#like. one of the late game enemies is a knight girl in half armor. who has an elaborate attack animation where

[sapphic-haymaker]

Was talking to a friend about how Limbus Company's designs are so out of place in the Gacha landscape cause they're not so blatantly horny. And that's true at first glance but like....

Project Moon games are horny in the same way that one post describes Dark Souls games as "horny, but for sickos."

Nearly every woman has pants on, almost every character is basically completely covered up. The most revealing thing you're usually getting here is MAYBE some cleavage or bare arms.

Project Moon: "All of our characters are dressed professionally and overall very conservative in their designs."

Also Project Moon almost right after: "... Anyway, here's the mind control/hypno bondage attack where living ribbons slowly take over, envelope, and turn the character's outfit & hair pink. The origin of this attack is a cursed pair of bright pink heels, btw."

and that's not even mentioning the horrifying and detailed unique death animations in Limbus and LCorp. It's all suits and ties and finding ways to put characters through unimaginable suffering.

It's so funny.

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 15, Section 3

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

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I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

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Chapter 15 - The Day the Empire Fell (con’t x2)

Ephraim’s army continued their march towards the capital.

The Grado Empire had lost their central figures, Glen, Duessel, and Selena, one after the other, and was now visibly weakening. They no longer had the forces left needed to even hold Ephraim’s army at bay, while Ephraim’s army was growing stronger still.

They arrived at the capital without much trouble. Ephraim had not visited it in a very long time. The streets were laid out just as he remembered them, but what he saw looked like an entirely different city.

What was once praised as the continent’s most prosperous city was now just a shadow of its former self. Most of the shops were closed for good, and not a single person was traveling the streets. Many of the citizens had fled in fear of the war, and those who had reasons making them unable to leave the capital appeared to have shut themselves up inside their homes. 

As he walked the empty streets, Ephraim took Myrrh’s hand and asked, “Myrrh, can you feel the ominous energy?”

“Yes… It is very strong.” Myrrh squeezed Ephraim’s hand in fear. “It’s coming from the castle. From a room inside of it… It is a very big room.”

“Perhaps the throne room, then? Is it coming from the Dark Stone? Or maybe Emperor Vigarde himself is the source…?”

The moment Ephraim finished his sentence, a strong tremor rocked the city.

A powerful earthquake shook the ground beneath them. It was so great that they could not even stay standing. Myrrh clung to Ephraim.

The biggest tremor ended quickly, but several smaller earthquakes followed after it. 

Ephraim picked up Myrrh and said, “You have no need to worry. This has nothing to do with the Dark Stone.”

“But…”

“Grado is in a territory that has always suffered from frequent earthquakes since long ago. I was surprised too when I first came here, but Lyon taught me that earthquakes are what happens when the crusts of this continent slide around… and that they are also related to volcanic activity…”

Lyon had talked about the topic in much more detail, but Ephraim had no interest in it, only half listening at the time, so he couldn’t remember much.

Duessel told the panicking Freilan soldiers that the earthquakes were indeed just a natural phenomenon, and calmed them down.

Ephraim’s army tried to continue their march towards the castle, but on the roads along the way, they saw the effects of the previous earthquake. A number of old buildings had collapsed and started a fire.

Next to one of the ruined buildings was a crying and screaming young girl. She said that a member of her family had started running away too late, and was pinned underneath a fallen pillar.

Ephraim immediately ordered his soldiers to save the victims and put out the fire.

If they got behind their schedule, that would only be to the enemies’ advantage. But even knowing that, they did not waver in their policy to prioritize saving ordinary citizens. Ephraim stood at the front and moved away the debris.

Once they finally saved the man that had been trapped underneath it, he looked around at Ephraim’s soldiers incredulously and whispered, “You all have… come here to overthrow the capital, right…?”

“Why would you save us? What reason could you have to help us…?”

“We don’t have a reason. We can’t turn a blind eye to the injured, fallen citizens of this city, could we? Of course we would help you.” Ephraim answered.

The man looked up at the sky with a pained expression. "...You're Prince Ephraim of Renais, ain't ya? But I heard that Prince Ephraim was sent into a rage over his grudge towards Renais being invaded… and so he will kill anyone from Grado, even the women and children, and is pillaging everything… Is all that nothing more than empty rumors?"

"I don't know what kind of rumors are spreading, but I would never lay a hand on an ordinary citizen. And it goes without saying that I've also warned my soldiers to never do so either."

"Is that the truth? If someone like you was leadin' our country, I bet we'd all be happy. If only the emperor had half the kindness in his heart as you… The Grado Army should'a been the ones to help us straight away but… they abandoned us." The man looked towards the castle with eyes full of bitter hatred.

It was utterly quiet around the castle. Under normal circumstances, the army would currently be deploying to confirm what damage had been caused by the recent earthquakes, rescue any victims, and so on. But even before the earthquake happened, it was strange that no one had been guarding the city gates to prevent Ephraim's army from getting inside. They hadn't sensed a single human presence.

"They've just been stayin' locked up inside the castle, only guardin' the building. They don't care about us ordinary people. What's an army like that good for?"

Before they'd even realised it, a crowd of Grado citizens had gathered around Ephraim's army and formed a wall. Many of them were nodding as the man spoke. 

The weary looks on their faces were not only due to the earthquakes. Ever since the emperor had gone mad, the hardships of their daily lives had only worsened.

Ephraim looked around at their faces.  "I will defeat the emperor. Of course, I won't do it just to claim Grado as my own. Your new emperor will be Prince Lyon. There is no doubt in my mind that he will do an excellent job rebuilding this country. I… and the Kingdom of Renais, will spare no expense in cooperating with him to restore Grado to its former glory."

But when the man heard that, he snickered. "Prince Lyon?! I've heard he's a pathetic weakling who stays holed up in his room all day. And that's why he couldn't do anything to stop the emperor's violence… I don't have any hope in him. I'd be happier if Renais took control over Grado."

The man stopped himself there before quickly walking away, fearing that what he said might cause trouble.

Among the people, their discontent with the emperor and the prince had reached its peak, and was about to burst out from within them. Ephraim could sense it. In the gazes of those surrounding them now, he saw that they thought not of him as an enemy, rather, the exact opposite. 

Ephraim's feelings towards the man's words were very complex. Lyon wasn't a weakling. Naturally, as Lyon's friend, he wanted to defend him. But when he thought about how the people felt, it was obvious that they would criticize him for saying so.

The army's exchange with the local citizens had heightened the soldiers' morale all the more. Ephraim had no need to give them any encouraging words. They tore down the castle gate with a large battering ram, and all rushed inside the castle together.

ー

The Grado soldiers guarding the castle were formidable opponents. Just as Ephraim's army had expected, because the soldiers had neglected to protect the citizens, they had instead been inside the castle getting stronger and stronger.

The armored knights brandished long lances, preventing most opponents from being able to land a hit. And behind them were dark mages casting spells from a distance.

Though Ephraim's army suffered many casualties on the front line, they continued their persistent onslaught. The soldiers he led were brave. They fought with the unwavering belief that so long as they followed the prince, they could not lose.

And the one to fight the most bravely was Ephraim himself. The moment the armored knights, who were several times stronger than him, attacked him, he would face them head on, nimbly jumping into the air, and dodging the thrust of their lance. Though the harsh battle raged on, he showed no signs of exhaustion.

As they fought, they continued further into the palace, and gained more and more momentum as they went. They were coming ever closer to Emperor Vigarde - the person who had started this war. There wasn’t a person alive who could keep Ephraim from reaching him.

Finally, they were in front of the throne room. Ephraim stabbed the soldiers who tried to stand in his way, and slammed open the heavy doors.

“Vigarde!” Ephraim called out, and stepped onto the throne room’s red carpet. 

At the end of it was a beautifully decorated throne, and sitting upon it was the man who had thrust the entire continent into war, Emperor Vigarde.

But the moment Ephraim saw him, he paused for a moment. He could tell from his face that this man was indeed the Emperor Vigarde he remembered. However, his skin was so pale that it was terrifying. From his sunken cheeks to his hollow eyes, he was just a shell of the majestic emperor he had once been. If someone told Ephraim that the man sitting before him was just a clay doll made to look like the emperor, then he would believe them.

Vigarde did not move in reaction to Ephraim’s bursting into the room. His eyes simply stared blankly at the floor, and he did not even try to look at Ephraim.

Ephraim composed himself before continuing. “Why did you invade Renais?! Why did you have my father killed…?”

He should have had an entire mountain of questions to assault the emperor with, but Ephraim was at a loss for words. The emperor’s unexpected reaction… or more accurately, his lack of any reaction at all, had thrown him off. No matter how loudly Ephraim raised his voice, the emperor simply stared blankly at the floor.

“Why, Vigarde… You really aren’t in your right mind, are you?” The question escaped his mouth without thinking.

The emperor still did not answer.

An awkward silence fell between the two. Ephraim was shocked. He had expected that the emperor’s transformation by the Dark Stone would have granted him great strength… But he did not even try to fight.

“Lord Ephraim!” Duessel called out to him. He had been following after Ephraim, leading him into the throne room as well. He had his lance in his hands, and stood next to Ephraim. 

“General Duessel. Vigarde’s condition, it’s…” Ephraim whispered.

Duessel walked up to the throne with big steps. “Your Majesty, do you know who I am?” He asked. 

Vigarde did not respond. 

Duessel tightened his grip around his lance. “You are… no longer His Majesty, are you? You don’t know me at all, do you...?”

"..."

“...Forgive me.” Duessel whispered, and readied his lance.

However, in that moment, the unthinkable happened.

The motionless Vigarde suddenly stood up, and he had a sharp lance in his hands that they had not even noticed him pick up. His swift movements utterly betrayed the lifeless state he had been in until now.

Deussel was completely taken aback. He dropped his weapon and staggered back.

Within the blink of an eye, Vigarde raised his lance over his head and lunged. 

Ephraim sensed the danger just in time to block the attack.

'Had the hollow expression all been an act?' Ephraim wondered, but even now, Vigarde's expression was exactly the same. He still looked as if the life had been sucked out of him, except his movements were bizarrely swift. It was extremely uncanny.

Vigarde blocked all of Ephraim's attacks, surprising the prince all the more. The emperor moved faster than one would ever think humanly possible.

Myrrh stated that the Dark Stone did not control people, but… All Ephraim could think was that this Vigarde was like a puppet in every sense of the word, being moved by some other power.

Duessel picked up his lance and joined in the fight. It was against his nature to fight two-on-one, but he couldn’t worry about that now. Vigarde was undoubtedly possessed by a great power.

Of course, even Vigarde could not avoid every single attack from two expert opponents. Ephraim’s lance stabbed through the emperor’s chest.

Even then, Vigarde’s face did not change. He expressed nothing at all, not even pain nor regret. Nothingness spread throughout his hollow eyes, and that was all.

When Ephraim quickly pulled out his lance, Vigarde’s body slowly leaned over, and he toppled forward. 

Ephraim wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. It had been a long while since he had fought in a battle that stressed his nerves this much - since the battle at Renvall Castle, where he had fought for his life to escape, to be exact.

He didn’t feel like he had won. Though he had defeated the man responsible for Renais’ fall, he felt no reaction. All that was left within him was a feeling of disgust, like he had been touched by something and he didn’t know what it was.

“Lord Ephraim, are you injured?”

“I’m fine. General Duessel… is it over? Have… Have we won…?”

“Yes…” Duessel’s expression looked just as dissatisfied. The look on his face conveyed that he was feeling the same sense of disgust and unease that Ephraim was experiencing.��

The two looked at each other.

Suddenly, something strange happened.

Vigarde’s body, lying before their feet, instantly vanished. Was this some new kind of attack? 

Ephraim jumped back. In the blink of an eye, Vigarde had turned to ashes. All that remained was his clothing.

“What… was that…?" Ephraim muttered.

Duessel responded in a voice shaking so violently that he could not hide it, “Perhaps it was a mage’s spell…? Or one of the effects of the Dark Stone? Regardless, Emperor Vigarde vanished. There is no doubt. We have wo…” His words were cut short. 

Ephraim felt a cold chill in the air, and whirled around. ‘When did he come in here?’ 

There, standing before him, was Prince Lyon.

On the face of the prince that the townspeople had ridiculed and called weak was a calm, faint smile. It was an expression that Ephaim had never seen him make before.

“You really are strong, Ephraim… though I always knew you were.” Lyon whispered teasingly. Just like the expression on his face, it was a tone that Ephraim had never heard him speak in before.

Ephraim was utterly confused when he asked, “Lyon… is it… really you? You know who I am?”

“You hurt me, Ephraim. Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? I could never forget. You are my very precious friend…”

Though his words were friendly, his voice was full of displeasure.

He was different from the doll-like, expressionless Emperor Vigarde. But he was undoubtedly being controlled by something else wicked… Ephraim could sense it. 

To soothe his discouraged heart, Ephraim asked, “What happened in the capital? Please tell me, Lyon. Why didn’t you stop the emperor’s tyranny? Where is the Dark Stone now?”

"Hm? You even know about the Dark Stone? Oh, I get it, Duessel told you about it. Of course… Then I will make this quick. You see, Ephraim, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

“...What?”

“The moment when Renais falls, and this world becomes mine. It has been my dream since I was a child… That is why I became close to you and your sister. You two mocked and belittled me, right? So I had you teach me all sorts of things about Renais, even though normally, you would be forbidden from speaking to the prince of a neighboring nation about such things. You taught me all about Renais’ weaknesses, and where to attack so that I could conquer it…”

“Lyon… what are you talking about? Eirika and I mocked you? That’s foolishness…”

He had teased Lyon from time to time. He would occasionally say to Lyon that he was weak because he could not defeat Eirika in swordsmanship practice. But of course, it was not to make fun of him. Ephraim knew that Lyon’s strengths were not in swordsmanship, but magic, so a joke about it would slip out of his mouth every once in a while.

Whenever he did so, Eirika would stick up for Lyon and scold him, then Lyon would be the one to apologize and intervene in their squabble. They were all close to each other, so those had been fun conversations. To hear that Lyon felt they had “mocked” him… Ephraim couldn’t believe it.

Lyon’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction. “The time was finally right. Thanks to the emperor… Father's incompetence, everything took longer than I planned, but… Renais fell, and King Fado is dead. Oh, that's right, I haven't told you yet. I was the commanding officer in the attack on Renais Palace. I killed your father.”

“Lyon…?”

“Shall I tell you? Exactly how your father died. It was so very fun. King Fado became desperate because he was so weak… Just the thought of it makes me laugh."

"Stop, Lyon!" Ephraim screamed. He was so angry that he felt not as if his blood was boiling, but as if it was draining from his body. His voice shook as he continued speaking, "Shut up! If you insult my father any further, then… Even if it is you, I’ll… I’ll…!”

"My, my, my. First you tell me to talk, then you tell me to shut up… You've always done as you pleased, Ephraim. But you shouldn’t think you can order me around any longer. There is nothing you can do at this point. Only two Sacred Stones remain… if I just destroy them.... ...then…" Lyon stopped there, and frowned. He must have suddenly felt pain shoot through his body, as he grabbed his chest. "So it seems that I am still not at my full power… Let's leave it at this for today. Next time we meet, I will kill you. Just like I killed your father…"

Lyon’s body disappeared as if it had been sucked into something.

Ephraim started to yell at Lyon, but he stopped himself. He did not know where Lyon had disappeared to, but he knew that his voice would likely not reach him. 

“Lord Ephraim…” Duessel called out. His face was terribly pale. 

Ephraim imagined that he probably looked the exact same way. “General Duessel. You told me that Prince Lyon had not been affected by the Dark Stone. That he was the same prince who hates war that he always was.”

“...I was wrong. I… was deceived by his act as well.”

“Everything is clear to me now. Our true enemy was not Vigarde. The enemy we must defeat is him… Lyon.” Just as Ephraim said that, they heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. 

One of his soldiers appeared before him. “Reporting, Lord Ephraim! We found someone imprisoned inside of the dungeon. What should we do?”

“Who is it?”

“He… did not tell us anything.”

“Understood. I’ll go there myself soon.”

Ephraim went together with Duessel, and the soldier showed them the way to the dungeon.

Inside one of the damp cells was a man crouched over, silent and wearing a hood.

When he heard the sound of footsteps, he looked up. He appeared to still be young, but perhaps because of the humidity in the room, he looked completely worn out.

The soldier offered Ephraim the key. He took it and opened the iron door without saying a single word. 

The man inside looked up at Ephraim and sighed. “My execution was scheduled for tomorrow. Has it been moved up? No, you do not look like a Grado soldier… Who are you?”

“I am Prince Ephraim of Renais. And you are?”

When Ephraim gave his name, the man shook his head with deep emotion. “So that must mean… that Grado Castle has been captured. My name is Knoll. I was involved in the magic research that was carried out here.”

“Why are you in the dungeon?”

He did not seem to want to answer that question, as he looked away and was silent. 

Ephraim asked a different question. “You said magic. Does that mean you were conducting research alongside Lyon? What is he scheming? There’s still a lot of things that I want to ask him…”

“You… don’t know anything?” Knoll looked up once more and blinked. His eyes were probably so used to the darkness that the light of the torch in the soldier’s hand was too bright for him.

“I don’t know anything? What do you mean? Could you please tell me everything that you know?”

“Of course. I will tell you everything. I don’t think you will believe me, but…”

Ephraim walked inside the cell and sat in front of Knoll. The stone floor was cold and unpleasant. The moment he thought about being locked up alone in a miserable place like this, he pitied the young man before him.

“This happened just over one year ago. Emperor Vigarde had been sick for a very long time, but his condition took a turn for the worse, and he suddenly passed away.”

“Wait a minute. This happened a year ago? What do you mean? I just killed him now… Was that a replacement, maybe? Did someone find a person who looked like him to pretend to be him and hide his death…?”

Knoll shook his head. “No, that is not what happened. I will tell you everything in order. One year ago, His Majesty died of his illness. Lord Lyon was both devastated, and afraid. He said that he did not have the strength to ascend the throne… and couldn’t do anything without his father…”

That seemed like a reaction that the Lyon Ephraim knew very well would have. However, it was not at all like the cruel Lyon he had just met. He felt all over again that he did not know who the real Lyon was. 

“Lord Lyon decided to hide his father’s death. Then, he said that he would bring his father back to life.”

“Bring him back to life?”

“Yes. As you know, Grado is the home of one of the Sacred Stones, which holds immense power. The Sacred Stones sealed away the Demon King long ago, and his soul is still trapped within them to this day… Us mages had been researching the Sacred Stones since even before the emperor’s passing. We wondered if the Stones’ power could be used for the country, and the people.”

“Yeah, Lyon told me about that once. He thought that maybe the Sacred Stones could help heal the people’s wounds and illnesses. However, Father MacGregor had told him that he was extremely against it…”

“That’s right. Father MacGregor warned Lord Lyon not to recklessly use the Stone's power. Lord Lyon was dejected, but said that he understood not to break the seal on the Stone, and instead only use the power that radiated around it. It did not compare to the true power of the Stone, and we were only able to extract a little bit of power from it, but so long as we continued our research, we knew we should achieve some kind of result, no matter how small… so we kept working as hard as we could. But his father's death had broken Lord Lyon's sense of self-control. He ignored Father MacGregor's warnings, and broke the seal on the Sacred Stone. He intended to use that power to bring his father back to life."

Ephraim gasped, and stared at Knoll's calm face. He didn’t know anything about magic, but it was clear even to him that what Lyon had done entirely betrayed any sense of morality. Bringing someone back from the dead… and using a precious treasure from ancient times to do it... was completely forbidden.

But at the same time, when he imagined what Lyon felt in his heart, he also felt Lyon’s pain. 

He must have been overcome by fear and insecurity. He probably lost himself in his desperation to bring back the father he had suddenly lost. It wasn’t too much to him. What he was experiencing was like being thrown out on stormy seas without any preparation or confidence.

“I do not know exactly what happened. I was not there at the time. But on that day, Lord Lyon told us that his experiment was a success, and I ran over to him in complete surprise.”

“He succeeded…?”

“Yes.  His Majesty was alive. Lord Lyon was very happy, and rushing around excitedly. His Majesty's body had been preserved by the power of the Sacred Stone and not decayed at all even though some time had passed, but on that day… his body rose up, and he opened his eyes." When he remembered that moment, Knoll shuddered. “While I was still in my state of utter shock, Lord Lyon held out two Stones to me. One was the Sacred Stone. And the other was…”

Knoll couldn’t finish his sentence, so Ephraim asked, “The Dark Stone, right?”

“...Yes. Lord Lyon said that he extracted the magical power from the Sacred Stone, and it had crystallized into a new form. By doing so, he created a Stone with power even greater than that of the Sacred Stone.

"He used that power to succeed in resurrecting His Majesty. But since Lord Lyon had extracted its power, the Sacred Stone was nothing more than an empty husk… That is what he said, then he destroyed it. And that was not all. He announced that he would destroy all of the Sacred Stones across the continent. He said that each of the stones that each country kept were just a nuisance… and all that is needed is the Dark Stone. You likely know most of what happened after that. He used His Majesty as a proxy for all of his own orders, conducted himself so that he would not stand out to the public, and gained control of the Grado government. Then, he invaded Renais. Father MacGregor was worried about Lord Lyon, and tried to remind him of the legends every chance he got, but that only incurred Lord Lyon’s displeasure. Father MacGregor was executed by Lord Lyon’s own hand, and I was captured as well. I had been ready for my life to end tomorrow, but… It appears that the gods have not abandoned me just yet.” Knoll finished his story and stood up. His legs seemed to be weak from being kept inside the dungeon, as he stumbled and put his hand against the wall.

Ephraim pulled him up onto his shoulder.

“Thank you… There is something I want to give you. I will take you to it.”

“Me? What is it?”

Knoll walked out of the cell without answering him.

They traversed a complex maze of hallways, then walked down a flight of stairs. They stopped in front of an altar located in the innermost part of the castle.

“This is where Grado’s Sacred Stone was kept. And together with the Stone were Grado’s Sacred Twins. If we are lucky, then they should still be here…”

Grado’s Sacred Twins were Black Axe Garm and Twin Tome Gleipnir, both legendary weapons said to have been used by the country’s founder, Grado himself. Lyon had once told him long ago, and Ephraim remembered it well even now.

They soon found the sacred chest that the two relics were stored in. Knoll silently removed the top, and gingerly handed the two sacred weapons over to Ephraim. 

Ephraim tried holding the Black Axe. It was very heavy, and he could sense the extraordinary power locked away within it. But unfortunately, he was not trained in axe fighting, so it would be extremely difficult for him to wield it. The same went for the tome, Gleipnir, as well.

“I wonder why Lyon didn’t take these with him…?”

Though the tome would have been more helpful to him than the axe, he couldn’t understand why Lyon wouldn’t take the Sacred Twins when he destroyed the Sacred Stone.

Knoll said, “Please take the Sacred Twins, Lord Ephraim.”

“But these are Grado’s treasures, right? I shouldn’t be the one to take them…” 

“I wouldn’t give them to Lord Lyon. I do not know what sort of terrifying ways in which he would use them. I think that perhaps Lord Lyon was afraid of himself, and wanted to entrust them to you.”

“Huh?” He didn’t understand what Knoll meant. 

Knoll noticed his blank expression and said sadly, “He is not evil to the very depths of his heart… Or so I think, at least. It is as if two personalities exist within him, and they are fighting with each other… It is the evil Lyon that destroyed the Sacred Stones and invaded Renais. But the good Lyon is worried about Grado’s future, and is trying to entrust the Sacred Twins to you. If that isn’t what he is thinking, then he wouldn’t have a reason to leave them here.”

“...It seems that way, doesn’t it?”

So there was a good Lyon, and a bad Lyon. Ephraim wondered if beneath the evil exterior, the kind Lyon was still there. If that was the case, then Ephraim wanted to save him.

But Lyon had boasted that he’d always been putting on an act in order to deceive Ephraim and everyone else. If that was true, then it would mean that no such good Lyon ever existed.

Ephraim didn’t know which of the two possibilities he should believe. The only thing that was clear to him was that Knoll was right in saying that it was of vital importance that the Sacred Twins not fall into Lyon’s hands. The evil Lyon would likely use the weapons to destroy the world.

"...I understand. Then I shall accept them." Ephraim took the Sacred Twins, and walked away from the altar.

ー

Though Ephraim's army had conquered the castle, they still had an entire mountain of things left to do. The most important was to tell the local citizens of the emperor's passing, and avoid chaos ensuing. They needed to spread the news to every territory in Grado, so the war would end as quickly as possible.

The moment that Ephraim tried to start preparations to do just that, a pegasus knight arrived at Grado Castle. The pegasus' rider was an exhausted messenger.

She collapsed on her knees in front of Ephraim and said in a panicked voice, "Reporting, Sir! Lady Eirika and Lord Innes are in Jehanna, and are being attacked by the Grado Army!!"

"What…?"

All Ephraim knew was that Eirika and her army had been betrayed by the Republic of Carcino, and fought them at the fort on the plains. After that, the reports about her had stopped coming, causing his worry to grow, but he believed in her strength. He’d told himself that she would be able to make it through this danger, and focused all of his efforts into capturing Grado’s capital city.

Eirika had of course won the battle safely, and arrived in Jehanna. But now, she was in danger once again.

“She is fighting both the army led by Valter and the one led by Caellach. The Sacred Knights of Rausten came to her aid, but the enemy army is so strong that they are likely to be defeated…”

“Understood. We will march towards Jehanna straight away.” Ephraim’s words, spoken without even a hint of hesitation, caused an uproar amongst his soldiers.

“Lord Ephraim, it would be a long journey to Jehanna from here! Even if we start marching now, I cannot imagine that we would ever make it in time. We should wait for reinforcements from Frelia to join us…” One of them said timidly.

However, Ephraim brushed his concerns aside. “Of course we’ll make it in time. Eirika will hold out until I get there.”

“But…”

“She’s my little sister. She would never give up! And I am her big brother. I could never let her die.”

Putting his feelings into words made even more strength burst forth from within him. Ephraim entrusted the capital to a few of his subordinates that he could trust, then decided on the very small force that he would lead to Jehanna. Duessel of course said he wanted to go with him, and Knoll did as well.

Ephraim was concerned that Knoll was still too weak and would struggle to march into the desert, and tried to stop him, but Knoll wouldn’t listen.

“I am well-versed in magic, and so I will likely be of some help to you. Grado’s future depends on you. Please allow me to help you. That, and…" Knoll’s lips turned up into a small smile. “I sometimes heard about you and your sister from Father MacGregor.”

“You did…?” When he heard that name, it brought to mind an embarrassing memory.

Father MacGregor had been a very serious elderly man, with great knowledge in all of the subjects taught in schools, but was especially learned in history. While Ephraim and Eirika were staying in the capital, he tried to teach them Magvel's history. Eirika was a good student, and she and Lyon encouraged him to study, but Ephraim found spearmanship much more interesting. He often regrettably slacked off in Father MacGregor's classes.

"What did he talk about…?"

"He really liked both of you. He said that Princess Eirika is a kind, intelligent young woman. And Prince Ephraim has a very straightforward and strong heart… and he will likely become a great king one day. He was always praising you."

"Father MacGregor said that about me…?" He was surprised to hear that the priest, who'd always scolded him with a disappointed look on his face, had thought that way about him.

"He worried about Grado and Renais' fate until the moment before he was executed by Lord Lyon. There is a black cloud looming over the continent right now, but Ephraim will one day clear it away... that is what he said. To serve you would be to carry out his dying wish… that is what I believe."

When he looked at Knoll, what Ephraim saw surprised him.

He could sense Father MacGregor’s intense gaze from behind Knoll. In this world, the living are not the only beings that exist. For those who passed with goals left unfulfilled, their prayers can take form and become visible to the living… but just as quickly as that thought entered Ephraim's mind, he snapped out of his daze and said, “Let’s go, Knoll, General Duessel. The fighting is not over yet."

Ephraim took a powerful step forward, one that was the first down a brand new path.

Their next destination was Jehanna. There was not a single doubt in his mind that Eirika would hold out until he arrived. 

[sophiamamamia]

I will have a go at this question. Sansa seems to be a topic of choice lately. Sansa is a highly divisive character. Some adore her. Others absolutely hate her. I will attempt to be objective about her journey. I will focus more on the book character, with a bit of show Sansa added in parts.

There is a specific group of people who hate Sansa. Many members seem to be men. Whilst I think hatred of Sansa is unjustified. It is reasonable to suggest some men dislike her because it is very difficult for us to relate to a young Sansa. She is a little lady who believes in nobility, elitism, and lady-like courtesies. She also has a veil over her eyes, dreaming of gallant white knights who are beautiful, chivalrous, true and a maid’s fantasy. Male readers/viewers find this very difficult to relate to. We never dream of white knights. And we certainly do not want one to come to our rescue and marry us. Hence, we find young Sansa quite annoying. Moreover, GoT/ASOIAF is a series for mature adults. As mature individuals, we know that white knights do not exist. Absolute chivalrous saints who protect the weak and die bravely with tears in their eyes are faux. Sansa’s initial dreams and notions are not relatable to adults. We find it child-like and ‘stupid’. Sansa’s dreams may not necessarily be stupid. Young girls may have such dreams, as young boys perhaps have dreams of being a race-car driver or astronaut cowboy. But as an adult, any of these notions seem childish and laughable. Which is what Sansa is. A child with fanciful dreams. It is not fair to hate her for her dreams. It is however quite possible to find her annoying. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Sansa is the last of her siblings to grow up and see the world around her for what it truly is. Her direwolf describes her nature very well. Lady was the most elegant (for the lack of a better word) and trusting of the direwolves. That is who Sansa was. She was quite trusting and lady-like with her courtesies. Sansa falls for the superficial charms of Joffrey, his mother, and the southern charms. It is worth noting that Sansa is quite ambitious. Even as a child, she wants to be the queen of the 7 kingdoms. She idolizes the Lannister clan. As readers, we have a different perspective. We are introduced to evil, incestuous Lannisters. Then, Sansa sides with them. Despite all their nasty showings, Sansa sticks by them. She wishes and assumes Joffrey to be a gallant prince. She changes her ways to southern ways.

In the books, the readers are first introduced to the Stark family, the de facto protagonists. Ned is the ultimate good guy and we love his children. Sansa rebelling against the Stark family bothers the audience/readers. I assume readers with teenage girls would know better and understand Sansa’s behavior. The rest of us do not. It is easy to dislike Sansa. In contrast to her, there is Arya. She is ever the Stark and the wolf-girl. GoT is meant to be action-packed, a fantasy series. We prefer to see the action and the characters involved in it. Sansa is not one of them. Dresses, flowers and the thought of gallant knights are uninteresting and not relatable.

Sansa continues to worship Joffrey and the queen despite the events on the Trident. She blames Arya for the ordeal and is angry with her father about Lady’s death. Lady’s death was Cersei’s fault. Ned had no choice and Robert gave in. Whilst Ned has the right of it that a future queen must support her betrothed, I don’t think Sansa sees it the same way. Sansa withheld the truth not to have Joffrey dislike her. Not to reveal his cowardice. It was not essentially supported as a future spouse. It was self-service. To be liked.

Fast forward to Ned’s demise. This is the pivotal moment for Sansa and the opinion of the audience regarding her character. Sansa haters blame her solely for Ned’s downfall. Sansa adorers defend her tooth and nail, suggesting she had nothing to do with it as it was Baelish who betrayed Ned. I am here to say both of these groups are wrong.

Ned’s demise was multi-factorial. Sansa not divulging what she knew to the queen would not have saved Ned. As Ned was quite the imbecile in the Game of Thrones. Ned was betrayed on different fronts. No single person was the sole cause of his downfall. Baelish, Cersei, Janos, Sansa and Ned himself all played a role. To support my idea, I will appeal to authority. The following is GRRM’s opinion on Sansa and Ned’s demise.

The way I see it, it is not a case of all or nothing. No single person is to blame for Ned's downfall. Sansa played a role, certainly, but it would be unfair to put all the blame on her. But it would also be unfair to exonerate her. She was not privy to all of Ned's plans regarding Stannis, the gold cloaks, etc... but she knew more than just that her father planned to spirit her and Arya away from King's Landing. She knew when they were to leave, on what ship, how many men would be in their escort, who would have the command, where Arya was that morning, etc... all of which was useful to Cersei in planning and timing her move.

Ned's talk with Littlefinger was certainly a turning point, though I am not sure I would call it =the= turning point. There were other crucial decisions that could easily have changed all had they gone differently. You mention Ned's refusal of Renly, which was equally critical. And there is Varys to consider, as well as the minor but crucial player everyone forgets -- Janos Slynt, who might have chosen just to do his duty instead of selling the gold cloaks to the highest bidder.

So... all in all, I suppose my answer would be that there is no single villain in the piece who caused it all, but rather a good half dozen players whose actions were all in part responsible for what happened.[1]

Sansa did have a hand in Ned’s downfall. Perhaps, she and Arya could have got away to Winterfell and that would have changed the course of future events. However, ‘what if’ scenarios are impossible to address. What would have happened if Sansa didn’t share information with the queen can never truly be ascertained.

Considering this is where the most hatred for Sansa comes from, it is important to note that she had no malicious intent. She never wanted her father dead, or her family torn apart. Ned, as the adult, should have taken better preventative measures lest he falls. However, Sansa being ‘innocently in love’ is not an excuse to forgive her. She didn’t necessarily betray Ned. She did, however, commit an act that played a part in a chain of events that had heinous outcomes.

Fast forward to Sansa’s time in court on her own. This is when she pays for her mistake. ASOIAF characters pay dearly for their mistakes, often with their lives. Sansa, fortunately, did not lose her life. But she did suffer. This is another contentious part of Sansa’s story-line. Sansa supporters suggest she survived the court through her intelligence, femininity, and courtly behavior which became her armor. Others suggest she deserved everything she suffered. Once again, I would say it is neither. Not many in the story deserve what happens to them, as the consequences of mistakes are often dire. Sansa’s suffering was not deserved. Her punishment is that she will have to live through life knowing those whom she trusted and admired beheaded her father and destroyed her family. She will have to live with the understanding that her conversation with the queen played a part in the demise of the Starks in King’s Landing. That she played a part in her father’s death.

Conversely, it was very likely that she would survive King’s Landing anyway. She was a hostage. Robb had Jaime as a captive. Cersei didn’t dare murder Sansa lest they receive Jaime’s head as a gift. Sansa’s life was certain to be safe. She simply endured and went through the tribulation. Her courtly armor and femininity would not have saved her if Jaime died. She did, however, go through a learning curve that opened her eyes to the world. She realized that princes are not gallant. Queens are something different beneath their exterior beauty. Knights are not chivalrous and they do not save the weak. And she is a pawn, in a bigger game. In the game of thrones.

For all her sincerity and good heart, Sansa is still an elitist at heart. It is to do with her upbringing and her mother who raised her in a southern way. She does lash out and make those below her feel bad. But that is because she is hurt, she is angry. She does not have a copy of the books to read Tyrion’s chapters and understand he means her no harm. From Sansa’s point of view, everyone is her enemy and if she can degrade anyone, she will.

Sansa is quite naive as any child would be. She trusted in Margaery and her grandmother, thinking they genuinely want to help her. She failed to understand that they want Winterfell. Her claim. And her claim meant the death of her brother, Robb.

I think this is the turning point for Sansa. Once she realizes that the other nobles respect and help her purely for her claim is when the glass breaks. The veil is removed from Sansa’s eyes.

Sansa rapidly develops both in mind and body post the battle of Blackwater. It is a turning point for her. Perhaps it helped to see Joffrey for the little scared boy that he was, Cersei for the drunk vindictive woman that she was, or the Hound, who broke free of his duties and chose to create his own path and destiny. Her journey to the Vale and in the Vale allows her to grow into a very clever woman who can use her charms and wit to become privy to secrets of the big players, i.e. Littlefinger. And gain influence over others. She is on the road to no longer being a pawn. She is gradually becoming a player. She is still inexperienced as the bigger players such as Randa and the Royces are aware of the underhanded schemes in the Vale. However, soon she will learn to break free of mentors and be on her own. Her powers are largely untapped. She is a Warg in the books. She will have a profound influence on the outcome of the Game of Thrones.

I find her plot quite nonsensical on the show. She does not develop politically much. She is not privy to and in the middle of the political web and intrigue, Littlefinger weaves. The show has butchered her character and Baelish’s by thrusting her into Jeyne Poole’s plot. They had to have Sansa as a strong character in season 7, and so far it seems that her suffering and rape at the hands of Ramsay made her all that she is. Which is quite wrong. One does not become cunning and politically savvy post-trauma and rape. By all rights, Sansa should be suffering from severe PTSD as Theon is. Jeyne Poole is the perfect example of a trauma victim. Not Sansa.

For the book readers, and those who would like to read the books, I recommend that you keep an open mind with Sansa’s PoVs. She will annoy you. She will exasperate and vex you with dreams of flowers and pretty boys. However, take note of what happens in her chapters. To those around her. And the conversations. Sansa is quite attuned to her surroundings and environments. She senses scents, colors, and events in a different manner than the other characters. Much of the events in her chapters are hidden clues and symbolism for the situation in the texts as a whole. Give her chapters a chance and read them carefully, as you would with your favorite characters. Sansa is initially annoying, you are allowed to judge her, criticize her, dislike her, but not hate her. She does not deserve the hatred she receives. Nor the absolute adoration that makes her seem like the epitome of strength and empowerment.

Sansa is a character in ASOIAF. She is a Stark, and she is a grey character. She has her good moments and her bad. She is improving towards her better moments. She may have lapses in judgment in the future and make mistakes. However, one should treat her without bias. Judge her for her bad deeds, applaud her for the good. It is difficult to be objective about a character whose mistake hurt a beloved character like Ned. But this is ASOIAF. All men must die. Ride the journey to the ending as it is all supposed to elicit emotive responses from us.

Footnotes

[1] Correspondence with Fans

[kariachi]

Okay, y’all gave your approval, so I’m doing a partial liveblog of King of the Castle. Can’t get all of the episode right now, but I’m gonna do what I can and then redo the episode for a proper liveblog when it comes out in the states and I can, ya know, watch all of it.

This one won’t be rated, because I’m missing like 10% of the episode and so can’t judge fairly.

As someone who was once a young girl, it is incredibly nostalgic watching Gwen daydream about being crowned Queen of England. That is just how it be with some girls. Also Ben is just not having shit.

Lady Wilhelmina Warrick of Castle Bishopbrooke, nickname Willy. Huh. And apparently a cousin of some sort.

Gwen is going to die of joy for she is related to a Lady. Ben is going to die of horror for they’re going to a haunted castle. Sounds about accurate.

Ben running for the haunted castle for the sake of proving it’s haunted.

Kevin, lurking on either a roof or a balcony, waiting for a certain small Tennyson. Do we ever get an episode where he appears just, dive-tackling Ben from offscreen? I feel like we need that in our lives.

Gwen disappointed that the castle is in shit shape. I’d say just rough but, part of the floor is missing, including the area of rug that should be hiding it. Willy needs to step up her game, pick up a hammer or something. It’s called DIY.

Willy’s got some upper body strength. Also refers to Max as Cousin Maxie, so I have to assume the two are actually somewhat close. How close of a relation is it, I wonder?

Gwen curtseys and Ben tries to copy her but doesn’t have the balance for it. This is why we practice, Ben.

Gwen wanting to know everything about being a noble.

“There’s always work to be done” that’s putting it mildly.

The only thing here out to get you Ben is Kevin. Although I wouldn’t put it past him to be behind that, though I do think Gwen is right about it just being how bad of shape the building is in.

I’m fairly certain Willy’s about to put Max to work helping clean shit up (you brought it on yourself Max) while the kids escape, but given we lose some bits right here this is just an assumption. We jump from Max offering directly to Ben and Gwen wandering around.

Ben goes Heatblast to light a load of torches to keep ghosts at bay, and immediately the wind comes through and blows them all out again. And Heatblast himself while it’s at it.

More Kevin, sneaking about the halls. Child are you honestly behind this? I wouldn’t be surprised, you totally would, I just wanna know how. Also the fucking chord when he appears, it’s not Norman Bates fucking chill.

Ben is too scared of ghosts to wander around without his cousin.

Willy drinking tea while Max mops up and mice run about. I am not shocked.

Well Gwen, this is what happens when you go someplace labelled ‘haunted’. They tend to be very dusty and also a lot less elegant than the not-so-haunted castles. Besides, Willy’s a Lady not the Queen.

The Warrick family crest is a bear playing a harp like it’s a fucking electric guitar. Have you ever had that moment where you wonder where a character gets it and then the show just, answers you in the most unexpected way?

And Ben lights the tapestry on fire because an end curled up when Gwen went to look at it and so it is clearly evil and possessed. Gwen leaves, Ben panics, and the tapestry crumbles to ash after he throws it out a window. You know Kevin is behind one of those bookshelves going ‘this is why I bully him’.

Ben does not like being alone in a haunted castle.

Ben: “It’s clear what happened here- Gwen was eaten by a ghost, and you’re next if you aren’t careful! It’s too late for Gwen, but you have lots of options!” Followed by an imagine spot depicting him not being able to do shit to defend himself against a ghost with Gwen clearly visibly in it’s belly. 10-yos everybody.

I just love that as the imagine spot goes on eaten!Gwen gets more and more tired of the whole situation, ending with her kicking back and reading a book inside the ghost. He doesn’t half know his cousin, does he?

Also confirmation Ben knows he can’t go Wildvine or Overflow.

Gwen is very good at this ghost prank thing, though Ben does make it very easy. And the reveal the ghost is Gwen is where we leave off on this portion. Only one more clip to go and that seems to cover most of the rest of Kevin’s existence in this episode.

(Random, did y’all know CN Aus has the whole of Escape from Aggregor up on youtube? I’m not gonna liveblog it because I already did a few years back, but in case y’all wanna watch it, it’s there.)

We begin this next section with a Ben and a Gwen and a hedgemaze.

Ben has been eaten by the hedgemaze, it’s Rose Red all over again.

And Ben is panicking, not helped by Kevin taking full advantage of his fear of ghosts to be all eerie voice from out of sight. Because this child.

“Gwen is that you again?” Ben asks of the very Kevin voice. Like seriously, this kid isn’t even trying to hide it’s him. It’s wonderful.

Oh look, it’s, Thornblade I think? Kev’s Wildvine equivalent? Taking full advantage of location. I’m going to assume Kevin watches a lot of horror movies because he’s playing it well so far.

Dodging blows being thrown at you from the hedges right up until Thornblade forms himself out of vines in front of you while you weren’t looking.

Nobody would’ve expected Ben to be happy to see Kevin, but Kevin he can at least fight, unlike a ghost.

I admit, the way that was going, I was expecting the argument to devolve into yeah-huhs and nuh-uhs. Don’t know whether I’m sad or not that it didn’t. Although Ben claiming he’s fought houseplants badder than Thornblade is both hilarious and stupid given he is in Thornblade’s clutches at the time.

Ben goes Four Arms, surprising Kevin which I wasn’t expecting. But then Ben gets to be surprised when he knocks Kev over a hedge and it look like he times out, only for sudden- Undertow was it? Eh, I’ll probs find out in a second.

Ooo, nice use of the water powers, focusing on the ground so he can trap Ben in mud.

Okay, now Kevin is just showing off. ‘Look at what I’ve got and can do’. Seriously, Kev, 1) how did you get these aliens, and 2) stick with a shape child. What did you just add this feature? Oh my gods that’s exactly what’s happening isn’t it? You added the switching feature like, yesterday, and are having too much fun testing it out.

Okay, can I just say I really love Dark Matter’s design? Just, we went from a smol frog with no physical capabilities to speak of to balance out the brains, to an actual fucking horror movie monster with brawn as well. And I mean it, look at Dark Matter and how Kevin moves as him, that wouldn’t be out of place in something like Alien or Pumpkinhead.

Seriously, Dark Matter just, kicks ass. Never was big on Grey Matter but this is a frog I can stan.

Seriously those movements are just, exquisite. Also the crystal power? I don’t know what the fuck that red crystal he caused to overtake Ben is or how he managed it as Dark Matter, but it’s cool at fits the horror movie aesthetic.

Trying getting Kevin to monologue for those last few seconds before his watch times out. Not that it works, but it was a valiant attempt.

Not that it mattered anyway because it was literally seconds left. Also the look on Kevin’s face when he realizes he’s timed out and Ben is still Four Arms- you can hear the ‘fuckfuckfuckfuck’ going through his little head.

Exit, stage right, pursued by alien.

Ben, having timed out: Alright Kevin, it’s time to ask question and get answers, and I’m all out of answers. Kevin: This boy is a moron

(I know that’s not the line but still.)

Also immediately reminding Ben that in their normal forms he is bigger, smarter, and stronger. Which is true on all counts, given Kev is apparently a tech whiz and definitely older than Ben is.

And teasing Ben for being scared of ghosts just before they both get jumpscared by an inanimate object, the bear statue sending them both fucking bolting, complete with screams.

And Kevin tumbles through a hedge, poorly, just in time for his watch to time back in and an ominous shadow to appear over him.

Forever Knight is here and complimenting Kev. Apparently he ‘shows promise’ (on this we can agree). Kevin, meanwhile, responds to a stranger in full armor appearing out of nowhere and striking up conversation with glares and mild sass.

And while the Forever Knight is touting that old-ass ‘work with me and we shall crush our enemies’ line Kevin has walked away, scoffed at him, shut him down, and called him a nerd and a creep. I’m so proud of my child, he’s a shit but he’s so good.

Willy is gonna miss the fam, though the kids were a delight, Max was a big help.

Willy gives Gwen an antique family heirloom music box as a parting gift, because some people are cool like that. Ben gets forgiveness for all the damage he caused. And Max gets some quality tea to help him chillax after what was apparently the worst day of cleaning ever to look at him.

And we end on Willy having just gotten some contractors in to patch the place up. Good on her. There’s more to the episode but, well. Bits & pieces.

[leftherian-archipeligo]

Fire Emblem Fates Conquest: Sakura’s Story Part 1

Sakura’s defeat and capture in late game Conquest is honestly a really interesting part of the story of the Hosidan royals in fates and I wanted to explore Sakura’s side of that

Sakura sat herself up from the cold stone floor. She hadn’t remembered falling asleep, only lying on the ground in a stream of her tears. She must’ve worn herself out until she fell asleep, she thought. Everything about Sakura felt horrible. Sleeping on the stone floor of her cell didn’t help, her back and muscles ached. Sakura was still covered in wounds, bruises and cuts from weapons, burn marks from enemy mages, the sore ache of being struck with an enemy dagger that must’ve been coated in some poison or the other. Sakura has no memory of tending to these wounds, she had g noticed them until now, but thy were bandaged and covered nonetheless.

Despite having just woke up, Sakura felt tired and worn from her battle and her crying, a sore throat from yelling as she was dragged from her army and comrades. Sharp edges of Sakura’s shattered armor poked into her skin, blood stained her white dress, her hair was an indescribable mess from what she could feel of it. It was a wave of pain that Sakura was forced to face upon waking up, though she wanted nothing more than to escape to her sleep once again.

“Oh. You’re up.” Sakura hadn’t noticed the guard on the opposite side of the prison bars. A Nohrian soldier, slightly familiar. She stood tall in her heels, though she was slouched carelessly against the stone wall. She wore very little armor besides gauntlets and a neck brace. She was combing through her long blonde hair as she spoke, too busy picking at her split ends to give Sakura much of her attention. An absurdly large axe was propped against the wall next to her, a stark contrast to the woman who was dressed as if she had just arrived from a night on the town. Short shorts and a tight tank top, pure white and blue like the ribbon in the woman’s styled hair. Sakura wouldn’t have guessed she was a soldier if she hadn’t remembered this same woman as the one who dragged her, kicking and screaming, to her cell.

“Princess Elise came by while you were asleep, she patched up your battle wounds. She had quite the job, your defense made Corrin’s ‘no kill’ orders pretty damn difficult.”

Sakura took in the woman’s words at her own pace. Elise... helped her? Corrin ordered the enemies to be spared? A rush hit Sakura when she thought about this as it so hardly contrasted the words that still rung deeply in her head. Garon’s deep, chilling voice, shooting orders through the battlefield: “Kill them all, leave no Hoshidans alive!” The words sent Sakura into a frenzy when she first heard them. She had demanded Yukimura allow her to lead the defensive stand, she shouted and kicked and resisted with everything she had as the blonde soldier and a knight dragged her away at Corrin’s command. Sakura’s status had let her live as she watched Nohrian generals line up the citizens she vowed to protect, preparing for a mass execution at the king’s hand.

“Who else was captured?” Sakura’s sudden question caught the woman off guard, she finally gave the distressed princess her attention. “We took who we could before Garon issued executions, Prince Xander and the royals aren’t exactly in love with Garon’s constant killing sprees, they have us soldiers save whoever we can. I believe we got your retainers, the little sword master girl made quite the commotion when we tried to heal her up. The Pegasus knight has been quiet but he’s recovering well. The strategist demanded he... be the first to face Garon. Honor as the leader I suppose. He gave us time to bring in a lot of other soldiers, he... saved a lot of people.”

Sakura has to take a moment to let the information sink in. Yukimura... he had been around since before Sakura was born. He was always close to the royal family and Sakura had spent much time with him helping with the war effort. Sacrificing himself for his troops to escape was just the kind of thing he would do. It was understandable but it was still impossible to believe as the truth. Sakura couldn’t imagine he had... died. The idea felt bitter in her mind, the young princess wanted nothing more than to spit the terrible concept out of her head.

The reality had finally hit Sakura. She tried to hold back tears but she couldn’t help it. She could’ve fought harder. Trained more. Had Ryoma been there, or Takumi, or Hinoka... had it been anyone besides herself, Yukimura might have lived. All those innocent soldiers would have lived. The war could be over, but now King Garon blazed a trail of blood and terror across her country. His axe would cross the eyes of the citizens Sakura had sworn to protect, just as it did her soldiers.

The blonde woman sat awkwardly, searching for words to say. “...Corrin and the royal family... they care for the Hoshidan people, they don’t want anyone else to die. They’ve been making us soldiers spare people this whole damn war. What’s done is done and that’s on Garon.”

Sakura stared at the woman. “You say that... as if your king were your own enemy.”

The woman smiled a bit. “I listen to the royals, they want a way to stop all this.” She looked around to see if there were any soldiers in an earshot. Her voice was lower now. “I don’t like Garon. I’m fighting for Corrin for my own reasons, but I’ve lived under Garon. My family, my whole damn town is poor as dirt, I don’t owe him shit. I’ll fight for my people but I ain’t against the royals if they decide Garon needs to be stopped.”

Sakura couldn’t take her eyes off the woman. This woman had just openly committed treason. It doesn’t matter if she acts on it, you can’t simply say things about the Nohrian royalty like that and not expect to be executed. Sakura had supposed that was why, the princess had only seen the political side of this war. Seeing nobles and royals who had power on the line, of course they want to protect their people but... this woman WAS the people. She experienced Nohrian life first hand, had all civilians lived in Nohr like this? Constant fear of their own government? Sakura had heard Ryoma mention a Nohrian resistance...

The woman flipped her hair behind her shoulders. “Well, hope that comforted you cuz I’m dead if anyone else heard that.” She peeked around a corner. “Oh, yo! Benny!” Sakura couldn’t see around the corner but she heard heavy metal clamoring against the cold stone, echoing down the hall. A tall man stepped into Sakura’s line of sight. He was clad in heavy, jet-black armor. His hair was short and blonde like the girl’s, shaved nearly level besides a small stripe in the center; a type of Nohrian style, she assumed. The man towered over the girl, his face was dark and covered in battle scars. He was intimidating in every sense of the word, yet he smiled gently when he looked at Sakura. It was... oddly reassuring to the young girl.

“Benny, you hear anything I said a minute ago?”

The man responded in a deep, rough voice that matched the rest of his appearance. “Uh... no? Why, you weren’t talking about me right? Charlotte, answer me.”

The woman, Charlotte apparently, threw her head back with a smile. “Nope, nothing about you, just discussing our great and glorious king Garon.”

Benny nodded silently, he seemed to know exactly what Charlotte meant. Sakura could only presume he understood the woman’s feelings about Nohr. Benny continued, sweeping the previous conversation under the rug: “Princess Sakura, Princess Elise asked me to inform her when you woke up. I’ll go tell her now... if that’s okay with you, of course.

The man was calm, comforting even. The pure fact that he had asked Sakura her permission to get Elise meant so much. Beaten half to death, cried herslef the other half of the way, from an emotional Hell and back, she was finally being treated as... another human. She took a long look at the man, he had to be the other man who carried her to the cell alongside Charlotte. She remembered he was notably less rough with the princess, Charlotte being notably impatient. Her rant on Nohr must’ve been some sort of way, in her eyes, to apologize for being rough on the girl, but Sakura didn’t hold it against her. Had the soldiers not dragged Sakura to the cell, she likely would have died alongside Yukimura.

Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Benny. “Y-yes, you can get Princess Elise. Thank you.”

[avengersohyeah]

Trace

Part 10

Masterlist

Trace Masterlist

A/N : PAr 10 anyone ? is someone even wait for this shits ? Anyway any question just ask me through the ask box.. Love Y’alll

Normal POV

 When Cas saw the words on Dean’s back, he could’ve swore he’d got a heart attack. What he saw is somewhat similar to what he found from the crime scene this morning.

“Remember when I told you I couldn’t find anything this morning?” The brothers nodded “Well.. I missed it..” He took his phone and shows the brothers the exact same words on Dean’s back. “This words craved in one of the mirror in that house, at first I thought it’s not important. But then later I sensed some sort of power coming out of it.”

“And what is that ?” Sam asked

“Time… exists far before God was born, He used his power to form realities, to control them.. and when he did change the reality, there would be a trace somewhere. To mark what has been changed in those realities..”

“So whoever this Time guy he changed me ? in this reality?” Dean said confused.

“I’m afraid yes..”

“But why me? What it has to do with me?”

“That’s what we’re about to find out.” Without warning, Cas places his hand on Dean’s back right where the words were. Then everything goes white, blinding white untill they are forced to close their eyes tight.

 Y/N’s POV

 “I don’t care… I have to bring him back…it’s not supposed to happened.”

“But you have to be sure son… you’re about to change his reality… the one that never lead him to his death, to you…”

“I’ll do anything for him.. father.. tell me how to do it…”

He guide me through the ritual, changing reality, Dean’s reality. To the one when he never met me, to the one where he live and still hunting to save people. By the end of the ritual, Dean’s body disappeared. I began to panicked thingking that something has gone wrong.

“Don’t worry son, it worked.. he’s home now..”

I then broke down right then and there. This is the right thing to do, to save him, the men I love. But it still hurts, knowing that he would never remember me, he would never knew that I’m exsist, he would never knew that I love him, more than anything. But this is the right thing to do. Since when in my life, the right thing to do doesn’t inflict pain to anyone ? Hell even my father left me when I can barely recognize him. it was painfull, it still is now. But I made up my mind, it’s too late to back down, My family is all dead, Cas, Sam and Dean doesn’t even know that I exsist anymore. I have no one now, so there’s nothing to loose.

 I woke up from those memories again, the day when I decided to erase myself from his life. It was the hardest decision in my life, but as my grandpa taught me, I have to fight. Yeah, no mater what kind of choices I have, I have to choose to fight. Years ago I chose to fight to protect my brothers and sisters. And now’s the same, I choose to fight to protect people that I love, my family, my Dean.

 Walking through the hall on the outside part of the castle. Taking every detail I could, it’s been few weeks since I arrived, or few days on earth, but I never realized how dreamy this place looked. I looked to the right where the hall is guarded with beautifully craved pillars, and raillings. The sight outside is none other than the most beautiful valley i’ve ever seen. The grass was green, filled with colourful flowers here and there, and few old trees that looks majestic. Now that I think about it again, this looks exactly like in those fantasy movies I watched. While I lost in my train of thoughts, I bumped to something hard, a metal. I looked up to meet a very pissed of expresion from a men that I bumped. I took a step back, and taking in his features. Tall, very tall with dark hair, and the most muscular body i’ve ever seen judging from the size of his arms. The armor he wears, the sword on his hip, and the big shield he carry, i could tell that he’s one of the prime pieces. From which side? Of course from the bad one, it’s all written on his face. But despite of that, I apologized for bumping him, admitting that I was walking without looking. I did it in hope maybe somehow he would see my descency as a men, and wouldn’t snap at me. But boy, I was wrong.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking..” I bowed my head, out of habit in apologizing

“How dare you!..” He paused “Ah.. you’re the king’s son.. no wonder Cosmos was so eager to gring you here. You would be easy to kill, it will destroy Chronos without even need to fight him. Such a clumsy…” His tone dripping poison.

I snaped my head up and glared at him loosing it “Excuse me ? Ha.. me… easy to kill ? wrong guess big guy.. And who are you anyway ? wearing all those tin looking like a trash can blocking ten feet wide hallway..”

To my insult he growled and charging at me. But before he could grab me, a pair of strong hands pulled me to the side. Making him tripped over himself and land on his face, a loud pang was heard through the hallway from the impact of his armor and the floor.

“I guess you’re the clumsy one here Templar..” The voice coming from someone that pulled me.

“you are so dead in the next game Aria…” The men said through gritted teeth after he rushed to his feet, then leave me alone with this girl who just saved me. She turned to me and offer me her hand, I take it “Aria, I’m a pawn for the rook..” I raised my eyebrows and she gets what I’m asking without I voiced it “Hilda… I’m her pawn.”

“Nice to meet you Aria, I’m (Y/N).. bishop of the king I guess?..” I introduced myself

“I know who you are your highness.. anyway, that moron didn’t gave you any trouble before I got here?”

“No..because you saved me..thank you… by the way.. I never saw you since I arrived..”

“Oh about that..” She pulled something from her waist bag, a necklace. With a crystal as the pendant, a clear one with the hint of purple. “King asked me to make this for you.. took me long enough, I have to search for the right materials so I haven’t been around castle for a while” She handed me the necklace with crystal pendant. “It’s charmed necklace, we use it to communicate with eachother and we will be able to find eachother’s location with it. It’s a go to item from Team King..” she grinned at me.

“Thank you..So.. how did you fight in the last game?”

“Pardon ?”

“I mean everyone has a power here, especially those who’s involved in the game. I want to know your power since I heard from Arthur you and Hilda took down half of Cosmos’s army in the last game”

“Well first, that wasn’t an army. The thing is, Bishop of Cosmos has a power to enchance her pawn’s power, and her pawn can multiply himself so they made a clones in a large amount. Besides of that, the bishop is fairly weak so my job was to use my power to sneak around and attack the bishop while Hilda went wild with the clones.”

“And your power is..?”

“I could disappear from anyone’s sight.” She said to the point.

“That’s cool… like a ninja..”

“Thank you your highness.. although I don’t know what is this ninja you are talking about”

I chuckled at that “And that men earlier who was he?”

“Templar? He’s a knight of Cosmos, he’s strong, with a hot body, a face, but all those doesn’t mean a thing because of his attitude..”

I look at her giving her a knowing look “You like him..” I said shortly. She doesn’t deny it, but only smiles shyly. “Well.. that’s cute..ohh how about his pawn?”

“His pawn is ghost horse, you know? The knights have the tendency to make their pawn as their mount so they choosed those with animal forms. It’s the rooks of Cosmos that we really have to be careful of..”

“why is that ?”

“Last game was chaotic, a litteral war. Hilda fight the clones of pawn, while I sneak up to their bishop. Artur and Pegasus fight Templar and his pawn. The King and the Queen were against each other. And our bishop was fighting against quen’s rook. At least that’s what we thought, until the next thing we know bishop killed his own pawn and fight against us.” She took a deep breath and continues “We didn’t know her power, until she controls king’s bishop… Total Control, her power.. she would kill her enemy using her pawn, a voodoo doll. And after that, she put her consiousness into that dead body.”

“Wow..” is only my respond to her explainations

“But we won though, the king and his pawn won against the queen.That ended the game… Didn’t anyone told you?”

“Nah.. maybe because I never asked..and how about the previous bishop?”

To this question she looked down and smiled sadly. “He was a good men. When the king asked us to be his pieces, the bishop is there. He was an angel, a fallen angel that was punished not to be able to reincarnate.”

“Wait angel reincarnate ?” I cut her, because I was sure that angel doesn’t reincarnate. Because that’s what Cas told me.

“Some of them do, he was as ancient as the arcangels. Baraqiel, angel of the raging sky. His pawn was also an angel by the way… Well let’s stop this right here, because I still have some mission the king gave me… See you again your majesty.” With that, she leave me.

 A moment latter I’m already in the practice hall, fighting both Hilda and Arthur. These two never hold back in a fight, I was thrown here and there before I decided to used my power in the battle. But the minute I did, they did too. Hilda make the the gravity works three times on my body, making me hard to move a muscle. Arthur is running for me, with excalibur blazing a green flame, ethernal flame he told me. He was about to slash me with it when I stoped the time, then I used my power to bring the gravity around me to when it was before Hilda used her power. I moved to the other side of the field before the time is moving again. Hilda and Arthur seems shocked at this, because I never once used time pause in front of them. We ended the practice because of my father’s voice.

“How’s your practice going kids?” He asked all of us

Arthur was the first to answer “Impeccable your majesty, the prince has incridible skill in fighting.”

“That’s good, how about you Hilda? Do you think he’s ready for the game?”

“Of course your majesty, He was ready even before we practice with him.” She gave me her side smirk.

“Good, about the game…” He turned to me “Son, you need to find your pawn as soon as possible.”

“Why ?” He never once asked me about this, and now that he did, it means something is up.

“My sister, she’s starting her universe demolition. She destroyed two galaxy without me even knowing. Her pieces worked in the shadows with her this whole time. That’s why..”

“We need to start the game before she destroy another one…” I finished his sentence.

He nodded, and gave me sad smile. It’s still strange to see him, sometime’s awkward, but he never hold back his emotion to show. And by showing emotions means he even cried in front of me. Not the manly crying, but the sobbing childlike cry. That happened the day I came here, we were talking about mom, and he lost it. He then continued to talk “I know it’s hard for you son, but we have to do it, to protect the people we love, to protect the earth where we both find love, to protect home..”

I looked into his eyes. “I promised Dad..” It’s the first time ever I called him that, and he smiled “I promised myself to do so.. Give me a week and I’ll bring my pawn here.”

“Wait.. a week here or a week on earth?” He asked suddenly aware of my request.

  Dean’s POV

 My head is killing me right now. Due to the fact that I was tired, also to the fact that Cas decided to give us this bright light shock wave. I tried to open my eyes, but I can’t. It was bright a moment ago, and the next thing it turned dark. I tried and I tried, but I can’t. My eyes heavy, my whole body feels like it’s never been floowed by blood. I can’t feel anything, I’m numb, I wanted to scream but not a single damn muscle can move. I fight and fight harder, trying to at leat feel something. Then I heard it, a voice, a men’s voice, labored breath, he’s crying ? I can’t hear what he said, then I focused on listening.

“Dean.. wake up… don’t leave me like this… it’s all my fault, you’re not supposed to be dead… Dean…wake up”

Fuck I’m dead? Why am I dead? And who is this men crying? HIs fault? What is he talking about? More and more questions came to my mind. Then like a water poured to the full glass, the memories flooding my head. Months ago a boy came to the Bunker, he has the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. His smiles are so familiar, so heart warming. His laugh brought me mine, his touch on my skin was electrifying. Like that time when I date Cassie, I’m in love? With him? a men? The more and more time I let myself swims in these flood of memories makes my head hurts. Then I heard him again.

“I don’t care…” He paused “If It’s what it takes to bring him back, let it be. He’s dead because he met me, it would be better if he never knew me at all.” He sobbed “Dean, months after my family died, it was you who made me smile for the first time. And before I know it, it was you that makes me smile everyday after that. I know I rarely said this, we are.. rarely said this… but I need you to at least hear it before you couldn’t remember me… I love you Dean Winchester, I’ll always love you…”

To his words, more and more memories coming back. Like a wave on the ocean, the memories came back all at once. Making my body jolted awake, I screamed his name.

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