Hello, everyone! I am full of love for Fire Emblem Engage in general, and for Prince Alcryst in particular. His character fascinates me. He's a curious mixture of weak yet strong, tender yet fierce, pathetic yet charismatic, wildly delusional yet brilliantly perceptive.

This 17-chapter story was born out of my affection for Alcryst.

Thank you for coming here. I hope you enjoy reading!

Chapter 1: Discoveries

"Hey, Citrinne, there she is! The Divine One is over there!"

"Now's our chance. Let's go, Lapis!"

Alear was making her usual rounds, walking around the Somniel, when she was brought to a halt by these shouting voices and the noise of frantic splashing. She turned and saw the two retainers scrambling out of the pool, then hurrying toward her, creating trails of water on the ground under their feet. "Slow down!" Alear called to them in alarm. "I heard you. I'm not going anywhere. Don't run when you've just gotten out of the pool!"

Moments later, they ended up sitting in the lounge chairs beside the pool. They made an odd trio – Alear fully dressed, Lapis and Citrinne shivering in their swimsuits, despite the big fluffy towels they clutched to themselves. Alear might've chuckled, except that the two others gazed at her with dead-serious expressions.

"Yesterday," Citrinne began, "at the meeting, we noticed you gave a disapproving look to Alcryst."

"We're sorry to speak out against the Divine Dragon," Lapis said, "but as the retainers to His Highness, we must defend his honor."

Alear recalled the meeting that took place the day before. The inhabitants of the Somniel had gathered to discuss the ongoing battles. When she'd turned to Prince Alcryst and asked for his opinion, he withered in his seat like a plant in shadow. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You shouldn't ask me. I have nothing worthwhile to add." In response, she simply said "okay" and then moved on to the next person.

If he didn't want to say anything, then why push him to talk? That had made sense in her mind. But maybe something in her voice or face made her come across as ruder than intended, since she'd apparently sparked annoyance from the prince's retainers.

"He's often self-critical," Citrinne said, "and we know how that makes him seem. But please, understand there is more to him than just the first glance. Look at him a bit longer and you'll find he's a capable prince."

"I've seen his skill on the battlefield," Alear said placatingly. "Although I've only seen him in action a couple of times so far, I know he can fight."

"Yes, good, but there's more," Lapis told her. "Did you know he's also brilliant? Prince Alcryst is so, so perceptive. He notices a lot of details about other people. But he chooses to focus on their strengths. He wants everyone to feel appreciated for their talents. Many times, when I've felt down, he cheered me up by reminding me of the things I'm good at."

"You see, he's also kind," Citrinne chimed in.

"Very kind," Lapis agreed.

These ladies sure have a lot to say, Alear thought.

"He grew up in his older brother's shadow," Citrinne went on. "All his life, he's had to put up with people comparing him to Diamant. But he's never gotten angry at these people. He's never once snapped at anyone. That's not because he's weak. It's because he's good. He's just a good person at heart."

"And he's brave," added Lapis. "Despite his fears and insecurities, when the time comes, he won't hesitate to protect his allies."

"Oh! Let us tell you about the time that he . . ." As they enthusiastically launched into an anecdote, Alear got the impression that they could be here a while. If she allowed them, the two retainers could probably talk about their prince until the sun faded and the moon rose.

This whole conversation was pretty baffling to Alear. In the short time since she met Prince Alcryst, he had done nothing but bow, apologize, and moan about how useless he was. Secretly, she disliked him, what with how tiresome his behavior could be.

But right now, the two people in front of Alear were painting a very different picture of him. The man they described seemed like a total stranger compared to the version of him currently in Alear's head.

He's not even here, Alear thought, marveling. His retainers are jumping to defend his name, even when he's not around to watch them do it. I wonder . . . Is he really so amazing that he deserves this loyalty?

(…)

That day marked a change in the way Alear watched Prince Alcryst. She didn't go out of her way to find him, but whenever they happened to be in the same location, she would sneak glances at him. Unknown to the prince, a certain dragon was observing the way he moved, the way he talked. He'd caught her curiosity. She wanted to see the same things that his close associates could see in him.

Eventually, she realized that something odd was happening. She noticed even insignificant things. The spots of light on his clothing when he stood in the sun, the exact curve of his fingers when he flipped the page of a book . . . It was impossible to explain why, but the smallest details about him snagged her attention as if they were calling her name.

One day, she ran into him at the central plaza.

"Good afternoon, Prince Alcryst. Here to do some shopping?"

"Yes, I need a few things. Now, which items will have the misfortune of being purchased by me . . ."

There was a warm breeze in the air. Pleasant weather for a shopping trip, Alear had thought earlier – but now she found it difficult to relax with the prince nearby. Alcryst gazed at a shelf, evaluating what was on offer. He was fully absorbed in the task. She stood slightly apart from him, trying to examine another item on the same shelf, but she couldn't concentrate on it. Her eyes kept flicking toward him.

"Hmm . . ." He leaned down, getting a closer look at something. A lock of his long blue hair fell forward, over his face. Absently, his fingers swept it up, tucking it behind his ear.

Such a tiny movement, occupying no more than a second of time. But Alear's reaction was disproportionate. All of a sudden, her heart was racing.

She pretended to lose interest in the wares in front of her and wandered off to a neighboring shop. As she stared unseeingly at the storefront, she hoped she looked calm and normal. She hoped nobody could see how overwhelmed she felt. It didn't make sense, but for a fraction of a moment, she had daydreamed that her own fingers were the ones touching that lock of dark blue hair.

Why am I acting like this? Alear wondered.

The shopkeeper's voice broke into her thoughts. "Need help with your shopping, Divine One?"

"Oh, no, I'm just taking my time. Thanks, Durthon."

After a minute or two, she dared to glance behind her, at the other store. No sight of him. Prince Alcryst had already left.

(…)

She put that incident out of her mind. There was always another fight to prepare for, another ally to speak with, more supplies to acquire. When one was busy, days and weeks could pass in a blur.

But, among the blurriness of this stretch of time, one unusual evening stuck out.

The song of crickets filled the air. Alear crossed the plaza and made her way to the fortuneteller's spot. It was marked with a glowing purple sign, which cast a soft light into the darkening shadows.

Seadall stood there, as expected. He nodded as Alear approached. "Good evening, Divine One. I had a premonition that you'd visit tonight. You want me to read a few fortunes, is that right?"

Alear came here regularly, partially because she found his fortunes fun to listen to, and partially because she believed talking about her allies was another way to grow closer to them. "Before that, why don't you and I chat a bit? Tell me how you've been doing, Seadall."

After some small talk, he mentioned, "Ah, and also, I recently took an interesting trip down memory lane during a conversation with Prince Alcryst."

"Prince Alcryst asked you about your past?"

"Not exactly. He came to me because he heard I was well-traveled, and he wanted to learn more about the world outside of Brodia. So, I shared with him some anecdotes from things I've experienced. Strange and delicious foods I've eaten, glorious sunset views I've witnessed . . . The prince proved to be an avid listener. He seemed particularly fascinated by my tales of wolf jousting in Solm."

"I hope you didn't find him too nosy," Alear remarked.

"Not at all. I greatly enjoyed getting to talk about these exciting memories with someone." Seadall rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I do wonder if I'm giving the Brodian prince a misleading impression of what a life of travel is like. In truth, it can be dangerous. But during our talks, Prince Alcryst went so far as to say he envied me."

"Really? Did he say that?"

"Yes, he said it clearly. I recall his words being something like, 'Your lifestyle sounds like so much fun. Coming and going as you please, following your own whims and curiosities all over the world – no restrictions, no cares – and if you ever grow bored, you can just set off on another journey.' You know what they say, Divine One. The grass is always greener. I suppose that growing up with all the stuffy rules of royalty has caused Prince Alcryst's imagination to idealize the life of a wanderer."

Alear was at a loss for what to say. In her mind, she'd been building a vision of who Prince Alcryst was. But now, this new information made her feel that her house of ideas needed a bunch of bricks pulled out and replaced with new bricks.

"Do not worry about him, Divine One," Seadall told her, apparently misreading her confused expression for one of concern. "Sooner or later, I'll start telling Prince Alcryst about the less-than-sunny parts of traveling. He'll gain a more realistic picture of what living on the road is like. I won't be held responsible for inspiring a prince to run away from his palace."

"Oh, I don't think we need to fear that. I'm sure Prince Alcryst's sense of duty will keep him rooted to where he's needed."

Not just a sense of duty. His timidity also holds him back. At least, that's what I assumed. Alear pondered this discovery about him. I imagined Prince Alcryst as the type of person who prefers to shut himself inside his room all day, passing the time by reading books and sulking. Was I wrong? It turns out there's a side of him that craves fun and adventure.

"Well," Alear said, "since we're already speaking about him, why don't you read Prince Alcryst's fortune first tonight?" Each time she visited the fortuneteller, she asked him to look at a few of their allies – a different batch of names each time. She couldn't recall the last time she requested Alcryst's fortune, so it must've been a while ago. Long enough that she wouldn't raise questions by asking about him today. He would just be another ally, another name, and not someone she paid attention to above the rest.

"May the stars guide the way," Seadall murmured as his hands shuffled the cards.

A minute later, when the cards were spread out and Seadall had scrutinized them, the fortuneteller declared, "Prince Alcryst . . . worries that his Engaged form doesn't look cool."

"That sounds unusually vain for him."

"Perhaps being a part of this close-knit army is causing him to grow conscious of others' eyes on him."

Everybody looks amazing and super-cool when Engaged with the Emblems, Alear thought. Maybe I should go around and tell that to everyone. It could boost people's spirits.

Seadall continued with the reading. "The one currently on his mind is Pandreo. The pair of them might discuss the subject of doing away with one's self-consciousness."

"Pandreo? I didn't realize those two had ever spoken to each other."

"They've talked pretty often, actually. The other day, I happened to walk by and overheard Prince Alcryst begging Pandreo to take him to another party, even though they had just left one."

"Did . . . did you say that Prince Alcryst went to a party? Willingly?" To Alear, this news was as shocking as a lightning strike.

Seadall shrugged. "I don't know many details. You'll have to speak to one of them if you wish to know more."

He's a dutiful prince who's determined to protect his allies in battle . . . he's a pitiful loser who never seems to crack a smile . . . and he's a normal boy who wants to enjoy things. Uncovering the various shades of Prince Alcryst, and figuring out how they all blended together into one whole person, presented Alear with an endless riddle.

"Whose fortune shall I tell next, Divine One?"

"Hmm . . . how about you read your own fortune? And do one for me, as well."

"I will read yours first."

The cards were shuffled and laid out again. Seadall spent a strangely long time staring at them, his brow furrowed.

"This is difficult to read," he said finally. "I see a collection of images, but their meanings elude me. A red tree, a blue stone, and . . . an elderly gentleman, sitting in a rocking chair and gazing out a large window. He will bring you terrible pain."

"Oh, my. Who is this man? An enemy soldier?"

"I'm not sure. The vision is hazy. Forgive me for being unable to tell you more." Seadall grimaced. "Perhaps I should've kept my mouth shut. I fear that giving you such a messy fortune does more harm than good."

"I'm fine," Alear reassured him. "I'm not intimidated. As long as I keep up with my training, our foes will have a hard time besting me. And besides, I have the rest of you all to aid me, right?"

"Of course, Divine One. You have many allies to support you. We'll always, always be here for you."