Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Good job! I’ve been watching you work, and you’ve earned a reward. Bend down so I can pat your head.”

        At your feet was the blue and gold trim carpet you familiarized yourself with after so many hours of orb collecting just to be able to pay for the new carpets. It is called the Royal Castle, so you really had your expectations low because of the eventual price.

        One of your close friends, Sharena, caught you when you saw the price. Ten orbs for  gold and blue? Now that you think about it,  new carpets and training boosts was a better choice than two summons. The barracks were quite empty though and Sharena looked lonely. 

        You'd need to take a trip to the summoning ruins, but who'd you bring with you? One hero from each realm you could would be a good idea to show the newer heroes the ropes, but you wouldn't know who you would summon until they shot out of Breidablik. 

        It was always a funny sight to see. Sometimes they would land elegantly, like Titania had. Other times, they would be walking mid-summon and end up face planting. That's why you always had a bunch of pillows on hand when you summoned, and Fae was always there you help you test out if it was perfect enough with a good toss and a blue crystal for emergencies. They happened more often than one would think.

        You were standing in the centre of the room, directly on the Askr emblem, chatting with Anna about orbs when someone tugged on your cloak from behind. Glancing over your shoulder, you look around curiously until a gravity-defying bit of minty-green hair reaches your vision. It was Nowi, and she looked quite happy with a smile on her pale face and a soft pink tint to her cheeks.

        The manakete shepherd smiled brightly when you locked eyes with her own purple ones. She crossed her arms behind her back and rocked on her heels as she waited to speak to you. Turning back to the redhead, you apologize and say you'll work twice as hard to train the heroes to the best of your ability and check up on everyone.

        "Good afternoon, Nowi." You say politely and look down at the green-haired woman curiously. She uncrosses her arms behind her back and lets them dangle at her sides , nearly hidden by her black cape. Some of the other heroes around you gather together out of your vision behind you to see the interaction between you and Nowi.

        "Hello, [Name]," She begins and you scratch at your itchy cheek, wondering what's going on with the manakete. Her large green hair sways when she speaks again. You blink when she wrings her hands together, even more curious at what she's going to say.

        "Good job! I've been watching you work, and you've earned a reward." She pauses and opts to look at you with a closed-eye smile. You go red at what she says and thanks the Gods that your hood is up and hiding your blushing face.

        The murmuring behind you gets louder and you glare heavily over your shoulder at the pod of intimidating heroes, who switch from muttering about the two of you to whistling and examining their blades.

        You turn back to Nowi, allowing her to continue after silencing the other heroes that consisted of Seth, Cain, Abel and Draug. She wasn't surprised at that; you could do a lot here and many of the heroes were thankful that you checked up on them as much as you did and made sure everything went smoothly.

        "Bend down so I can pat your head." She says and you freeze, everything going grey when she finishes her sentence with a bright smile.

        It's really quiet when she spoke, so you don't doubt that the many other heroes heard her, but you don't really mind that part. So you bend over and face Nowi with an embarrassed smile.

        She pats you on the head twice and you rise, bringing a hand up to try and cool your hot cheeks. The manakete giggles loudly and says goodbye, leaving you in the centre of the room, also being the centre of attention.

        "Good one, [Name]!" Abel says and you flash over to his side, hitting him with a flurry of light hits that do nothing because you have the strength of a marshmallow and the personality of a kitten.

Chapter Text

“I need to complete my training so I can stand on my own-as soon as I can!”

 Today you were overseeing the fliers. It was a bad idea to mix the one person who knew nothing but being a tactician, telling bad jokes, knowing a lot about each hero and getting stuck in situations that were terribly hard to get out of. Sometimes regular checkups nearly killed you because you walked to lightly. Matthew even asked if you'd wanted to come back to his world to become a thief!

        "Florina, how's Huey doing?" You ask shyly, walking towards the girl and her snowy-white pegasus. She jumps and turns around quickly, startling you and Huey, who snorts at his riders' behaviour. Her light-purple hair bounces with her step and just almost hits you in the face because you were probably too close to the girl.

        "I'm sorry!" You exclaim at her fearful face, taking a large step back. Subaki and Beruka glance over at you curiously, wondering what had caused you to apologize. Not much, but something small always made you shout out an 'I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!' daily. 

        Florina's face is flushed red and a hand is placed onto her chest as you stand there, hoping she isn't mad. She probably isn't, but you always fear for these kind of things. Thankfully she isn't wielding her spear, or you'd be in a deeper hole. Maybe even seven feet deep?

        "It's a-alright, [Name]." She speaks softly but quickly, and you have to take a (small) step towards her to hear what she said. You sigh, relieved and let your arms fall to your sides. Thank goodness she isn't as mean as Berkut, then your 'head would be rolling on the floor'. You're glad that you weren't sent to Rigel, because that would happen if you declined his offer.

        "Thank goodness, I didn't mean to startle you," You said and Florina nods, her fingers winding through Huey's mane to calm her down.

        "Anyways, Florina... I was wondering if I could ask you something." You look down at the girl with your soft [eye colour] eyes, excited to tell her the news and ask her if she wants to join you and the Askr trio on a trip to the World of Awakening.

        "S-sure..." Florina looks at you with her bright aquamarine eyes and you aww internally, she's just too cute! Someday her and Lyn will be reunited here, at the cost of your orbs. 

        "I was wondering if you'd like to join the Askr royalty and I on a trip to the World of Awakening. You don't have to go-" With some hellish height, she scampers up Huey's side and now has her heavy spear in her grasp.

        “I need to complete my training so I can stand on my own-as soon as I can!” She shouts and Huey takes off, leaving you in a cloud of dust and solemn air. You cough loudly and stumble out of the dirt cloud, glancing up at the sky to watch Florina swiftly practice with both Beruka and Subaki, holding her own quite nicely.

        "Very well, Florina! Tell me whenever you'd like to go, and I'll be waiting!" You shout to her and head back to the castle after a moment wasted (not really) watching her and Huey do intricate aerodynamics against a wyvern and skilled perfectionist on pegasi-back.

Chapter Text

"Where could my lord Chrom be?"

        You were in charge of knowing where every hero was every second of the day. If you lost one, then it was your job to sniff them out and give them a time out for either losing track of time or just not coming to meetings. 

        Today, however, two heroes were missing. Both from the World of Awakening, and both quite important fighters for the Order of Heroes. Frederick and Chrom. Prince and retainer.

        Yay.

        Lissa freaked out in the morning and wanted to come along with you as you searched, which you gladly accepted her into your new group to find out where the two left. Currently, it was just you and Lissa, but who knows.

        You glanced around the large foyer and sigh quietly, Lissa asking some other heroes if they had seen them. Her shoulders sagged and yours did too when they said that the last place they had spotted the two was the training grounds yesterday.

        "Come on, Lissa. We'll find them somewhere." You grumble and she huffs, latching onto your arm as you exit the hall and make your way to the outdoor training grounds. As the two of you make your way down the hall, Lissa glances to your feet and gasps, pointing at the ground.

        You look at her when she stops, clearly confused. She glances back up at you with dark grey eyes.

        "This is Fredericks work! He's close." She says and runs up the path, letting go of your arm as she swiftly leaves you behind. Gods, these heroes can run fast. You sigh and stomp after the Sprightly Cleric, wanting to find these heroes and head to bed or read.

        "[Name]! I found him!" She cries and you perk up, jogging down the path and spotting a strange sight. Frederick's standing there with Lissa scolding him.

        Now you can't punish him, this is enough.

        "Frederick? Where were you?" You call out and walk over to the two. He glances over at you and replies curtly.

        "Searching for Chrom." he says and you groan loudly, stomping your foot and crossing your arms. 

        "We'll go find him, you go back to the castle. Unless you want to come along, but I'm finding him and heading straight back!" You growl and continue down the path, irked by everything at the moment. It was a beautiful day, too. Birds chirping, sun shining and the occasional animal. 

        The two behind you walk slowly, giving you space. It's probably because they think you're mad or something.

        "I'm not mad, just tired." You say to them and Lissa nods, then begins to ramble about how you should 'get more sleep' and that 'living off five hours of sleep is death' as Frederick nods along to her words. You groan and turn back around, getting even more tired for a completely different reason than sleep.

         "I agree with Lady Lissa; [Name], you should get some sleep-" You cut him off by pivoting around quickly and pointing accusingly at the Polite Knight.

          "FINE, I'LL GO GET SOME SLEEP. RIGHT NOW, IN FACT!" You shout and shove past the two, wishing them luck on their quest to find Chrom. Lissa laughs and you growl, stomping back towards the castle and straight to your room. The two watched you leave, knowing you'd eventually come back to help with snacks because you could never be mad at anyone.

        That was proven when you had appeared with Cordelia and sandwiches made by Peri. She's a divine cook, you've gotta say. 

Chapter Text

"Is there a reason for a noncombatant to be on the battlefield? I can't help but worry for you."

        There were so many beautiful heroes, you just couldn't help but stare sometimes. It had also gotten you in some embarrassing situations, but most of the time you'd apologize and say you'll just go do something else. Nearly every time though they would look at your embarrassed face and either pat you on the head or say no worries.

        'S not your fault for being summoned by Anna, you just wanted to play a gacha game. Guess you could say, it gacha. You were also bad at jokes but could always get a laugh out of most heroes.

        Anyway, back to your previous puzzle. You weren't crafted by an amazing artist or had a story weaved for you, you were a person born into Earth and dragged into your cellular device. These guys were fictional back home, but here they were physical people.

        And they were just so darned pretty. One of the newer heroes that you summoned one day, Sonya, became the one hero with the highest amount of curiosity of your role as Summoner. It was an interesting role, and she always watched you from the corner of her eye whenever you were on the battlefield with the Vengeful Mage.

        Now that you were simply reading in the hall of the base, sitting on a very comfortable chair Oogma had brought in with Raven, you were scanning over the book about the World of Radiance in case that BRAT tried to 'pop your head off like on of her dolls' again.

        Gods, you'd knock some sense into that child if you ever received the chance. She needed to get some help, and not the kind of help to destroy Askr. Or you. If she received any assistance military-wise, you'd need to get back to orb collecting and summon for days straight.

        As you were reading the new-ish book, a person sat in the chair across from you. Glancing upwards, you take in Sonya's long purple hair, red and black armour and epic thigh-high boots that were a hybrid with heels.

        'This mage can rock anything and make it work,' you swore internally but turned red when Sonya laughed and leaned forward to look at you more closely.

        "Well, it takes effort to rock clothes, [Name]." She says and you slam the book shut, face beet red and embarrassed once again. She chuckles quietly and you sigh, placing the book on the small table and grabbing your now cld cup of tea. You liked it cold, anyway.

        "I-I wouldn't doubt it, Sonya." You say quietly and she smiles, her eyes trained onto your shaky and hesitant form. it looked like she was enjoying this fully, but when her face went from smiles to serious, you perked up and sat up straight.

        "Can I ask you something, [Name]?" She asks and you nod, curious as to what she's going to say. Everybody wanted to talk to you these days, and you weren't going to decline. You wanted to get to know them, even if they got annoyed of your presence. You didn't want to invade their personal space or anything like that, just asking simple questions about their original world and if they liked anyone here.

        "Go ahead..." Muttering the two words, you take a sip from your cold tea and await the mage's question. You were quite  curious at her mood change, but decided that she simply wanted to talk serious. It wasn't easy talking serious with multiple people a day, but you were getting better at it. Hours spent reading up in the library about their specific worlds or time periods of the same world (Geneaology of the Holy War was an interesting read, but Sacred Stones...) 

        "Is there a reason for a noncombatant to be on the battlefield? I can't help but worry for you." She leans back and waits for your response, whether it be physical or verbal. You're caught off guard by the nature of the question and gulp down your mouthful of tea, clearing your throat to answer to the best of your abilities.

        "Well... written tactics can sometimes be overrun, unless the tactician has made up every possible scenario," You start but stop when you see Sonya looking at you with a raised eyebrow.

        Knowing the two true reasons, you say the first one that isn't as embarrassing and hope for the best. Honestly, these heroes would be the death of you.

        "Well, I just want you all to be safe. I can still give out orders, and I don't want you to fall in battle. You can still feel physical pain in battle, which makes sense-" You're cut off when Sonya grips you under your chin. It scared you to the heavens and back, but you kept still and face flushed red.

        "Really? Hmm... that doesn't sound right, [Name]." She says quietly and you gulp loudly. Please, no. Not today, you had a meeting to get to!

        THE MEETING.

        Oh man, if Anna wanted your head months ago, he'd get it himself at this point for letting you be this late to an important meeting between tactician and blue-haired protagonist. 

        "I've-gotta go!" You shout and jump from the chair, apologizing and escaping from her curious gaze. Her intentions were pure, but your mind was most definitely not.

Chapter Text

"I would love to stroll in a market with you sometime. Perhaps when our wars are over."

        In exactly one week, it would be an Askr holiday and you had a plan to get into the nearby town and wander around with some money, buying stuff and just enjoying the day. It was only a single day, so you would just go wild while looking calm and collected. 

        At the start, you had preferred to go alone, but hearing some quiet rumours about the Heir of Light, or Seliph. He had been meaning to go and visit the towns and learn more about the Askr people, and you had never known. 

        It was safe to say that he was now going along with you, yet he had no clue of the holiday's existence because he didn't originate from this world. Seliph hadn't spent much time in the libraries of the castle, while you had slept in them on numerous occasions. 

        Now you were chatting with other heroes who might want to also come along with you to the town. Sharena, Alfonse and Anna were going before you, to capture the attention whilst you snuck around and shopped.

        They took the bullet for you, and you swore to repay them somehow. Today you would inform Julia about inviting her half-brother along with you to see if he liked anything specific. 

        The lavender-haired girl was standing in the foyer of the castle, listening to a conversation between Barte and Laslow. It was ecstatic and funny to watch, so you also decided to watch.

        The two noticed you and beckoned you over, wanting to know if you liked to actually dance or fight. Knowing choosing one of them would perplex the other, you opted to just saying, "I can't do either, but I like reading." 

        Laslow laughed and tossed an arm over your shoulder, saying how you're such an interesting person and request to teach you how to dance. 

        "It sounds fun, but I'd trip over my own feet." You laugh and decline, noticing Julia and bidding the two heroes goodbye, waddling over to the quiet girl. She looked up from her feet and locked eyes with your own, a soft but distant smile on her face.

        "Hello, Julia." You greet her and slightly dip your head to the girl. She seems quite content right now, but you can't really read facial expressions unless they're very visible.

        "Good afternoon... [Name]." She breathes and you smile softly. It's always pleasant to have short conversations with heroes, but for some reason the half-sibings have grown on you like a wallflower. It's very adorable.

        "May I ask you a question about Seliph?" You ask Julia and she nods after a moment of quiet. The distant rambling of Laslow and Barte catches your ears, but you block it out and look at Julia with kind [eye colour] eyes.

        "Of course." She replies and you cheer internally. A week from now, you would be shopping with the two if they agreed. If not, you would hang around the castle and do work, but if someone accepted your invitation, you would be overjoyed.

        "Do you think he would like to... go to the nearby village with me?" You ask and she glances up to stare into your should with her light purple eyes. 

        "I believe so..." She grows quieter and you nod, grasping her thin and light hand in thanks. You leave her flustered and at the mercy of Laslow's cheerful laughter and Bartes contagious happy attitude.

        'Now I must go find Seliph!' You skip down the hall, walking normally when two guards appear from a corner. They greet you happily and you return it, glancing into the armoury for any light-blue haired males.

        Haha.

        There's obviously someone inside of the room, evident from the loud clanks of someone moving weapons or armour. Peeking over the shelves on top of a unsafe box, your heart races when you actually spot the white headband and brighter blue hair.

        "Seliph-" You call out but shriek when the box slips out from under your feet and you flop backwards. He looks up the second you disappears behind the lances and dashes over to your side.

        Thankfully most of the heroes are super fast and Seliph catches you. It makes it more embarrassing when he fully picks you up. 

        "Are you alright, [Name]?" He asks and you flush red at how close his face is to yours. Coughing as he sets you down onto the ground, looking at you curiously with his sapphire blue eyes.

        "I'm okay. Thank you, Seliph." You laugh sheepishly and rub your covered arms. Clearing your throat to at least try to build up confidence to ask him, you stand your ground and speak quickly.

        "Wouldyouliketogotothenearbyvillageforafesitval?" You spout and shut your eyes, clenching your fists and hoping for the best. The first few seconds is silence, but it's quickly broken when you hear Seliph chuckle softly.

        "Of course, [Name]." He says and you look up at him, hands relaxing at the sight of Seliph smiling with closed eyes. Your face breaks out in a grin and you jump at him, hugging the Heir of Light tightly around the middle.

        "Thank you! I wouldn't be able to go alone, so I owe you one." You say and he shakes his head softly. Taking your hand, he holds it firmly and leans down to your height to stare at you directly.

        "It's not a problem. I will always be at your side." He says and you go rigid, face once again bursting into a red blush. You eep and jump away, placing a hand on your racing heart as Seliph looks on confused.

        "Goodness- you heroes will be the death of me!" You cry and exit the room, Seliph close behind and laughing at your dramatic behaviour.

Chapter Text

“I have achieved mastery over gravity, thanks to my divine tome, Brynhildr."

    The trees surrounding the Askr castle were magnificently tall, some bearing fruits and other bearing your cloak on the tallest branch of an ancient oak tree.

    It was a training-gone-wrong with Cherche and Tana, you were practicing how well you could balance on both Pegasus and wyvern when your coat slipped from your arms and fluttered away. They couldn’t hear your shouts because of how fast they were going around until your coat was completely out of sight.

    The two women noticed a couple minutes after they had landed, you shivering and sniffling sadly, wanting your large cloak back.

    “We’re very sorry, [Name].” Cherche said and Tana patted your shoulder to try and comfort you. Nodding along, you sigh and look to the forest longingly.

    “I’ll help you look, [Name]!” Tana exclaims and you perk up, a smile on your face at the idea of a pegasus rider scanning the skies for your white and gold banded coat. How could you not think of that? 

    “You will?” She nods and you grin, giving the blue-haired girl a hug around the shoulders.

  Cherche looks tired, and so does her wyvern, so you let them go. She tries to resist, but you tell her that rest is more important than a cloak.

    “Alright. I’ll search north and east, can you handle south and west?” You ask the blue-haired princess and she nods, mounting her pegasus and taking off quickly in a flurry of white feathers.

    The forest isn’t as dense as the ones used to be back home, but it certainly proves a trial as the trees all block out the sunlight and are extremely tall.

    Oh man, you should’ve just left your cloak on the ground while you three trained, but when you did use it for battle purposes, it could’ve gotten in the way like it did and tangled you up.

    You sigh sadly and weave through the trees, scanning the lowest branches for any sight of white and gold.

    A distant whinny catches your attention and you look up, completely ignoring the brush in front of you crashing open and something large and dark charging towards you.

    You jump in surprise and roll to the side, narrowly dodging a flurry of hooves and horns. Thank goodness you were taught how to dodge by some of the colourless fighters. Glancing at the rider, you sigh when you spot the familiar red and black collar. Wait, was it black and red? You can’t really tell because you were nearly trampled to death by the mage’s horse and your eyes were slightly unfocused.

    “Leo! Good to see you!” Greeting him cheerfully, you rub your cold arms and look at the blonde prince, who’s staring at you curiously. Something’s missing about you.

    “I nearly trampled you into the dirt, yet you greet me so casually.” He says blankly and you nod, crossing your arms behind your back.

    “Haha… Anyways, can I ask for your help in finding my cloak? I lost in while training with Tana and Cherche.” You ask him with a smile, put off by his narrowed eyes.

    He doesn’t answer after a moment and your demeanor drops drastically, which he takes note of. His eyes dart up to above you in the tree and his lips seem to turn up into a smirk slightly.

    “It’s okay if you don’t want to… I’ll-” He cuts you off with the wave of his hand and with a quick glance down at you. Brynhildr glows a soft purple and the tree above you shakes violently.

    Looking up curiously, your sight is blanketed by something soft and familiar covering your face and upper torso. Shaking it off, you examine the fabric and shriek with joy.

    Slipping the cloak on, you stare up at Leo with bright [eye colour] eyes, messy hair and flushed face.

    “Thank you so much, Leo! I’ll be sure to repay you with dinner tonight!” You exclaim and pat his horse's snout softly, marching off back to the training grounds to call for Tana.

    Behind you, Leo is staring at your retreating figure with curious eyes, thankfully no longer blank  when you turn around and hold out a thumbs up. He won’t say it, but he’s glad that there’s someone like you around Askr.

    “How about spaghetti?” You say and he looks at you with furrowed brows, urging his horse forward to be beside you. 

    “Bless you. Have you decided on what you’ll replay me with?” He asks and you look at him for a moment before snickering quietly.

    “What’s so funny?” 
    

    “I didn’t sneeze.” You reply and begin to laugh when he replies with a quiet grumble.

    “It sounded like it.”

Chapter Text

   "Heh, nice to be needed. But nice to get compliments too."

        The moment  Niles appeared from the archery range with a confused face, Gordin scurrying behind him, you knew something was up. First, Niles was never confused. Secondly, Gordin was told to not trust Niles unless specified by you or the Askr trio.

        "Hey guys, what's up?" You ask. Niles glances over at you and a sultry smile slips onto his thin lips. Gordin perks up and scampers over to your side, tugging you to the entrance of the archery range, which also was an exit to the outdoors. 

        "[Name], you've gotta check this out!" The green-haired archer exclaims and you nod, confused.

        "Okay then." You say and follow Gordin, Niles opting to head to dinner rather than trifle with the Fujin Yumi wielder currently destroying the targets with ease that you were heading for.

        You walk into the room, Gordin slightly behind you. Right now, you're standing behind a large straw target, which is quite dangerous and you note to move it tonight. Walking forward, you notice that Gordin hasn't moved from the open doors and is staying in the doorway.

        Glancing around the room, your eyes widen when you spot a new hero aiming a lengthly bow with a thin light blue glowing string. A bright arrow is notched and let loose in a second, which is half the amount of time you have to screech, dive to the ground and pray to the gods that you aren't about to die.

        The arrow hits the target and shoots straight through, digging into one of the trees lining the edges of the wall. You shoot onto your feet and look at the arrow that dissipates, leaving a deep gouge in the dark wood.

        "What kind of bow eradicates targets?!" You cry and point at the weapon fearfully, taking a couple steps back. Takumi looks conflicted, but thankfully not peeved. He's usually mad or conflicted, but being here hopefully brought his attitude up from the deepest lake.

        He  looks quite unamused with your behaviour, so you apologize and begin to head back inside. The Hoshidan prince, however, seems to have something on his mind as his eyebrows are furrowed and brown eyes trained onto your form.

        "Wait. [Name], can I talk to you?" He asks and you pause, turning around and glancing at him with your deep [eye colour] eyes. They toss him off guard from how sparkly they are and filled with emotion, so he beckons you closer and give a quick glare at Gordin, who shuffles away inside.

        "What's up, (not meta) Takumi?" You say as the two of you wander down a trotted path of light brown dirt, calmly walking beside the Hoshidan royal, who's eyes are trained forward.

        "I just wanted to be near you. You've been quite busy and... I've gotten worried about you." He says and you look over at him, a surprised look on your face as you think over his words.

        "I'm very sorry about being busy, Anna's been running me into the ground about some swimsuit thing. It's quite boring, so I'd like to hear how you've been doing." You grin at him and cross your arms. 

        Takumi's been knocked off-guard when you reply with an exhausted smile after you speak, so he looks over at two conveniently chopped down trees with their stumps left. He walks up to one and sits down, you joining him on the adjacent one and shifting to face him.

        "Well..." Takumi begins and you listen to every word, a content look on your face. He can't help but blush, you're paying too much attention to him!

        "...and that's how Gordin can shoot so well." He finishes his elastic story and you snort with laughter.

        "You are an amazing archer, so it's easy to see how good of a teacher you are. I don't know if I would've survived that attack at the ruins had I not summoned you." You say and Takumi perks up, confused as to why you complimented him and brought up the time you were almost successfully killed by Veronica at the summoning ruins.

        "Heh, nice to be needed. But nice to get compliments too." He laughs and you join in, patting him on the shoulder softly and rising, stretching your legs and arms.

        "Well, we should get back. Dinner should be soon and I-am-starving~!" You exclaim and wait for the Hoshidan who's watching you intently.

        Takumi shrugs internally and rises, joining you on a jog back to the castle.

Chapter Text

"Eh? That was...that was your attempt at greeting me? I see."

         Some of the heroes would ask what you loved to do if you had nothing on your to-do list. Most of the time, you'd just say sleep or eat, but sometimes you would let it slip out to some of the heroes you were more familiar with. For example, you had just blurted out to Camilla that you loved to greet heroes in different fashions from back home.

        She asked for a demonstration, and you had no clue besides using her as one.

        "How about... That green-haired man beside Eirika?" She says delightfully, knowing exactly why she'd chosen him. Around a week ago, you had summoned the two royal siblings of Frelia and nearly fainted right at the ruins. Why?

        Because you had always wanted to summon the two, and when the moment came you were overwhelmed. Nearly every hero from Sacred Stone was yours, just a single one was left to get, who was funnily, Ephraim. The elusive lance-wielder just refused to be summoned, so you'd bring Eirika along next time.

        During their first few days here, Eirika had showed them around and told them when archery training, pegasi and lance lessons were in action. You had sorted all of that out, and some of the Askr people assisted you because you weren't a hero, per say. You didn't lead conquests or defeat dragons, but you held that Emblian child at bay and wielded Breidalblik, so you kind of were a hero.

        Just not the royal/holy blood part. Like Ike. Back to Innes and Tana, it took a few days for them to finally get accustomed to staying in Askr, was when you formally introduced yourself to them.

        You stood at the foot of the stairs, white and golden cloak hiding your figure as you held Breidablik confidently with one hand. To your left was Alfonse and on your right was Sharena, smiling happily at the two new heroes, glad to have more to serve their cause and stop Veronica. Or was extremely excited to befriend more heroes. It was easy to figure out who was who.

        Glacing over at Alfonse, you pat his shoulder reassuringly and point over at the doors, giddy to finally meet the siblings of Frelia. The doors open and you grin, Sharena gripping your hand tightly out of excitement. The two walk in and Sharena runs for it, almost dragging you down to the ground at how fast she's moving. You stumble and Alfonse grabs the back of your coat to steady you.

        "Haha, thanks Alfonse." You say happily and wring your probably broken hand. The blue-haired sword wielder nods at you and looks over at Sharena happily chatting away with Tana, probably leading her to the other heroes from different worlds.

        Innes, however, looks conflicted. Elbowing Alfonse lightly, you walk up to Innes and bow your head in respect.

        "Welcome to Askr. Thank you for-" You begin but Innes cuts you off like a knife to butter.

        "Is a man named Ephraim here? I didn't get answers from Eirika because she was speaking with Tana the whole time." he says blandly and you clear your throat, a sour feeling in your throat.

        "Unfortunately, no, the Restoration Lord is not here." Alfonse replies curtly and you thank him internally. Looking at your phone sneakily, you gasp and realise you're late for a council with Anna.

        "I've got to go, save me some food at dinner Alfonse!" You cry and  swirl around Innes, grabbing [Random Hero] by the shoulder (who was also supposed to go to the council with you) and drag them away.

        "[Name]? Dear, you're not paying attention," You hear and shake your head furiously, looking over at the Nohrian princess Camilla curiously. 

        "W-wha?" You ask and rub your eyes tiredly, confused about what she was talking about. She pointed over to a group of heroes and muttered a name.

        "Oh, that... Sure, I'll show you how I greeted someone back home." You say and get up from the comfortable chair, cracking your knuckles and walking up to the unaware Innes.  This was going to be hella embarrassing, but they didn't know what you were doing so you were technically in the clear for this one.

        Tapping the dark green-haired male on the shoulder, you raise your free hand out to him with a goofy smile on your face.

        "What's good, my dude?" You say and wait for the clap of a high five patiently. He does nothing but stare at you curiously before voicing his opinion to your face.

        "Eh? That was... That was your attempt at greeting me? I see." He says and your arm drops, looking over at Camilla like a scene from the Office. She laughs and you turn away from the heroes, stomping off from the foyer and ready to put her on night watch duty.

Chapter Text

"I was just reading a book in the Order's library, when I—
What? I'm not allowed in the library?! M-my apologies! How could I have made such a mistake?!"

         "So where's the newbie?" You're asked by a familiar face, Lasow, and look at him confused. He mustn't know that there are two, and both seem to be more interested in training or reading. 

        "Which one?" You reply and he stuttered, eyebrows furrowing as he stops you from walking into a private library with an arm, a strange glint in his dark amber eyes. Chucking, you move his arm and shrug.

        "You'll have to find them, and I'm sure that they'll be ecstatic at seeing you." You grin and shoo him away. Laslow cries out "At least give me a hint!" as you shut the door and laugh under your breath.

        Turning around, you look into the large library and pause when you spot a person seated comfortably on your favourite chair, reading with interest in his brightly coloured eyes.

        Opting to not say anything, you shut the door and shrug. You'll let him read until you tell him that he's in the private library. Not that it matters, really, it's just funny to see the surprise on their faces. Leo already had access to the library alongside Lute, because they asked and you were lenient so long as nothing happened to the books.

        Only a few moments after you began to walk to your study, the doors behind you opened and someone (probably Siegbert) walked after you.

        "[Name]! I was just reading a book in the Order's library, when I—" You cut him off with a light laugh and a quick nod to the golden plating beside the frame that clearly says Private Library.

        Siegbert goes red and stutters, clearly embarrassed and bewilderment in his eyes. "What? I'm not allowed in the library?! M-my apologies! How could I have made such a mistake?!" You crack and let a laugh escape your lips, patting the Future King on the shoulder softly.

        "It's ok! There's nothing to worry about so long as you don't harm the books." You calm the prince down and laugh at the past mortification on his face. Wide eyes, pursed together lips, and embarrassment in his eyes just made your day. It sounded mean, but it was only poking fun.

        "I'm still very sorry. If there's anything I can do, just ask." He says and you nod, looking at the prince expectantly.

        "There is one thing you can help me do..." You trail off and twirl Briedablik in your hand, a sly look on your face and in your [eye colour] eyes. Siegbert looks thoroughly confused until you clarify.

        "We're going to go summon! There's still one last familiar face you and Shiro might know that hasn't popped up, so I'd like to take care of that now." You smile and he returns it tenfold, excitement in his bright eyes.

        "We just need Shiro, and he's at the Arena-" You begin but are cut off when the prince grabs your hand and pulls you in the Arena's direction. Rushing behind him, the two of you make your way to collect the Hoshidan Royal and then to the summoning ruins.

        "Shiro, come along! We're going summoning and [Name]'s invited us!" Siegbert calls out and Shiro glances away from a quick strike by a ginger stud, who takes the distraction to sweep the auburn haired lancer off his feet and onto the ground.

        "H-hey!" He cries and Lukas looks at him before helping him up from the dusty ground. After a quick exchange of words between the two, Shiro jogs over to the two of you and grins.

        "Hey, Summoner! So we're summoning, yeah?" He asks and you nod, gesturing to the nearby stables where the three of you will get horses and ride off to the summoning ruins, which aren't very far from the castle.

        "Lets go!" Both say enthusiastically and you laugh, glad to have the opportunity to do this with Heroes that you've dreamt of meeting.

Chapter Text

"The Askran Kingdom is so pretty! I should visit all the nicest spots. I bet you can guess...with who."

        Oh man, you had spent days scrounging for orbs around the area. You were pretty sure that half of the heroes now respected you because of how long you held off summoning. Five weeks. That was a long time.

        You exhaled loudly and sat on the floor of the summoning area, looking down dejected at Breidablik in your gloves.

        "Are you alright, Summoner?" A new hero asks and you flop backwards, looking up at them with enthusiasm. Leaning over you and looking at you with curious auburn brown eyes, you snort and get back up.

        "I'm good, and I told you to call me [Name]." You mumble and place a clear orb in the slot. Walking back, you glance over at the conversation between Clair and Gray. Summoning Clair and then Gray was quite funny. 

        "Alright, who's next!" You cry and aim Breidablik at the clear stone, pulling the trigger and stumbling into both Gray and Clair, who catch you by the arms as your hood drops over your head and block your vision.

        Stumbling to your feet and thanking the two, you toss the hood back and look over at the new hero with raised eyebrows and smile. Long, double braided ash blonde hair held by two red ribbons. A soft pink dress and dark brown cloak that reaches her waist and curious gaze in her brown eyes.

        "I'm Faye. Glad to help. I've trained a bit with the Deliverance, you know, for Alm and all my friends." She says and your shoulder drop with relief. Now you only needed to actually summon Alm and then you'd return to Celica's summoning focus.

        "Oh thank goodness, I've gotten all of you. Except Alm, haha..." You say sheepishly and scratch the back of your head. So far you're one-hundred percent sure that there's a god out there helping you get these guys.

        Lukas (who was behind Gray and Clair) sighed and looked over at the massive castle in the distance. He looked quite deep in thought. "So, we have enough rooms for all of you. One will be in my room since I have to get ready for the next assault on the World of Radiance."

        You lead the group to the horses and then to the castle, answering any questions that they had about anything Askr-related.

        "Are you from a different world?" Faye asks and you hum, nodding and looking over at the Devoted Heart.

        "Yep, but I don't know if I can return or not." You say but cough to mask the last part out, cussing yourself out because of it. Why'd you say that? They definitely heard it.

        The last couple minutes of the ride is silent on your end, opting to move ahead and lead them in the direction. Surely they'd know the way but then once they reached the castle, they would definitely need a guide.

        It only took you all ten minutes to return all of the horses and lead them to their rooms. Now you were down to a split choice. Mae and Faye were standing there quietly in front of the spare room.

        "It doesn't matter to me, I'm out of my room the whole night working." You wave your hand nonchalantly and yawn. Mae steps forward and takes the room, leaving you alone in the hall with Faye.

        "My room is close to the kitchen and hero rooms, so if you want directions to any of your friends rooms just ask." You say as you lead Faye to your own room. There was an incident in the extra rooms and they had to be deep cleaned. Something that did not need to be spoken about.

        "T-thank you..." She says and you nod with a bright smile. Opening your special door and showing off your room, you run over to your desk and collect the messed up papers.

        "The Askran Kingdom is so pretty! I should visit all the nicest spots. I bet you can guess...with who." She whispers to herself and you smile slyly.

        "If you wanted to see the sights with me, you need only ask," You say near her in a whisper and scramble out of the room, snickering at her bright red expression and shout of 'what?!' coming from your room.

        Ah, the joys of being a summoner.

Chapter Text

“You’re on patrol? That’s no fun. Let me help out. We can do it together!"

    Today it was your turn for patrol, as the Askr trio believed you knew the halls of the castle well enough to traverse them efficiently. You’d sometimes get lost and ask one of the guards or just anyone for directions, which used to happen often until Sharena took it upon herself to give you a map and tell you to go somewhere for a reward. She lied about the reward when you finally reached the place.

    It was like how they’d use mice in mazes with a piece of cheese, except you didn’t get a physical reward but a mental map of the castle. It sucked.

    Now you were tasked with patrolling in the halls, but you were alone. Last time you’d left your room alone you’d nearly died, so you took extra care with having a weapon always nearby. You would’ve assumed Alfonse took extra steps to make sure that everything related to you was as soft as a cloud, but so far you only noticed an extra guard placed here or there.

    Bored out of your mind, you ignore the familiar feeling of your boots hitting the ground as you walked. Ugh, why couldn’t you just go summon?

    Oh yeah, Anna said that if you made off with them again she’d make you pay per orb that YOU collect after battles. Well, it is what it is.

    The grey walls of the hall are decorated with carvings and hung up paintings of who you’d assume to be the past rulers of Askr. Most of the paintings had names under them carved into the frame on little plaques, but only one caught your eye. It looked recent enough to say it was done a few years ago, but you weren’t some art-historian.

    The actual painting was slightly covered up by a white fabric, but the frame and some corners of the painting were visible. The gleam of the golden frame caught your eye, and you trained it downward until you saw the names engraved into the golden metal.

King Gustav and-

    “Summoner?”

    You jump, spinning on your heel to turn and look at the speaker. They had quiet footsteps if they could sneak up on you. Or you weren’t paying attention to anything but the painting.

    [Eye colour] eyes meet pale purple ones, and you smile at the newly recognized hero.

    “Good evening, Tailtiu.” You begin, crossing your arms over your chest as you look at the purple-haired teen. Blárblade+ was in her hands as you hadn’t gotten to giving her a new tome or refining it because of the pop-up Grand Conquests.

    “Hi, [Name]! What are you up to?” She asks, and you sigh dramatically.

    “Just patrolling.” Cracking your sore fingers one by one, you glance back up to the girl and stare at her with furrowed eyebrows,.

    “You’re on patrol? That’s no fun. Let me help out. We can do it together!” She exclaims, and you let a smile slip onto your lips.

    “I’m all for it, but I don’t know what Anna would say-” You begin, but Tailtiu has already started leading you down the hall by grabbing your hand. She must’ve ignored your statement, but that doesn’t bother you.

    Spending time with the heroes is your favourite thing to do, and even if Anna was your commander, you were ready to prioritize a troubled hero who hid it all from others.

    You did still patrol, just with company. Telling funny stories to each other and laughing, letting her talk to the heroes that passed by as you waited patiently. She was a talkative hero, and you needed a lot of those to keep the morale up during these times.

    “So, Summoner, what are you doing after this?” She asks as you walk towards the entrance to the foyer. Shrugging, you purse your lips in deep thought.

    “Don’t know, I meant to ask Anna but she sent me out while counting her coins.” You joke, and Tailtiu grins.

    “Maybe you should oversee the next mage training in the Training Tower?” She asks, and you hum in agreement.

    “I’ll see what I can do, Tailtiu.”

really sorry about the few and far in between updates, I just haven't been feeling it, but I'll do my best!

Chapter Text

"I believe in you. No matter what may come."

    Good grief how you hated the training tower on days that were ugly. Sunny, bright blue sky, soft wind…

    Disgusting. You liked the rain and winter flurries, snow whipping past like arrows but instead of sinking into their targets, the flakes would melt quickly or build up on your coats back home.

    Not many people would agree, maybe some of the close heroes that you became friends with, Robin and Soren maybe but Robin seemed to enjoy nice weather. Soren didn’t speak much to you, but the two of you were battle buddies.

    You promised to say that only when it was you, Ike, himself and no one else, but it was just too funny.

    “...and he flew at least fifteen feet down the hall!” Bartre cried and you wheezed with laughter, repeatedly hitting Luke’s shoulder as he chuckles at the story.

    You wipe a tear away and calm down, slowing your breathing as you got the last of your laughs out.

    “A...alright, I have to run now. Thanks for the funny story, Bartre!” You exclaim and follow the beckoning Anna out the large doors leading outside. She looks stressed until she points to a dark brown pegasus and says “Get on.”

    “I’m sorry, what?” You question, but the Commander pushes you towards the large winged quadruped animal that snorts at you. Stabbing the heels of your boots into the ground, you try to get the redhead to stop but she gets you to the saddle and forced you up.

    Now seated on the large horse, you nervously hold onto the horn of the saddle and look around confused.

    “I thought we were training today?” Talking softly, you look down at Anna who laughs heartily and hands you the reigns.

    “You are. I was asked to supervise the newer axe wielding heroes, so…” She trails off and you scoff at the Commander. Anna then points in front of you and you look around confused until you spot the white and cream pegasus being scratched by an olive green-haired woman with tanned skin who was wearing nearly the same shade of green armour 

        Palla leads her winged horse over to you and nods in greeting, Anna speaking to her extremely quietly as you stare at your Commander with a glare. She turns to you with a smile and you mirror it.

    “Go on, they’re waiting at the cliffside to the east! Palla's joining their team for now, so be sure to introduce her!” she cries and you spit a few foul words at her as you nudge the pegasus on and steady yourself. The tawny horse darts into the sky and causes your hood to be blasted from your head and wind blinding you partially. Palla isn't far behind, you can hear the loud wingbeats as you lead to pegasus in the right direction.

    Anna always did this to you! She always switched the training from something normal to something that could potentially kill you, i.e. falling off the pegasus.

    Once the three riders and their mounts came into view, you led the winged horse to a soft landing onto the tough brown dirt. Palla followed suit, albeit more experienced than you. She was called the Eldest Whitewing for a reason, and you definitely knew that.

    You dismount swiftly and walk up to the four heroes, tossing your hood back up with a sketchy look at the noticeable dark green wyvern staring at you with dark yellow eyes. It huffs a breath of hot air in your direction and you edge away from the winged-reptile.

    “I’m sorry for being late, I thought that I was helping the axe users but….” You laugh sheepishly and shrug at the four heroes. The tall red-head wyvern rider rubs her gauntlets on the green wyvern and nods towards you, the soothing actions calming her small dragon.

        Shanna giggles at your terrified face but pivots around from Minerva's red glare. It's sharp and definitely intimidating, which was made her the leader of this flying unit in your opinion. She emitted the aura of a leader, but she seemed to need training as one. That was also why she was leader.

        "It's fine, [Name]." The dark green haired princess behind you says softly and you smile at her thankfully. Clasping your hands together you gesture at the new hero who has yet to receive an introduction. She waves to the others while you point at her.

        "Anyway, here's your new addition! Palla, welcome to team FlewRightOverU!" You exclaim and hold your arms out with glee, dropping them and clearing your throat, embarrassed.

        "...ok. Today, we'll be practicing our formation in battle. Since you all have your badges that buff your teammates, standing close together will help you out." You behind and start to form up the fliers. 

        Minerva holds the Ward Fliers badge, Palla the Goad Fliers, Elincia the Atk Res Bond 3 and Shanna the Hone Fliers. They are all placed in a 2 by 2, so at least everyone gets buffed.

        "Perfect!" You cry from your pegasus, swooping past them and watching them skillfully work together to take out the enemy pegasus riders. Minerva uses Hauteclere to snap an enemy lance in half and force them back, ordering Palla to speed by and take out their axe user who is edging towards Shanna. 

        "She's too far!" Palla cries and realizes that she's quite a distance away from the Sprightly Flier. The axe user raises their emerald axe and the dark pegasus dives downward. 

        "Elincia!" Minerva shouts as she batters an axe user to the ground from her intimidating mount.

        Shanna maneuvers to escape as you watch terrified from the clouds away from sight, spotting an open area and flicking your hand to the left. The blue haired girl makes a sharp left and the axe user attempts to follow, but a surprise lunge from Elincia knocks the rider from their mount and to the ground below.

        The last flier is obliterated by Elincia, who breathes heavily while holding Amiti loosely. You make your way to the princess and hold out a vulnerary. She takes it gratefully and uses it as you apologize to Shanna.

        "It's fine, thanks to Elincia and Minerva at least. Palla did great, too!" She exclaims happily and you sigh with relief.

        You return to Elincia and kneel in front of the seated princess. She looks up and furrows her eyebrows at you.

        "Thank you for helping Shanna today, I owe you." You say and pat her on the shoulder, which she smiles at.

        She sighs before she replies, "I believe in you. No matter what may come."

        You blush redder than Minerva's armour, obviously. These heroes were too good to a normal kiddo like you.

Chapter Text

“Come, let’s go on a walk together. It’s too bad my pegasus isn’t here… We could have strolled the skies.”

    When the sun fell down and plunged the Askr kingdom into a soft darkness, you would sometimes go outside and try to examine the constellations. None were familiar to you, so you were kinda down about that.

    You weren’t even under the same sky as home, apparently. The packed down lush grass under your back was soft and comfortable, but the squeaky noises ruined the whole ‘I-like-to-be-outside-in-silence’ feel for you.

    With each longing glance to the sky, you focused more on it over making sure you were alone. It was scary to be here alone, but if anyone knew you were secretly trying to find a way home in case you got too homesick, they would most definitely tell the Askr trio.

    Alfonse did say you were his trusted partner when you had finally gotten under his skin, so you couldn’t just up and leave them in the middle of a war between you and the Emblians.

    Besides, the tensions from the war were certainly getting harsher, which you were desperately needed for since you were their summoner and kinda tactician.

    To add it all up, you were torn and depressed. You wanted to see home, but you had to help this world. This stressed you out physically and mentally.

    The stars above you were being blocked out by thin grey clouds, and you looked up at them sadly. No constellations that you recalled from home were in the sky. You’d been doing this for months with many books about the stars here, and this was the last bit.

    “Stupid.” You mutter and rise from your soft grass bed. So far nothing interesting has happened except for your revelation that you might never return home. It wasn’t that bad, but it really sucked rocks.

    “[Name]?” You jump into the air and scramble around, petrified of who’s there until you spot a figure not too far away holding a dying torch that revealed who it is.

    Shigure was looking at you curiously, his dark clothes making it hard to see his figure as he expertly weaves around the shrubs and the tall grass.

    “Hey, Shigure. What are you doing outside?” You ask, completely embarrassed with pink cheeks. He raises a single thin eyebrow and you laugh sheepishly, taking a step back.

    “Taking a short walk, why are you here?” He asks softly and you shug, crossing your arms and inhaling deeply.

    “Y’know, just needed some air…” You trail off when you hear Shigure chuckle and shake his head.

    “I haven’t seen you since this morning, and you didn’t come to dinner. Is something wrong?” Shigure asks with a concerned look to his face and you twitch at the sight.

    “Everything’s fine, Shigure.” You assure the male and clear your throat quietly, covering up a loud yawn. He nods slowly and gestures to the path not too far away after a moment of awkward silence.

    “Come, let’s go on a walk together. It’s too bad my pegasus isn’t here… We could have strolled the skies.” He laughs and you jerk forward when he says pegasus.

    “Flying? Oh man, I’m still getting used to pegasi and wyverns.” You laugh and walk beside the tall singer, the soft warmth from the torch getting further and further away until the embers will eventually die out.

    “Then I’ll help you get used to it. Flying is a wonderful thing, I am sure you’ll enjoy it.” Shigure says with a smile and you nod along.

    “Sure.” You reply with a smile but begin to squint when the torch finally dies. Shigure, completely oblivious to the disappearance of light, continues walking and you hurry after the blue-haired man.

    “W-wait! I can’t see,” You cry out and fumble around with your footsteps. The light from the moon and stars is gone thanks to the clouds, which leaves you sightless even if you were used to the darkness.

    “I’m used to the darkness, come along [Name].” Shigure says as if you’re a puppy and you point at what you think is the Dark Sky Singer and growl out a reply.

    “I’m not a dog! Just… slow down! Jeez, you wear such dark clothes!” You grumble and trail after Shigure who eventually grabs your hand to lead you along more easily.

    You stare at your hand that was held by his with curiosity before shrugging and following the intriguing man back to the castle. What was going to happen next, the apocalypse? The sun falling from the sky? Snowstorm?

    With your luck, any of those are bound to happen.

Chapter Text

"I was just reading a book in the Order's library, when I—
What? I'm not allowed in the library?! M-my apologies! How could I have made such a mistake?!"

        "So where's the newbie?" You're asked by a familiar face, Lasow, and look at him confused. He mustn't know that there are two, and both seem to be more interested in training or reading. 

        "Which one?" You reply and he stuttered, eyebrows furrowing as he stops you from walking into a private library with an arm, a strange glint in his dark amber eyes. Chucking, you move his arm and shrug.

        "You'll have to find them, and I'm sure that they'll be ecstatic at seeing you." You grin and shoo him away. Laslow cries out "At least give me a hint!" as you shut the door and laugh under your breath.

        Turning around, you look into the large library and pause when you spot a person seated comfortably on your favourite chair, reading with interest in his brightly coloured eyes.

        Opting to not say anything, you shut the door and shrug. You'll let him read until you tell him that he's in the private library. Not that it matters, really, it's just funny to see the surprise on their faces. Leo already had access to the library alongside Lute, because they asked and you were lenient so long as nothing happened to the books.

        Only a few moments after you began to walk to your study, the doors behind you opened and someone (probably Siegbert) walked after you.

        "[Name]! I was just reading a book in the Order's library, when I—" You cut him off with a light laugh and a quick nod to the golden plating beside the frame that clearly says Private Library.

        Siegbert goes red and stutters, clearly embarrassed and bewilderment in his eyes. "What? I'm not allowed in the library?! M-my apologies! How could I have made such a mistake?!" You crack and let a laugh escape your lips, patting the Future King on the back softly.

        "It's ok! There's nothing to worry about so long as you don't harm the books." You calm the prince down and laugh at the past mortification on his face. Wide eyes, pursed together lips and embarrassment in his eyes just made your day.

        "I'm still very sorry. If there's anything I can do, just ask." He says and you nod, looking at the prince expectantly.

        "There is one thing you can help me do..." You trail off and twirl Briedablik in your hand, a sly look on your face and in your [eye colour] eyes. Siegbert looks thoroughly confused until you clarify.

        "We're going to go summon! There's still one last familiar face you and Shiro might know that hasn't popped up, so I'd like to take care of that now." You smile and he returns it tenfold, excitement in his bright eyes.

        "We just need Shiro, and he's at the Arena-" You begin but are cut off when the prince grabs your hand and pulls you in the Arena's direction. Rushing behind him, the two of you make your way to collect the Hoshidan Royal and then to the summoning ruins.

        "Shiro, come along! We're going summoning and [Name]'s invited us!" Siegbert calls out and Shiro glades away from a quick strike by a ginger stud, who takes the distraction to sweep the auburn haired lancer off his feet and onto the ground.

        "H-hey!" He cries and Lukas looks at him before helping him up from the dusty ground. After a quick exchange of words between the two, Shiro jogs over to the two of you and grins.

        "Yo, [Name]! So we're summoning, yeah?" He asks and you nod, gesturing to the nearby stables where the three of you will get horses and ride off to the summoning ruins, which aren't very far from the castle.

        "Lets go!" Both say enthusiastically and you laugh, glad to have the opportunity to do this with Heroes that you're dreamt of meeting.

Chapter Text

"As far as the eye can see, Nifl gleams white, snow sparking under the sun. I love my homeland. That's just one reason."

        Your introduction to Fjorm was a strange one, but you wouldn't trade the friendship the two of you have now for anything. Breidablik led you to the woman in the snow, unconscious and terribly wounded. She scared you to death and took five vulneraries and an hour of healing for her to be back into tip-top shape.

        The blonde woman was immensely grateful that you saved her, but there was something hiding behind her soft and strong voice. It worried you, and you could tell Alfonse felt the same way. You guessed it was about her mother's murder and that most of her siblings had disappeared, which would hurt anybody.

        She was found by Briedablik guiding you to her after a skirmish with the fiery foes of Múspell and Loki. That woman seemed behind it all, but that wasn't important as you had to keep her from attacking your heroes and the Askr trio.

        Loki mentioned that she took a... 'fancy' to you, and you promptly slid behind Alfonse to avoid her purple gaze. You'd never admit it, but she slightly scared you. After the battle, Briedablik led you to Fjorm, and you all returned to base with a wounded Princess of Ice.

        Fjorm woke up days later, and you all introduced yourself to the confused princess. She informed you of Surtr and how he'd killed her mother, swearing to never let that happen to Askr. You saw the determination in her bright aqua eyes,  and told the Askr trio that you believed she'd fit right in. Besides, it had been a group of three for far too long, and Virion liked to take breaks, along with the older heroes you'd summoned.

        In a battle, you need to be focused and ready to mortally wound people. You can't be afraid of hurting people, because ninety percent of the time they would strike first if you didn't. Sometimes them striking first was good, but not for fighters who were unsure of their power or if they really wanted to fight,

        So when you noticed Fjorm wasn't exactly doing well in fights, you pulled her back and asked her if she was alright. You replaced her spot with Lukas, who you thanked and wished luck to. Veronica had allied herself with Múspell and had heroes under contract, so you needed to be on top of the game at all times.

        You stand in front of Fjorm, fingers wringing together as you begin to wonder how to ask her if she's alright. Should you just go for it? Or say that you've noticed she hasn't been as focused as usual. Before you could decide, you hear her walk into the tent and watch her look at you curiously.

        "Hello, [Name]. You asked for me?" Fjorm begins, and you nod in reply. 

        "Mhm. I just wanted to know if you've been doing alright, since we've been moving to intercept Múspell forces." Speaking slowly, your [eye colour] eyes lock with bright blue and you nearly fidget when you see her mouth move into a frown.

        "I understand, [Name]." Fjorm says softly, and your hand brushes over a map set up on a small table. Your fingers reach a small, smooth object and you pick it up.

        "If you ever feel down, just come to me, alright? I consider you a friend and I'll do your best to help you in any way I can." You say with a smile and hold out the orb to Fjorm. Her eyes waver, hand reaching out to pluck the orb from your hand with her fingers and gaze at it curiously.

        "I was also wondering something," You begin, and Fjorm nods at you to continue. The icy blue tips of her blonde hair were something you were always curious about, but this questions wasn't related to hair.

        "What is Nifl like?" The land of Ice sounded beautiful from what Fjorm mentioned, but you wanted to know what is looked like in full. You only got little snippets and small images of Nifl. Perhaps you'd all go there one day to liberate it.

        "It's beautiful. The snow would gleam when the sun hit it, and icicles would glitter. Trees covered in snow would shield small patches of grass from it, and the colours would all be so vibrant. Sometimes, at the right angle, the castle would shimmer... almost exactly like this orb. Nifl is truly amazing." Fjorm ends off with a sorrowful sigh, staring at the orb. Your eyebrows furrow, and you watch the princess carefully. She quickly looks up, and your eyes meet.

      "... thank you, [Name]. For letting me speak of my homeland... and being my friend." She says, moving to return the orb when you hold both hands up. Even though you might've needed that, you wanted Fjorm to have something of yours. 

        "Keep it. I have a bunch more stashed in Askr." Laughing lightly, you nod out to the tent's opening and into the humid Askr. Fjorm hides the orb in a pouch and looks at you with a smile, turning to the tent and walking out with you following her closely.

        The moment you step out, Anna calls for the troops to ready themselves to continue marching. As Fjorm moved up to speak with the red-haired commander, you wondered if King Gustav was alright facing the Múspell forces without heroes. There wasn't much else to do but to head over to Sharena and Alfonse and wait for orders.

        Fjorm has definitely grown on you, and you'd fully support her through thick and thin. She had mentioned her siblings a while ago, perhaps you'd be able to find them. Where would they be, though... Captured? Hiding in Nifl? Or hiding deep within enemy territory?

        You wondered how long it would be until you'd return to Askr and get a good nights sleep. Everyone needed one, especially Fjorm and the Askr royalty. They all looked drained and exhausted. You'd speak to Anna about switching them with heroes to let them rest.

thank you for being patient, and a comment always brightens my day!

Chapter Text

"Mmh-huh? Sorry, you caught me napping. Everyone's talking about such complicated things, and...
Awwh... It just makes me so sleepy."

        You dragged your feet behind you, pushing the libraries door open and trudging over to the comfortable chairs. Flopping onto the comfortable cushions, you wave to a nearby Nohrian prince and cuddle into the comfortable pillows.

        "You know, [Name]," Leo starts and you grunt, [eye colour] eyes flickering over to his darkly coloured orbs. With raised eyebrows, the prince continues and you begin to chuckle at the display of his collar being inside out.

        He continues on as you snicker behind your hand, stopping when his eyebrows furrow together in curiosity. "What?" Grumbling, you explain to Leo what's wrong.

        "It's your collar-" You begin and his eyes widen, exclaiming something hilarious and you cackle, watching him escape from the library and your gaze. As you calm down, you notice someone on the opposite couch yawn loudly and stretch their limbs like a cat.

        "Oh, sorry." You whisper and quiet down, grabbing a lone book from the table and hoping it was something you liked. The cover read Stranger Tides and you shrugged, delving into the book. While you indulge in the interesting book, Soren and Robin enter the library with scowls on their faces.

        "We need more greens, not reds. Chrom and Lucina can't be on the same team with you, Robin." Soren says and you perk up. When did these guys make the teams? Were they changing them behind your back?

        "That's not what you're saying with Titania and yourself on team 9." Robin retorts and your eyebrows raise. The brunette (who is back to sleep) shifts and grumbles something into a pillow. You get up from the couch and walk over to the two tome users becoming more irritated with each other.

        Robin spots you and his dark brown eyes sparkle. "[Name]! Come here, I need your opinion on a team I've built." You step forward and read the parchment paper carefully, humming at the sight of Chrom, Lucina, Frederick and himself.

        Completely ignoring the fact that Lissa was nowhere, you look up at Robin and say a few words that break the Blaaraven user. "Where's Lissa? What happens when there are multiple lancers and blue mages? There's too much red on the team, I advise you keep Lucina and switch Chrom out for a lancer." You say and Robin sighs.

        Soren keeps a calm composure, but he's chuckling on the inside. "And Soren, don't touch the teams unless I give you specific orders. Sorry guys, but I built the teams to have the strongest offence and defense." You say with an apologetic smile and wave the two goodbye.

        They leave and you drop onto the couch, eyeing a waking up Tobin curiously. He was certainly awkward in most situations with you, but right now he seems quite peaceful  on the couch.

        His tired eyes spot your own and he flinches. "Mmh-huh? Sorry, you caught me napping. Everyone's talking about such complicated things, and... Awwh... It just makes me so sleepy." He says and you nod.

        "It's okay, you were here for a meeting and it sounded really boring. Especially since  it was so early in the morning, so feel free to nap as long as you'd like." You say and he perks up with a soft smile on his face as he runs a hand through his soft brown hair.

        "Really? Thanks, [name]." The Clueless One says and you shrug.

        "Besides, you'd be surprised at how many other heroes nap in the library. I do it too." You chuckle and re-open Stranger Tides, eyes glancing over to the brunette every so often to catch his softly blushing face.

        "R-really? I've never seen you do it..." Tobin ponders and you sigh tiredly when Anna's evil laugh echoes in your head. "You don't want to know why I stopped, ugh."

        Either way, you were quite happy to get him during the Tempest Trials. Who else could you nap with and laugh about your siblings with? Maybe some other heroes, but you liked Tobin much more.

Chapter Text

"When we're in danger, you can—you must—rely on me."

        At first glance, nobody would've assumed that you kinda liked reading creepy stories. Nothing over the top, but Stephen King books were your favorite. It really sucked when you found out that all of the books here were about stupid stuff (romance, mystery and tactics) so you took the sleeves of a well-known tactics book and slid it over the same sized book that was about mythical monsters in the world of Zenith.

        You adored this story and brought it with you whenever you had spare time summoning. But since you'd been so busy for the past couple days, you didn't have any time to continue reading the book. It bummed you out, but you had the chance to listed to stories from other heroes worlds. The World of Radiance was your favorite and you sat down with Oscar, Elincia and the others whenever you could to learn about the tragic and terrifying tales from their home world.

        Now yourself and the group of experienced heroes were on your way back to the castle after a late night patrol, but something caught your eyes from the bushes that shuffled in a non-bush way. Curious and also slightly terrified, you waved the lance user Oscar over and pointed at the bush.

        "It's nothing to be afraid of, [Name]. Just a rabbit." he laughs and you stare at the snow white hare hopping away. Patting your shoulder, Oscar heads back to the convoy with you walking behind him. it wasn't weird to see a rabbit around here, but they were only beginning to turn white. 

        Rushing back over to Oscar's auburn coloured horse, you nearly pressed up against it at how close you are to the two. Oscar, curious of your timid actions, asks you if you're alright.

        "No, not really. I shouldn't have read that story before I left..." You mutter and Oscar smirks at you. With a glare at the man, you look away undignified and mad that he's probably internally laughing at your mortified face from the light of the torches ahead of the two of you.

        "If you're really scared, [Name], then we can ride ahead to the castle." Oscar suggests and you take a moment to ponder, ignorant of the nearby rustling trees due to the cold wind.

        "I'd appreciate that." You reply and quickly mount the horse behind Oscar, the shadows become a fraction less scary and your heartbeat isn't as fast as a particular shrew species. Huffing, you still keep a watchful eye on the nearby shadows that look like a person out to get you. 

        It was undoubtedly slightly embarrassing to be seated on the horse behind Oscar, who seemingly didn't mind you planting yourself directly behind him and trying to hide. It seemed quite funny to everyone else on the ground, the "Legendary Summoner" so close to the Agile Horseman that it seemed like you were his cape (If he had one, that is).

        "Say, [Name]," Oscar begins and you perk up, peeking over his shoulder and attempting to keep yourself balanced on the horse. He chuckles at you behaviour (again) and continues when you nod.

         "When we're in danger, you can—you must—rely on me." You flush and stutter thanks to him, completely caught off guard by what he's said. After a moment of silence, you nod once again and fall forward, giving him a quick hug from behind.

          "Thanks, Oscar."

         "We aren't in danger now, though."          

Chapter Text

"We are making conversation, aren't we? All right.
The best time to assassinate someone is when the target is eating or sleeping."

    It was way after your curfew as you walked down the hallways. With quick and repetitive flashbacks to your near-death situation with Veronica where Zachariah saved you, you could not get a wink of sleep without thinking of the last shed of colour you seeing would be the green from her tome.

    Some other heroes were up on night watch, but that was mostly outside. But some few stationed at the front of the castle’s gates were wide awake and watching for anything that posed a threat to the Royalty.

    During your walk, you encountered a cat outside of the kitchen palming at the door leading to the meat room and you, being the cat-owner, swiftly collected some sliced fish and fed the small black tabby. When you exited the kitchen, the cat was prancing around at the thought of a delicious midnight snack.

    It meowed and rubbed it’s lithe body against your seated thigh. Giggling softly, you thread your fingers through it’s short, cold black fur and admire the sleek coat.

    Further down the hall as you patted the cat, you heard a single shuffle and looked over your shoulder at a tall, cloaked person holding a sharp weapon that dripped with a dark substance that you really hated to know what it was and where it came from.

    The cat hissed and you jumped to your feet, the back cat bristling beside you as you palmed around for your own weapon Briedablik.

    It was not on you. Remembering before you left, you recalled hiding it in your room and mumbling that ‘you wouldn't need it.’.

    The weapon was seated in your bedside cabinet, and you felt the stupid feeling of hating yourself for your decision to leave it behind.

    “You’re going to die here, Summoner.” The person snarls and you glare at the person from under your hood. Sharp [eye colour] eyes stare at the figure who walks down the corridor with the sway of their hips as if they’re sizing you up for the kill.

    You begin to fidget, adrenaline beginning to seep into your veins as the small cat at your boots begins to yowl loudly and swat in the direction of the assassin.

    “Oh? Your little sidekick won’t do much to me… Just one lunge and the both of you are dead.” They laugh and you take a step back. The chances of someone coming to your aid was quite slim because just before everyone went to bed, there was a welcoming party for Shiro and Rhajat and most of the Hoshidan heroes who went did not come back okay. Mostly everyone was tired so unless one had acute hearing, like a manakete or a laguz (DAMNIT WHEN IS).

    They began to laugh like a maniac as they brandished the bloodied Silver dagger and took aim. 

    “Any last words, Summoner?” they giggle and you flinch away from the figure who’s just a couple meters away. The cat spits and steps back from the hooded person who merely cackles and pulls their arm back.

    You can barely make out the black and gold bands of a emery thief, which prompts you to swiftly bend away from their thrown dagger and trip over the cat, who speeds away. Some blood from the dagger flecks onto your cloak and cheek.

    The hood obscures all of their facial features as they walk closer. Unlike an actual assassin should, they talk and bask in how much glory they’ll receive when they come back to Veronica with your bloodied hood.

    “All thanks to me, this war will be over and I’ll get to bask in riches.!” They cry with glee and bring their second dagger back, aiming for your figure on the ground.

    You try to cower behind your arm from the imminent death about to be inflicted, but nothing happens save for the sound of something sinking deeply into flesh and the dripping of liquid.

    The thief who was moments from throwing a dagger at you was frozen, a shocked expression on their face as the fall to their knees and hit the ground face first at your feet. You scrambled backwards, deathly afraid at the intimidating blade protruding from in between the shoulder blades. 

    A pair of footsteps begin to make their way down the hall as you breathe heavily and recover from the shock. Someone just saved your life, but who? Is it a rogue thief  who wanted the prize for themselves or a hero?

    You jump when something brushes against your arm and move to scramble away, but the sight of the black cat from before calms you down except for the person walking towards you eerily quietly.

    “T-thank you.” Speaking timidly, you nod to them when the light of the moon illuminates their features.

    It’s a colourless type hero, a dagger user. Jaffar stands in front of you, but it seems that he’s looming over you. A hand reaches out to you and you grip it, Jaffar pulling you to your feet.

    “Why are you up?” He asks blankly and you go red. If they knew about your growing insomnia, Alfonso and Sharena would fret over you like a young child and not focus on what needs you to be done.

    
    “I just… needed some air.” You reply with a smile and mask over any hesitation, but the continuous stare from Jaffar kinda infers that he knows that you’re lying.

    “...” The Angel of Death chooses not to reply and you laugh sheepishly, stepping over the black cat and moving to return to your room.

    “W-well, I should really tell Alfonse, Sharena and Anna about this…” You begin, but a swift hand gesture made by Jaffar makes you flinch and nearly trip over the cat again.

    “I’ll go with you. There might be more of them here.” He says and you nod quickly, surprised that the revelation hadn’t come to you sooner.

    “So… how’s training?” You ask softly and Jaffar doesn’t reply for a moment. He’s been awfully reserved since you had summoned him, but that was none of your business and you opted to just keep him paired up with Nino.

    “Good.” Jaffar finally speaks and you fidget a little bit out of surprise. He just pops up and scares you to death sometimes, but it doesn’t bother you.

    “That’s good. So I was wondering about any new weapons you’d like to use. I have a bunch of ideas and I’d like to test them out sometime.” You begin, your mind completely oblivious to the body only a hallway away with a petrified face as their last one.

    "We are making conversation, aren't we? All right. The best time to assassinate someone is when the target is eating or sleeping." Jaffar pointedly speaks while looking directly at your [eye colour] eyes. Your eyebrows raise and you blink twice, shoulders stiff as a board.

    “He was talking when he had the option to complete his task; that’s why you’re alive.” He finishes and your lips press into a thin line as realization hits you like a truck.

    “We left a body in the halls,” You begin, about to turn around and remove the evidence until a shrill scream echoes down the hall.

    “Oh jeez!” 

Chapter Text

“My brother would never let me forget this.”

    When you walked into the corridor that led to the foyer where the heroes conversed while waiting for… something, you did your best to step carefully and watch out for any weapons. With your bad track record of tripping over things, you wouldn’t fare well if you were ignorant of the incredibly sharp weapons around your feet sometimes.

    Your personal favourite (Yeah, right) thing to do was to clean up the weapon storage with some heroes or perhaps even Fjorm and Alfonse’s help. Whoever helped you made sure to keep a hawks eye view on you at all times to prevent the Summoner from being crushed by Brave Axes and multiple other weapons.

    The room was filled with chatter and laughter as you snuck on the edges of the room, just behind the pillars. Not too far away was Feh, who was fluffed up and holding a envelope in her beak.

    With surprise, you prance over to the owl and give her a grin, until you notice the sad glint in the owl’s eyes.

    “What’s wrong, Feh?” You say and move closer to the bird, running your gloved fingers over her light-grey feathers. The bird hoots sadly and nudges closer to your hand while you use the other to pluck the envelope from her beak and slide it into your pocket.

    The poor bird looks starving! You growl at the thought and scoop the fluffy bird up quickly. Did someone take her cake? Whoever did this would pay.

    Stomping up the steps to the higher ledge where some of your stronger Heroes stood, their faces switch from calm to surprised when they saw how angry you were.

    You turn and glare at the heroes below, holding Feh carefully in your arms before anything happens.
    “DID SOMEONE EAT FEH'S CAKE?!” You shout, [eye colour] eyes flickering from one hero to the next. It’s dead quiet when you shout, as they’ve never heard you shout is such a manner besides crying out orders.

    Some heroes glance away, namely an armour unit hiding the massive spoon behind the nearby pillar, others look at the sad bird. The majority is looking at you, however. The armour unit blends in with the other heroes and quickly escapes your pricing [eye colour] gaze.

    “Fine.” You huff, stomping down the stairs and bringing Feh with you, ignorant of the curious cyan-blue gaze on your back. The person, confused, replies to the lost conversation with a curt “I’ll be back,” they chase after the Summoner with haste.

    “Summoner! Wait!” You hear, pausing from your quiet rant and turning fully around. Recognizing the Restoration Princess was easy; her long blue-cyan hair and red feminine armour with the cape and fluffy white skirt was quiet easy to spot from a crowd.

    You could never be negative around her, so you calmed yourself and looked at the princess. She must’ve been following you closely, that was made clear by the red tint to her pale cheeks.

    “Erika?” She dusts her skirt off and gives you a soft smile. She was too kind, but also naive. You’d never tell her that to her face because you feared her brother since he won the second CYL event. 

    “I wanted to ask you something about Feh’s cake…” Eirika trails off, looking down at the hungry bird in your cloaked arms. Now growing more curious at her, you nod and gesture for her to continue.

    “...maybe we could make Feh a new cake?” The princess finally finishes, meeting your [eye colour] eyes from beneath your hood. It wasn’t that bad of an idea, much better than your ‘lets go get Feh some bird feed’. Besides that, Eirika looked uncomfortable with how she stood.

    You hum and give her a smile. “Good idea; I know where we can bake and leave it to cool.” Eirika’s stiff posture relaxes and you internally laugh at her, guiding the cyan-blue haired woman to the nearby bakery.

    As of the moment, most of the Askr cooks were simply lounging around and chatting, up until you entered with Feh and Eirika. The lead cook sighs at the sight of you.

    “Summoner, there’s already people in the kitchen.” He says tiredly and your eyebrows raise. Who could it be? You kept all of the Heroes in check at the foyer before training, except for a small batch.

    Some that you couldn’t order around.

    You huff, nod at the cook and look over at the open door leading to the kitchen. “Who’s in the kitchen then?” Questioning the cook, his face goes pale and he chuckles weakly. News spread fast around the castle through the Heroes and servants, so he knew what had happened earlier.

    “They didn’t want me to tell…” He mutters and you growl at the sound. Apologizing to the cook, the dots of information connect and you stomp over to the door.

    You open it and glare at the six all frozen at different stations in the large room. Flour had been dropped, and an egg hit the ceiling from fear due to the force you used to open the door.

    “It was you!” You shout and point at the white-haired female, who blushes and looks away. Further to the left leaning against the pantry was a bundle of massive spoons.

    “THERE THEY ARE!” You cry, pointing at the missing spoon lances and grumbling angrily. Feh jumps from your arms and lands onto the counter, fluffed up in the direction of the five figures with slightly ashamed looks on their faces.

    Before you could continue your rage (Which wasn’t even that bad, but Feh was involved so you would've blown up.), Erika intervenes with a tap on your shoulder.

    You refrain from doing anything except for looking at the woman with perturbed [eye colour] eyes. “[Name]... they’re making a cake.” She says, and you visibly pause.

    Turning back, you look over the counters and spot the necessary ingredients for a cake and three macaroons (how the hell they made those was something you’d probably never know) on a little plate waiting to be placed on the remake of the cake. You lean on the counter with a hand keeping you up as your train of thoughts runs off the tracks.

    Well then. You clear your throat and feel the blood rushing to your cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I was just-... Nobody told me-...Feh looked so sad.” You sigh and cross your arms over your chest.

    Eirika giggles from your left and you quickly rub at your now blushing cheeks. Why was she laughing? You furrow your brows when Sharena begins to laugh and point down at your hand, which you follow and gasp at the sight.

    How had you not noticed your hand go into the cake mix bowl? “Oh geez,” You mumble and peel off your cake-coated glove, flexing your now revealed fingers while revolted at the feeling.

    They're still laughing, so you speak with a crack bigger than the Grand Canyon in your voice. “You still ate Feh’s cake! Keep working on it, or else.” You grumble and sit down on a nearby chair, arms crossed as you tap your foot and try to ignore the warmth in your cheeks.

    “Why don’t you help?” You hear Fjorm ask, which Eirika nods to and gestures to the bowl your hand was just in moments ago. Pondering over the idea, you jump up and head over to the ruined cake mix.

    Once you do join in, your sour mood vanishes as you all contribute to the new cake, which you praise the scent and can’t wait for Feh to try it.  Eirika seems to be enjoying herself, her face having a very visible flour patch dusted onto her cheekbone and nose, which you point out and snort at.

    “My brother would never let me forget this.” She sighed, dusting the ingredient from her skin, but you could hear the humour behind her voice. Sharena pipes up from her conversation with Anna and Effie.

    “I wouldn’t let Alfonse forget it!” You laugh loudly and shake your head, glad you didn’t actually shout at anyone except for in the foyer. What? It was Feh’s birthday cake, and you’d protect this one with your life.

    Well… maybe not your life. But you'd protect it.

Chapter Text

"Can I watch you summon sometime? I'd like to learn more about how I came to be here."

        Today was the day you were going summoning again. Ephraim, your soon-to-be summoning buddy, advised that you take another one of the heroes out with you. Others were most likely curious about your weapon that you kept close under lock and key. 

        So here you are, shakily atop a horse who trotted forward with a nearby Hero who'd chosen to fly to the summoning ruins. She was close, just not in your eyesight. Cordelia was doing whatever she did while she flew, probably looking out for any enemies or simply eyeing the landscape.

        There was no conversation to be held, as your throat was sore from a cold and you would cough every few moments whenever you spoke. So you kept to popping a lozenge into your mouth from time to time and let your voice rest.

        The summoning ruins weren't too far off, just a few minutes or more when Cordelia landed her snow white pegasus elegantly and easily. The winged horses were beautiful, but you were iffy with how to reign them.

        "[Name], I was curious about something." Cordelia asks once your horse finally meets with her pegasus, the white wings folded to the side. Looking over at her under your hood, you nod and wait for her to speak again.

        "Do you know what Hero you will be summoning?" The red head questions, eyebrows furrowed the slightest. Cordelia preferred to show... few emotions, but some peaked through every now and then.

        With the confident shake to your head, you shrug and adjust the reigns in your loose grip. Cordelia then begins to ponder, a frown on her lips. "Then how are the... 'orbs' classified?" She speaks strongly, apparently having a drive to know how summoning worked. It was fine with you; Giving knowledge to others on your weapon was a tough but rewarding thing you liked to do the rare time someone asks you on the subject.

        Pointing at her weapon, a Brave Lance+, she nods and purses her lips together. "So, the weapon the Hero wields most comfortably?" She asks, and you furrow your brows. Faye was unable to be an archer in SOV, but she was one here... With the seasonal heroes, too. Cordelia didn't exactly like wearing a dress so fluffy and big.

        "It... sometime's works differently." You rasp, sneaking another lozenge and cringing at the sharp but refreshing minty taste. Cordelia, confused, nods slowly.

        The summoning ruins are now in front of you, and you dismount the horse quickly. Tying the mammal up, you take the pouch of orbs from a saddlebag and scamper up the steps as fast a sick person can go.

        Cordelia finds you sniffling at the top of the steps, counting the small marble-sized translucent spheres. Her eyes scan the items in your glove, counting five of the small beeds as you load Breidabilk quickly. 'Legendary Ephraim won't summon himself!' You think, excited to finally summon after catching a cold and being MIA.

        Aiming at the summoning tablet, you fire and get all giddy. You would be focusing on blues and greens, as you didn't have some of the heroes in those categories. The orb glows and Cordelia's eyes reflect it with wonder in them. This was a truly magical sight to behold as dust blasted away from the tablet.

        Taking the lucky sign into account, you reload Breidablik and ready another shot. The white light that fills the area blinds both you and Cordelia, who's outstretched hand grabs your arm tightly. When the light fades, you blink it away and look back at Cordelia, confused.

        "You okay?" You ask, staring at the woman curiously. Was she frightened by the light? Possibly, but you kinda doubted that idea.

        "I-I'm fine, thank you." She stutters, removing her hand from your arm. You shrug, looking over at the new figure standing in front of the tablet. Eyebrows raised and mouth agape, you stare at the newly summoned hero with bright [eye colour] eyes.

        "IT'S REINHARDT!" You cry, pointing at the man with glee. Cordelia looks at your emotional face, wondering why you were so happy at the sight of a man, a horse and a tome.

        "[Name]?" She questions and you compose yourself, apologizing to the both of them swiftly. Reinhardt was one of your most sought out after Heroes, and he finally came.

        "Alrighty, lets continue." You say, wincing at the feeling of your throat burning. Perhaps you should be less vocal during the next summon...

        Besides, Cordelia looked as if she had many questions. The ride back would be filled with introductions and questions answering, which would kill your throat. You would be fine, though.

Chapter Text

"Please, stay close to me. I want to keep you out of harm's way."

        This morning, you were woken earlier than usual to an excited Sharena and tired Alfonse. The two royal siblings, albeit awkward around you during the wee hours of the morning, seemed extremely excited for something new to happen.

        Even if it did pop up at two in the morning.

        Which you, the Summoner, did not like. You had a terrible sleeping schedule due to nightmares, so this slightly annoyed you. However, you swore to never say that to Sharena or Alfonse. They had no clue about your nightmares of Múspell or dreams of Gunnthrá speaking to you. She was the one who’d warned you the previous night of this early encounter, and you muttered her a thanks because you were planning on working all night.

        Now, you sat on your bedside examining the divine weapon Briedablik with curious [eye colour] eyes. Perhaps it could bring you home if it brought you here. But, would you want to go home after all of this?

        A knock on your door signaled you to the Askr royal’s return, where you rose from the comfortable seat, returned Briedablik to its hilt and walked over to the door quietly. You opened it fully and looked at the two siblings, who beckoned you forward quietly.

        “Summoner, our scouts have spotted the anomaly again, but it’s much different than the Tempest.” Alfonse began in a hushed voice, where Sharena led the group down the hall, Fensalir in her grip. You noted the weapon down, glancing over Alfonse and spotting the familiar scabbard of Fólkvangr on Alfonse’s hip.

    Perhaps they planned on heading to the Labyrinth of Mists? You wouldn’t bring them as losing these two was a great risk for whatever laid at the end. Nobody knew what was at the end, but you had your speculations.

        “We have plans to head there, but we need your tactical guidance on who to bring.” Alfonse continues, where you nod tiredly and carefully make your way down the short set of stairs to the foyer. You nodded slowly, pondering over who you’d bring.  Posts on a website you used were mostly of people planning to use their favourite Heroes to do this, which you were very excited to try out if the enemies truly could not hurt them if signaled to attack at the correct moment.

        A list was already made of heroes you preferred to bring, and at the top was an Archer who you’d quickly made friends with when you summoned him during  the Sibling Bonds. Unfortunately, you didn’t get Clarine.

        "Alright,” You begin, seating yourself on the steps and tapping your foot as you pondered over who else to bring. There must’ve been some heroes who would love to go, but who?

        Now was not the time for your mind to go blank. You grumbled and rubbed your eyes tiredly as the Prince of Askr examined his sheathed blade.

        “Perhaps...Sharena and I-” Alfonse begins quietly, where you sit up straight and point at the blue-haired male. “We need you, Sharena and Anna here if I’m gone”, He purses his lips at your gaze and sighs.

        “I already have one Hero chosen, just three more.” You say softly, rising up from the cold step and padding over to the perch that holds up the circular light grey bird of prey. Lightly dragging your gloves fingers over the soft plumage, your soft pats awaken the bird.

        Feh was drowsy as usual, even more so since it was breathtakingly early for the owl to be awake. She would sleep once you opened the daily letters, napping until the next delivery. Tonight though, Feh looked restless. She was shuffling and shaking her wings from time to time.

        Maybe she had an idea of who to bring. As your fingers brushed her feathers, something crinkled loudly. Alfonse and Sharena perked up, looking over at you curiously. With deft fingers, you pluck the noisy item from her feathers.

        It was a candy wrapper. More specifically, a candy wrapper of a sour candy called "Lion's Roar"

        You squint at the item, scrunching up your nose at the sweet scent still attached to the garbage. Glancing over at the two royalty, you shrug.

        “I have an idea.”

        "Is it a good one?” Anna pipes up from wherever she’s hiding, After your mini panic attack, you nod and hold a hand to your heart.

        “I’m sure of it.”

        You were intimidated by the Labyrinth of Mists. The long caves and massive stalagmites made the whole darn cave seem like the maw and throat of a massive beast that can swallow you and your party whole.

        After your idea was executed, you had woken the four heroes from their sleep excited and smiling the whole time you were packing up the necessary daggers, arrows and weapons.

        Klein was already awake when you asked Alfonse to go fetch him as you were busy planning things out with Anna. Since it would just be you and not everyone else, Anna advised you to bring Heroes you were close with.

        The other three weren’t as awake as the Silver Nobleman, but they woke up when you informed them of the Labyrinth and requested that they helped you figure out what was at the end of the twisted and rising levels of the area.

        Your second choice for the area was Roy. The previous day you had a chat with Eliwood about his son, which was adorable to hear about his childhood. After that, you had put down the Young Lion’s name for the upcoming event.

        Oboro was your third choice. Since there would be obvious fights, the Heroes clothes would tear during combat. She (hopefully) knew how to do this and was another part in the weapon triangle Alfonse explained to you so many months ago.

        Lastly, the final member of your team surprised you. There weren’t very many options as you were terrible with an axe and left that to Anna to hone their skills. But, there ARE Heroes who wield weapons that are useful against lances or blue tomes.

        The final member of your team was Fae. A green manakete who you’d given the best badges you could and changed up her Breath attack. She was ecstatic when you told her, regardless of the time. You were very excited to have the team you made, and had a strong sense of hope for the expedition.

        Alfonse, Sharena, and Anna sent you five off quickly, just at the break of dawn. The light was dim and the air was cool, the previous night lacing the ground with a medium-sized blanket of snow. It was the early months of the year, so you expected this kind of cold weather.

        It was getting warmer, though. You kept glancing around the group, the horses that carried your party silently trekking on in a slow walk. Beside you, Klein kept a watchful eye on you and the childlike dragon behind you drawing patterns in your secretive tactics book.

        The blonde was curious at the scene, but chose not to comment on it. You looked tired- more so than usual, and that could prove fatal during battle.

        “Summoner,” Klein began, speaking softly in your direction. You perked up, glancing over at the blonde and rubbing your cold hands together to warm them.

        “Yes?” You question with furrowed brows, wondering what Klein needed. Maybe you seemed a bit on edge since you were so tired, which you were ready to apologize for if it felt directed towards the young male.

        “You seem more exhausted than usual, perhaps we should stop and let you rest.” Klein states, where you blink and purse your lips.

        “I’m fine, we need to get to the Labyrinth before anything happens.” Is your reply, and you turn your head forward. Focusing on one point in the distance is all you did to try and stay awake beside blinking rapidly and pinching your cold arms.

        Sooner or later you’d need to rest, regardless of where. Klein hummed and called forward, “Roy, hold for a moment!”

        The red head complied, halting his horse wobbly. Oboro did the same, muttering about how she’d rather walk. Confused, you slow your horse beside Klein’s. Klein slides from his horse and walks over to your own.

        “What are you doing?” You question at the blonde standing beside your horse. His violet eyes glitter in the sunlight as he gestures for you to come down from your horse.

        “I have to sit with Fae, though-“ You begin, turning to look at Fae who should be drawing in your book, but is gone. The small girl is vacant from the saddle and your jaw drops at the large and feathery figure behind the horse. She'd changed forms so quietly, how tired were you?

        Sighing, you carefully move to dismount your horse and land on the ground swaying.

        “You will sit with me on my horse and rest while we travel there, Anna gave me a map of the nearby area.” He says and you nod, thanking him for helping you get on the horse.

        Now seated behind Klein on the same horse and your own tied to Roy’s, you slouch and feel your fatigue catching up to you. Fae’s keeping up behind you all, waddling in her dragon form and keeping lookout.

        It was incredibly hard to sit up straight on a moving horse sitting behind someone, which is why you did not. With a large yawn, you leaned forward and thanked the gods that Klein did not have his bow on his back. You leaned directly onto Klein’s back and felt yourself drift from consciousness.

        Klein was a mess. He shifted uncomfortably when your body leaned onto his own, expecting this outcome yet the feeling of you using his back as a pillow sent his mind reeling. The Legendary Summoner of Askr was nothing like he would expect if this were his native land. The archer would most likely believe such a person would be arrogant and flaunt their power, but [Name] never did. They treated each Hero with respect and kindness.

        However, the Labyrinth wasn’t far off from here and they would need you at your best.

    You were having the most wonderful dream of heather and the scent of lavender when a soft shake roused you from your sleep. Mumbling about the flowers, you open your eyelids and blink the sleep from them.

        [eye colour] cross with a soft violet and you quickly wake up. The party must’ve made it to the Labyrinth and were waking you up.

        “We’re here, Summoner.” Roy calls out and you nod, carefully dismounting the horse with help from the archer. Fae bounces and gives you three a bright dragon-smile, a curious thing hidden in the large dragons feathery arms.

        Curious at the very obvious creature in the dragons arms, you walk up to her and cross your arms.

        “Fae, what’s hidden in your arms?” You question as the dragon tries to cover the thing up. It ruffles and you hear a familiar noise- muffled, but incredibly familiar.

        You hear that noise every morning when you pick up mail from Feh.

        With a sigh, you stare up at the dragon with a raise eyebrow. “Do you have Feh with you? It’s alright if you do.” Speaking softly, you uncross your arms and giver Fae a soft smile.

        The dragon glows and with a shimmer of light leaves the Divine Dragon standing there with a fluffy, grey predatory bird. She hoots and you ‘aww’ loudly. Scooping the bird from the visually young girl, you pat her on the head and cradle the bird in your free arm.

        “Is everyone ready?” You question, still slightly tired from waking up barely a few moments ago. Oboro nods with a grin, Klein with a soft smile, Roy unsheathing the Binding Blade (as you jumped in fright), and Fae clapping her hands together.

        Smiling at your team, you look at the mouth of the cave and follow the four in, staying close to the back so you can shout orders without being targeted as much. Maybe even having the higher ground than the enemy

        As you were all heading in, Klein paused and turned towards you. He stood directly in front of you and stared at you strongly, which caused you to slow to a stop and stare at the male curiously.

        “[Name], Please, stay close to me. I want to keep you out of harm's way." As he spoke quietly, his ungloved hands slid into your own and held them like a delicate porcelain or glass item. Your cheeks flushed at the feeling of someone else’s hands holding your own, the adrenaline caused by charging into an unknown area amplifying the feeling.

        “O-okay…” You stutter, where Klein gives a relieved look and squeezes your hands lightly. When he begins to walk, you make sure to stay close to the Silver Nobleman

Chapter Text

"I pray that you will meet someone who will bring joy into your life."

        Grand Hero Battles were tough but thrilling battles. Being awarded heroes who you needed to earn affected you, and it caused you to respect them. Not that you didn't appreciate them before; most were heroes who were tough in their games. Some you preferred to be near more than others, but you tried to integrate them into teams as well as you could.

        However, it would be virtually impossible to get teams made up of the heroes and villains, as they would most likely refuse to work together over pride. A couple of months before visiting Nifl, you returned to Askr with a new hero named Valter. Eirika and Ephraim told you quickly that they would not work with Valter on any occasion.

        This irked you slightly, but you understood why they wouldn't want to be on a team with him. However, if anything were to happen and they were the only heroes nearby, you'd need to depend that they'd set aside that and focus on whatever the objective was.

        The whole topic sparked an argument between you and Alfonse, which caused you to storm off and take refuge in the training area of the castle. With a rapidly beating heart, you gripped the training sword tightly and swung it at a newly stuffed dummy. Only you used them, as you had little combat training with swords, axes, and lances.

        Shrugging off your signature cloak and placing it neatly near your area, you rush at the fake enemy and aim to swipe at the wooden hands that hold a sword and shield. After a successful strike, you slash at the midsection of the dummy and drag the rough edge of the practice sword along the soft material. It rips open, and sand pours out, dusting your dark brown boots with the fine stones.

        Your breathing was deep, and you felt your face flush. The sun had moved from high in the sky to just over the horizon, and you still felt angry. It was over a stupid feud, and you hated that it affected you so badly. Maybe you and Alfonse weren't as close as you'd like to be.

        Sighing loudly, you sit beside your cloak and look at the blade with blank [eye colour] eyes. A soft breeze brushes your [hair length] [hair colour] hair from its position, the strands just barely touching your cheeks. This was one of the only times you took off your cloak. The other was when you went to bed.

        Fjorm had commented in the first few days you'd known her about the cloak and how you had always been wearing it. You had tried to come up with an answer on the spot, but it was surprisingly hard to. It was comfortable to wear, and sometimes you just felt the need to hide your face and sleep on a couch with a cloak that acted as a blanket.

        You pause from whacking the dummy, a sad frown on your face. What would a hero say if they saw you like this? Ugh, you should just-

        "Summoner, are you alright?"

        You jump to the side out of fright, the training sword clunking to the ground pathetically. Glancing at the surprise visitor, you recognize the impeccable form of Camus watching you curiously.

        "Yes, I'm fine." You say curtly, nodding to the knight and reaching down to pick up the blunt training sword.

        "I don't believe that Summoner," Camus says, and you pause. It wasn't easy to hide things from the heroes; they were all too alert. You sigh and turn to the lance wielder.

        "Alfonse and I had an argument regarding whether or not we should allow the villains to travel to Nifl." You admit, back slouched. Arguments sucked, and nobody won if the both of you stormed off.

        "Pardon my words, but I believe the both of you would apologize. It's unlike you both to be in sour moods." Camus begins, and you listen intently. People might've thought you would be rational enough to think like this, but you still felt like the old [Name] who wasn't the summoner and got petty quickly.

        "Spend all the time you can with them, Summoner. We don't know how the next battle will turn out, and it's best for unsaid things to be said." The man says, and you recognize the look in his eyes. He wasn't here right now, but somewhere in the past.

        "And I know you will do everything in your power to prevent that from happening." Camus finishes

        "I understand. I'll go find Alfonse." You say, thanking Camus and turning away from the blond-haired man. He nods as you walk away, knowing that it wouldn't be long until you and Alfonse were past this argument and returned to the good friends you were. The two of you fit well together.

Chapter Text

"I see you wandering back and forth, back and forth... With battle ahead of you, you ought to use this time to rest."

You liked spending time in the Garden within the Aether Raids. It was... strange, seeing something just defy physics as easily as a floating island since there were no instances of this back home. Then again, there was no magic before you were brought here by the legendary weapon Breidablik. It took a while to get used to it, much to the Askr sibling's pleasure. It was nice to see them smile with the troubles of Múspell behind them, but the looming threat of Hel had already given you a run for your money. Alfonse was distant, Sharena quiet, and Fjorm's cough hadn't stopped long after she used the Rite of Frost to kill Surtr. It dragged you down by the shoulders, but as your hands pressed into the dirt of a garden, you felt at peace. Was this what bliss after wars were like? All of those stories you heard from the Heroes whose wars were won and spending their days doing things they enjoyed struck a chord when you saw the bright green sprouts peek through the dark earth.

It was a paradise for your troubled mind.

Taking a deep, long inhale of the frosty morning air, you shut your eyes and sit on your legs. Your hood was down and allowed you some breathing space even though the cloak offered a kind of warmth not much else provided. Perhaps you'd finally grown accustomed to the Summoner role, even though you had lonely dreams of going home after this was all over. If you survived, at least. Confidence killed many people, so you never became that outgoing leader or smart advisor in fear you would have openings for attempts on your life. 

Your eyes flicker open, staring down at the plant that you suspected was a squash. Berries were next on your list due to the fact there were some that tasted much different than what used to be your afternoon snack in summer on a hot day paired with a drink you'll most likely never have again. Reminiscing was never good, though, you always fell into a silent depression. During this war when death had already taken your friends' father before their very eyes and was cursed to die by death incarnate. You couldn't afford to have your mind clouded by this. Offering a shoulder for the two to lean on with words and promised you didn't know would come true or not.

The distant crunching of footsteps catches your ears, glancing over your shoulder for a moment to see a lone figure clad in a black cloak with the sheathe of a sword at his hip beneath the golden-embezzled robes. With every step, metal clacked softly against itself. It reminded you of change in pockets whenever you ran to buy something and didn't have bills. His amber eyes never left your back as you took your spade and dug another hole for a separate vegetable- you were sure this one was a cabbage. A pair of black boots stop beside you, the edges of his cloak just barely brushing against your own while the spade returns the disturbed ground.

"I did not know you liked gardening, Summoner." Ares finally speaks when you place the spade on the ground. You smile as if he said a light joke, nodding your head and feeling your hair feather against the edges of your cheeks. 

"It's a healthy way to pass the time." Your answer is smooth, and Ares takes a long moment to talk again. His longer hair- almost the same shade of light gold as his eyes- is moved by a chilly wind, the smell of the harvest festival somehow here even though you're nowhere near the area. Perhaps it's that part of your brain reminding you of it whenever you see that shade of gold. It's like straw but in the story Rumpelstiltskin where the imp spun it to gold. It's the faerie tale shade of yellow you'd always liked.

"Besides training, of course. I commend your ability to use Mystletainn."

You feel some sort of proud aura come from the man when you finish speaking, deciding to stand up straight and give him a nod to cement the compliment down. The blond son of Eldigan blinks towards you with a flat expression, then realization seems to flash through his eyes the moment you look away with your tools ready to be put away in the shed where multiple others waited in the dark musty air. The door creaked as you opened it even though it was fashioned recently by the combined efforts of Bartre, Rolf, and Barst who made a good team with Rolf giving them the tools and the other two building it up together. You were sure to thank them for it with a break and replaced them with others who were ready to go fight against Hel's forces.

"[Name]."

Hm? Oh. I forgot he was here. Did he use my name?

The way you look at the Black Knight must seem off-putting, as he frowns quickly. Gesturing for him to go on as you carry a small basket of things that had already been grown (Like some tea leaves you desperately wanted to try but Anna refused to buy) and walk over to where Ares' steed nibbled at the blades of grass while tied to a post designed for just that. The dark horse perked up when you approached, his snout quickly nudging near your pockets where you always had some sugar cubes. With the same smile from before that had yet to leave your face, you pull a single one out.

"I see you wandering back and forth, back and forth... With battle ahead of you, you ought to use this time to rest." Ares sends you a look that you understand quickly. It was unlike him to show much concern for your bouts of insomnia. Lowering your head, you continue to give the horse a sugar cube as you think of how to reply. There isn't much to say that could help you relieve the small amount of concern Ares had shown, and he was always straight forward with speaking.

"It's difficult to sleep when one mistake can result in another death like Gustav." You mutter lowly, narrowing your eyes at your hands. If you were a better tactician- smarter, thicker skin, why couldn't you just be perfect? Clenching your fists tightly with the gardening gloves on, you take a deep breath of the cold air before calming yourself down and speaking rationally. It was hard when you took the blame for Alfonse being cursed and resulting in the events that took place afterwards. That scythe was subconsciously around your neck at all times whenever you looked at Alfonse or Sharena.

"I know it's impossible to save everyone- But what kind of Summoner am I if I don't try?"

With a shaky exhale, you look up and let the tension go in your shoulders. If you talked anymore you'd probably cry in front of a Hero who would see that as a weakness. It would be embarrassing to show weakness in times where you needed to be the support they could depend on if they fell. Who could be your support, but the Heroes around you? 

"People die, and there is nothing we can do about that. Failure and loss are methods we use to prevent others from dying." Ares claims, standing beside his horse and puts a hand on the saddle. He does not mount the horse, though. His eyes stay on you- almost as if he's mad. Or disappointed. You'd die if he saw you as a disappointment.

"If you cannot accept that fact and continue to dwell on your failures, you will never learn and more will die. It will be especially difficult when our Summoner does not sleep and cannot focus."

It was harsh, but you understood. There was a point where only those words would work on someone so deep in a hole of self-deprecation that they needed to be hit in the face. Nodding, you raise your head to stare directly up at the Black Knight. Simply saying you understand didn't mean you learned anything from this short and bittersweet conversation. You wondered what would have happened if Ares hadn't sought you out.

"I guess I'm due for a reality check then." Musing with a chuckle, you smile once again and slip past the tall Hero who watches you walk by him. He knew you took those words to heart with how you were silent but speaking. Visually expressing was different from talking, which you preferred to do the former. Instead of riding alongside you, though, he easily caught up to your form and walked back to the others in silence. You wondered if Ares would enjoy a cup of black tea to celebrate the harvest festival in your own special way.

Then you'd go to bed.

Chapter Text

"Save your concern. I am well. I do thank you for the thought, however."

 Fear, before you came here, was nothing. Say you're crossing the street and a car comes out of nowhere- you react or you get hit and injured. The slight jump and shivers up your spine as it darts past with the horn blaring as if you were the one in a metal death machine. Once it was gone, you'd complain to yourself or if you were walking with someone, to them. Then it was over.

Now you faced death. More often than your allies would like, you would be the one to have a dagger aimed at you from the darkness or magic whorls tearing at where you stood with the intent to kill you swiftly. You were the reason for their failures against the iron wall that was made up of your tactics. Sometimes you wondered just how they worked, but you tried to never doubt them in case your luck ran out. Studying whenever you were given a chance helped refine your knack for tactics, but there was the odd chance a Hero you trained might be weary after a while. If the one you had posted at your side ever showed signs of weariness, you were in trouble.

As of the moment, you were in the Order of Heroes base of a separate Askr, chasing down the Alfonse of this realm who'd taken the name Líf and attempted to kill your troupe multiple times to varying degrees of failure. The ghastly figure would send you a glance with dark red eyes before fleeing every time. He'd mentioned in passing with a flat voice that his Summoner had died when Hel razed this Askr to the ground, murdering Sharena and anyone in the Gods way.

But genuine fear was being cornered by Líf with the hazy purple edge of his sword, Sökkvabekkr, at your forehead. You did not know if he would kill you as it had been a silent standoff when you were crawling out from beneath the pillar and discovered the glow before you saw his frame. His large cloak lined with furs brushed against the floor, rocks dropping from the ruined base and echoing about. You could hear the others attempting to escape from beneath the rubble, the shifting of the foundation and shouts were loud enough.

Your eyes widened when the tip of the sword was raised slowly and brushed against the edge of your hood, lifting it slightly and causing it to fall back against your shoulders. His red eyes flickered from the hood to your own and, to your relief, lowered Sökkvabekkr slowly until it was in it's sheathe lined with notches and bones of the dead. Líf was more than capable of still cutting you down, so you stayed kneeling and did not move from your position until he turned around and stepped back into the clouds of dust without a word.

While waiting, frozen in fear, you were sure you'd heard him speaking to Sharena in that hoarse voice.

You stood up and out of the rubble of the collapsed Order of Heroes base when he'd come across you where you'd taken refuge beneath an already fallen pillar. It kept you from the shower of dust and rocks, but even though the cloud of the aftermath was thick, you saw his eyes cut through it like knives. Even though he made no move to harm you, the fear pumped through your veins like fire.

"Summoner!" You hear someone call for you as Alfonse and a few other Heroes disappear from your view, instilling a fear they would need your tactics the most against such an intense and powerful foe. Scrambling from beneath the pillar, you come face-to-snout with a large white wolf. A red, brown, and grey eyepatch of different fabrics draped over the right eye. Trying to avoid Nailah's wolf form, you escape from the rubble and look around. The area is empty save for distant clashes of weapons echoing on the skeleton of the walls you remember fondly waiting back in your Askr.

"Come, battle awaits." She states, to which you nod at and follow her quickly. The battle wasn't over when you stumbled out after Nailah, catching yourself and standing beside her. The others were already advancing on the remnants of Líf's forces, who's slowly begun to fall back but were close enough to catch up to easily. You go to step forwards, but a low growl from beside you causes you to stop. The noise raises the hairs on the back of your neck when you realize why Nailah warned you.

You quickly ducked behind the broken rock of a pillar to avoid where Líf could see, but you were sure he'd already seen the white of your cloak and kept your position in mind. Nailah's wolf form rushed forwards in a blur of white fur, fangs and claws while you waited with bated breath. To your left, Fae was distracting a mage, and across from you, Alfonse was with Alm, who was equipped in his Saint-King outfit aiming the Luna Arc at the translucent form of a wyvern rider. Fólkvangr's blue gem glowed the same colour Líf himself did in the open front of his armour where the bones could be seen. The first time you'd seen that unnerved you.

"No, no, no!" Líf howls when there's a clang of bone against the steel of Sökkvabekkr, skidding much further away from Nailah whose ears are flat against the back of her head. You climb out when Líf flees quickly once he realizes the undead forces were subdued easily. Looking back to Nailah, you carefully make your way beside her and wonder how you could repay her sharp hearing all with a clouded mind.

It was... odd. Finally defeating Líf after months of chasing and skirmishes. It usually felt like this when you defeated a major foe, though. Looking down to the second Breidablik another Summoner had, you silently paid your respects to the fallen person and shut your eyes for a few moments. 

"Beorc."

You open your eyes and end up tilting your head to look into the hard, singular gaze of Nailah. At first glance, you thought her to be mad. But, after a pregnant pause, you realized she was... concerned. A deep sigh passes through your lips, and you close your eyes once more.

"I'm sorry. I just... needed a moment to myself." Breaking the silence, you re-open your eyes and pocket your own Breidablik to examine the newer one. It's got a few cracks and doesn't look well-maintained, probably from being at Líf's hip for who knows how long without maintenance like you did every so often with care. Nailah nods then turned around to stare off into the bleak landscape. The distant town you'd travelled to was in ruin, the fauna about was growing over the bricks and crumbled buildings. From here, you remember your own village that was full of life, different smells and foods that you shared with the Heroes since you were unfamiliar with them. Sharena played a trick on you with a spicy berry pie and you feared the small, red berries ever since. They were delicious when baked into confections or used as jam, but in pies, it was an atom bomb of death for your tongue.

"I understand. It must be... difficult, knowing the fate of a world so similar to your own."

Had this world's Alfonse experienced that prank as well.

You wanted to tell her this world was nothing like your home- but you knew that Askr was a good place and was basically your home until this was all over and peace reigned. But it would be hard leaving. There would be things you would never forget, no matter how hard you tried. Or if you even tried.

"I feel awful for this world. There is no light, no life." Nailah muses quietly, some of the metals on her outfit clinking together. You understood her words as the birds never chirped or sang, the bugs were silent in the night, and the Heroes more attuned to nature were always skittish or conscious of the absence of nature's ambience. That was why they never came along here, it could cause problems and make them uncomfortable during battle. You only had a few Light's Blessing back in Askr as the ones you brought along were slowly being depleted as the fight went on. You wondered if Nailah was put off by this world.

"Are you... okay with coming here? I don't understand the Laguz as well as I'd like, but I do know a few other types can feel these types of things more strongly." Speaking lowly since you know she can hear you, the Hatari queen glances down to you with what you'd like to call a confident smirk. She was always on the ball, especially when she was assigned to guard you. It was a passive duty but was of the utmost importance.

"Save your concern. I am well. I do thank you for the thought, however." Nailah quipped still with her smirk, then directs her attention to you almost wholly.

"You mention the names of the worlds often when you ramble. Tell me, do you know more of them than you say you do?"

Your cheeks flush red, breaking out in stutters to try and catch yourself from the glare she sents you. It's all in good fun, though, as she allows a chuckle to grace your ears. Clearing your throat, you nod.

"W-well, I can recall that Breidablik isn't a gun or hero-summoning weapon, but a realm." Explaining with little detail as you can't exactly remember everything from your English and history units and projects that focused on the Norse mythos. But, you do remember the big ol' essay on different realms. Breidablik was there, and it was the realm where only the purest souls resided. Seeing yourself as either a pure soul or the door to where they go was hard, and the nature behind it twisted like the celtic knots everywhere.

"Only the purest souls were allowed to go. That's all I can recall, but I've found nothing on the subject within the library." You continue as Nailah listens silently. A few footsteps begin to approach the two of you, and you turn to look at them from beneath your hood. Sharena is there, her smile subdued and Anna with a serious expression. It must have something to do with what had just happened, then.

"There you are, [Name]!" Anna exclaims, Nóatún at her hip in it's sheathe. You always liked the design of her weapon- Sharena and Alfonse's too. It was like a group you were all in. Sharena was enthusiastic, but Anna wanted to make a band and Alfonse still hadn't warmed up to you yet. Now, though, you could laugh quietly with him about the things those two did during breaks. Last year's summer certainly scared you, though.

"Hello, Anna. Sharena. Are we ready to go?"

Anna nods with her red hair in its usual side ponytail bobbing with the movement. Alfonse isn't around, most likely deliberating what they could do against Hel in this moment of pause. You wondered if he'd like your opinion, or had a trick up his sleeve. The prince was exhausted, though, so you couldn't blame him if he was actually resting for a brief moment. 

"Yes. We're going to speak with Alfonse regarding the second Breidablik and thought you should be there."

 Looking to Nailah as you left, you gave her a nod with a smile and followed your allies quickly. Her unflinching eye stayed on your back, noting down the slouch of your shoulders and weariness in your eyes when you looked at her. You never spoke to others about your day or what you liked, quickly becoming flustered or changing the subject instead. It wasn't hard to see, even if she was one of the newer Heroes.

Nailah knew you were the one who needed to be asked if they were alright.

Chapter Text

"Whatever happens, let's make sure we survive this, huh?"

You were on edge. The Order of Heroes had just defeated Hel, the Goddess of Death, which meant it was a time for celebration. It just set you off even more, and you'd quickly made up an excuse of not feeling well. Alfonse gave you a suspicious glance as you'd cut off his story about meeting a blond-haired and green-eyed youth who changed into a dragon. With a nod and wishes you felt better soon, you slipped off in the large castle of Askr.

The hallways were winding and just as confusing as the Order's headquarters, but you'd figured it out while staying here for the few days. Thankfully you had only been lost once and found by a random guard, not a Hero. You'd be embarrassed by that if anyone found out, but the guard swore to secrecy.

Had it been a royal like Queen Henrietta, you'd die. If it was King Gustav?

You would've used the Briedablik on yourself. That man was an ideal leader, but Gods was he scary! Intimidating in every way with a massive axe bigger than you, a scar that marred his face, and the way he fought when he was used against you all by Hel was terrible. Knowing you may have been able to prevent the king's death was a heavy weight on your shoulders, but Alfonse had muttered he was directly to blame for his disobedience and subsequent cause of the curse.

Knocked out of your thoughts by nearly running into a blue and gold banner, you shake your head.

Sneaking out of the castle wasn't too hard when they were all celebrating loud enough to probably get Thórr's attention. So youd set a moderate pace down to the nearby town outside of the castle's edges. Even within the town the celebration was raring and loud, the sound of children's laughter echoing down the streets and causing a smile to slip onto your face.

Looking at a candy stand, you were scared out of your skin by a person standing close enough for you to feel their armour brush against your cloak. Jumping slightly, you stared wide-eyed at the man who looked absolutely beat.

"O-oh, Haar. Sorry..." You apologize quickly after recognizing him, the brown-haired man looking rather indifferent towards you. He glanced down to the stand you were looking at longingly, then chuckled to himself. Your brow furrowed together, connecting the dots.

"Okay- that's not fair. Anna refuses to even give me a pouch of gold for clothes!" You complain loudly, arms crossed as you watched a child purchase a stick with various gummy treats stabbed onto it. From beside you Haar looked lightly amused by your complaints.

"You're the great Summoner, can't you just go up and ask?" He nods towards the stall and you pause, a conflicted look crossing your face. 

"I... I'd feel bad." Spitting out after a long pause, your eyes drift to the crowds that move around the two of you. The villagers are all at peace, varying emotions from joy to laughter and some irritation from losing to the many games littered around the area. 

"Ever-so-thoughtful, on and off the battlefield." Haar notes, a smile on his face. You note that when he smiles the edges of his eye crinkle slightly, while the black eyepatch remains in place. It's a nice look on the Black Tempest, and you're glad he's on your side after that awful battle you had to even get him. The two of you had unknowingly started walking towards a quieter section of the celebration until the sounds had become distant.

"It's my only redeeming quality." Joking to yourself, you grimace at the sight of his brows furrowing together. Ah, that's right. They didn't use the depreciating humour you did back home. Looking away and to the distant flat landscape of Askr, you pursed your lips and sighed.

"You... uh, usually talk like that?" Haar says with a single brow raised, and you nod without much resistance. It was undoubtedly true- you'd never stop thinking like that. With the Nifl siblings you were ruined when Gunnthrá died, then King Gustav and Queen Henrietta being left alone. You'd felt like you let down every single one of them.

You never asked to be the Summoner. Why couldn't it have been someone who knew what to do? Someone who could use magic, or a weapon at least. But they got you- the objective runt of the litter from a world you desperately missed. Your morbid humour was the biggest reminder of the fact that you might never get to go home.

"Used to, before all of this. Old habits die hard," Sighing to yourself, you lean on the stone walls of the bridge and rest your head on your propped up arm. Haar stands beside you for a moment, then shrugs.

"Y'know what?" Haar says aloud, and you hum in response while watching the glittering stars ripple in the dark waters below. Every so often a fish cones up and snaps a water skimming bug.

"It's good to step back from everything. Working constantly wears you down like those gloves you have." Looking over to him from beneath your hood, you see his one eye is looking up at the sky. There's a distant look in his eye, and you return your gaze to the water. Instinctively you look at your gloves which were worn down. They were stiff when you first got them, but now they were comfortable after a few years.

"Someone like you- with your redeeming qualities- should be taking breaks. Burning out is dangerous." Haar's tone turns from contemplative to serious, which makes sense with what he's talking about. Nodding in agreement, you loosen your shoulders and unclench your jaw. 

"I know," In complete agreement with the Black Tempest, you turn around and rest your back on the cool stone. The sky above is glittered with stars and, to your surprise, fireworks are set off. The light explodes into glimmers of blue and yellow, reflecting on your eyes and the water below.

A loud yawn breaks the serene silence and you glance at him with a smile.

"Maybe I should take after you and nap everywhere." You joke, and Haar's nose crinkles.

"Don't come for my job, Summoner." He replies, which makes you smile harder. 

A long, pregnant pause passes by, the distant fireworks going off in brighter shades of red and pink. Thankfully it wasn't a chilly night and you could stand in your cloak comfortably without getting too warm, the breeze bringing the smell of grilled meats and bread paired with sweetly-scented sugary treats. 

Enamoured in thoughts that aren't tactics, you miss the slight tug on your cloak. Looking down quickly, your brow raises when a young boy stands there, holding what looks to be a baggie of candy. 

"For me?" You talk softly, surprised. The boy stares up at you with pink-hued cheeks and nods, which causes you to smile softly and take the treats from his hands. Reaching into your own pocket, you hold out a beige-hued cleanly cut gem with a golden wreath of knots encased within. It hums with a warm energy as you hold it out.

"As thanks," You say as the boy takes it. He turns around and holds it up to a few others you hadn't noticed standing at the edge of the bridge, the two boys and one girl all scampering up to examine it with varying amounts of awe.

"What is it?" A brown-haired girl asks, and you smirk.

"It's proof of overcoming a God's challenge. A Midgard gemstone." Explaining simply you pat the girls head and then send them off to return to the festivities. They run like puppies- stumbling yet staying upright, chattering loudly about the 'pretty gemstone.'

Knowing they would live another day thanks to the Order's win against Hel, you felt a little better.

"Cheer up, Summoner." Haar nudges your shoulder with his own, and you shift at the contact. With wide eyes, you shake your head and untie the string holding the candies. Various treats rest in the bag, reminding you of those tiny baggies you'd get at halloween filled with stuff ranging from chewy to salty.

Taking a more sour one, you hold out the bag to Haar. He looks down to it, thinks for a moment, then takes out a green coloured one. Appraising it carefully with a squinting eye, you snicker at his expression.

"It won't kill you." Teasing him, you take another but squish your face together when it's incredibly sour. Green apple. Grimacing, you huff when Haar chuckles at your misfortune.

"Isn't as bad as fighting Hel." Haar admits, and you agree. Memories of the God of Death and what she did to Eir were bitter and sour. She deserved a life full of light and warmth, and you would make sure she got it in the Order. 

"I'm always thinking of who we're fighting next." You say with a mouthful of sweets shaped like fruit. Haar nods, stretching out his arms and grunting when a few muscles pop loudly. He already looks exhausted, and you can't help but feel the same. Talking with nobles and people you didn't know for hours was teeth-grindingly boring. As a former low-class citizen, you glared at their backs when they walked away.

Out of nowhere, you feel a hand rest on your shoulder. Peering up at Haar, you see he's look the most calm you've ever seen him, focused on you wholey. You've seen him napping seventy-five percent of the time you'd known him! Having his eyes set right on you felt odd, but... warm.

"Whatever happens, let's make sure we survive this, huh?"

You nod quickly, cheeks flushed and warm while shoving another piece of candy in your mouth to distract yourself from the man beside you who complains about walking back. In the end, he returns to the castle with you on his wyvern.

Chapter Text

“I will gladly grant you any wish I can. Impart your desires to me… The Beginning.”

Something you liked the most about living in this new world, Zenith, was the experiences. Never before had you been surrounded by a complex mix of cultures and things you’d never dreamed of. Foods that you had always wanted to try, places to explore…

Yet it never felt like home. It was so, so close at times when the Heroes from your world came here. You stood there, fully stunned when they introduced themselves in a place you knew. Alfonse gave you an odd glance when you stowed yourself away in your room suddenly that night, preferring to let your emotions run out into your pillow instead of crying like a baby in front of five teenagers who’d most likely be confused.

The Tempest had blown almost out of proportion when you returned from patrol, the five teens all worn out as you descended the steps into the Great Hall. You were happy to help them, albeit wondering how you should introduce yourself from your actual home when a newer, chipper Hero jumped in.

With bright green hair and the signature long, pointed ears, Sothis stood beside you with a confident and borderline snarky smile.

“Of course the Summoner would know of this… Intertwined web. They are very fond of their homeland.” She began when Itsuki mentioned his phone, the memory spurring you to speak and then immediately regret.

“What do you mean?” Tsubasa asks, confusion on her face. You go to speak, but Sothis looks to you, her eyes gleaming with pride. The look in her eyes is the same you’ve seen in Mila or Duma- they looked at you liked a newly-groomed pet. It got old being treated like that, but eventually you got used to it. It’s not like I can do anything about it, you thought with a huff.

“Ah, well… I’m from Earth.” Shrugging lightly, you’re surprised to see them stunned to silence. Itsuki speaks up after a few moments, but he’s cut off by Mamori. 

“No way! I knew you were!” She exclaims happily, which you flush at. Sothis chuckles (as a Goddess should) and spins around.

“Now that the Summoner has finally admitted this, you all have much to discuss. I propose we fetch some tea.” The Girl on the Throne muses, and you find yourself hiding behind your hood with the brightest grin you’ve had in some time.

“Sounds fun.” Itsuki says while Mamori cheers happily, following yours and Sothis’ lead to the outdoor garden. Halfway through Sothis almost fell asleep standing, but you waited patiently and conversed with the younger kids.

“So… what’s happening back home?” You ask carefully while setting up the table. A few kind workers around the castle had quickly gone to making tea. They all requested your favourite (which nearly made you cry) and some pastries.  

“Well… Not much, really. Just some new technology.” Kiria answers simply, which you nod at. They had to have released a new iPhone or whatever by now…

After a long day of battling the Tempest, you were sufficiently tired. The teenagers seemed to be as well after round two, and you all returned to the castle for supper. You had a few things you wanted to take care of and requested that your portion be delivered to your room.

You hadn’t done this in a long, long time. Around the time where you’d traversed to Nífl, if you thought hard enough. Staring down at the worn leather book, you scribbled with an ink pen the events of the day. On the spine of the leather book the number five was carved, the rough edges a sign of your own doing. 

No matter the effort, your writing would pale in comparison to a nobles. Chucking absentmindedly, you failed to hear a knock at your door the first time.

The second one sounded more like a Thoron being casted against the soft wood of your door. It made you bang your legs on the underside of your desk when you jumped and you had to rush to the door to ask whoever it was to stop.

When you first spied no one at eye level, you looked down. Green eyes looked back at you, narrowed into a suspicious glare.

“Hello, Sothis. Do you need…” You trailed off slowly as her stare became harder. The Goddess had her hands on her hips, which made you feel a little smaller.

 “...something?”

“You were not dining with us. Why?” She speaks cooly, slipping past you and walking into your room. With subtle grace she sits at your desk on the chair you were moments ago. Her green eyes trail around the room, eyeing the trinkets and various items you treasured. 

An icicle that never melts from Ylgr, Gunnthrá’s rose, a frozen sculpture of Nífl’s castle made by Hríd and a few other items from Heroes you had befriended more than others. 

“You have quite the collection, Summoner. What is this one?” Sothis points to the castle, and you perk up from a haze of memories of fire and frost. Thinking for a second, you reply with a smile.

“That’s another kingdom’s capital. Their crown Prince at the time made it for me.” 

She raises a brow, which confuses you. Paired with that smug smile, you begin to fear letting her saunter into your room so easily.

“How cute. You hold the adoration of others, yet continue to be oblivious.” Sothis shakes her head and you flush almost immediately. Nobody actually like-liked you, it was a bond made unbreakable by battle! These people were royalty and Heroes. You couldn’t hold a candle to that, Summoner or not.

Snapping back to the present, you spot the green-haired goddess looking down into your journal. Your private journal. 

“S-Sothis! Please,” 

The Goddess had already flipped over to the pages from when you were fighting Hel as your words die in your throat. Her fingers had paused on the slightly worn paper over something. Those pages were some of the darkest you’d written. An empty feeling builds in your chest as her eyes are fixated on the dried ink.

“Dark thoughts do not belong in a person like you.” Sothis’ voice sounds distant. Your gaze falls to the navy blue rug trimmed with gold on the floor, your brown boots showing heavy signs of wear as you listen to the absence of noise.

“I can’t help it. I wasn’t born and raised in a place like this.” Replying slowly, you end up walking to your bookshelf and picking up a luminous stone Kana and Tiki had given you last New Years. You polished it as best you could and ended up with a lovely opaque gem that gleamed brightly in light.

Picking it up from the shelf, you rolled it around in your palm.

“Besides… Those days were among the worst. Before that, It was two years ago. There have always been spots like that and I do my best to work through them. Writing my thoughts down in a journal is one of the ways I was taught before I came here.” Explaining as best you could, you hear Sothis shift and another book being placed. What could you really do to stop her? She was a Goddess.

The silence is broken by the flipping of pages while you lament over the dust covering some of your trinkets. Moving an arrow from Jeorge after he taught you a few skills with the bow to lean against the wall, you pause when Sothis sighs.

“Who was Gunnthrá?” She asks, curious. You freeze up at the name, eyes drifting to the blue rose tinged with frost. 

“Gunnthrá was the eldest princess of Nífl. Fjorm’s older sister. She was able to reach out to me in my dreams and tell us of a way to defeat Surtr.” Trailing off, you turn to look at Sothis who’s perched with her chin resting on the back of your chair.

“We were about to meet with her… when Surtr found a way to her first. I… we watched her burn.” Saying those words hurt more than thinking them, and you have to bite back the angry words you wished you could’ve screamed at the man’s actions. You could remember the burn of the flames and scent of smoke.

“Thanks to her, you all succeeded. She did not die in vain.” Sothis reminds you, and you nod in agreement.

“I’ve always known that. But she and I were good friends in our dreams. It was bittersweet to meet her for a few moments after all this time.” Trailing off into a murmur, you find your shoulders loosen and half-hunched over.

Ending up in a somewhat awkward silence, you shake your head.

“With those five teens coming along from my world, I was a little overwhelmed at first. I guess I came to terms with never being able to go back without missing everyone.” Sothis listens carefully, her green hair drifting in a cool breeze from your opened window. On the sil rests a potted plant, blue in colour tinged with pink that releases a barely noticeable but soft fragrance

“It’s nice to be able to talk about things I’m familiar with,” You shrug, and Sothis nods.

“It’s only natural. Had I been in your situation, I would feel the same. You must miss home dearly.” Sothis’ voice is soft and you find yourself feeling slightly better. Distant memories fly through your thoughts as the flower dances with the wind.

Thinking to yourself, you nod and look out the window to the evening sky.

“I do.”

Sothis then stands on the chair, which catches your attention. Her eyes were now gleaming with hints of blue and gold. There’s something… different about her, now. Ethereal, almost. It’s like she’d transformed with little to no physical change, yet her aura was blinding.

“You must know how we all feel about you, then. A comrade such as you is invaluable. Especially to me. Not only are you a talented tactician, you are a great friend. Had I known of your plight, I would have offered to help as I will now.” Sothis hums, her eyes twinkling. Your brow furrows together purely out of confusion, wondering what she was talking about.

“You are just as oblivious as that professor!” She crosses her arms, thoroughly annoyed. Stuttering, you apologize. Sothis was a Goddess through-and-through. The anger on her face dissipates quickly and is replaced by something you flinch at. A feeling you get when around others like her.

“I will gladly grant you any wish I can. Impart your desires to me...The Beginning.” Sothis says, her eyes locked onto your own. Her words made you freeze up. She was offering you a wish? Sothis may be a Goddess, but would she be able to? 

You couldn’t go home, but maybe you could remember it. With her help.

“I…” 

Chapter Text

"What fine weather. Oh! Why don't we picnic? I'll pack some lunches."

Summer was drawing to a quick finale with cold winds blowing yellow leaves off trees. It was an odd sight to see in late August (What you thought to be August, at least) and pushed you to check on your own little crops planted within the forest. It was a quiet spot where you'd speak encouragingly to the plants that were almost done their lifespan. Eyeing the patch of flowers that were said to bloom in early autumn, you frowned to yourself when a random thought simply popped in your mind.

What were you going to do? After the war? Would you be returned home? You knew the Heroes you summoned would disappear to their home worlds, the thought making you scrunch your nose up. They might not even remember you! It sent a bitter taste in your mouth, and you huffed sharply. If there was nothing you could really do about it, you'd might as well make the best of the time you had left.

I shouldn't let the cold weather irritate me this much, You chided internally, finishing up the daily round and rising from your kneeling position to spot a person snoozing in the grass. The sun had come out and bathed them in a warm glow, their almost wine hued wings glittering spectacularly even though they looked to be a bit uncomfortable in that position.

Mirabilis. She was a Ljósáfar who you summoned not too long ago. Often spied napping around the castle, you found her to be a fantastic support unit who mages could barely dent. It was great! You loved watching them just tink off the Ljósáfar and then get smashed by the unit hiding behind her.

You wondered if you should bother her, but you couldn't think of anything to really ask, so you let her be and returned to the castle. On the way there you saw a patrol made up of Tethys and Effie who greeted you politely.

"You know the new Heroes, right? Oh- of course you do!" Tethys laughs behind a hand at the jokingly tired look you give Effie. The red-haired woman pats Effie's armour, and she perks up. Some of the woman's white hair ruffles in the wind as she mentions the sheer prowess of Edelgard's new power. 

"She's a force to reckon with," Speaking aloud, you shrug.

"It's truly a blessing she is on our side." Tethys adds and you nod. 

"Dimitri, Claude and Lysithia as well. But you all mean just as much to me." Smiling, you can't help but join the three on patrol to get that icky feeling out of your throat. With every laugh and joke shared, you felt a little better. When the castle's gates came into sights, you all split up to take care of other duties or eat lunch.

When you reached the kitchen, you were immediately relieved to see Oscar cooking already. Judging from the look on his face, it looked like he was enjoying cooking duty and you conversed with him about both of your days. He already knew your regular order and had it ready in fifteen minutes, the steaming plate full of deliciously mouth-watering food. You wondered who else was on duty, but end up splitting off to let the next Hero get their lunch.

As you scan where you should eat, you spot a friendly face waving to you. Sharena is seated at one of the long wooden tables with a new face at her side. A five-year older version of the girl you knew wearing a new set of elegant clothes is picking at a plate of vegetables. You see Fjorm is sitting across from her, a frown on her face.

"Hi, Summoner! Sit with us!" Sharena calls excitedly, catching the attention of most Heroes eating at the same time. Quickly making your way over, you sit beside Fjorm and give the two others a small wave.

A brief moment of silence passes, everyone's face tense. You have... no idea what's going on here. Did something happen

Building up the courage to speak when Lysithia huffs sharply. "So... what's going on here?" Fjorm glances at you, her face twisted into a rather... bleak expression. It changes quickly into a reassuring smile, but that does nothing but make you more suspicious of them.

"We were chatting about-" Fjorm begins, but Lysithia jumps right in before she could finish.

"Were you aware of Fjorm's ailment?" She speaks pointedly, her pink eyes narrowed. You freeze at how easily she laid that out on the table, nodding eventually. Sharena looks a little sad at the mention of it, yet the Princess of Ice is more embarrassed if anything.

"I've known since the beginning. I was there." Noting with furrowed brows, you pause from eating and wonder why she brought this up. If you remembered correctly, Lysithia was in the same boat with a shortened lifespan due to her bearing two Crests thanks to a terrible experiment.

"Thanks to some Heroes, they've dedicated their spare time to search for a cure. Myself included. We believe there may be something in the restricted section of the library, but we do not have access." Lysithia seems to be asking permission from you to go in there, and you recall catching Siegbert roaming there without permission. 

You're absolutely floored at how dedicated she sounds to finding a cure. Fjorm was one of your closest friends since finding her in the snow years ago, and if there was a chance of some kind of cure hidden in those halls, you would do anything to get them in there.

"Of course. I'll discuss this with Anna and Alfonse since Sharena looks fine with it." Taking a bite from your food, you chuckle when Lysithia looks slightly taken off guard.

"Just... like that?" She mumurs, and Fjorm nods.

"Our Summoner isn't as strict as you'd expect." The blonde-haired woman says with a smile and you jokingly side glare at her before taking another bite and focusing on eating wholly. Not eating for a few hours really got to you after that long walk with Tethys and Effie. 

"I can barely read them from beneath that hood." Lysithia states, and you perk up with a mouthful of food. It was getting a little warm in your cloak anyways, so you tugged the hood back carefully and let the fabric rest on your shoulders. 

"Much better." 

Sharena laughs at your calmness, a clear difference from the you almost four years ago and the one sitting here today. The princess can't help but beam towards you, even if you look confused and unruly with cheeks puffed with food.

The evening sky was painted with warm colours. Oranges, yellows, and reds blended together into a view you stared at longingly. You wonder what kind of sunset your home is having and lean a little more on the stout tree's trunk. It was rough even with your cloak on and you were sure your arm was going to fall asleep eventually.

Adjusting your body so that wouldn't happen, you ended up with your full back leaning against the tree and your legs stretched out comfortably. The Harvest Festival would happen soon- you wondered just what Heroes would dress up this year.

Last year was fun, seeing a young Lilina and Hector was adorable, L'Arachel was a blast to be around and did tricks for a group of children in exchange for candy. You had a little sweet tooth and she must've noticed when you looked at the treats she got longingly, giving you a few of them in exchange for a good year in the Order.

It was safe to say that watching Hel fall made that year all the more peaceful. You'd never forget the funeral they had for King Gustav, or the looks on the Askr royalty's faces. Hríd and Ylgr had come from Nifl to express thier condolences to the Queen, then opted to spend the rest of the somber day with you, Fjorm, and Gunnthrá.

That was the day you received the ice that never melted, and the day you began to push yourself to never fail again. Even though the odds were well against everyone during the difficult battle with Hel, there must've been something you could have done.

I'm doing it again, you thought with a pessimistic tone. Shaking your head, you remember what Sothis had done and calm yourself with deep inhales and exhales. I will finish this war for their sake. 

Unbeknownst to you, there was a person standing barely five feet from you holding a small basket. You didn't even notice them until your thoughts were broken by a soft sneeze.

"Gesundheit." You say out of instinct, returning to the sunset. A moment passes until you jump and look to the source of the sneeze, spying a head of reddish-orange hair.

"Conrad! Oh, geez I'm sorry for not noticing you." Chuckling lightly, the knight waves it off with his free hand. He was a very easy-going man once he took of the mask... but you found yourself stunned at how different he could be with it on.

"It's quite alright, Summoner. It would have been rude to disturb someone so deep in thought." He muses with a smile, and you bow your head. Your eyes drift to the woven basket in his other hand, and the Valentian knight almost glows with pride.

"I noticed that you missed dinner-" 

You flush, wondering just what time it is.

"-and decided to bring it to you. With my own, of course. Wouldn't want our Summoner to be completely alone." He jokes, eyes gleaming. They were the same shade his hair was, and you couldn't help but smile towards him.

"T-that's very considerate of you, Conrad. I appreciate it." 

Your words seem to make him stumble slightly, but he carries himself with grace even while setting down the basket and sitting fairly close to you against the same tree.

"I guess I lost track of time. Can't help myself with a view like this, though." Speaking while staring off into the sunset, your eyes return to Conrad who's doing the same. Spying something, you subconsciously grin at the one-in-a-lifetime thing.

"I agree. On nights like this I would do the same. The colour reminds me of Anthiese." He sighs, and you nod in agreement. Conrad brings a hand up to his curly hair and brushes the locks back as you look on enviously. It must be incredibly soft with how it effortlessly slides through his fingers- hold on, what are you doing? Your thoughts come to a screeching halt, but your mouth is already going one-hundred in a sixty zone.

"The same goes for you! Your hair is practically the same shade as hers and this sunset." Laughing happily so you don't reveal how embarrassed you are, you pick up one of the sandwiches and spy some of your favourite things stuffed inside before shoving it in your mouth.

"O-oh, I suppose it is." Conrad notes with an odd tone, then laughs alongside you. The two of you fall into a comfortable silence. Between bites of the delectable sandwich, you chat amongst each other.

"My compliments to the chef! This is delicious," Exclaiming with surprise, you wonder which cook made this and how to thank them. Today the food was almost too good! When Conrad is silent, you look over at him with suspicion. He has a light blush on his cheeks at the compliment, allowing you to connect the dots.

"You made this?" With a sly look on your face, you manage to pry out a subtle nod. Beaming at the knight, you thank him profusely.

"...I was also on c-cooking duty today." He stutters, and you freeze up with realization. Cooking duty was two people, and you'd only spotted Oscar. He must've been in the back cooking and you missed him completely. 

"You WHAT?" Scaring the birds from the nearby trees, you shower Conrad with praises. The way through to your heart was food, and this man had just beat the competition. If there was any.

"Conrad you're fantastic! I could marry you!" Saying that with a grin you couldn't hold back, Conrad was rendered speechless. He could think back about the expressions you'd shown over the years, but this one was new. Especially without your hood on. Even as he was approaching you, the look on your face was a distant one. He knew that all too well, having mirrored it on restless nights thinking about his sister and if she was alright.

The thought of marrying someone was... a lot. What marriage implied as well. Conrad had never felt this degree of praise from anyone but Anthiese

"Y-you don't have to thank me, I was happy to do it!" He continues to falter in his speech, cursing himself at how oddly you made him act. You shook your head and he wanted to bury his head in his white cape.

"I can't just eat this without thanking you. You spent time making this." 

Conrad nods, refusing to make eye contact. The sunset had gotten brighter and bathed the two of you in a warm, honeyed-orange light. After finishing the sandwich and taking a long sip of water, you drop your head back on the tree's trunk and shut your eyes.

"...I'm glad we've found a moment of peace." Conrad's voice is soft, and you hum in agreement.

"Me too. I don't think I've sat outside alone since... Nífl, I think." Replying with a lazy tone to your voice, your thoughts turn from orange to white snowscapes and tall castles made of gleaming blue ice. As your thoughts blend together and eventually become an odd dream, you manage to spit out one last sentence before your head drops.

"Mmmm... I think I'll miss dinner more often if I get to spend time with... you," You yawn, then let go of consciousness and end up leaning against Conrad instead of the tree. He's confused by the feeling on his side and look over, eyes widening when he sees you're sleeping...on his... shoulder.

Oh.

Conrad went to say something, but caught himself. They look so peaceful. It wouldn't be very knightly to wake a sleeping Summoner. He shifts a little only to make your more comfortable, then brings out the book he wisely brought with him. It was a tale about Líf, the first King of Askr. Conrad had brought it along in case you ended up staying a bit longer than anticipated.

His blush faded overtime, becoming more accustomed to you and eventually falling in rhythm with your breathing. The sun had set and the once bright colours faded away, leaving no light to read and a slight worry something could happen.

It took a little maneuvering to collect the basket and then figure out how to carry you to his horse that had been grazing peacefully while the two of you ate and then napped. With one arm looped behind your back and the other behind your knees, he carried you to the white horse and returned to the castle as quietly as he could.

On the way to your chambers, you stirred awake much to Conrad's dismay. Your eyelids fluttered open, followed by a quiet mumble of words that sounded foreign.

"Mmmmh... Conrad?" With a voice that sounded exhausted, Conrad came to the decision that maybe he shouldn't go into your room without asking a fully-awake Summoner.

"We're almost to your room." He replies, and your eyes flash open. Even though you're just waking up and still feel incredibly groggy, you immediately realize he was carrying you. Before you could ask to be set down, though, he reaches your door.

With both feet on the ground, you bring a hand to rub lightly at the corner of your eyes. Catnaps were great for afternoons, but now you'd be awake all night. Especially if it had been a few hours. With an apologetic expression, you apologize to the knight.

He seems taken aback, especially with his mask off.

"Please don't worry about it, Summoner. It was nothing." Conrad smiles, and you purse your lips. With little thought behind your actions, you throw your arms around Conrad in a hug. Well, as best you can with his armour on. 

"W-whoa!" He jumps, surprised at how outward you've acted all evening. Your arms are tightly wound around his body, and eventually he does the same.

"Summoner... I don't know what has been on your mind and I won't ask. But please- don't get lost in your thoughts. We will win whatever battles that come. Whether they are gods or human, victory will be on our side." Conrad says, and he watches you nod and the almost too subtle squeeze of your arms. Your silent response was noticed, and he decided that was enough for him.

It had been years since you'd felt the warmth of a hug. Even with Conrad's armour on, you were ready to fall back asleep with how warm he was. The normally cold armour was oddly comfortable, or was it something else making it easier to rest your head on?

You stay like that for a few more moments, revelling in how comfortable and sleepy you feel until Conrad starts to sway and your face goes beet red almost milliseconds after he started.

"I-I uh, should get to bed! Goodnight, Conrad!" You panic and scurry into your room, shutting the door and almost throwing yourself onto the bed to hide and never come out. With your haste, you had missed the look Conrad had on his face since the moment you'd fallen asleep.

Chapter Text

"Do not be afraid, you may speak openly with me."

Had fate not chosen you to be the Summoner, what would you do? Be home, swaddled in a blanket? Furthering your education? What would you be doing? Four years was a long amount of time where things could have changed drastically. Sometimes you couldn't even remember certain terms, fogged by the mysterious inner workings of Zenith. Seated alone in the gardens of Askr's castle, you analyzed the movements of chess pieces on the stone tablet before you.

Your opponent was no one in particular, Alfonse being busy with princely duties the second Henriette heard you all arrived. It was fun watching how his mother doted on Alfonse in her own ways. She greeted you with a smile. It had been two days since then, and no one had bothered you.

"You are free to rest in this castle now that the fight is over. Take the time you need, for everyone's sake." Henriette was more than accommodating, and for once you accepted a well-deserved break. Whatever had happened in the realm of Ljósálfheimr was mentally exhausting. Your dreams were impossible to remember, confused as to whose perspective you were in.

Sharena was the same and forced you to agree but she did that everywhere so you were used to her. You didn't want to impose on the queen any more than you already had, sticking with Commander Anna as per usual. The castle was lovely, and Fehnix was a delight to be around. He mentioned how the once razed town of Gnótthæ∂ was almost back to normal. It was common for places that had burned down to regrow faster, said Fehnix while Feh was stunned. The messenger owl had much to learn when compared to the senior.

Fingers graze against the stone chess piece, fixed with a lonely stare. You stay in your slouched position and end up overloaded with thoughts that shouldn't plague your mind. It was still astounding to think that you all had defeated a god in their own realm, but Hel made it seem a little easier to believe. Still, though. Something felt wrong.

The topic was rarely spoken about, though. Better to turn your attention to the next possible enemy than become vulnerable. You wondered how long this would go on. Askr, Embla, Nífl, Múspell, Hel, Ljósálfheimr, Dökklálfheimr... It was difficult to process the four-year anniversary of you being the Summoner. 

A hand is gently placed on your shoulder, fingers tapping softly enough you barely feel them at first. Turning your head to see who had approached you, the scent of lilies giving you the slightest hint. Pale green eyes stare down at you, framed by strands of the lightest hue of yellow-green tipped by the familiar shade you see on most manaketes or Nabateans. Her eyes seem blank at first, but you can tell that Seiros has no ill-will towards you. Especially after you had somehow guessed right in bringing along Seteth and Flayn when you summoned her. It was a miracle, actually. 

The gold of her headpiece glints softly, the wings reminding you of her other form. An elegant, virulent being that you had learned about in tomes and from personal recounts. The flowers slipped between her pale tresses looked fresh as ever. Almost the same shade of white as the Immaculate Ones' scales. 

"Good afternoon, Seiros." You speak up, placing the black chess piece down on the white square you had picked it from. Her eyes flicker towards the stone chessboard, a sliver of the draconian you knew most manakete's possessed. It sometimes had startled you, but now it was mostly replaced by your excitement in seeing a dragon. It would never get old.

"Would you like to play?" You ask her with a gesture to the board, and the saint seems to contemplate it deeply. A tactician of an army against one who battles in them- a game that could go on ages if played correctly by both sides. Was there even a correct way to play chess? There had to be. It wasn't what you were doing, that's for sure.

"If it takes your mind from your thoughts," Seiros speaks, her voice smooth. You purse your lips softly, attempting to hide your smile at how easily the heroes could tell your emotions. The saint seats herself across from you, examining the board with a calm expression. The cold weather made it hard to sit outside for long, but neither of you seemed to mind. 

"I hope it will."

The first move is made, Seiros placing a pawn. You do the same, further away. Playing without thinking was rather fun, it made moves unpredictable to either party. But it set you up for failure as well. Out of nowhere Seiros brings her Queen from behind the pawn she moved, making you wonder what she was up to. Narrowing your eyes in a joking way, you make your next move and bring the pawn in front of your bishop up one. You intended to bait her into a trap, but Serios was obviously aware of that.

Pawns move ahead, followed by more of your chaotic moves. Seiros plays in a reserved way, sacrificing some of her pieces to defend the main two from your assault. Sometimes the two of you pause, thinking of your next move in a calculated way. 

"Your moves are..." A smile passes onto your face, waiting to hear the words you knew she'd say. Alfonse has said them, Soren has said them, and now...

"...in character." Serios' words catch you off-guard, processing her words and then you look down. The pieces are all placed in a way that you could effectively finish the game. It had gone by so quickly you hadn't even realized. Even attempting to play dangerously was difficult, afraid of losing a single piece. Just like a battle. Darn, you grimace.

"I guess so. That makes me predictable, right?" You muse lightly, arms crossed on the table while still being hunched over. This time you correct your posture, straightening your back to also seem confident. Being stared down by Seiros was still intimidating, even if you were the tactician moving her around.

"It does," Seiros nods softly, her hair disturbed by the movement. The Saint of Legend seemed to be more interested in chatting now, which you were glad to go along with. There was only so much a tactful battle of chess could say in a conversation of wits. Now you would rather chitter and take your mind from the questions that hounded you for hours. 

Pain in the neck was a good way to describe them, exasperated with how often you would be stuck in your thoughts. A visit to a healer was a good idea to alleviate the headache, but it didn't help with things already scarred over. Talking about it helped.

"Seiros, when the war is done in Askr and you return to Fódlan... what do you plan on doing?" Surprisingly, your voice does not waver. It was a common occurrence with people who had natural intimidation. It was her eyes, you surmounted. They looked... tired at some times, longing for something that would never come. You'd seen the look on many people before you came here in people who had lost someone dear to them.

She doesn't look too bothered by the question, paired with a slow smile on her face. The red of her cloak reminded you of Edelgards'.

"... The people of Fódlan need guidance towards peace, and in the absence of Sothis I would continue her work." You figured Seiros would go with this answer; that's what actually happened for hundreds of years in the future of her world. What you were more interested in what Edelgard told you. The green-haired Nabatean had no reason to lie to you, moreso after you had given her the chance to speak to Dimitri and Claude on neutral terms. 

You were happy to report on their younger selves' progress when they unanimously decided on staying away from the others. Even when Hubert was watching from the shadows, reporting to the younger lady. You wondered if, on the chance, you summoned an older Hubert... would they spy on, or with each other? You have to focus on the way Seiros appraises the board to ground yourself from your thoughts.

Edelgard stated Rhea, once betrayed by Byleth, snapped immediately. Pent up fury and hatred for what humans and Agarthans had done to her people... That had already begun showing in subtle signs.

It made you feel a sad melancholy towards her- that she could never recover past her mother's death. The nature of the Crests was abominable, especially with the knowledge of the weapon's origins. Areadbhar, Blutgang, Failnaught, and the Sword of the Creator... It was detestable what their history, design, and records implied. Alfonse had the same reaction when you revealed what you discovered, his usually calm face twisted with minor disgust. The two of you discussed a lot that night, interrupted by a need for sleep.

You were aware Seiros had gifted her crest to Edelgard's ancestor, Wilhelm I, and then executed the Ten Elites when Nemesis was dead. Events after that were rewritten to twist Nemesis into becoming corrupted by the power he had been "granted" by the Goddess Sothis. 

"I see. It's no easy task to guide a country of humans. There's a difference if the job is given forcibly or taken willingly."

Seiros tilts her head back slightly, eyes intense and steadfast. Silence ensues, the two of you having a mutual understanding. She took the role to create the peace her mother protected and nurtured. You were bound to the Breidablik and here until the war passed and peace began. Who knows what would happen after that. Could you really go back to normal? Or would you long for this place as Seiros did for her mother's return?

"Summoner, perhaps we truly see things alike." A sigh passes through her but is replaced by what seems to be genuine content. You agree with a nod, the tense air blown away by a zephyr of relief.

"I think so. Just like you said before- you can speak to me freely about your worries. I don't mind. " You finish by making a move on the chessboard, and Seiros ends the game swiftly after. Your pieces clack onto the marble as you return them to their original spot. Seiros takes her pieces as well and breaks the silence with an offer.

"I propose we continue to speak over tea. I don't believe I have seen you lose a game of chess yet." 

You chuckle, patting your cold hands together lightly when the pieces are in order. 

"That's a good idea. It's a little chilly today, I could go for some chamomile. Besides, the loss will help me learn."

Seiros nods in agreement, a calm look on her face. The two of you rise from your spots and head towards the kitchen.

"Of course. Spring is coming to Askr, and I look forwards to it. You seem rather affected by the cold." Elegant and direct with her delivery, you laugh a little too loud and nod. She wasn't wrong, sometimes the chill got to you.

"If they didn't have tea and warm clothes, I may not have survived Nífl's winters. They are tremendously brutal." Joking casually, you eye the tall Nabatean subtly and smile. 

Seiros graces you with an amused look, and your hands tighten. There had to be a shred of hope to helping her reconcile with what happened. There was a smidge of doubt, but you wouldn't know if you refused to try. She was deeply affected by what happened to the Nabateans-- and you didn't blame her. It was awful and you empathized with Seiros as best you could. 

"I understand. Nature is not kind for humans who are ill-prepared." You barely chuckle, head lost in murky thoughts. 

There were countless heroes who had also lost their people to war or simply because of their powers, being blamed for something they did not do, or who they were. Rafiel, Reyson, and Leanne had their home of the Serenes Forest destroyed along with the extermination of their people all because of the Begnion Senate. You were terrified to ask them about it, worried it would remind them. It probably would, which is why you hadn't said a word since Seiros had arrived.

"We should plan more outings, Seiros. I know a few laguz who I think would enjoy talking to you." You would try your best but wouldn't overstep any boundaries. It was a delicate thing.

Seiros walks beside you at the same pace, eyes forwards. Her armour jingles quietly, an odd niche sound you had come to enjoy over the years.

"Laguz, you say? Hm... next time." Seiros nods, and you smile. It was a good start. If you couldn't see it through and ended up disappearing, you wanted to leave knowing that there was at least a chance. 

Chapter Text

With peace finally cresting on the horizon, it was time to celebrate with your allies. Nífl was gorgeous this time of year, though the winds were bitterly cold- you rarely saw a sad face in the crowds anymore. Everyone was living life to the fullest.

"They all look so lovely," Sharena coos, her eyes locked on the aptly dressed Juno and Zelot in the distance. They had been married long before being summoned, but apparently, it was more of an eloping when compared to the whole lovey-dovey celebration you see this time during the year. Nodding in agreement, you adjust the more... formal wear you had been forced into. Four years into this and you finally give in to their demands. Only if everyone else wore theirs, too. To be fair, you all looked very nice when wearing the whole fit together.

So you all decided to suffer as a group, and aim to take the Bridal Bouquet once more...

...except this time, you planned to mess up and lose. Every time you won, you would be put into the spotlight and miss out on getting to the delicious foods and snacks. That was not happening this year. You were getting your hands on the fresh stuff (while also bringing some to Hríd if he didn't get out of the castle in time- the poor man was swamped with work and Ylgr was vocal about it being unfair) and eating happily.

"You seem excited." Anna laughs, and you can't help but bow your head and hide the warmth of your cheeks. You're thankful the outfit you had was still your cloak, but your regular clothes were vastly different and far more itchy.

"I am," Trailing off when you spy the stalls lined with treats like macarons in various colours, cakes decorated with flowers and golden icing. You could practically breathe in the sugar in the chilly air, the area covered with a good layer of snow as Nífl had offered to hold the celebration this year.

Ylgr had vanished somewhere, most likely with Helbindi (you always dragged the Múspell general along to Nifl) and taste-testing treats. Once this was over, you and the Heroes were to set off to the castle to visit the royal family with Fjorm, and then depart for Askr the next day. That's when you'd move to speak with the Niflese siblings without the public eye.

"Any particular reason?" Fjorm, her fingers clasped together around Gjallarbrú, asks gently. Your gaze is unbroken on a rather delectable-looking tray of muffins speckled with chocolate chips and dusted with sugar. Oh, wow! This reminded you of the baked goods in grocery stores! Did they have those soft cookies? They were an acquired taste and were definitely unhealthy, but some people would gorge themselves on them. Apparently, they were called 'lofthouse cookies'.

"Umm, actually-" You begin, but Sharena shoulders past you to point somewhere in the crowd. Fjorm sighs from beside you.

"Look there! It's Catria and Thea! Oh, they're beautiful." Sharena, breaking the looks you had on the sugar cookies and subsequently, Fjorm's on you to pieces. You all observe the duo from a distance, watching them stand close together and speak about the treats. Both looked like each other, their hair the only pointer as to who's who when you didn't know either. 

Hmmm...

"They do look great together." You speak up, smiling at the radiant duo. Who would've thought? Not me. Well...

"I suppose we should prepare for the tournament." Alfonse pipes up, which jumps everyone into action. You hum distracted but follow the group to where it begins. The team you had chosen this year is made up of Fjorm, Tharja, Sanaki, and Sigrun all dressed for the occasion. Adjusting your clothes, you wondered in the future if you would be fighting in the next with the Briedablik weapons. You hoped not, as it looked very hard and you were... well, hehe...

Sanaki huffs, arms shifting and catching your attention. You suppose she would have crossed her arms if one hadn't been around your own. She had nearly tripped and torn the hem of her dress, so the young Apostle was now using you as support after practically demanding it. You didn't mind much. She'd eventually use her pegasus, but you were happy to lend a hand to the girl.

"We will win this swiftly," She proclaims, and you nod in agreement. Sigrun had finally arrived, having trouble getting ready. Cherche had fixed her dress after overhearing Sigrun note it was tight on her. The blue-haired woman looked much more comfortable than before, which was good.

"Then we can eat." You muse, eyes crinkled with a smile. Sanaki is in complete agreement with a hmph, while Sigrun purses her lips, regarding you and Sanaki with a gentle eye roll.

"You two are thinking about food more than the celebration."

Sanaki goes rigid and you laugh cheerfully, neither of you denying Sigrun's accusation. For a while, the two back and forth as you observe the newer brides and grooms with curious eyes. They approach the blue and silver arena where you have already arrived. They seem eager to win along with the others who had joined them, each having the same look in their eyes. All in all, they are in high spirits and determined to win.

Tharja and Fjorm were prepared, their respective pegasi saddled and decorated as equally as their riders. Assisting Sanaki onto her pegasus, Sigrun follows and the battle commences with a whirl of snow. 

You may have planned to lose, but you would win the first two battles. Just for fun. Muffling a quiet laugh, you fall into stance and issue orders to the flying heroes vivaciously. 

Sanaki finishes the battle with a flurry of frosty flowers against Saul, giving your team the first win. You exchange some helpful advice and tips, which the ladies and priest absorb quickly, determined to take the bouquet from your hands. You're a little surprised at their passion to win, but it must have something to do with the two Heroes that are absent from their squad.

As you approach them to thank them for the match, you overhear them chatting loudly.

"We can do it. For Zelot and Juno- they deserve a lovely celebration." It's hard to tell who's saying it, but you clear your throat and wave with a friendly smile to them. 

"Thank you for the battle. I'll see you guys at the finals." With a kind and encouraging grin, you part from Catria and Thea who look even more pumped up to fight. However, further back you spy Saul hanging around looking rather... blank. He was an officiant today and must have blessed many couples to a long and happy life together- that would make anyone tired.

After this ended, you would see if anyone else could take over. 

"I wonder if I'll see them this year..." Tharja hums, her dark hair gleaming in the afternoon sun. You figure she's talking about Robin with the expression on her face.

Robin had offered to stay back and work on some notes for you, which you accepted after being scolded countless times by Anna that no! we need you with us so we can win and maximize profits! YOU ARE COMING WITH US, and figured this year would be the one you would be dragged along to.

Sanaki calls your title sternly, and you glance down at the young Apostle. She is glowering at you, arms crossed and darkly-hued eyes digging into you. 

"You seem to be thinking of everything but battle." Beside Sanaki, Sigrun nods. You look around for Anna and the other Askran royalty and then reveal your secret when none are in sight once asking them for their promise not to share.

"...I overheard that the new Heroes want to hold a ceremony for a couple- Juno and Zelot." Explaining in a hushed tone, you twiddle your thumbs before continuing. You had come to terms with the premeditated loss, but not the Heroes you led into battle. You had a streak to continue, yet were fully prepared to toss it aside for someone to have the celebration they were denied.

"We've won every year in a row for a few years, so I figured that maybe we could let another group win. They could use the bouquet. I should've asked if you all were okay with that before deciding." Bowing your head, you apologize to them all. Some of them were royalty or in high positions of power, used to respect from others of lower ones.

"You very well should have. I'm disappointed." Sanaki huffs, but Fjorm pipes in from the side.

"I understand why," She begins, her blue eyes gleaming. You smile gratefully at the princess.

"Mmhm... I want that bouquet, though." Tharja speaks up, a hand on her chin and eyes narrowed. There was no doubt Tharja would want to be anywhere else at the moment and offer the bouquet to Robin. You think, then offer up some information she would eat right up.

"The faster we lose, the faster you can go find Robin. I know where all of them are. Plus, we can eat early if we lose."

She has the faintest smirk, your words absolving the conflict almost immediately. Sorry, Robin.

"They can have those dull flowers."

Sigrun nods her head, teal hair framing her pale complexion and requiring her to brush it back into place with the brush of her ungloved hand.

"Very well! Our loss will not be in vain. We will depend on you for your guidance." Sanaki claps her hands with a subtle cheer at the thought of food, and you chuckle alongside Fjorm. Thus, you all discuss the best way to lose the final round without garnering suspicion. Good thing you had brought a few weapons with you, then. Sending a glance to a confectionary table loaded with cinnamon buns and gingersnap cookies, you clench your fist around the Briedablik's handle and devote yourself to losing in the most realistic way possible.

Across the snowy arena were the final contestants. You could tell they were fully prepared to fight to the finish when compared with your own team who were one-hundred percent ready to lose and go off to do other things. Tharja had her eyes narrowed, yet sported a sickly sweet smile on her lips, hand languidly petting her pegasus while Fjorm seemed a little worried.

"Are you sure this will work?" She asks quietly, and you nod.

"It should, realistically. So long as everyone acts normal." Answering simply, Fjorm looks a little cautious at your lax reply.

"We'll find out, then." Sigrun states. The final preparations for the battle had finally finished, and now all you needed to do was begin the fight. You actually didn't need to do much considering most already had exactly what you needed (besides Sigrun, which took hunting down Conrad) and changed up a few of their skills with practiced ease. It was almost poetic how much of a dumpster fire you were about to create.

"Don't worry, I'll still lead you guys. Just... have fun with it." Reassuring your team one final time, you all set off to prepare at the open, snowy cathedral. As it was the final match, you were accompanied by a large crowd of people dressed for the occasion. The crowd looked excited about the final bridal bash and the winner of the bouquet's reveal, thought they were separated by a white fence for their own safety.

Nífl's people were overjoyed at the celebration and the incredible performances set so far, so this had to look as real as possible. As the match begins, you watch your flying team get into formation. Tharja had the best chance of taking Catria out, though Sigrun was fully prepared to do the same with a shiny set of skills to counter her. Well, maybe she would have if you hadn't given her Conrad's floral sword...

You wonder just how they manage to fight with how many flowers are tossed everywhere. Clashes are accompanied by floral arrangements being thrown practically everywhere, distracting quite a few of the others and to the delight of children who begin to fling the flowers about. You could only chuckle that it was actually working. The leftover flowers that weren't crumpled underfoot could be used for the final ceremony, just as planned.

Equipping all of your units with flower-themed weapons and then telling them to go buck wild was your plan. They got to decide their movements, and you'd sit and look pretty at the back with an occasional order.

Anna would be pissed. She'd be glaring at the back of your head if she was aware you were one-hundred-percent dedicated to losing this match. Actually...

As Tharja's fireposy almost knocks Catria and Thea down in a blast of flames, you turn around and spot Anna. Her face is twisted into a confused expression, red eyes wide and wondering what nonsense you're up to. When you lock eyes, something clicks and she shakes her head with a hard glare. You click your tongue.

At the sound of Tharja finally getting countered, you shrug to the Commander with a sly smile, then turn back around. Catria's composure is thinly-veiled, her hands tightly gripping the handle of her wedding-themed axe. There are flowers peppered on her clothes, adding a bit of colour to the white dresses. You nod to Tharja when she lands her pegasi at the back of the arena, the pegasus' dark feathers littered with flowers as well. The animal seems to be munching on some, too. You chuckle again.

Sanaki and Sigrun are together, leaving Fjorm behind the two to support them from the back. The opposition has only Shanna, Catria and Thea left. A near-equal standing, though your main unit to counter Catria is now downed. 

June and Zelot are off to the side, close together and cheering their team on. Saul got dragged off not too long ago, though you assume it has something to do with their covert planning for their celebration. Tharja has returned to your side, arms crossed and eyes dark. A loss is still a loss to her. 

Sanaki's frostflowers glow, Sigrun close by and boosting her magical prowess further. Catria takes a defensive stance with her axe braced across her body, her pegasus' wings unfurled and preparing to dodge. Flowers are kicked up into the air, scattered about like flurries of snow. You smile.

Tharja examines the scene, then seems to catch on to your plan with a raised brow. Her arms crossed under her chest, head tilted only slightly at the arena's flower-coated floor. 

"You can be very shrewd with your secrets." She notes, eyes forwards and making it a point to avoid looking at you. You scoff, though it's in a friendly manner with your quirked-up lips and . 

"I get to do this... once a year?" Shrugging, you examine Sigrun ready her blade. You nod with a grin, and Anna looks ready to leap over the fencing keeping everyone a safe distance away and strangle you. You avoid her infernal gaze, mind intently set on the desserts table. She can reprimand you later and you'll accept defeat with a satisfied stomach.

"I like to have a little fun when I can." 

Sigrun parries Catria's axe with the striking expertise of a Holy Knight and Sanaki fires a flurry of frosty flowers at the unaware blue-haired duo, resulting in a direct hit. Catria is unable to get away in time, Sigrun keeping her firmly in place on the offence and lashing her blade out again and again. Metal sings each time the blade connects with the axe's pole, and Catria can barely keep up. You grin, though it's not totally because of Sigrun showing off her impressive skills (though it does play a part).

The result is glorious; flowers everywhere and just about covering the two heroes completely. Sigrun did not evade the chaos either, plucking one of the blue flowers from her hair and dropping it to rest on the others laid on the snowy ground.

Catria shakes herself from the flowers and lunges forwards as everyone watches, Thea close behind. Sigrun having only a few seconds to counter the surprised attack. Sanaki had stayed in place, her own bouquet that had floated just barely from her hands now clutched in her arms. Sigrun hadn't anticipated such a sudden retaliation, not to mention the flowers that had been flung out alongside Catria and muddled her vision.

Fog of war but flowers. There has to be a joke for that.

In a flowery flurry, Sigrun is knocked from the competition, leaving Fjorm and Sanaki. You pat Sigrun's shoulder as she returns to your side, though she looks worried as Sanaki's pegasi weaves away from Thea's bow. She handles the winged horse fantastically, and draws more icy power from the frostflowers to ward the archer away.

"We're almost done, Sigrun. I said I wouldn't admit defeat easily." Your eyes stay forwards, but you give her a reassuring smile. 

"Sanaki is a capable fighter- she's not one to go down easily." In the arena, Sanaki's face is set in a deep frown as her pegasi hovers in the air with strong wingbeats. She looks furious! A child her age being so angry... you totally understood. You'd seen some pretty crazy kids back home. None of them had access to magic, though.

"To mar the Apostle... the Divine Messenger of Begnion! This is a transgression worthy of heavenly punishment!" Sanaki's voice rings out. Fjorm looks worried at the girl's sudden switch to that of the Apostle, and you can only purse your lips.

Ah. I probably should've switched Tharja and Sanaki. Oh no! I lost!

Catria steps back, Thea behind her with wide eyes. Neither of the girls looks too prepared. Sigrun seems pleased with the girl's prowess, leaving you feeling like a fish out of water. Did Sanaki forget about the deal?  

Fjorm looks panicked, and you see Hríd and Ylgr with your group most likely chatting about what they've been doing for the past few months. You're glad Hríd managed to get some time off to visit the festival, but fight the urge to go see them straight away. Sanaki manages to outlast Fjorm, who unfortunately was attacked by Shanna with her bow. Sanaki repositions immediately, her magical flowers finding their target with accuracy deadly on the field. The Princess of Ice sighs when she reaches you, her pegasus's mane coated with flowers.

"Hríd is with the Order if you'd like to go say hi." You point with your head, nodding in their direction with your eyes locked on the field. Fjorm, used to your quirks, brushes her shoulder against yours as a silent thanks, and leads her steed away. She'll spend most of the trip with them, hopefully. You know she will- her sickness wasn't getting any better. She doesn't need to ask to go. I want her to be happy.

You turn back to the battlefield.

Sanaki, cornered by Catria and Thea, readjusts her bouquet and glares onward with fury in her purple eyes. Catria doubles down as well, her axe weightless in a practiced spin around her fingers. The arena is thrumming with energy, onlookers murmuring about who would win in the silent, tense atmosphere. Thea urges Catria on, and Sanaki leaps to move first and take the bouquet with a blast of blue flowers.

Well, you know she wants the free food provided to the participants. But her determined rush to grab the win catches you off-guard. She just looked at me- if she faking it? A grin slips onto your face with no restraint. 

You aren't completely surprised when Catria pushes onwards through the flowers with a determined expression, wincing at the magic's direct hit.

Sanaki falters at the sight of Catria's weapon bearing down on her and her pegasus. For a moment, Sanaki debates the win, and the gives up with a huff and two raised arms. The match is finally decided with a victorious roar of approval from the crowd when Sanaki falters. With the cheering and the flowers tossed at the winners, you're happy in your decision and approach the opposing team with a smile. You've got a few flowers on your shoulders and cloak, but they flutter to the ground when you move.

"You all did fantastically. The bouquet is yours." Bowing your head slightly, you affirm their win with a happy grin. Sanaki is picked free of flowers somewhere behind you- you can tell it's her when Sigrun chuckles at the girl's indifference. Catria's cheeks are flushed red at the workout, nodding in agreement. Thea gushes about the battle, and now their plans are complete.

"Plans?" You ask, head tilted. Catria shushes Thea, but the fish is out of the bag. 

"We wanted to hold a ceremony for our friends and give them the bouquet. They deserve it for everything they've gone through." Catria explains. You feign surprise, but it's not hard to do it. It was wonderfully kind of them to do this for Juno and Zelot.

"That's so sweet of you all." You coo, a hand on your cheek. Thea nods in agreement, smiling brightly. You gesture to the tall, high-spire building decorated with ribbons and candles that couples had gone in and out of, seeking blessings from priests or other holy figures.

"The cathedral is open for use- please, feel free to utilize it. Food is already set up, and the bouquet is on its way." You clarify by pointing to the group of attendees parting. Catria and Thea look surprised at the presentation, blue and white ribbons tied around an arrangement of flowers native to Nífl. You can see some frostflowers tucked away in there, along with other lovely plumes of magical colours.

"Please, extend the happy couple my wishes for an amazing wedding day!" Clapping your hands together, you step back and wave to the trio who return it with bewildered eyes. Slinking off, you convene with Tharja, Sigrun and Sanaki.

Tharja raises a brow. You shrug.

"Robin stayed behind for this celebration. You can use the portal we came through." She mutters something under her breath, but disappears in a swish of ebony fabrics. You turn to Sigrun and Sakani, the former adjusting her hair with gentle fingers and the latter staring off into the crowds with an unreadable expression.

"You're free to enjoy the celebration now. We're meeting at the Nífl castle afterwards, should be during the evening. Thank you for battling today." Sigrun nods sharply, then offers Sakani her arm. The purple-haired girl takes it, eager to get to the food stalls. They're off to test and try foods, leaving you alone and merging with the crowd.

It's busy, and the cathedral is cut off for preparations of Juno and Zelot's celebration. You end up at the tables from the start of the day, still decorated with white, blue, and gold. More importantly, the food is there too. You grin, then swipe some of your favourites and a napkin to snack on. You're completely alone and allowed to be as gluttonous as you want, so you indulge in the sweets and savouries with a satisfied hum.

Enjoying the loud environment is an acquired taste. People mull about, happy and spirits high in the evening sky. You liked this kind of mood when you were just able to watch and listen, left to your own devices (which happened to be sweets). Some heroes are here, also indulging in treats. Lysithea and Edelgard, a duo you hadn't seen all day, seem to be hotly debating something about taste versus decor. They hold two separate slices of cake, though it's hard to tell what kinds they each have.

Professionals are on the case. I'm glad they're having a good time. Even if Edelgard's brow was knit together, you could tell she was enjoying the debate with Lysithea.

Somewhere else, Micaiah is observing a play going on, Sothe in her shadow and more on-guard.. Soren and Ike, both wearing their valentines outfits, walk by in low-voiced chatter and eventually meld into the crowds. Silas, a knight from Nohr, accompanies Corrin. The two are much more animated than most; growing up in the same secluded outpost would bring anyone together. 

Your eyes scan the area for a bit longer until you end up resting them on the blue sky above. Clouds streak by, glowing orange with the setting sun. 

All in all, it was nice. You got to help someone while also excusing yourself from the spotlight for a much-needed break. It didn't particularly matter if you saw the ceremony, just that two people received the chance to share their vows once more. A lot of people don't get that chance. 

Glancing back down to your lap, someone crashes onto the bench and nearly kicks you right off of it had they not thrown their arm around your shoulders to steady you. You drop the uneaten treats with a horrified gasp, unable to tear your eyes from their plummet into the white snow to see who'd thrown themselves at you.

"Oh, oops!" They apologise, sounding completely unapologetic. Your face is suddenly enveloped by feathers- feathers that poke and prod sharply at your skin. Pulling your body away from... whatever it is, you expect Feh to be there.

It's not Feh. Feh is absolutely not as large as you.

The bird is huge and mainly white-feathered, with a plume of red feathers cresting it's silvery armour, staring at you with its royal regalia and sharp yellow eyes. It's almost as big as you are, and the bird could probably pick you up with those... sharp talons, and fly off with ease. Oh.

"Hey, boss! I've been looking for you! You're being chased." Dagr. She's peering down at you, her short, light-blue hair swept to the side and a bright grin on her face. You blank, wondering what the Jötunheimr princess is doing here when you spy Anna with Nóatun and vengeance in her eyes. You gape, and Dagr laughs with a good-natured smile.

"My message's delivered- gotta run!" She smacks your back and flees as you keel over from the stinging sensation of her muscled hand whacking your soul from your body, her eagle squawking after her and leaving you to suffer alone. You grieve the leftover treats briefly, make eye contact with Anna's hellfire gaze across the street, and jump over the bench's backrest to make your daring escape.

"You cost us the bouquet! I made so much money last time!" Anna howls, summoning a fury you did not know she possessed. Her steps thunder after you even when you slip into the crowds, the clatter of dishes and angry villagers shouting after you only growing closer and closer. 

Sparing a glance behind you, Anna is hot on your tail, followed by both Askran royals trying to stop her. You can't help but laugh while running, then ducking with a pitiful yelp when a cupcake is thrown in your direction. It soars over your hood as you scramble to continue running away. How can I be lonely with Anna after me like this! It seems I've got what I wished for. 

Zelot and Juno exit the cathedral, both looking as if they'd been first wed and paired with bright smiles and pink-tinted cheeks. As you haul by, you stop in your tracks.

"Congratulations on the ceremony!" Zelot moves to speak, a white glove delicately brushing some flowers from Juno's dress, but his eyes dart behind you and you wisely begin to run once more.

"T-thank you!" Juno calls. Ducking to avoid the sweet roll aimed for your head, you laugh once more and dart off. Your day ends in your own kind of victory; partaking in as many things as you can with expressive delight before Anna sinks her claws into you for whatever fate she has in store.