"Again!"
Livia raised her sword, breathing heavily, and struck the training dummy again as instructed.
"Again!"
Livia glared mutinously at her instructor but repeated the strike she had been practicing for the nth time. She had lost count of how many repetitions she had done long ago.
"Again!"
"But Oswald!" Livia whined, not caring that she sounded childish. "I've been at this for hours! Can't I take a break?"
The old knight rolled his eyes. "Princess Livia, you are the heir of the millennia-old dynasty of the Hero King and the sole inheritor of his sacred blade, Falchion. You must train until you can flawlessly execute your sword forms on instinct to be worthy of such a position. Only then will you be worthy to fill the shoes of your great ancestors."
Livia huffed and blew her blue hair out of her eyes. "I know… you've only given me this lecture about a thousand times…"
Oswald smiled. "And I shall give it a thousand more if necessary. One day, you will understand what it means to be a member of your family, and I know you will fill the role admirably, but until then, it is my duty to prepare you for that day. Now, if you can execute this strike flawlessly but ten more times, I will allow you to rest for the day."
Livia perked up instantly at the promise of a break. "Just watch, Sir Oswald! I'll prove I've mastered it!"
She took her stance and launched back into her repetitions, completing each strike with finesse and precision. When she completed the tenth blow, Livia turned to find Oswald smiling warmly.
"Well done, Princess," he said. "You may-"
Whatever the man was about to say was interrupted by the arrival of Livia's long-time friend, Pax, who had run into the courtyard, panting. She would have collapsed on the spot had Livia not sheathed her sword and raced to catch the exhausted cleric.
"Pax? What are you doing here?" Livia questioned. "What happened?"
"Livi, there's trouble!" she exclaimed as she caught her breath. "Bandits have been spotted outside the city, and they're attacking the farmers!"
"What?" Oswald exclaimed. "Bandits? This close to the capital? What on earth are they thinking? Princess, on your command, I shall ride to dispatch them myself!
Livia nodded. "Of course. But I'm coming too!"
"Princess, I-" Oswald began, taken aback.
"There's no time to argue!" Livia interrupted. "Besides, you said it yourself. I'm the descendant of the Hero King. It's my duty to follow in his honourable footsteps and protect the people of Archanea, isn't it?"
Oswald regarded her momentarily, and Livia glared back defiantly as she watched a myriad of emotions flit across the knight's conflicted face. To her surprise, Oswald settled on a prideful smile.
"Very well, Princess. We will fight together. Lady Pax, please lead the way."
Pax nodded and worriedly wrung her hands around her staff. "Right away, Sir Oswald. Please, follow me."
Pax stood and quickly ran out of the courtyard with Livia and Oswald on her heels. Together, they made their way to the outside of the city.
As they arrived outside the city, Livia gasped. Before her were farmers and innocent civilians running for their lives, and the sight filled her with rage.
Without thinking, Livia drew her sword and rushed forward despite Oswald's cries to wait. She was behind one of the bandits in mere seconds and ran him through, shocking him and his comrades.
"Surrender now or face the wrath of Archanea's imperial princess!" She shouted, hoping to stop the violence before it continued, but instead, the bandits seemed to shift their focus onto her instead of the civilians.
"Ay, boys," One of them said. "This must be our lucky day! The princess of the realm aughta fetch a hefty ransom!"
The other bandits chuckled, and before she knew it, Livia was surrounded. She glanced back to Oswald, but with his heavy armour, she knew he likely wouldn't make it in time to help, so she swallowed her fear and took a fighting stance as the bandits closed in around her.
A shadow passed overhead, and Livia risked looking up. Two pegasi were circling in the sky above, though Livia couldn't make out much detail. As she watched, they swooped down and scattered the encroaching bandits.
Now that they were on the ground, Livia could make out the riders, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, ladies, I owe you one."
The one in red armour winked. "Any time, princess."
"I'm just glad we made it in time," said the one in green. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine," Livia responded.
"Milady!" Oswald exclaimed as he caught up, Pax following closely behind him. "You must learn to curb that impulsive attitude! If not for the timely arrival of Mary and Taryn, we might have lost you!"
Pax nodded. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!" She exclaimed furiously.
"I apologize," Livia said as she bowed her head remorsefully.
Oswald sighed. "There will be time for scolding after the bandits have been dealt with. From now on, I must insist you stay close to me, princess."
Livia winced. "I won't rush ahead again, Oswald."
"Good," he said before pointing with his lance. "Now look alive, everyone. Our foes have regrouped."
Livia looked where Oswald had indicated and saw the bandits forming up again with scowls on their faces. A moment later, they were advancing again, and Livia held her sword at the ready. On her left, Oswald stepped forward and gripped his lance as the two Pegasus knights spurred their mounts back into the air while Pax stood just behind her, healing staff at the ready.
When the first bandit arrived, Livia stepped inside his reach as he struck and swiftly incapacitated him, while Oswald followed up and jabbed the next before he could even get close. Mary and Taryn swooped in from above, and each dispatched another.
Livia smirked. These untrained bandits stood no chance against her or the trained soldiers of Archanea. It had been foolish of them to come here. She readied her blade again as the next bandit approached, but to her surprise, the bandit made a feint, catching Livia off guard. She stumbled back but couldn't completely avoid the blow, and the axe grazed her thigh as she narrowly escaped a devastating blow.
Mary swooped in and stabbed the bandit with her lance. "Careful, sweetheart," she warned. "Never underestimate your opponents."
"Can you still fight, milady?" Oswald asked.
Livia grit her teeth. "I'm fine. Pax?"
"On it!" the healer responded, and a soothing blue light shone from her staff, stitching the skin on Livia's injury back together.
Livia nodded at her friend in thanks and returned her attention to the fight. Before long, only one bandit remained, though he did not react like Livia expected he would. Instead of cowering or panicking like she would have thought, the man just smiled and laughed at them all.
"The end times are already upon us!" he shouted, a manic grin on his face. "Whether I die now or during the coming chaos matters not to me!"
"Save your excuses for whoever passes judgment on your soul," Livia spat.
Without waiting for his reply, Livia swung her blade using the very same strike she had spent the morning practicing with Oswald and silenced the raving bandit.
"That takes care of that…" Livia said, though the bandit's words had set her on edge. What had he meant by 'the end times'? Why didn't he seem to care if he lived or died?
Livia turned to look at Oswald. "I think we should go and talk to my mother and tell her what happened. This was too strange… something is going on."
"I agree, princess," the old knight replied. "We will speak with her at once. Mary, Taryn, could you please search the bodies of these bandits? Bring anything out of the ordinary that you can find directly to us. Lady Pax, please tend to any wounds the farmers may have acquired. I will send additional healers to help you."
The two pegasus knights saluted and immediately set about their grim task, while Pax nodded glumly and set off to help the hurt civilians, leaving Livia alone with Oswald.
"Come, milady," he said. "Let us go and speak with the Queen."
Authors Note: Welcome! I hope you enjoyed my prologue to this Fire Emblem SYOC. This project details the story of the first Exalt, the famed ruler between Marth's and Chrom's eras, who slew Grima during his first rampage. As this is a SYOC, I will accept character submissions to fill the ranks of Livia's army. Please submit your characters through FFN's PM system, or the email on my AO3 profile, depending on where you are reading this. The Character submission form can be found on my profile on either site.
Character Bios
Livia: Imperial Princess of the Archanean Empire. Brash and inexperienced, but ultimately good-hearted. She seeks to live up to the ideals of her famed ancestor, Marth. The quickest to take action.
Class: Princess
Oswald: A wise old knight who has dedicated his life to the service of Archanea. He was once the late King's most accomplished general but now serves as Livia's personal combat instructor and guard. The sternest taskmaster in the army.
Class: General
Pax: The daughter of an Archanean Noble and Livia's close friend since childhood. Somewhat shy with a hidden temper. She is training as a cleric. The worst at keeping secrets.
Class: Cleric
Mary: A confident and flirtatious Pegasus knight who wears crimson armour. She comes from common birth and rose through the ranks on her talent alone. The best cook in the army.
Class: Pegasus Knight
Taryn: A Pegasus knight who wears green armour with a tendency towards worrying. She comes from noble birth and is Mary's partner. The best arm wrestler.
Class: Pegasus Knight
