I'm going to try not to cry, while I write this.
The Princess's Dragon Bride
Chapter 40: Heartbeat Waves
Shulk knew what he had done, he had seen that last attack coming. He knew it would be powerful and he knew if it hit, it would knock them both down, and the beast would have lived and their journey would have ended there.
It was in those moments that he made a decision. He had used his Speed art, and given it to Marth, between them, he would prefer he himself go down in the prince's place.
He had felt a pride in seeing the prince land a critical hit. But there was an unease that had stirred in his chest at seeing the prince kill something. He had never been much of a hunter, so his hands had been clean until now.
When he opened his eyes again he had found the prince's concerned gaze peering deep into his soul. He felt himself grow a tiny bit shy at his position, he was propped up against the prince, his head resting in the prince's lap.
"How do you feel?" Marth had sounded so scared and sorrowful.
"I'm fine," he lied through his teeth, he was still very much in pain. But nothing was broken and he wasn't bleeding. So he hoped the prince would buy it.
He didn't. "Do you want to rest here a little longer?"
Shulk shook his head, "The longer we stay, the shorter the day gets, and we really shouldn't be traveling the path at night.'' He cast a glance towards the beast's corpse, this one was bold, other's wouldn't be so foolish to attack them in broad daylight.
Marth frowned and helped Shulk sit up properly, then he tossed Shulk's arm over his shoulder, and as best he could pulled the seer to his feet. "Right then."
The two then started their slow walk towards the temple.
The trek to the temple wasn't too far but it was a bit difficult with the prince insistent on carrying him. He wasn't going to complain though, the sudden rush of ether he felt as they ascended the mountain was dizzying.
It was at the steps to the temple that Shulk felt himself grow weary. There was something off about the place, "Marth," he tried to right himself. "Go in, I'll guard the door." maybe he was worried about entering sacred lands to god he didn't follow, or maybe he worried Marth would be criticized for bringing in a foreigner to sacred lands.
"But you're injured." Shulk smiled softly as Marth checked him for injury again.
"I can take care of that myself," He flashed Marth a playful grin, "did you forget who healed you when Mythra kicked you through a wall?"
Marth sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, "I try to forget that day," he returned his eyes to Shulk's, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," with that, Marth gave Shulk one tight hug before walking into the temple alone.
Shulk let out a breath and sat on the stone steps, clearly still woozy, but the worst part was over, now it was all up to Marth to get the dragonstone.
Akira had assumed he was in a nightmare at first. That deafening roar wasn't anything he'd ever heard before. The sun had blinded him as he tried opening his eyes. His ears were still ringing and everything ached.
Another roar had forced his eyes open. Slowly he took in his surroundings. He was sprawled out somewhere on the floor, he didn't remember jumping out of the truck but he couldn't be sure. His head ached any time he tried too hard to remember.
He glanced around the moment he was able to focus enough. The truck was on its side. The supply crates turned over, revealing books and bottles. Robin had some weird habits.
He wasn't too worried for his team, they had been through worse.
As if to prove his point he noticed Leven in the dirt, at an awkward angle, and still very much a stature.
He caught a glimpse of Byleth's coat sticking out of a nearby bush, probably sleeping it off. At this point in their partnership, he was convinced only a divine being could kill them.
He didn't see Cloud but figured he was still in the car, thankfully it didn't seem at any risk of blowing up. He wasn't too worried about Cloud either. He had watched the mercenary get impaled, and walk it off for about ten minutes before he let Byleth start healing him.
He knew his team would be okay. But there was something that nagged at him in the corner of his mind that made him anxious and uneasy. He finally started to focus on the wastelands they had run through. There in the sand and dirt lay Lucina.
It hit him like a bullet. He tried to stand but even pushing himself to a sitting position was too much. Lucina was on the floor and he couldn't see Corrin.
Then the sound of crossbow bolts hitting steel assaulted his ears. He turned his head further down the road and saw it.
A massive beast with antlers, claws, and gray platemale skin. In the place of eyes, it instead had this strange black visor. Large bat-like wings flapped, stirring up powerful gusts of wind. A familiar-looking tail trashed about behind it, kicking up pebbles and more sand.
Briefly, he saw it bring a claw down on a motorcycle, effortlessly smashing it under its might. The rider managed to get off and started firing at the beast, but the arrows bounced off harmlessly.
The bandit tried backing away, but Akira watched in awe as the beast slammed its claws down on the earth. Then without warning large pillars of ice suddenly erupted from the ground, forming a wall that boxed the bandit in.
Akira watched as it lashed out, bringing its claws down again before lashing out with its antlers. The ice melted instantly giving way to plums of fire, before flinging the bandit into the flames.
Despite his desire to help his mind was a useless, foggy mess. He closed his eyes, tired, and pained.
Robin woke up to the sounds of chaos, the ship was abuzz with activity. He sat up in his bunk and waited for someone to come open his door, but no matter how many footsteps he heard none of them stopped at his door.
Now would be as good a time as any to escape. Sure he didn't have a tome on him, since Chrom made sure to check him thoroughly, but he wasn't without his magic. If Chrom had known that, he would have left his hands bound.
He was thankful that Byleth taught him a thing or two about his country's magic. He conjured a wind spell, not a strong one but the wind blades were strong enough to break the chains binding his legs.
He soundlessly rushed out of his room and, amidst the frantic soldiers moving too and fro, he took his opening and leapt off the ship, thankful for the magic winds that caught him.
Now all he had to do was find the group, and if the alarmed shouting was anything to go by, they were off towards the north, following the road.
Marth's unease had grown into full anxiety. He had recited the incantation as the books instructed. Yet the temple was eerily silent. He wanted to leave, but he couldn't stomach the idea of coming this far for nothing.
He didn't want to start pacing the floor, he wanted to scream in frustration but the fear of everything had clutched his heart and lungs in a vice. He needed to get that dragonstone. He couldn't leave without it, he wouldn't leave without it.
When his mind had reached a fever pitch, his racing thoughts stilled as if something had caught his attention. A soothing chime on the wind, a delicate sound that overwhelmed his senses in a different way than usual. Everything it touched in his mind stilled.
A feeling as if something was speaking to him without words. Calling him closer to the stature of the Divine Dragon. The fire that burned above its head, it was calling him there.
Then without warning, like something out of a dream, the flames freed themselves and charged his way, encircling him, consuming him. Yet he felt nothing. All he felt was sleepy.
Like a soothing melody the sounds lull him, easing his mind into a state of silence he hadn't felt in years. He closed his eyes and let the fires burn.
Lucina's eyes fluttered open, the feeling of water under her palms and face rousing her awake. She was lightheaded, barely taking in the world around her. But she faintly registered the water underneath her trembling, the earth was shaking.
She shook her head, it made the pain worse but that seemed to shape her wits back into place. When she opened her eyes again she saw her.
Corrin, in her dragon form, had the same silver wings, and the same huge and powerful form. Everything about her was the same as she had remembered, but something was also very different. She watched as Corrin flung something toward a nearby pillar of ice.
That hadn't been there when they had ridden past it. She didn't have any time to register anything else. Fire bursts up from the ground, melting the ice and causing it to shatter.
Lucina didn't care who it was at the end of Corrin's wrath, she wouldn't let blood stain her wife's hands, claws or no.
She struggled to stand, the pain blurring the edges of her vision. "Corrin!"
Corrin stopped in that instant, turning her head to face Lucina, but moved her head around aimlessly, as if searching. She tried again, "Corrin, I'm here!"
Her wife turned around completely, her large frame stalking over towards Lucina, although there was caution in the way she carried herself. "It's okay," She stepped without certainty, perhaps she couldn't see through her visor.
Lucina raised an arm as much as she could, "I'm here, Corrin."
Corrin seemed to lean down, moving her head tentatively towards her. Lucina rested a palm to Corrin's visor, "It's okay, we're going to get out of this."
Soothingly she rubbed her hand along Corrin's visor, "You're scared, and that's okay."
Corrin let out a soft roar, not unlike a purr. Faintly Lucinaa could recognize some of the sounds, as if her wife was trying to form a sound. Words, she realized belatedly. She was trying to speak to her, but for whatever reason, she couldn't. "It's okay Corrin, it's okay."
Softly Corrin pressed into her, and lightly pawed at the ground. Then the fire, the ice, and the damage melted away, replaced by a heavy fog that blanketed the crash site, hiding it from the world.
Lucina cursed as she began to waver, she leaned more and more of her weight on Corrin. She was still bleeding, she realized belatedly. Her strength was failing her. She pressed a soft kiss to Corrin's visor, "It's going to be okay."
She closed her eyes for a second, and her knees had given out. She didn't really register the solid ground, or the shallow puddle, what she did register with the fleeting fragments of consciousness she had, was Corrin.
Her wife had let out a soft roar, a reverberating sound that held no anger. The sound alone broke her heart.
Robin had seen the dragon from miles away, and presumably Chrom and them would've too. As he got closer he watched as the thickest fog he had ever seen overtook the area. Thankfully he had found them.
He moved as quickly as he could but it wasn't quick enough as a figure flew over and past him toward the huge fog cloud. The shape was unmistakable, it had been the wizard under Bowser's rule. Kamek, without a doubt. He had heard the name passed around while eavesdropping from his cell.
By the time he reached the fog, the koopa had already cast his magic and from the dense fog, Robin saw a Dragon being lifted into the sky. It pained him to hear those sorrowful roars morph into agonized wails.
The pain in those screams told him something horrible had happened while he was gone. And he rushed into the fog, hoping and praying everyone was still alive.
Deeper and deeper he went until he could hear water splash as he ran. Then he found them. Horror and sorrow tore his heart asunder.
A strange metal carriage was turned on its side; worst of all, he hadn't seen Cloud, Byleth, or Akira. But what he did see was Eleven cradling a bleeding Lucina.
He'd failed them. He rushed over to Eleven's side "Is she alive?" Eleven gave him a worried nod.
"And the others?" He wasn't able to hide the worry in his tone, in truth he didn't even try. Eleven pointed towards the metal thing. And Robin found himself asking "Is everyone okay?"
Eleven gave an awkward shrug with a pained wince on his face,
Robin's mind was racing, he had to do something. "Where are the supplies?"
AN/ And done. Fun fact, Corrin activated Dragon veins thus the rapid change of environment, I based this off the way it works in Fire Emblem Engaged more than Fates as I haven't played Fates but I have played Fire Emblem Warriors. But I liked the way they work in Engage. Welp, we're reaching the end. Get hyped.
~ (1/20/2024)
