Chapter Text
When they first arrived, Kiran didn’t know how to approach Alfonse. On one hand, he was the Prince and heir to the throne of Askr, a person they would never be able to meet in their homeworld. On the other, he was a member of the Order of Heroes, a militia they were essentially the leader of. He stayed close enough to protect them and to perform his duty as the Prince of Askr but kept them at arm's distance in any other regard.
From the time they spent with Alfonse, Kiran learned that he felt duty-bound to his people and did whatever he could to protect them. He was serious by nature and acted aloof with all the Heroes with the only exceptions being his sister and Anna. When he wasn't training or doing things around the Order, he was busy fulfilling royal duties. His parents were absent from the capital, they had left for the frontlines of the Askr-Embla war. Alfonse took up their responsibilities. Sharena helped by doing some of their mother’s work but Alfonse took the brunt of the work saying, “it’s my duty as the eldest and heir to the throne.” With Alfonse constantly working and just avoiding pretty much everyone, Kiran rarely saw him other than on the battlefield. They learned more about the Prince from others than they ever did from him.
His enlistment into the Order of Heroes was contested by both the Askran people and his father. Some of the people thought he joined to play ‘hero’ while others shared the same concern of his father; he wasn’t ready. As heir to the throne, he couldn’t make rash decisions that would endanger his life or the lives he was protecting. Trained in the art of the blade since young, Alfonse could protect himself. It was his lack of experience compared to his enemies that was concerning. His death would cause waves that would affect the entire kingdom.
The sound of the door opening broke Kiran’s train of thought. Anna entered their office with a stack of papers in her hand.
“I got the report from today’s battle,” she shook the papers before placing it on top of the ever-constant pile of unfinished work.
“Thanks, Anna,” Kiran responded, wincing when their neck made an audible crack as they looked up at the commander.
“Take a break, Kiran. I can wait a few days for a report. Besides,” Anna said, eying Kiran’s red eyes, the candle stumps, and low burning oil lamps, “Alfonse would never let me hear the end of it if I broke the Great Hero. Dinner is being served in the mess hall anyways.”
“Alright, I’ll be right there,” Kiran sighed. They could sneak away after dinner to finish some more work. They enjoyed talking with the Heroes but today seemed particularly hectic and they just wanted to hide in their office.
They had performed a summoning that day and the new Heroes were so interesting to meet but they brought up their own set of incidents apart from the regular. The manaketes played a huge game of hide-and-seek-tag with the Heroes but there were a few arguments about cheating. (Note: Yes, Laguz and Beaststone users have an advantage with heightened senses. No, it’s not allowed to transform in the castle even if you’re playing hide and seek, do it outside). Kiran also learned the term, “Hero,” was applied very loosely. They were barely able to convince Ephraim from killing Valter on sight, the Wyvern Knight laughing maniacally in the background. The newly summoned also Grima didn’t take long to start taunting the other Heroes from the World of Awakening either.
Dinner was always interesting. From Jakob and Fredrick having set up elegant seating for their charges to reunited friends and family reconnecting, something was always happening. Kiran could see the sweat on Roy’s face as he tried to ignore Hector’s glare while he and Lilina talked to Eliwood, Roy’s father. They could hear Hector growing, “what are you doing with my daughter, boy?!” Heroes gravitated towards those from the same world, but plenty of Heroes could be seen eating their meals with newfound friends.
Meals rotated between the cuisines of different worlds to give Heroes a taste of home and others a chance to try something new. The Outrealms allowed the kitchen to cook foods beyond what could be found in Askr. That night’s meal was from Hoshido, in honour of the newly summoned Legendary Ryoma.
Dinner consisted of white rice, miso soup, a variety of seafood dishes, and various pickled vegetables. Kiran eyed the assortment of small cakes, jellies, and small dumplings covered in sugar that were for dessert.
Gotta grab some of those...
“Kiran! Over here!” A familiar voice cried out. Kiran scanned the mess hall to see Sharena waving her hand, gesturing for them to come over.
Once the summoner was seated, Sharena immediately launched into a story about her day.
“-and I thought I was going to cry! When I showed Sigurd that Seliph was here, he rushed over and hugged him. Sigurd apologized for leaving him and dying and when Seliph started to cry, I was so close to tears. I’m so glad I could reunite them!” Sharena beamed. When she had learned that Heroes from other worlds were related, she took it upon herself to help them reunite. Kiran looked over to the table where Sigurd and Seliph were talking, they could see a glimmer in Seliph’s eye that wasn’t there before.
“Nice work Sharena,” Kiran smiled. They always felt guilty pulling Heroes from their worlds, especially if they were the first ones. Seliph had been one of the first Heroes they had summoned and hadn’t summoned anyone else from his world. Eventually, Kiran summoned Ares but it didn’t make the situation any better. Heroes could be summoned from different points in their world’s timeline. Seliph was summoned when he had just received the Life Ring whereas Ares was summoned before he met Nanna and thus still bore a grudge against the young Scion of Light.
Tearing their eyes away from the father-son duo, Kiran noticed Alfonse walking into the mess hall while in deep conversation with the honoured Hero of the night. Giving the Hoshidan prince a bow, who responded with his own, the Askran prince walked over to Kiran’s table and took a seat across from them and beside Anna.
“What was the bow for?” Sharena asked.
“Bowing is an important part of Hoshidan culture. It’s a form of respect, gratitude, apologies, or simple greetings. Prince Ryoma doesn’t mind that the other Heroes don’t know but as the hosting Prince, I’d like to respect their culture as much as possible,” Alfonse explained.
“That’s so interesting! I need to learn more about Heroes, there are so many things I didn’t know.”
“As important as it is to learn about the other worlds, you should finish reading about your own first, Sharena.”
“I will, I will,” Sharena waved off her brother. “There’s so much to do with all the Heroes in the castle.”
“Indeed,” Alfonse nodded, “is there something on your mind, Summoner?” He glanced over to the hooded figure who was staring blankly at their food.
“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that Hoshido resembles a country in my world,” Kiran said.
“Really? Maybe they’re connected somehow!” Sharena wondered, her eyes lighting up. “Tell us about your world, Kiran.”
“Yes, that is…” Alfonse trailed off. He looked like he wanted to say something else but kept it to himself.
As Kiran started explaining the similarities Hoshido had with Japan, they noticed Alfonse listening intently while pretending to analyze the food. He made small comments and questions during the conversation but never quite joined it.
The night went on as Kiran’s conversation with Sharena shifted from Japan and Hoshido to the recently summoned Heroes.
“Marth looks so handsome in his wedding suit, but I don’t understand how he fights with that weapon. It looks like some big metal fan,” Sharena giggled. “The other Marth was so surprised to see him, in wedding clothes no less!” When the two Marths saw each other, it was a bit of a spectacle. Groom Marth had been participating in the battle for the ceremonial Wedding Bouquet to give to Caeda while the other Marth had yet to confess his feelings in his world.
•~•*•~•
“It’s quite a surprise to see another version of myself here,” the Altean Groom remarked. Groom Marth had just arrived with the other recently summoned Heroes to the common area of the barracks.
“Indeed, it is. I feel like I’m looking into a mirror, but my reflection is not as it seems,” Marth agreed. The Altean prince looked over the other version of himself. It appeared that this Marth was a bit older than he was and dressed in what appeared to be a wedding suit.
“May I ask what you are dressed for?” Marth asked.
“I was just getting ready to take part in the battle for the Wedding Bouquet. Legend says that those who hold the bouquet are blessed with a happy marriage. I was hoping to win it for Caeda,” Groom Marth grinned sheepishly, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Marth’s face became a similar shade of pink as he took in his counterpart’s words. A certain princess in white and gold armour grinned to herself as she rushed out of the common rooms towards the kitchen.
“Ca-Caeda?”
“Yes, we are to wed soon,” Groom Marth smiled softly, his mind becoming occupied with his bride-to-be. “She accepted my proposal soon after the war ended.” Marth nodded, his face still pinkish as some of the tension his shoulders left upon hearing the war that he had been fighting, would end.
Soon to be wed… he would marry Caeda?
“Marth? I heard another Marth had been summoned,” a new voice rang through the air as Marth’s face became completely red. Although she wasn’t his Caeda, she was still Caeda .
“Ah... well, yes. Another Marth has been summoned. It appears he comes from a time past both of our own,” Marth gestured to his older self, trying to ignore how his ears started to burn. Both Marths turned towards Caeda. Her hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail and an apron thrown over her regular clothes.
“It’s nice to meet another Marth here,” Caeda greeted with a smile, looking over the familiar but different form of the Altean prince.
“It is a pleasure to meet another Caeda as well,” the groom smiled back.
“Might I ask why you are dressed like that?”
“He is, uh. Well, he is dressed for…er, you see he, uh...” Marth spluttered, not knowing what to say to the curious princess. Groom Marth didn’t immediately reply either. He awkwardly scratched his nose as he tried to figure out what to say.
Sharena giggled to herself as she watched the two blushing Altean princes try to explain themselves to the confused Talys princess.
•~•∙•~•
“They were blushing so much! Seeing the legendary Hero-King become flustered over his future wife was so cute,” Sharena gushed as she recounted the meeting. “They were going to meet eventually, I just sped up the process!”
“Sharena…” Kiran felt exasperated by the girl’s antics. It was harmless bringing the future rulers of Archanea together, but it definitely wasn’t the first (nor the last) of Sharena’s shenanigans.
“I can’t wait to talk to the Hoshidans, especially since they share so many similarities to ‘Japan’ from your world. But I guess I’ll do that tomorrow,” Sharena said, covering a yawn with her hand. “It’s so exhausting meeting so many new Heroes! I have breakfast duty tomorrow, so I guess I’ll turn in now. Good night, Kiran.”
“Good night, Sharena,” Kiran waved as Sharena left the mess hall. Anna had left the table a bit ago, muttering something about a new Outrealm. They weren’t sure where Alfonse went. He was rather interested in Kiran’s homeworld but might have left soon after they changed topics.
There were many times Kiran would talk about small details of their world at Heroes’ requests but Alfonse, despite his clear interest, never asked himself. He would ask his own questions when Sharena started a conversation but stopped himself before it got deeper.
Kiran would think Alfonse had no interest in the Heroes, apart from having new people in the castle, if they hadn’t been looking closely. Unless asked, he would refrain from sparing with Heroes, ignoring how he lit up when analyzing new fighting styles and battle tactics. He rarely talked with any of the Heroes about their worlds. Yet, more than once did Kiran see him in the corner of the library, nose deep in a book about a Hero’s world.
It wasn’t hard to figure out the prince was a bookworm and a total history buff. Any questions Kiran had about Zenith could easily be answered by the prince. As they went to more Outrealms during festivals, the prince would be found talking to the local Heroes about their traditions. It always confused them why Alfonse would speak to those Heroes but stayed away from the ones in his own castle. He had a love of reading and learning that went further than what his studies required but was reluctant to ask those around him.
Of course, straight out asking why Alfonse avoided people would be too awkward and he would never start that type of conversation.
Maybe he just doesn’t like me? He’s cordial enough but never wants to linger.
Kiran emerged from their thoughts when the sounds of laughter became more boisterous. It seemed someone had found sake, and more than a few Heroes started drinking contests. The Shepherds from the World of Awakening were being particularly rowdy. The Hoshidans started explaining different drinking games and Kiran took the chance to leave.
Scooping up two fish-shaped cakes, Kiran sneaked out of the mess hall. Bartre’s and Gregor’s voices could be heard breaking out into a drinking song as they made their way to their office. Taking a bite from one of the fish cakes (Kiran was delighted to find it filled with red bean paste), they stepped into their office and lit the oil lamps. The room was soon washed in a warm glow. They wrapped the remaining cake in a cloth and set it aside. Kiran picked up the report they were working on and tried to focus on recounting the details of the battle.
Most likely due to the Breidablik, Kiran and the Heroes had no trouble understanding and speaking Askran. Sadly, that did not extend to written words. They could read it (again, Breidablik) but trying to write it was much harder. The script had elements from the various languages of the Heroes’ worlds and learned it in a matter of days after arriving. Kiran had no such luck and had to spend the first few weeks taking a crash course in writing Askran. Askran characters were completely different from their native language. The sentence structure and grammar often tripped them up too.
Kiran was well versed in the Askran script now, having written dozens of reports, but just couldn’t focus on the paper in front of them. They stared blankly at the paper, pen in hand and ready to write but no words were coming to them. Putting the pen down with a sigh, Kiran decided they would listen to Anna and get it done tomorrow.
Slipping the wrapped cake into one of their pockets, Kiran turned off the oil lamps and closed the door. Walking towards their bedchamber, they took a right turn. After taking a wrong turn one night, they had found a lounge that was connected to a balcony near their room. The balcony had an amazing view of the capital city. Other than for cleaning, hinted by the lack of dust, no one was ever in the room. It was a perfect place for Kiran to get some fresh air and quiet away from the craziness of the Order.
The cool night felt nice against Kiran’s face as they let the gilded doors click behind them. Leaning over the railings, they looked at the glowing city below them. Their mind began to wander, their thoughts brought back to the Prince.
It would be impossible to not work together but talking about anything except work with him was rare. Any chance they started speaking casually, Alfonse would abruptly stop and excuse himself. Kiran thought back to when they met Bruno, known as Zacharias to the Askran trio, the eldest Prince of Embla. Bruno had befriended the royal siblings under the alias after being exiled from his country. He taught Sharena how to wield a lance and joined the Order of Heroes with her and Alfonse. But, a bloodline curse started to take control, compelling him to kill his Askran friends. He left the Order after attempting to kill Alfonse and disappeared, leaving the group under the cover of night. Bruno revealed he had been researching how to resist the curse in the year of his disappearance.
This revelation left Alfonse unusually quiet on their march back to the castle. Learning his lost friend was alive but must stay away due to a curse squashed any joy the reunion brought.
Kiran recalled what Bruno told them before disappearing again.
•~•*•~•
“I’m counting on you to look after my friends, Kiran. And if I ever make another attempt on Alfonse’s or Sharena’s life...” The masked prince took a shuddery breath.
“Kill me. Consider it my last request…”
•~•∙•~•
Kill Bruno?
Kill Zacharias ?
The man was dear to both Alfonse and Sharena. The grief and fury Alfonse held when Bruno claimed to kill his alias was heart-wrenching. Although Alfonse seemed fine when they returned from that mission, he was even more distant and buried himself in work.
It’s one thing killing soldiers that were trying to kill you or fighting other Heroes to surrender. But, to kill a man for a curse he can’t control?
Kiran was fortunate enough to grow up in a peaceful country and never experienced war. It took a lot of adjusting when they arrived and immediately thrown into one. A few nightmares and some new scars, they had become accustomed to their new situation. That didn’t mean they wanted to kill.
Kiran sighed,
How would I feel? Finding a once thought dead friend was alive but wished to die? Huh, like shit.
Letting out another sigh, Kiran looked up into the sky. The sun had gone down at this point and the stars had come out to play, the crescent moon smiling down on them. They had known a handful of constellations in their homeworld, but these were no longer their stars. Still, the sight of the sparkling stars brought a sense of wonder to the summoner.
This is a sight you can’t see in my cities.
Kiran snapped out of their daze when they heard the balcony doors click open. Turning around, they saw a familiar blue-haired, blond-tipped prince who was as surprised seeing Kiran as they were him.
“Summoner. My apologies, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Pardon me.” Alfonse looked annoyed when he realized it was Kiran and glared at the tiled floor. Kiran took this moment to look at the prince. It was surprising to see the prince was out of his usual armour, having changed in favour of a simple cotton shirt and pants. He shuffled his sandaled feet as his damp hair glistened slightly from the moonlight.
“It’s OK, you didn’t know,” Kiran assured. They looked at Alfonse’s annoyed look. “Am I… not allowed here?”
“Of course not, why would you say that?”
“Oh, well,” Kiran paused, “you just looked annoyed, so I assumed that something was wrong.”
“No, not at all,” Alfonse said startled, his face becoming uneasy. “I just didn’t expect anyone would be here. I am at fault for not being more aware.”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s impossible to see through those doors so you wouldn’t have been able to see me,” Kiran said. “Would you, um...”
It’s too late for either of us to have duties and we’re secluded enough that no one will interrupt. If you want to talk to him, now is the chance!
“Would you like to, uh, join me?” Kiran internally winces when the end of the question became more of a whisper.
“Are you sure? I don’t mean to intrude,” Alfonse replied, surprised at the offer.
“You aren’t intruding if I offer.”
“... if you say so.”