bluehairedlordwrites

[bluehairedlordwrites]

NIGHTMARE AT GARREG MACH: PART 1

Prompt: After Claude tells a scary story during a heavy storm to the students, Edelgard lectures him on his behavior, leading Claude to challenge her bravery after things take a turn for the worse, once they discover someone to be missing.

/—————————————————————/

The rain beat down on the cathedral ceilings and walls. All the students were gathered together for safety. Catherine, Cyril, Shamir, and Alois were passing blankets out to as many of the students as they could.

“Attention, students of Garreg Mach Monastery!” Seteth yelled over the chattering students and pounding rain. Everyone went silent and turned to look at him.

“As you all are aware, there is a heavy storm going on right now.”

“Oh really?” a sarcastic voice spouted from the crowd.

Seteth nodded and turned to the voice. “Thank you Claude.” He turned back to the crowd as a whole. “Now, please do not be alarmed. This is simply a blessing from the goddess for our crops.”

Just as he said this, a large flash of lighting and boom of thunder rattled the cathedral. Several students screamed in response.

“Well don’t I just feel blessed?” the same sarcastic voice heckled.

“Thank you Claude.” Seteth repeated, annunciating harder this time to show his frustration. “Anyway, because of the storm, we’re cancelling classes for today and keeping all students in here for tonight. As you may have noticed, blankets are being passed out, but we do not have enough for everyone, so please share with your peers. Also, make sure you always stay in groups in order to assure no one goes missing. Furthermore, if any of you must leave for any reason, please notify one of the faculty first and take someone with you. Bandits thrive off of loud storms like these, and I don’t want any of you in danger.”

“Yeah, bandits are one thing.” Claude heckled again. “But what we REALLY should be scared about... is the ghooooAAAAooosts!”

Lysithea, who sat next to him, planted her fist onto his arm.

“D-don’t say stuff like that!” she demanded. Other students began to mutter in panic after Claudes warning.

“Claude!” Seteth yelled. “Please do not fill the students heads with your fairy tales!”

“Hey, I’m just trying to warn them of all the dangers just like you are!”

“Claude, I-“

“Thats enough.”

A gentle and benevolent voice spoke from behind them.

“Ah... Lady Rhea... my apologies.” Seteth responded with a bow.

“Everyone, please remain calm.” Rheas soothing voice seemed to calm most of the students down. “The storm will not last long. I am going to pray to the goddess for our safety. In the meantime, everyone please remain calm and stay together.”

With that, the archbishop turned around and began her prayer. Seteth and the other officers began to patrol the cathedral to ensure all students were accounted for. On his patrol, Seteth felt a tug at his sleeve. He turned to see who it was.

“Ah, Flayn.” Seteth said, putting on a warm smile for her, despite the headache he was currently enduring. “How can I help you?”

“Um... Brother.” his sister spoke softly, bringing her voice to a whisper. “I... I must use the bathroom.”

“Now?” Seteth responded, followed by a sigh. “The nearest restroom is in the professors wing, and that’s all the way across the bridge.”

“That is no problem. You can take me, can you not?”

“Flayn, I’m very busy. You’re just going to have to hold it until the storm passes.”

“U-until the storm passes?” Flayn responded, perplexed by her brothers answer. “I will surely not make it until then! If you are busy, then I will look for another buddy to go with, like...”

Flayn quickly scanned the people around her, hoping a volunteer would step up. Someone quickly caught her eye.

“Alois!” Flayn exclaimed, grabbing onto the knight as he attempted to pass by.

“Gah!” Alois yelped in shock.

“Alois will escort me to the restroom, won’t you Alois?”

Flayn finished her sentence then looked up at the knight with a bright smile and pleading eyes.

“Um... well...” Alois stuttered, as Flayns eyes grew wider. “I... Yes! I will escort young Flayn to the... restroom? Yes!”

Seteth let out a heavy sigh. He turned to Alois who looked back with a confident yet confused grin.

“You have five minutes. Straight there, straight back. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” Alois responded, patting his fist to his chest.

“Oh thank you so much Brother!” Flayn responded excitedly. “And thank you as well Alois!”

“Not a problem!” Alois responded. “Come along little one!”

The pair walked towards the entrance of the cathedral. Alois put on a helmet to protect himself from the rain, while Flayn seemed completely unfazed by the water pelting her face, hair, and clothes. Seteth watched every step they took until they were out of sight.

“Don’t let me down Alois.”

/————————————————————————/

The students all huddled together for warmth. Gathered around Claude sat Lysithea, Linhardt, Ashe, and Annette. Lysithea sat looking at her fidgeting hands. She turned to Claude.

“You know, it’s really not nice to make jokes about ghosts Claude.” she lectured.

“Oh I’m afraid I’m not joking around there kiddo.” Claude responded slyly. “There’s definitely been ghosts around here before.”

“Th-thats not true!” she argued. “R-right Linhardt?”

“Hm?” Lindhardt responded lazily, one eye half open. “Well, I suppose there’s no studies against it, but I certainly haven’t heard any for it. Believe me, if I did, I wouldn’t be attending this school.”

“Oh, I have.” Claude replied. “In fact... theres one particular ghost I’ve heard of... that haunts this very monastery.”

“Th-that isn’t true, is it?” Ashe chimed in nervously.

“Oh yeah... gather around everyone, and I’ll tell you the story of...” Claude trailed off, then quickly grabbed a candle and held it under his face for dramatic effect. “The Vengeful Woodcutter!”

Everyone around him widened their eyes at the sound of that name. An evil grin sprawled over Claudes face.

“Many years ago...” he began, his eyes darting between each member of his captive audience. “There was a member of the church who was a renowned woodcutter. He alone was responsible for collecting a majority of the logs for the church. He was beloved by the students, villagers, and faculty alike. But one day... there was... an accident.”

Annette huddled up by Ashe, who was slightly shaking. Lysithea’s eyes were locked onto Claude. Lindhardt, on the other hand, kept his eyes concealed behind his eye lids. Claude continued his story.

“The church was working him hard, day and night, and he was beginning to tire out. He begged them for a day off, but alas, the church needed more wood. So he was sent back out into the woods. He began hacking away, log after log... chop... chop.... and then... CHOP!”

He shouted the last ‘chop’, causing everyone around him to jump up in shock. Annette let out a small squeal, causing Lindhardts eyes to shoot open.

“A sudden burst of pain came seemingly out of nowhere from that last chop. He looked down to see his work, and it was then that he realized... instead of cutting a piece of wood... he instead discovered that he had actually... CUT OFF HIS OWN HAND!”

“NO!” Ashe yelped in fear.

“YES!” Claude shot back. “He let out a scream in pain. He knew he had to get back to the church quick, but his injury slowed him down. And what he forgot to realize... was that there was a Demonic Beast lurking in those very woods... and it smelt blood, not far from it.”

Lindhardt cringed and swallowed at the mention of blood. Lysithea was gripping her legs, holding them close to her chest as she sat curled up in a ball, still locking her gaze on Claude.

“Out of the woods, the beast lunged out and attacked the woodcutter, tearing him apart... limb... from limb...”

“Oh no... thats awful!” Annette sympathized.

“It was. They say he was mauled for what could have been hours. He died in those woods, never to be seen again... however... rumors began to spread that his ghost still remains, and travelled here to Garreg Mach to enact his revenge on those who treated him poorly. He could be lurking these very halls as we speak... in fact...”

Claude paused, his eyes squinted, as the group of students watched him with bated breath, waiting for him to finish his sentence. A slight smile creeped over his face.

“He could even be.... RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!”

Right as he shouted, he pointed behind the students. Each and every one of their heads spun around at lightning speed, and in front of them was a dark figure, wielding an axe, who let out a brutish yell. Lysithea, Annette, Ashe, and Linhardt all screamed at the top of their lungs, causing several students around them to jump in shock.

Before their screams died down, the figure ripped a blanket off of itself, revealing a laughing pink haired student.

“H-Hilda!” Lysithea yelled.

“Oh wow, that was TOO good Claude!” Hilda said between laughs. Claude stood up and high fived her.

“Excellently pulled off Hilda. I knew I could count on you for the closing act.” Claude said, a mischievous victory grin stretching over his face.

“Very funny you two.”

A stern voice pierced Claudes ear. He turned to look at the source, and his smile faded slightly.

“Oh, hello Edelgard.”

The imperial princess walked up to the group, her arms folded, and a cold stare directed right at the heir to the Alliance. Behind her, as always, Hubert towered over, not exactly helping the scary ambiance that Claude had already set with his sinister gaze.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than further frighten these already scared, helpless students?” she lectured.

Claude rolled his eyes in response. “C’mon Princess, lighten up! There’s nothing wrong with a little harmless fun.”

“Harmless you say? I think Ashe may have wet himself after that story.”

“N-no I didn’t!” Ashe quickly denied. Annette patted him on his shoulder. Claude sighed, as Edelgard continued her lecture.

“There’s nothing funny about what you did. It was immature and childish, certainly not the qualities of a future leader.”

“Ohhh, I see what’s going on here.” Claude responded, his eyes lit up and his smile returned. “You’re just scared aren’t you?”

“Scared? Really? Surely you’re joking.”

“No, I bet that’s what it is. You’re just scared and don’t wanna hear my scary story during this scary storm.”

“Enough! I won’t hear one more word of your ridiculous-“

Before she could finish her sentence, a large flash of lighting, followed immediately with booming thunder roared across the cathedral. Students from all across the floor screamed in fear, as Catherine shouted to try and keep them all from panicking further.

Claude was quick to notice Edelgard twitch when the strike hit. His smile widened, but she retaliated with an even colder stare.

Just then, the cathedral doors were shoved open, then quickly shut right after. Panting and holding the door shut, Alois looked over at the students who’s attention he caught. Most notably, and unfortunately for him, Seteth quickly walked over to the sweating night.

“Alois? What in the goddesses name happened?” he asked sternly.

“O-oh, Seteth! Yes!” Alois began, still trying to catch his breath. “Right! Well, I was escorting Flayn to the restroom, as asked, when suddenly, BOOM! A huge lightning bolt! Normally, this wouldn’t frighten me too much, but right when the flash hit, I saw a figure! I couldn’t tell who it was, so I ran back to tell you about it!”

“And... where is Flayn?”

Alois stared blankly back for a few seconds. Then, he turned his head left, then to the right, then back at Seteth, as he lost all color in his face.

“Uh... well... she was... um...”

Before he could get a thought out, Seteth pointed his finger right in the knights face.

“YOU... are to go BACK OUT THERE. And FIND her. NOW!”

Alois quickly saluted, opened the door back up, and bolted back into the storm. Clearly, the scorn of the over protective brother is scarier than any potential ghost or storm Alois had encountered.

Claude, seeing this as a great opportunity to test his theory, decided to chime in.

“Y’know Seteth, it might be best if we send more people to find her. Say, why don’t me and the princess go looking for her?”

“Wh-what?” Edelgard responded, completely perplexed by the forced volunteering of her services.

“Oh.. well unless of course you’re too scared to go... I get it...”

“I-“

“Enough!” Seteth interrupted. “Please, just... any of you, please go find her! I... I need to go sit down.”

Seteth stumbled off, his head in his hand.

“Claude, you are as annoying as they come.” Edelgard said.

“Oh come now princess, young Flayn needs us!” Claude replied, putting on a faux grandiose voice. “Let us depart at once!”

Edelgard sighed. Knowing she had been backed into a corner, she had no choice but to follow the prankster.

“Lady Edelgard, I shall accompany you.” Hubert chimed in.

“Yes... That would make this much more bearable...”

“Hurry up!” Claude beckoned, while holding the large steel doors open. He looked over at the group he was sitting with earlier. “Hey, any of you coming?”

Every one of them shakes their head in unison. He sighs, as only Edelgard and Hubert walk through the door way. He then closes the door behind him, as the three make their way across the large bridge.

END OF PART 1

[bluehairedlordwrites]

What Comes Next

Series: None

Prompt: After suffering a deadly car crash, Matthew finds himself somewhere he can’t explain.

Rating: SFW, PG-13 (violence, death, existentialism, life after death)

Notes: This one is a bit more personal. I wrote this a few months ago on a whim after a sudden rush of inspiration, and this is what came of it. I thought it might be worth sharing. Give it a read mayhaps? I won’t do too many like these (unless you enjoy it) so let me know what you think!

Also no, my name is not Matthew. It’s Kyle. Cheers!

Have you ever been in a situation, or in an environment, that you just couldn’t describe? That’s where I was. I wasn’t hot. I wasn’t cold. It wasn’t bright. It wasn’t dark. I could see, so I guess it couldn’t have been dark. But that didn’t make it bright, did it? I don’t know.

“Hello Matthew.” A voice spoke, breaking the chilling silence. I looked ahead, and there was someone in front of me. I couldn’t make out who it was. Or even what it was. I knew they had a face, so I thought they must be human. But they had no defining features. They weren’t man or woman, white, black, or anything in between. If anyone had answers, it was them. But what would I even ask first? I guess I’d start with the easiest one.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The figure chuckled, as if it was an odd question to ask.

“Who am I? Names are no longer relevant dear child. If you must label me... I am... Me.”

Me smiled back at me, as if they provided an actual answer to my question. All it did was confuse me more.

“Okay...” I digressed. “Well, where are we?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.” Me answered cryptically. “Tell me, what is the last thing you remember before coming here?”

I paused for a moment, having to think that over. All these memories came rushing to my brain, but they felt so distant and long ago. Why do they still feel like the last memory I had?

“I...” I tried to gather my thoughts to convey into words. “I was at my girlfriends house. We got in a fight. I remember having a lot to drink, and I... I remember driving away, but... I don’t remember getting home. Why can’t I...”

A sudden realization struck me.

“W-wait, where... am I... am I really..?”

Me smiled, or at least I think they did. It certainly felt like it.

“Yes.” They replied. “On April 2nd, 2019, at approximately 9:52 PM Pacific Standard Time, you crashed your truck into a tree located about 3 miles from your targeted destination.”

I froze. Words failed to escape my mouth. Feelings couldn’t even be comprehended. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t laugh. I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t even know if it was possible anymore. There was a burning question left on my mind.

“So... is this heaven then?”

“Heaven...” Me responded. “Heaven is a place where all of your dreams are your own reality, you are always in a state of pure euphoria, there is only one emotion; joy. Now tell me Matthew, do you feel joyous right now?”

I’m not even sure why they would ask that. After all the news they unloaded on me, how could I feel joyous? But if I wasn’t joyous, then...

“... No.” I responded. “So... does that mean I’m in hell?”

After my recent behavior, I guess I’d deserve nothing more.

“Hell...” Me answered. “Hell is a place where all of your nightmares are your own reality, you are always in a state of unending pain, there is only one emotion left; fear. Tell me Matthew, are you afraid right now?”

The question felt so obvious. Of course I would be afraid after hearing what he just said.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel that way. My brain was telling me I SHOULD feel that way, but I just couldn’t comprehend the feeling anymore. I couldn’t comprehend anything anymore.

“I...” I slowly answered. “... No... No I’m not.”

Me chuckled back at me. Out of thin air, they pulled a piece of paper and a pen.

“Now Matthew.” They instructed. “I want you to take this paper and pen. And I want you to write down all of your regrets. Even the most minuscule of regrets, all of the ones you can think of.”

They lay the page in front of me. It was at that moment that I realized I was sitting in a chair at a desk the entire time. Or maybe I wasn’t. I wasn’t paying attention to that I guess.

Now I stared at the blank sheet. All of my regrets... I guess I should start with the obvious one. I regret driving in the intoxicated state I was in. I regret getting in that stupid fight in the first place. I couldn’t even remember what it was about anymore. She was mad at me over something, but I know she was only mad because she loved me. I guess I regret not realizing that sooner.

I regret not seeing my mom and dad as much as I should have. They did so much for me growing up. We didn’t always live in the best circumstances, but they always gave everything they could to keep me happy. Really they worked harder than I ever gave them credit for. I can’t even remember the last conversation I had with them. I think my mom told me to remember to get a congratulations card for my Aunt Lauras wedding. I didn’t respond. I didn’t get a card for her either. I hope they don’t postpone the wedding to have my funeral. I don’t think I really deserve it. I think the last thing I said to my dad was something about the Mariners game. We were supposed to go to the upcoming one together. I guess that ship has sailed now.

I regret not making it to my brothers birthday party. He’s a bit younger than me, and I really can’t stand any of his friends. But I got along with him just fine. He deserved to at least have me there. But I skipped it to stay home, get drunk, and watch a movie alone. I think I told him I had to work overtime. I wonder if he knew it was a lie too.

I started to list smaller things. I regret never trying Baskin Robins. I was always a Cold Stone guy, but my girlfriend always wanted to try Baskin again. We never went. I regret never seeing Black Panther. Everyone said it was good, I just never was really interested in it. I regret not going on that road trip with my best friends. I had to work the days they left. I should have known they took priority over my job. I was too scared of getting fired. My boss and I were already on bad terms as is. On that note, I regret not working harder at work. I could have run that place had I put more effort into it. But all I wanted to do was get by off of the bare minimum. Why did I do that anyway? Why was I so lazy about doing things I felt I could love? That’s probably why my band never took off. I regret never spending enough time writing music. I had a talent for it, or at least everyone else thought so. But now it’s wasted.

I regret never getting a dog. My parents always told me it was too much responsibility, but I still always wanted one. I would have been a great owner. If I made the time I could have been at least. Did I even have the time? Probably. Maybe I wasn’t willing enough to put more time in. Or maybe that’s just what my parents believed. I wanted a golden retriever puppy named Sparky. I was gonna teach it how to fetch, how to roll over, how to sit on command... I never even got the chance for that.

I regret not making it to marriage. We had talked around it but I could never work up the courage to ask her. We had been together for a good 5 years then, I knew she was waiting for me to ask. I regret never being able to become a husband. Never being able to become a father. She always wanted kids, but I was never so sure. Now it’s all I can think about. Ironic, I know. Now all I can think about is watching my kid take their first steps, fall down, get back up, go to school, fall in love, make mistakes, learn from them through my guidance, graduate, live their lives... but because of my stupidity tonight, now they’ll never have that chance. Now I’LL never have that chance.

I regret skipping my grandfathers funeral. I was so broken at the time, I didn’t know how to cope with it. I just didn’t want to be seen in that state. I figured if my family saw me crying, they’d try to help me. But I didn’t want help. I just wanted my grandfather back.

I don’t know how long I was writing. Time didn’t seem to have any meaning anymore. Anytime I ran out of space, Me would hand me another sheet to write on. I kept going on like that about every mundane thing I could think of. My hand never cramped, not sure if it even could though.

Finally, I finished everything I could think of, even dating back to sitting by and befriending the kid in first grade who would end up bullying me later on in life. When I was finished, I handed all the pages to Me. Me took them, and began to look them all over. I watched back, slightly embarrassed by some of the things they may be reading.

“Mm.. yes... I see.” Me commentated. “Very interesting.”

Without another word, me ripped the entire stack in half, and threw it in a waste bin next to us.

“H-HEY!” I yelled, lunging for the trash bin. But when I looked inside, it was empty. I looked back up at them, who just stared back. I sat back in my chair.

“You’re here now. There is no place for regret. You made the decisions you made, and now there is no turning back.”

“Wouldn’t that be a perfect reason to be regretful?” I asked.

“No. Had you truly regretted them, you would have done then sooner, right?”

“Well I didn’t-“

“Think you’d be here so soon?” Me interrupted. “Let me guess, ‘there’s always next time?’”

I didn’t want to admit, but I found myself saying that very often.

“All these things you wrote down, you don’t truly regret them. You only do now that you can’t go back and right your wrongs. You were complacent in making the same choice every second of everyday. I’m sure your girlfriend never pressured you about marriage because there was always tomorrow. Now you’re gone, out of her life forever. And she never got the chance to have her dream family with you.”

I was speechless. Everything Me said was true, and it burned to even think of admitting it. Normally I would have swung a fist at them, but I didn’t think it would matter here.

“But she gets a second chance.” Me continues. “She will learn from these regrets, and she will find someone new to share a family with. Had this happened to you, you would have been broken forever, never trying to find someone new, even if that was the dream you had.”

“Well I never got the chance now did I?” I challenged.

“Yes. You did. Every day you didn’t propose, every day you didn’t go buy a dog, every day you didn’t get your aunt a card, you were making the conscious decision to avoid your responsibilities, even when you knew they would make you happy. Why did you do this? Because you knew you always had tomorrow. Well, now you’re here. You wasted all those tomorrows, and that was your decision alone.”

Everything I said, Me would challenge me and shut me down. It was even worse that they were right about everything.

“So now what?” I asked.

“Now you can only hope that everyone else learns from your mistakes, and lives their lives when they have it.”

“So what, I’m just the catalyst for everyone else to learn from?”

“We all have a role to play in this world Matthew.” Me answered. “Perhaps this is yours to play.”

I sighed, slouching down in my chair.

Out of thin air, Me pulled a monitor and placed it on my desk.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“You clearly still hold onto these regrets.” Me replied. “This will show you the lives of everyone you touched, after you left their world. You can watch them perhaps remedy the mistakes you left behind. Maybe your brother will go to the baseball game with your father instead, and that will be a moment they cherish forever. Perhaps your girlfriend will remarry. This is where you can find out.”

I stared at the screen. I saw a series of moments from my friends and families lives. I saw police officers at my girlfriends house. She began weeping into one of their arms. I saw the same sight with my parents. My friends. My bandmates. My coworkers. They all responded in different ways. Even the people I didn’t think I mattered to responded with at the least a sad face. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.

I watched my funeral. So many people gathered around, talking about me, and how much they cherished me. I saw my own body in the casket. My dad talked about what a hard worker I was. He talked about how he cherished the moments we would go to the shooting range, or work on our trucks together, or watch whatever sports game that happened to be on. My mother praised me for being a goodhearted man who everyone got along with. My brother talked about how good I was at guitar, and how jealous he was that I was so gifted with music. He vowed to learn guitar in my stead. My girlfriend spoke in between weeps about how we were to get married, and how she feels bad for pressuring me about kids. She said she feels it was her fault I didn’t propose to her sooner. After that, she begins to cry, and my mother slowly guides her off stage.

“No...” I say, void of any emotion. I’m not sure what I’m even feeling anymore. “That’s not true. That’s not true! I-I was just stupid! Please, tell her it wasn’t her fault!”

“It’s too late for that.” Me responds. I kind of expected that response anyway.

“Will she ever have kids after this? I-I don’t want to be the reason she...” My words trail off, feeling too weak to finish them.

Me gestures to the screen.

“Would you like to find out?” They say mysteriously. I gaze back at the screen. “When you feel you’re finished, take my hand. And I will take you to where you are meant to be.”

I stared at the screen, watching the end of my funeral, seeing people get in their cars and drive away. Do I want to see all of this transpire? Would it be right? I don’t even feel like I deserve these people.

Looking at the screen, I see my best friend put his arm around my girlfriend, who leans into him. They walk to his car, and he opens the passenger seat for her to climb in. He walks over to the drivers seat, gets in, and begins to drive off.

It was clear after that moment; they’d be better off without me. It would be too painful to watch all of this go on without me. Besides... maybe this way, she’ll be happier. She’ll be happier... without me.

“No...” I respond. “I... I think I’ve seen enough.”

Me stretches their hand out. “Are you sure? You cannot come back here after you’ve decided.”

“Yeah.” I stand my ground. “Besides-“ I reach out and grab Me’s hand “- I saw everything I needed to see from that. They’ll be okay.”

Me responded with a smile. They lifted me off my chair, and suddenly we were gently lifting away. I watched the desk get smaller and smaller by the second. I looked back at me... Me... me... it was me. After that sight, all I can remember is feeling warm.

END

[bluehairedlordwrites]

To Love and To Lose

Series: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Characters: Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid

Prompt: Sylvain tries to get Felix to ask a girl out, but when he falls for a certain someone, Sylvain later hears grim news about the one his friend admires.

Rating: SFW, PG-13 (drama, violence)

Notes: This is my first in a series of many short stories about Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While I am still capable to write about other series’s, Fire Emblem will always be my number 1, and Three Houses school environment and lovable characters lends itself to be so easy to make short stories out of.

I’d also like to add that while I think of myself as a decent writer, my syntax and grammar can be a bit off at times, so if you spot anything wrong, please let me know, I’d super appreciate it!

And as always, let me know how you felt about the story as a whole. I put a lot of love into writing and I really hope it shows. Likes and re-blogs are always welcome <3

Also! If you have prompt ideas for short stories you’d like to see me tackle, hit up my inbox with the plot premise and series and I’ll see if I can make it happen.

Okay, that’s it. Thanks for reading!

It was a slow weekend in the Garreg Mach monastery. Lunch had only just begun. The stoic swordsman Felix sat down and quickly began to stuff his meal down, eager to go back to the training grounds. After the Duscur bear slab managed to make its way into his stomach, Felix stood up and began his walk back, only to be interrupted by an old friend of his.

“Woah there!” his friend said, raising his hand up to stop the swordsman.

“Sylvain.” Felix addressed. “Can this wait? I’m busy.”

“Ah ah ah!” the red haired skirt chaser wagged his finger in Felix’s face. “I believe YOU have a debt to repay.”

“Ugh...” Felix responded disgruntled. “That whole thing? I was hoping you would just forget about it.”

“How could I?” Sylvain rhetorically asked before answering it himself. “The deal was if I beat you in a sparing match, you’d ask a girl out.”

Felix reached for his training sword tied to his waist.

“How bout a rematch then? If you beat me this time, I’ll ask two girls out. If I win, this whole things off.”

Sylvain laughed. “Sorry, no can do. I don’t beat you very often, and I won fair and square last time.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I wasn’t feeling very well last time, so a rematch is-“

“Oh shut it and come with me.” Sylvain interrupted, taking his friend by the arm.

“Wh-Hey! Unhand me!” Felix demanded.

The two friends, although Felix may have been hesitant to use that term for Sylvain again, began to head towards the Entrance Hall of the monastery. The hall was filled with tables where several groups of friends partook in casual conversation about classes, battles, other classmates, and a wide variety of other topics. Sylvain gestured Felix to a seat, which he took, albeit begrudgingly.

“Now you wait here, I’ll be right back.” Sylvain told his friend, who rolled his eyes and sighed in response.

After a moment of silence where Felix sat, deciding whether or not to just run away, cut his hair, and change his name to avoid this whole situation, Sylvain returned with a woman at his side. She was an average height with short red hair, and an earnest smile.

“This here,” Sylvain introduced, patting her on both shoulders, “is Nora, a former flame of mine. As it turns out, I owe her a favor, and you will help me repay it.”

“Oh great.” Felix responded, sarcasm pouring from his mouth. Sylvain turned to Nora.

“Nora, this is-“

“Felix Hugo Fraldarius!” Nora finished Sylvains sentence. “Son of Lord Rodrigue Fraldarius! Of course I know him!”

“Oh look at that!” Sylvain said excitedly. “You already know so much about each other! Well, I’ll leave you two alone so-“

“So, you want to marry me because of who my father is then correct?” Felix accused.

“Wh-what?” Nora asked perplexed. “N-no, I-“

“Then why did you have to name him? You can’t hide it from me. You don’t even know who I am. Quit wasting my time, girl.”

“You... you... UGH!” Nora yelled. In an instant, she turned on her heel and stomped away angrily. Then, it was just the two of them again.

“Oooookay.” Sylvain broke the silence. “I definitely didn’t even have a chance to walk away, but y’know what, we can work on that.”

“Oh quit wasting your time, you idiot.” Felix snapped. The black haired nobleman jolted to his feet, lifting his bag over his shoulder.

“Woah woah, where you goin’?” Sylvain asked, standing in his friends way.

“To the training hall. To actually be productive. Now step aside.”

“Like hell I will! You still owe me!”

“I talked to her didn’t I? The deals been settled.”

“Yeah, you talked to her. For just enough time to scare her away. The deal was you would ask a girl out, NOT make one go cry in her room for the rest of the day.”

Felix grunted, walking towards Sylvain and bumping him out of the way. Not accepting this as a conclusion to their debate, Sylvain followed after him.

It wasn’t long until the two boys made it to the training hall. Felix turned around to see his childhood friend following a mere feet behind him.

“Would you go away already?” he ordered. “I already told you it’s not happening.”

“No can do Fraldarius!” the son of the Gautier family responded. “Not until I see you ask out a girl. And for REAL this time.”

“How many times do I have to say-“

The two boys bickering was brought to an abrupt halt over the sound of a young woman grunting loudly and the sound of shattering wood. The two immediately turned to the source of the noise, and saw a shorter girl with long black hair and sharp brown eyes. In her hand was a sharp longsword, and in front of her was the remains of a test dummy. Felix’s eyes widened at the scene in front of him, as the girl casually flipped her hair out of her eyes, beads of sweat visibly flying off her face.

“Who... is that?” he asked slowly.

“Oh boy... I know her.” Sylvain answered, albeit disgruntled. “That would be Violet von Schwarz of the Black Eagle house. She’s one of the only girls in the monastery who’s rejected me more than once. All she cares about is training, and she can bit of a hardass, so-“ he paused for a moment, looked to Felix, then to Violet, then back to Felix, then smiled, “On second thought... maybe she’d be perfect for you. Go get em tiger!”

Sylvain patted his friend on the shoulder, then thrusted him forward. Felix’s face went bright red as he stumbled forward, then quickly regained his posture. The girls eyes darted over to Felix, and their eyes met.

“You.” Violet said, her voice cold as ice. “Grab me another training dummy will you?”

“Wh-what?” Felix replied shakily. “Who are you to boss me around?”

“What was that?” she responded sharply. Felix’s spine shot straight up.

“N-nothing!” he said, shakier than before. “Please, allow me.”

He darted over to the storage closet nearby and pulled out a wooden training dummy. As he brought it over, he saw Violet pull out a rag and wipe the sweat off her forehead. Felix’s face turned a bright pink, as he placed the dummy in position in front of her.

Sylvain covered his mouth to avoid letting a laugh sneak its way out. He took a few steps back, wanting to give them space, but desperately wanting to hear how this situation unfolds.

“So, I don’t believe we’ve met.” Violet noted. “I’m Violet. You?”

“W-wait.” Felix halted the question. “You don’t know who I am?”

“If I did would I have asked dumbass?”

“R-right, of course.” Felix replied, his face hitting a familiar shade of red.

There was a pause of silence.

“... Well?” she asked again impatiently.

“O-oh! Right!” he responded, shaking his head.

“F-Felix Hugo Fraldarius. Son of Rodrigue-“

“Yeah I didn’t ask for your whole family tree thank you.” she interrupted.

“S-sorry.” Felix apologized quickly.

More silence.

“So then. Are you gonna go train or do you plan on staring at me all day?”

“A-actually, if you don’t mind... I would like to observe your fighting methods. The fact you were able to obliterate that training dummy is an impressive feat on its own. Maybe I could show you some more tricks. After all, I’m at the top of my class in sword fighting techniques.”

“Oh yeah? Alright, watch and learn, Mr. TopOfYourClass.”

Violet began to strike at the dummy in a myriad of fashions, while Felix watched from behind. Every swing of her blade was carried with both strength and purpose, not a single strike split away from her intentions. Felix was only able to slide in a few notes of critique, but each one felt like mere nitpicking. She was a near flawless fighter in his eyes.

Soon enough, the monastery church bell rang, signaling students to begin their way to their next classes.

“Well, guess that’s all for today.” Violet deducted. “I better head to class before I get another lecture from Edelgard about being late. But hey, it was good to talk sword with a fellow sword fighter.”

“Y-yes, I suppose it was.” Felix replied. He watched as she began to pack her belongings away and head for the door, when suddenly, a jolt of bravery overcame him.

“W-wait!” he yelled over. She turned to look back at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Um...” he stuttered. “I’ll... I’ll be here tomorrow too, so... if you want a sparing partner or something. If you want of course. If you don’t, that’s fine.”

Violet let out a slight smile, causing Felix’s face to go the deepest red it’s been all day. “Yeah... maybe I will. I got a mission tomorrow, so maybe I’ll be back then. I look forward to cleaning the floor with you tomorrow.”

“Oh please.” Felix challenged back. “You won’t stand a chance against me.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to go all out... see you then Felix.”

At the turn of her heel, she made her way towards the classrooms. Felix, completely entranced, watched every step she took until she was out of sight.

“Attaway to do it buddy!” Sylvain broke the silence, startling his friend.

“S-Sylvain?!?” Felix yelled. “How long were you standing there?”

“I never left! And I’m so glad I didn’t leave, or I would have missed you asking her out!”

“Idiot... I didn’t ask her out, we’re just sparing together tomorrow. Nothing more.”

“Ohhhh is that right?” Sylvain replied sarcastically. “Well, if that’s the case, then that means you still have to ask a girl out.”

Felix appeared stunned at first, then looked like he was going to respond, but ended up sighing in defeat.

“... Fine. But only if it gets you off my back.”

———————————————————————

The next day blew by in a breeze, and lunch time was already upon Garreg Mach. After a brief sparing match against Ingrid, Sylvain ended up getting a cut on his arm, so he decided to head to Manuelas office to get patched up. As he stood outside her door, he heard voices from inside the room. Curious, he leaned his ear forward to see if he could overhear anything.

“I’m so sorry Lady Rhea... I really did everything I could, but the wounds were too severe. Trying to heal them now would only prolong her suffering.”

Sylvain recognized that voice as Garreg Machs nurse Manuela, even through her shaky and teary voice.

“I understand Manuela. You did all that you could.”

Archbishop Rheas voice was calm as ever.

“I’ll send word to her parents... Goodness.. we cannot allow anymore students to be put in peril like this anymore. This is the third one this year.”

Another voice, Sylvain deduced to being Rheas head advisor Seteths voice.

“I will pray to make sure the poor girls soul finds her way to the goddess.”

“Thank you Lady Rhea... Thank you.”

Curiosity turned to worry, Sylvain took a step forward and peered into Manuelas office. Just as suspected, Rhea, Seteth, and Manuela all stood circling one of the beds, on top of which laid a body.

“Oh no...” Sylvain said quietly. He slowly and quietly inched to avoid detection, then when he knew he was out of audible range, he dashed downstairs.

Forgetting he even had an injury, Sylvain ran through the courtyard by the classrooms and into the training hall. There, as expected he saw Felix, swinging his blade away at a wooden dummy. His swings were slow, but heavy, which was unlike his normal swift strikes. Sylvain could tell something was wrong.

“Hey, Felix.” he started. “Is... everything okay?”

Felix didn’t respond at first, instead deciding to swing two more times. Then, he paused, but didn’t turn to look at his friend.

“She didn’t show up.” Felix responded, each syllable as sharp as the last.

“Is... that so?” Sylvain said, knowing that answer was coming.

“I don’t get it. Women flock to me normally and I push them away. Now the one time I show vulnerability, I get... betrayed!”

Upon saying ‘betrayed’, Felix took another heavy swing at the dummy.

Sylvains stomach was in knots. He couldn’t bear to see his friend like that. He knew the truth of why Violet didn’t attend their planned training date, but he didn’t know which would hurt more; Felix believing that he was led on and ultimately cast aside, costing him any ounce of confidence he had in finding love again, or the truth, which may be just as grim for him to hear. Eventually, the guilt inside of him shoved the words out of his mouth.

“Hey... buddy...” he began.

“Don’t.” Felix interrupted. “Haven’t you done enough? Just leave me alone. I’m obviously not worth the time for some people.”

“Felix.” Sylvain restarted his though, this time much stricter. “Violet didn’t not show because she doesn’t like you. She didn’t show up because... she was killed during her mission. I saw her body in Manuelas office earlier, and... I came over to tell you.”

The hall got quiet. All that could be heard was the distant chatter from outside, alongside the flapping wings of the wyverns and pegasi that flew overhead. Felix’s grip slightly loosened on his sword, but he still did not turn to face his friend. Sylvain, desperate to fill the silence, began to speak, starting with an apology.

“Felix... I’m so sorry.”

Not a second after Sylvain got the last word out, Felix let out a powerful shout and swung his sword down, chopping the wooden mannequin in half. Sylvain covered his face to avoid wood shards flying into his eyes, then peeked between his fingers as he watched Felix quickly march away.

“C’mon, wait!” Sylvain begged. “Let’s talk about this!”

His words fell on deaf ears. Felix was already out of sight. Sylvain let out a heavy sigh, feeling responsible for breaking his friends heart. He knew the only way to make it right was to help him out, and he wasn’t going to stop until his friend felt better.

———————————————————————-

“He’s gotta be in here.”

Sylvain and his and Felix’s dear friend Ingrid stood outside Felix’s dorm room, expecting this to be the only place they could imagine him being in.

“Let me take care of this.” Ingrid said. She tapped her knuckles to the door. “Felix? We know you’re in there. Please come out. We just want to talk.”

No response.

“C’mon man.” Sylvain added. “I know I really messed up. I’m sorry. Let me help you feel better. You, me, and Ingrid can go train for as long as you want, then enjoy a feast on me!”

Still no response.

“Felix...” Ingrid bit her lip before continuing. “I... Look, you and I are the ones who understand losing someone we love the most. When Glen died, all I wanted to do was disappear for ever. But I knew that I had responsibilities to my friends, to my family, to my house, to my kingdom... I couldn’t just brush all that away. And you and I both know Glenn would never have wanted us to just give up... and I think Violet felt the same.”

There was a long silence. Sylvain shifted side to side, beginning to feel that either Felix was never going to respond, or he may not even be in his room at all. Finally, the two of them heard a voice from behind the door.

“Idiot... I didn’t love Violet, I only just met her. Glenn was my brother, and I loved him more than anyone... so...” His voice grew hoarse, as if he was about to cry. “So... so why does this hurt just as much?”

“Look...” Sylvain began, after letting out a heavy sigh. “Love is complicated. Sometimes its fast, and sometimes it takes time to grow. But this obviously really hurt you. I shouldn’t have pushed you into going through with this, I... really just wanted to make you happy. Like how we used to be.”

There was another pause. The two heard footsteps coming from inside, then with the turn of a lock, the door opened, revealing the now red, slightly puffy eyed swordsman. He didn’t make eye contact with them and quickly rubbed under his eyes with his sleeves.

“It’s... not your fault you fool. She was... too reckless. I was hoping to have taught her about that today but...”

He let out another sigh.

“… I guess I was too late… and… that must be what hurts so much.”

“Felix…” Ingrid responded sympathetically. “You know it’s not-“

“You don’t-“ Felix snapped quickly, paused, then continued, “-… know that. Neither do I… but it’s too late now anyway… just… I…”

Another tear rolled down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away once again.

“I can’t do this again… I can’t lose someone I lo-…care about… again. Which means… you two better not die on me. That goes for Annette, Ashe, Mercedes… yes, even the boar prince and his mutt… I can’t lose anyone like this again.”

“Awh jeez buddy.” Sylvain said softly. He turned to Ingrid, and a slight smile slowly stretched over his face. “C’mon Ingrid, I think he needs a hug.”

Ingrid nodded, and they moved closer to their friend.

“H-hey, stop!” Felix ordered. “Enough of that, I don’t do- hey!”

It was too late. The two of them squeezed Felix into a tight embrace. After a few moments of struggle, he stopped, paused, then laid his arm across the both of them.

“Fine… just… just this once.”

The three friends remained in an embrace for quite some time. Could have been seconds, could have been hours, possibly days. Felix couldn’t tell anymore. Even when the two of then finally removed their hands from him, he never really let go.

END

[bluehairedlordwrites]

Well hello!

This is a bit out of the blue, but I got bored and decided I needed to write more. So I made this. I’ll be writing short fanfics here of stuff I like so maybe you’ll like it too. Mostly Fire Emblem. Cuz mmm I love me some Fire Emblem.

So yeah, I’ll probably try to get a few shorts up here soon. If you like em and have a prompt for me, send it my way and I’ll get it done for ya! Rules will probably come along eventually, but I can do NSFW no problem... yknow as long as this hellsite allows. Worst case I’ll link off site.

Yeah? Yeah. Thanks for reading. See ya soon!