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arcane-trail · 2 years

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Samhain: The Ancient Celtic Origins of Halloween

Halloween is one of the most important days of the year among many Wiccan and goth communities. It is also a fun mainstream holiday that kids with a sweet tooth look forward to all year!

Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the start of the cold and dark winter months. The supernatural was thought to be more potent during this darker half of the year, and rituals conducted at Samhain would protect the community over the coming months.

Many modern Halloween practices draw on the traditional rituals conducted around Samhain, brought to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants. But let’s take a closer look at the traditional Samhain festival.

Gaelic Festival of the Harvest

Samhain belongs principally to the Gaelic world. It was an important festival day in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It was held annually on 1 November, which meant celebrations started during the evening on 31 October since the Celtic day began at sunset.

While Samhain was best associated with the Irish world, similar festivals were conducted around the same time of year by other Celtic communities. In Wales, it was known as Calan Gaeal, in Cornwall as Kalan Gwav, and in Brittany as Kalan Goanv.

It is no surprise that this date was considered important by many different communities. It is halfway between the Autumn equinox and the Winter solstice, which, in the northern hemisphere, is when the days start to get shorter and colder. This was extremely significant in many parts of the world, such as northern Europe, where the sun barely rises in the height of winter. The Norse people living in Scandinavia also marked this important moment in the Wheel of the Year with a different festival known as Alfablot.

Ancient Festival

There is good evidence that Samhain was an ancient festival. Several Neolithic passage tombs found in Ireland are aligned with the rising sun on Samhain, suggesting that the date was already marked out as important. A first-century BCE calendar, known as the Gaulish Coligny Calendar, calls this time of year Samoni.

The earliest clear evidence for Samhain as we know it today comes from the earliest examples of Irish literature, which date to the 9th century. Ireland was already Christianized by this time, so the traditions and practices described are a mix of old Pagan customs and Christian overlays and influences.

There is some evidence to suggest that the Pagan festival of Samhain was associated with the god Chrom Cruach, who seems to have been both a solar and a fertility deity. He is a wizened god hidden by mists who accepts “firstborn” sacrifices in exchange for good harvests.

While firstborn sacrifices were probably, in many cases, first harvests, there is also evidence that Chrom Cruach received human sacrifice. But rather than babies, he seems to have received kings. It is suspected that several Irish bog burials represent the ritual sacrifice of kings or other important persons. There is good evidence that many of them were interred around the time of Samhain.

Samhain Gatherings

By the 9th century, Samhain was a time of festival and celebration. Communities would gather in large groups to eat, drink, and be merry for about a week around the specific dates of Samhain. This meant that Samhain also had political importance as it was a time to reaffirm bonds with neighbors and allies, and leaders could confirm and pass rules and laws.

Many of the stories of Irish literature are set during Samhain as this is a time when people came together for festivities, marriages, and also conflict.

With the community gathered, the practice of mumming or guising, the root of trick-or-treating, was practiced. People would dress up in masked costumes to hide their identities and go from place to place dancing and reciting verses in exchange for food. Traditions around hospitality and welcoming guests meant that denying these passersby food could bring bad luck and perhaps also a trick from the disappointed players.

Day of the Dead

Samhain and also Beltane, which falls on May 1 when the days start to get longer, are considered liminal moments. At these times, the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, and there is more interaction between the mortal and the supernatural. Ghosts, fairies, and demons are considered to be more powerful when the sun is weak, so Samhain marks the beginning of a dangerous period in general. The festival is a portal moment when forces can easily move between worlds.

In Irish literature, there are many stories of deceased ancestors returning to see their homes at Samhain (and they aren’t always happy with what they see!). More dangerous entities can also pass between the worlds, killing livestock and burning down homes if they so choose.

For this reason, Samhain rituals were often conducted at burial mounds, which were considered portals to the other world. Protective bonfires were built, and sacrifices were made to appease the spirits, called collectively the Aos Si. When people returned home, they would take a spark from the ritual bonfire to light their own hearth and lay out an extra plate for the honored ancestors.

Divination

The thin veil between the world meant that this was also the perfect time for divination practices. For example, stones were often cast into the bonfire during the festivities, and then an experienced diviner could read the future based on their positioning and burning.

Back at home, families would also engage in fun divination practices, often using apples and hazelnuts, both associated with the practice.

Games such as bobbing for apples could reveal whether a person would marry or have children in the coming months. People would also peel an apple in a single long strand while asking a question. They would then throw the peel over a shoulder, and the shape of the peel could provide an answer.

Two hazelnuts were named for an individual and their heart’s desire and then placed on the fire to roast. If the hazelnuts jumped away from the fire, this was not a good sign for the match. But if the two roasted quietly side by side, this was a good omen.

Interested in divination? You will find Tarot Cards and Runestones in the store. Read our guide to how to use Tarot Cards here.

Witches of Samhain

In modern Paganism and Wicca, Samhain has been adopted as one of the principal Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. While practices vary, these modern festivals are also based on the belief that this is a moment when the veil between the worlds is thin, so this is the ideal time to engage with our ancestors and the supernatural.

It also seems that Samhain has long been the domain of witches. One of the principal sites in Ireland where Samhain bonfires were built and rituals conducted is known as the Hill of Ward, which is the burial mound for Tlachtga.

Tlachtga was the daughter of the Arch Druid Mug Ruith, and she traveled with her father, learning his secrets and becoming an accomplished witch. She was reportedly raped by the sorcerer Simon Magus and, as a result, gave birth to three sons on this very mound, where she also died.

The resting place of the powerful witch was clearly considered a potent portal during the time of Samhain.

Some believe that Tlachtga only became a witch in Christian sources and, before this, was a Pagan sun goddess. This would also make her an appropriate goddess for Samhain, alongside the sun dog Crom Cruach.

How will you be celebrating Halloween?

It is not hard to see the roots of modern Halloween practices in many of the rituals and activities associated with the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain. But for most people, Halloween has lost its spiritual meaning and is just some good fun.

But there is a growing group of Neopagans and individuals who just want to connect more with the natural cycles of the year that are reviving traditional Samhain practices.

So, the question is, how will you be celebrating this important date in the calendar? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Read full blog post here]

#grimoire #samhain #witchy #witchcraft #wicca #occult #pagan #paganism #celtic #halloween #babywitch #witches of tumblr #witchblr #magick #pagan witch #beginner witch #witch community #book of shadows #witch tips

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yanderefairyangel · 8 months

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Alright, I need to talk to the fandom.

I have been seeing people claiming F!Alear is the canon one because she got a legendary and other upset that she beats M!Alear to this because they fear it means she is canon, so I feel the need to say it and I will repeat it again and again and again and again and again and again and again until people finally learn.

Neither gender of the Avatar is canon. That's the whole point, choosing you avatar. Why do you think IS still market the Robin and Corrin as "default" rather then canon ? To not invalidate the customization.

M!Robin isn't the canon one, he is simply used much more because he is more popular. IS cannot throw away F!Robin's existence because 1)it means invalidating one of the Morgan's existence 2)it means invalidating one of the several Chrom ships 3) IS doesn't like to confirm anything canon these day. The reason why he is featured in Engage was because of gender balance and because IS is careful of Robin's intereaction with Lucina since she calls F!Robin "mother" when she is her mother.

F!Kamui isn't canon either. She is the represent of the Nohr route which is more popular among fans and F!Corrin is also more popular but M!Corrin represent the Hoshidan route and is used for marketing Birthright. Scrapping M!Corrin's existence would mean scrapping Birthright and there is no way IS would do that, and it also means scrapping one gender of Kana.

Now the bits about Byleth because it's the perfect example of how dumb this whole discourse is. F!Byleth is the most popular out of the two and was claimmed to be "canon" and when Hopes released, fans deduced she was canon because she was featured in the trailer. But the only reason why was because they choose M!Shez for the advertissement. So now that M!Byleth was choosen for Engage guess what ? Now people believe he is the canon one when not so long ago people though his female alter ego was the canon one.

And now Alear's turn. F!Alear got a legendary earlier because she was in the game much longer then M!Alear. If you recall, each time an Avatar gets an alt in heroes, said avatar's counterpart gets one too : F!Robin got a summer alt and M!Robin a winter alt; both Corrin appears in the ninja banner and the Halloween banner, both Byleth got a legendary alt. Now, both Alear are featured in FEh and while F!Alear got a legendary first, M!Alear is likely to get an alt soon to balance things up. And while both Alear are very popular, they are both used equally in terms of advertissement. The Engage trailers used more M!Alear for the advertissement, both are featured in the Engage tutorial, both are in Heroes and M!Alear is used in the Engage manga. Both appeared in the freaking opening.

All I am saying is that IS may favor an avatar over an other due to popularity but not because one is canon over another, if that was the case, you couldn't even choose their gender ! IS has no reason to make an avatar canon because 1/ either gender of the Avatar have 0 impact on the story, save for the Robin since F!Robin can be Lucina's mother while M!Robin can marry Lucina, 2/ IS hates making things canon these days, whether it be ships or anything. They can infer stuff some ships (in Engage case, they ship tease Alfred/Alear and Nel/Alear) but they never confirm any ships ever since the end of the Kaga era.

There is no canon gender for the Avatar.

#fire emblem engage #fe engage #fire emblem #feh #fire emblem heroes #fe heroes #fire emblem awakening #fire emblem fates #fire emblem threehouses #byleth eisner #robin fire emblem #corrin fire emblem #alear fire emblem #if i could get a nickel each time I need to clear things up on that matter

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fe-fictions · 2 months

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I may have sent this one in pre new year, but could you maybe write some Frederick angst with hypothermia (in honor of the freezing weather; the angstier the better). No pressure, of course, and happy new year!!! 🥳

(It's starting to warm up, so here's one last freezing story before we welcome a stupid hot spring U V U / )

The village in the high north of Ferox was besieged by Risen. It wasn’t a terribly difficult job to dispatch them, on their own.

It was the weather, the sheer number of civilians, and the swiftly sinking sun that was creating a whole host of dangers and threatened your plans.

Frederick tried his damndest to keep things in line, barking out echoes of your orders to those who couldn’t hear your voice over the howling winds.

The civilians who could pay attention to him and focus outside of screaming in fear at the sight of the undead, were able to get somewhat organized into a barreling crowd, rushing towards the back of the village. Getting them as far from the fight as possible was key.

“Sumia!! Get me a number on what’s left-- we’re losing daylight and I need a body count!” Your orders cracked across the field like a whip, demanding the attention of those wh ocould hear you. Frederick was fighting up ahead, ready for the battle to shift towards its end.

It was never that Risen were particularly powerful or challenging; it was always the numbers.

Whoever summoned them, they did everything in their power to tire out the Shepherds so they might pick off a few from their ranks.

It was particularly distressing between the civilians, the snow, and the never-ending hoarde of monsters.

“I’ve got two dozen left to the southeast, and another 14 to the direct south!”

Well, almost never-ending.

“That’s not bad…we can rout them quickly if we keep pushing them away from the village!!” You realized, “Frederick, I need you in the backline, protecting the gates with Stahl and Sully. I’ll take the mages, and we’ll clear the Risen in the field. If any stragglers get near-”

“They will be dispatched.” Frederick confirmed, giving you a curt nod before pulling Hebert around and galloping back into the town.

With the push to clear the remaining enemies, but made it easier to work around the rest. He charged back to the gates, rallying the civilians that were struggling to escape the hoard and shepherding them to the chief’s home, the furthest back in the village territory.

It was the safest place they could be, while the army handled the rest of the battle.

------------------------

It wouldn’t be until two more hours before the battle finally ended. The cavaliers had successfully kept the bastards from the villagers, and had hurried as many civilians as possible into the safety of the chief’s home. It was quite cramped, but it was indeed protective of the innocent people.

“Lieutenant!!” Chrom’s voice cut across the billowing wind, frost and ice piercing any exposed skin with no mercy. The snow seemed to be getting worse, making it harder for Frederick to spot the prince…especially with the white cape and blue clothes that seemed to blend into the landscape.

“Milord! Is it done?”

“They’ve been cleared- I think we’re all right. The only problem is the villagers- we found multiple out in the field trying to escape from Risen. I don’t know how many more there are. Robin and the others went into the forest to try and recover people spotted running away, but they’ll need help.”

“They went deeper into the forest?” Frederick repeated when the Exalt crunched his way over, the snow halfway to their knees. A knot of worry lowered his brow, feeling a stirring in his chest.

He had been militant in educating you on the dangers of winter weather; especially given your Plegian constitution; the desert environment couldn’t have been more different from Ferox. You weren’t exactly built for the snow, but with education and plenty of precautions taken, you would be fine.

He wasn’t sure how well that would hold up if you were navigating the frozen tundra alone.

“How long ago did they start the search?” He demanded, looking back into the crowd milling about inside the bursting house.

“It was little over a half hour, I believe.” He thought hard, eyes narrowed against the snow. “We need to organize a search party to make sure everyone comes back safe. Are the horses handling the cold well enough to work through it a bit longer?”

“Hebert is still strong enough to carry on; I’ll inform the pegasus riders and the rest of the cavalier squadron what we need to do.”

The Shepherds quickly rallied around the Exalt when he informed them of the situation. The chieftain managed to pull together focus among his citizens, asking if anyone was missing.

A few families were missing siblings or cousins, some friends and some more prone to panic than others.

But it was fewer than a dozen. How far could they have wandered that Robin and the others weren’t back yet?

“Frederick, take my flare spell; it’s the last one I’ve got, but I assume you’ll want to wait to return until everyone’s accounted for.”

“I will make certain we have saved everyone.” Frederick promised, taking the small tome into hand and tucking it into his cloak.

The search party left the warmth they craved to return to the bitter cold. Even in those few minutes of planning their search, the wind grew much faster and biting.

It did not settle the pit in his stomach any less.

“The wind is too strong for voices to be heard over it; save your strength and don’t send up any signals unless you or the civilians you find are in immediate danger! Am I understood?!”

“Sir, yes sir!!”

And with that, they burst into the unforgiving snow once more. The knight could only hope that you were safe and healthy, returning with as many villagers as you could manage.

The alternative would be unthinkable.

------------------------

If you were struggling with snow blindness before the storm got worse, it was completely impossible to see, now.

Between the wind whipping your hair about your face, and the ice crystals forming on your lashes, it was a miserable challenge just to put a coherent thought together.

A sliver of panic was setting in, but you were determined not to let it show. Not when you had a child in your arms, shivering violently against your chest. You held them tightly, having them underneath your coat and buttoned in to protect against the cold, but even with the woolen interior that Frederick had sewn in, you were finding it difficult to maintain either of your temperatures.

If the child had been a little older, perhaps you could’ve gone farther and gotten closer to the village before you lost sight of everything, altogether.

But there was little time to regret it. Your limbs were growing more numb by the second, and all you knew was to keep moving forward.

One of the many navigational skills Frederick had taught you was to focus on the moss on the southern side of trees; it always grew on the southern side.

…Right?

That didn’t seem right.

The fog in your brain was getting thicker. Heavier, much like your limbs. With a shaking gasp, you tried to take in more air; each breath filled your lungs with ice.

“Aaah!!”

The child’s squeal vibrated against your chest, startling you; it seemed like you’d lost your balance. With a staggering few steps, you fought to stay upright, the wind beating into your body making it far more difficult than it should ever be.

“S-sorry…sorry…” You mumbled, tightening your grip on the little one. At least, you thought you did. You told your fingers to press into their small body, but…you weren’t sure if that mental command had traveled to your hands.

You couldn’t feel them anymore.

The pain of your struggle onward was getting harder to focus on. The numbness was worse. You kept apologizing. The word “sorry” left your mouth again…and again…

Where was the village? No…where were the trees? It was all so white…so blinding…

“Robin!!”

You felt the child jolt in your arms; someone had called your name. It must be loud, because the child started squirming, shouting back.

It was hard to hear even that much, though you could vaguely feel the vibrations of their voice against your chest.

“Gods, Robin!! What the hells happened?!”

You kept hearing a voice, but you didn’t recognize it. There was a flash of brown hair that came into view, and a big, blob that appeared to be walking on four sticks.

The young one squirmed from your arms, just as a pair of large hands came to your shoulders. You couldn’t feel them squeeze, but you felt the world suddenly stop.

They must have caught you. There was a frantic, muffled noise in front of you…was that their voice? Gods, you were so tired.

That was just about the last thing that crossed your mind, before the blinding white tilted into darkness.

-------------------------

Hebert was whinnying with great displeasure, having to go back into the punishing cold. Frederick understood the feeling well, but he was far more worried about locating his missing wife.

It hadn’t been long after he’d prepared the Shepherds for the search before he heard the panicked wails of a young mother; her little boy hadn’t come back.

He’d been separated in the panic, trying to get all the civilians away from the battle. He was too young to be out there alone; no way he could find his way back in all the madness.

That, and the storm was so bad now, that little one would surely be dead if he wasn’t found.

Frederick prayed to every god he could think of that you had found the boy, and the pair of you were quickly on your way back to the village.

“Onward, Hebert!! Faster!!” He snapped the reins, pushing as fast as he could go. It was a grueling process; the hopes of spotting the black coat in this sea of ice were becoming dashed with every passing moment.

After ten minutes, there was still no luck. Frederick’s heartbeat quickened, the dread creeping in with every slam of Hebert’s hooves into the ground.

It wasn’t fast enough.

Every second you were out there, the chances of survival were slipping away. They were going to run out of time to get you and return to the village.

If things got any worse, they’d have to go back empty hande.

He searched the ky for a flare, flistened for someone shouting they’d found you. But of coufres, no signs came to suggest you were found.

That would be far too easy.

Frederick dug his heels in, prssing further into the white and prayed for your safety.

He bore the brunt of the ice for twelve more minutes…when he finally had a breakthrough.

A single, dark blot against the horizon.

It was moving slowly, moving away from him…but it was no doubt a person. He He pressed forward despite Hebert’s whinnied protests, the wind picking up speed and blowing at the poor beasts’ side.

“A little farther Hebert. We’re almost- you!! You, there!!”

He shouted out at the sight of the distant figure. They did not seem to acknowledge his voice.

“Robin?! Is that you??” He shouted louder. The distance was quickly closing, and the blot turned into what was without a doubt your coat. The patterns on the sleeves were purple; there was only one person it could possibly be.

“H-help!! Help, please!!”

A small body was running towards him, forcing Hebert to a stop. Frederick quickly closed the distance with his dismount, finding a small child trudging towards him with a complete lack of balance and coordination. The poor thing must have had his limbs half frozen.

“You must be the child that went missing.” Frederick found it hard to speak over the weather’s howls, but the boy acknowledged him, welcoming the knight’s hands as he lifted him up, placing him on Hebert’s saddle. Quickly, he unclasped his cloak, draping it around the boy. He seemed lucid and sound, and looked warmer than he would’ve thought.

“I-I don’t need much help-- it’s her. She needs it.” The boy pointed back to the figure who he’d looked away from.

The figure that had turned slowly, clearly confused.

The fear struck him like a lightning bolt.

“Gods, Robin!!” He sprinted to you, grasping your shoulders. You didn’t acknowledge him at all. "What the hells happened??"

Your eyes were glassy; skin pale, lips blue. Well past blue.

You were on You looked on the verge of death.

“It’s all right, I’ve got you.” He bit back the panic, fumbling the flare from his pocket and launching it into the sky. The magic made the bright red sigil impossible to miss.

It was the one saving grace they had.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. I’ve got the boy. You did brilliantly.” He said, tearing his scarf from his neck and wrapping it around your neck.

It bothered him more when you didn’t react to his actions.

“Robin?”

You blinked, a slurred “Sorry” falling from your lips. Then your knees buckled. A strangled noise escaped him when you suddenly fell, the whole of your body weight coming against his hands. He nearly dropped you into the snow.

“Dammit…!” He growled, finding the strength to lift you to his chest, carrying you back to his restless horse. The others would arive soon- surely they’d seen the flare by now, hovering bright and shining in the sky.

He had found you. He was bringing you to safety…but this was only the beginning of teh battle.

With a twist of his heart, he turned Hebert around and started the race back to teh village.

This was a battle you could still lose.

-------------------------

It was a merc that some Shepherds had met them halfway back to the village; Frederick had you wrapped up in the cloak with the boy, trying desperately to retain some of your body heat. When Sully and Maribelle caught up to him, they had her pulled from Hebert and placed into a village cart, its wheels carefully grafted to handle the snow far better than poor Hebert’s hooves could.

It mdae the return much easier; Maribelle was quick in administering first aide, focusing on yourr injuries and the frostbite nipping into your skin even as the ice turned her perfect curls into a frantic mop.

“She’s got hypothermia,” Maribelle deduced as they rushed through the front gates. “She’s losing her body emperature fast- she needs more than what I can do, and she needs emergency medics, now!!”

There was little more that needed to be said.

Frederick handed the boy off to his weeping parents, but had little tim eto accept their thanks; you were already being pulled frmo the cart and rushed to the cleric’s housewith the SHepherds’ best healers in tow.

He followed after them, Chrom and Ricken rushing with armfuls of blankets and enchanted stones to warm you quickly.

“Put her there, Frederick!” Lissa’s hand pointed to the pallet of blankets all but thrown together on the floor. The few beds were already filled with a mix of injured soldier and civilian alike.

You could only make do with what you had.

Frederick grit his teeth, following the command and lowering you carefully onto the blankets. His gloves were soaked through when he withdrew; your clothes were sopping wet.

“We need privacy-- Chrom, get those sheets up on the lines, here; fasten them so no one can look in.”

The prince did not dawdle, handing off the thicker blankets he and Ricken brought and started to fasten up the sheets around the clothes line hastily tacked up during the rush to protect the tactician’s privacy.

Frederick well understood what was happening, and had already begun to remove your clothes; the coat, sweater, scarf and tunic were difficult to peel away, but mercifully, your underclothes were not beyond rescue.

As soon as you were out from under your layers, he had you bundled tightly beneath the blankets, pressing the warming stones to your palms and your feet, and another to your chest.

He fought to suppress the anguish in his heart when he saw the tips of your fingers and toes had grown discolored. Had hypothermia already set in?

Was it already too...

“Frederick, armor off, now!!”

“Yes, milady!”

The buckles were being undone just as Lissa darted to the floor beside you, strategically speaking healing spells over the more dire areas in need of repair.

Your breathing had yet to steady, and your pulse was still weak. Maribelle looked utterly frantic, working opposite the princess to try and stabilize your temperature.

Frederick’s armor was fully off, clattering off of him in lieu of his carefully setting it on its stand. There would be little time for procedure. Not when you needed him.

“Your clothes, are they-?”

“They are dry, milady. If it is not enough body heat quickly enough, I will take them off. Give me the order when you must.” His words were clipped, the knight wasting not a second longer before lifting the blankets and joining you beneath them.

Gingerly, cautiously, you were pulled into him, making sure not to hold you in a way that would inhibit the healers from getting to you.

He cradled your head to his neck, your nose like ice against his skin. You were still so cold…this was surely a nightmare, wasn’t it?

“Stay with her, just like that. Any loss of body heat could be deadly for her, at this point.” Maribelle instructed in a grave tone.

Frederick squeezed you closer. The thundering of his heart was deafening in his ears…surely, you could hear it.

-------------------------

The first thought you had when your thoughts finally came out of the darkness was that you were very, very warm.

That wouldn’t make any sense, considering the last place you were was in the middle of a raging blizzard.

Then your second thought was that you couldn’t really move. It felt like you were being held by someone. Was it the little boy? The child that-

Oh, gods, where was he?

“Ungh…”

You couldn’t quite form words, yet. Your mind was filled with fog. And your head hurt. Well, really, a lot of you hurt. As your consciousness started to come through the grogginess, you felt a shift around you.

“Robin?”

Your vision was still blurred, despite rapid blinks attempting to clarify what you were looking at. Or rather, what you were looking for. All you could really see was the knitting of a thick, dark blue tunic…it smelled quite familiar.

“Robin, can you hear me? Are you- Milady, I think she’s coming to.”

That sounded like Frederick’s voice. The hands that were on you retreated from your back, one gingerly cupping your cheek, tilting your face up.

Your vision went from the dark blue haziness into a much brighter, warmer shift of light. You found yourself looking up, into the blurry vision of your husband’s face.

You’d recognize that cowlick anywhere.

“Robin…you’re finally awake…can you hear me? A-are you…?” He sounded so fragile. What could’ve happened that would have him so worried?

It did bother you, but there was a much more important matter at hand.

“Boy…t-the…the boy…”

“Thank the gods.” He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, holding you tighter. He pressed you to his chest, his other hand threading into your hair. He buried his face in your neck, and you could feel the grimace on his lips. “You’re all right…!”

“Fred…the child, he’s-”

“He’s all right. You saved him.” He spoke softly, his voice vibrating pleasantly along your skin. “I found you both, just in time. He’s with his parents, and you’re in the cleric’s home.”

The cleric’s home.

“Lissa’s nearby. She’ll come to check on you in a moment. You were…it was touch and go for a while.”

Oh. That explained the tremor in his fingertips.

“What happened?”

“When I found you…you were unresponsive. The boy had actually run from you to come and get me. It was right when I’d gotten to you, that you collapsed. Your hands…you were frostbitten, and you’d been walking the wrong way, and…and you were delirious.”

You raised your hands to his chest, fingers curled into his tunic. They did not seem to be frostbitten any longer, at least. They were stiff and sore, but they weren’t discolored.

“I don’t remember much, I’m afraid.” Your voice was hoarse, despite the best attempts to clear your throat. Frederick stroked your hair, an attempt at comfort for the both of you. “But I’m…so glad you found me.”

“I would not have lost you to the winter.” He murmured, “I refused to. I know how much you hate the cold.”

“Ha.” You pressed your face into his chest, snuggling as close as you could. His hand tightened on your waist, and you were acutely aware that his calloused fingers were pressed to your skin. “Um…am I…?”

“Your clothes were utterly soaked through. We had to undress you, but rest assured, it is just the two of us. Lissa was kind enough to prepare some privacy for you while treating you.”

“I see.” You were too tired to be embarrassed. Given the circumstances, you weren’t surprised that was the course of action taken. “Well…thank you. For coming to my aid.”

“Good wife, I will not hesitate to do so. Just as you do the same for me.” He hummed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You curled your arms around his back, hugging him as tightly as you could.

You pushed your leg between his, all but wrapping yourself around your husband with the energy you could spare.

He had been so worried. You could feel the remnants of the stress in his form, how he had yet to fully relax despite cradling you so closely.

It was his favorite place to be, in the best of circumstances. Having you close in his embrace was a luxury that you had not been afforded since the Plegians first struck.

Perhaps being put in mortal danger wasn’t so bad, if this is what awaited you on the other side. Though you were careful not to speak of such a thing while your husband doted on you, remarking here and there about how utterly frightened he’d been at the thought you’d been lost in the snow.

Instead you simply lavished in his warmth, rising from your delightfully cozy nest to be examined by a tearful Lissa, and later to enjoy a bowl of hot stew lovingly prepared by your relieved comrades.

It would be a few days before you were back on your feet, but Frederick was with you every step of the way to make sure you recovered fully (and you were sure to give him as much physical comfort as possible in that time…there couldn’t have been enough hugs and kisses in the world until he was confident you were all right).

#frederick #robin #fe 13 #fe awakening #fire emblem awakening #fe: awakening #fe-fictions #fe fictions #fredrobin #Frederick x robin #f!mu #f!robin #fem!robin #angst #hurt and comfort #blizzard prompt #we love some good ole hurt and comfort for Mr. freddybear #good to be back #this was way longer than I had planned it to be but you KNOW how I get with Frederick ;;;;

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real-fire-emblem-takes · 3 months

Note

id give anything to play awakening again for the first time. it was my first FE game. id always had a passing knowledge of FE, but i never got the game because i was worried it would be too adult and edgy for my parents to let me. when I was in middle school I finally got my dad to let me get awakening, it was a used copy from the local gamestop. I remember sitting in my dad’s office over winter breaking cuddled up on a recliner playing the whole game in two days. it was so magical to me, I loved every character so much and I loved seeing these grand battles play out and the story progress. I cried over emmeryn, I restarted the whole game when chrom married the maiden, I accidentally killed Cynthia on her paralogue, and I paired up units with no supports because I had no idea what was happening. then I played the whole thing a second time. I spent two weeks doing almost nothing but sitting there on my 3ds playing fe13. then I found out it was a SERIES. oh boy. I still haven’t played every game, every time I start a new one it’s just magical. I love everything about fire emblem. here’s to my special interest.

#fe #fire emblem #fe13 #fe awakening #fire emblem awakening

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fiction-box · 4 months

Text

Solstice (F!Robin X Chrom)

Hello everyone, and happy @nagamas! I would like to wish a very special holiday season to my recipient, settphels, over on X. May you have a healthy 2024, and I hope you enjoy my work!

Requests are open. The story will continue under the cut.

“Lissa! Slow down!” Robin begged as the young princess dragged her through the snow.

“I wouldn’t have to go this fast if you hadn’t taken so long to get ready! Honestly, Robin, I’m surprised the sun hasn’t melted all the snow yet!”

It was the first day of the cold season that the snow stopped falling in Ferox, leaving the ground covered in a soft, clean sheet of white powder. Regardless, the tactician tugged her coat tighter to her chest with her free hand. The Feroxian cold chilled her to the bone; an idea solidified in the fact that this was the first winter she could remember.

Robin liked to think she came from somewhere nice and warm.

The women slowed to a stop a few yards from the large estate that Khan Flavia so graciously provided her champions. Frederick and Chrom were probably inside, writing up reports on their progress and deciding how next to move the Shepherds. Robin originally intended to join them, but Lissa talked her out into the snow before she even knew what was happening.

“Remind me why we’re standing out here, Lissa?” she shivered. “It’s freezing!”

“I told you, we have to make a snowman! Normally, Em would be here to help me, but since she couldn’t come with us, you get to be my assistant today,” Lissa smiled.

“A snowman…? But I don’t know how - I didn’t bring a tome with me or anything,” Robin frowned, glancing back at the estate.

The youngest princess of Ylisse giggled, “You don’t need magic, silly. I can’t believe you don’t know how to make a snowman.”

“Rubbing it in isn’t helping,” Robin muttered sheepishly.

“Here, watch.”

The blonde bent toward the snow, picking up a handful of powder and shaping it into a ball between her gloved hands.

“The trick is to apply a bit of pressure so the snow sticks together and forms a sphere. Then,” she added, setting the snowball down as she lowered herself to the ground, “you’ll keep patting more into it until it grows into a giant snowball.”

Robin watched silently, her breath forming clouds in the air as Lissa used her arms and hands to pull snow toward her. Soft crunching sounds accompanied her light taps on her creation as the original sphere tripled in size.

The princess paused, looking up as if to gauge Robin’s understanding. Or maybe just to see if she was paying attention - Robin didn’t know Lissa well enough to tell just yet.

“Okay, now it’s your turn.”

So the woman with hair the color of the winter around them knelt to the ground, scooping nearby snow into her gloves before pushing her hands together.

Upon opening her hands, flakes of white fell between her fingers and out of her palm.

Robin pursed her lips, determined to give it another try as she brushed off her hands and picked up more snow. This time, she added more pressure and held slightly less in her hand.

The result presented itself as a small, almond-shaped pile. It looked fragile even before Robin set it down, the “snowball” cleaving in half upon impact with the soft layer blanketing the grass.

A stifled snicker came from Lissa’s direction while the tactician huffed. How could anyone stick the snow together when it just brushes against the other flakes? Whenever she got enough snow onto the ball, it just crumbled to dust.

The fifth time she failed to make the snow stick together long enough, Robin simply stretched her neck to the sky and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Lissa appeared happy to show her support in the way she rolled on the icy ground, overtaken by a fit of giggles.

“Ah, yes. I’m glad you find my failure funny,” Robin glared, turning her head back to her companion.

“I- I’m-!” the girl gasped, “Ha! You can’t even-!

“What are you two doing out here?”

Chrom’s footfalls crunched loudly in the snow as he approached, eyeing the areas where the snow no longer looked even.

“Oh my goodness! Chrom!” Lissa managed. Her smile still went from ear to ear. “You have to see-! Robin can’t even make a snowball…”

The woman in question felt her ears going pink as blood rushed to her face, “Well I’m sorry I’ve never done this before! I don’t even really understand what it is that we’re doing!”

The prince of Ylisse simply sighed before taking a seat in the cold next to Robin.

“Don’t be so mean, Lissa. You should have been helping her instead of laughing.”

“Hmph. We were only having fun - you don’t have to lecture me.”

“Really?” Chrom teased, “What do you think Em would say?”

“Sh-she doesn’t have to know!”

He laughed, turning back to the newest Shepherd before picking up some snow of his own.

“Here, this way is easier,” his hand and palms were cupped closed, interlocking perfectly. “The way Lissa likes to do it can be a bit harder since she keeps her fingers splayed open - try keeping them close together.”

“Wow, you don’t even have gloves on. Aren’t you cold?”

The blue-haired prince shook his head, “I just came from inside, so I’m not too cold yet. Besides, using the heat from my palms tends to make it easier to make snowballs.”

“Lucky you.”

“You certainly seem like you wish you were inside,” Chrom chuckled. “You look so unacclimated.”

Robin chose to lightly ignore him, instead focusing on copying his movements exactly as she watched them performed earlier. After applying what she deemed an appropriate amount of pressure, she tilted her hand open…

…only to watch it crumble again.

Her result did not improve the next two times she tried.

Her fourth attempt for Chrom almost yielded a snowball; save for a few light angles here and there, the shape formed a ball well enough.

“There you go,” he encouraged.

Her breathing grew shallow as she turned her palm upright, removing her other hand to let it stand on its own.

Of course, Robin should have known not to expect much as she watched it split in three upon supporting its own weight in her hand.

“Agh-! Are you kidding me? I’m completely hopeless at this.”

A short exhale came from Chrom’s nose. Robin looked up quickly enough to see him fighting a smile before he cleared his throat.

“Here, let me help you.”

Easily, Chrom took one of her hands into his own. The tactician’s palm faced the sky as the prince used his other hand to lift a small pile of snow. Guiding her hand to his other one, he pressed the snow between their palms with much more force than Robin had been using to make her snowballs.

Transfixed, she watched Chrom’s hands envelope her own as the snow grew more firm upon her palm. He rotated her palm once more until it faced the sky again. Finally, he lifted his hands away and released her glove.

A perfect sphere.

“Showoff,” she smirked at him.

“I try.”

Robin returned her eyes to what they made together, admiring the ease he brought to something that stressed her out just moments ago.

Things were just easier with Chrom in general.

“You guys are so slow!” Lissa whined from behind Chrom, rolling a sizable snowball back to where she originally sat with Robin.

“Oh my-!” Robin gasped in awe. “Lissa, how did you do that?”

“What, this?” she gestured to the snowball.

Chrom put his hand on Robin’s shoulder and shifted to block her view “Gods, don’t stroke her ego. We’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Hey!” the princess interjected. “I can’t help being better at this than you two! I’m naturally gifted at this sort of thing.”

Her brother gave a quick laugh before crafting a snowball and throwing it at her. It made contact with her coat, prompting her to quickly bend over and make a snowball of her own. She threw it at Chrom, though he anticipated her attack and moved out of the way just in time.

“Ah! Hah! Cold! Cold!” Robin shivered, the snow from Lissa’s throw sliding down her neck to her chest. Reflexively, she set the snowball she and Chrom made down before tugging her coat tightly around her chest.

“Why is it so cold in Ferox?” she whined as the snow melted, drenching her undershirt.

“Now look, Lissa. You hit Robin!”

“It wouldn’t have hit her if you had just stayed still! Besides, what makes you think I’m not freezing from when you hit me?”

“You deserved it though,” Chrom raised a brow.

“Fine then,” Lissa huffed. “I’m going inside!”

“What? You’re the reason we’re out here!” Robin argued.

“I know...I’m just…I’m going to grab some things for our snowman. It needs a nose and some eyes, you know.”

“Right now?”

“Why not?” the princess stretched before turning toward the estate, “Someone has to get it eventually, I might as well go right now. Have fun taking forever to finish the snowman.”

Before either of her companions could get a word in otherwise, Lissa ran away to the warm shelter.

“Sorry about that,” Chrom sighed.

“It’s just Lissa being Lissa, you don’t need to apologize.”

“Still, I wouldn’t have moved out of the way if I knew you’d be hit by that snowball,” he frowned. “Here, let me.”

Swiftly, the prince unwrapped the scarf from his neck before putting it around Robin’s. The blue fabric went around one, two times before he left it to drape down her chest.

“If you’d like to tuck it underneath your shirt or your coat, feel free,” he remarked, suddenly enamored with the small snowball in front of them.

Robin took a few seconds to do just that before Chrom cleared his throat again.

“We should probably finish this before she comes back out though. I can hold the snowball if you’d like to pack more onto it. We’ll roll it around once it gets big enough.”

The tactician shook her head, “I think it might be better if I hold it while you do all the complicated stuff.”

“Complicated?” Chrom’s eyes found hers, a small smirk on his face.

“You saw me earlier! Besides, I’m the one wearing gloves. At least your hands get a break if you’re patting the snow.”

He nodded, handing her the snowball before he lifted more and more of the powder to press into it. Occasionally, he would grab her wrist or her arm for leverage, but the process mostly felt like a game to the woman. Chrom applied more snow, and Robin guessed where she’d have to apply resistance to the pressure.

The two finished in a matter of minutes, though Robin gave the prince most of the credit. Their creation landed on the snow beneath them as they stood to roll it around the untouched areas on the ground.

“It’s traditional to stack snowmen three layers tall back in Ylisse,” the prince remarked. “Feroxian tradition is a bit different; they use two layers. I think it has something to do with the two Khans, but Lissa knows more about it than I do.”

“They have more than enough precipitation here to make them four layers tall,” Robin speculated.

“True,” Chrom chuckled, “but it would probably start snowing again in the time it would take to make that many snowballs.”

With that, they finished rolling the ball in the snow. The pair worked together to get it back to Lissa’s snowball, lifting theirs to place atop hers.

“Gods,” Robin huffed, “definitely a group activity.”

“We aren’t finished quite yet. Lissa said she would grab the eyes and nose, but we should probably find branches for the arms and something for its mouth.”

“Hmm…” Robin looked around. A small forest of trees stood tall several yards away, so branches wouldn’t be too hard to find.

“I can go grab some rocks from the main road by the estate. Do you think those would work?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” she responded. “Sure. I can head toward the forest for branches.”

Walking against the wind, Robin began to realize just how cold she had gotten from spending so much time outside. Her gloves were soaked through from handling so much snow, and although Chrom’s scarf helped, she still wore her damp, frigid undershirt.

At least the snowman only needed a few more items. Once they wrapped this up, Robin would curl up in a chair with a blanket and a book until she could feel her toes again.

As her feet trudged along the edge of the forest, she began to wonder if Lissa planned to come back outside any time soon. Surely, she would at least help decorate their new friend.

Robin glanced around the uneven forest floor. Most of the branches that fell to the ground looked too thick for a snowball - their work would probably fall apart if she tried to use anything as large as the hilt of her sword.

Out of nowhere, her foot failed to find purchase as the ground crumbled away beneath her. It seemed the snow hadn’t landed in the exact shape of the forest, thanks to the branches blocking the precipitation from earlier.

“Woah-!”

She blindly tumbled down what was either a large hill or a small cliff - Robin wasn’t sure - as the shock of the frigid snow caused her to cry out. The tiny crystals invaded her coat, gloves, pants, and boots, her fall absorbed by the powder and a mix of her shoulders, knees, and hips.

At least it was soft. Well, as soft as plummeting through a forest could be.

Her momentum abruptly halted as she reached the lower level of the woods. Covered in snow, it was all she could do to thank Naga she hadn’t slammed into a tree and passed out.

Panicked and still high on adrenaline, Robin managed to lift her head out of the powder. Her chest had slammed into the ground, and she could hardly breathe. Though the Shepherd gasped for air, she couldn’t feel it entering her lungs.

“...-bin…?”

That was Chrom, though he sounded a bit far. As much as she wanted to call back to him, she couldn’t find her voice. Hopefully he could just follow the tracks she inevitably left behind.

“...Robin! Where are you? Are you-”

Once the voice grew close enough, the tactician turned her attention to the top of the hill. Sure enough, the prince of Ylisse stared back at her.

“I heard you scream,” he commented lamely, confusion on his face after scanning over her snow-dusted form. “Hang on, I’ll be right there.”

Chrom staggered his feet on the slope, using his arm to brace himself as he steadily slid down toward her.

In the seconds it took him to approach her, Robin attempted to brush herself off as well as she could with her shivering hands before struggling to stand.

The young lord arrived on solid ground, hastening his steps to get to his tactician, “Gods, Robin, what happened to you? You fell all the way down here from up there?”

“Not my proudest moment,” her teeth chattered.

“Nevermind then,” Chrom rushed to wrap her arm around his shoulder and support her. “Let’s just get you back to the shelter so you can warm up.”

“Yeah, I think I’m done with snow for today. Maybe we can take a different route back?”

The pair circled the small cliff, looking for a hill that appeared decidedly less steep. Thankfully, there appeared to be a safer option in the western part of the wood.

“We could probably get back faster if I carried you,” Chrom offered.

Robin liked to think that, in any other scenario, she might have hesitated before politely rejecting his offer. In the moment, however, she immediately welcomed the idea of giving her body a rest.

Unwrapping her arm from his shoulder, the Ylissean turned and lowered himself just enough so that Robin could climb onto his back. He was always lightly wary of how steady she was on her feet, encouraging her to balance using his arm until he safely lifted her off the ground.

“You’re lucky I was able to find you in the snow with that white hair of yours,” he started as he continued their trip back to the estate. “Things could always be worse.”

“Could be much better, too,” she frowned.

“I won’t argue with that.”

It didn’t take Chrom as long as Robin thought it would to return to the upper level of the forest and exit the woods. She supposed her original guess was influenced both by the pain in her limbs, the cold, and how much she slowed Chrom down.

She felt him let out a soft breath of air as they finally arrived to see Lissa doing their job for them.

“About time! I was thinking you were never going to-”

Once her eyes absorbed the sight of how disheveled her brother and her friend were, the princess dropped the buttons she was adjusting on the snowman and rushed to guide the two inside.

“There are some blankets on the couch, but I should probably help Robin out of those wet clothes first. And I was hoping to surprise you with cocoa when you came inside - it’s already prepared and sitting on the coffee table.”

Once the three made it through the door, Chrom lowered the woman off his back. He offered his arm to help her stand as Lissa took off her coat and boots. The princess led her to a spare room while her brother began to take off his own outer layers.

“Gosh, Robin. You need to be more careful - it’s only a matter of time before you get in over your head.”

“It wasn’t on purpose…”

Lissa sighed, pulling her drenched friend in for a hug, “I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

Just as quickly, the youngest princess pulled away with a shiver.

“You’re way too cold! Let’s get you into something warm so we can all stop worrying, okay?”

Once everyone was finally warm in the common room and Frederick started a fire, it became much easier to laugh about everything that happened that day. Then, after a short argument that Lissa had no intention of losing, Robin surrendered her drenched coat for the day so Lissa could put it on their snowman. After all, if it had a coat, their wintry friend would have no need for branches as its arms.

Perhaps everything turned out right in the end.

#nagamas #fire emblem #fiction #chrobin #f!robin #lissa #fe chrom #fe awakening #fire emblem awakening #fe robin #fe lissa #romance #fluff #fe13

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