#fic idea: fire emblem

[teecupangel]

I know we had a few Fire Emblem posts, but as I was playing Engage last night, I had a great idea; what if Desmond wound up being a ring and spirit in game? Alear and company would be so confused by him and Desmond would be so done with everything.

Alright, first of all:

The AC AU idea based on the Engage ring system

1 FE Three Hopes x AC crossover idea + 1 AC AU idea that uses a lot of Fire Emblem tropes

FE Fates x AC crossover idea where Desmond becomes Hoshidan royalty

.

“Is that… a bracelet?” Alear asked.

“It looks more like a gauntlet, Divine One.” Alfred commented as he rubbed his chin before asking Yunaka, “You say you heard it call to you?”

“That’s right!” Yunaka answered cheerfully, “I was just taking a stroll when I heard a man’s voice say…”

Yunaka cleared her throat before changing her voice into a deeper tone and said…

“Hey! Hey, you, yeah, you with that… uuhhh… colorful hair, I guess? Anyway, can you hear me?”

Yunaka’s voice returned to usual as she continued, “After I picked this up, he stopped talking. Do you think this could be another Emblem bracelet, Divine One?”

“I’m not sure.” Alear frowned at the ‘bracelet’ in Yunaka’s hands, “The other bracelets were from that world but we never saw something like this. Not to mention… Alfred is right, this looks more like a gauntlet than a bracelet.”

Alear reached out, their fingers grazing the stylized A embedded on the gauntlet.

Alear’s eyes widened and glowed a golden color, surprising Alfred and Yunaka, “Divine One?!”

The words left Alear as the gauntlet began to glow, “Pierce through the lies, Emblem of Creed!”

The gauntlet shone brightly before…

An Emblem spirit appeared before them, clad in clothes they had never seen before.

He opened his eyes and…

His eyes were gold.

Not the purple hues of the Emblems.

They were gold.

“Uuuhhh… where am I?”

.

Unorganized Notes:

They all agree Desmond is from another world which does not have rings.

If you want to make this a bit meta, Desmond could have played Fire Emblem before he got kidnapped. Of course, he only knows about the pre-2012 Fire Emblem that were localized in the US.

You guessed it, his Emblem Bracelet is a Hidden Blade.

From a gameplay perspective, he gives bonus stats on speed, dodge and attack. The skills he give are beneficial to the Thief class line.

His Engage form has his ‘user’ don the Assassin white robes that seemed to be a mix of Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton. His Engage weapon is primarily the Sword of Altaïr but he also has a Hidden Gun (Ezio) and a tomahawk (Ratonhnhaké:ton). His ‘ultimate’ though is done using the Hidden Blade that only appears whenever his user is Emblem Engaged. (Strangely enough, enemies seemed to become… dazed… when he’s near… Desmond believes that some kind of POE shit is happening but he can’t be sure)

In terms of story, he’d most definitely be closest to Yunaka because they understand each other. To be more exact, Desmond noticed early on that Yunaka is pretending to be cheerful all the time and he had guessed her past. Yunaka is the only one who realized that Desmond is an Assassin as most of them assumed he was some kind of ‘warrior’ like the other Emblems.

No one knows why Desmond’s eyes are not purple. Even as an Emblem, he’s a strange one.

Alear promised to help him find his way back to his world in exchange for helping them with their journey. Desmond doesn’t mind because he thinks they need all the help they can get. The fact that most of them are younger than him worries him to no end.

[honeydots]

i've been dipping my toes into experimenting with borders, lately 🌿

[wild-moss-art]

An illustration for @alienducky from a part of The Boundaries of Magic, a fic by @nerdnag !

[sunstone-smiles]

My first perfect expedition with him and this is the first thing he says-

*Places the switch down and breathes in*

I needed a moment

[vveirdnobdy]

I've been cooking in the background gamers.

Trash of the Count's Family x Fire Emblem Three Houses AU

Shoutout to my beloveds @muzwoom and @fanfiction-artist-prototype as our group chat has devolved into literally this we are insane.

Things this au holds:

-Dragon Cale

-Henituse sibling bonding + silly moments

-Trauma

-Cale in the Blue Lions house

-God of Death living in Cale's head and refusing to pay rent

-So many misunderstandings you would drown in them I'm thriving

Meme's Proto made:

Also this post from Gradus for the AU (Dragon Cale and KRS my beloved)

[legendsoffodlan]

Verdant Wind AU where Dimitri survives the Battle of Gronder Field and gets dragged back to the monastery by Hilda and just kinda becomes the Vegeta of the Golden Deer. A angry bastard rat man who is still majorly fucked up but now he's fighting the enemy instead of us.

Dunno, could be funny.

[mrmissmrsrandom]

Thank you @merimerz for listening to my multi-email ramblings and creating something absolutely beautiful out of them. This art of older Alm and Lukas is based on a scene from my FE Echoes fic, The Lion in Winter. Your kindness and generosity moved me so much, and every time I look at this art I'm filled with both joy and love.

[wanderingmind867]

Probably an idea someone else has already had, but I feel there's definitely potential for a story like this:

I've heard in Fe3h you can spare Flayn and Seteth on Crimson Flower. I think there's potential for a story here. I'm not good at writing dialogue or most other elements of a story, but let me give you the idea.

Let's say Byleth spares Seteth and Flayn and they go into hiding. That means they're not dead. And if Edelgard and Byleth still kill Rhea, I can maybe see potential for some sort of sequel.

I don't watch Star Wars, but let's use a metaphor from there. Years in the future, let's say there's a figure who leads a rebellion against the empire (a Skywalker type). They could then enlist the aid of Flayn and (if he's still alive) Seteth. They could be the Obi-Wan/Yoda figures of the story. I feel like there's something here. I don't know if I can do anything with it, but there's definitely something here.

[gaymakima]

considering a ss rewrite with rhea taking the place of the main lord (as opposed to being locked up for most the campaign), and the more I think on it the more I can see her starting out like her crimson flower self but wanting revenge for byleth as opposed to revenge ON byleth. and then the ripple effects of having a slightly more stable seiros!rhea present in fodlan in the five year gap, dimitri being more like his cf self and not his am self, etc

which is a hell of a lot of thinking when I know the end result will just be rhealeth slowburn + rhea supports that I, personally, deserve

[fan-girls-r-us]

My slightly unhinged EdelBert headcanons:

- In private, Edelgard enjoys kissing Hubert; chaste pecks on the cheek, short kisses on the lips, sloppy make out sessions, mildly appropriate “church tongue”, it doesn’t matter. But she likes kissing him after his morning cup of coffee the most out of all of them.

- Hubert is secretly a remarkable poet. He’ll never admit to it, though. Most of what he writes (that he doesn’t burn) are sonnets dedicated to Edelgard.

- Edelgard enjoys snuggling. Hubert is (secretly) happy to oblige.

- Hubert can also sing rather beautifully, he just hates doing it. Prior to the Officer’s Academy, Edelgard was the only one who knew this. She is also the only person who can get him to acquiesce and sing.

- No one can convince me that Edelgard wasn’t hurt by Hubert’s lack of direct acknowledgment regarding her disappearance (revealed in Three Hopes) until they were in their 20s.

- Similarly, Hubert never told Edelgard the story about his ill-fated campaign to bring her home when he was ten— not because it was unimportant, but because he feared it would reveal his true feelings for her. And that scared him more than anything. It’s also likely the reason for his reluctance to discuss the above point as well.

- Should Edelgard and Hubert ever have children, she would absolutely be the “strict mom”, while he would 100 percent be the closet “fun dad”.

- Hubert was likely viciously tormented by his younger siblings for his love/devotion to Edelgard, which he ALSO refused to admit. The most ruthless teasing came from his sister, who just wanted her big brother to be happy.

- Even after they enter a relationship, Edelgard and Hubert argue. It’s not often, but when it happens, it’s bad. During one particular knock-down, drag out fight of theirs over her recklessness in battle, Edelgard screams, “you’re supposed to follow my orders!” To which, Hubert yells back, “My apologies, my lady, I was under the impression that we were equals.” They don’t speak to each other for several days, until Dorothea intervenes and makes them talk out their issues.

- We’re supposed to understand the paired ending cards as “pages from a history book in the distant future”. Given the ambiguity in a lot of the endings, Edelgard and Hubert’s included, it seems as though they should be taken with a grain of salt— as history is only as good as the records you keep… with that in mind, it’s possible that Hubert outlives Edelgard due to the toll of the Agarthan experiments. Upon her death, he burns all paper evidence of their personal lives (come to think of it, probably all evidence of any type) in order to keep their private lives private. So concrete evidence of their existence, which would have been plentiful while they were a part of the government, was wiped out (as per the “fade from history” line in the end card) when they went to live as private citizens— as Hubert was now in full control of the narrative. There was no longer evidence of them admitting their feelings, and it’s not like any of their friends would rat on them, so history was left to speculate based on what was widely known about their public personas; what is stated though, is far from the case. Regardless, Hubert doesn’t live much longer after Edelgard’s passing… and we all unfortunately know why.

- Should Edelgard marry someone else, (*ahem* Byleth *ahem*) Hubert refuses to stand in her way, despite his feelings; he’s just happy that she’s happy. He even walks her down the aisle on her wedding day and stands as her “Man of Honor”, as much as it kills him.

- Hubert prides himself on his attention to detail when it comes to Edelgard; he notices everything about her and her needs, even before her sometimes. Which is why it comes as a shock to him when she tells him that she’s pregnant, because he never would have guessed that as being the reason for her slightly strange behavior as of late. You guys ever see that one scene in BBC’s Sherlock where John asks Sherlock to be his best man, and Sherlock’s brain does the blue screen of death? Well, that’s what happens when Edelgard informs Hubert that they’re going to be parents. XD

[teecupangel]

*raises hand* I'm very interested in any FE x AC crossover ideas you have

I've personally had a couple of thoughts about dropping Desmond into fates because I think him playing off of Saizo would be funny

From @a-faint-hope

Thanks and I would be interested in your FE x AC crossover ideas.

First of all, here’s an AC AU idea based on the Engage rings system.

Okay, I have 2 sorta kinda vague ideas:

One is an actual crossover set in Fodlan, specifically during Three Hopes. This one came to me when I was playing the demo for Three Hopes. So a bit of a ‘sidenote’, Three Hopes started its marketing during the time I’m super into AC (still am, still here) so whenever I would talk about Shez to my FE friends, I keep typing Shay instead. It got so bad that I honestly couldn’t remember Shez’s name for a while and I just kept typing it as Shay.

So…

How about a Three Hope scenario where Shay Cormac wakes up in the middle of nowhere and a person that calls themselves Arval can talk to them ‘telepathically’, telling him that they were connected by something that Arval themselves do not know what. Only that they woke up because they felt Shay. Shay looks around and… it was a battlefield.

He had woken up in a battlefield.

Left with no idea of what was happening and where he was, Shay travels to find more information, forming a sort of alliance with Arval as both of them need information to know why Shay is here in this strange land and why Arval has woken up inside Shay.

During their travels, Shay helps out three students who were running from bandits and is taken in by the Church of Seiros where he becomes an instructor. Shay knows that the woman called Lady Rhea is trying to keep him in check and close to find out who he truly is and where he came from.

For now, they give him the position of being one of the instructors and he gets to choose which ‘house’ he’d be the professor of.

Thinking of it for a while, Shay decides to pick Black Eagle because…

The young heir to the Adestrian Empire, Edelgard, reminded him so much of Haytham Kenway.

Shay’s appearance changes a lot of things, mainly because of his Eagle Vision. He realizes where the bandits hideout is and Edelgard’s ‘suggestions’ led them to the right direction (with Shay suspecting that Edelgard knows more than she’s letting on) and they manage to save Monica before the ritual, whatever that is.

Because of Monica’s survival and Edelgard taking in Shay’s inclusion to her plans, the whole thing goes very similar to Three Hopes’ prologue and Edelgard requests that Shay becomes one of her ‘vassals’ and help her rid Fodlan of its corruption and give way to real peace, not this fake peace that the three nations were pretending they had under the iron grip of the Church.

Shay, not having any other options and also thinking of the Black Eagle (especially Edelgard who always seemed lonely in Shay’s eyes) as his responsibility and having become close to them, agrees and becomes part of the Adrestian Empire’s army.

During the war phase, they learned that Jeralt’s Mercenary, the most powerful mercenary group in all of Fodlan, had been hired by the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus who, at the moment, is keeping Archbishop Rhea and her closest ‘confidants’ safe and giving them sanctuary. Apparently, the one who suggested that King Dimitri buy Jeralt’s Mercenary group was no one other than the Ashen Demon themselves, Byleth. But… that sounds more like a rumor at the moment.

As if that wasn’t enough, Shay realized that a certain group from House Riegan… wore white, had access to actual Hidden Blades (forged in materials found in this world) and… they call their leader ‘mentor’.

That’s as far as I got.

The main idea is:

Shay stays with Edelgard because Edelgard reminded him of Haytham Kenway and he thinks of the Black Eagle students as like siblings/children he couldn’t help but care for. He’s especially fond of Petra who may or may not have been getting one-on-one lessons from Shay to be more… Assassin-y.

Byleth may or may not have memories of the events of both Three Hopes and Three Houses. By the time Shay first sees them, they already have light green hair. (Byleth’s gender in this one is also a “???” as I usually write female!Byleth but, for this one, who knows?). Of course, I won’t deny that Byleth coming to Faerghus is absolutely because of Dimileth XD

The Almyra section has actually been done by the time the war phase starts as a man known as the ‘mentor’ had recruited people in Almyra (both local Almyrans, immigrants and even foreigners) and created a Brotherhood. Almyra is stable at the moment politically and the king of Almyra had requested that the mentor lend a hand on Leicester Alliance as part of their ‘tentative’ alliance with the Roundtable of Leicester Alliance. The mentor takes no orders from the Alliance but he and Claude are ‘friendly’ enough that he will listen to Claude’s plans but he’ll do whatever he wants in the end. No one know where the mentor came from although Claude is friendly enough to call him by his name… ‘Desmond’.

.

My other AC x FE idea is actually… uuuhh… AC characters set in an FE type of scenario?

The plot’s very barebone and might sound familiar:

Desmond wakes up in a place he doesn’t recognize and people he knew starts popping up but… they’re the same people he knew. They have the same name and looks the same and have similar personalities, only… ‘tweaked’ to the setting where magic is real and there are dragons (“They’re called wyverns”, yeah okay) and apparently Desmond was found in an underground temple where the ‘hope of the world’ is meant to be.

Because this world is currently in war with an unknown force that destroys everything in its path with an army of unknown origins and the nations of the world are trying to find a solution to this problem. The enemy army itself seemed to be made up of statues with glowing white light.

Desmond and his group are attacked and he realized that the statues all have the glow of a POE… and their armor and weaponry… looked very similar for some reason.

They are saved by the prince of the nearest country and… things spiral from there.

So…

Main idea:

Desmond gets to be the Avatar of this scenario. He starts of with the class that has a proficiency with swords (A), dagger (A), and bow (A).

Rebecca is one of the two people who finds Desmond. She’d probably be either a tank type or a monk type.

Shaun is obviously the other one and he’d be a tome type (if Rebecca is a tank, he would also have access to staves).

Now, for the other nations and their ‘playable characters’:

Altaïr would be the Lord of his nation although he’s technically just a prince when he meets (rescue?) Desmond. He has proficiency in Daggers (A), Sword (S) and Tomes (S) and his Lord class would be a Flying Unit (I’m thinking an actual Eagle because Griffin Knights are mostly known as non-magical units).

Malik and Kadar would be his vassals and they share the same class but with different proficiency (with Kadar having Staves while Malik has Tomes) aka: they’re the Abel and Cain archetype of this idea.

Kadar would be the first actual dedicated healer that the party would get if Shaun doesn’t have Staff proficiency.

(If they get promoted, they’d get flying classes which will become the Pegasus Sisters archetype with Altaïr XD)

Ezio would be the next Lord that they’d encounter although he’s just the second son of one of the nobles in their kingdom. He has proficiency in Bow (A), Lance (S) and Staves (S) and his Lord class will be a Ground Unit (look, there’s too many sword proficiency going around. We need to have the Weapon Triangle here XD)

Claudia would be one of his vassals. Not sure what her proficiency would be but one of them has to be Dagger.

Not sure on who his other vassal would be. Machiavelli being a magic type would be a good choice. La Volpe or Yusuf being Thief type classes would be good too. An absolutely left field would be Lo Sparviero taking the Aptitude trait (kinda like Donnel/Mozu/Jean).

Ratonhnhaké:ton would be the third Lord that Desmond recruits and he’s the clan mother’s grandson. He has proficiency in Bow (S), Axe (S) and Dagger (A) and his Lord class will be a Cavalry Unit (Either a wolf or a bear).

Aveline would be one of his vassals and she would have three possible classes to change into.

Kanen'tó:kon would be his other vassal and he’d be a tank unit.

Other than them… uuuhhh… possible other characters:

Haytham Kenway with Shay Cormac and Charles Lee (otherwise, they’d be reoccurring enemy units)

Edward Kenway with Adéwalé and Edward Thatch (Mary Read, Anne Bonny and Calico Jack are also with him though). They’ll be encountered on a ship stage, of course.

Arno Dorian with Pierre and Leon. If we don’t give Ezio Lo Sparviero as his vassal, Leon will have the Aptitude trait and be our Donnel/Mozu/Jean. Pierre might betray the party, maybe?

Henry Green with the Frye Twins. Jacob is a melee unit while Evie is a magic unit.

Aya with Bayek and Apollodorus under the command of their ruler Cleopatra. They’d be encountered as enemies first because of an order from Cleopatra. Bayek has the hero class (sword and shield), Aya is on the thief class line and Apollodorus would either be a tank or a lance type class.

Kassandra would be all on her own for some reason. She seems to have more idea than she lets on. If left up to me, I’ll make her miserable and turn her into a Tiki archetype XD

Eivor with Hytham and Randvi. They’re all looking for Basim and Sigurd (the ruler of their nation) who went missing some time ago. Eivor and Randvi would be the Axe-Bros archetype. XD

I was thinking of who the Jagen would be and all I can think of is Bill. He’ll be the overpowered promoted unit who would soon fall behind due to stat allocation and growth rates. To hammer it in, he will also be the “soon to be dead parental figure” Cornelius archetype as well. XD

.

Dropping Desmond into Fates would be fun too. A Desmond in Hoshido versus Corrin in Nohr would be the ‘easy’ choice or… you know… Corrin finds Desmond sleeping in Valla after she chose the Revelations route? I like the idea of Desmond acting like Corrin and Azura’s big brother because, holy shit, they’re too young to be in this kind of fucked up situation! Honestly, I can just see Desmond casually talking to Saizo while Saizo’s in his entire serious glory XD

[claudvain]

You ever wondered what it’d be like if two redheads fell in love ? Well boy howdy do I have the fic for you

Love To Keep Me Warm, and Ferdinand x Sylvain hallmark movie inspired AU 🧡❤️❄️🎅🌨️ chapter 1 is posted now !!!!

I have been working on this for months and I’m so excited to start sharing it, this story means so much to me fr. I hope u enjoy 🙏💛💛💛

[nerdnag-makes-art]

"Happy New Year, wolves."

[worm-entity]

me and @silvergifting have been thinking of MANY wonderful fire emblem antics so. Heres this.

[almoststedytimetravel]

Fic for the Fates Renaissance discord server gift exchange, gifted to @littlemissdash who asked for Azulow. Special thanks to @prompeachy from the ace attorney discord server who told me what people find attractive in men (because I certainly didn't know).

[mecharlie-fox]

Memoirs of a Summoner: Part 1

Rules are simple my fellow Summoners, the prompt works for anyone and everyone. Feel free to use them but with credits. This works for canon (Kiran, nonbinary/male/female), original characters, and self-inserts/readers. 

Ship intention: Alfonse X Reader / Summoner X Reader? Note: Okay uhh here’s a quick thing, the Summoner can be Kiran, your OC, whatever you’d like because there will be two important ppl in this short fic - YOU, the reader and the Summoner. So yeah, take your pick. And happy reading!

This is a really old fic that I made last year (May) 2021, I never went through with it but it was an interesting thought if we’re gonna you know... take in account of the official art for the Summoner. You see I like me my mystery men but the summoner can be any gender depending on your preference

-----

PART 1

You’re not the Summoner. You’re only but a faceless member of the Order of Heroes. You grew up reading and listening to stories about the Legendary Great Hero who would one day wield Breidablik to bring peace to the continent, and end this senseless war. You wanted to do your part, much like anyone else.

Commander Anna knows you - of course she does, as commander, she should know the names and faces of every single member who volunteered for this cause. And that alone she’s grateful to you.

But the Askran siblings - you know they were nice, and you know that they have the same goal as you. But you weren’t important and you weren’t a Hero - when you die, no one will remember your name. You’re just one of those nameless soldiers who died for the sake of their kingdom. A sacrifice. Cannon fodder.

You knew this and yet you fought anyway. It was all for your family. It was all for the friends you left in the village. Because someone needs to help.

Training was all left to you and ranking members who weren’t anything special in the order. Your captains did their best to make sure that your training was on par with the Heroes, making sure that none of you were in the way, making sure you all knew what to do. You were a few, couldn’t even call yourselves a platoon. A lot of people tend to forget that the Order had human beings like you, and when they say “Order of Heroes” it was.... well... always the Heroes and their reckless royal siblings.

The heir to the throne and his spare were both putting themselves at risks. Some of the few members understood it to be setting as an example, in hopes that more members would join and that they wouldn’t rely too much on Heroes. But in truth, it had an opposite effect. It was reckless, it was stupid, if both of them died, who would lead Askr to a future? If the King dies and both of them are gone, where is the future?

It wasn’t... royal like. You weren’t even part of the nobility, never even stepped foot into the royal castle. You were a mere commoner trying to make a living while protecting the kingdom in your own way. Even when there’s no recognition to it. The thought of fighting so your family wouldn’t was enough for you.

The Order didn’t make any money. It was mostly being funded by the government, and if the monthly budget didn’t make it - they had to think of ways. You reported the discovery of Aether Keep to the commander, and she commended you and your unit for a job well done. Your fellow members commended you guys for it, because it meant that no more part time jobs to feed those Heroes with your own labor. They weren’t all bad, the Heroes. Even though you were invisible to them, they showed kindness when they saw you.

But one thing did bother you. The royal siblings - Aether Keep was something of the past, to battle in the skies. It provided so much for the Order such as inns, crops, a music hall, everything they needed to relax for once instead of training on an endless basis. Yes, the commander, your comrades and some of the Heroes commended you for a job well done - but not them.

They were above you. You know that. They wouldn’t be talking to a lowly commoner like you, but it just bothered you. Because you and your unit found the Keep and yet... it was the Summoner who was congratulated. The Summoner who was praised.

You didn’t have any ill-will towards the Summoner. They were kind, concerned, innocent, good - they knew nothing about warfare and yet they did their part to help end this war. Just like you did when you first came. You were there to protect not for recognition.

Heroes who died could be revived, thanks to the Summoner’s powers. But your comrades... your comrades who fell did not share the same mercy from the gods. When they die, they die. Cannot be revived. It wasn’t the Summoner’s fault. You keep on telling yourself.

You saw it with your eyes. The Muspell flames.

Your task was simple, you and your unit were to go to a certain place in Askr to see what was going about. A woman who seemed to be like a Hero to you, was fighting by herself while the village was being destroyed, burn down into ashes until there was nothing left. You knew this village, you knew these fields - you used to come with your siblings to play around while your parents were having their own leisure of an alone time. 

Now it’s gone. Nothing but the red sky and ash smoke. You fought. You all fought. But it was no use. None of you had magic, that wasn’t the law of your world. Mages were rare and not all mages wanted to sacrifice their lives for nothing. You watched your captain burning, reaching his hand to you as you felt the painful fuel of the flames of Muspell.

Run. He said with his dying breath. Run. Warn them.

 Miraculously, as if it were the Dragon of Askr’s will - you made it back to the Order of Heroes. Your skin covered in burns and all you could mutter to your Commander was one phrase: The flames... the flames....

 None of them thanked you. Few of the Heroes (mostly the Heroes who healed you) thanked you for your service, and gave their condolences for the loss of your friends. You were in your room, ordered to stay in and rest, Sakura and Wrys would come to you four times a day to tend to your burns - and try to cheer you up. They would bring friends, although you were thankful for their kindness - your heart still felt the loss of your unit... your squad, your family.

The commander came and offered her condolences and had assured you that their families have been well compensated, all Anna hoped for was for you to forgive yourself. 

Even when you’re stuck in your room trying to regain your health, you weren’t important. You knew you weren’t important. Everyone was more focused on this new Hero named Fjorm from the Kingdom of Nifl. And as always, the Summoner was praised for finding her.

The Summoner this.

The Summoner that.

The Summoner wasn’t the one fighting the battles, it was all you and your comrades. The faceless, nameless comrades who died... who were just forgotten because they weren’t Heroes.

You couldn’t help but hate the Summoner. Hate the Prince. Hate the whole Order.

None of you were important. The volunteers from Askr were not important. Even when everyone dines together in the mess hall, you all knew your place. You had your own place at the edge of the hall as the Heroes dine and laugh with the higher members such as the commander, the Summoner, and the royal siblings. There was such a wall between the normal folk and the Heroes - there finally came a time where some volunteers... left during the war with Muspell and Embla.

Because you all didn’t feel welcome in the ranks at all.

"You’re leaving too?!” You could hear Commander Anna’s reaction from across the corridors of the ancient castle. 

“I am so sorry Commander.” Your fellow comrade bowed in apology, behind the pillar you couldn’t help but listen and started thinking for yourself as well. “But even when all our goals are the same, to stop this war and protect the ones we love... I don’t feel welcome at all Ma’am. It’s not your fault or the Heroes. It’s just... I can’t keep it up anymore. I’m tired of trying to keep up with big names and we’re just... us volunteers are just nothing.”

“Are... are you all feeling this way?” The Commander’s tone was sincere. Broken. As if she was starting to question her own leadership.

“We all have... especially since (y/n) came back to us.” Your comrade admitted in complete shame. “She and her unit... her captain brought out the best in us, trained us, took care of us. But seeing their sacrifices meant nothing to the Order - what’s the point of service if we’re just going to be forgotten in the end?”

“I didn’t...” The commander was in utter shock. She couldn’t comprehend on how this was going around the volunteer members. “I wasn’t...”

“We don’t blame you ma’am. And we are grateful for the opportunity to serve Askr. We have... outlived our purpose now, ma’am. With all of these Heroes, you don’t need us anymore.” He bowed, you couldn’t help but feel his full sense of hesitation and even regret. “I’m really sorry ma’am. I wish you the best on the war effort.”

You couldn’t help but wonder if it was right. Did you truly outlive your purpose?

The following morning wasn’t better when you saw your roommate packing up their things. And you said. “You’re leaving too, huh?”

“Yeah,” your roommate casually answered as they continued to pack their belongings. “I gave my resignation to the Commander earlier. I don’t want to leave but… we’re not needed here anymore and the Order made that clear.”

“You’re a captain, what will happen to your unit?”

“My unit is leaving with me.” You looked at your roommate as they just finished packing. Giving you a smile of reassurance was all they could do for you. “It sounds like we’re ganging up on the Commander, doesn’t it?”

You were still in a state of shock. And yet, you didn’t question their decision, it was understandable. “I won’t lie… but it does… but… but why—I don’t understand.”

“Surtr is trying to attack every village he could find that doesn’t have a strong protection from the Order and the Knights. Commander Anna is doing everything in her power, we know that. King Gustav too and I know we have much more Heroes than before, and they’re a more capable bunch that us… they’ll do well.”

“What will you all do?”

Your roommate sighed. “We’re all going home to our respective villages. Muspell is playing with the Knights but they’re only defending the capital, the Order is more focused on gathering intel for the king but… even we were replaced by Heroes in that field. Protecting villages with no fighting force seems to be the most logical option. That’s what the others are doing. How ‘bout you?” Your roommate gave a wary smile. “Are you still going to stay?”

“Maybe.” You shrugged, avoiding eye contact. You didn’t know what to do. A part of you still wanted to be involved with the Order because of your beliefs but, the other part didn’t want you to say because none of you were being valued. “I’ll try to stay for a while, I won’t lie… leaving has also crossed my mind from time to time.”

Closing their suitcase, your roommate nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you in the village if you made up your mind then.”

After giving you a pat on the shoulder, you just watched your roommate leave. Things weren’t progressing as smoothly as everyone hopped for. Some of the Heroes did notice the decline of volunteer folks and you couldn’t help but wonder if this became a problem for the commander. You wondered if the Summoner or the Prince and Princess noticed it themselves. The more people left; the more Heroes were being summoned into the Order.

The mess hall was livelier than before now. With more Heroes meant more friends but, you looked around to only find almost no familiar faces that were in your circle. You realized; you were the only non-hero in the mess hall now. Everyone else left. The music, the laughter, the jokes, they were all noises for you now.

You were just one nameless soldier in a room filled with important figures.

“You haven’t touched your food (y/n), something on your mind?” You looked up to find one of the castle’s servants looking at you with concern. You didn’t realize that everyone in the mess hall was already gone, including the Commander and the Summoner.

“There is, actually.” You couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m also thinking of leaving.”

“You too?”

You smiled at that ironic question. “Yeah… me too. I guess leaving on my own free will is better than being sacked eventually. No one even noticed the decrease of numbers; the Summoner just keeps on replacing us anyway. The more Heroes they summon, who knows when the Commander will tell me to just sleep in a tent outside so they could have a room and a bed.” You joked.

The servant Dahlia sat across you, giving out a small pout. “Now, now… you know Anna wouldn’t do something like that.”

“It… just crossed my mind.” You answered honestly. “With the volunteers leaving, there would be more room in the barracks for the Heroes right? It hasn’t been even the following day and I already have a new neighbor. Maybe my comrades are right… we already outlived our purpose. Everything was simpler when Zacharias was still here.”

Dahlia just nodded. “Things were simpler when the captain was here but, he’s not anymore. Do you think Captain Zacharias would be happy seeing you all like this?”

No one knew what happened to Zacharias. Though he was close to Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena since they were young, he used to be your unit captain. He took care all of you, trained you, scolded you, gave you wisdom – the Summoner was no replacement for him. Everyone knew that. Zacharias would want you to follow your heart. Not think of yourself a burden.

You shook your head. “Good.” Dahlia smiled. “No one can force you to stay or go, (y/n), that’s your decision to make. And if you’re leaving too well… all I can do is wish you luck on future endeavors.”

Perhaps with a bit of luck you would know what to do. But fortune frowns before you, you didn’t know what to do. For years, all you could think about was joining the Order of Heroes to do your part. To help fight and protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. The years were kind and fruitful, filled with laughter and friendship – but now they’re nothing but a shard of a memory as you walked down the cold, empty corridors of the castle.

In your room, you proceeded to write a letter. Describing your thoughts and explaining why your decision to leave the order was made. Neatly folding it, you left for the Commander’s chamber. Knowing Anna, she would still be awake by this time – after all, she was once a volunteer like you before the old man retired and chose her to be his successor.

In your mind, you rehearsed and rehearsed what you were going to say to her. How you made up your mind and will follow the decision of your former comrades. Many good soldiers came and went, and they were gone not because they were killed in the battlefield, but rather they left on their own free will.

You were about to knock, but for a single moment, you hesitated the moment you heard crying from inside.

Anna’s crying. You noted to yourself. Found yourself froze in front of the door, with your hand about to knock the door. You couldn’t do it. You wanted to. You wanted to leave. You were unhappy with what the Order has become and how you were all treated. You wondered if you were an ungrateful soul, wanting recognition for things you have done – things that any Hero would do, but because you had no name, you were nothing, you weren’t recognized.

You knew Anna was grateful, wasn’t that enough for you? Was it too much to ask for the whole Order to know the deeds you have done? The sacrifices that you had to endure? Hearing the commander cry made your heart feel even more pain than the burns on your skin.

“May I help you?” You jumped in fright, turning around to see the Summoner. “You heard the crying too, huh?”

“Yes… Summoner.” You looked down. Not wanting to look into their eyes. Even if you did, you couldn’t see them. The Summoner always wore their hood and no one has ever seen their face. Some did speculate that only members of the royal family and the commander are able to do so, but there was never any proof.

But Kiran already had an idea why you were in front of Anna’s room. “What’s that on your hand?” They asked quietly. It wasn’t stern or serious, but rather calm and worried.

“My… resignation, Summoner.”

Kiran nodded. “You’re leaving too. I see… may I ask why?”

Why?! You wanted to snap. How… how could they? After everything you and your comrades did for this Order, wasn’t it obvious why you chose to follow? But it was late and you didn’t want to cause anymore trouble for Anna. You’d be gone in the morning anyway. So, you answered. “I don’t belong here anymore, Summoner.”

The Summoner was quiet, but continued to listen to what you had to say. “I’m aware of the damages that this war has caused the kingdom. I’m also aware of the selfishness that has come to mind, thinking about myself rather than the benefit of those who need our protection. I won’t speak for my comrades who left before me – but I’m not being valued here. When a soldier leaves, a Hero takes our place right? We’re not important to this Order. Not anymore.”

“I see.” The summoner was calmer than you expected them to be. You were waiting to be scolded with the importance of duty. The Summoner was a tactician, one of the keys to the Order’s victory in so many battles. They were the Legendary Great Hero, who would ever doubt them? Who would put them in the wrong? “Here,” the summoner spoke as they offer their hand. “I’ll give it to her for you. I wish you the best.”

It was all you could hear from anyone at this point. Not all of your burns have been healed up and yet, it feels like your heart too, was also burning from the pain. You bowed in the Summoner’s presence as if they were of high importance. In this castle, you couldn’t help but wonder what the Summoner was really like behind that hood of theirs.

The Summoner never really spends time with normal troops, they were always with the Heroes. People expected Prince Alfonse to take on that role more, since he’s the crown prince but to no avail as well. He too, was also hands on with the Heroes.

You couldn’t even sleep that evening. All you could wonder was the whole impossible idea: would people still be leaving if Captain Zacharias was still in your ranks?

You found yourself packing the following morning, ignoring the rushing footsteps from outside of your room. You jumped in shock the moment the door burst opened to find Anna holding your resignation in her hand, and the Summoner calmly standing behind her. The commander was taking deep breathes, you wondered how long she actually ran. From her face alone, you knew she had a sleepless night too – the bags in her eyes were deep, stains of tears could be seen on her cheek.

But none of that mattered to her anymore, all that mattered was her proposition to you. “(y/n)!” She shouted with determination as your eyes both met. Her gaze was even burning hotter than Muspell flames. “I have a proposition for you!”

In a sense, knowing the commander for so long, a part of you already knew that she didn’t accept your resignation and is about to offer you something you can’t refuse. “Be my steward!” Anna stopped, knowing that she said the wrong words to you.

You blinked. “Forgive me commander,” you answered as you closed your luggage. “But I do not see how that will make me stay.” You were confused. What soldier would want a stewardship? You thought that they were taking you as a servant. The order doesn’t pay well, you were stuck doing side jobs just to send back money to your family back in the village.

“Ack!” Anna couldn’t help but scratch her whole head with both of her hands, letter still in hand. “I’m! I’m sorry! Those words were completely wrong! COMPLETELY WRONG! What I’m trying to say is – PLEASE STAY!” The commander clapper her hands together, bowing in front of you. This sight alone was enough to make you feel worse as it is.

You knew Anna before she became commander. All of the people who left knew her personally before she took on the burden of the Order. Even with the fancy titles and all – she was still Anna, but compared to you, Anna was more important. She had more significance. “I – I know I’m not doing my best to make you all feel welcome. Especially when Kiran had been summoning Heroes left and right increasing our numbers! But I want to make things better for everyone! So please (y/n)! Give me another chance!”

If it was their previous commander, this attitude wouldn’t stand. They respected Anna but respect wasn’t the problem, it was pure negligence.