Work Text:
The sun was rising, and a faint sound of chirping came from outside the window as the world started waking up. A figure emerges from their bed, picking up the fallen pages of a report they were reading the previous night. Stretching their arms up into the air, they let out a satisfied sigh feeling their muscles relax.
Changing out of their nightclothes, they wash their face with the water basin placed beside their bed, the water removing the last dregs of sleep. Slipping on their trusty coat, they look down at the legendary relic that had summoned them.
The Breidablik was a beautifully crafted artifact that was both familiar and foreign. It resembled a weapon from their homeworld but nothing like the ones they had seen. A ‘gun’ was a weapon created by humans that shot small pieces of metal called ‘bullets’ that could pierce a hole straight through a person. The Breidablik possessed a similar shape and function but was so much more. White with elegantly weaving gold motifs, the Breidablik could use small spheres called ‘orbs’ to summon Heroes from other worlds that could aid them in battle. How the Breidablik could summon Heroes or why it resonated with them was a mystery, but the relic had become a part of them. It was unusual to see them without the relic in their hand or strapped to their side.
Sliding Breidablik into its holster, the figure pulled up their hood to its usual position; just covering their eyes. Gold motifs similar to Breidablik covered the ivory coat that went just past their knees and curved over the top of the hood. The coat was magical, a fact that was clear the moment they stepped into this world. Despite blocking their face, it didn’t obscure their vision, nor did it shift no matter how they moved. Unless they wished it, no one could see their full face as some sort of enchantment prevented them. Rips and dirt disappeared overnight, and the coat protected them from the wind, rain, heat or cold. The fabric was soft and never got too hot despite having the hood constantly up. It was a comfort and a reliable constant when things got crazy.
Now ready for the day, they slipped on their boots, grabbed the now-together report and left their room. The sun had risen more, and breakfast would be ready within the hour. Until then, it would be best to finish going over reports from the previous day and getting ready for the new one. Their bed chambers were a bit away from the barracks where their office resided, granting them privacy but close enough to rush there in the case of emergencies.
Looking at the arching ceilings and carved pillars, the castle that was once so alien had become a new home. Valhn Castle was reminiscent of some of the castles from their homeworld but this one was full of life and home of many instead of just a historic building. When they first arrived, they easily got lost looking at all the various details of the castle or simply taking a wrong turn. Having lived there for some time, they could now confidently navigate the maze of hallways; only getting lost on the rare occasion when they become lost in thought and wander off.
Opening their office, they noticed the old candle stubs had been replaced with tall new candles and the curtains pulled back to allow the sun to light up the room. Easing into their chair, they started shuffling through the various papers on their desk. Weapon and item inventory, battle and incident reports, requests, and complaints; work was never over.
They were looking over a report on the item inventory when the sound of pounding footsteps approached their office.
WHAM
“Summoner! Vaike and Narcian got into another fight over who is the best axe-wielder! They’ve already destroyed 5 training dummies!” Red hair pulled back into a ponytail and dressed in her armour, Anna, commander of the Order of Heroes, burst into their office. The gold motifs on her amour glinted in the sunlight as they looked up at the newcomer.
“Again? I thought they sorted that out last time,” they blinked incredulously. It wasn’t uncommon for there to be small fights between Heroes and most fights were settled with little to no damage to their surroundings. There were occasions they had to step in and mediate, using the contract that was formed between them and the Heroes during the summoning ritual. Vaike and Narcian often had ego clashes but normally were resolved without damage.
“Do they know how much those things cost? We already had to order new ones after Chrom and Lucina trained together last week!” Anna cried, holding her head in her hands causing the feathers on her pauldron to flutter. Quickly standing up, they followed Anna out of their office towards the training field. While Anna was calculating the cost of the damages in her head, they were worried about the two fighting Heroes and the chance of more fights breaking out.
As they rushed through the halls, another set of hurried footsteps came from behind them.
“Commander Anna! Where are those ladders? Setsuna fell into another pitfall in the gardens,” a young man with blue hair that faded into blond tips called out after them. Turning around, they saw Alfonse, the Prince of Askr, hurry up to them. “Ah. Good morning, Summoner,” he greeted. Alfonse wore armour similar to Anna but had armour resembling scales on his torso compared to Anna’s white tunic and weaving gold motifs.
“Good morning Alfonse. I thought Robin talked to Morgan about doing that? The gardeners get so distraught,” they said. It wasn’t just the gardeners that the pitfalls distressed, several Heroes fell to the young tactician's traps.
“I think it’s a different Morgan this time,” he replied.
“Check the storeroom with the gardening tools. I think I put them there,” Anna told him.
“Thank-ack!” Just as Alfonse was turning to leave, a figure jumped on his back giggling.
“There you are brother! Breakfast is ready in the mess hall and I heard they’re serving your favourite,” the attacker leaned over Alfonse’s shoulder revealing his younger sister and Princess of Askr, Sharena. She wore armour like Alfonse with her blonde, pink-tipped hair braided over the top of her head with the rest pulled back in a ponytail. Looking up, her smile grew brighter seeing the other two.
“Good morning Summoner, Commander Anna!” she beamed. “Want to have breakfast with me, Summoner? You mentioned you’re doing a summoning soon. I can’t wait to meet new Heroes!”
“I’ll join you in the mess hall in a bit. There’s a fight on the training field that I need to deal with and some pitfalls in the garden that need filling,” they nodded.
The Summoner let out a sigh, it was just another day in the Order of Heroes.