to keep her mouth shut," Niime chuckled.
"Good. Then we're done here," Gullveig turned to leave.
"The exit's the other way, dear," Niime said.
"Oh, thank you. I meant to ask you that as well," Seidr bowed in gratitude. "Then, we shall take our leave."
"...Must we go together?" Gullveig sighed.
"I would think that seeing the two of us together will help set the other Heroes' minds at ease," Seidr pointed out. "Not everyone knows yet that you are Gullveig from another world, after all."
"...Fine, so be it," the gorgon caved, following Seidr out of the library. "But do not try my patience, Seidr..."
*To be continued...*
A/N: Yeah, I decided to cut it off here, because there's still a few things that need to be resolved, but I wanted to upload this in a timely manner. Stay tuned for the next (and hopefully last) part.