| | thepokefan59 | | Hoo boy | | Membre |  | | 38 messages postés |
|  Posté le 16-01-2022 à 22:44:08   
| Chapter 1: Reaching the light of the Sunshine and of the Stars
It was night, a very calm night, the only noises that interrupted the perfect silence was the wind who blew from time to time. Selena was alone, sitting on a rock. She spent almost the entire day on that rock. She cried for several hours, and once she wasn’t able to cry anymore, she started to look at the sky, not thinking for a long time.
Then, after what seemed like an eternity, she spoke.
“It’s unfair… Why did it have to be you? Why did you leave me? … I’m all alone now… Again… After everything we lived together…” She said, sadly.
Very early that day, she learned something. The worst news she could possibly hear. The camp was attacked, and four people died. Her very dear friends, Odin and Laslow, and their wives died.
Upon hearing that, she managed to sneak away, and found that rock, she sat on it, and started crying, and cursing, too.
“What am I even supposed to say to the others when I’ll return? … Will I even return?” She continued.
“So you do come from somewhere.” Niles said.
Selena jumped out of her seat, she almost screamed out of surprise.
“Niles! Do you have no delicacy!?” She scolded him. “When did you even get here?” She asked, fearing what he could have heard.
“I just arrived, fear not, I haven’t discovered any of your secrets. And didn’t I tell you before that you earned my trust and that I wouldn’t look for your secrets anymore?” Niles said, as cocky as ever.
She was silent for a moment. “Yeah… You’re right. Sorry…”
“Now that’s out of character for you to calm down this quickly… Well, not that I can blame you. The closest person to both Laslow and Odin was you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were even closer to them than their wives.” He said, with a smile on his face.
“You know, Niles, I’m not stupid. Sure, not as close as me, but you were close to Odin, too. Don’t act as if you were not saddened by what happened.”
Niles let out a laugh. “You’re right, I’d be lying if I said that I won’t miss him. But not everyone grieve in the same way. Furthermore, he’d be laughing if I cried.”
After a moment, Selena spoke again. “So, is there any reason as to why you came here? Or was it just to bother me?”
“Actually, Lord Leo, wanted to speak with you. As well as Lord Xander and Lady Camilla. Now that you know that, I’ll tell them that the message was passed. Try to not make them wait for too long.” Having said that, Niles left.
‘ Lord Leo and Lord Xander, huh? They must want to ask me things about these idiots. And Lady Camilla is probably just worried about me. I should go, now. If we were in the future, I would’ve already died for being inactive and alone that long… ’ She thought.
And in the next five minutes, she finally left this place.
…..
‘ What an idiot this Niles. He could have told me where they were waiting! ’ She thought angrily, opening yet another door. ‘ I swear if the next door isn’t th- ’ She finally found the three elder Nohrian royals, as well as Niles, smirking at her.
The room was silent, there was four seats, three next to each other, and one facing them. The royals were on the three, with Xander being in the middle, Niles was standing, next to Leo. Selena understood that the final seat was for her, and sat on it. She was now waiting for her superiors to speak.
Xander sighed heavily. “First of all, thank you for coming. You might have an idea on what the subject will be.”
Selena simply nodded, and Xander continued.
“You have our condolences. We know that Odin and Laslow were close friends to you. They had their antics, but they were loyal retainers, strong warriors, and very good people at heart. They will be missed greatly.” Xander said, frowning harder than usual, he really valued Laslow, and is saddened to once again having one of his retainer die, but he tried to stay stoic.
Leo just looked away at that moment, letting his sadness showed on his face. Camilla just continued to look straight at Selena, the only thing showing was concern for her retainer.
“We debated about this for a while, and decided that all of their belongings were now yours. We know that this will never replace them, but we believe that you would be the one to know what they would have given to who.” Camilla said.
Selena said nothing. Camilla was right, she didn’t want anything, she wanted her friends alive.
“We also told the families of their wives about their daughters death,” Selena just heard a word that completely shattered her mind. “But they promptly told our messenger that they would never trust the Nohrian government about anything ever again, and to leave immediately. So, as sad as it is, we decided to sell their belongings, we need as much money as we can gather for the war.” Leo said.
“What is it, Selena?” Camilla said, seeing the eyes of her retainer wide open for a moment now.
“Daughters… What… What will happen to Ophelia and Soleil!?” She asked, almost desperately. She realized just now that, like her parents before, her friends died leaving their daughters behind them.
The three royals and Niles exchanged looks. Xander was the one to reply.
“We… We decided to let them be in the deeprealms until the war is over. After that, if they’re still young, we will put them in an orphanage. And regardless of how old they will be, we will pay all that is necessary for their educations until they are ready to be independent or to serve our family like their parents did.” Xander said, trying to sound reassuring.
“Their grandparents…” Selena said, as if she had a revelation.
“As I said earlier, they don’t trust us anymore, so they will hardly believe us if we bring them a child, apparently too old for being the child of their daughters.” Leo said.
“No!” Selena objected. “I meant the parents of Laslow and Odin!” She said, almost as if she was scolding Leo for not understanding.
Not letting themselves be bothered by her reaction, the four people facing her processed what she just said. Once again, Xander was the one to reply.
“You know the parents of Laslow and Odin?”
“Yes!”
Xander closed his eyes and thought about it. “Will they believe that the two girls are their granddaughters?”
“They will trust me!”
“And do you trust them?” Camilla asked.
“… With my life.”
“And may we know who they are?” Leo asked.
Selena needed some seconds to understand the question. ‘ Damn it! Think Severa, think! You can’t just take back what you said, and even if you could… These girls… The daughters of your friends… You can’t just leave them growing up without a family like you did! You can do something about it! … But if I say too much, everything we did to hide our true identities would have been for nothing… ’
“If I may, Lord Leo.” Niles interrupted. “I once did some research on the past of our two deceased and of the girl in front of us. And I found nothing, as if they appeared randomly in this world one day…”
Leo was curious so he gave the signal to his retainer to continue.
“I believe that they are hiding something. Something they can’t tell, even if they wanted to. Selena, here, is now the last one with that knowledge. However, I do think that she will one day explain everything, as I can hardly imagine her hiding something from Lady Camilla forever. May I suggest that for the time being, we continue to trust her, without asking too much questions of her past?”
The three royals stopped looking at Niles, and directed their attention towards the red haired girl. She started to sweat, and swallowed her saliva.
“I agree with Niles. My dear Selena is trustworthy. But… Selena, will you, one day, reveal to me what you are hiding?”
“I swear it, Lady Camilla!” She exclaimed.
Leo and Xander considered the idea for a bit longer, and then nodded to each other.
“Very well. But, when you will reveal everything to our sister, I would like that you also tell my brother and myself. If I can learn one more thing about Laslow, then I would like to. And I guess that Leo feels the same for Odin.”
Leo simply nodded.
“If that’s the cost to bring the daughters of my friends back to their families, then I accept without hesitation.”
“I’m just glad that Odin’s daughter won’t have to grow up without a family. So, I will thank you for that, Selena.” Leo said, humbly.
“You have my gratitude, as well.” Xander said, honestly.
The room was silent for a moment, which led Selena to think about something.
“I will need some time to do it. I’ll have to travel very far away, so it could take me weeks, maybe months before I return…”
“Do you promise that you will return?” Camilla asked.
“”I will…”
“Then, you have my permission to go, Selena. I will just say to the others that I sent you on a secret mission.”
“Camilla, you do know that this isn’t the kind of things you should say when other people are around?” Leo asked.
Camilla simply smiled to her brother. “Oh, but nobody here will say anything, am I wrong?”
“I will do as if I didn’t hear anything.” Xander said, for the sake of his retainer’s daughter.
“I wouldn’t want to be the next one to go.” Niles laughed.
“… Well, you’re right…” Leo admitted.
“You see, there is no problem.” She said, keeping her smile on.
“So, what I will do is going into the deeprealms to meet Ophelia and Soleil, tell them about…” She stopped, and continued as if she finished her previous statement. “And I’ll be on my way to bring them to their families… And tell their grandparents about…” She once again stopped, and looked at the floor, she would need some time to think about them without instantly turning sad.
“And then, you will come back to me.” Camilla finished what her retainer started.
Selena nodded.
After that, Xander and Leo left the room. Camilla put her hand on Selena’s shoulder, and sent her a look that meant ‘if you need to talk about something, don’t hesitate to talk to me.’ She then left.
Only Selena and Niles remained.
“Hey, thank you for-” Selena started, but was interrupted.
“No need to thank me, I didn’t do it to help you. I know that you’re grateful, but I did it for Odin. He trusted you, and that was maybe the last time I could do him a favor.” Niles said, his eye closed, and a cocky smile on.
Selena returned the cocky smile, and answered. “Well, I’m sure that he is very grateful.”
The two then left the room. Selena immediately headed to her bed. She was sad, she doubted that she would be able to have a full night sleep for a long time, but she had to be at her best. Her friends may be dead, but she wouldn’t let them down, and let their children live the same fate as them. She will lead them to a safe place, and allow them to have the happiest future they can currently have.
…..
As she expected, a nightmare woke her up after four hours of sleep.
‘ That’s stupid, this nightmare made no sense, it’s not Grima who killed them. And my other friends are not dead! Ugh, it’s been a while since I had that kind of dream, I wished I wouldn’t get another one… Oh well, now that I’m awake… ’
She proceeded to leave her bed.
‘ I might as well get what I need for the journey… I’ll start with collecting the crystal balls of Owain and Inigo, and then, I’ll stock enough food for a week. I don’t know if I’ll get to the Ylisstol Castle sooner than that, but better safe than sorry… ’
She went to Odin’s room.
‘ Oh, right, he needed a double sized bed… Now that I think of it, it’s kind of a miracle that those two got married, their wives must’ve been crazy or desperate… ’ She immediately slapped herself.
‘ Of course not. They were weirdos, but they were also extremely kind people, they always had kind words for others, and if someone spent more than ten minutes… Maybe two hours in Inigo’s case if the person was a woman… It was clear that they were good people… I might need to learn one thing or two from them… Maybe. No, I’ll stay true to myself, that’s what they would’ve wanted… But I will talk about them more respectfully, now… I just hope they knew what I really thought about them… ’
Selena proceeded to find Odin’s crystal ball, when she heard something at the door.
“Who is it!?”
“It’s me, Lilith.”
“… And, what do you want?”
“I just want to talk to you for a bit…” The dragon sounded sad.
“Well, I guess I don’t really have a choice. We’ll talk while I’m on my way to Laslow’s room.”
“Thank you…”
The two departed to said room, but it was in total silence. Half way through, Selena didn’t have enough patience for this to continue.
“What do you want? Talk now or leave.”
“I… I came to ask you not to come back.”
Selena, upon hearing that, turned to face the dragon, and grabbed her by the neck with her two hands.
“EXCUSE-ME?!”
Lilith tried to stay calm. “Do you rem… Of course you remember the day we met. The prophecy you got that day is almost fulfilled… And I don’t want you to die, t-”
Selena just threw away the dragon, who immediately came back.
“Where we came from, we already outplayed destiny, and I will do it again.”
Lilith stared at Selena, who was walking away.
“Furthermore, yourself have been freed from your destiny, you’re no longer an enemy, right? So, just let me do what I’ve been doing for more than a decade, will you?”
“I’m sorry… You’re right, and there is nothing I can do to make you change your mind… So, please, let me help you. Once you get the third crystal ball, you can directly go and get your friends’ daughters. I will gather the food for you three, for a week. And once you’re ready to leave, I’ll bring it to you.”
“Hmf, I accept your help, but only because I’m in a hurry… Tell me, which one is older?”
“Huh?” Lilith didn’t understand why the question was asked. “Hmm, judging by the realms they are in… Soleil should be nine years old, and Ophelia should be seven years old.”
“Okay… I’ll get Soleil first, then. It’s not fair to them, but they’ll need each other to overcome their loss as soon as possible… I think… I’ve seen it plenty of times, some orphans playing the older sibling role to keep other orphans from totally succumbing to despair… It didn’t always work, but that’s all I can try to do for now… Oh, I didn’t want to say that out loud, just forget what I said.”
Lilith smiled, Selena’s idea wasn’t the miracle solution, but she clearly wanted to help them.
They parted ways, and once Selena got the third crystal ball, she went to the deeprealms directly.
…..
“So, here it is, huh. It’s so calm and far from everything, I’m starting to understand why everyone have chosen to let their children in there. Not that it is ideal, but way better than being in a country in war…” Selena said once she got to the village.
The small amount of soldiers that guarded the village entrance were also the caretakers of Soleil. So, Selena already told them that she was taking her somewhere else.
She started to search for a specific house, but it was apparent that she wasn’t from said village. The villagers either were looking at her and didn’t help, or they didn’t pay attention to her.
When she finally found the house, she knocked on the door, nobody answered, but she felt like someone was looking at her, from the inside of the house. She didn’t have to spend a long time looking around to see a little girl staring at her from one of the windows. She then went to the door, and started talking without opening.
“Who are you?” The little girl asked.
“You may call me Selena, and you? Are you Soleil?” She answered.
After that, Selena heard the sound of the door unlocking, and soon after this, the door was opened.
“Yes! I am Soleil! Are you THE Selena my dad was talking about?” Soleil said, with a very bright smile.
Selena smiled, glad to have found her on the first try. “I guess I am, what did he said about me?”
“He said that you were a scary, but beautiful and kind woman! And that along with his friend Odin, you three are best friends in the world!” She answered cheerfully.
‘ Scary? Inigo, I swear that if I could, I would slap you. ’ She thought.
“Well, I don’t know about scary and kind, but you ARE beautiful.” Soleil continued.
‘Well, no doubt about it, she is his daughter.’ She thought, with a smile.
“Oh, but since you’re here, are mom and dad here, too?” Soleil asked, hoping for a yes, and looking on the streets to see if they were there.
The smile on Selena’s face instantly wiped out.
“Miss Selena?”
“Let’s go inside, Soleil. I have some things to tell you…” She said, not bothering to hide her sadness.
Soleil was wondering what she meant, so she let Selena inside, and lead her to the living room, where she sat on the sofa. Selena sat next to her, and looked at her right in the eyes.
“I’m very sorry, Soleil. If I came here today, it is because… Your mom and your dad… They are no longer with us...”
“Wh-What do you mean?” Soleil asked, her smile being replaced by fear of understanding.
“They… They died in bat-”
“NO! No, you’re a liar! Liar! My mom and dad are strong! My dad is wrong, you’re not kind to lie like that! You’re a meanie!” Soleil exclaimed, every sentence her voice was more and more broken. She was crying.
“Soleil…”
“No! I don’t want to hear you anymore!”
Soleil closed her eyes, and started to move her fists in all directions as quickly as she could. Sometimes it hit Selena. That didn’t really hurt, as she is used by war to receive hit that are way worse than what a child can do. All the while, Soleil yelled “No!” every second or so.
Selena waited a bit, she believed that the child needed some time to let it out, once Selena decided it was enough, she stopped both hands of the little girl with her own.
“Let me go, meanie liar!” Soleil said, finally looking back at Selena. And there she saw it, Selena wasn’t amused, she wasn’t making fun of her. She was also very sad, and tried to sympathize with her.
“I’m sorry Soleil, I know how you’re feeling right now…”
“No… No! NooOOooO!” She screamed, and soon enough, she was crying.
Still on the sofa, Selena let go of Soleil’s hands, and lifted her to pull her in a hug. The girl then proceeded to cry on the woman’s shoulder.
It lasted for a while, and when Soleil finished crying, she was the one not letting go of Selena. So Selena decided to not move for a moment, until Soleil could go back to having a discussion.
After another while, Soleil finally let go of her, and went back to her seat on the sofa, looking at the floor.
“… I’m sorry for calling you a liar and a meanie, Miss Selena… And for hitting you…” Soleil said, in an emotionless voice.
“It’s already forgiven, Soleil…” Selena said, perfectly understanding how the girl feels.
“… What will happen now? What will I become? … I want to see dad and mom again!” She started to sob.
“It’s one of the reason I’m here, Soleil. I didn’t came just to tell you that. I want to bring you where your grandparents live… The dad and mom of your dad.”
Soleil was silent, and she was looking at Selena, who didn’t know what kind of answer she expected. So, she just gave it a shot.
“They are very good people, they loved your father, and I’m sure they’ll take a great care of you…” Soleil was still staring at Selena, so she continued, hoping to get a reaction from the girl. “Your grandfather is a great swordsman, clearly, one of the best in the entire world, and your grandmother is one of the sweetest person ever, as well as a fantastic dancer, I have never seen anyone near to her level…”
“Dancer? Like dad?”
“Yes, she’s the one who taught him everything he knew about dance.”
Soleil thought about it for a moment. “When are we going there?”
Selena was happy to see that Soleil accepted. “We can leave this village in a few hours, be sure to grab what you want to bring with you, as we won’t come back here. After we leave, there is someone else we have to bring.”
“Is it dad’s other best friend, Odin?” She asked, not knowing who else it could be.
“No… Odin also died… So, I want to bring his daughter, who is two years younger than you, to her grandparents, too.”
“Odin also died!?” Soleil never met the man, but she was saddened by his death anyway. “What’s the other girl name?”
“Her name is Ophelia.”
“Will Ophelia be as sad as I am?”
“It’s very likely, unfortunately…”
“Okay…” She then started to think about something. “So I will apply what my dad always says. ‘Turn that frown upside down.’” And to Selena’s surprise, Soleil did start to smile. “If I smile, then she’ll be happy, right? Happiness is contagious, right?”
‘She’s really Inigo’s daughter… Going as far as to put the same fake but bright smile… Just to cheer other people…’ She thought. “You’re a very brave kid, Soleil. But, for as long as I am here, know that if you feel down, you can just tell me, okay?”
“O-okay…” Soleil stopped smiling, the loss of her parents was still too fresh for her to keep it any longer. “I… I’ll get my stuff ready, wait me here, Aunt Selena.”
“Aunt Selena?” Selena repeated, surprised.
“Yeah, I remembered my dad saying that you were like a sister to him, and Odin like a brother. And you treat me so kindly, as if you were my family… Is there a problem with that?” She finished her sentence, worrying that she might have made Selena upset.
“Of course not, I was just surprised, you can call me Aunt Selena if you want.”
“Yay! Thanks Aunt Selena!” Soleil’s smile returned for a brief moment. She then went upstairs, probably to her room, to pack her stuff.
‘ Like a sister, huh? And now, even though I am an only child, I somehow became an aunt… Well, it’s true that if I had to call some people brothers, it would’ve been them… ’
Soleil then came back, with a small backpack.
“I’m done… We can go…” Soleil said. She tried her best to appear strong.
Selena could see it, the only reason she wasn’t still crying is because her eyes dried out. She couldn’t blame the kid, when her own parents died, Selena spent days crying. It was fortunate that Soleil already heard of her, it allowed her to open up more easily.
She wasn’t sure what to do with the aunt title, but thought that it was for the best, that if Soleil thought of her as family, then surely, the girl would open up to her more easily. Of course, she also knew that the wound of Soleil’s loss wouldn’t heal quickly. Parents are irreplaceable. And even though Selena was able to save her parents when she came back in time, the wound of losing them once didn’t fully heal, even after almost two decades.
Once they were outside the house, Selena stopped, turned toward Soleil, and spoke to her.
“Soleil, I’m sure you know that, but your parents loved you more than everything else. You have every right to be sad right now. You may, for the rest of your life, miss them. But, can I ask you something?”
Soleil looked at Selena, waiting for the question.
“I want you to live a happy life. They would have wanted you to have that, they would have wanted to be at your side for it, to witness it themselves. And, if you ever feel alone, know that they are watching over you, from wherever we go in the afterlife.”
Soleil then looked back at the house where she spent her entire life. She realized that this was the last time she saw it. She then looked back at Selena, who waited patiently her response.
“I… I’ll do my best, Aunt Selena.” She took a pause, and continued. “For them, and for that girl, Ophelia, I’ll be strong.”
“Thank you, you’re a very sweet girl, you know?” Selena was smiling genuinely.
“Why is that?”
“You never met Ophelia, and yet, you want to do be strong for her.”
“Is… Isn’t that normal? I’m the oldest, so, I want her to be able to rely on me.”
“That’s what I say, you’re selfless there. You remind me of your father from a long time ago.”
“Selfless? What does ‘selfless’ mean?” Soleil asked, not understanding.
‘ Oh, right, she’s a child, there are things she knows, and also a lot of things she doesn’t. ’
“It means you want to help other people, even when you need help yourself.” Selena explained.
“Oh, I think I understand. Then you’re selfless, too, right?”
‘ Ugh… Answering yes would be a lie, but… Oh well, I guess I’ll take the compliment, we don’t have the time for more explanation, I don’t want to wait too long to go and get Ophelia. ’
“Thank you, kid.” Selena said, without answering directly the question.
Soleil smiled for a moment, and then, frowned again. “Do you think we’ll become friends, Ophelia and me?”
Selena took Soleil’s right hand with her left hand, and started to walk to leave this town. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
“Well, I never had a friend before, so, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do…”
“Don’t worry, it’ll come naturally. And there isn’t a specific way to be a friend.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll understand when you’ll grow up.”
“Hey, that’s not fair to answer that!” Soleil started to pout.
Selena smirked, she knows damn well how much kids hate that answer, and she preferred her being upset in this way, rather than her not being able to think of something else than her parents’ death.
…..
They made their way to the village where Ophelia was. Selena was carrying Soleil on her back, the young girl started to complain about her feet being in pain after one hour of walking non-stop. So, Selena decided to just carry her for the next two hours.
“You’re really strong, Aunt Selena!” Soleil smiled while exclaiming that. Of course, she was still sad, but since they could meet Ophelia any moment now, she decided to put her smile on.
“Well, yeah, I wouldn’t have come this far in my life if I couldn’t at least do that.” She said with a smug voice.
“But it’s weird, it was morning when we left my place, why is it night here?”
“Well, you see, time flows differently depending on which world we are. For example, a day here could be three somewhere else, and not even half a day at another place.”
“I… I don’t really understand…” Soleil said, confused.
‘ Hmm, how could I put it simply enough for a child to get it… ’
“You see how some people run faster than others?” Soleil nodded, so she continued. “Well, the different worlds are the same, some are faster than others, so they aren’t at the same point in time.”
“Oh! I think I get it.” Soleil said. “So, for example, if my world is faster, then I’ll get to eat sooner?”
‘ … Oh, well, close enough. ’ Selena then smiled at her and said “Exactly!”
Soleil smiled genuinely for a few seconds, but then returned to her fake smile. The fake smile looked like her real smile, most people wouldn’t notice the difference, but, having known the girl’s father for a really long time, Selena could differentiate a true and a fake smile.
“Though… I haven’t even eaten this morning, and I’m still not hungry. Is it because of the travel between worlds?”
Selena then realized that she, too, didn’t eat since she heard of the news yesterday, and that she wasn’t feeling hungry either.
‘ Well… In the future, we often had to work with an empty stomach, and this child is far from heavy… So that explain why I wasn’t bothered by it until now… But, I’ll need to eat eventually, I can’t let myself starve out of sadness. And Soleil will eat too, even if she won’t want to, I’ll just find a way when the time will come. ’
Selena shook her head, and answered Soleil. “No, that’s because you’re sad, and considering your day, I can’t blame you.”
Soleil just looked away instinctively. Selena was right, and she wasn’t sure she could keep her smile if she looked at her in the eyes.
“But you’ll have to eat when I’ll say so, okay?”
“Even if I still don’t feel hungry?”
“Listen, I don’t feel hungry either, so, let’s make a deal, to stay healthy. When I’ll take two bites out of a meal, you’ll take one.”
“… I’m not sure I understand, but okay.” Soleil shrugged.
After that, they met the soldiers protecting the village who also kept Ophelia to warn them about her leaving the village, once this was done, they searched for her house. They couldn’t make too much noises as to not wake up those who slept.
“Aunt Selena, did you hear that?” Soleil asked, looking at a house whose window was left open.
“Heard what?”
“I heard the voice of a girl, could it be her voice?”
“I don’t know, she’s not the only child here you kn-”
“… phelia…” That sound just came out of the window. Selena decided to get closer to the window, just in case.
“I am Ophelia Shadow! … No that doesn’t sound good enough… Let’s see the next on my list is… I am Ophelia Dusk! … Perfect! I finally found a good name! Father will be so proud of me, and we’ll be able to fight the evil together. The chosen ones must first find a good name, ha ha.” The voice sounded very cheerful.
‘ … … … Okay, Owain, this child is definitely yours… Even if she didn’t say her name I would’ve known… ’ Selena thought, while rising one of her eyebrows. She then realized what she said about wanting her father to be proud of her, and that was very painful to hear.
“She said Ophelia! She said Ophelia! Is it her?” Soleil exclaimed.
Before Selena could respond to Soleil, the girl inside the house spoke.
“Huh? Is someone outside?” She heard Soleil.
Selena decided to answer the girl. “Yes, there is. I am searching for the daughter of my friend, Odin. Are you Ophelia?”
“It is I, the daughter of the great Odin Dark. But you, who are you?”
“My name is Selena.”
Selena couldn’t see, but she heard someone approaching toward the window, while pushing something else. After a few seconds, she saw a chair at the window, and then a girl jumped on it.
“Oh! You must be telling the truth, you look exactly how my father described!” Said the girl standing on the chair. Her eyes then drafted to the other girl. “And who is she?”
‘ If she heard of me, then she must have heard of Inigo… ’ She thought. “Her name is Soleil, she is the daughter of Laslow.”
Ophelia’s smile grew bigger after hearing that.
“Can… Can you open us the door… I… I have some things to tell you…”
Ophelia’s joy upon meeting the two girls outside blinded her enough to not notice the sadness and hesitation in the woman’s voice. So, she jumped out of the chair, and ran toward the door, which was promptly unlocked.
Once the door was open, they could see the girl more distinctly. She was wearing a white pajama, with some yellow star-shaped motifs on it.
“Please, don’t say to my father that I was up this late. He always says that the true heroes go to sleep early, but I just had to finish what I was doing!”
Neither Selena nor Soleil dared to interrupt her, they both knew that once she heard what she had to hear, it’ll take time before she can be this happy again.
“So, you’re the daughter of Laslow? Our fathers are great friends, so I hope that we can be as well!”
“Yes, I want to be your friend, too…” Soleil said, her fake smile on. Her voice didn’t sound exactly right however.
“And you, you’re Lady Selena, it’s truly an honor to meet you!”
“I’m happy to meet you, too, Ophelia…”
After that, the silence took over. Ophelia, finally realized what expression Selena bore.
“Is… Is there a problem Lady Selena?”
“Well… It’s about why we came to see you, today…”
“Oh? Why did you come to see me? Do you need my help for something? What could I possibly do for you?”
“… Let’s… Let’s take a seat somewhere…”
Ophelia lead the two girls to the room she was when they heard her outside of the window. Ophelia sat at a table, Soleil took the seat next to her, and Selena was was at her other side, a knee on the ground, for their heads to be at the same height.
“Ophelia, I’m very sorry... Your father and your mother are not with us anymore. They died in battle…”
Ophelia needed some seconds to understand what she just heard. After that, she looked in Selena’s eyes, and saw them filled with compassion. She then felt a hand resting on her shoulder, Soleil’s hand. Her head then drafted from Selena’s eyes to Soleil’s eyes, and from Soleil’s eyes to Selena’s eyes. Again and again and again.
After a while, she took her head in her hands, and put her elbows on the table.
“No… No… That’s impossible… Father… Mother… How? … Why? … No… Noooo… Noooooooo!” Her head was now on the table, and she started to cry.
Selena stood up, picked the child up, each of the small arms were now over her shoulders. Ophelia started to take a grip, and to cry on the woman’s neck. Soleil was just watching them, her smile disappeared. Some tears even came to her eyes, but she wiped them before they could flow.
It took several hours for Ophelia to calm down. Once she did, she was still sobbing, and was silent. Selena decided it was now time to put her down. When she did, they could see that she was shaking. So, Soleil took her hand.
Ophelia turned to Soleil, who had a sad smile on. But the smile clearly conveyed a message, which Ophelia seemed to understand. ‘You’re not alone.’
Selena spoke once again. “If I came here, it’s not just to bring you this bad news. I want to bring you to your grandparents house. So they can take care of you…”
“My… My grandparents…”
“Yes, the parents of your father.”
“He… Talked about them sometimes, but…” She sobbed. “But he never elaborated…”
“I can tell you, your grandmother is a very caring person, she has the rare ability to brighten the mood of almost anyone. Your grandfather is…” She stopped for a moment. ‘ How am I supposed to talk about Henry without scaring her? ’ She then thought about what her friend told her about his life. “One of the best dark mage to have ever lived, and also someone who would do absolutely anything for his family.”
Ophelia said nothing. She was lost. Her parents, her heroes. They were gone so suddenly. She would do anything to get them back. She didn’t want her grandparents, she wanted her parents. So she said it.
“I don’t want to see them! I want to see Father and Mother!” Ophelia exclaimed, jumping out of her chair.
Selena was thinking about how to convince her, when suddenly, two small arms wrapped around Ophelia.
“I know how you’re feeling right now, Ophelia…” Soleil said. “My parents died in the same battle as yours… I wish we could do something about it… I really wish, but there is nothing to be done…”
“S-Stop! Silence!” Ophelia tears came back to her red eyes.
“Aunt Selena just want to help us… Our fathers trusted her a lot. We should trust her, too. She’s doing this so that we can have a family… So, please, come with us… I don’t want you to stay alone, here, forever…”
Ophelia wanted to object. She wish she could do something about it. But she didn’t have enough strength left.
“We’ll be friends, forever, okay? So, in the future, we won’t ever be alone…” Soleil finished.
That was it, Ophelia couldn’t stand it anymore and fell on her knees and started to cry again. Soleil turned around her to face her, without letting her go.
Selena was at a loss, she currently had no idea if Soleil helped, or made it worse. She could only wait for Ophelia to calm down again.
After ten minutes, Ophelia was able to speak again. “O-Okay, we’ll be friends forever, Soleil…” She sobbed. “Lady Selena, please, forgive me. You only wanted to help me, and I haven’t been grateful at all…”
“No problem, Ophelia. I know that you feel worse than how I feel, and I know how hard your situation is. And you can drop the ‘Lady’, I appreciate it, but I don’t think I’m important enough for that.”
“But… You’re a legendary hero… I must give you the due respect…”
‘ Owain, what the hell have you said to your child? I’m not a legendary hero at all. Lucina is. Chrom is. Our tactician is. Our parents are. Not me, I’m just an ordinary soldier. ’
“Why don’t you do like me, and call her Aunt Selena?”
“Huh?”
“My father used to say that him, your father and Aunt Selena were like siblings, so I decided to treat Selena as an aunt.”
“You… You would allow that?” Ophelia looked at Selena, hoping for a yes.
“Yeah, sure. Do as you please.” Selena shrugged it off.
“Thank you, Aunt Selena, you truly are a kind woman… So…,” Ophelia was looking outside. “When… When are we going?”
“Right now. Pack what you want to keep, and change your clothes, it’s cold outside. Your grandparents live very far away, so we must go as soon as possible.”
“O… Okay…” Ophelia left the room, probably to go in hers.
“I’ll help her! We’ll be quicker that way!” Soleil said before running after Ophelia.
Twenty minutes passed, and Soleil came back, she was holding Ophelia’s bag. After another ten minutes, Ophelia came back, with warmer clothes on, and her pajama in her hands.
“This… This is my favorite one… I want to bring it with me.” Ophelia, understandably, still had a sad face on her.
“Sure, you don’t need to explain yourself, I told you to keep whatever you wanted to keep.” Selena took the pajama and put it in the girl’s bag.
Soleil, who was still holding the bag, put her free hand on Ophelia’s shoulder, the farthest shoulder from Soleil. Ophelia let her do it, so she could lean on her if she lost the strength needed to walk.
They left the house, and then the village. Selena had to go back to Lilith.
…..
When Selena reached Lilith, she was carrying three backpacks, and in each arm a sleeping girl. The event of today really tired out both of them, so, what helped their sleepiness to win over their sadness is the comfort brought by Selena. Her presence reassured them a bit, and while carrying them, she was very careful to be gentle with them.
Selena herself wanted to sleep, but once again, the future unfortunately made her gain the ability to not sleep and be efficient for a few days. And she needed that skill right now.
“Here is the food.” Lilith said, giving Selena a forth and bigger backpack.
“Thanks.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Lilith asked.
“Yeah. Can you reach my backpack and put one of the crystal balls in my hand, I can’t do it without waking one of them up.”
“O-Of course.” So she did, and looked at the sleeping girls. “Today was a terrible day for them…”
“Yeah… I hope that I’ll be of any help for them… Anyway, I still feel the two other crystal balls in my bag. Thanks for not trying to trick me.”
“Of course… I… I can’t really say that I didn’t considered it… But, sometimes, it is better to just let humans stick to their own choices.”
“Yes, and trust me, once they reach their new homes, I’ll be back soon after. So, see you, Lilith.”
“Good bye… Severa…”
Selena used the crystal ball in her hand, it started by glowing a bright blue, then the three girls disappeared, and finally, the crystal ball exploded.
--------------------
|
| | thepokefan59 | | Hoo boy | | Membre | | | 38 messages postés |
| Posté le 16-01-2022 à 23:00:33
| Chapter 2: Home, at least
The journey between the two worlds happened as quickly as a blink of an eye. It was night, and it was colder than a few moments ago. Severa tried to recognize the place, and when she turned around, she saw something that left no doubt about her current position.
“… The Mila Tree… I’m back in Valm… I wonder…”
“You are, indeed. Welcome back, Severa.” A calm voice emerged from behind her.
By instinct, Severa quickly turned around, before recognizing who was talking to her. But, with that quick movement, she woke up the children she was carrying.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t want to scare you.” She said.
“… Whatever, what’s done is done…” She said grumpily. “I’m happy to see you again, Tiki.” She admitted.
“… Aunt Selena, who is this pretty woman?” Soleil said, with a very sleepy voice.
Severa put the girls down, and they both stretched. They slept for three hours, and sleeping while being carried by one arm isn’t really comfortable.
“Selena? Is it the alias you took while you were there?” Tiki asked, a bit curious.
“Ugh… Right, I have a lot to explain to the kids, and I guess you want to hear some things, too, Tiki?”
“I do. But please, don’t tell me everything.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“You seem to forget that I am the Voice of Naga, Severa. I know where you went, I know why you went, and I know why you can’t tell everything.”
“Right… Well, I’m glad that I don’t have to find a way to explain right now…”
“Why is she calling you ‘Severa’, Aunt Selena?” Ophelia asked.
“… I guess that I can start to explain you two some things. First, this world is where your fathers and I are from. And when we came to Nohr, we had to change both our names, and our appearances. My true name is Severa. Ophelia, your father’s true name wasn’t Odin, but Owain. Soleil, your father’s true name was Inigo.”
The girls were trying to understand what she said. And when they did, they realized that there is a lot of things they don’t know about.
‘ So, as I thought, these two girls are the daughters of Owain and Inigo… Who aren’t here… And Severa used the past tense to refer to them… Oh… No… ’ Tiki put a hand on her heart, while looking down.
‘ Ah… It seems that she understood… ’ Severa thought.
“Severa… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be, Tiki. The three of us knew the risks… And I will go back once these kids will be with their grandparents.”
“Aunt Selen-Severa, it’s very cold here…” Ophelia said, shaking.
The two grown women took a look at the two children, Severa wanted to keep going to find a village and a place for them to warm up, and Tiki considered the shrine atop of the tree, before quickly deciding not to force the sad and cold young girls to go up the stairs of said tree.
But before Tiki could come up with another idea, Severa took her coat off, and handed it to Soleil.
“I’m not cold anyway, so take it, it’s big enough for the two of you.”
‘ She still can’t be honest with others… ’ Tiki thought, with a smile, what Severa just did warmed her heart.
Soleil then opened the coat, and put her right arm in it.
“Ophelia, come here.” Soleil said, gesturing her with her left hand.
Ophelia went next to Soleil, and the latter gave the former the other part of the coat. Ophelia put her left arm in it. Severa then closed the coat.
The two girls were so close that they seemed almost glued together, with both of their heads coming out of the same coat. But at least, they weren’t cold anymore, they also stopped shaking. But Severa was, now.
“… Hey, Tiki, how much time has passed here since we left?”
“It’s been two years and eight months. I think you don’t need me to tell you, but this is the end of November.” She answered, teasing her while she was at it.
“Yeah… It’s almost as if I could feel it…” Severa decided to take the joke. “… Oh, gods… I’ll be born soon, huh.”
Ophelia looked confused by that, but she wasn’t sure if she heard correctly. “What do you mean, Aunt Sel-Severa? Aren’t you born already…?”
Severa turned her head toward the girl. “Yeaaah… I’ll explain it to you during our journey.”
After a moment of awkward silence, Severa suddenly realized something.
“Hey, how did you know I would appear here, and now?”
“The power needed to travel between the two worlds is hard to hide, so, I just heard the voice of Naga who told me to come here.”
“I see… Anyway, it was nice to see you, but we have to make our way to Ylisstol as soon as possible. I have to return there as quickly as I can.”
“I understand… So, can you please do something for me?”
“What is it?”
“Take care of yourself, until we meet again.”
“Heh, I don’t need you telling me that, I wasn’t planning to die…” Tiki wasn’t breaking eye contact. “… Fine, fine. Don’t look at me like that. I promise to take care of myself, and that we will meet again.”
Pleased with that answer, Tiki closed her eyes, turned her back to Severa, and left, heading toward the shrine atop of the tree. “Thank you.” She said. She wished to talk more with Severa, but decided that the children took priority over that.
After a moment, Severa brought her attention back to the kids. They were looking at her, and were obviously confused by everything.
“Ummm… She was a friend of mine, and of your fathers. We were all part of a group called ‘the Shepherds’. Your grandparents were, too.”
The young girls kept staring at Severa.
“Right… You’re tired, and I need to explain a lot of things from this world to you. So, if you have questions, can it wait for a bit longer?”
They nodded.
“Great… It must be close to midnight here… I remember that there is a village one hour away from here. Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you there?”
Soleil and Ophelia didn’t want to bother Severa too much. Soleil felt capable of walking for one more hour. But Ophelia wasn’t sure, and since they were sharing the same coat, if one of them had to be carried, then the other would be, too.
She decided to try walking, guessing that if she can’t anymore, Severa would just carry her regardless of what she was choosing now.
“As you wish. Just stay close to me, alright?” Severa said, before turning to where they would be going.
Soleil had to adjust her pace, Ophelia being younger, and more tired. Severa herself slowed down, too.
“So, have you came here before, Aunt Selena? Oh, hm, Severa, sorry.” Soleil said, trying to break the silence.
“Yes, two times actually. The first time, it was soon after I joined the Shepherds, we had to rescue Tiki, that we met just now, from an army, lead by a weird guy who had an obsession with his beard. The second time, it was before we came to Nohr. Sorry, but I can’t explain that one, yet.”
“You and Father have fought to save this lady from an army? You truly are heroes…” Ophelia said, in an impressed and happy tone, until she once again realized that she wouldn’t be seeing her father anymore.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed from the two others, so, unbeknownst to Severa, Soleil grabbed the hand of Ophelia under the coat. Ophelia looked at her, and saw Soleil smiling at her.
She knew that Soleil was sad, too. But, she didn’t understand why seeing her new friend smile at her appeased her a bit, but it did. What she didn’t understood was that just not being alone already helped.
Ophelia decided to not let go of the hand, and to lean on Soleil for a moment.
…..
The trio finally reached the village, after walking a bit more than an hour. And Severa remembered that there was an inn in this village. The Shepherds stopped once here, during the war against Walhart.
When they entered, a man, apparently in his twenties, was at the reception. He noticed them, and started the conversation with the other adult. The girls were hiding shyly behind Severa.
“Well, we don’t have visitor very often in this village, and they rarely arrive this late. What can I do for you, ma’am?”
“Is there any room left?”
“You would’ve been lucky if you were alone, but there is only one room left, with a single big bed.”
Severa considered it. If the bed was too small, she would sleep on the floor and let Ophelia and Soleil have the bed. If it was big enough for the three, then there was no problem.
“I’ll take it, for one night, please.”
“Alright, with or without a meal for tomorrow morning?”
“Without, I have my own food.”
“Very well, that’ll be five hundred coins, please.”
When Severa reached for her pocket, she realized in horror that she didn’t bring any money. And that showed on her face.
“Please! Even if I have to sleep outside, let the girls have the bedroom, I’ll do anything!” Severa was uncharacteristically begging.
“Ugh… Ma’am, I’m not the owner of the inn, I can’t let someone in if the person hasn’t paid. I’ll go wake up the owner, I’ll explain your situation, but I can’t promise anything.”
The man wasn’t heartless to the point of letting two young girls sleeping outside on a cold night. He then left the three girls alone at the reception.
He returned after ten minutes, followed by an older man, apparently in his forties. Visibly annoyed to have been woken up this late.
“So, he explained the situation. The girls can have the bedroom, you can’t. It’s very irresponsible to travel this late with children, you know. Without money on top of that. So, I’m generous with the children, who can’t really be held responsible, but you, you should’ve kn… Wait a minute, I already saw you before… Have you came here before?” The man was grumpy until that last statement.
“Yes, I came in this village, three years ago…” Severa didn’t see any reason to hide that information, and she did the math, for her, it was way more than that, but three years is approximately how much time passed in this world.
“Three years ago you say… Oh gods! You were a Shepherd!? I remember you, now! You seemed a lot younger in my memories, but it’s you!”
“Yeah, what about it?” Severa asked, not understanding how that was relevant.
The owner cleared his throat. “Ahem, please excuse me, milady, if I had known, I wouldn’t have been so disrespectful, nor would I have scolded you for whatever you are doing. We are very thankful to all of the Shepherds for putting an end to Walhart’s reign of terror. And the day you all stopped here, the village wanted to offer money to help you all, but, King Chrom refused, stating that if we gave you money, we would be starving. If it wasn’t for him and you all, this inn wouldn’t even be standing anymore. I never had the opportunity to thank any of you, but you are here now. Of course, the room is yours, we offer you a meal for tomorrow, as well as your two daughters. But this won’t be enough, please is there anything else I can do for you?”
The sudden shift of attitude amused Severa. It also amused her how he thinks that Ophelia and Soleil are her daughters, but it would be too hard and bothersome to explain, so she will just let it slide.
“I thank you for you offer. The only thing more that you can do is tell me if there is a quick way to go to Ylisstol. I have some things to say to His Highness.” She wasn’t used to refer to Chrom like that, but couldn’t risk to let that opportunity slip because of her manners.
“Today is you’re lucky day, milady, there is a merchant who intended to leave for Ylisse, tomorrow. I will talk to her in the morning. I doubt that there is a single merchant in this world who would refuse to give a ride to one of the Shepherds.”
“Really? Alright then, I happily accept everything you just proposed. Thank you.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you, it’s not much, but being able to help one of our heroes is an honor I will forever remember.” The man then quickly left the inn.
“… Sorry to not have recognized you, I didn’t know that you were a-” The man in his twenties started talking, but was interrupted.
“Heh, I don’t really care. Can you just hand me the key to my room?”
“O-Of course.”
Once she had the key, Severa turned back to the children, who didn’t seemed to have understood everything, but seemed excited about how they treated Severa as a hero. She took her coat back, put it on her shoulder, and then took one hand of each girl. Then, they headed upstairs and opened the door of their room.
The bed was big enough for three, and the blanket seemed warm.
“Aunt Severa, the man really treated you as a hero for being part of this ‘Shepherds’ thing, what exactly were you all doing?” Ophelia asked.
“… That’s a long and complicated story, and I’m too tired to talk about it for now. But I promise that tomorrow, I’ll tell you all that you have and want to know about the Shepherds and this world.”
Ophelia then looked down, and added sadly. “Will you also tell us about the heroic actions of our fathers?”
“Of course. Owain and Inigo, I have a lot of things to say about them, we shared a lot of memories, on the battlefield, in the daily life, and a lot of complex situations. I don’t… I don’t usually talk that much about how good some moments were, when spent with other people… But, I think I can make an exception for you two.”
Ophelia looked back at Severa, and sent her a sad smile, meant as a ‘Thank you’. Severa then looked at Soleil, who mirrored the other girl’s expressions.
“Let’s go to sleep now. We still have a long way to go.”
“How long?” Soleil asked.
“I would say, two weeks if we are lucky, and two months if we aren’t.” Severa said, as she took off her most uncomfortable clothes to be in a bed with, and put her sword against the wall.
The girls already wore only light clothes, so they only took off their own coat and their shoes. Severa then went at the center of the bed, Ophelia went at her left, and Soleil at her right.
“I know this will be hard, but try to sleep as much as you can. If there is any problem, wake me up, I’ll take care of it.”
The girl nodded, and Severa closed her eyes. With everything that has happened since she last slept, she was quick to fall asleep.
…..
Around two hours later, she was awakened, to her surprise, not by a nightmare. She tried, while keeping her eyes closed, to determine what happened, and then, she heard something.
“Soleil… Soleil…” Ophelia was quietly trying to wake up the other girl.
Severa decided to not let them know she was awake, just curious about what they would be saying.
“Ummm… What…?” Soleil asked, sleepily.
“Can we talk for a bit…while Aunt Severa is asleep?” She asked shyly.
“… Sure…”
Severa didn’t see, but she felt Soleil going from laying down, to sitting down.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“I’m not sure, myself… I… I can’t… I still can’t believe that my father and my mother… That I will never see them again… How… How do you do it? How can you smile? I can’t keep one for more than a few seconds…” Ophelia asked sincerely.
“… I… I dunno to be honest… I’m just doing what dad always told me… Whenever there is a hard time, we have to smile, it helps to keep going… I’m not entirely sure that it works… I am scared and sad, too…”
“… I don’t know if it works for you, but seeing you smiled already helped me twice. I don’t know exactly why… But it just did… So, thank you…”
An awkward silence took place, so Soleil tried to speak about something else.
“Do you think Aunt Severa will tell us how she met our dads, and how our dads met?”
“I hope so… But what I want to know is how the three of them came to value each other that much… Maybe the three of them were very successful in saving a lot of people, developing a sense of family between them, and were heroic enough to join this Shepherds thing afterward…?”
‘ Ugh… I wish we were successful at saving people before joining the Shepherds… And our bonds really started to develop when we joined them, and had the time to think of more things than an unavoidable death that could fall upon us at any moment… Before that…all we did was just following Lucina’s orders… ’ Severa thought. ‘ Well, I guess we did met when we were children… Not that I was getting along with anyone, at the time… ’
“… By the way, Ophelia, what do you think about Aunt Severa?”
“Oh… I… I think she deserved all the praises my father was giving her… I mean… She is literally going through worlds just for us… And she’s also very kind… And…well, we both met her just today, and it already feels natural to call her ‘Aunt’…”
“I feel the same… I think I’m going to call her Auntie from now on… I hope she won’t mind…”
‘ You…brats… I love people praising me… But… I swear that if I wasn’t pretending to be asleep! … I hope your opinion of me won’t change too much when you’ll know me better… ’
“Do you think our grandparents will accept us?” Ophelia was suddenly worried.
“I… I don’t know…” Soleil was equally worried.
‘ No, I’m not worried about that… What I’m worried about is how badly will they take their sons’ death… ’
“Soleil…”
“What?”
“Will you keep your promise? You know… About being friends forever…”
“Of course I will… And you, will you be my friend forever, Ophelia?”
“I will…thank you… I’m sorry, but I never really had a friend before, the other children all thought I was weird… So…”
“Me too… I guess we’ll just have to discover how to be friend.”
“I guess… We should go back to sleep… I’m sorry for waking you up for nothing…”
“That was not for nothing. I like chatting with you… But you’re right, good night, Ophelia.”
“Good night, Soleil.”
After that, Severa did felt the girls laying back down. Soon enough, she understood by how they breathed that they were sleeping.
“I guess it’s my turn… Good night, you two.” She said quietly.
…..
When she woke up, Severa still had unpleasant thoughts. Even if she didn’t have a nightmare, she guessed that these thoughts were what woke her up.
She opened her eyes, and saw Ophelia, sleeping, curled up between her arm, which she used as a pillow, and her waist. She smiled a bit, thinking it was cute. She turned her head the other way when she realized something was on her.
Soleil’s face hidden by Severa’s other waist, and she had an arm and a leg completely over Severa. Severa kept her smile on for another moment. It was cute, too, in another way.
‘ Well, now I have to wake them up, I guess… ’
Just when she was about to do it, she heard Soleil yawn. When the girl finished yawning, she scanned her surroundings, trying to recognize where she was, and frowned when she remembered everything. She then noticed Severa looking at her.
“Oh, good morning, Auntie…” She said, trying to put her fake smile on, but failed in doing so.
“Good morning, Soleil.” Severa said ruffling the hair of the child. After that, Soleil smiled honestly at her, for a few seconds. Severa put her hand on Ophelia’s shoulder, and moved it slowly enough to not scare her while waking her up.
“Hmmm… What is it? Two more minutes… Please…,” Ophelia said. Quickly after that, she opened her eyes very quickly, and when she saw the two other girls, she understood that the events of yesterday weren’t just a bad dream, her parents really died. “Good morning, Soleil… Aunt Severa…” She said, sadly.
“Good morning, Ophelia.” Soleil put up her fake smile successfully this time.
“Good morning, Ophelia.” Severa said, ruffling the hair of this child, too. “Put your shoes and coat on, grab your backpacks, we’re not staying here for much longer.”
When Severa said that, Soleil went to put her shoes on. Ophelia didn’t really move, so after she finished, Soleil brought Ophelia’s shoes to her. Ophelia took them, and started to put them on very slowly.
Severa didn’t blame the child for not hurrying, so she did something similar to Soleil, and brought Ophelia’s coat. After that, Severa dressed herself with everything she took off for the night, took her sword back, and finished with the backpacks.
“We’re going downstairs first. We have to eat, but I don’t know where we will, so we’ll ask at the reception.”
“… I’m not hungry, Aunt Severa…” Ophelia said, still sitting on the bed.
“I know, Ophelia, and neither am I. But we need to eat.” She then thought a bit about how she was similar to her father. “You know, the greatest heroes need to eat to become strong.” She said, with a smile.
Ophelia thought about it for a moment. But, while she was thinking, her stomach let out a growl.
“You see, even if you don’t think you want to, your body tells you that you need to.”
Ophelia was still unsure.
“Please, if you don’t do it for you… Can you do it, for me?” Severa said, with a very concerned expression on her face.
“… Okay… For you, Aunt Severa… I will try…”
“Thank you, Ophelia.” Severa was a bit relieved.
Soleil, not knowing what to say, was just waiting next to the door the whole time. When Ophelia finally got up, she opened it and headed downstairs first. She was followed by Severa holding the hand of Ophelia.
Once they were at the reception, the older man from earlier was there, he let the younger take care of the other clients. Once he noticed the former Shepherd, he came to her.
“Good morning, miladies.” He said, not talking only to Severa this time, but to the two other girls, too. “I hope you were able to have a goodnight. I apologize, I wished I could give you a bed each, but I just couldn’t wake my other clients up just to tell them to leave.”
The two children hid behind Severa.
“Well, aren’t you shy, you two.” Severa said, smirking a bit. “Don’t worry, the bed was good enough, it’s still better than sleeping on the grass.”
“I am glad to hear it. Also, I have another good news, the merchant leave in two hours, and Ylisstol is her first stop in Ylisse, and she accepted to let the three of you on her carriage. She also told me that since she had to pay more to put her carriage on a ship, she is also allowed to bring other people with her, so this is a cost already covered.”
“Really? Well, that’s a relief…” Severa then suddenly opened her eyes widely. “Wait, don’t tell me… This merchant, is it an Anna?”
“Hmm… Indeed, she is. I have no idea if she was the one who was a Shepherd, as they don’t really let a lot of people a way to differentiate them… I swear, every Anna I met, I ask them if they are the Shepherd Anna, they all laugh while answering ‘who knows?’…”
“I… I see…” Severa said. ‘Well, I just hope that this Anna won’t ask for a payment…’
“Anyway, the three of you must be hungry, please, sit down. I’ll bring you your food when it is ready.” He said, taking his leave to go in another room, that Severa deduced being the kitchen.
The girls then sat at a table, and waited silently. The food was brought to them ten minutes later by the man.
“One last thing, as I’ll be busy, this is the last time we can talk. Anna is at the village’s place. I guess I don’t have to tell you what she looks like.”
“Okay. Thanks for everything.”
“No, no. Thank you for saving this country, thanks to all of you, my family as well as myself don’t have to worry about tomorrow anymore.” He said, leaving just after.
Severa looked at her plate. She could tell by how it looks that it was high quality food, and that it must be delicious. But, when she ate, she just couldn’t taste anything. She looked up, to see the children mimicking her reaction. They ate slowly and quietly, their first meal since learning about the tragedy.
After more than half an hour, Severa finished her plate. So, she directed her attention to the other plate. From the very beginning, they had less food, which is normal since they didn’t need an adult portion like Severa did.
Soleil ate three quarters of her plate, and Ophelia half.
‘ Ugh… Really, I can’t blame them… But when you grew up with not a lot of food, and saw countless people die of starvation…wasting food is hard, too… Let’s see… If Ophelia finish her plate, that should convince Soleil to finish it… Owain, you liked to talk…a lot… Have you said one thing about Ophelia eating habits…? ’ She closed her eyes to try to find a memory. ‘ Hmm… Yes, you did… Not sure that it’ll work, but it’s worth a try. ’
Severa took her fork, leaned toward Ophelia, and started to reorganize what was left in her plate. Ophelia began by wondering what she was doing, and soon enough, she recognized it. Severa finished, and while it was not perfect, now, Ophelia’s food was organized to be in the shape of a star.
“‘To shine like the brightest star, the young chosen one must first complete the challenge given by one of her peers.’ …” The room was left totally silent, both of the girls were just staring at her, and the other clients minded their own business. Severa was embarrassed to say something like that out loud.
Ophelia finally answered. “How… How did you know what my father was saying?”
“Well… You see… Both of your fathers, one thing they loved to do was talking. And they did it VERY often. And, ever since you were born, they talked about you daily. I swear, not a day passed where I didn’t hear one of them say how much they loved you. And when they came back from visiting you, they just had to tell me EVERYTHING you did together… Including that sentence…” Severa looked away. ‘ Gosh, why am I embarrassed by talking to children? ’
Ophelia stared at Severa for some seconds, then at her star shaped meal, then at Severa again, tears brimming in her eyes. Something clicked in her mind. Her parents, they loved her, she was so sad that she forgot something so obvious. She really missed them.
She looked again at her food. ‘ Mother… Father… You would want me to eat that… ’ She thought. After that, her grip on her fork was strengthened, with her other hand, she wiped her tears. She took another bite oh her food, and the tears were back. She wiped them again. Every bite she took, her tears came back, and wiping them every time was her way of fighting them.
Severa was saddened by the tears shed by the girl, but was impressed by how Ophelia was fighting them. ‘ You’re trying to be strong… But you’re only a child, Ophelia… I guess that children who live tragic events grow mature more quickly than the others… But still… It’s normal to cry, and to be sad… Even for an adult… I understand that you’re doing that because you’re parents wouldn’t want you to be sad… So, going back to eat a full meal can be a start… You have a long way to go… Both of you… I’ll do everything I can to help while I’m here, and I’ll leave it to your grandparents to finish to help you recover… ’
Seeing all the efforts Ophelia was putting, Soleil, wanting to be an example for Ophelia, one she could rely on, decided to get back to her food, too. She didn’t understood everything from what have been said, but she was happy to hear that her father was thinking about her daily, because she was thinking daily about her parents, too.
When they finished their plates, Soleil sighed, as if she was tired after running for hours. Ophelia still had tears brimming in her eyes, and the tips of her lips were going up and down.
“Good job, you two.” Severa said.
She got up, and approached Ophelia, and delicately wiped the tears she had left, and fondled her cheek. Before Severa could do anything else, two small hands grabbed one of hers.
Ophelia stayed quiet, and looked at Severa, not letting go of her hand. Severa sent her a smile, and freed her arm. Ophelia didn’t have the time to be sad about that, because with the same arm, Severa was now carrying the girl.
Severa sent a look to Soleil, and held out her hand. Soleil immediately got up, and took it. Silently, they were leaving the inn, but more importantly, they left it together.
…..
Once at the village’s place, she started to search for that Anna, but didn’t have to, because a voice called her.
“Hey, you, you must be the Shepherd.” A familiar voice said.
Severa looked where it came from, and sure enough, that was an Anna.
“I am… So…how much will I owe you for the journey in the carriage?” Severa said, knowing how to speak to the Annas.
Anna just laughed. “Special clients require special prices… And for you, that price will be zero!”
Severa was very surprised, and apparently, that showed on her face, because Anna explained.
“Not only you’re a friend of my sister, but I don’t know if you remember, I was once attacked by Risens, and you saved me!”
“Oh? You’re one of the Annas we saved?”
“Yes! Thank you for saving my sisters, too. But I wasn’t talking about the ‘you’ as ‘the Shepherds’, but the ‘you’ as ‘yourself’. Sure, you were with the Shepherds that day, but you’re the one who took an arrow in the left arm to save my head! I do hope it healed quickly.”
“Wait, you’re THIS Anna?!”
“I am! And as a good merchant, I never forget the important faces. I can tell that you changed hair color… And… You seem older? Have you perhaps been traveling through multiple realms?”
“I did…” Severa said. ‘How did I forgot that the Annas know about the realms?’
“Before we go, can I ask your name? It’ll be bothersome if I have to call you, but don’t know it.” She said, not trying to invade the personal life of the one who saved her.
“The name is Severa.”
“Very well, and what about the two cute princesses with you?”
“M-My name is Soleil!” She stuttered awkwardly.
“I am Ophelia…” She said timidly, and not being able to hide behind Severa, since she was being carried.
“Okay, I have three places at the back of my carriage, so you can just go there. If you need to stop, don’t hesitate to ask me, I’ll be the one to lead the horses, so I’ll be at the front.” Anna explained how it works for the little girls.
“Can I ask you when will we arrive?”
“Nine days at best, fifteen at worst!”
“That’s… Way faster than I expected…” Severa said, astonished.
“Heh heh, it’s because time is money, the faster, the most profitable!” Anna answered, readying herself to go.
Severa didn’t really think about it, and just went in the carriage, put Ophelia on one seat, helped Soleil to get in, and the two took the two other seats.
…..
One hour after they left the village, Severa explained what was this world to the girls, what happened in it, and how her fathers and herself are from a doomed future.
The girls listened very attentively, trying to understand everything, Severa needed at multiple occasions to repeat and reformulate.
Once she was done explaining the war against Walhart, the war against the Grimleals and the war against Grima, the girls started to ask questions about the daily life of Severa and their fathers among the Shepherds, and as Nohrians royal’s retainers.
Depending on what events she told, the girls were laughing, scared, angry or sad. Severa surprised herself by reacting along with them.
Three days where passed with Severa just narrating her memories and the girls always asking for more.
On the forth day, Soleil sighed. “It’s not fair… Dad saved this world, and had so much going on in his life… Why did he die?”
Soleil’s words lead Ophelia to a similar train of thoughts, as she stopped smiling.
Severa understood that the question cannot be avoided forever.
“Death… Is very often unfair, and comes too suddenly… There isn’t a lot of people who chose to die. Your parents certainly didn’t. I know it, they really, really wished they would be able to see you grow up, and be at your side until the old age take them away. The four of them left a void behind them, a void that cannot be filled… But, death is a part of life, it is unavoidable. All we can do is to live the best life we can have.”
The two girls weren’t reassured with that. But, explaining death cannot be done reassuringly, without lying or making assumptions.
“… The day I’ll die… Will I see Father and Mother again?” Ophelia asked, not looking at Severa.
“I don’t know, nobody knows what happens after death. Some believe in an afterlife, some don’t. I personally chose not to think too deeply about this. What’s the point in worrying over something we can’t answer?”
That didn’t reassured them either.
“Aunt Severa…you will return to Nohr, right?”
“Once you’re with your family, yes. I’ll come back here after the end of the war.”
Ophelia very suddenly grabbed Severa’s left arm.
“Please! Don’t die! I don’t… I don’t… I don’t want to… Don’t go back to Nohr, it’s safe here, right?”
“Yes, please Auntie! Don’t leave us…” Soleil added.
‘ The conversation I dreaded… ’ Severa thought. She thought for a few more seconds, knowing she should choose her next words very carefully.
“You know… I could promise you to come back, and that I won’t die, but I doubt that you’ll trust me… Considering that your parents made you that promise, and they couldn’t fulfill it…”
They just let her continue.
“But, I made a promise to someone. We made a promise to someone. I have to go back. I have to finish alone what we started together. I have to help to put an end to this war, so that everyone who lost their lives didn’t do it for nothing, so that people stop dying. So that I can face your fathers if there is an afterlife.”
They were about to protest, but Severa continued.
“HOWEVER, what I can promise is to do everything in my power to survive. To everyday think about you and the promise I’m making you, knowing that my parents aren’t the only one who will miss me, and aren’t the only one waiting for me to come back… Is this promise enough for you?”
She could see at their face that no, and that they didn’t really understood her reasons either. ‘ Well, I wouldn’t have understood as a child either… Considering that it took me years to understand that my own parents were fighting for me… ’
“You know, there are a lots of children there, if people continue to die their parents will die, too… And they will be as sad as you are now…”
The look on their faces indicated that they considered that answer.
“O… Okay… Just, keep your promise… Okay, Auntie?” Soleil resigned.
“I will, Soleil, Ophelia.”
Ophelia just went and sat on Severa’s laps. Severa guessed that she wanted a hug, so she gave her one.
…..
The night of that day, they arrived at the port. They could get on the ship after Anna paid for her carriage. Since it was late, and it’s been days since they had a bed, which Severa was used to, but not the kids, they immediately have been searching for their room.
When they found it, their was four beds, they guessed that Anna will be taking one, each big enough for just one person, and they didn’t look that comfortable, which was to be expected since life on the sea is far from easy. Severa could see the concern on the two children’s face.
“Don’t worry, we’ll only have to sleep two times here.” She tried to reassure them.
They tried to be brave, and didn’t answer anything at that. Severa seeing that, because children can hardly hide their true thoughts, decided to change the subject.
“So, before we go to sleep, do you have more questions about this world or of your fathers and I, or anything else?”
“Actually, I do…” Ophelia said. “You remember when you said to that green haired woman that you would be born soon? Can you explain why you said that?”
“Oh… Sure…” Severa was thinking about how to answer that. “You remember how I explained that your fathers, some other people, and myself came from the future to save this world?”
They both nodded.
“Well, it’s as simple as that, the ‘me’ of this world isn’t born yet.”
“So, like, there will be two of you?” Soleil asked.
“Yes…and no… Technically speaking, yes she’ll be me, same face, same parents, same name, same everything physically… Except for her hair, because she won’t have to hide her identity, hopefully… But, she won’t be me, because our life is different, she won’t grow up in an apocalyptic world, our parents have already a bit of experience in parenting, thanks to me, and more importantly, they won’t die anytime soon… The life we live make us who we are. Since I lived a very different life than she will, we’ll be similar at best, personality wise, but she could become my complete opposite.” Severa tried to explain, knowing damn well how confusing that could be.
The girl tried to understand, and even if they didn’t get everything, they seemed to understand the important part.
“Okay… So, that other you will be more like a little sister than a ‘you’?” Soleil asked.
“Yeah, that’s a way of seeing things.”
Soleil smiled, happy to understand complicated things, but Ophelia didn’t really share her enthusiasm.
“Will… Will there be a young Father?” She finally asked.
Soleil’s face shifted from a smile of satisfaction, to that of realization. Severa was already thinking as to how to answer this, because she expected the question.
“As I said… Yes and no. The younger version of your fathers are already born, but are not even a year old. They won’t become your fathers. You can see them maybe as uncles, or maybe even your own little brothers… But… They aren’t the men you grew up idolizing… Of course, when they’ll be old enough, surely they will understand all that time travel stuff, and how you’re related to them, and maybe then they’ll act differently towards you, but until then…” Severa tried to explain without rubbing salt on the wound, they may feel better after some days, but they were still sad, and that subject was still touchy.
“It’s… It’s okay…” Ophelia said, obviously, she wasn’t okay.
“I’ll… I’ll try to be a good example to the younger Dad… I… I know that it’s not really him… But I want to do what he has done to me…” Soleil said, sadly, but convinced.
“You’re right… I think I’ll do it, too…” Ophelia agreed with the idea of Soleil.
‘ Eh, aren’t these two going to become adorable big sisters… ’ Severa thought, with a smile.
Soleil, then smiled again. “Of course, we’ll take care of the younger Auntie, too! Right?” She exclaimed.
“Of course! You’ve been so kind with us, we will make sure to play with her and to help her make a lot of friends!” Ophelia, this time, shared the enthusiasm of Soleil.
‘ Maybe I shouldn’t have told them about me not having a friend when I was a kid… Well, young me… It looks like you’ll have these two as friends, no matter if you want it or not… ’
After that, Soleil and Ophelia stopped talking to Severa and just shared their idea of what they’ll do with the younger versions of the three time travelers. Severa left to try to find Anna. She was still at her carriage, and told her she wouldn’t be coming to the room, fearing that someone steal her merchandise. So, she came back to the room. The two girls were still talking, but they both were sitting on the same bed, the bed that was above Severa’s.
“Auntie! Auntie! Can Ophelia and me sleep in the same bed?”
‘ Do they need each other for comfort, or do they just want to keep their conversation going for a few hours? … Whatever, it seems that I’ll have to play deaf again, tonight. ’ She thought. “Sure.”
“Yay!” They exclaimed in unison.
That night, as Severa expected, she heard them talking, she didn’t know what it was about, but even if they’re children, she still thinks that they deserved their private and personal moments, so, whenever she was woken up because of the not so quiet girls, she just brushed it off and closed her eyes again.
…..
The following morning, Severa was the first to wake up, so she decided to visit the ship, to localize where they should go when they would need something. Once she was done, she went back to her room, but once she reached the door, she heard a terrified scream.
Not waiting a single second, she burst the door open. Ophelia was the one who screamed, and Soleil seemed as terrified as her, but, Severa couldn’t see anything that could be considered scary.
“What happened?!”
“Aunt… Aunt Severa…” Ophelia was so scared that she was crying. “Something… Something appeared on my arm! What… What is it?! Is it a curse? A disease? Will I die?”
Severa quickly went next to her. “Show me.” She tried to stay calm to not worry the girls more than they already were.
Ophelia showed her, and after a few seconds, Severa sighed, then smiled. “What a relief… This, Ophelia, is not a curse, not a disease, and you certainly won’t die from it.”
Hearing that, the girl calmed down, but still required explanations.
“This is called ‘The brand of the Exalt’… It’s like a birthmark that almost everyone from a certain lineage gets. Your father had it, too, even if, like his true hair color, it had to be made invisible. If I understood correctly, some people have it from birth, and other, like you, have it just appear randomly one day. It’s an irrefutable proof that you’re part of your father’s family, Ophelia.”
Ophelia said nothing. ‘ A proof that I am Father’s daughter…, ’ she looked at the brand again, that same brand that scared her minutes ago, now, she found it beautiful, and truly felt blessed from receiving it. She started to smile, while some tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.
Soleil, who wasn’t afraid that something was happening to her friend anymore, looked it again, too, to memorize the brand’s shape. She then asked something to Severa. “Hey, Auntie, you said that it was only a certain family who got that brand, is that family special?”
Severa started to wonder why she never expected that question, and then composed herself to answer it. “Right… I guess that I should’ve told you two sooner… But yeah. This family is special. It is the Royal Family of Ylisse.”
Ophelia stopped looking at her arm, and focused on what Severa was saying.
“So… Chrom, the King we’re paying a visit to… Is you’re great-uncle, Ophelia. His little sister, a princess, is your grandmother.”
Ophelia and Soleil exchanged looks. For a moment, they thought that Severa was joking, but realized soon enough that she wasn’t. Ophelia went into her thoughts, and after a moment, she said.
“It doesn’t matter… What matters is that I am my father’s daughter!” She said, looking at her brand again, and with a wide smile on her face.
“That’s right, Ophelia, and you can be proud of that. Soleil, you can be proud, too, to be your parents’ daughter, no brand will appear on you, but don’t forget it.”
“I won’t!” She answered.
“Oh, and while I’m at it, no, you don’t have to worry about formalities, Chrom and Lissa never were big fans of it… Well, I guess that since the fall of Grima, he had to get used to it… But he won’t blame people for not using them…”
“You know…,” she suddenly thought of something. “There is something else that will always prove you are both of your parents’ daughters. Your names.”
The girls turned back to Severa.
“Soleil, I remember why your parents named you that. Your father explained to me. The day you were born, you were smiling, and to both of your parents, your smile seemed as bright as the Sun, that’s why you were named after it… Ophelia, I am sorry, but I gave up on the idea of understanding your father naming habits, and the logic behind the names… But let me tell you one thing, he never said things randomly, and for your name, he must have thought about it very meticulously.”
The girls both smiled even more, and Soleil repeated it to herself many times, to never forget why her name was that.
After that the day went as normally as it could. Severa noticed that the girl were now able to smile and play like most children, and she saw the bond between them that grew bigger each passing day.
Of course, they were still sad, and they will be for a long time, but they were recovering.
She just had to tell Ophelia to not leave her brand visible to everyone, yet. While she wasn’t with her family, she couldn’t risk someone recognizing the brand, and kidnap her for money.
Since they were now less dependent of her being just next to them, and they didn’t have any question left about this world, their fathers or their family, because they wanted to get to know their grandparents through being with them, she decided to do something else.
That night, soon after the children went to sleep, Severa went to see Anna.
“Excuse me, Anna?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Do you happen to have a notebook and what is necessary to write?”
“I sure do, after all, I need to keep trace of every transaction, why do you ask?”
Severa was a bit hesitant, but decided to answer anyway. “Well… You see… Ophelia and Soleil aren’t my daughters…”
“Oh, I know, I wasn’t spying on you, but I heard some things while you were in my carriage.”
“Right… Well, I’m bringing them to their families, but I won’t have the time to stay for too long… So I wanted to write down things for their grandparents… Things that their sons would have wanted them to know about their granddaughters. Such as what they like to eat, the memorable moments they spent with them, in the fathers points of view, a favorite story, and all that stuff…” Severa was looking away, she didn’t remember being this embarrassed in a long while.
“Okay! I can give you two notebook, and what to write, if you help me with the sells until we arrive at Ylisstol!”
“If the children need something, or have an emergency, would I be allowed to take a break?”
“Of course, I love money, but I’m not heartless.”
“Then, we have a deal.”
“Perfect! Here you go.” Anna said handing her what she promised.
“Thanks, I’ll start to write tomorrow… For now, I’ll join them and go to sleep. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Severa.”
…..
And like that, their journey continued.
During the day, Severa was helping Anna at her shop, and took break to take care of the children when they needed her.
Ophelia and Soleil continued to spend their time together, and with Ophelia’s imagination, they always had things to talk, or ways to play. They were able to smile more each passing day.
After her days of work ended, Severa was writing in the notebooks. Sometimes, she laughed, alone, just remembering the moments spent with her friends, and decided to not only write down things tied to the girls, but also some events, like how they announced that they were getting married, how Owain embarrassed a prince with his acting, how Inigo still failed at flirting with girls, except for his wife.
She also decided to write down about their wives, she thought that they may be curious about their daughters in law that they will never meet.
After ten days, they arrived at Ylisstol. Severa finished to write down everything she had to, and handed the remaining ink back to Anna. She then thanked her, and they parted ways. At Ylisstol, they were now heading toward the castle.
--------------------
|
| | thepokefan59 | | Hoo boy | | Membre | | | 38 messages postés |
| Posté le 16-01-2022 à 23:18:06
| Chapter 3: Fathers and Mothers
Severa was back at Ylisstol. She felt so homesick during her time at Nohr, but she was finally home. She sighed. ‘ I shouldn’t get used to this, I’m not here for long… ’. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but have some memories coming back to her at every street she took.
She wanted to go faster, to stop the nostalgia from preventing her to go back to Nohr, but, she couldn’t just drag the children while running. She was already using the fastest path to reach the castle.
The children were looking all around. They never saw a town like that. Needless to say that they were amazed. They didn’t even noticed all the people who sent them weird look. Severa did, and knew it was because of the style of their clothes. No country in this world had clothes that looked similar, so, it caught the eyes of a lot of bystanders.
When they got to the castle, the girls were even more impressed.
“It’s so huge…” Soleil said, agape.
“It’s so beautiful…” Ophelia said, agape, too.
Severa was feeling proud for some reason. Maybe it was because the girls complimented that town she called home.
When she was about to enter the castle, the guard at the door stopped her.
“You, why are you trying to get in the castle without permission!?” The guard said, scolding her. He was also scaring the children due to the tone of his voice.
However, Severa didn’t really care about him. “Because I can? Now out of the way, I need to talk to Chrom.” She answered smugly.
“As if I’d believe that! I swear that if you take one more step forward, I’ll arrest you! Be happy that I don’t just because you’re not referring to His Highness with a proper title.”
Severa was just annoyed at this point. She could just make her way in, but the kids being here prevented her from just pushing him and running, and she couldn’t knock him out either, if the other guards started to attack her, that could very well frighten for a long time the kids of the castle.
Suddenly, another voice, from inside the castle, joined the conversation.
“Excuse me, but since when are you the guard of that door?” The voice of a woman said, it sounded very dignified, and noble. Severa recognized it instantly.
“Oh, Lady Maribelle. I’ve been guarding that door for the past four years, and it’s truly an honor to do so.” The guard said, not paying attention to Severa anymore.
“That is what I thought. And you can’t recognize a former member of the Shepherds, or an Ylissean noble when you see one?” She was now visible, eyes closed, holding an umbrella, and smiling like she’s used to.
“Of course I can. Why are you asking me that question, milady?”
“A better question would be, if you can recognize a Shepherd, and you know that His Highness allows every one of them to come in whenever they want. Then why are you preventing this lady from entering?”
The guard started to connect the dots. He then looked back at Severa, who had her grumpy face on, and back at Maribelle, who opened her eyes and was smirking at him.
“Mi-Milady, I’m so sor-” He started to apologize, but Severa just ignored him, and instead went to Maribelle.
“Hello Maribelle, and thank you, you just spared me from a long and annoying argument.”
“But you’re welcome, Severa. I must say, I almost didn’t recognize you, you changed so much since the last time I had the pleasure to meet you.”
“Yeah, I know.” She rolled her eyes at that.
“At least, it seems that you’re still yourself, personality wise. May I ask you what happened to you, and who are these young ladies?” She asked, her gaze directed at Soleil and Ophelia, hiding behind Severa.
“Ugh… It’s complicated… But I came here to report everything to Chrom. So, you can just listen when I’ll tell him. It is not a story I wish to tell again and again. After that, I’ll have to go and search for Lon’qu, Olivia, Henry and Lissa…” She said.
The sad tone in Severa’s voice made it clear to Maribelle that it wasn’t for good news that she was here. And the mention of Lissa being involved worsened it to her.
“I see… I was about to take my leave, but it seems that I must stay for a bit longer…” She said, perplexed.
She originally came here to talk about politics to Chrom, and to wish the well being to a certain Pegasus Knight, about to leave for some months for a maternity break. She then thought she should be informing Severa of that.
“Just so you know, your parents are currently with Chrom, as it is the last day of your mother working for quite some time. I suppose I don’t need to explain to you what is the reason behind her break.”
Severa feared, but expected to meet them today. ‘ Ugh… Of course I’m glad to see them… But… I’ll try my best to not cry, not as long as the girls are here. ’ Severa knew that one of the things that allowed Ophelia and Soleil to keep going so far was herself not succumbing to her own feelings. In truth, at many points during her journey, she wished to cry, but thought she had to be strong for them.
“So be it. I guess that at least, I won’t have to repeat everything one more time for them.” She tried to appear indifferent, but the time she needed to answer hasn’t gone unnoticed from Maribelle, who decided to just let it slide, knowing that more important subjects should come first.
They headed to where Chrom was, in silence. The kids were hiding behind Severa at first, but stopped after Maribelle sent them a smile. They started to walk at the sides of Severa.
Suddenly, a small voice came to them, running.
“Miss Maribelle, you’re still here?” A little girl said. She had blue hair, and a familiar brand in the eye.
“I am, Lady Lucina. When I was about to leave, I met an old friend of mine, and of your Father. So, I decided to extend my time here.”
“Yay!” Little Lucina said. She then turned to face the three faces she never saw before, and cleared her throat. “You have my greetings, I am Princess Lucina, of Ylisse. It is my pleasure to meet you.” She said, bowing. She then turned back to Maribelle. “How did I do, did I respect the etiquette?” She asked.
Maribelle laughed a bit. “It was almost perfect, just do not forget, when you introduce yourself, before you start talking to others, wait to see if they won’t introduce themselves, too.”
Lucina was very shocked when she realized she forgot something. She turned back to Severa. “I’m so sorry, may I ask who you are?” She looked very apologetic.
‘ So… That’s Lucina at four, huh? It’s weird to say that, but she’s cute. ’
“My name is Severa.” She simply stated. She then turned to the girls she brought, and knowing that this Lucina is someone that they’ll be seeing often, she told them this. “Come on, girls, introduce yourselves.”
Maribelle was listening, as she still didn’t know the name of the mysterious girls. The girls looked at each other first.
Soleil, as the oldest, decided to start. “My name is Soleil, I am glad to meet you, Princess Lucina.” She said with a large smile.
“My name is Ophelia, I, too, am happy to meet you, Princess Lucina.” She said with a smaller, but still visible smile.
“Hey! Since we are all children, do you want to play knights with me?”
Both girls wanted to say yes. But Severa and Maribelle couldn’t let them get far away, as they had to meet Chrom.
“Excuse me, Lady Lucina, but these girls must meet your Father, so, if you want to play with them, stay close to us, okay?” Maribelle asked the princess.
“But I wanted to go in the garden…” The princess was now pouting.
“Princess Lucina, we can still play in the garden after we met your Father.” Soleil said.
“Really? Yay! Oh, but, since we will be playing together, we are friends now, right? So you can just call me Lucina.” Lucina said, as the innocent four years old that she is. “Lady Maribelle, may I stay with you and my new friends while you are talking to my father?”
“Of course, you see no objection, Severa?”
“No, of course.”
They made it to the room they were searching for. All the way, the three girls were talking about heroes and knights, and how cool they all are.
When they entered the large room, the throne was at the opposite side, Chrom wasn’t sitting on it, but rather, he was standing in front of it. He was talking to two people, who faced him, the two didn’t see that they were no longer only three in there.
Chrom stopped listening to them for a few seconds, trying to identify who was coming in with one eye. He instantly recognized his daughter, and Maribelle, he was wondering why she was back so soon. He then tried to see who was the other adult woman. After a few seconds, he recognized her and smiled.
“Hey, you two, look who came to pay us a visit.” He said to the two people in front of him.
The two people were Frederick and Cordelia. When the latter turned to see what Chrom was talking about, her belly was very apparent. Everyone could tell she was pregnant. Unlike everyone else, they recognized their daughters instantly. Cordelia rushed as fast as a pregnant woman could and pulled her daughter in a tight hug. Frederick was walking, knowing that doing otherwise would overwhelm his daughter. He then went next to her, put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled at her.
‘ Don’t cry, Severa… Don’t…cry… ’
Maribelle, as if she was reading her mind, directed the attention of the children somewhere else.
“I missed you so much, Severa…” Cordelia said, crying. Being pregnant made her much more emotional than usual.
“I am very glad to see that you are well.” Frederick said more calmly, but just as happy to see her.
Severa snapped, she started to cry silently, and said quietly. “Mommy… Dad… I missed you, too.” She hugged her mother back. Her voice was a bit broken, but since she spoke quietly, the girls didn’t hear her.
But they didn’t stay silent, Maribelle couldn’t keep their focus away for too long.
“Who’re these people, Auntie?” Soleil asked.
Every adults were now confused, except for Severa. But she wiped her entire face, and didn’t care about the confusions of the others. When she tried to turn back to face them, her mother released the grip she had on her.
“Ophelia, Soleil, let me do the introductions. This woman, here, is Cordelia, a Pegasus Knight, the man here is Frederick, a Knight. But more importantly than their jobs, they are my parents.” She said, proudly.
The girls were now staring at the pregnant woman and the soon-to-be dad.
“It’s an honor to meet both of you. Aunt Severa told us how amazing you are.” Ophelia said.
Severa immediately started to blush, and to look away. She then looked back at them, cleared her throat, and tried to change the subject. But it was too late, they wondered why these kids were referring to her as ‘Aunt’, but the fact that their daughter talked about them like that to others made both Cordelia and Frederick smile.
“And the man over here is Chrom.”
Ophelia then saw his shoulder. “It’s as you said, Aunt Severa, he has the brand, too!”
The man thought nothing of it, since Lucina was with them, she must have been referring to her brand.
“Hey… You didn’t say anything about mine…” Lucina said, a bit jealous.
“You have it, Prin-, umm, Lucina?”
“Yeah, look, my eye!” She said, excited.
The other adults then started to wonder, what did she meant by ‘too’?
“Oh yes!” Ophelia exclaimed. “It’s a proof that we’re from the same family, right?” She said, revealing the brand on her arm.
The room was now silent, except for Lucina.
“Ooooooh… You’re right, we’re family! … Why did I never see you before?” Lucina asked, excited and intrigued.
“Yes, Severa… Why have we never seen her before?” Chrom asked, trying to understand what was happening.
“That’s…part of why I’m here today… Can we…take some distance from the children?” Severa said, her voice sounded full of regrets.
Reluctantly, the adults silently move to the other side of the room, while the children were talking together.
“So… I guess that you want me to start with that. Ophelia…is the daughter of Owain. Soleil is the daughter of Inigo. They’re already that old because the three of us were in another realm, where time flows faster. That’s also why I seem older. For you, it may have been three years since we disappeared, but for me, it’s been more than ten years. And we had to hide our identities, hence why I no longer have my dad’s hair color.”
They tried to understand everything. First, Owain and Inigo were with her. They went in another realm for some reason, the men had children, and Severa came back without them but with the children.
“That’s…hard to believe… But this girl has the brand… And I’m literally talking to a time traveler… So, no matter how crazy that sound, I believe you, Severa.” Chrom said, a bit confused, and still shocked about the brand on that girl’s arm.
“May I ask what were you doing in that other realm?” Frederick asked, concerned for his daughter.
“That world needed help. Since after defeating Grima we had no current goal in life, the three of us decided to help this world. The problem is soon to be resolved, and that’s why, once the girls are in the care of their grandparents I will go back immediately. This world is in a war crisis, but it is my duty.” She said, adding the last words to convince her parents, proud to be knights, that she has to go back.
The knights thought about it for a moment. Cordelia spoke. “I understand… But please, come back alive once it’s done…,” and she looked at her daughter, with pleading eyes.
Frederick agreed with Cordelia, and also wanted Severa to make that promise.
“I swear I’ll do everything I can, mommy, dad…” She answered, looking very saddened, the hardest thing she had to tell will soon come out.
“Why is it you who bring the daughters of Owain and Inigo, instead of themselves?” Maribelle finally asked, fearing the answer, having noticed how Severa was acting unusual since she met her earlier.
Severa looked back at the children, Lucina was talking, the two others listening. She then met the gaze of the four other adults. She sighed, looked at the ground. She then shook her head, and looked at Chrom in the eyes.
“Owain and Inigo didn’t bring their daughters themselves because…because they died in that war…as well as their wives…”
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
“Oh… No… How could that…” Maribelle started, but never finished, putting a hand in front of her mouth, to cover it.
Cordelia took a look back at the children, her mouth stayed open, and she put a hand on her own belly.
Frederick looked down, shocked, and at a loss of words.
Chrom still didn’t move.
“That’s the main reason I came back before the end of that war… If I stayed, and died, while they were still there…they would’ve grown without a family, without anyone…just like us, because of Grima…” She was looking back down, tears coming to her eyes, but not leaving them.
After she finished, Chrom slammed his fist on the wall next to him. He cursed. He was angry and sad. He couldn’t find any word, nor did he know what he was supposed to do. But Maribelle spoke once again.
“Lissa and Henry… They’re in Regna Ferox…paying a visit to Emmeryn… May…may I go... With you to see her…? Lissa…she…I want to be there for her…” Maribelle asked.
That question allowed Chrom to clear his thoughts. “She’s right… I’ll go with you, too. The loss of the two…it’s painful… But…we must tell their parents… Gods… Owain…” Chrom said, of course, Inigo’s demise also pained him, but, Owain was a member of his family, his nephew.
Cordelia was crying in total silence, she would’ve been able to resist that, if she wasn’t pregnant.
“I will send a messenger to Khan Basilio, asking him to gather Olivia, Lon’qu, Henry, and Lady Lissa…at the same place…” Frederick tried to stay stoic, and to decide what would be the best course of actions.
“Yes… Do it Frederick…” Chrom said.
And without wasting another second, Frederick left.
“I’ll send one of mine to my husband, I must let him and Brady know that I have an emergency.” Maribelle said, leaving the room, too.
The three adults left were all looking at the ground, not knowing what to say. Until Severa remembered something.
“Mom… Can I ask you to take care of Ophelia and Soleil while we go to Regna Ferox? We’ve been traveling for the past ten days, they must be tired… And the winter there is…”
“Of course…” She answered.
“Cordelia, thank you.” Chrom said, understanding why the children needed a place to rest. “I… I guess that I need to ask Sumia to replace me for some days…” Chrom said, taking his leave, too.
Severa turned back to the children. “Ophelia! Soleil! Come over here!”
The two girls came, and were followed by Lucina. They were waiting for Severa to say something.
“Your grandparents aren’t here, but we will bring them. So, for the next days, my mom and my dad will take care of you. I’ll ask you to be kind with them, okay?”
Ophelia was a little sad to be separated from Severa, so Soleil was the one to answer. “Of course, Auntie! We’ll be good girls, I promise!” She turned to the pregnant woman. “Miss Cordelia, thank you for helping us.” She said with a smile.
“You’re welcome.” Cordelia sent them a smile back.
Lucina didn’t understand everything. “So, you’re staying here?” She asked.
Cordelia answered her question. “Lady Lucina, they will stay with Sir Frederick and I for some days, so they will be at Ylisstol. If you want to play with them, we’ll try to visit you.” Cordelia said to the little girl who smiled, because for her, it was just new friends that she will get to know for longer.
…..
They left three hours after that. The journey to go and come back will last four days. The first day, Chrom, Maribelle and Severa were silent almost the entire time. Severa just noticed the differences between traveling in the royal carriage and traveling in a merchant’s carriage.
On the second day, they talked a bit more.
“So… Have you found our hero? The one who killed Grima.” She asked Chrom.
Chrom, for the first time since yesterday smiled. “Yes, I found our tactician exactly at the same place we met for the first time.” He then explained a bit more.
Severa smirked. “Heh, I know some people who must be very happy about that.” She was talking about the tactician’s family. Her smirk turned into a sad smile. ‘ And I know two people who would’ve loved to hear this… ’
“Hey… Maribelle, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but after all that, I’ll go back to finish my mission. Can you tell the other Shepherds in my stead? If you meet them, of course.” Severa asked. She didn’t ask Chrom, as the King of the Halidom, he was too busy for that, while Maribelle, even if she was busy, too, had more free time.
“Yes, I will do it… I was thinking of sending a letter to those we didn’t lost contact with…”
But aside from this conversation, they didn’t talk much. Each of them were trying to think of the less painful way to bring the news to the parents of the deceased. Chrom and Maribelle were mostly focused on Lissa, understandably, but Severa didn’t focus on one person more than another.
She also couldn’t stop wondering how Ophelia and Soleil were doing. She had known them for only two weeks, but she really grew fond of them. Of course, she trusted her parents. But did Ophelia and Soleil appreciated them? Were they bored? What were they doing right now?
‘ Why am I worrying as if I was their mother? … It’s ironic, I allowed them to call me aunt if it could help them believe in me, but now, I am the one thinking of them as nieces… ’
…..
Later that day, they arrived at their destination, and Basilio waited for them.
“Good afternoon, Chrom. Oh, I see that you’re not alone, it’s a pleasure to see you, too, Maribelle, Severa.” He said. “I must say, that request from you comes out of nowhere, I did deduced that it was an emergency, so I did as you asked. Lon’qu and Olivia are rarely far from me, so that was easy, but not only did we almost miss Lissa and Henry, they also got here less than an hour ago.”
“My apologies, but it is as you said, an emergency. We have something to tell them… Bad news…” Chrom answered.
Basilio wondered what kind of bad news required these four people specifically, but seeing the serious look on every faces, he started to wish the request was just a prank. “I see… Let’s not make them wait any longer in that case…” The tone of his voice turned serious.
He led them inside, and quickly enough, they joined six other people, four of them were those the messenger asked for, the two other were two baby boys, sleeping. Olivia and Henry each carried their son, while Lissa and Lon’qu had their hands free.
Chrom being the first in line while following Basilio, was also the first to enter, and to be noticed by the princess. She stood up, and started to talk. “Chrom! What is it?” She asked, concerned, Chrom never made meetings like that. After that, Lissa turned her attention to the other blonde. “Maribelle? You’re here, too?”
“I am, darling…” She answered in a sad tone.
Lissa finally noticed the third and last visitor. “… Severa?”.
The three other people stood up, still carrying the babies. Each as confused as Lissa.
Severa saw the pastself of her friends, and frowned.
After a few more seconds, Chrom finally talked to Severa. “Do you wish to tell them, or do you want me to do it?”
‘ Of course I want someone else to do it! … But I can’t just ask that, I’ve come this far…my friends…this is my duty to tell your parents… ’ She thought. She then met the gaze of the four people facing her.
“I think you should sit back… Or at least put your sons down…” She said.
Not knowing what was to come, Henry and Olivia followed her suggestion, and put Owain and Inigo in their baby seats. Before turning back to Severa.
“I came here today for two things. The first thing is a news that I must share with you, and the second is a request…” She started.
Chrom and Maribelle, realizing that Severa will be able to tell them about the tragedy, decided to go next to Lissa. Basilio, even if he had no idea what will be said, decided to go next to Lon’qu and Olivia.
Swallowing her saliva, Severa continued. “Owain and Inigo…we disappeared together, because we had acquired a new goal, and the same one… We were determined to fight for it, and come back together… But…” Before she continued, she took another look of the parents’ faces.
Lissa had her two hands on her heart, her breath was really quick. Henry had his eyes completely open, and wasn’t smiling. Fear was visible on Olivia’s face. Lon’qu frowned, and had one of his hand tightening his grip on his sword.
“But they died on the battlefield.” She simply said.
After she finished her sentence, time itself seemed to slow down around her, and the world was silent, she couldn’t hear anything.
She saw the scene before, in her future, when Lucina had to inform parents of the same thing. It was something she wished to never experience again.
She had no idea if it was worse to tell children that their parents died, but she did know that it was more “normal” than telling parents that their child died. Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children.
Lissa and Olivia were about to fall on their knees, but were caught by Chrom and Maribelle for Lissa, and Basilio for Olivia. She could see them screaming and crying, but the sound never came to her ears. She saw the despair in their eyes, before they closed them, for they couldn’t do anything but cry, the women couldn’t even stay up by themselves.
Maribelle was hugging Lissa tightly, not letting go of her. Lissa apparently didn’t even noticed her friend’s presence anymore. Chrom was helping both women stand, if Maribelle was on her own, she would have difficulties carrying Lissa and stay up.
Olivia now had her knees on the ground, Basilio only slowed her fall on the ground, in order for her to not injure herself. She hid her face behind her hands, her hands were pressed on her face, even. By the way her head was shaking up and down really fast, Severa had an idea of how hard she was crying.
She then took a look at Lon’qu and Henry. Both of them were fuming, the anger that showed on their face would scare almost anyone. But, behind that anger, she could see the tears in their eyes, and rolling down their cheeks.
Lon’qu hit is own leg once, then twice, then thrice. Basilio stopped his fist before he could make it forth. With his other hand, he tried to push Basilio, who simply caught it, too. Basilio just stared down at Lon’qu, and didn’t let him break eye contact. He finally snapped, fell on his knees, too. He took a look at his wife, took her in his arms, and cried with her.
Henry, was closing his fist as hard as he could. Severa saw blood coming out of these, she deduced that his nails must have pierced his flesh. She then saw Henry having his eye caught by something, when she looked in the same direction as him, she saw the babies crying. They were woken up by all the noise coming from their parents.
Henry made his way to his son, and hugged him as delicately as he could, wiping the blood on his hand with his clothes, to not put it on Owain. Some seconds after starting that, he started to cry like the three other parents.
Severa finally looked at the pastself of Inigo, who was crying, too, but Basilio decided to take care of him, due to Lon’qu and Olivia not being able to move.
…..
After a while, the sound came back to Severa, the women were just sobbing, the men just had tears flowing down.
Owain was able to go back to sleep, so, Henry put him back down. And turned to Severa. “You mentioned a request. What is it?” He said harshly, his happy tone was nowhere to be found at the moment.
Lissa, Olivia and Lon’qu turned their attention toward the red hair after that question.
Severa took a breath before speaking again. “You see… Before what I told you happened… They were able to marry someone, and to have a daughter…their wives died in the same battle as them… I brought the children in this world, for now, they’re at Ylisstol. My request is that you take in your granddaughters, and allow them to grow up with a family.”
The four adults looked at Severa, in disbelief. Lissa, still sobbing, looked at Maribelle, she nodded, and then at Chrom, he nodded, too.
Olivia was the first to move. She tried to get back up, but her legs were shaky, and she couldn’t use enough strength to stabilize them long enough for her to stand. So, she used Lon’qu, put her hand on his shoulders, and then she was able to do it.
Her eyes were red, she was still sobbing, but something more was on her face. “Inigo… Inigo’s daughter… I… I need to see her… I need to help her…,” that new thing on her face was resolve.
Basilio held a hand to Lon’qu, who grabbed it to get back up, as well. He went next to Olivia, and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, and they nodded. It was Lon’qu’s turn to speak.
“We will give our granddaughter a family… We already failed to give one to our son back in your world…but we won’t give up on his daughter… On our granddaughter.” He said.
Basilio smiled, he was not happy, but it was because he was proud of the two.
Lissa couldn’t walk alone yet, so Henry went next to her, and took her arm. Maribelle and Chrom released Lissa, and Henry helped her move toward Severa.
“Of course we’ll take her in… That’s not even something you should be requesting us…” Henry stated. His voice wasn’t harsh like it was when he last talked.
Lissa looked at Severa in the eyes. “Severa…thank you…thank you for everything… I know that it must’ve been hard to do all that alone…” She winced, even just talking was still too painful for her, but she wasn’t finished. “But thank you…for bringing us our granddaughter… If not for you…we might’ve waited all our life for him to come back… And we never would’ve known about her…”
“Don’t thank me, Lissa… You’re…you all are more pained than me… Yes, they were my friends… But you four lost a son, and the two girls lost their parents…”
“I know… But just because you’re not as sad as others…doesn’t make your own feelings unimportant… And also…thank you…for having been…his friend…” That was it, tears came back to Lissa, so, she just dived her head in her husband’s torso.
‘ Lissa… Why are you putting my pain at the same level of importance as yours? … I guess Owain was right about you having the biggest heart of Ylisse… ’
…..
After that, they didn’t stay for much longer at Regna Ferox. They had granddaughters to meet, no matter how devastated they were, they had to move forward, if not for themselves, then for the two newly orphans.
Basilio told Lon’qu and Olivia to come back once they’re ready, leaving them as much time as they would need.
Once again, during the first day of the journey to return at the castle, there wasn’t a lot of conversation. It was mostly Lissa and Olivia sobbing, and others trying to comfort them. Henry and Lon’qu tried their best to be strong for their wives. Sometimes, it was the babies who were crying, but it didn’t happen often nor for long, as their mother didn’t let go of them all day.
The second day however, the grandparents started to ask questions to Severa.
“Hey… Severa… I realized that I didn’t even asked this, what is the name of Inigo’s daughter.” Olivia asked, looking at her sleeping baby, finally feeling strong enough to start a conversation about her granddaughter.
“Her name is Soleil.” Severa answered.
“That’s a lovely name…” Olivia said, with a small smile.
Lon’qu was looking at the roof, thinking about that name, most likely trying to memorize it.
Severa saw that other people were looking at her. So she spoke to them as well.
“Owain’s daughter is Ophelia.” She said.
Lissa and Henry simply nodded, but were still looking at Severa. They wanted to hear more. When she turned her head, she saw Olivia and Lon’qu wanted to hear more, too.
She started by explaining their ages, and how it was possible for them to be older than Lucina.
“So, more about their personality. Both of them are very positive people. After they met, they quickly became friends. Soleil being older, she wanted Ophelia to be able to rely on her. Both of them are good kids…” Severa smiled while she was talking, and so were the people listening to her.
“You really like them, don’t you?” Henry asked, his usual tone starting to come back.
Severa blushed. “Yeah… I guess there is no point in denying it… I became attached to them during our journey together…”
“If you allow me, from the little I saw of them, they seemed attached to you, as well. They’re even considering you as their aunt, after all.” Maribelle stated.
That simply made the grandmothers smile a bit more.
Severa chose to act as if she didn’t hear, not wanting other people to see her even more embarrassed than they already did.
“Is there some similarities between them and their fathers?” Lissa asked, wincing at having to think about her dead son, but not stopping her from asking.
“Yeah…” Severa was thinking about how should she put it.
“Ophelia is clearly her father’s daughter, same habit of naming things and a similar way to talk. Soleil has the same habit of smiling like her father, even when she wants to cry, she tries to keep her smile on, to reassure herself and others… Well, Ophelia from what I saw, but I would be surprised if she doesn’t do it for others…” She said, with a smile. But then, she suddenly remembered something else.
“Oh, and… Let’s say that I only heard her compliment girls, saying they’re pretty… Including Tiki and myself when I first met her… So, I won’t go as far as to say she inherited of her father’s flirting habit… She’s still a child, so she still can’t get it… But I would advise to keep an eye on that…” She said, not sure if it was really a good moment to remind them that Inigo wasn’t perfect.
When she looked back at Olivia, she was shaking. Severa thought for a moment that it was her fault, so she was about to apologize, but suddenly, a noise was coming out of Olivia.
“ee…hee…hee hee…” To everyone’s surprise, Olivia was laughing and crying at the same time. “I guess that was to be expected from him… Hee hee… My son, I know he wasn’t perfect…but I loved him…” The dancer said, smiling at her baby.
Lon’qu looked at his wife, and sighed, he then looked at his son, before asking Severa another question. “How did they take the news?”
“Badly. Really, if their fathers didn’t talked about me to them, I really think that they would’ve ran away, searching for their parents, without finding them… But, they did listen and put their trust in me… They think they can hide it, but obviously, the loss of their parents will for a long time cloud their minds…” Severa decided to answer honestly.
“I see…” Lon’qu just said, still looking at his son.
Death being brought up again made everyone silent for several minutes. At one point, Severa crossed her arms, and felt something in her pocket, the pen Anna gave her. She then remembered that she had something to give them.
“Henry, Lon’qu.” She said to grab the attention of the men. “Here, take this.” She handed them the notebooks that she filled during her journey. She chose to hand it to them, because the women were carrying their sons.
The men instinctively took what was handed to them.
“What’s that?” Henry asked.
“I… I figured that the four of you would want to know more about your granddaughters, and of the life your sons lived after we left. So I wrote it down, since I won’t have the time to just tell you everything directly…” Six pairs of eyes were now on her, again.
“It’s basically their everyday habits, things that happened because of them, or when they were involved, or also about their wives, since you may want to know what kind of woman they fell for… I can just tell you this already: they missed you, they were happy with their wives, and their daughters were their greatest treasures.” She said, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
“Thank you, Severa. This means a lot…” Henry started. He opened the notebook, but closed it after looking at his wife. “We will read it when both of us will be ready.” He said, before packing it.
Lon’qu packed it, too, not elaborating, but for the same reasons as Henry.
…..
They finally got back at the Ylissean Castle. It was night. When they got out of the carriage, Frederick was waiting for them. He started by offering his condolences, which he was thanked for.
Maribelle had to leave. So she hugged Lissa one more time, told her that if she needed anything, to come and ask her immediately, said good bye, and left.
Frederick then started to talk about the subject they were more interested in.
“Her Majesty offered us to stay until you all arrived, and we decided to accept her offer. Lady Lucina gets along very well with Soleil and Lady Ophelia. Cordelia and Her Majesty are in the library. The children are supposed to all sleep in Lady Lucina’s room, but they are playing instead. Her Majesty requested that we let them be, due to their exceptional circumstances.” He said.
“Thanks for the report, Frederick. You can inform Cordelia and Sumia that we will go see the children immediately.” Chrom said.
“Understood.” He said, before leaving.
“Severa, can I ask you to do the introductions?” He asked the red hair.
“Because there is another option?” She answered rhetorically.
“Not really, no.” Chrom said, taking no offense as to how Severa was talking.
The four grandparents stayed silent, just waiting to be able to go meet their granddaughters.
They just made their ways to the door of Lucina’s room. They could hear giggles and a lot of noises coming from inside.
Before Chrom could open the door, without knocking, Severa took a look at the newly grandparents. Three of them were anxious, and Henry seemed impatient. Lissa and Olivia were still carrying their babies, who, this time, were awake.
So, Chrom opened the door.
Ophelia, who wore the same pajama than the day Severa met her, was up, on the bed. Soleil wore a pink pajama, and Lucina an azure one. Lucina was up, on Soleil’s shoulders, and Soleil made sure the youngest girl didn’t fall, by holding her feet, and not moving too much.
“Congratulation on coming this far, hero! But now, your final obstacle is me. Ophelia Dusk! You cannot possibly defeat me alone, I know all there is to know about darkness.”
“I am not alone! My friends are still fighting! And I have my loyal steed, Soleil, with me! I, Princess Lucina of Ylisse will defeat you and bring peace to the world! Yaaah!” Lucina exclaimed, jumping out of Soleil’s shoulders, toward Ophelia, who caught her and fell on the bed.
“No… This is it… You were strong, princess… Once again, the heroes beat the evil guys… Congratulation…” Ophelia said, before closing her eyes, to feign being defeated.
“I did it! I saved the world!”
“Well well well, aren’t you the cutest hero the world has ever known?” Chrom said, finally revealing the presence of other people.
As soon as she saw Chrom, Lucina jumped out of the bed, and rushed toward him. “Father! You’re back! Aunt Lissa, Uncle Henry you’re here, too? Yay!”
The two other girls rushed toward the red haired one.
“Auntie!”
“Aunt Severa!”
Severa just ruffled silently both of the young girls hair. “Ophelia… Soleil… Your grandparents are here.” She said, turning their attention toward the four strangers in the room.
Severa held both of the girls hands, and moved forward to their grandparents. The look on their faces showed that they were just as anxious to meet them.
Being in the royal castle, Severa decided to start with Ophelia. Chrom went to Lissa, and she gave him Owain.
“Ophelia, this blonde woman is your grandmother, Lissa. This white haired man is your grandfather, Henry.” She turned to them. “Lissa, Henry, this is your granddaughter, Ophelia.”
For a moment, there was an awkward silence. Ophelia was staring at their faces, and they did the same with her.
But Henry finally spoke. “Hello, Ophelia. I am very happy to meet you. We are not your parents, but I promise we’ll do our best for you to be as happy as possible, and to raise you to be whoever you want to become.” He said, with a smile, and one that was not scary.
“H-Hello… Grandfather…” She said, starting to tear up.
Lissa approached her, and she caught her in her arms, pulling her new family member in a delicate hug. “I’m happy to meet you, Ophelia… I am so sorry for what happened to you… I know that we will never replace your parents, but I promise to give you all the love possible…”
Ophelia couldn’t explain what was happening to her. She didn’t know why, but this woman touch really helped her to stop being tense, and prevented her from hiding her emotions. “Grandmother…” And she started to cry. “Grandmother… Grandfather…”. She wanted to say so much, but could only stutter so little.
Henry joined the hug, and Ophelia was trying to hug both of them at the same time, while she was crying and sobbing on them.
While Ophelia was opening up to her family, Severa brought Soleil some steps further.
“Soleil, this pink haired woman is your grandmother, Olivia. And this black haired man is your grandfather, Lon’qu.” She, once again, turned to the grandparents. “Olivia, Lon’qu, this is your granddaughter, Soleil.” Once she finished the introductions, she realized that nobody could free Olivia’s hands, so she went to her, and held out her arms.
Olivia understood, and gave her Inigo. After that, Severa went next to Chrom and Lucina.
“So, you’re my grandparents? I hope we will get along!” Soleil said, with a smile, which was not enough to cover her nervousness.
“Hmf… You do have the same smile, and the same habit as your father.” Lon’qu said. “But… I’m happy to see you, and to see that you’re well.” He finished with a small smile.
“Soleil…” Olivia walked up to her, and put her in a similar embrace that Lissa did with Ophelia. “We’ll do our best for you… I promise…” Olivia said, not being able to find more words.
But more words weren’t necessary. Soleil was already moved, her fear of being rejected or not being trusted to be her father’s daughter never really went away, because unlike Ophelia, she didn’t have anything to prove it.
“Grandma… Grandpa…” She started to cry as well, and returned the hug to Ophelia. Lon’qu didn’t joined it, but he lowered his knees to pat the head of the girl.
While everything was happening, the spectators stayed silent, until a certain little girl had questions.
“Father, why are Ophelia and Soleil crying? Shouldn’t they be happy to meet their grandparents?” Lucina said, very confused.
Chrom tried to think of a way to put it for his daughter to understand. “You see… Lucina… People don’t only cry when they’re sad. As you know, someone can cry because they’re hurt. Like that time when you missed the last step of the stairs, and fell face first on the ground. You started crying because it was painful, not because you were sad, right?”
“Yes… But, they aren’t hurt, are they?” Lucina asked, now concerned.
“No they aren’t, that was just an example to prove that you can cry without being sad. Tears can come to you in many circumstances. Being sad, or being hurt, as you know. But also when people are very relieved, happy, angry… Almost every emotion now that I think about it.”
“But that makes no sense… Some of these are complete opposites…” Lucina was still confused, but as she is a very young child, she just accepted the explanation of her father. But as she IS a very young child, one answer lead to another question. “How can we differentiate the different cryings?”
“That can be hard at the beginning, but as you grow up, you understand more how it works, so don’t worry about not being able for now, it’ll come to you naturally.” Chrom said.
Lucina looked at him, and since her father asked, she won’t worry about it.
Severa was amused by the reaction of the younger version of the leader she had for a long while.
Owain and Inigo who were awake stayed silent and calm while everything was happening.
At some point, Cordelia, Sumia and Frederick came in, and didn’t say anything, to not interrupt the girls from releasing their tears.
When Cordelia saw Severa carrying Inigo, she smiled, thinking it was adorable, but then thought about something. ‘ Will I be a grandmother the next time we see her? … Owain and Inigo fell in love and had a child wherever they were… I guess that this isn’t something I should worry about. I believe in her, if she marries someone, I know that this won’t be a bad choice, because she trusted him with her heart… And if I become a grandmother…then I’ll just have one more member in my family… The most important is that she comes back, and in good health… ’
Sumia then turned toward Severa. “Hello, Severa. It has been a long time. I know that you intend to go back to wherever you need to go as soon as possible. But considering how late it is, I have to offer you to spend the night here, before you go.”
Severa considered it for a moment, but when she was about to refuse, two voices came running toward her, and clung to her legs.
Beside calling her like they usually do when they ran to her, they didn’t say anything more, they were just showing her their teary faces.
Severa sighed. “Girls… You knew that I would go back once you were reunited with your families…” They didn’t budge. “I have to go back. My mission isn’t done. And remember, I promised that I will do everything I can to survive, and come to see you again. Right?” They still didn’t budge. Severa sighed again. “Listen… If I spend the night here, will you let me go?”
“Will… Will you sleep with us?” Ophelia stuttered. And Soleil nodded.
Severa wasn’t sure, so she looked up to their grandparents, who were all smiling, and nodded almost in perfect synchronization, if not for Lon’qu who nodded three seconds after the others.
She sighed one last time, before smiling. “Okay.” And this was enough for the children to let her go, and smile, too.
…..
Later, when everyone calmed down, and went to bed for the night, three girls sharing the same big bed weren’t sleeping. Severa was at the center, the two kids were at one of her side each.
Severa smiled. ‘ It reminds me of that day at the inn… I guess it ends the same way it started. ’
The two children were just fighting against falling asleep. They wanted to stay awakefor as long as they could while Severa was here. To not waste a second, as it could very well be the last time they saw her.
Severa, knowing that she should sleep before going back to Camilla, decided to have a last private talk with the girls. “I’m gonna miss you, you know.” She said.
The girls were startled, they certainly didn’t expect Severa to speak.
“I’m going to miss you, too, Aunt Severa.” Ophelia said, sadly.
“Auntie… I… Thank you for what you did for us… I swear, I’m going to be a good girl, and I’ll wait every day for you to come back… So… Please, don’t make me wait too long…” Soleil said, sadly, too.
“Hmm… Considering how things were… How much time passed since I’m here… And the difference between the flows of time… If I do come back, it’ll be in less than one year for you. And I didn’t forget my promise. I will think about you two every day, and do my best to survive.” Severa said, trying to estimate more precisely, but giving up.
“Please… Don’t abandon us, too…” Ophelia said.
“You know… Your parents never did that. Not on purpose, at least. I… I believed that myself for a time…in my world… Don’t make the same mistake.” She said, more solemnly.
The girls didn’t answer. They knew that Severa was right. So, instead, Ophelia just said. “I believe in you, Aunt Severa…”
“Me too, Auntie…”
“I…” She started to answer, but her thoughts came first and rapidly. ‘ Gosh, don’t say things like that, I must be blushing… Good thing that there is no light here… But if you say more… I might cry… ’. “Thank you. When I’ll come back, please tell me what you lived while I wasn’t here, okay? And be extra kind with your grandmothers, they deserve it… And… Don’t repeat what I’m gonna say, but if you can be cute enough, then you’ll be able to get a free pass to slightly disobey from your grandfathers, or to lead them to do what you want.” She chuckled telling that last part.
And it seemed that it worked, since she got a chuckle from both of the girls.
“It’s late, let’s sleep now. Good night, Ophelia. Good night, Soleil.” She said, closing her eyes.
“Good night, Aunt Severa.” Ophelia said, her consciousness fading away.
“Good night, Auntie.” Soleil said, yawning.
…..
The Sun was high in the sky. In the royal garden, a red haired woman was surrounded by other people. She had a crystal ball in her hand.
“Well. I’m not gonna repeat it, but it was a pleasure to see you all again.” Severa said, with a cocky smile. “Mommy, dad, take care, of yourselves and of your soon-to-be born daughter.”
“We will, Severa, take care of yourself, too.” Cordelia answered.
“As your mother said, Severa. And know that we’re very proud of being your parents.” Frederick said.
“Ophelia, Soleil, don’t forget everything I told you, and until next time!” She exclaimed, while winking at them.
“Bye, Auntie!” Soleil said, waving at her. And for the first time, Severa couldn’t tell if her smile was true or fake.
“Please, come back quickly, Aunt Severa!” Ophelia said, smiling, too.
“Well, to everyone else, I hope to see you again.”
Chrom and Sumia decided to stay silent, but sent her a smile.
“Good bye, Severa. Know that our door will always be open for you. Come anytime.” Olivia said.
“Same for us, Severa. Come see us, I know some young ladies that will be waiting for you.” Lissa said.
“Hmf… Just don’t die.” Lon’qu said.
“Good luck, and don’t forget to give a painful and bloody end to the responsible of… Of you know what!” Henry said, referring to the responsible of the death of Owain and Inigo, but deciding not to mention death nor one of the two in the same sentence, for the sake of his friends and family.
“Thanks for the offer, Lissa, Olivia. Be sure that I’ll remember it. And sure, I’ll do that, Lon’qu, Henry.” She said, grateful to the women, appreciative of the uncharacteristic request of Lon’qu, and for the request of Henry, her goal in the first place being the death of Anankos, she already intended to do it. But, she will skip the painful and bloody part.
“Bye, everyone!” She finished.
After that, Selena used the crystal ball in her hand, it started by glowing a bright blue, then the woman disappeared, and finally, the crystal ball exploded.
The end.
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