Fandom Fire Emblem: Alternate Fates

[mon]

Fire Emblem: Alternate Fates

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On the ninth day of the eleven month, at the cusp of the brink of war, something crackled in the air. A stinging dryness which had a young girl looking up towards the darkening sky.

She was alone on a hill, looking over a small village built at the bottom of the valley. Their doors and windows were closed and locked. Fearful residents comforted themselves by huddling together, praying to the gods for safety and protection.

Elysia couldn't blame them. Times were troubling, and even more so in neutral territories caught between Hoshido and Nohr. Up ahead, the sky rumbled, threatening to release the onslaught of water held in by the clouds.

As a Nohrian princess, she really shouldn't be here. This was outside of her country's borders, but she was dressed as a peasant girl. Her identity should be kept safe.

Casting one last look at the village and the towns further up, Elysia paid her condolences. The war wasn't her fault, but she felt the burden of her father's sins all the same.

 

[Zetsuho]

Leaning against a railing while glancing up at the darkening sky was a young man who appeared to be quite conflicted. Or, so that's what his face looked like. He's attention turned towards the soldiers rushing in and, out.

There probably was another battle or some incident involving some of the troops. With everyday passing his hatred for the opposing nation began to grow slowly. It really was baffling to him as to why this was happening.

He often wondered if the rumours were true, if everyone in Nohr was a brute, if everyone there was actually a monster who gained pleasure from hurting others. A part of him believed it wasn't.

But then he'd always think of what they've done. How they've hurt so many, how they killed so many others. It made his blood boil to an extent.

He inhaled the dry air trying to calm himself. He couldn't get angry now, he knew his siblings would scold him for doing so. After all, he still had work to be done tonight and, he cannot falter in a way.

He moved away from the railing, walking off with the stave in hand. He was sure there was people who needed to be healed.

 

[mon]

Another rumble from the skies had Elysia finally tearing away from the scene, returning to her saddled horse. She should leave before it began to rain, but just as she was about to fully seat herself on her horse, a flash of lightning struck the dead trees nearby, scaring the poor mare half to death. It bucked up in surprised, running away in the opposite direction, towards Hoshidan lands.

Elysia's foot had been caught in the stirrup when it jolted and she twisted her ankle, falling ungracefully on her butt. Before the babe could even react, her horse had already ran ahead of her.

"Nastas, wait!" Elysia shouted, running after the mare. It was just her luck that the skies chose then, to pour. Pulling the hood of her cloak over her head, Elysia pressed forward. She had to find her horse to return back, but the winds and rain were relentless. Seeing some people nearby, she walked over them to ask if they've seen her horse. Elysia hadn't realized they were soldiers until it was too late. She had already came into plain sight.

 

[Zetsuho]

Just his luck, the sky began to drip for a moment before turning into a whole down pour. He sighed but, refused to let this distract him from his work. Nari wasn't gonna let a little bit of water distract him. Soldiers fight in these conditions after all.

Nari walked along with the soldiers, looking at them all bare serious faces had him in slight awe. It was that serious, huh? It made him have a weird feeling in his stomach. Compared to them, he looked like a small child tagging along. He decided not to be concerned about it as his eyes began to gaze around the surrounding. For a while he kept seeing a figure running about, he paid no mind to it at first but, his curiosity grew.

It wasn't until the figure itself came up to them did he realize that it was a woman, he squinted for a moment trying to see what was under the hood. He didn't fully pay attention until she asked about a horse. He pushed towards the front of the troops to answer, "Uh...there hasn't really been a horse running around here, you lost are something?" He looked at the woman for a moment before one of the soldiers gently pushed him aside, questioning why she was even out so late.

 

[mon]

Hearing the boy's reply had her heart sinking in dread and anticipation. The rain fall was really heavy and it blurred the vision of those standing in it. In fact, all the soldiers were rushing for shelter and yet she stood, allowing herself to be drenched in the rain.

Regret started to pool in her stomach. Why did she think it was a good idea to leave without her retainers? She had sneaked off underneath Jakob's nose, knowing him to be too overprotective. She had hoped Silas could come and save her. After all, he had seen her take her horse from the stables but Silas had assumed Elysia was simply going for a ride around the castle. No one would think to look for her here.

Her face twisted in troubled distress. Her hands wrung at the ends of her cloak as she bowed, thanking the boy (whom she thought was younger than her heh) for his help. She turned to walk in the other direction, back into the pouring rain to look for Nastas.

She trusted the horse to have found some shelter for itself. It was a smart mare after all, but unfortunately, its rider wasn't as bright. If Elysia was thinking straight, she would've known better than to continue her search, but she was scared and nervous. The sight of armed soldiers made her fretful.

 

[Zetsuho]

He set his gaze on the mysterious woman, watching her slink away from the group. There was a small feeling in him, he couldn't figure out if it was pity or worry for the woman. The sky was black, the rain was heavy and, who knows what is lurking in the shadows at this time.

Feeling a small tug on his sleeve, he looked to a solider who was alerting him of how plans of changed. The rain was too heavy for them to continue and, they couldn't see much further in the darkness. Nari nodded, following after them for a moment but, he still couldn't help but feel some type of way. His head turned back, only to see the figure getting smaller and, smaller.

He stopped in his tracks, pausing for a moment, thinking about what to really do. He turned his heels, going back in the direction that woman went while hearing a few soldiers yell his name for him to return.

"Hey!" He called out the the figure as he ran towards the woman, he couldn't help but think about how he's totally gonna get sick from this. Slowly but, surely he caught up to her, panting slightly. "It's...It's dangerous to be out in these conditions!" he proclaimed, "So um, I was wondering if you'd like to wait it out with the rest of us."

 

[mon]

Elysia hugged her cloak tightly around herself, walking through the rain in hopes of finding some form of shelter. She'd have to wait out the rain if she wanted to find Nastas and she could feel a cold bubbling in her head, the longer she stayed out. Her head whipped towards the sound of a voice, eyes wide as she saw the boy from earlier before her again.

He wasn't wearing a cloak at all, getting completely soaked out here! From his apparel and the stave that hung on his back, the princess guessed he was a healer of sorts, but definitely someone from Hoshido. She regarded people from that country with caution, but as the rains and winds pressed on relentless, Elysia sneezed, deciding that going with him would be better than staying out here.

With a nod, she turned to follow him back to the campsite. Her teeth was clattering and she was shivering with cold by the time they entered the safety of the tent's warm shelter. Violet eyes peered around in silent curiosity. Elysia was extremely wary. Being in the enemy's tent, she was afraid that someone would recognize her as a Nohrian noble, thus kept her head low and the hood of her cloak on.

"Thank you," she mumbled quietly to the boy. A soldier... No, a ninja? with green hair suddenly appeared, fretting at how the male was drenched.

"What were you thinking? Do you know how worried your mother would be if anything happened to you?" A gruff looking fellow scolded. A bow hung from his back and his hair was jagged up, colored black and white, reminding Elysia of a skunk. She wilted at the sight of him, hiding slightly behind the boy who brought her here.

"And who's this?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Elysia.

 

[Zetsuho]

A small bit of relief set in once the lady agreed to coming with him. That was one less problem he had to be concerned about. Quickly, he rushed to the campsite while making sure that she was right behind him. Nari was known to be someone who rushed off often, that was pretty evident.

Once coming back to the campsite he had finally felt some sort of warmth from the opposing cold weather. Sadly, since he was completely drenched he could feel nothing but chills. Regret came into his mind, he should have taken the cloak his sister offered. Too late for that.

His face lit up when she spoke to her even for a moment before he could even respond or say anything at all, Kaze, his very over protective retainer had popped out of nowhere. Nari quickly reassured him he was fine and, that it wasn't that bad. He also brought up how he should have announced himself before just appearing like that.

His eyes shifted towards another man coming in, Shura, the other 'nagging' retainer. Was there some kind of party going on in his tent? Where everyone just comes in unannounced?

"Cut me some slack! Besides it's not like I ran off somewhere far...like usual" he mumbled the last part, everyone at this point understood how he was.

Nari perked up once hearing him ask about the woman, "Oh uh..." He doesn't exactly know how to word this without him getting in trouble. How do you explain bringing a random person in during war time? "This is uh...someone I just kinda...found?" He awkwardly smiled. "B-but before you get you mad it's dangerous out there and I just thought that you know, it'll be better to just bring her with me than have her out there in the cold."

 

[mon]

Elysia picked up much from the short conversation shared. For starters, she learned that the boy had a habit for running off. Given the fact that he had two personal guards, she also guessed he was rather important as well. Maybe a noble's son? She didn't know much about Hoshidan nobility, granted that Elysia had been locked up in the fortress all her life. Before the war begun, she's never even stepped foot outside of Nohr. If there was one good thing about the country's conflict, there was that at least.

Secondly, she learned that despite his young appearance, he had a kind heart. Taking a stranger like her in was a huge risk for his party, especially since they were so close to neutral territory. The borders of Nohr was only a horse ride away. This fact seemed forgotten on them, and Elysia wasn't keen to bring it up anytime soon.

She kept quiet, cheeks slightly warming when she came to face with the green-haired ninja. He was... handsome, to say the least. If Elise was here, she probably would've secretly fangirled along with Elysia but now wasn't the time to gawk at handsome men! Truth be told the one who saved her wasn't too bad either...
She wanted to mentally smack herself in the face. Focus, Elysia, focus!

"Um, i-if my presence here is a bother, I'll leave right away. I don't mean to disturb!" she squeaked, sneezing immediately afterwards.

The way the archer was studying her made her feel intimidated. He couldn't have recognized her could he? There was a possibility that he could. After all, Shura had stayed a good deal in Nohr before being assigned as Nari's retainer, but Elysia was a rather secluded princess. She's always been holed up within the castle walls, so it was rare for anyone to catch sight of her. Fortunately, that was just the case. Shura found her suspicious but he didn't recognize her as anyone he knew from Nohr, thus dropped his glare.

"Where would you go if you leave? It's nightfall now," the ninja asked her, looking over at his master to see what he had to say.

 

[Zetsuho]

Nari picked up on how it was his cue to answer. "It would absolutely crazy if you just up and left right now, especially in this weather, at this time of day." He paused for a moment, thinking. "And...it'll be wrong to kick you out."

Ryoma had always taught him to be kind of others especially those who are in dire times. But, at the same time he told him to be wary of those he helps. Nari took the first half of that listen to heart, the other half fell death ears to the young lad.

With that in mind another thought came to mind. "Oh! And once the rain clears up you'll probably have a better chance of finding your horse."

His head turned to the girl with a small reassuring smile on his face. Nari would have offered to go out and, help her but, he wouldn't say that right now. After all he was certain his retainers would protest in him running off once more. He also didn't want his siblings to hear about it either since he knew one of them would snitch on him.

For a moment he kept a gaze at the woman to get a good look at her since he was unable to before. All he could see were violet eyes and, small strands of lilac hair peering out.

He quickly took his eyes off her, it was rude to stare after all.

 

[mon]

His smile made her blush, but Elysia dismissed the heat in her cheeks as a coming fever. She should really change out of her wet clothes but she was already imposing so much by being here. The stranger's kindness did not go without gratitude and it saddened her to know that such an amiable person was Hoshidan. Perhaps if he was a Nohrian, they could've been friends.

She nodded at his words, a small smile sprawling on her lips, "Thank you, milord." She bowed her head and gave a small curtsy---an accident on her part. It was so ingrained in her that she hadn't realized her mistake until she had performed it. The Nohrian bow was drastically different from the standard Hoshidan bow. She hoped the male overlooked this little detail and sighed quietly to herself when he did.

She would have to be more careful next time.

Unlike Nari however, Shura's eyes narrowed, having caught the act. He said nothing of it though. It was too soon to jump to conclusions and the girl was unarmed. If she was a spy, she certainly was a poor one.

"You two should change before you catch a cold. I'll have someone bring you two some clothes," Kaze said, leaving Nari's tent with Shura. It seemed he shared the same suspicions, but shook his head, agreeing that they shouldn't be too hasty.

 

[Zetsuho]

Nari watched the two men leave, sighing in relief once they were finally gone. Although he knew for a fact that this wasn't over, no, for from it. He usually isn't let off this easy but, all he could do was just be enjoy the time before they come back.

He looked back to the girl, his face was at ease knowing that he could now say whatever he wants. "So uhhhh, what's your name?" it was odd how he was just now asking her name. If anyone had found out he just brought someone without even knowing their name he would surely be scolded again. Of course that is inevitable besides he wasn't fully scolded for bringing a random person.

He hoped he wasn't going to be tonight, at least not until the morning.

"Mine's is Nari, nice to meet you whoever you are!" He joked trying to lighten the mood from the previous tense one. For a moment he thought it would be bad idea to even say his name because of his nobility.

Soldiers often told him to never knowledge who he was whenever they were in neutral territory as you never really know what is lurking in the corner.

 

[mon]

Elysia committed the name given to memory. She was blissfully unaware that the Hoshidan royal family had a prince named Nari. If she had, perhaps she would've been more wary, able to connect one and one together. But for now, all she could think about what how nice the boy was and how Nari seemed like a fitting name for him. The princess smiled, giving hers in return.

"Elysia." She had no reason to lie, especially since she was taught that lying was bad. "Thank you for saving me, um, from the rain," she said again, this time to him directly.

A servant eventually came in, bringing the two a change of clothes. Elysia was thankful for a chance to change out of her wet things. She would feel a lot warmer afterwards but to her dismay, she had no idea how to wear an Hoshidan yukata. She struggled with the obi greatly and in the end, a female servant had to come in to help her.

Once she was changed, she was brought back into Nari's tent. Her long lilac locks were tied into a braid, minimizing the wetness. She kept her gaze down, timid to be alone with someone she barely knew.

"Um," she started, unsure of what to say. Her stomach growled suddenly, speaking louder than her words could. She blushed scarlet in embarrassment, freezing in place.

 

[Zetsuho]

'Elysia', he repeated that name in his head, Nari never really heard a name like that before. He wondered where she was from, perhaps someone who lived in the neutral side? Little did he know of who she truly was and what her position is. Then again no one would really know who she was unless they were from Nohr and, worked with the royal family. Nari didn't really make that connection, he, himself had no reason to suspect her of anything He also didn't understand how that family functioned over there.

"Not a problem" he chuckled, it sounded really absurd when she said it like that.

He turned to the servant who came out with their clothing, he thanked him before taking the yukata. After Elysia left he changed out of his drenched clothes, tossing them aside for him to fold later. He quickly put it on, tying the obi with ease.

Nari couldn't help but remember the times where he couldn't tie it himself . He would always run around and, ask anybody to help him.

He turned around once hearing someone walk in, he peeked from over his shoulder seeing Elysia once more. Nari smiled once again when seeing her return. He was gonna ask her something but was cut off by the sound of her stomach grumbling.

"You must be hungry, huh? I'll get us something to eat!" He quickly rushed off, he was certain someone cooked by now or at the very least someone had food.

 

[mon]

His laughter brought warmth to surge in her heart. It was a pleasant sound on his lips and she found herself relaxing a tad more, until her stomach had growled.

Mortified by her body (though who was to blame but herself really. She had skipped tea and disappeared for the whole half a day), Elysia's reactions were delayed a second. Only when the boy ran out did she in turn moved to follow.

"Ah, wait!" She wasn't sure if she should trouble him anymore and staying alone in his tent felt more awkward than being alone with him in it. Fortunately, he hadn't ran off out of sight, but he was a good distance away. It took her a while to catch up and she wondered, gasping in between breaths to steady her breathing, how on earth was he so fast?

They arrived at what looked like a mess hall. The aroma of food wafted through the tent doors, making her mouth water.