#fe12 spoiler warning again (this time in the tags)

[ephemeralove]

(o・・o)/

(Strangely enough, his is not the first page in her journal. It comes after not only Kris, but Rody, Luke, and Gordin -- all of the original members of the Seventh Platoon (chronology separates Cecille from the others), as though she had been putting off writing it as long as she could. As with Kris, the page has turned soft at the corners, though it retains more of its original crispness toward the middle. It gives the impression of a page looked at often, but with great care.)

Marth Marius Lowell. 19. January 21st. Prince of Altea. King of the United Kingdom of Archanea

(Then, made to fit between this and the rest of the page:)

He and Kris are attending The Officer's Academy in Fódlan. Summer... Blue Lions

Hero of the War of Shadows. Slayed the Shadow Dragon and the Dark Pontifex. Has a great number of allies, including Emperor Hardin and Empress Nyna. Supposedly adept with the sword and quick on his feet. Known for bringing friend and foe alike beneath his banner.

(Beneath this is a great mess of ink; under the light, there are many slight grooves in the paper's surface and some warping at odd points here and there, indicative of some blotting and words very ferociously scratched out. Some grooves are jagged, but most are crisp and in line with the box she drew later to cover up the words more cleanly. Some other, smaller blots nearby only just spill past the edges. If you happened to be someone who knew your knight well, you might just be able to imagine her panic at how 'unsightly' the great mass of dark ink looks on the page, judging by the way she tried to 'save' it by attempting to turn it into a cute cat. Unfortunately, it is still very obviously only a cat-shaped box, and a mildly ugly one at that. Its fluffy tail devolves into a despondent squiggle at the end -- a poignant conclusion to a harrowing tale of a girl who tried and failed to cross something out in pen.)

Haven't gotten to meet him. Well-spoken from afar. Well-liked. The people in his service are kind. Met him today. Just as well-spoken as he appears. Kind. Reassuring. Asked us to become royal guards. Somehow gained his trust... ...Kris was really happy. Together... ...I don't want our training to end.

(The next line is written a bit heavily, though for once the writing is immaculate, bereft of any inkblots and the hesitation that portended them; it is clear she took great care to write it well.)

"Until now, you've only followed orders, never thinking for yourself. But that's going to change now. You will think for yourself, and find your own answer. That is my punishment to you." Atone with my life, not my death.

(Following this, as seems to be the norm for her journal nowadays, she has made note of various things. Predictably there are likes and dislikes, as well as gift ideas... but if one were to turn the page, they might find a smattering of ideas humbly scrawled toward a bottom corner of its back-- chief among them being simply the word 'tactician?')

ミ★

Similarly to Kris, Marth is a singular existence to Katarina as well (it's almost like those guys are two halves of the same whole or smth...crazy), though he occupies a much different place in her heart. There's a part of her that essentially reveres him for not only allowing her to live, but forgiving her and welcoming her back home after everything. Not only this, but he has always held fast to his ideals, has always stood for what he believes is right, and treats others with such kindness and empathy -- in many ways he is a paragon of the person she wishes she could have been. Most importantly of all, however, is the punishment he gave to her. That was the point in which she knew he understood her and wanted the best for her. He understood her, accepted and forgave her, but he did not absolve her of her sins. She recognizes full well that his punishment was delivered in such a way that she might grow, and it touches her more than she can put into words.

Her loyalty to him is absolute -- unbreakable (ironic as that may sound). Part of this is because in some ways, he's the means through which she acts out her atonement: the person he is to the world is precious and irreplaceable, just as his ideals guide those around him to be better people, and guide the people of Archanea as a whole toward light, toward hope. He is fair, kind, and just, and never misplaces his heart. For this alone he is exceedingly worthy of her respect and fealty, but the other part is that... well, he's her friend. Err... Sort of. Never in a hundred thousand billion trillion years would she ever dare to say that because how dare she! But for what it's worth, he really is. He is one of the first people she thinks of in all things not because he's her liege, but because he notices the small things about her and knows when to mark them with worry or with a smile; because he teases her sometimes, and though she panics so easily and never knows how to react, it makes her happy that he does; because he is kind and good to her; because he and his Altea are her home.

She adores him and does her best to protect him and his ideals, though her vision of protecting him involves taking on the more painful or unsavory burdens if she must. It might be ironic or just downright foolish, but she would make use of all the worst parts of herself to cut away even just a few thorns from his path; she can rest easy in this conviction because she knows he is the sort of person who would never ask her to. And that's why she would.

He's also notably pretty much the only person aside from Kris that she might truly relax around, though that takes a little more work as she's rather conscious of their stations and always does her utmost to afford him the proper respect. (She is opening up more to people such as Caeda and Kurthnaga of late though!) [waves my hand] All those typical knightly factors definitely come into play, but in the end, she's very attached to the way their relationship is now, which is definitely, absolutely not akin to a friendship. >vo)v