pinches his cheek

What does Sothis's dragon form look like?

Title speaks for itself. I'm here to speculate what Sothis's dragon form looks like.

These posts come from my Reddit account! I'm reposting them here. However, I'm also editing these posts with newer information. You can consider these to be the "final" versions.

Let's unpack!

Surely you can't be Sirius

In a post on reddit, I talked about how Sothis could be connected to the wolf-beasts that guard the Blue Sea Star. Why?

Sothis is the Greek version of the Egyptian goddess Sopdet, the personification of the star Sirius.

What's so special about Sirius? The Blue Sea Star is likely meant to be the star Sirius. Sothis's special in FEH is called Sirius. Seiros is an alternate name for Sirius. Rhea's theme is called Gazing at Sirius. It could not be more obvious.

There is one small issue with this: Edelgard's note in the advice box. She says that it's been calculated that the light of the Blue Sea Star would take million of years to reach the planet. MILLIONS. Sirius is like 9 light-years away from Earth. Sure, Fodlan could just be on an entirely different planet, but that's boring. Sirius isn't going to be the brightest star in the night sky on just any random planet. Not that it really matters if Fodlan is on a different planet.

So, I did a little bit of digging, and Edelgard doesn't say millions of years in the Japanese version. Instead, she says it takes the light tens of thousands of years to reach the planet. Looks like it's just a translation issue.. Moving on.

What's so special about Sirius? It's known as the dog star. A good boy, if you will. Now here is where it gets interesting. Aelfric says that the Ashen Wolves got their name from the beasts who guard the Blue Sea Star. Rhea named the house herself. This could just be Rhea making up some random bullshit, but I'm gonna take the plunge and say that she's speaking some kind of truth here.

Sothis is Sopdet, the personification of Sirius, the dog star. The Ashen Wolves get their name from the beasts who guard Sirius. Beasts that look like wolves. Dog Star. Sopdet. Sothis. You get it. Sothis is connected to these beasts in some way. She could be one of them, or she created them and then went off on a little adventure.

All of this leads me to believe that Sothis's dragon form has canine features. If you're still not convinced that Sothis is a doggo, then take a look at this:

They're the same picture

Going back to the OST for a moment. There is a track called Scales of the Goddess. SCALES! Alright alright. We're getting there. Sothis's dragon form also has scales. We've got more of an image here. The Goddess's true form has canine features and scales.

...Would her transforming in her amnesiac state result in a puppy dragon?

Oh my god. We need more information!

Your momma so fat, she created Fodlan just to sit on it.

So, how big is her dragon form? It can be anything ranging from the size of the Immaculate One:

Exhibit A: Immaculate One concept art

To the size of a meteor:

Oh man, that star is getting real close

Exhibit B: Opening cutscene flashes (Seasons of Warfare Collectors Edition)

To the size of the fucking planet:

Exhibit C: Ashen Wolves banner

So... pick one of three! Option B is the most obvious one. She's called the "Fell Star" by the Agarthans. That could mean that she's evil as in the "Fell Dragon", but it could also mean that Sothis came to Fodlan as a falling star (a fucking meteor).

Still, a planet-sized wolf-dragon sure is an image. It would put Grima to shame and adds a whole 'nother meaning to Sothis saying she cannot reveal her true form in Askr.

But what else do the Agarthans say about Sothis? Well...

DAMN, that's an ugly sonofabitch!

You might have read the book in the Shadow Library called "Romance of the World's Perdition". If you haven't, don't worry. I've got this post that translates it from Japanese: https://www.reddit.com/r/FireEmblemThreeHouses/comments/hd82ec/jpen_translation_comparison_of_the_abyss_shadow/

Here is what it says:

In the land of Thinis, where the old god(s) was/were supposed to have lived, at last the one who is not god awakens. The grotesque monstrosity resurrects to sink the world to watery depths.

The book is presumably from an Agarthan's perspective. It says that the False God is a grotesque monstrosity. Are they talking about Sothis's human form? Hell no! Have you SEEN mural Sothis? Anyone who calls her a grotesque monstrosity is in denial. 99% chance they're talking about Sothis's dragon form. Of course, you can't ignore the fact that the Agarthans are EXTREMELY biased.

One more thing to add to this. Remember how Rhea goes absolutely batshit in the ending of Silver Snow for some unknown reason? Yeah. Her dragon form is burning from the inside out and she's covered in vines. It's fucking horrifying and disgusting. But what does the game say?

"This child of the goddess, revealed in her truest form, possesses power beyond humanity's understanding."

That is Rhea's truest form.

Another piece to the puzzle! Sothis's dragon form has canine features, scales, is most likely the size of a meteor, and is grotesque to (some) onlookers.

What else?

Exteeeeeeeeeend

We've all seen the Sword of the Creator. It's made out of Sothis's bones and looks like a spine, but some speculate it's made out of the tail.

It can also extend... I guess that means Sothis can just stretch out parts of her body REALLY far? Huh, no wonder the Agarthans call her an abomination.

There is also the possibility of her being an Eastern Dragon! They do have long noodle-bodies. Personally, I think she's some weird eldritch being, but you can always come up with your own theories!

I can paint with all the colors of your wardrobe

COLORS ("COLOURS" if you prefer it that way)! What about the look?

This is where it becomes 100% speculation. There is no information here. None. She can have natural colors like her children (brown/yellow, white, grey), or look like she fell into a bucket of paint.

Obviously, I'm picking the bucket of paint option. The Immaculate One is white, right? Her Japanese name is "The White One". Is there white in Rhea's design? Yes! She ALWAYS wears white. So, the outfit might give a hint to the dragon's colors? Quick! What is Sothis's color scheme?

Purple/dark blue, black, pink, white, and gold. There is also green, but we're ignoring that because none of the Nabateans have any green in their dragon forms. All the green goes straight into their veins when they transform.

So, Sothis's dragon form has a mix of purple/dark blue, black, pink, white, and gold. I guess that makes sense? Sirius is sometimes called a rainbow star because of how it shines with different colors. All of the colors I just mentioned are colors that have been observed in Sirius.

Guess we cracked the code.

TLDR: Sothis's dragon form is wAIT

WAIT

HOLD ON, I JUST FOUND SOMETHING Y'ALL. SOTHIS'S TRUE FORM HAS CONCEPT ART! AND THEY HID IT FROM US.

I'm gonna find it. I'm gonna find it and...

Oh dear god

So i looked through my notes on my phone and I found this from last july and

Look.

Look I was going through a lot:

LoTRkenny

Leggsy: Anya yous seen what’s goin on edge a camp?

Eowyn: More arriving or more deserting?

Leggsy: Bit a both

Eowyn: Fuck boys this trending on twitter?

L: Ain’t breaking news, I concur

E: And yet…

L: More the reason folk’re desertin

E: Comin up on the fourth age here, Legs

Gimli: Yer outs a letters, leg o lamb, solves the puzzles

L: Yhear about this cave?

G: I’m waitin to sees if I should takes offense

L: No I mean it’s like, a famous cave, everyone knows about it, humans and elves I mean

E: You’re asking if we heard of the famous cave everyone knows.

L: Yeah

G: Nos

L: well. Thing is, about this cave. Is. Folks are sayin.

Aragorn: Fuck sake bud I’m prepared to reforge my foot in your ass, why don’t you look to the east to see if you can find the fuckin point

L: Haunted

A: Oh fer fucks sake

G: How haunted

L: i don’t know, marginally?

G: No I means haunted by what? Dwarves?

E: Elves?

G: Wights?

A: The dearly departed spirit of my good mood?

L: Humans. Warriors. Human warriors.

A: Ah well no surprise there on account a not bein immortal, surprised you can swing a dead warg without hittin the ghost of a human warrior, poor guys don’t have it so good as some of us

G: Lady Galadriels says each of us had a place and a roles ta play in this worlds

E: Does she now?

A: You got about two more Lady Galadriel Says to spend today fuck make sure you gets your money’s worth

L: See thing is, these are special guys.

E: Ug, really?

A: Okay leggsy, leggsy okay, let me ask you this: what is it that makes these dead fellas so special?

L: Well have you ever heard of the human men who betrayed Isuldur?

G:

E:

A: I recollect.

L: Well, people are sayin, that is, that it’s those….guys

G: Might want to upgrade that “marginally” to “substantially” there, Lego Waffle.

A: Yer tellin me we’re fixin to square up against half a mordor and near all what’s left a isengard, and you thought you MIGHT mention our proximity to “special guys.”

E: Hold on

A: Can’t hold it

E: Wait a second

A: I figure a whole epoch’s waitin enough

E: You’re tellin me you’re seriously fixin to consider squaring up alongside a whole mountain full a traitorous ghouls when there’s flesh and blood people here and now ready to fight for what’s theirs?

A: How many verses you got in this song,

E: I’ll keep singin until someone starts listening.

A: Right. Pitter patter

G: You certain about this course of action good buddy?

L: These’re traitorous oathbreakers.

G: Allegedlys.

L: You might wanna upgrade that to factuallys. When a friend asks for help you help em.

A: I don’t aim to sit here and debate whether or not to make a social call when the welfare a the realms a men are at stake, reckon it’s time to quit gassin and start sassin

E: You guys go on ahead, I got my own thing goin on

G: You keeps your good spirit and stays active even when your dad says you can’t rides out like you wants, that’s what I appreciates about you Miss Eowyns

E: Is that what you appreciates about me?

A: Hobbit back in the hole there, squirrelly g….

—-

Saruman: Gr-r-r-r-rima!

Grima: SRMan!

S: We are cast out.

G: exiled

S: WANDERERS

G: Homeless

S: ENEMIES made of all civilized realms

G: OUTCASTS!

S: Repetitive.

G: Saruman

S: GRIMA! Think of it. Where is the last place they will expecting our seeds to find purchase?

G: Your seed?!

S: our. Seeds. Of deeds.

G: I was gonna say

S: We dedicated servants of the <whispers> (((((dark lord)))) who are accustomed to swaying nations and kings, where would we never DEIGN to show our faces?

G: The city?

S: The opposite.

G: D-desperate

S: Depressing

G: Demonstrably

S: Determinedly

G: Distressingly?

S: DIABOLICALLY.

G: SRMAN.

S: We ride for the Shire, Grima. We hide out with the hicks.

G: Tonight?

S: to now! Make ready our steeds.

G: We only escaped with the one steed

S: THEN MAKE READY HIM.

—-

Samwise: More Lembas Mr Frodo?

Frodo: No thank you Sam. I’ve lost my taste for lembas bread.

S: You need to eat, Mr Frodo. You’ve barely slept. You’ll never make it to Mordor if you don’t conserve your strength.

F: The ring is getting heavier, Sam. I can feel him searching for it, needing it. I scarcely can bear it.

S: You will, Frodo. I know you will.

F: Sam. Thank you, Sam, i would be quite lost without your help.

Gollum: FUCKS SAKE IF YOU TWO AREN’T FUCKING INSUFFERABLE, WE’S HEADING TO A VOLCANO BUT WATCHIN YOU COWS MOO AT EACH OTHER HAS ME WORRIED ABOUT A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF MOUNTIN

S: You watch how you speak to him you devil you!

G: FUCK YOU GAMGEE EVERY DAY IS SMEAGOL’S BIRTHDAY WHEN IT COMES TO KICKING TWELVE SHITS OUT OF YOU, IT’S THE ONLY ITEM THAT’S ON MY AMAZON WISH LIST THAT ISN’T SPERMICIDAL GUMMIES FOR YOUR MOM, I’LL BLOW OUT MY CANDLES OVER YOUR UNCONSCIOUS BODY AND WISH YOU WERE NEVER BORN YA FAT FUCK

F: Calm yourself Smeagol…

G: FUCK YOU MASTER THE ONLY THING MORE PRECIOUS THAN YOU TWO PICKING OUT PLACE SETTINGS IS THE SOUNDS YOUR MOM MAKES WHEN SHE DANGLES HER RING PIECE OVER MY WHITE TOWER

S: Fuck you Gollum

G: FUCK YOU GAMGEE YOUR MOM SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO MY BROWN-EYE OF SAURON, TELL HER TO GO EASIER ON MY TATERS THAT SILLY SLUT LIKES TO PLAY CHEF AND BOIL EM MASH EM STICK EM IN HER MOUTH, MAYBE THAT’S WHY HER BREATH COULD BURN DOWN LAKE TOWN

F: Fuck you smeagol!

G: FUCK YOU MASTER MY ELVEN DAGGER GLOWS BLUE WHEN YOUR MOM’S FIFTH ORGASM IS NEAR, TOO BAD SHE SMELLS LIKE THE DEAD FUCKING MARSHES, TALK ABOUT STINGING THE NEXT MORNING, IF I WANTED TO CATCH FISH I’D A STAYED IN THE FUCKIN CAVE

Samwise and Frodo: FUCK you Smeagol!!

G: FUCK YOU BOTH TELL YOUR MOMS TO CONSIDER MY OFFER TO PARTIALLY SUBSIDIZE THEIR BOOBJOBS FUCKING SAGGINS OF SAG END IT’S EMBARRASSING FUCKS SAKE WHAT DO YOU THINK I’M ALWAYS CHOKING ON?

—-

Aragorn: Gandalf?

Gandalf: How’reyanow?

Aragorn: You fell.

G: At’s right. Through fire... and water... From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought him, the uh Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I have been sent back, until my task is done.

Legolas: (under his breath) Gandalf’s a piece a shit…..

Imagine Grima reading to you only to start really getting invested in the story. Like his pitch and tone change and there’s a clear excitement and eagerness from him as he’s reading the story

??????? Ou??????h??????h ????????????

Oh my god???? And him starting off on some short ramble abt smth that comes up in the book.... asking him to expand and getting him to go full out w some analysis/thoughts/feelings about the work??? Getting to listen to him and nod n oogle at his pretty face get flustered from exitement????????? OUHHHHHH U R KILLING MEEEE

Im SO glad we r all just now wholly partying in the grima thirst corner 😭😭😬

The Art of Being An Eldar: Legolas x Reader Chapter 3

Summary: You, a fantasy-loving LARPing human from Earth, got dropped into a fantasy land that seems familiar to you, but you had no recollection of it. Lord Fabulous Elvenking gave you three days to find the portal that would take you home with the aide of Blue-Eyes and a host of Elves, but what you found instead was the portal was closed for another thousand years. On the way back, you saved Legolas's life, prompting Thranduil to grant you freedom, and after, you finally realized where you were; Middle-Earth. Thranduil summons the council, which is made up of powerful wizards and Elves, to decide what should be done with you...

Chapter No.: Chapter 3

Key: [Y/N]=Your Name [F/N]= Friend's Name [B/N]= Bro's Name [S/N]= Sis's Name [M/N]= Mom's Name [e/c]= eye color [h/c]= hair color [s/c]= skin color

Notes: I think Pippin's song matches the reader's situation very much, which is why I use it so often. I mean, your character fell from everything they know, their "home," and now they can't go back, but now they have this whole magical world and life ahead of them... Grief and sorrow, but things to look forward to in the future.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, graphic depictions of gore and violence (Cuz of orc battles y'know?), more angst, slow burn, some light depression in the first few chapters, some amnesia about Middle-Earth because the Valar say you're not supposed to have foresight, hard-core language, feels, lots and lots of feels, mentions of NSFW content, maybe some eventual NSFW content, LGTBQ+ characters, Thranduil being a jackass at first because he's fabulous, Legolas being a hot edgy prince that nobody can handle, Kili being an innocent bean, Hobbits being smol innocent beans, except for Bilbo 'cause he's been through some tough shit, Bard being dad of the year, Thorin being one dumbass boi, The fucking Silmarillion, awesome dragons, awesome Nazgul, awesome scenery, awesome stuff in general, Elrond isn't listened to by anybody, confused Aragorn is confused,  Denethor's a bitch as always, brace yourself for creepy as fuck Cream of Wormtongue Grima Wormtongue, Boromir lives, Gandalf. (yes these are all legit warnings don't judge me.)

Pairings/Ships: Legolas x Reader, Legolas x you, Aragorn x Arwen, Faramir x Eowyn, Thranduil x Elvenqueen, Galadriel x Celery Celeborn, Boromir x OC, Thorin x OC, Fili x OC, etc. general LoTR standard shippings plus some of my own cuz I can't stand my boys being lonely

Word Count: I try to keep my chapters short, under 2000 words.

Rating: Teen (14+) for now

When you woke up, you found yourself blinded by a stupidly bright light that singed your retinas off. "What the hell?" You shielded your eyes as you tried to find the source.

Oh.

It was Thranduil, and beside him, Legolas, the two so bright they could be hung on your porch as bug-zappers.

Ohhhh...

You were in Middle-Earth. Right. Without any memory of it except for bits and pieces. You did remember that you'd watched the movies so many times that you could've recited each line in your sleep and then some, but you couldn't remember anything but what pieces you randomly dreamed of or remembered, which were already starting to fade.

"Hi. Can I help you with something in my half-starved state?"

Blue-Eyes desperately fought a smirk. Thranduil was less impressed. "My son tells me you lost consciousness because of a lack of sustenance. What sort of repayment is that for my favor to you, may I ask?"

You cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse the fuck outta you, Thrandy, but I just learned about a week and a half ago I'd never see my family again. Forgive me if I got upset."

Blue-Eyes turned his head away, trying really hard not to laugh...

"Also," You went on with a forced cocky smile, "I just learned that I'm in Middle-Earth. Where I come from, all this-- the palace, the land, even your fancy Elven toilets-- were created by some old guy called J. R. R. Tolkien, collectively referred to as 'Jrrt.' Now, I don't remember a goddamn thing except for bits and pieces of dialogue and song, even though I knew the stories by heart."

Thranduil and Blue-Eyes-- who was no longer trying not to laugh-- eyed each other suspiciously. "You knew of this place in your world?"

You nodded. "It's very well-known. But, everybody thinks it's fiction. Unaccesible. And be glad about that, too, because if there were a well-known way to get here, there'd be lots of war, new diseases, and this place would be turned to shit, too."

Thranduil stared at you for a minute, before abruptly turning to Legolas. "Son, I am off to the throne room. I shall summon the council at once."

You waited until he left to ask what that meant.

Blue-Eyes smiled slightly. "Meaning, he is not quite certain what should be done with you. The council is made up of some of the oldest and wisest of Middle-Earth, including the wizards and those of my kin, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlorien, and Elrond Half-Elven of Rivendell. Do any of those names sound familiar to you?"

You shrugged. "It doesn't matter if they sound familiar or not. I never remember what anybody looks like. I just get an eerie sense of deja vu."

Blue-Eyes raised an eyebrow. "Deja... Vu?"

You sat up more, rolling your eyes. "It means having a sense of familiarity, like, really strongly. Whatever. Tell me who the wizards are."

Blue-Eyes sat at the end of your bed. "The most powerful of the wizards is Saruman the White, who resides in Isengard, on the edge of Fangorn Forest and the Gap of Rohan. The second is Mithrandir, who is most commonly known as Gandalf the Gray by most folk. The third is the much less-known-of and reclusive Radagast the Brown, but I doubt my father will request his presence; he dislikes his excessive behavior." He raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard of them?"

You nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah. So if I'm an Elf, do I like, have to learn how to act like an Elf, or should you let these really important people decide what to do after they've seen who I am?"

"The latter," Blue-Eyes specified, "But it would still be beneficial to learn Elvish. It should take them quite awhile to arrive; between now and then, you should learn as much of it as possible, after I've given you a tour of Mirkwood."

You made a wheel-like motion with your hands. "After I've eaten and taken a bath, I know."

Blue-Eyes patted your leg. A jolt of electricity shot from where he touched you. What the hell? "Good," He stood and started to leave the room. "I will leave you to your own; there is food on the nightstand, and after, a bath across the bridge there," He pointed, and as you looked across the way seen Elves.

Bathing.

Blushing, you looked to Blue-Eyes wildly. "I-I'm supposed to take a bath with other people."

Blue-Eyes frowned in confusion. "Do you not, from your world?"

"Um, no. We all bathe alone. Where I come from, one's own body is considered... Private, to everybody except your doctor or significant other."

"Oh, I see. I could have a private bath prepared for you, if you wish for it," He answered with a smile. "Even here, we may want to bathe on our own to relax. It would not be a problem." He sneered down at you. "I would not want you bathing in the shared springs anyway. You'd dirty the whole lot of them."

With a very childish glare, you stuck your tongue out at him, causing him to have the oddest look he'd had yet. You'd noticed something about him; he had the unique ability to create a range of dynamically comical expressions. "What are you doing?"

You took up a dramatically serious tone. "I am expressing the 'fuck you' gesture in an immature and childish manner used worldwide, even among the youngest." With that, you stuck your tongue out again.

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Very well, then, Sairen, your bath will be ready for you when you are finished with your meal. I will send someone for you in an hour, if that suits you."

"That suits me perfectly fine, but I beg your fucking pardon, was that 'fuck you' in Elvish?"

Legolas grinned. "Not at all, mellon. It means 'fiery' in our tongue."

"Okay." A wry smile spread across your face. "That I can deal with. But what does 'melon' mean? Both you and Tauriel have called me that so far."

Legolas smiled as he began to close the double-doors, though what they did to block you when the room had only two-foot tall walls, you had no idea. "Mellon. It means, 'my friend.'"

A warm feeling blossomed in your chest as he smiled-- for once, genuinely-- at you. You found yourself smiling back as he closed your doors. When he was gone, your smile toned down a bit, and you took a long, deep breath.

You were still upset. Very. On the inside, you felt torn to pieces. You figured it would be a long, long time before you grief lessened, if it ever did. But now that you knew where you were... It was different. You were sure of something. Where you were, and the fact that the Firemoon Portal would only open every thousand years. If you went back then, you'd already be connected to this world, and everyone in it. If time passed the same, your family would be gone, and you'd be mortal again, without a way to wait for the portal to reopen so that you could return to your new friends here.

But... You knew your family. They'd never forget you, and never stop grieving your loss. But, if they thought you might be somewhere better than Earth, and there was no way back... They'd want you to be happy. They'd want you to make a new life. They wouldn't want you to waste your life starving yourself.

You'd miss them... More than anything...

But for now...

You moved the silver platter on your nightstand to your lap, and started eating.

Home is behind...

The world ahead...

And there are many paths to tread...

***

"No, no," Tauriel corrected you. "Mae govannen."

"Mae govAHnnen."

Tauriel bit back an exasperated sigh. "Well... You're close enough."

You'd been in Mirkwood for nearly a month now, not counting the days of your imprisonment and searching for the portal. You wondered what made Thranduil (Who you still called 'Lord Fabulous' on occassion.) release you and treat you as an Elf, and as it turns out, it was Blue-Eyes himself.

Speaking of, you hadn't seen him in days... He kind of... Disappeared. There was still talk of him, and no one seemed to be worried, so you weren't; for Elves that lived forever, you bet anything that he had princely exploring and regular adventuring to do to keep him occupied.

Around the time he left, Tauriel approached you and asked if you knew any Elvish. Aside from sairen and mellon, you knew less than zero. Apparently, it was considered good Elven manners to at least speak a greeting to guests in their own language, despite what Leggy had said. Meaning, to different members of the council, you had to speak a greeting in Quenyan-- which was different from Sindarin, the most common Elvish language-- Common, and Sindarin. You'd memorized the lines, but it was the pronunciation that really befuddled your non-billingual ass.

Now, you'd pretty much gotten the Quenyan greeting: Mae govannen. It meant well met or something along those lines, but you had to add Lord Elrond Half-Elven of Rivendell. I am at your service. Which was much longer and much more complicated. All in all, it pretty much came out to, Mae govannen, Cundo Elrond Peresta-Elda mi Arcimbele. Nanye ketya veume.

English (Common.) was equally as long: Greetings, Gandalf the Gray, Mithrandir, and Saruman the White of Isengard. Welcome to these halls. I am at your service as well, should you need it.

And lastly, to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, you had to say the most: And ana lye, Heri Galadriel and Cundo Celeborn, elen sila lumenn omentielvo. Nanye aistana et ketya toled.

And to you, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, a star shines upon the hour of our meeting. I am blessed from your coming.

It was all a mouthful. A regal, elegant mouthful, but a mouthful that your tongue had trouble forming. In addition to all the greetings, you had to address them each in order; first Elrond, then the wizards, then Galadriel and Celeborn at once.

They'd arrived a few days ago, but you hadn't actually been summoned yet. You wondered what Thranduil had told them about you so far. He seemed like the type to exaggerate and make shit up: They're nothing but an abomination! They almost killed Legolas! They tried to kill me! They're dangerous and should be restrained! They toilet-papered my throne room!

The elaborate horns blowing signaled something evidently important; Tauriel's face lit up. "Mellon, it is Legolas! He has returned!"

Despite yourself, your heart jumped like a schoolgirl's. Blue-Eyes was back! "Really?! How do I look? Does it look like I've been taking care of myself?" Legolas would kill you if you weren't. Over the weeks, the blue hair dye had left your hair, returning it to its [h/c] color, even if you did still spike it up-- you'd been an outcast your whole life, so having short spiky hair when everybody else had long, flowing hair made you feel at home. You were dressed in dark browns, nearly blacks, in an outfit very similar to a tunic over leggings, knee-high boots, and all finished up with a long jacket, closed with Elven buckles.

"You look fine, [Y/N]," Tauriel assured you absentmindedly, and the two of you trotted down the many, many stairs and bridges to get to the massive front doors of the palace.

Thranduil and a host of other Elves were greeting Legolas, who looked as if he'd been in Sparkle Land for the last couple weeks. His clothes were in prestine condition. His hair was perfectly plaited away from his face. He wore a faint smile, as if whatever he'd been doing hadn't been stressful at all.

You and Tauriel arrived just as Thranduil finished speaking. "And you failed to locate them?"

Legolas held himself regally. "My apologies, my king. It will not happen again."

Thranduil glared down at him. "I should hope not. You will leave again in three days' time, after you have properly greeted our guests." As Thranduil spun on his heel to leave, Blue-Eyes bowed, rising up again as he seen you and Tauriel.

"Tauriel," He said, his face lighting up. She bowed slightly; apparently Elves didn't hug. He grinned snarkily when he seen you. "And [Y/N]. Last I saw you, your hair was strangely sky-hued."

You scoffed. "You can't even say sky-colored? You have to say sky-hued? Stupid Elves and their fancy ways. Good to see ya anyway, Blue-Eyes, even if you're a priss."

"I believe you mean prince."

You laughed, but it faded when he turned to Tauriel and started speaking in Elvish. He lead her away, talking, leaving you on your own. Your face fell. You wanted to tell him that you knew some greetings. You wanted to say you wanted to go with him when he left again. And the fact that you were already alone here only amplified the feeling of... Jealousy? Disappointment?

You watched them leave for a minute, before deciding you'd take a walk in the Mirkwood-- maybe it'd clear your mind. You nearly rammed into an Elf in turning around. "Whoops."

"Nothing to apologize for," the Elf said; thankfully, they'd caught on to Earth slang and understood you most of the time, instead of just assuming you were insulting them. "Thranduil Elvenking has summoned you to his councilroom. The council awaits you."

Your mouth went dry. All the feelings about Legolas ignoring you vanished in an instant. Oh shit. "I-I don't know where that is. You'll take me there, right?"

"Of course," Said the Elf, and lead the way through the twisting halls. He stopped before the one room of the palace that was actually sealed off from the rest besides the dungeons, with doors almost as big as the ones that lead out of the palace. "Here you are. They're waiting for you." He smiled slightly. "A word of advice for the introductions: let King Thranduil introduce you to them before you say your greetings." You bowed slightly in the Elven way as you thanked him.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't nervous as hell. Meeting a bunch of people, really important people... You'd met some important people before: soldiers were the main ones you'd met, aside from a couple of astronauts. Other than that...

Taking a hugely amplified deep breath, you opened the door.

Inside was a wide winding staircase lit  by gorgeously-crafted Elven wall sconces of stained glass and copper metalwork shaped into vines. Every step seemed to echo, and when you reached the top of the staircase, your breath was ripped from you. It was a pavilion. A pavilion in the one place you loved above all else: the sky.

Rails kept anybody from falling off, and it was roofed, so that you could come up here even in the rain. Birds chirped melodiously, and from here, you felt as if you could see all of Middle-Earth. Behind you was a huge mountain range-- you'd never seen mountains before. They were beautiful, snow-capped, and gigantic; the Misty Mountains, obviously. All around you, stretching as far as you could see south and a long way east and west and north, was the Mirkwood, and to the west and north were vast plains, hills, and valleys. Leaves, gold and copper, swirled around the pavilion, giving it an ethereal look. To the west, where you were facing, was a silver lake, wide and glittering in the midday sun. Standing tall and proud beside it was Erebor, home to the King Under the Mountain; currently, Thror. You didn't know why that name seemed so important, though.

You must've turned around in at least a dozen three-sixties, trying to take in what you were seeing. Even if you didn't remember most of it, here you were. You were seeing it, for real and for true, in person, in the home of one of the most revered Elves of Middle-Earth. It seemed unreal, like at any moment, you'd wake up.

A bird, queerly tame, flitted up by your face and up into the rafters; she carried food for her young, and you watched them with a smile, still in disbelief of the views.

A long sigh snapped you out of your trance. Shit. Thranduil waved at you absentmindedly. "Are you daft, vermin? I just introduced you to the council."

"O-oh--"

"Now, now, Thranduil," A wizard chuckled warmly; he wore blue and gray robes, with an immense beard and long hair. Gandalf. "If they really are of another world, then they are obviously stunned by the land. Have you not shown them their new home properly?"

Thranduil nobly facepalmed.

Meanwhile, you realized that it wasn't just Gandalf sitting there smoking his pipe.

Another wizard, this one with long, straight white hair and an equally perfect white beard, in blinding white robes with a white staff: Saruman the White. You didn't know why you got bad vibes from this guy. Beside him sat another Elf, casually, an ankle on his knee and an elbow resting on his higher leg to hold up his head with two fingers. He wore robes of brown and purple, and his long brown hair was held back with a silver Elvish circlet. That had to be Elrond; he looked amused, so you felt kind of relieved. On his left sat a guy who practically glowed, with long blonde hair and white and blue robes. Celeborn. Standing off to the side, with a kind smile like Gandalf, in a billowy white dress with a beautiful Elven circlet made of fine chains and teardrop jewels was a woman, a she-Elf, putting off wisdom-vibes stronger than Gandalf's. Her curling golden hair went well past her waist, and she held herself regally. Out of everyone in this room, she seemed to be the oldest, and the most knowledgeable.

Your Elvish greetings flew right out of your head for a minute, before Thranduil reintroduced you. "This is the council. With us are wizards Saruman the White and Gandalf the Gray, Lord Elrond of House Rivendell, and Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn of Lothlorien. Councilmembers, this is [Y/N], the one who appeared from a portal we knew nothing of-- and if I must repeat this once more, I swear to the Valar, I shall throw you off of this pavilion."

Gandalf actually chuckled at that, as did Elrond, while Celeborn cracked a smile. Galadriel seemed to find this all regally amusing. You bowed like Tauriel had showed you. At least, you'd mastered that part. "Mae govannen, Cundo Elrond Peresta-Elda mi Arcimbele. Nanye ketya veume. Greetings, Gandalf the Gray, Mithrandir, and Saruman the White of Isengard. Welcome to these halls. I am at your service as well, should you need it. And ana lye, Heri Galadriel and Cundo Celeborn, elen sila lumenn omentielvo. Nanye aistana et ketya toled."

Elrond looked impressed. "Well, Thranduil, you have certainly trained them well." Thranduil watched you with wide eyes. He hadn't known of your lessons. Suck it, Lord fucking Fabulous.

Celeborn bowed his head. "Your pronunciation is nearly perfect. Well done, young one. However, I doubt you know much else of our tongue yet, so for your sake, we shall converse in Common, if that suits you."

You almost said, It does. Thanks! But that sounded too disrespectful. "Thank you very much." You smiled, and took a seat when Thranduil waved you to the only empty one aside from Galadriel's.

Saruman started off with a wary tone. "Thranduil tells us you come from another world. Is this true?"

Out of the corner of your eyes, you seen Thranduil roll his eyes. "Yes, sir. I come from a place called Earth."

The councilmembers exchanged glances. "That sounds strikingly similar to Middle-Earth," Said Gandalf, and raised an eyebrow. "Are there any similarities between this world, and yours?"

You shook your head sadly. "Not anymore. My people ruined it. There aren't many places like this anymore."

Saruman stiffened. "Then what happens if your people find the portal? Surely, they will try to ruin this, as well?"

You made a face. "They would, yeah, but my people are also really stupid. It'd take a stupid accident and a lot of chance to fall through that portal again, and Legolas said that it only opened once every time a Firemoon happens."

"Legolas?" Elrond asked, curiously, as if this hadn’t been mentioned before. Of course it hadn’t.

You nodded, unsure of why you suddenly had to fight a flush at the mention of his name. "He helped me find the portal with some of his Elven friends when I first got here. We found writing-- he said it was used before the time of even Gondolin. I don't know when that is; is that a long time ago?"

"Very," Replied Gandalf. "Odd... A portal of that magnitude would have to be created by wizards of some sort, especially at such a time..."

A thought suddenly popped into your head. "Some people think we have magic," You piped up, and all eyes were suddenly on you. "But it never works. Not effectively. Just standard hocus-pocus and the power of suggestion. But hundreds of years ago, there was this really mysterious guy who they say really did have magic, which he used to help others. His name was Merlin; he looked kinda like you, Gandalf. But he was in another country, where I come from; where I was when I fell wasn't anywhere near where he traveled."

Saruman narrowed his bird-like eyes. "Then what relevance is this?"

"Because if there was one wizard like you guys in the past," You pointed out, "Why couldn't there be others? There's so much we don't know about history-- we're more intent on wiping out what we don't understand. What if the wizards traveled between worlds and time? Hell, they could be you guys from the future, and it just hasn't happened yet."

"They have a point, Saruman," Gandalf agreed, much to your relief. You didn't think they'd understand the concept of time travel.

"There is nothing we can do about the portal now," Elrond said decisively. "It is closed, and if we tried to destroy it, we could only do damage. It is an easy enough position to defend; should an army come through, they'd have only one entryway."

"Says who?" Saruman challenged. "There could be other portals we do not know of, some that people have not had the misfortune of falling into yet. How do we know that this invader is not a spy to seek out these portals and prepare them for war?"

You fought a sigh. Damn this small-minded son of  a bitch... You tried to think of something smart ass to say, but nothing fit the situation.

"They are not, Saruman." Lady Galadriel's voice was sudden, light, and smooth, like honey. It radiated outward with an undeniable power that could make anybody listen to her. "Their thoughts do not lead there." Shit. I mean crap. I mean dang. Mind reader. "They are afraid, and worried... They miss the family they left behind, but they are willing to make a life here, since they have no way of returning."

You nodded. "My thanks, my lady."

Lady Galadriel bowed her head in response.

"Build a life?" Saruman inspected you carefully from where he sat. "You are nothing but an infiltrator. Why should we allow you a place among the citizens of Middle-Earth?"

"It does not have to be here," Thranduil pointed out, and your heart shot to your ankles. "You have an unfortunate habit of collecting needy strays, Elrond; why don't you take them with you when you return to Rivendell?"

Elrond shot him a glare.

Um, I think the fuck not. Lady Galadriel, tell them I say no! Tell them I want to stay here! You thought of the views, and of... of Blue-Eyes...

"Perhaps they should be isolated," Saruman said. "Somewhere they cannot concoct any mischief. Rohan is quite strict, as Gondor is watchful. Either would suffice. Perhaps centuries of isolation in Isengard itself would keep them in line."

"Maybe the Shire would be good for them," Gandalf said. "The hobbits are quite peaceful little creatures. Then again, if isolation is what we are looking for, then Laketown couldn't be better. Or Dale; the dwarves don't let anyone commit any mischief from Erebor."

I don't want to leave...

"Lothlorien would perhaps be suitable," Celeborn added. "Or, maybe even the mines of Moria. I do not have much love for dwarves, but they would be kind enough to them."

"What," Interrupted Galadriel, "Does the subject of our conversation think of this?"

Silence fell. You took a deep breath. "I... I'd like to stay here." You seen Thranduil's head turn slowly to look at you, and you could hear him thinking, the fuck did you just say? "Please, my lord."

A tense silence fell over the room. Finally, Thranduil sighed. "I do not want you here, invader. You would have to prove your loyalty and skill beyond a shadow of a doubt."

You perked up. "Legolas is going on some super-secret missions, right? Maybe I could go with him. You trust him of all people to tell you the truth about me, right? So maybe I could prove myself then."

Thranduil thought about this for a moment. "Legolas is hunting for the orcs who are trying to overtake our borders. He found them, but he let them escape, even though they were a small group. He is leaving in three days with reinforcements; you may join him."

You almost visibly sagged with relief. Almost.

"However," Thranduil added, "If I find his report unsatisfactory, you will go with one of the councilmembers and leave Mirkwood. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

Elrond nodded to you. "You would have a home in Rivendell. It is the last safe haven of the Elves in Middle-Earth." He gave Thranduil a pointed sideways glance. "My people are welcoming and kind. They would be glad to have you." With a slight roll of his eyes, he gestured to Gandalf. "And of course, Mithrandir..."

Gandalf looked excited. "I would take you on my journeys with me, if you so desired. First, I would take you to the Shire. Very nice people, those hobbits. And of course, dwarves would be next."

"I thank you both," You smiled slightly, and you truly were grateful, but... "Then it is settled," Thranduil said authoritively. "Elrond, Gandalf, you are welcome to stay here until Legolas returns."

"I would be grateful," Elrond said, but Gandalf defiantly snorted. "I, dear Elvenking, already have arranged for lodgings in Laketown. Send for me once they arrive, so that I may know what I must do."

You felt buoyed a little. Gandalf didn't one-hundred-percent think you'd fail. And you wouldn't. You'd kick ass. You'd save Blue-Eyes's ass again. You'd come back triumphant, and Thranduil would have to let you stay.

Wouldn't he?

Thranduil left first with Elrond and Celeborn, followed by Gandalf and Saruman closely. Galadriel looked out over to the lake, all shiny and pretty and with her hair billowing majestically. "Why do you wish to stay among those who do not wish for your presence?"

You were stunned by the question. "I-I don't know... I've lived all my life an outcast... The hated one... I've just grown used to it. Being somewhere where people would be nice to me makes me uncomfortable. But there are a couple of people nice to me, and that's enough."

Galadriel was silent for a moment. "You think of him."

"Uhhh..."

"The prince."

You did blush this time. "I-I don't--"

"You are one of the Eldar now, mellon," Galadriel stated slowly. "Eldar only fall in love once. I have known many who have been broken by that which is unrequited. Do not be one of them."

You thought about her words for a second. "I don't love him... I don't even have like a crush on him or anything..." I've only known him for a couple days, overall.

Galadriel nodded slightly into the breeze. "Sieze it, if the chance arises. But if it does not, or if you do not think it will... I advise you to seek for a home elsewhere." You got the gist. If I do fall for him on my mission, and I know it won't go anywhere... Leave, even if I succeed.

Your heart was heavy at that thought, but you knew she was right. "Thank you, my lady."

"You need not thank a friend for giving advice." She smiled at you, and you left the pavilion with a deep bow, trying desperately not to let your heartstrings fall apart.

Tag List:

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Title: Lost and Found

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Awakening

Pairing(s): Frederick/Robin

Word count: 2054

Warnings: N/A

Summary: Just over a year had passed since the day that Frederick lost the love of his life, and he was starting to wonder if Robin would ever find her way back to him.Luckily for him, she finally did.

“Bend your knees more when starting your attack; you will put more power behind your swings that way.”

“Yes, sir!”

Frederick nodded in response as he watched the young knight-in-training adjust his stance and continue practicing. The knight captain of Ylisse resumed his pacing between the rest of his new recruits, giving more advice or demonstrations as necessary. He managed to keep a straight face and do his job, despite the fact that his mind was somewhere else completely.

Biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from sighing deeply, Frederick’s gaze shifted to the sky above Castle Ylisstol’s training yard. He was finding it harder and harder to focus on his duties as a knight, mostly due to the gnawing void in his heart that seemed to grow larger as the days dragged on, ever since that fateful day when the Fell Dragon Grima was defeated.

Not a day went by where Frederick didn’t think of that heartbreaking moment, when he had watched the love of his life fade away in his arms, after she had dealt the fatal blow to Grima herself. She had made the sacrifice to destroy the Fell Dragon once and for all, he knew this, and yet some incredibly selfish part of him wished that she hadn’t done it.

However, he still held a sliver of hope that she would be found someday, and for a time after Grima’s demise, Frederick had traveled with Chrom and Lissa to help search for her. After a couple months with no luck, the trio had returned to Ylisstol to rest and replenish their supplies. But when Chrom and Lissa set out again, Frederick made the difficult decision to stay behind.

With his new position as knight captain, he had a responsibility to train the new recruits, and he could not put that off any longer. Stahl had volunteered to take his place (Frederick knew that it was mostly due to the fact that he missed Lissa, and he could not fault him for that), and Frederick was left to his duties at the capital, hoping and praying that they would find Robin for him.

A sudden commotion from the other side of the field pulled Frederick from his thoughts, and when he turned to see what the ruckus was, he was so shocked at what he saw that his jaw dropped and his heart skipped a beat.

“F-Frederick!” Stahl blurted out as he stumbled up to him, heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He was red-faced and sweating profusely; had he sprinted all the way here? There could only be one reason for that…

“Stahl...what are you doing here?” Frederick hesitated before forcing the question out, his breath catching in his throat as he waited for the answer. Stahl wheezed a few more times, before his breathing started to even out and he ran his arm over his forehead to wipe away the sweat.

“We...ah....We found her! We found Robin!” Stahl managed to gasp out, a beaming smile crossing his face, and Frederick’s thought that his heart was going to burst from his chest.

“Where is she?”

“I ran ahead to come and tell you, so they should be at the city gates in no time-” That was all that Frederick needed to hear, and he cut Stahl off by shoving his lance into his arms before bolting out of the training grounds as fast as his legs could carry him, discarding the upper half of his armor and tossing it aside haphazardly as he rushed through the castle.

The streets of Ylisstol blurred passed him as Frederick sprinted towards the gates leading out of the city. His heartbeat hammered hard in his ears, and his mind was spinning with so many mixed emotions that he was surprised that he was able to run in a straight line. Robin...was really back? He wouldn’t - no, he couldn’t - believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.

When he finally crossed through the city gates, Frederick doubled over as he gasped for air; sprinting across the city with his lower half still clad in armor was not the brightest idea he had ever had. After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the sweat from his face, he stood back up, and he immediately froze, his eyes widening to take in the beautiful sight before him.

Standing about ten feet away was Robin, looking just the same as the day that she defeated Grima and disappeared as Frederick held her. He blinked once...twice...three times, before he lifted his hands to his eyes and gave them a firm rub. He lowered his hands, and unlike in so many of his dreams this past year, Robin was still there.

“R-Robin…” Frederick finally managed to speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. “Is it...really you?”

“Yes, Frederick, it’s really me.” The combination of the beautiful smile that crossed Robin’s face and finally hearing the sound of her sweet voice again completely stole the breath from Frederick’s lungs, and his eyes welled up with tears as they both moved to close the distance between them at the same time. When she was close enough, Robin threw herself into Frederick’s arms, and he caught her, spinning them both around a bit with the momentum. Frederick clung tightly to her as he sobbed, and Robin pressed her face against his chest, his shirt becoming dampened by her tears as she also started crying.

Frederick’s arms tightened even more around her, as if she would disappear again if he loosened his grip even a smidge, and he pressed his face against her hair. It was just as soft as he remembered, and the familiar smell of her favorite soap caused him to shake from the force of his sobbing. This really wasn’t just another dream. Robin, the person that he loved the most in the world, had finally returned to him.

Eventually, both Frederick and Robin had managed to contain their sobbing, and when she lifted her head to gaze at him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers, he lifted his hand to cup her cheek. A deep sigh escaped from her as she leaned into his touch, and her hand moved up to cover his as he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

“I...Gods, I can’t believe that this isn’t just another dream…” Frederick said, and Robin chuckled as a fond smile crossed her face.

“Frederick, love, I’m...so sorry for leaving you for so long,” Robin said, the smile falling from her face slightly as her gaze fell to the ground, “I never wanted to just leave you like that, to cause you any pain-” Frederick shook his head and cut her off by placing a gentle kiss on on her forehead, pausing for a moment to admire the cute blush that rose up high on her cheeks.

“Robin.” Frederick reached out to take Robin’s hands, his fingers brushing against the ring that he had given her; he was pleasantly surprised that she still wore it after all this time. “I know that you made the right choice in that final battle. I never lost hope that you would return to me, so there is no need to apologize.”

Robin’s eyes wandered back up to his, and a few more tears fell down her face as her smile returned. “Thank you, Frederick, for waiting for me. I love you.”

“And I love you, Robin. Always.” Frederick’s voice dropped to a whisper, and he finally closed the distance between them to press his lips against hers. Robin sighed into the kiss as her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. Frederick had almost forgotten what it felt like, being embraced by someone that he loved so much, who also loved him just as much in return. The happiness he felt was almost too much to handle, and Frederick had to break the kiss as he erupted into a fit of joyous laughter as he lifted Robin into the air and spun them both around.

“Ah, Frederick!” Robin yelled out in surprise as she placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself, but her laughter soon joined his. When he finally stopped spinning around, she cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his, her fingers sliding gently through the wild brown hair that framed his face.

Closing his eyes, Frederick sighed contently as his nose brushed against hers. “I feel like I’d forgotten what true happiness felt like.” His eyes opened again when he heard her snort to suppress more laughter, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” she teased, and Frederick firmly shook his head as his arms tightened around her legs.

“Not at all. Without you, my darling, my life lacks purpose. I wish to be with you until the end of my days.” Robin couldn’t contain her laughter this time, and Frederick was very okay with that, because that very sound was one of his absolute favorites in the entire world.

“Okay, that’s really dramatic, Freddy Bear,” Robin managed to say between giggles, and even though he would normally scoff at the silly nickname, Frederick could only laugh along with her this time. “But...I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel the same. I really am looking forward to finally starting my life with you.”

“Likewise, my love.”

“Ahem, I, uh, really don’t mean to interrupt, but…”

Frederick blinked as he looked over to find Chrom and Lissa standing off to the side - the former rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly on his feet as he averted his gaze, while the latter was grinning from ear to ear - and he was surprised that he hadn’t even noticed that they were here until now.

“Oh, oops! Sorry!” Robin’s face flushed a deep red as she wiggled out of Frederick’s arms, and he pursed his lips in annoyance. He cleared his throat and bowed to Chrom and Lissa, but not before taking Robin’s hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

“Welcome back milord, milady. It is good to see you well-” Frederick began, but he was cut off when Lissa groaned and rolled her eyes.

“C’mon Frederick! We’ve told you countless times not to be so formal with us!” Lissa complained, and a grin spread across his face as he nodded.

“Ah, yes. Old habits die hard, it seems.”

“They sure do,” Chrom said, smiling as he placed one hand on Frederick’s shoulder and the other on Robin’s. “I’m really happy for you two. Robin was so eager to return to your side that I’m surprised that she got any sleep on the journey back here.”

“I didn’t sleep well at all, really…” Robin mumbled, and Frederick chuckled as he gave her hand a squeeze.

“We should get back to the castle then! You can rest up, and then we can have a huge welcome home party!” Lissa said, her fists clenching with excitement in front of her.

“That sounds like a great idea! I’ll have arrangements made as soon as possible,” Chrom said, nodding as he and Lissa began walking back towards the city gates, chatting excitedly about party preparations.

“A party sounds great! I’ve really missed everyone else too,” Robin said as she and Frederick followed the two royals.

“Hmm, as much as I want to keep you all to myself right now, I know that everyone else has been waiting for your return too, so I will begrudgingly share you,” Frederick teased, but his eyes widened with shock when a sly grin crossed Robin’s face before she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“Oh, we’ll have plenty of time for ourselves, Frederick. Which is good, because we have a lot of catching up to do.” Robin said, and Frederick felt his face heat up considerably.

“...I am very much looking forward to that.” Frederick threw his arm over Robin’s shoulder and pulled her close as she laughed. As they walked towards their future, Frederick knew that if their love could withstand the hardships that they had already weathered, they would be able to handle anything that their life still had in store for them. Together.

Set 5: Saccharine Swashbucklers vs. The Royal Fortune Crew

        “Phew. It’s been a pretty long day, hasn’t it? Sorry for the delay -- I hope you’re all holding up, or at least you haven’t gotten too bored yet. We’ve got just one more match this afternoon before we conclude for today...Let’s get on with it!”

           SACCHARINE SWASHBUCKLERS 

                                  VS. THE ROYAL FORTUNE CREW

        “Everyone, to your places...On your marks, get set, go!”

        “Grima bolts to a cannon and fires thin air! I like his enthusiasm, but remember, load your cannons first! Lon’qu didn’t get the memo either, since I see a similarly empty puff from his end...Captain Asugi tries to be a good sportsman by waving towards the other team, and Fergus waves back -- only to be shot down mercilessly by Gangrel! To the head, too! (Fergus [RFC] eliminated, +5 to SS)Tobin doesn’t look too happy about this, and I think he’s learned a bit after all that misfiring -- he rattles off a shot straight to Asugi’s head too! (+5 to RFC) An eye for an eye...a head for a head? Meanwhile, Vice Captain Mitama, Kamui, and Kaze all nicely wish each other good luck -- not broken by any headshots. That’s some proper friendly spirit!”

        “Actually, now that I look back down at our roster...we have a Kaze on each team? This might get a bit confusing...They didn’t give us nicknames like the Azuras, or...Er, Uncle? Aren’t we around the same age...?”

        “I’m just going to...call them Kaze S and Kaze R, like their team names. I hope I don’t mix them up....”

        “Anyway! There’s a bit of jostling among the team members as they struggle to find a sort of rhythm to their barrages -- but Linus and Jonathan trade arm hits! (+1 to SS, +1 to RFC) Mark gets Raigh’s foot! (+2 to SS) Ike bounces a ball off Grima’s arm! (+1 to SS) And...Grima attempts to retaliate, but he blows a hole in the enemy mast instead. And Vice Captain Mitama, somehow...aims her cannon so low that her shot bounces around and hits her own foot. Ouch, that looks like it could hurt...Not too long after, Danielle also hits the mast. And Lon’qu seems to aim a cannon towards Sara but decides to hit the hull instead...Who’s letting her near the cannons, anyway?”

        “Mitama retreats towards the Crow’s Nest, which is probably a good idea! Tobin, Valter, and Raigh all seem to get the same idea, because they’re rushing up there too. Asugi’s yelling something at Kaze S, who’s too busy to notice Sara trying to load a cannon...Er, is anyone going to stop her? Mark, Gangrel, and Jonathan are all occupied trying to hit the enemy team -- but they’re just getting the ship instead. Maybe look around yourselves too, guys...not just the other ship!”

        “The Royal Fortune Crew is having a little trouble themselves, it seems. Joelle just manages to crouch out of the way of Grima’s fire, but Raigh and Tobin can’t help bumping into each other -- same with Valter and Kaze R, who almost collided trying to reach the same cannon! At least Captain Lilina is pulling some weight -- although Danielle sidesteps Lilina’s first shot, Lilina gets Captain Asugi’s leg in the next. (+2 to RFC) Linus fires at Sara, but it just grazes her -- I don’t know if she was lucky, or that one was intentional. Grima’s hitting the mast again, except in a different spot, and Kaze S and Vice Captain Mitama make nice dents in the Royal Fortune’s hull. Is everyone pulling their punches a bit, or is it just the exhaustion from the other matches getting to us all?”

        “The hits and just-misses continue, with Joelle and Kamui changing it up by heading up to the Crow’s Nest. The others are taking their time to reload, but Vice Captain Mitama is looking hasty -- and deep in thought about something -- as she reloads. She might want to pay more attention to her work, though, because -- “ BOOM “ -- just like that, you can misfire!”

        “If anything, that self-destruction’s got everyone all up and firing again. Lon’qu gets Mark’s arm! (+1 to RFC) Valter shoots Kaze S’s leg! (+1 to RFC) Ike hits Joelle’s hand! (+2 to SS) Grima swerves his cannon out of Captain Lilina’s direction and manages to bounce off Jonathan’s leg! (+1 to RFC) Raigh follows up with a hit to Gangrel’s foot! (+2 to RFC) I’m going to refrain from making a gangrene joke, but know that I thought about it!”

        “The quick pace continues as First Mate Grima and Captain Lilina run up to the Crow’s Nest, quickly followed by Captain Asugi and Kaze S doing the same! Kaze R and Lon’qu both try to aim for the moving targets, but they’re reloading and aiming far too messily -- poor Linus and Valter are caught in the crossfire, each with a hit to the torso! (Linus [RFC] and Valter [RFC] eliminated) Tobin and Joelle attempt to make up for it, but oh no! They misfire onto themselves, and share the same fate!” (Tobin [RFC] and Joelle [RFC]) eliminated) 

        “At this rate, we might need to rename it to Royal MISfortune...”

        “Gangrel watches deviously and seems to want to capitalize on Royal Fortune’s chaos -- but he doesn’t turn the cannon around fast enough, because he hits himself instead! (Gangrel [SS] eliminated) That’s nearly five self-destructions in five minutes...are you guys alright?!”

        “Meanwhile, the First Mates and Captains seem to be focusing on trading blows with each other. Asugi and Lilina exchange arm hits, while Grima and Mitama are rattling off shots faster than the eye can see -- but they manage to hit each other in the torso at the same time! (+4 to SS, +1 to RFC) Grima, you’re still safe, but Mitama, that’s a knockout! (Vice Captain Mitama [SS] eliminated, +3 to RFC) The Kazes seem to be battling for dominance on the other side, because they’re trading arm blows as well! (+1 to SS, +1 to RFC) Now Grima’s trying to continue his streak; but that cannon looks aimed rather dangerously at his own teammate Lon’qu before he swivels it back towards the Saccharine! Lucky for Lon’qu, he’s safe from the friendly fire, but Danielle is hit in the chest and knocked out!” (Danielle [SS] eliminated, +3 to RFC)

        “Perhaps deciding not to push his luck, Grima gives his firing a rest by climbing up to the Crow’s Nest. Jonathan tries to aim for the First Mate, but he’s having trouble with his aim -- and he’s just not fast enough! The cannon fires off, back onto Jonathan’s torso! (Jonathan [SS] eliminated) You know, I feel bad...I think I’m going to pay a few more friendly visits to his slush stand.”

        “Lon’qu attempts a quick reload, but his timing with the cannon turning isn’t working out either! Although he manages to avoid being hit by his own cannonball, Raigh isn’t so lucky! Sorry, Raigh -- you’re out!” (Raigh [RFC] eliminated) 

        “Kamui aims for Lon’qu in the meantime, but he just misses! Now Captain Lilina is trading barrages with Mark -- they hit each other’s arms! (+1 to SS, +1 to RFC) And the two Kazes are back at it again...which one is the real one? Or which one is the best one? The answer is -- both! Or neither! Their last pair of shots each hit the other’s torso -- that’s a double knockout between the two Kazes! (Kaze S [SS] and Kaze R [RFC] eliminated, +3 to SS, +3 to RFC) At the same time, Captain Asugi leaps out of the way of Ike’s awkward fire, which bounces off Captain Lilina’s hand -- and back to Ike’s own head! (Ike [SS] eliminated, +2 to SS) I really don���t know how these self-knockouts are happening, but the Saccharine Swashbucklers don’t seem too lucky today either!”

        “I see Sara sneaking up to the cannons while Ike’s recovering from that head hit...Kamui seems to be warning Mark about this, but they’re too late! Sara fires off a shot -- straight into Lon’qu’s torso! Yes, that’s points! (Lon’qu [RFC] eliminated, +3 to SS) Captain Lilina tries to return the fire, but her reload is too clumsy -- she crouches down to pick up some dropped ammo and the cannon fires into her own torso! Sorry, Lilina -- you might want to wait to do that after you fire off!”

        “After that the players seem to be taking a short break...Grima’s swapping between checking the cannons and looking back at Captain Asugi. I wonder if he’s planning something? The rest of the teams are laying low, except for Sara -- I think she’s trying the old trick again, scurrying down the deck and hoping to pull a fast one on the Royal Fortune...Unlucky for her, she misfires! The ball bounces from the ship deck and onto her own torso...I think that’s enough for Sara today!” (Sara [SS] eliminated)

        “Now, we’ve only got a few members of each team left! Mark and Grima swap arm hits, and so do Asugi and Lilina! (+2 to SS, +2 to RFC) They’ve been at it for a pretty good while now...I wonder who will be the first to buckle? Kamui attempts to aim for Lilina as well, but she goes through the mast instead. I see Asugi and Lilina tensely trying to reload as fast as they can, but you know they say slow and steady wins the race -- because they both let go too soon! Their cannons swivel back towards their own side, and both Mark and Grima are sacrificed to the, er... God of Torso Hits? (Mark [SS] and Grima [RFC] eliminated) Poor Kamui, who’d been hoping for a more successful hit, gets caught off guard by the friendly fire, and hits herself in the chest as well. (Kamui [SS] eliminated) If only these went to the other team...”

        “And for better or worse -- only the captains remain! They’re in a frenzy of shooting and dodging whatever they can, but not a one is landing a hit on the other -- Lilina just narrowly escapes a self-destruction by crouching out of the way, and Asugi hopes to get the edge on her! However, Lilina takes the moment to surprise fire from the cannon beside her, and Asugi has to abandon his aim in order to dodge it! But the cannon’s still going and -- Oh! He can’t move away fast enough! The shot he was loading lets fly in the wrong direction -- into Asugi’s own torso! I wonder if Lilina planned that far ahead, or Asugi was just unlucky?!” (Asugi [SS] eliminated)

Saccharine Swashbucklers: 27 points! MVPs: Designer Ike and Janitor Gangrel Royal Fortune Crew: 27 + 5 = 32 points! MVPs: First Mate Grima and Sailor Tobin

        “Well, that was definitely a close one, wasn’t it! But the last man standing bonus gives the Royal Fortune Crew just enough to beat out the Saccharine Swashbucklers! Good work, everyone -- why don’t you all go enjoy the other festivities for the rest of today, and come back prepared for more tomorrow? We’ve got more exciting matches for you, so see you then!”

(( Simulation screencaps can be found here! ))

Summoner/F!Robin C-S Support

Written by  robluu321

C SUPPORT

F!Robin: Um, excuse me, (y/n).

(y/n): Uh?… Oh, Robin, good afternoon.

F!Robin: Good afternoon. Would you mind to answer me three questions I have?

(y/n): Sure. I may have work to do, but I’m not in a hurry. What do you want to know?

F!Robin: First… where did you learn your tactics?.

(y/n): Ah, that’s an easy one. Well, after I was summoned, I read a lot of books about military strategy… That’s how I learnt most of what I know about it.

F!Robin: Wait, so… you didn’t know anything about being a tactician before that?

(y/n): I had a little “experience”, I guess… since I played things called “video games”… but yeah. If we compare my knowledge now to my knowledge when I was in my world… there’s an abysmal difference. Part of the problem is, where I come from, magic does not exist.

F!Robin: Wow… weird… so you had to adapt to understand tactics with mages?

(y/n): Indeed. Honestly, all this stuff – dragons, magic, medieval life style… It’s all strange to me. There are legends and stories about it, but I never lived anything like this until now.

F!Robin: That brings up my next question. Many Heroes here say you describe stuff that we’ve never seen, many say you may be… um… crazy, and you just imagine them, actually… You said something about having played a… video… video game.

(y/n): It’s understandable. It’d be hard for anyone here to picture what a video game is, and I’d have a hard time myself explaining what it is. They don’t have to believe me if they don’t want to. The only way I could get you to understand would be to open a gateway to my world and bring back a video game and a console, or to bring you to my old house but… Well, I can’t do that.

F!Robin: That’s… convenient… but maybe it has something to do with my third questio Alfonse said you didn’t want to return to your own world… why?… don’t you have loved ones there?.

(y/n): I do. But opening a gateway to my world would be… Let’s say that, in my world, we have what we call… petroleum. It’s a mineral oil that we use for fuel, and very important for our economy. And… as you might suspect, it’s becoming rarer and rarer… I fear that if we open a gate, people would end up discovering Askr and come to steal its resources…

F!Robin: …Are you shaking?

(y/n): …Honestly, I am happier to be here… But you don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to. I guess that answers your three questions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.

F!Robin: Wait!… They left…

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank C.]

SUPPORT B

(y/n): If only I could understand this better… Damn.

F!Robin: (y/n)!

(y/n): Robin? What a surprise.

F!Robin: I still had another question. Please don’t run away this time.

(y/n): …What is it?.

F!Robin: Why did you say you were happier here than in your home world?

(y/n): Well… Here, I’m more important than I am at home… Unlike all of you Heroes, I’ve never fought an evil empire trying to conquer the world nor an evil dragon trying to destroy humanity… I was just a regular person, like any villager.

F!Robin: So you were like Donnel before he joined the Shepherds, and your life here is more exciting.

(y/n): Pretty much, yeah… Okay, now may I ask you something as well?

F!Robin: Of course. (y/n): I don’t wanna sound rude but… why are asking me so many questions?

F!Robin: Let’s say… I feel a special connection with you.

(y/n): Connection? What do you mean? F!Robin: I’m not sure… It’s just, we’re very similar in some aspects: we’re both tacticians, working along a blue haired prince who has a cute younger sister and wields a legendary sword, our clothes are similar… The fear you displayed when you talked about an army from your world�� It’s similar to the fear I had when I faced Walhart and his men… and…

(y/n): And? F!Robin: And we both worry too much about others, to the point we overwork ourselves to ensure their safety. We also both prefer to stay with the friends we made along the way than to live the destiny we were suposed to live before our adventure began.

(y/n): I see… let me test ask you something else. Did you decide to kill Grima, despite knowing it would kill you as well, because you couldn’t have lived the rest of your life in peace? Because it would have been selfish? Because it might have allowed the future where Lucina came from to happen again?

F!Robin: …I’m just one woman… Chrom and all the others didn’t understand that. My life is nothing compared to many lifes.

(y/n): But life does not care for what we want or what makes us feel better. For what it’s worth, I think you made the right choice, Robin. Even if it was a hard decision. Remember this: the hardest choices require the strongest will.

F!Robin: …Thank you for being so understanding, (y/n).

(y/n): You’re welcome. I’m gonna have to cut our chat short though… I still have a lot of working to do.

F!Robin: Would you like some help?

(y/n): Haha. Yes, why not?

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank B.]

SUPPORT A

F!Robin: You know, when you said you had too much work to do, I thought you meant making tactics, but all these… the telescope, compass, thermometer… They are just wonderful.

(y/n): They truly are. A shame the vast majority of people would be unable to explain how they work, let alone build them.

F!Robin: That makes sense, I suppose… After all, I would be unable to build a ballista. So you really are from a completely different world, aren’t you?

(y/n): Mhm. Feels weird to live in a medieval setting.

F!Robin: What do you mean by medieval?

(y/n): A long time ago, my world was very similar to Askr or Ylisse. Well, without magic, pegasi, wyverns, dragons and all that stuff, of course.

F!Robin: Ah, that’s right, no magic. Then it must have been pretty difficult to do certain things, and I guess battles were more simple, only melee fights… (y/n): Oh, no, actually. In modern society, we have weapons that allow us to fight from a distance.

F!Robin: Like archers?

(y/n): Sort of? I guess you could think of such weapons as evolved bows and arrows… Wait, I think I can explain. You see how Breidablik works?

F!Robin: Yes. You load it with orbs and then you push that thing here, and it fires. Like a crossbow.

(y/n): Haha, I didn’t think about it, but it does work a bit like a crossbow. To me, it’s more similar to one of the weapons I just mentioned – a gun.

F!Robin: Interesting… So, instead of orbs, you’d load a “gun” with another kind of projectile. Similar to cannonballs, but smaller.

(y/n): Exactly. We call them bullets.

F!Robin: Um… Would have been pretty convenient if Breidablik could do that.

(y/n): Ha! Yeah… I could have headshoted Surtr or Veronica and we’d all be happy right now. Well, in theory.

F!Robin: Such efficient yet deadly new weapons… I can see why anyone from your world coming here with ill intentions would be worrisome.

(y/n): Yes… The mere idea this could happen makes me… makes me… urgh…

F!Robin: You’re trembling again. Are you okay?

(y/n): Yes, yes… Sorry. I worry too much, don’t I? After all, there’s no way this could happen. As long as I’m using Breidablik with good intentions in mind, this will never… urgh.

F!Robin: …You know you’re not alone, right? Everyone here is your friend. We can support you. There’s no point in getting sick with worry. That’s what my own friends taught me.

(y/n): Thank you, Robin. I appreciate the thought. But as my duty-

F!Robin: Oh, please. Don’t give me the “duty” excuse. I’ll help you, everyday! I know how it feels to work restlessly… so please, just let me help you.

(y/n): In that case… Alright, friend. Thanks a lot.

F!Robin: Don’t mention it.

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank A.]

S SUPPORT

F!Robin: You!

(y/n): Argh!

F!Robin: Stay right here! Don’t try to run away!

F!Robin: You owe me an explanation, and I want it now!

(y/n): R-Robin? I… Um… I have to–

F!Robin: Work to do, yes, I know. That’s the problem! What’s gotten into you? All of a sudden, it’s like I’m not allowed to work with you anymore! I just wanted to make sure you’d be fine, as a friend, and now you are overworking yourself again! Why?

(y/n): I know, I just… You’re… distracting me.

F!Robin: Distracting you…? So you’re saying it’s my fault then.

(y/n): I mean… Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on skills sets or strategies for Tempest Trials when there’s someone as kindhearted and pretty as you always standing near me?!

F!Robin: …Excuse me?

(y/n): You gave me a hand when I needed it the most… and after that, every time you helped me, the only thing I could think about was how smart and beautiful you are. Sheesh, I even spilled tea all over me the other day because I was thinking about your smile.

F!Robin: (y/n)… I had no idea…

(y/n): I know. I’m sorry I changed my mind about working together and gave you no explanation. Well, here’s your reason. I love you. It’s just… In order to stay focused on my duties, I needed you to stay away from my job.

F!Robin: …You are such an idiot. Instead of taking such a rash decision, you should have told me. Who’s to say I don’t feel the same about you? Geez… I hadn’t confessed and I still thought you had rejected me.

(y/n): I-I’m sorry… I never expected I had a chance. But… maybe we can try.

F!Robin: What do you mean?

(y/n): If we both feel the same, maybe I won’t have any problem being in love with you and working at your side.

F!Robin: Now that sounds like a good decision. Here, let me tell you something.

[(y/n) and F!Robin have reached support rank S.]

Confession quote:

F!Robin: “Your dedication to help everyone, your kindness, your intelligence… I love it all. You opened my eyes to wonders I would have never imagined. I can not imagine how my life would have been like had I never met you. Let’s stay by each other’s side, for the rest of our lives.”

A Broken Promise, A Fulfiled Duty

Thank you so much for commissioning me again, @breeachuu​! This was so feely to write I cried a bit ;v;) I hope you like it!

Summary: Robin sacrificed herself to stop the threat of Grima for eternity. She left behind her growing family -- Chrom, Lucina, Morgan and their baby sister Luci --  as well as the friends she promised to always stay with. Nidra grieved her human friend more than anything in the world, but decided to uphold her promise with Robin.

Commission info HERE (closed!) and HERE! (closed!)

Origin Peak. Naga had used most of her power to transport and heal the Shepherds as they fought over the Fell Dragon's back. Grima flew over the clouds, its sheer speed making the soldiers flinch, taking the most they could to simply stand, let alone fight under these conditions.

Nidra, Meliodas, Henry and Cynthia fought with their backs to the Fell Dragon's neck, where Robin and Chrom fought the Avatar of Destruction, the Robin who came from Lucina's future. The older manakete protected her children, taking blows meant for them with ease -- her dragon form was significantly larger than Meliodas' due to her old age, and Cynthia fought over her pegasus. Henry made a mount out of his wife and cursed any and every Risen within his sight -- and boy, was his sight amplified due to Nidra's flight.

But the dark mage gasped for a split of second due to Nidra flinching under him. It was as though her power had been sapped for a moment, taking her by surprise. Widening her eyes, Nidra looked around to the battlefield, seeing it in slow motion. She could feel that every manakete in the area reacted the same way -- it felt like Naga had been borrowing a bit of each dragon's power to use it to seal Grima with Falchion, guided by her true son, Chrom.

Her heartbeat slow, Nidra almost closed her eyes, feeling somewhat peaceful that her power was being used to banish Grima from this era, but soon the rush of battle came crashing down at her: her power was returned all at once as the very ground they stood shook.

Robin didn't let Chrom deal the last blow.

She used her own magic against the Fell Dragon, taking its pain within her body and dissolving alongside it.

"ROBIN!" Nidra could hear Chrom's desperate yell from behind, her own body moving towards it.

"NO!! MOTHER!!" She heard Morgan and Lucina say in unison, their voices begging for it not to be true.

Nidra blinked, quickly opening her large jaw and picking Meliodas by his neck, grabbing both Cynthia and her mount with each of her hands: Grima's gargantuan body was falling at an increasing speed.

Henry held onto Nidra's neck as the manakete beat her wings slowly so as to alleviate the wind's pressure in her husband and humanoid daughter.

Naga's light once again enveloped the Shepherds, allowing them a safe landing at the foot of Origin Peak, right beside the now disintegrating bones of Grima.

Chrom held the only thing left of Robin: her coat. He squeezed it with one hand, grinding his jaw so as not to burst into tears right there and then. "It's done -- Grima will never again... never again," he stuttered, his eyes overflowing with tears despite his utmost efforts. "Never again plague humanity." He brought Robin's coat to his chest at the same time Morgan threw himself in his arms. "Let's not give up hope -- our bonds with Robin are much too strong for her to simply disappear like that. Let's not... give up hope." His voice faltered as his eyes fell on Lucina, who looked at the lump of dust the Avatar of Destruction had become, then back at the coat her father held.

"She was... she IS my true Mother, no matter what my parentage with that Vessel who came back from the future is." Lucina whispered, slowly heading towards the remainder of her family. "She has to come back; she promised... she promised she would take us all to live the life of a true family."

Nidra sobbed, not realizing she had placed her family safely on the ground and transformed back to her humanoid form. "R-Robin...!" She cried. It wasn't a surprise, really -- Robin really was someone who always prioritized other before herself, so seeing her give her own life for the sake of this world's future was truly something she would do, despite having promised otherwise.

But it still hurt.

It hurt so, so very much.

Nidra wasn't ready to part with her closest human friend from this era. From any era, really.

Robin was much too important to the manakete for her to even fathom saying goodbye that soon.

"Oh, Robin!" Nidra grieved, digging her face within her hands. She felt a tackling hug almost shatter her ribs, then an equally strong pair of arms squeezing the breath out of her body.

"I-it's gonna be alright, Mother!" Cynthia sniffled, digging her face into Nidra's chest. "Now I know what it means to be a true hero, and Robin fits the d-de-description! But, you know?" She looked up to her mother, her cheeks awash with tears. "Heroes always come back in the end!" Her lips trembled. "D-don't they?"

Nidra widened her eyes, conflicting emotions warring inside of her. She looked from her daughter to her approaching son, then to her husband whose hand never left her shoulder. With her enhanced hearing, she could still hear Lucina's, Morgan's and Chrom's quiet sobs, the Exalted family doing their best to not be overcome by sadness and grief.

"If anything ever happens to me... Nidra, I'm counting on you to take care of her." Nidra remembered her friend saying the very day young Lucina was born. The very day she took it upon herself to be the small princess' godmother, and to watch over her until her small light faded and her own children ruled over Ylisse.

Once again Nidra felt the tears burn her eyes, but this time she took a deep breath and patted her daughter's head. "... Of course they do, Cynthia. They always do. And Robin WILL return."

"Nyep, Robin isn't so weak to just, you know, die if you kill her!" Henry smiled, wrapping one arm around his wife and daughter, opening the remaining one for Meliodas to join.

"She is a very strong woman, indeed." The young manakete nodded, his expression of grief out of sympathy for his friend Lucina for losing her mother. "We'll never stop looking for her."

"... No. No, we will not." Nidra nodded, looking up at the parting clouds, feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time in months. "I would rather you both returned with us to Ylisse, however, though I will not force you to."

"Mother?" Cynthia tilted her head to the side, her face still wet with tears.

"I've a duty to uphold there and it would be best if we all were together."

The end of a war did not mean the end of one's duties with their kingdom -- on the contrary. It was within the rebuilding that rested the true responsibility of a ruler.

Chrom would need to be strong for his family, present OR future one, at the same time as he ruled over a kingdom and establish better relations with their neighboring one.

Nidra's volunteering to care for young Lucina alongside the wet-nurses would help the Exalt immensely, though it did much to increasing his grieving over his wife.

Seeing Nidra holding Lucina instead of Robin the times he went to visit the baby brought Chrom mixed feelings he would rather not divulge to his eager to help manakete friend.

He arranged for her and Henry's quarters to be moved closer to the Royal Wing and would do the same for Cynthia's and Meliodas' hadn't the manakete children refused in lieu of staying at the barracks, close to their time-traveling friends.

Lucina was promoted to the leader of the Shepherds at the same time Morgan took it upon himself to lead search after search for their missing Mother. The entire Royal Family did the best they could not to feel Robin's absence by doing what she did the most: prioritize work at the expense of their own health.

Given the circumstances, Nidra didn't feel that she had the right to tell Chrom off, or any of them, really. The most she could do at the moment was uphold her promise with her dearest friend and be there for young Luci at her every need.

"Cool thing that we've moved to the Castle, huh?" Henry hummed one afternoon as they took a short break under a tree at the gardens. "But I guess we'll be kicked out once Robin comes back, nyaha!"

Nidra pinched her husband's ribs, stealing a squeal out of him. "Robin would never do that to us, though I do agree that I would rather live in the outskirts of the city once everything returns to normal around here."

"Fufu, yeah, raising four dragon children will really need a lot of space; good thinking on the outskirts, Ni-Ni!"

Nidra smiled for what felt the first time in six months, ever since Robin had disappeared. She absentmindedly caressed her stomach, wondering how it felt to be pregnant. "Two of them are already grown, unfortunately. Though I'm not opposed to having them living with us for the rest of our days."

"MY days you mean? Yeah!" He laughed, bonking his head on her lap as he melted down to the grassy ground. "Don't try to take it all on yourself, okay? I'm not gonna live as long as you, but I sure as heck ain't gonna leave you that soon -- so you can tell me anything! I thought we talked more than this before the end of the war!"

Nidra's eyes burned, her hand flinching over her husband's silky hair. "It's only... that being confronted by the sudden truth that I will be left alone one time or another; to care for a too young baby on my own for all eternity... I suppose it is like when humans are confronted with their own mortality, but with the mortality of my loved ones instead."

Henry clasped both hands over his chest, the same way humans usually fashioned the corpses of their loved ones inside the coffins. "I'm not gonna die that soon, though? I told you I'm researching life-extending stuff with your dragonstone, yeah? Besides, thinking about my death all the time's only gonna make it come sooner!"

"No!" Nidra gasped, holding Henry's face with both of her hands.

"Just when I started thinking that I actually wanted to live a bit longer instead of wanting to die a gory death or something..." He chuckled, lifting both hands to upside-down caress Nidra's cheeks. "Robin's gonna come back and we're gonna have our amazing five-dragon family, alright? Let's have that smile now!"

Nidra snorted, her vision blurred by tears. A few fell over Henry's cheeks, making him let out 'eeks' of surprise and setting her off even more. "I love you, Henry. Thank you so much for being there for this foolish wife of yours."

"Hey, no biggie! We're bound to life AND death, you and I!" He giggled, slightly pulling her downwards for a kiss.

The manakete indulged her husband, kissing him for what felt the first time in months. Her heart much lighter than before, Nidra smiled over Henry's lips. "Now I must see Luci."

"Hey, we were having a moment!"

"Forgive me, Henry, but a song is bubbling inside my chest and I must sing it for my goddaughter. May it give her the strength it gave me when I first heard it."

"Oooh, a one person concert! I'm coming, too!"

Nidra arrived at Luci's quarters moments after she had been fed by the wet nurse -- the woman was somewhat having trouble putting the baby back to sleep, as always.

It was as though the little princess missed her mother's arms and refused to be lulled to sleep in anyone else's but hers. Nidra felt the song bubbling out of her lips as she stepped inside the room and opened her arms to the wet nurse, silently asking for Lucina.

The seasons, they turn, ♪

Winter to spring. ♫

Dulling the pain and ♪

Erasing the sting. ♫

She sang slowly, carefully holding the wailing little girl.

The seasons, they turn, ♪

Summer to fall, ♫

Time's warm embrace, ♪

Begins to heal all. ♫

And though she may be gone, ♪

Just ash in the wind, ♫

One life surrendered, ♪

So yours can begin ♫

Baby Luci blinked slowly, her tears giving way to drowsiness, as though she could understand the words being sung to her.

Courage, little children,

This is your song. ♫

She is your Earth,

She will make you strong. ♫

The young princess sucked on her thumb in her sleep, peaceful as though she weren't crying her eyes out moments previous.

"Woot! You calmed her down stat!" Henry clapped by the door, being shushed by both women in response. "Oh, yeah, whoops. Sleeping baby."

Nidra smiled softly at the tiny little human in her arms, feeling their bonds of god family strengthening. She would do anything in her power to protect that little light. Whatever it took.

One year after singing Mila's song to Luci for the first time, Nidra once again felt as though her power was being robbed out of her for a moment, much like that day, almost two years ago. Though this time, it felt as though her power was being borrowed to return something, instead of sealing it.

The manakete blinked, her breath slow to return as she looked down to the baby in her arms. "Robin...! Your mother is back, Luci!" She gasped loudly, quickly getting up and adjusting the baby in her arms so she could storm out of the room, towards Chrom's study. "Chrom!"

"Nidra?! You too?" Nidra almost ran into Nowi inside the room -- Nah, Tiki and Meliodas were there as well. "You felt it, right? Robin's presence!"

The older manakete sniffled. "I did... I did! Robin has returned! I can almost pinpoint her location!"

"Me too!" Nowi lifted her hand, followed by Nah. Tiki and Meliodas nodded in response, making Chrom widen his eyes and open his mouth although no sound left it at first.

"Take me there! Quickly!" He said at last, tripping over his desk as he tried to circle it towards the door.

"Hop on!" Nowi lifted her dragonstone, ready to transform inside the cramped room.

"MOTHER! NOT HERE!" Nah snatched the stone from Nowi's hands, sighing in relief right after. "C'mon, we'll be your guides!"

"Meliodas, go get Morgan and Lucina! They need to be there, as well." Nidra huffed as she draped baby Luci around her chest, ready to run all the way to the open field she felt Robin's presence at. She wouldn't transform while carrying a baby that young, after all. The air pressure was still too much for her.

"Very well!" Meliodas concurred, quickly running to the opposite direction the other manaketes did

"She is your Earth," Nidra mumbled, caressing Luci's poofy hair, "and she will make you strong," she sniffled, almost feeling Robin's arms around her. "Gone she is no longer; from the ash she returned -- to sustain you, year after year."

Song used: Modified version of Heritors of Arcadia

Part 2

A: Good. I mean, hello, we’re back. G: ... A: ...er. Yeah, we’re just gonna... Let’s move on for now, shall we?

A: Looks like the other two are getting along pretty well, right? G: ...*sighs* A: Right. Anyway.

A: Yikes. I think we’ve run out of cat laguz... taguel.... whatever they are. That looked... painful. G: ...he’s my son. He plays to win.

G: Whatever you’re about to say, don’t. A: R...Right.

Day Four

G: Naturally those two are working together. Naturally! A: Keep your enemies close.... Wait, who let a blind man into the games--?

G: This is why we hate humans-

There are muffled noises of things being thrown in whatever room the two hosts are in. Alaris can be heard trying to get Grima to calm down - which obviously does not work. More noise is heard, vague sounds of a physical fight, before Alaris returns, Grima having been kicked and locked out for the time being.

A: So, this was a bad idea for a few reasons. You’d think somebody would’ve warned them before they agreed to this...

Night Four

A: A....ah. Perhaps... I also should have.... reconsidered.... A: ....excuse me for a bit, perhaps......

Day Five

A: Grima is still locked out of the room.... ugh, who in their right mind would protect that demon? How did they overpower Grima’s son, is what I’d like to know... A: ....oh. Right. They’re also half-manakete...

A: This can’t be right. Vevela hates humans, so why would she ever stand even a moment with Lord Berkut? I’m mostly sure everybody in this group is just waiting for one of the others to betray them....

Night Five

A: Given you protected Forneus of all people, this seems like the rational thing to do! He is a murderer of many, a creator of divine abominations, his science reeks of immorality! Ugh. Ugh.

G: When was she injured?! A:  Gah! How did you get back in here?? I don’t know, probably when I took my break! G: Ugh, you worthless- A: Don’t even start with me. You shouldn’t even be here if you’re just going to react worse and worse each time.

Day Six

A: Naturally on the prowl for more victims. I’m surprised he hasn’t done anything unsavory with any of the corpses so far. Being in a death match wouldn’t normally dissuade him from his hobbies.

A: Excuse me? G: Lord Berkut couldn’t even beat a somewhat-trained farmhand, how in the world did he manage this? A: We couldn’t even beat a somewhat-trained farmhand. G: ......silence.

Night Six

In reality, Roy does not force it. Rather, he assures Remi is aware they have to kill one or the other, the situation dictating they could not fight off both. Perhaps realizing their earlier mistake of protecting Forneus, they choose to kill him.

A&G: GOOD! G: ...and yet. A: He deserved it. Don’t even downplay it. He deserved it. G: Though he is not the one who murdered my son... A: ...though while you were gone he avenged the other, I suppose... G: That really doesn’t make me feel any better. A: Riiight... well.... uh... tomorrow’s a Feast, at least? Maybe that’ll be exciting? G: Likely catastrophic. A: ....why did I get paired up with you, again?

Ephraim and Innes fighting for the affection of Kiran with a summer war?

“I think I’m going to take the Summoner on a walk on the beach tomorrow,” Innes said. “We’ve barely gotten to spend any time together since summer started…” He huffed

“You can take them on a walk,” Ephraim said, playing with something the summoner called a “Rubix Cube”. “As long as you don’t interfere with the swimming date I’ve set up for myself and the summoner.”

“…We’re only on the beach for a few hours. My apologies, Ephraim, but I won’t let you take this from me!” Innes said, sitting up on his bed.

“Well then, we’ll have to fight for their attention, won’t we?” Ephraim smirked.

Challenge 1: Seashells 

“Hey, Summoner!” 

You looked up from your book, seeing Innes with a large conch shell in his hands.

“Oh, wow!” You gasped in amazement, quickly setting down your book to examine it. “This is beautiful, Innes! Thanks for showing it to me, you’re the best!” You smiled, holding it out to him.

He waved your hand away, trying his best to look cool. “Keep it. I think you’ll enjoy it far more than the ocean does.” He was doing his best to keep calm, but inside, his heart was thumping loudly.

“R-Really! Thank you, I’ll treasure it forever.” You blushed

“Hey, Summoner!” You and Innes turned to see Ephraim running full speed towards you, something tucked in his arms.

Ephraim jumped in front of the Frelian prince, pushing him into the sand.

“I got this shell for you, Summoner! Do you like it?” He smiled proudly.

“Ephraim… This is a live, endangered turtle. Please put it back where you found it!” You shouted, glaring at him.

From the sand, Innes smirked up at Ephraim.

Winner: Innes

Challenge 2:  Volleyball

The boys stared at you intently, waiting for you to choose one of them to partner up with. “So?” Ephraim said impatiently. “Who’ll it be?”

You smiled awkwardly, not wanting to choose one for fear of upsetting the other.

“I choose…” You looked around, your heart filling with relief as you spotted long red hair in the distance.

“Titania! Wanna be on my team for volleyball?”

She smiled fiercely, running to your side. “Absolutely!” Titania glared down at the princes, both who were shorter than her. “We will destroy you!”

–

The game was going horribly. Innes and Ephraim couldn’t work together right now to save their lives. The battlefield was different. There, they flowed in total synchrony, able to perfectly predict each other’s moves and fight alongside them.

Here, they wouldn’t let each other touch the ball.

You served it over the net, feeling a spark of happiness when Titania gave you her proud mom smile.

Over on the other side of the net…

“You have chicken thighs.” Innes said with a smirk.

Instead of bumping it back, Ephraim caught the ball and chucked it into Innes’ face. Innes fell back into the sand, blood flowing from his nose.

Ephraim laughed at his rival, feeling a sense of pride.

But Innes wasn’t done yet. He grabbed the volleyball and chucked it right back into Ephraim’s face. He tumbled onto the sand next to him

“Assult on a teammate! An automatic victory for us!” Titania cheered, picking you up.

“Thanks, mo- Titania!”

Winner: Tie

Challenge 3: Fishing

You yawned as you laid on the pier, watching your boys fish. They had such intense looks on their faces… You were worried they weren’t having fun.

Neither had spoken a word to you since you cleaned the blood off of them from their little volleyball game.

“Aha!” Innes grinned, reeling in his line. The line pulled hard, refusing to be pulled in. “What a monster!” He grinned at Ephraim, who had yet to feel a bite. Finally, Innes reeled his monster in.

There was a tiny, pitiful fish on the hook.

Without a word, Innes pulled it off, thew it back, put his fishing pole away, and collapsed onto the pier.

“Ha! Guess I wi-”

And in an instant, Ephraim’s pole was yanked into the ocean.

“Ha!” Innes laughed. “Next challenge, Summoner- Hey, where did they run off too?”

The boys looked back to see you chatting happily with Grima.

“I’m here to collect my property, princelings, go back to your childish games.” He smirked, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Let’s be off, dearest.”

“Oh, Grims!”

The princes exchanged glances, their faces pale.

They slumped onto the pier, boiling in anger and rage.

Suddenly, Ephraim shot up. He slapped Innes bare stomach, making him sit up in surprise.

“We’ll team up, beat that dragon!’ He said, clasping Innes’ hand.

Innes nodded, fire in his eyes. “Let’s be off!”

Winner: Grima?

Rude Awakening Chapter 10

Welp. Here it is. The final chapter other than the epilogue I'm planning. It's quite the finale, I enjoyed putting it together, and I hope you enjoy reading it: Chapter 10: Endgame

Palkia was in a huddle around a table with both her group and Lucina's group. Even Wuzzles was looking over the maps and charts with curiosity. "Okay," said Palkia. "Does everyone know the plan so far?" There were murmurs of agreement among the group. "Alright. Dialga, Lucina, you two had that thing, right?" "Yes, we did," said Lucina. "We should be able to consult with Naga shortly," said Dialga. "Excellent," said Palkia. "Then let's roll." ------- Naga was resting, meditating. Then she opened her eyes and saw Lucina and Dialga, the latter in his dragon form, there. "Dialga! And... Exalt Lucina?" Lucina stared in awe and then bowed. "Oh Lady Naga, it is a most esteemed honor to be in your presence! Let me recite the holy rites of-" ~You can skip it, me and Naga are on good terms,~ said Dialga. "Indeed we are," said Naga. "What brings you here?" "I have a plan," Lucina said. "A plan to stop Grima. But I need your and Dialga's help." "And what exactly do you need?" said Naga. "I read you know a ritual. A ritual to alter the course of time." Naga's eyes widened. "That ritual is extremely dangerous... It could undo all of reality if performed incorrectly..." "I know. But it could be our only hope." "A suggestion, if I may?" said Dialga. "What is it?" said Naga. "Really, I'm a firm believer that the only way to do time travel is to not do time travel," said Dialga. "But! There's one relatively less messy way to do it." "And that would be?" said Lucina. "We create an alternate timeline. We can't save this one... but we can save another, just like it, and start over." "That's... Crazy enough to work." said Naga. "If I can save my father and his friends that way... I suppose it will work," said Lucina. "Excellent. Now hold on..." said Dialga. He closed his eyes, then telepathically reached out to Palkia. ~Sister? We may begin Stage 2.~ --------------- Grima looked out over his desolate domain. Risen dominated the landscape and the skies were gloomy. It was perfect. His human body sat back and chuckled. He was content. The world could spiral further into entropy and he'd just lau- ...Wait. What was that noise? It started soft, but it grew louder, louder, and it soon became apparent that it was some sort of strange... music? Whatever it was it was agony to Grima's ears, and he recoiled and writhed, not noticing his Risen were being drawn towards the noise. ----- The Risen were drawn to an enormous, elaborate dance floor. Sitting there at the DJ table were Giratina and Wuzzles. Giratina raised a claw to greet the incoming Risen. "Yo! You all ready to par-tay?" The Risen gave gurgles and groans reminiscent of cheers. "Well let's get rocking!" Wuzzles turned on a disco ball and lights, and the Risen all started dancing to the tune of Mahna Mahna. ------------ Around the world, survivors took notice of the lack of Risen. They ventured out of bunkers, out of ruined homes, in awe of what was happening. And they were all startled when hoop-like portals appeared near each of them, and a visage of an enormous dijin-like creature appeared in their minds. ~Yo! If you wanna get out of this mess escape is that-a-way!~ said Unbound Hoopa. The people hesitated. ~Let me put it this way... You either accept the help of this giant monster... or let the other giant monster continue killing you all. Your choice.~ With that the people started filing into the portals. ~That'll do it! Just don't touch anything or I'll throw you right back out!~ ------------- The zombie dance party continued. The Risen were raving and grooving and busting moves. It was then Giratina gave a wink to Wuzzles, and Wuzzles pulled out and pressed a button. The dance floor caved in, and thousands if not millions of Risen were dropped into a swirling pit of darkness and blades below. ------------- In some other universe, several trucks wheeled up to a popular fast-food restaurant with a bell-shaped logo. Inside the trucks were a large number of boxes labeled "burito meet". The restaurant employees shrugged and started hauling it in. ----------- Grima recovered as the music faded. He gazed out in horror. The survivors he needed to purge, gone. His forces, decimated. He roared in unbridled rage. "Who did this?! Who has insulted me?! Show yourselves!" "Yoo-hoo!" Grima turned to find Palkia standing before his human form. "I'm back. And I'm here to kick your ass." "How do you dare hope to defeat me, worm?" "Oh, I'm no worm." She stretched and grew until she was in her dragon form. "You killed my best friend in this world. You killed almost all of my friends in this world period. I'm taking you down." "You dare challenge me, false god?" said Grima. "How hilarious. Do your best." His dragon head lunged at Palkia. Palkia responded in kind. ---------------- The children of the Shepherds were all gathered together. Lucina, Naga, Panne, Virion, Libra, and Dialga were looking over them all. "Okay... We seem to have everyone," said Lucina. "...Wait," said Naga. "Where's Morgan?" "Oh!" said Virion. "She said she had to use the restroo-" He squinted off into the distance. "...Oh no." ------- The battle between Palkia and Grima raged on. Grima snapped his jaws and fired bursts of dark energy while Palkia fired orbs of water and sliced with spatial rifts. It was during one of these exchanges, however, that the two heard a noise. "Hey! Jerkface!" The two turned to see a third dragon, hovering nearby. "Guess what? I'm not afraid anymore!" Grima roared and snapped his jaws at Morgan. Morgan quickly darted out of the way, and Palkia moved between them to keep his jaws pried open. "Morgan?!" said Palkia. "What are you doing here?!" "I didn't want to go with the others!" said Morgan. "I wanted to help you fight!" "Grima's dangerous! Leave this to me!" "And just run away?" "Fine! I go for the dragon body, you go for the human body!" With that, Morgan flew down, and confronted Grima's human vessel. "My my my," he said, looking her over. "Look at how you've grown." "You... Dad..." said Morgan. "Enough with your petty sentimentalities," said Grima. "The line of Naga ends here." He conjured a lightning bolt and threw it at Morgan, who flew out of the way. "No!" said Morgan. "You're not my dad anymore and you killed my mom! You end here!" She unleashed a blast of draconic flame that scorched Grima's human body as he yelled in pain. This caused the dragon head to recoil, allowing Palkia to get in a decisive strike. "You still dare to defy me, false god?" "First off," said Palkia, "you're no god. You're a parasite, one that ate someone who cared about me and who I cared about back from the inside out." "The old me was always destined to be subsumed by the true me... Oh, the pathetic little thing fought so hard to avoid it in so many ways.. But I am always the one to emerge victorious in the end. I always find a way." "From what I see your way always involves subterfuge, manipulation, and cold-blooded murder. A showoff, yeah, but nothing special. You're pathetic." She gave a draconic grin. "Second of all... I'm more of a god than you'll ever be. And let me show you exactly how." With that, her body flashed, and Grima's vision was overwhelmed by light. -------------- Space. Infinite amounts of space. Floating within the space were cosmic pearls of various colors and sizes, but all too massive for any mind to comprehend. And yet Grima was being forced to comprehend it, this true form of Palkia's, this raw embodiment of space that made him squirm and scream in agony. His mind had been thoroughly been cracked open. And that was more than enough for a telepathic force to sneak inside. ------------ Palkia was in a void. In her human form she tiptoed around the darkness until she came across a sight that made her heart stop. There was Robin, chained, helpless. His eyes were closed. Palkia ran over to him. "R-Robin! I knew it, I knew you were still in here somehow, some way..." Robin's eyes slowly opened, and opened wide upon seeing Palkia. "V-Valentina?! Is that you? I... Still exist?" "Yes, you do, Robin! Please, we have to get out of here..." "N-No, I can't... I deserve oblivion, I ''want'' oblivion... Please go, Valentina, it will spare us both so much pain..." "Robin, no... Y-you can't give up like this... Grima is not you, he never was you..." "It's too late... I've let him consume me and all I was utterly... No one would want me to go back even if I could... I'm sorry, Valentia, at least... This way... In... a twisted sense... I'm at... peace..." Robin's eyes closed again. Palkia clenched her fist. When her fist opened there was a strange orb of gold light inside. "Here... Robin... Live to the promise Chrom asked of you... Escape..." She touched the orb of gold light to Robin's forehead, where it sunk in and was absorbed. Tears streamed down her face. "You most likely won't remember me if you do... But I don't care... I just want you to be happy again..." There was another flash of light. ------ Grima recoiled and yelled, while Palkia backed off. "Ugh... Fool! You cannot stop me with your tricks! Defying me is futile!" Palkia shrugged. "I don't know, it's a good distraction?" "...Wait, what?" His dragon head looked around. Then his eyes locked on a pinprick of light in the distance. "No... No!" ----------------------- A massive portal had been opened, the children of the Shepherds about to file inside. Virion and Libra hugged Nah and Noire, while Panne talked to Yarne. "M-mom? I'm scared. Really scared." said Yarne. "Steady yourself," said Panne. "You have a duty to fulfill. Find me. Find your father. And you will be all right." "Okay mom..." They hugged. "Uh, guys?" said Dialga. "You may want to hurry up!" The children turned to see Grima and the remaining Risen heading their way. "Everybody now!" said Lucina. In unison, they all jumped in. Dialga, Naga, Virion, Libra and Panne jumped out of the way as Grima and the Risen charged through the portal as well. The portal closed behind them as the ones left behind got to their feet. "Are they... Okay?" said Libra. "They may be scattered... but they will survive," said Naga. "It is in the hands of the people of the new timeline now." Giratina, Wuzzles, Hoopa, Palkia, and Morgan - the last in her human form - converged around the others. "They make it?" said Hoopa. "They did." said Panne. Suddenly, cracks started appearing in the sky. "Wha- what's happening?" said Virion. "This universe... It's dying." said Naga. "Dying?!" said Palkia. "No, it can't be..." "It has been coming a while," said Naga. "With Grima's rise most of the old gods have moved on. I was one of the only ones left. And that ritual consumed most of my power even with Dialga's help. You all need to get out of here at once." "No... Naga, we can't just leave you..." said Dialga. Naga's hands glowed. "I'm sorry Dialga. I love you." There was a flash. ---------------- Everyone found themselves in the Temporal Dimension, Dialga's home. Of the party, however, Naga was nowhere to be seen. "No..." said Dialga. "No, no, no!" He tried to charge away from the others, only for Palkia and Giratina to restrain him. "Let go! I need to save her! I need to stop this! Why won't... you... let me?!" He let out an unholy screech as the stripes on his body glowed a deep orange and the gem on his chest burned red. "Dialga... please... Stop..." said Palkia. "Bro... Please..." said Giratina. "Uncle Dialga!" said Morgan. Upon hearing her voice the glow on his body faded. "...What... what is it?" said Dialga. "I know grandma Naga is... gone... But you can't lose hope. We've gotten so far. We made the new timeline and saved Lucina's friends. And... wherever we are I hope you can show me around." Dialga paused. He turned to Morgan and gave a faint smile. "...I suppose I will." And everyone moved to rest. ***

So yeah. That's that. I'd give thoughts on the whole experience writing this fic but I'll save that for the epilogue.

Day 2: Lucina's Judgement Remix

The field was silent, with the exception of the grass blowing in the wind, which suited Robin just fine. It let him focus on what was really important, Lucina holding a very sharp sword to his throat. This was pathetic, to think that he, the genius tactician that led Chrom's Shepherds to victory, would die at the hands of one of his closest allies.

Robin had met Lucina over a year ago...

At first he'd written her off as being another one of Chrom's fangirls. However, that all changed when he noticed the mark in her eye. After that he assumed she was a mysterious bastard child. He hadn't expected time-travel.

Lucina literally worming her way into his life had left him with a new perspective. Even still, sometimes he felt like Ichigo Kurosaki, down to the girl living in his closet, Only instead of hunting hollows he was looking for time-travelers and beating up cultists.

"Lucina please, just put the sword down. Let's talk about this..."

"After getting to know you I didn't want to believe it, but in the back of my mind I knew. Robin, you're the man who kills my father!"

"Bullshit!"

"You know it's true!"

"Lucina, I'm not going to kill Chrom!"

"You won't have a choice!" Shit. She had him there.

The Shepherds had gone to rescue Emmeryn and retrieve Sable from Plegia only to learn a chilling truth: Robin's father was the head of the evil Grimleal Cult, he could control Robin like a puppet, and Robin was the Felldragon's current Avatar. They'd been forced to flee with their tails between their legs after he'd manipulated Robin into giving him the Fire Emblem.

Honestly, Chrom's words were the only reason Robin wasn't dead right now. However, that would likely change once his father caught wind of the news.

"I won't lose my father again; we've already lost the Fire Emblem!"

He was tired of this, "Dammit, use your head here idiot! Killing me now accomplishes nothing! In case you forget, Chrom doesn't know you're his daughter from the future! He thinks you're just a fangirl who wants to bed him!"

Lucina flinched as Robin laid the truth bare. She'd was well aware just what her father thought of her. However, she couldn't falter! She had to avoid the bad ending! She'd promised her friends, swore on her parent's graves, she couldn't-!

"What's going on here?!" A booming voice demanded. Robin and Lucina both turned to the owner of said voice in horror, Chrom was glaring at the time-traveler with barely contained fury, and the duo gave him their best dear caught in the headlights impression's.

"Chrom?!"

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"Oh, you know, I was just wandering around and noticed you threatening my best friend!"

Lucina flinched at the venom behind his words and dropped her sword in shock. She tried to speak up, defend herself, anything! However, she was at a loss for words.

Dammit! This wasn't fair.

Thankfully, Robin came to her rescue.

"Relax, we're roleplaying."

"Roleplaying." Chrom asked, clearly not believing him. "In an empty field." He motioned to the field around them, "Alone. After what happened in Plegia? With a knock-off Falchion no less?!"

Robin looked at Lucina, then at Chrom. He looked his best friend straight in the eyes and answered, "Yes."

"Why?!"

"Authenticity?" Lucina chimed in. Robin chocked down a laugh. She'd come so far from the girl with no sense of humor!

"And we felt like everyone could use some cheering up." Robin added.

Chrom still looked skeptical, "So you're planning to put on a play huh, what's it called?"

"Roberella." A new voice chimed in from behind Lucina, who let out a horrified yelp before backing away. What was with everyone sneaking up on her today! Her cry caused the other two to jump and they glared at the newcomer.

"Tharja," Chrom muttered "You're involved with this farce too?"

"It's no farce Capitain. I've been planning it for months."

"Prove it."

"Are you calling me a liar? I'll curse the shit out of you! You'll have blue balls forever! Just think about how poor Olivia will feel, knowing that you'll never be able to give her the son she's always wanted?"

Chrom let out a frustrated sigh and Robin began to feel guilty. He didn't like lying to his friend.

But Lucina was an idiot, so it was a necessary evil. If it wasn't for him she would have dug her own grave months ago. He just hoped she'd hear him out. They could figure this out together. At the very least, he wanted to save Emmeryn.

"I'm sorry for doubting you two. Just, be careful okay? I know everyone's still reeling over the loss of the Fire Emblem but we can't let that ruin what we have!"

"Ah, that reminds me." Tharja spoke up and pulled out a sack. She tossed it to Chrom, who opened it, and he gaped like an idiot at what was inside, "I switched the gems with fakes a few days ago and forgot to tell anyone, sorry."

Chrom starred at Tharja.

Lucina starred at Tharja.

Robin starred at Tharja and asked what everyone was thinking, "Why?"

"I was curious." She answered, as if that answered everything.

Chrom laughed "Well, looks like we haven't completely lost. Good, without all five gems the Fire Emblem won't work. Seems Tharja's quirks saved us, thanks. I'm looking forward to that play you three." Chrom said, patting Tharja on the shoulder much to her annoyance, and laughing as he left the scene.

He'd completely forgotten why he'd come here in the first place.

The trio stood in silence for a good minute, watching him go, before Tharja spoke up.

"It's so nice that you've finally decided to help me with my masterpiece Robin~"

"Wait, you were serious?!"

"R-Roberella, it's real?!"

"Naturally, and now that you used it to ward off the captain I believe you're out of options."

Robin glared at the girl in front of him, "You planned this."

"No, I merely took advantage of the situation. I'll see you two at my room bright and early tomorrow." Tharja was lying through her teeth, truth was she'd known about The Dragon's Table incident for a while now, courtesy of Noire. Tharja would gladly exploit the girls lack of backbone if it meant she could keep Robin safe; besides it wasn't like the future hadn't already been changed. Whether she chose Validar's hope of Robin's Hope was irrelevant at this point. The multiverse was always moving so fate was always changing.

A pity so few of those time-travelers understood that.

Lucina began to cry.

"Hey, none of that. So what if Alter Validar made the Robin from your timeline kill Chrom. We'll figure something out." Robin said, picking up the Parallel Falchion and holding it out for the crying girl. Tharja looked on in disgust. "So get up, wipe those tears of yours and go to bed. We can discuss how we'll deal with this after dealing Tharja's stupid play."

"How rude." Tharja muttered from the side, she felt like the third wheel to the stupidest love story ever told.

Lucina nodded, Robin was right, together they could do the impossible. She'd forgotten that. She just had to believe, believe that by working together the future could be changed!

Meanwhile, at the Second Dragons Table...

Validar had just finished preforming the awakening ritual. However,

Nothing happened.

"I said awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Awaken!"

Nothing changed.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Robin!"

"Yes?" his super-duper genius school girl daughter asked.

"Not you, be gone whelp!" Validar demanded, pulling out a squirt bottle and spraying his daughter with it. He grabbed the Fire Emblem and threw it at her. She caught it after it bounced off her pigtailed head. The fake gems fell off too, in such a way that, it was a miracle Validar didn't notice the four were fakes earlier.

After all, they were cardboard cutouts.

"This is your fault, fix it!" Validar demanded before walking away fabulously.

Robin watched her father leave. She glanced down at the shield of seals, then at the direction her father had gone, then back at the shield. It only had one gem on it: Sable.

He expected her to retrieve the other four gems from a group of skilled Naga Zealots? Warriors who would happily gut her like a fish? Fighters that included her brother, his weirdo girlfriend, and their creepy stalker? Then bring the completed shield home?

Robin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The people of Ylisse weren't known for treating those who didn't worship their god with kindness.

"I knew there was a reason I killed him first." A hooded man muttered to himself after watching the scene play out from the shadows.

His sister would fail.

The Shepherds would regain the Fire Emblem, the final gem along with it, and preform the Awakening ritual.

Ylisse would once again pillage Plegia and the cycle would continue.

Grima sighed.

How boring.

A story where the outcome was already known wasn't fun at all. Ah well, in the end he'd never truly loose. His only bane was himself after all.

However, Lucina's face suddenly flashed across his mind. Unlike the majority of her allies that brat hadn't acted in a way he hadn't expected. Allying herself with his weaker self wasn't something he'd seen coming. He'd assume she'd antagonize him, like the rest of her bloodline had ultimately done in his timeline, yet instead they'd pushed him back at every turn.

Grima wondered if, perhaps, there was some worth in this timeline after all.

Winter Chrom & Female Robin: C - S Supports

C Support

Chrom: Hello, Robin! Happy winter festival!

Robin: Happy winter festival, Ch--

Robin: ...What are you wearing?

Chrom: Oh, this? Apparently, it’s how people dress for the winter festival in another world. Lissa made me wear it.

Robin: That makes sense... Your arms must freeze out in the cold, though.

Chrom: I’m sure I’ll be fine.

Robin: We’ll see... And where is Falchion?

Chrom: Back in Ylisse, I suppose.

Robin: What?! How are you going to fight?

Chrom: This bag of gifts makes a shockingly useful weapon.

Robin: I... see.

Chrom: Well, anyway, enjoy the festival!

Robin: Yes, you too...

B Support

Chrom: Brrrr...

Robin: Chrom. Are you cold?

Chrom: W-What makes you a-ask that?

Robin: I told you to wear a better coat.

Chrom: I-I’m fine! I s-s-s-s-swear.

Robin: If Kiran hears you got frostbite on a simple supply mission...

Robin: *sigh* Here. Wear my robe.

Chrom: B-But then y-y-you’ll freeze.

Robin: Unlike you, I came prepared.

(fwoosh)

Chrom: Fire spell. S-S-S-S-Smart.

Robin: And next time we go to a world of ice and snow for supplies... please cover your arms.

Chrom: R-Right...

A Support

Chrom: Robin? Are you in here?

Robin: Chrom?! Wait right there, I’ll--

Chrom: Anna mentioned I might find you in this tent. What is this tent, anyway? And why is there so much steam?

Chrom: Oh, there you are, Robin. You’re-- ...Oh, gods, not again.

Robin: OUT!

Chrom: R-Right-- ow! Hey! Stop throwing things, I’m leaving! Gods, I’m sorry!

(transition)

Robin: ...

Chrom: ...Would you believe me if I blamed Commander Anna?

Robin: No.

Chrom: Of course not.

Robin: Gods, I can’t believe this has happened twice. What is wrong with you?

Chrom: I’m very sorry.

Robin: Forget it. What did you need this time?

Chrom: Right. I wanted to properly thank you for sharing your coat the other day.

Chrom: And, erm, I suppose now it’s also an apology. Here you go. Please don’t throw it at me.

Robin: ...A present?

Chrom: I wrapped it myself.

Robin: I can tell. It was either that, or you had a Risen wrap it for you.

Chrom: Well, are you going to open it?

Robin: I suppose I should.

(tearing sounds)

Robin: ...

Chrom: Do you like it? I took a long time to think about it.

Robin: Is this...?

Chrom: A necklace. With the Mark of Grima and the Mark of Naga interlocked. Like us.

Robin: Chrom...

Chrom: Was using the Mark of Grima insensitive? I wasn’t sure about it, but I couldn’t think of anything else symbolic--

Robin: I love it. Thank you.

Chrom: R-Really? So... you forgive me?

Robin: ...This time. Just... let’s not make it three times, alright?

Chrom: Understood.

S Support

Chrom: Alright, Robin should be asleep... So I’ll just...

(creak)

Chrom: Ack!

Chrom: ...

Chrom: Phew. I don’t think she--

Robin: YAAAAAAH!

Chrom: Wait, Robin, don’t---!

(thwack)

Chrom: Ungh...

(thunk)

Robin: ...Wait. Chrom?

(transition)

Chrom: Nngh... That’s gonna hurt in the morning...

(thwack)

Chrom: Ow! What was that for?!

Robin: What were you doing sneaking into my tent in the middle of the night?! I thought you were a thief!

Chrom: I-I’m sorry! I wanted to surprise you!

Robin: Well, you did!

Chrom: Not like that! I meant I... I wanted to put this in your room for you to find when you woke up.

Chrom: Like the legend of the first winter festival.

Robin: Another gift? Chrom, I told you I forgave you for the... incident.

Chrom: This one wasn’t supposed to be an apology. It was supposed to be something else.

Chrom: I had Sharena wrap it for me this time. Open it.

(tear)

Robin: ...Your ring.

Chrom: The one my parents had made for me. Yes.

Robin: Chrom, are you--

Chrom: I love you, Robin. I have since we first met, but I didn’t realize it until just recently.

Chrom: I don’t want to seem like I’m pressuring you, but if you would accept my hand in marriage... I’d be the happiest man in the world.

Robin: ...I accept.

Chrom: I understand. Then I’ll--

Chrom: ...Say that again?

Robin: Gods, Chrom. Of course I accept. I love you, too.

Chrom: You do? You... Hang on a second.

Robin: Alright?

Chrom: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

Robin: Hee hee. Oh, Chrom...

Thoughts: New Orleans (Part VI)

Upon disembarking from the boat, we saw that the Audubon Aquarium was still open for another thirty minutes. Given that it was only around the corner from Spanish Plaza, we quickly walked over and, despite being repeatedly told we’d only have twenty minutes, just went on ahead and took a look around…………only to leave fifteen minutes later. Having been to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Aquarium of The Bay in San Francisco, maybe I just wasn’t judging it fairly. Or maybe I was, because those two blow this one out of the water (pun not intended……but it’s still pretty funny that I used this phrase to describe an aquarium of all things).

One thing the Audubon Aquarium has going for it is being themed around aquatic life in The Americas. There were sections dedicated to nautical life in and around the Caribbean, the Amazon, the Arctic, the Great Lakes and of course, the Mississippi. That’s also where things stop being interesting pretty much. It’s very small, which is odd because the building looks so large from the outside, and the only exhibits that really caught my eye were the piranhas, the catfish (mostly because I’ve never seen live catfish before) and the albino gator. I’d honestly suggest skipping this one entirely, unless you’ve never been to an aquarium before.

Anyway, my phone was dying, and I was musty anyway, so we went back to the hotel room to recuperate. I took a shower, charged my phone and relaxed for about an hour before heading back to the French Quarter. There were about two hours before the Haunted History tour began, so I grabbed some more beignets from Café Beignet as a snack before we hung out on Bourbon again for a little bit.

Even though the history, culture and food were all a higher priority for me than nightlife, I do regret not really taking part in New Orleans nightlife. On Bourbon alone, there’s just so much variety in the nightlife. There’s many different options available, from jam-packed party bars no larger than a booth (see: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop), to bawdy strip clubs (see: Rick’s Cabaret and Hustler Hollywood), to classy, historical cocktail lounges (see: Old Absinthe House), to tacky, touristy daiquiri shops (see: Tropical Isle and Cat’s Meow) to small live music clubs (see: Bourbon Heat and Funky Pirate), there really is something for everyone there (compare this to The Strip in Vegas where you’ll be treated to an endless amount of mega-clubs, poolside day-clubs and “ultra” lounges that all require one of your limbs to get in, all charge a kidney for drinks, all have disturbingly similar décor and all play the same music). And that’s just Bourbon. I saw a number of venues that caught my interest in not only the rest of the Quarter, but Marigny, CBD, the Warehouse District and the Garden District as well.

I was honestly having a blast just walking down the street and looking in the window of the various bars and lounges; it was only 6 P.M., and they were all already in full swing. I heard so many styles of music. Jazz (be it Brass, Dixie, BeBop or Smooth), R&B, Funk, Bounce, EDM, Blues, Zydeco, Hip Hop, 70s and 80s throwbacks, Top 40, Rock, Ska, Caribbean, Latino…..you name it, they got it. Of course that’s to say nothing of the BEAUTIFUL happy hours and drink specials all over the place. I learned my lesson about having a few drinks before walking around in the heat the hard way on the Cemetery tour, so I refrained from taking part this time, but boy oh boy was I tempted. Let the good times roll/Laissez les bon temps rouler indeed!

Okay, let me take a look at my smartphone watch again. Oh, it’s 7:30 already!? Well then, let’s head on down to Reverend Zombie’s Voodoo Shop for the Haunted History Tour!

There’s a number of ghost tours in New Orleans, all of which varying in quality (based on what I’ve been told anyway), but I could already tell we had picked one of the better ones. Both the shop and the sidewalk in front were overflowing with people. There was a long line, which would be broken up into groups of twenty or so for each tour guide. The sun was setting on the Quarter, and with Sarabelle as our guide, we were off.

Our first stop was in Pere Antoine Alley. It was here where our guide gave us the rundown on investigating ghosts and the supernatural, complete with plenty of witty banter. Yes, Sarabelle was VERY funny, and the humor was a nice touch indeed, even though it didn’t really help make the stories any less horrific.

Moving on, Pere Antoine Alley is along the side of the St. Louis Cathedral; so-named as a dedication to Antonio de Sedella, a beloved Capuchin friar who served as parish priest from 1805 until his death in 1829. Now, local lore states that said alley is haunted by a friar, but whether it’s Pere Antoine or someone else is up for debate. Said alley was also the location of a funeral procession for the six, executed leaders (whose corpses were left to rot in front of the St. Louis Cathedral for WEEKS, mind you) of the brief rebellion which took place against the Spanish Inquisition, wherein another friar known as Pere Dagobert loudly sang the Kyrie. It’s been said that during the early-morning hours, or whenever it’s raining, you can hear the sound of the Kyrie, sometimes accompanied by the sight of a Capuchin monk in this very alley.

From there, we walked down Chartres to Hotel Provincial. Old-timey, quaint, elegant and VERY haunted. What’s the story behind this one, you ask? Apparently, a portion of it served as a military hospital during the Civil War………yeah. I’m pretty sure we all know that war-related injuries tend to be the sort that require surgery and sometimes even amputation. I also don’t think I need to explain the horrors of surgery and amputation in the 1800’s. Basically, anyone who knows the backstory of this place and chooses to stay there on purpose is crazy.

This site in particular is very susceptible to a paranormal phenomenon known as time-warping (I personally think the FQ as a whole has a predisposition towards that actually, but more on that later). Our guide alerted us to a number of reported instances where guests took the elevator, only for the doors to open to the sight of an 1860’s era hospital. People have also reported seeing confederate soldiers writhing in pain on the floor, mysterious blood stains on towels and bedding and even women in mid-1800’s clothing standing on the balconies, likely apparitions of the soldier’s widows.

I feel that I had an experience of my own just walking past; see that photo above? Yeah, I was standing perfectly still for it, and it still came out blurry AF. I took about ten photos of this place and ALL of them came out like that. Maybe my phone’s camera was just acting up. But then again, the lens of a camera is much more infallible than the eyes of a human. Also, while I am very much a believer, mind you, I think I need to give the skeptical part of my brain a bit of thanks. After all, our next stop of the tour was Louisiana’s very own gate to hell the infamous mansion on the corner of Royal and Gov. Nicholls. Widely referred to by locals as merely “The Haunted House,” this was once the home of a demon in the shape of a woman known as Delphine LaLaurie.

Another character you all may know from American Horror Story: Coven; like Marie Laveau, many liberties were taken with her story (the scenes filmed in or around her “house” actually made use of the Hermann-Grima House……..not that I blame them one bit for not using the real thing). That being said, in regards to her story and what really happened, it’s actually pretty difficult to tell where the legitimate facts stop and the sensationalized scandal begins as it is.

As you can see, I did provide a link to a video that gives a basic rundown of what happened, but truthfully speaking that’s one of about twenty different versions of the story I’ve heard over the years. Long story short, she was a local celebrity who threw lavish parties in a big gray house on Royal Street during the 1830’s. Suddenly, a fire broke out in 1834 and it’s revealed that she’s a madwoman engaging in extreme mistreatment of her slaves. The whole town is outraged (yes, you read that right, Delphine was regarded as a special kind of evil even by the standards of antebellum-era Louisiana) and she skips town in the dead of night as a result. Shortly after she left, neighbors began to report hearing screams and cries from the empty house at night; claims which still persist to this day.

The news reports from the era which regard said event are in one of two categories: a highly scandalized and exploitative version of events as seen in the New Orleans Bee, or a brief rundown that gives very little detail as seen in the Times-Picayune. In each version of the story I’ve seen and/or heard, the only details that remain consistent are a young slave girl jumping to her death after LaLaurie chased her around with a whip for brushing her hair too hard, the house fire, said fire being started by a slave who was chained to the stove, a horrific sight in some room on an upper floor, and the LaLauries fleeing shortly afterward. Beyond that, the details widely vary.

In our tour guide’s version of the tale, we were told that the slaves were never seen at the parties, which contradicts what I read previously about how each party seemed to have a different set of slaves; each individual slave rarely ever being seen more than once. And that’s only one of many discrepancies. Honestly, this is a story that was highly sensationalized from the get-go, and it’s only gotten even more exaggerated and over the top over the years, so you can’t get mad about it when the actual truth of what happened has simply been lost to time.

After the events of 1834, Madame LaLaurie was never seen or heard from again. General consensus is that she fled to Paris, but it’s been speculated she may have been hiding out in either Mobile, Alabama or some town across Pontchartrain like Slidell or Covington under an assumed identity. There’s even evidence which suggests she may have discretely returned to New Orleans at some point, if the nameplate and possible burial vault in St. Louis No. 1 says anything. After all, she really did love her house.

Over the years, the house has been used for many different purposes. At first, it went through a revolving door of owners, none of which staying for more than a few months. There was one man who mysteriously turned up dead in the house actually. In the 1870’s, it served as a segregated school for black girls (…….I would say something witty here if I wasn’t rendered speechless), only to shut down a year later thanks to numerous girls complaining about getting scratched and bruised by “that woman.” After that it’s been the location of a number of establishments, most notably a music conservatory, a furniture store and a saloon; all of which quickly failed (gee, I wonder why). In the 1890’s, most of the mansion was converted into apartments; first as low-income tenement units, largely occupied by Italian immigrants and briefly a homeless shelter before becoming luxury apartments in the 1950’s, although the first floor would still be occupied by a revolving door of businesses until the late 20th-century when it was reconverted to a mansion. The revolving door of owners persisted; Nicolas Cage bought the home and started living there in 2007……shortly before his career tanked and he went bankrupt, leading to foreclosure in 2009. Just a coincidence? Could be……but it’s not like this house has had a good track record with any of its tenants over the last 180 years.

These days, it’s owned by an oil tycoon from Texas who hires interior decorators and caretakers to furnish and maintain the house but otherwise does nothing with it. Basically, the “Haunted House” just stands there looking pretty (in the eeriest way possible) and that’s it. Then again, what with past business tenants and residents reporting apparitions of naked men in chains and frightened children pleading for help, a dubious black liquid oozing out of the walls and even the vengeful spirit of Madame LaLaurie herself roaming around, would you want to stay there? Let alone enter?

I tried to take a few pictures but night had fallen, and they all came out way too dark to see anything. As did most of the pictures I had taken after this point ( although I did catch some strange, green and/or blue colored mist within said darkness in a few of them......makes you wonder). In terms of lighting, aside from Bourbon Street and the vicinity of Jackson Square and the French Market, the French Quarter is VERY dark at night. It really did feel like I had stepped back into the 1800’s, and was also why I abstained from going there at night for most of my trip. Not trying to get drunk down there alone, lest I either get mugged or unsuspectingly walk into a time warp of my own.

Whilst spooked by the darkened Quarter, we came upon an unassuming Creole townhouse at 823 Orleans, one of many homes in the area fronted by a gallery held up with poles that are adorned with decorative, protruding trimming of sorts, named “Romeo spikes” in the local lingo. However, they’re anything but romantic; there’s a very gruesome story behind how they got that name, and this property is where it took place.

The story goes that one night, the man who owned this house wanted to take his family to dinner, but his daughter claimed to not be feeling well, so she stayed home while he and his wife went about their way. Upon arriving at the restaurant, he realized he forgot his wallet and quickly went home to retrieve it, only to find his daughter in bed with her boyfriend. Startled, the boyfriend quickly ran out and jumped over the balcony……..only to get stabbed in the hip by one of the spikes. Not able to support his weight, the spike ripped through the entire side of his abdomen, pulling out his intestines in the process, before he fell to this death. It’s alleged that sometimes a shadowy figure can be seen dangling off this gallery from afar, only to vanish if one takes a closer look.

After that, we took a little break. I talked with Sarabelle for a little bit, particularly asking about the Gardette-LaPrete House, only to learn that the tale of a sultan and his harem moving in, only for them to get massacred a few weeks later, is totally fictional (sad face). There’s no news reports of such a thing happening nor is there any record of a sultan ever living at the property. Even then, I still have to ask how such a story came about in the first place. I doubt such a tale would just sprout out of thin air, but moving on, during the break I walked over a block to Bourbon only to see a rowdy second-line in front of Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop.

While tapping my toes to the second line, I peered inside Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop for a moment. Built in the 1770’s, and one of the few structures in the Quarter that survived the 1788 fire, it was originally a blacksmith shop (obviously) that also doubled as a base of operations of the pirate Jean Laffite for a time. Currently a bar, evoking an old-timey feel, it’s lit only by candles, and is also very haunted. Granted, it’s utterly packed with people so not a good location for investigating, but it has long been claimed that the spirit of Jean Laffite himself can be seen blending in with the crowd, only to disappear when spotted; in addition to being the hiding place of a demon who wanders around with disembodied red eyes.  

After our little break, we then headed over to the Voodoo Spiritual Temple on 826 Rampart. In a bit of more recent history, we learned about the couple who resided in the upstairs apartment ten years ago, Zack and Addie. They first garnered attention during Hurricane Katrina, being two of a handful of people in the French Quarter who didn’t evacuate. They’d assist in cleanup efforts, would provide food and other necessities to those in need and helped prevent the various businesses in the area from being looted.

As soon as things went back to normal in New Orleans, things immediately went downhill for the couple. They’d regularly binge on drugs and alcohol, going on to argue and fight as a result. This all persisted for a year until one night where Zack committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the Omni Royal hotel. In his pocket, a note was found that pleaded with the authorities to go back to his apartment and check on his girlfriend (***WARNING*** very graphic details ahead).

And that they did, they entered the apartment, only to find that no one was there………until they checked the kitchen. Inside the oven, they found arms and legs. The pot on the stove contained a human head. Inside the fridge was a large bag containing a torso. Zack had killed, dismembered and attempted to cook Addie. Although cannibalism was widely speculated, a suicide note found in the apartment suggests that Zack was trying to think of a way to dispose of her body and turned to cooking it as a last resort.

The apartment has remained unoccupied ever since, although it is available to rent, and the resident priestess of the Voodoo temple downstairs does offer tours. Apparently, no one’s even bothered to change the stove and the refrigerator ever since that grisly incident took place (…….*shudder*). It’s theorized that a sort of demonic entity has long lurked the premises, and said being is what ultimately drove Zack mad. Even I couldn’t shake the feeling of something with evil intentions staring at me from the darkened windows of the upper floor apartment.

Next, we were taken to a gallery that has paintings of a blue dog on display. Although the artist claims that they were painted as a tribute to his dead dog, it’s widely believed to be a depiction of a creature from Cajun and/or rural Louisianan folklore known as the Rougarou. Like a cross between a werewolf and a wendigo, it is a beast that wanders the swamps and the bayous, and if bitten, you will become one yourself. Granted, there’s no real haunting (or even much fact) behind this one, it’s likely just a story Cajun elders told children so they’d behave, but it was still neat to learn about either way.

Our tour concluded in the alley on the other side of St. Louis Cathedral, known as Pirates Alley. One of many alleged hangouts of Jean Laffite, it’s said that his ghost wanders this location as well. With the lighting on the Jesus statue in the cathedral’s courtyard casting an ominous shadow on the backside of the building, it was here where Sarabelle bid us adieu. From there, well, we were hungry, so we made our way over to Café Maspero.

Café Maspero was delicious, if not necessarily mind-blowing. I had appetizer-size bowls of both gumbo and jambalaya, and it did feel good to finally try these two dishes I have long been fond of in their place of birth. My mom ordered a muffaletta. I had a bite and I honestly just thought it was too much going on, but she liked it. Once we were finished and I washed it all down with my Voodoo Doll daiquiri, we then made our way back to the hotel to rest up for our last day in New Orleans. And I honestly didn’t want to leave.

Ten for Ten for Ten for Ten!!!

Tagged by @stag-of-almyra

So basically I’m going to answer ten questions and then tag some other people to answer ten questions that i come up with. Let’s get started. As soon as I figure out how to bold my text. Ah there we go. Let’s begin.

1. Describe your personality in three words: This is a little difficult since my personality shifts depending on who I’m around. If I had to chose three though, I’d describe myself as Energetic, Creative, and Inconsistent. 

2. Favorite Author? Jo Nesbø hands down. The man is a magician when it comes to mystery. The Harry Hole series is the pinnacle of modern detective stories and I highly recommend giving it a read.

3. When was the last time you ate something? This one made me chuckle. The last time I ate something was this morning. I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

4. If you play Fire Emblem Heroes, who’s your main? If you don’t, who would be? I do indeed play FE Heroes and my main is Grima(F) or Robin: Fell Vessel. She’s an absolute powerhouse and can usually kill anything in one blow, even wielders of the Falchion. She also has great mobility due to being a flyer, her dragonskin skill makes her immune to bows, and she can counterattack from any range. I like her a lot and she is my summoner support.

5. What do you look for in a friend? This one is easy. I look for intelligence and a good personality. You don’t have to be a genius but I would prefer to talk to someone who can understand what I’m saying. I also look for patience as I can be an annoyance from time to time.

6. Favorite month of the year? Easy,  December. I love the cold and loathe the heat. Which is odd considering the first 12 years of my life were spent in some of the hottest parts of the United States. Oh well.

7. What song did you listen to most recently? The entire Doom Eternal and NieR: Automata OST. Yeah I consume music like my body consumes energy. 

8. How would you describe your sense of humor? Honestly, it varies from time to time. I don’t really discriminate when it comes to jokes. If it’s funny, it’s funny. Dark humor, inappropriate humor, impressively appropriate humor, or political humor, I enjoy them all. When it comes to cracking jokes, however, I’ll stick to the dark or innocent spectrum.

9. What do you do to relax? Ok so, in typical fashion, I don’t relax often but when I do, I’m usually: -Listening to music: As I stated earlier, the Doom and NieR: Automata OSTs are really good. I also enjoy the Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST as well as any other music that catches my ear. I don’t have a set genre and like what I like.

-Writing something: I like to write. Recently I’ve had one of the worst cases of Writer’s block ever, but once I do get going, I don’t stop until I’m at least 13 chapters into whatever I was writing. I write a plethora of stories ranging from fanfiction to original works to my fanfiction crossing over with my original works. Fun stuff.

-Reading: Yup books are great and when they get boring, fanfiction. I have lost literal hours just reading a book or fanfiction and it’s sheer bliss.

-Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons: I don’t think I need to explain this one because a lot of people are probably in the same boat. Big scary virus, nice tropical island. They go together like socks and shades.

10. How easily are you excited? Unfortunately, not very. It takes a lot to get me excited and, frankly, I myself am not even sure how much it takes. So, in short, not very easily at all.

Alright now it’s my turn to ask the questions. Oh how the tables have turned. Let’s begin.

1. What is your least favorite genre of music?

2. How have you been spending your lovely quarantine?

3. Favorite TV show?

4. Can you cook and, if you can, what do you enjoy making the most?

5.Do you prefer seeing something for yourself or are you content just reading about it?

6. What fandoms are you apart of?

7. If you play Smash Bros. who do you main? If you don’t, who would you main?

8.Favorite holiday?

9.What’s your favorite topic to talk to your friends about?

10.Are you a cat or dog person?

Well this was fun. To end things, I’ll tag @the-werdna, @zsnid13, @askfyleth, @maxladcomics, and @nathanmcraye.

Have fun.