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Fire Emblem 10 Words Drabble: Set #3

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I) Hope

 Lucina wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this façade up; personifying a strong gallant leader that her comrades expected her to be, and promising them that they still had a future worth fighting for. Her world had been enveloped in so much darkness and fighting, it seemed as if no light would be able to shed through the dark clouds that Grima casted. But today, all of that would change.
 She had borrowed a mask from Gerome, tucked her hair behind the back of her cape and looked at her reflection in a nearby lake. She really did look like the Hero King Marth. After her final preparations, she was ready. If she was going to change the future, she and the others would have to go back into the past. For once, things seemed to be going her way.
 Lucina turned back to see her friends, all together and ready for action.  Everyone else stood still, eyes filled with determination and awaiting for Lucina to speak.
 “We may not defeat Grima in this world, but there is a chance to rewrite all of this if we travel back into the past. This is our one and only chance to end Grima’s end for good, and I’m not going to wait any longer for another opportunity. If you choose to follow me, I can’t guarantee we’ll all end up in the same place… I’m not coercing any of you to come with me, this is my decision.” Lucina unsheathed Falchion, raising it out in front of her; for a moment, it seemed to be glowing brighter than usual. “So, who is willing enough to follow me?”
 Severa shrugged, “We’ve made it this far, and we’re as ready as we’ll ever be,” but a small grin showed on her face.
 She saw her comrades and friends raise their weapons as well, their cries ringing out into the dark sky around them. Pillars of light appeared behind them and they all looked on in awe, Lucina placed Flachion back into its sheathe and tensed her body up. This was her one shot, and she wasn’t going to waste it.
 “NOW!” She yelled and all of them charged towards a portal. Lucina felt the acrid wind brush at her face, following the light that guided her into a distant past; and for once… she felt hopeful that she could actually change something for the better.

II) Glass

 Donnel liked going to the market because since his village was so far out, he hardly went shopping. But here, he could see so many things not usually made or sold where he lived, and that was always exciting. However today was different. He had seen many interesting things in the market from all of his visits, but this had to take the cake. As he was strolling around for new pots and pans, he came across a small statue of what appeared to be the goddess Naga carved entirely out of glass. It was no taller than a bottle of wine would be, but somehow it still made a large impact to the villager.
  “Well knock me over with a feather!” he exclaimed as he walked up closer to inspect the artwork. It was beautifully crafted; even the smallest details like the folds in the dress had obviously been done with a lot of care. How someone could make something like this was beyond even his comprehension.
 “Like what you see mister?” The stalls man asked and Donnel nodded with great enthusiasm.
  “I wouldn’t have been able to make such a pretty thing using wood!”
 The man chuckled, “That was a commission I did for a nobleman, and they should be coming soon to purchase it. It was hard work getting all the materials and details right.”
 “I hope they pay ya more than a pretty penny for it, look at it, it’s gorgeous!”
 Donnel couldn’t help but admire the statue for a bit longer before he got a call back to reality.
 “Hey Donny, did you find any pots or pans?” Robin asked, trying to stand on their tip toes through the crowd to see Donnel.
 “Aw shoot, I almost forgot. Well, I hope you have some good business today!”
 “Come back any time you want to look around!”
 Donnel waved good-bye as he ran over to Robin; he couldn’t wait to tell them what he saw.
 

III) Framed

 Robin was oddly used to waking up to the sound of screams, but rarely did she ever hear her husband shriek at the volume that he did. She dashed out of her room in their small cottage and saw the thief hunched over a sack, his shoulders shaking.
 “Gaius? What in Naga’s name are you doing screaming this early in the morning?”
 “Bubbles, it was you, wasn’t it? No one else knows where I keep my secret stash except you!”
 “What are you blabbering about now? I didn’t steal anything from you!”
 “I told you where I stash my candy because you’re my wife and you like sweets to!” Gaius yelled in outrage like she had just stabbed him in the back.
 Robin rubbed the area between her eyes. “Gaius, when you told me, I swore to you I wouldn’t take anything without your permission, and I’ve kept my promise since. Does it look like I would break that so easily?!”
 The two looked prepared to argue for the next hour on the topic when Morgan peeked out from behind a corner, eyeing his parents with worry. “Mommy, Daddy, don’t fight.”
 The two ceased their banter and looked down at their child. Robin knelt down and stroked his head, relaxing herself.
 “I’m so sorry for scaring you sweetie, Daddy and I will stop fighting.”
 “Once your Mommy has told me where she took most of my stash,” Gaius coughed and Robin glared at him.
  Then Morgan shuffled nervously on his toddler feet and pulled something out from behind his back. Robin thought it was his stuffed bear but was surprised to find a small sack. He opened it and inside was Gaius’ missing stash.
 “I wanted to look at them and play with the wrappers because they were pretty…” Morgan said in a hushed voice, averting his eyes. “Please don’t be mad.”
 Gaius lost whatever anger he felt as he picked Morgan up and spun them around. “I’m not mad kiddo; in fact I’m proud of you! How’d you find my stash?”
 Robin made a small “ahem” sound and Gaius looked over his shoulder to his glowering wife.
 “Alright, alright, I was wrong,” he sighed and kissed her cheek.
 Robin stood silently with her arms crossed.
 “And I’m sorry for framing you,” Gaius added.
 “Thank you,” Robin sighed and ruffled Morgan’s hair.
 “Just this once.”
 “No you don’t!” Robin began chasing Gaius around the cottage with Morgan slung over his shoulders, laughing with joy.

IV) Hallucinate

 Robin had been feeling ill since meeting that strange figure called Validar, and wondered what connection they had to the strange man. What made matters worse was the splitting headaches that came for some reason and the only thing that seemed to numb it slightly was a walk.
 She pinched the bridge of her nose to ease the headache as she walked with her long white hair that was usually tied up in two pigtails lying down across her back. The tactician stopped in their tracks to look up into the sky and take a deep breath when they saw movement nearby. She reached into her robes where there was a Thoron tome tucked into an inside pocket.
A hooded figure peeked out from a tree… they were wearing her clothes. “Who are you?”
 The figure looked up at them and Robin couldn’t help noticing how eerily similar the stranger’s outfit looked to them.
 “You killed him.” They said in a scratched voice, “Your dear Chrom, you killed him, with your own hands.”
 “What- that’s ridiculous, I would never harm Chrom!” Robin shouted, clutching the tome harder.
 “Are you sure about that?” The voice sounded amused. “Why don’t you look at your hands then?”
 Robin glanced down and screamed as blood appeared on their hands; they panicked even more when they saw a figure with blue hair and a white cape stained in blood lying at their feet.
 “NOOOOOOOOO!” Robin shrieked and knelt down, roughly shaking the figure with tears streaming down their face; when they saw the face it was blank and glassy. “CHROM! CHROM! WAKE UP, PLEASE! WAKE UP! PLEASE, ANSWER ME!”
 “What are you crying for, little tactician?” The figure asked, strolling calmly to them and placed a cold hand on their cheek. “You’re the one who did this. You’re the one who will cause your beloved Chrom’s end.” Their voice resonated through her head as she clutched her head, falling to the ground and screaming.
“ROBIN, WHAT’S WRONG?” A voice asked and Robin’s eyes jolted open, a familiar hand was on her shoulder.
“C-Chrom?”
“I heard you scream and I found you down on the grass writhing around like a snake, what happened?”
“Y-you’re here? You’re really here?” Robin asked, touching his face and feeling his pulse. Yes, he was alive.
 “Of course I am-,” Chrom said before Robin tackled him into a hug. “Robin? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…” She lied, “I was just hallucinating. I’m fine.”
 Chrom didn’t probe any further as he comforted his friend, feeling the tactician weeping into his shoulder as their body shook in fear.

V) Reflection

 “I’m starting to have second thoughts about this Maribelle,” Robin said as the noblewoman tugged at her hair with a brush, tutting as she pulled out knots that she had missed. Her hands began working with the locks of hair, slowly knotting and looping them into style. It had almost been a whole hour since Maribelle decided it was high time that Robin should have a good grooming.
 “Nonsense, when I’m done you’ll be the epitome of royalty.”
 “Great~,” Robin groaned. She hardly looked after her own appearance, opting to focus on their magic and strength; therefore, when Maribelle saw the state she was in after training, she made it her mission to pretty Robin up as best she could. Secretly, the tactician was kind of looking forward to seeing her appearance, but wasn’t all enthused by the whole process, “Anytime now, Maribelle.”
 “Patience, patience, beauty isn’t made with a snap of ones fingers,” Maribelle huffed, and continue to do Naga knows what to her hair. With one final tug and pat of powder from Maribelle, she was free. “Alright dear, now look at your reflection and tell me what you think.”
 She handed Robin a small handled mirror and the tactician braced herself. She wasn’t expecting to see what the reflection held. Her usual straight hair had been curled like ripples in the water and a small section had been tied off into a braid that went around her head like a laurel crown. What stunned her most was the make-up, she had never seen or wore this much before. Her eyes now looked more defined, and her cheeks, more rosy. Robin was speechless and Maribelle wore a proud grin on her face.
 “No need to thank me.”
 Robin was tempted to rub the glass’ reflection to make sure the person she was staring back at, was in fact herself. Someone had entered the tent and the voice made Robin’s heart skip.
 “Robin, there you were, I was looking all over for you-“
 “Chrom, excellent timing!” Maribelle chimed and turned Robin so they were facing Chrom. “Tell me, doesn’t Robin look lovely?”
 Robin wished she could hide her face with her hood as Chrom stood dumbfounded like someone had slapped him in the face. The only words of encouragement that came out of him were: “Uh” and “Um”.
 The two stood awkwardly like a newly wedded couple and Chrom finally managed to say something while rubbing his neck and averting his eyes from meeting the tacticians, “Y-you look… very nice.” Maribelle glared from behind Robin. “B-beautiful, I meant beautiful!”
 “Thanks,” Robin managed to reply, blushing back at Chrom before suddenly rushing out of the tent like the wind.
 “Huh? Wait, Robin! There was something I- Gods, how does she run so fast??” Chrom sighed as he chased after Robin.
 Maribelle quietly tutted and wondered how this scene was going to look to everyone else.

VI) Trapped

 Two people were stuck down in a pit, a tactician and dark mage. Both were covered in the leaves that disguised the hole while dirt lightly caked their clothes.
 “Urgh, why didn’t I remember that Donny had set up traps around camp?” The tactician groaned in remorse, running her hands through her silk white hair.
 “It’s okay, there is no caws for alarm!” The dark mage giggled good-humoredly and Robin had to keep from sighing aloud. They had been sent out on a small scavenging chore to pick edible plants in the forest and when Henry warned Robin not to take another step she hadn’t been paying attention, too focused on identifying the different berries on a far off bush. She realized her mistake too late when Henry grabbed her wrist and then they both fell to where they were now.
 “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” Robin said and looked up from where they were, even if they stood up on each other’s shoulders, they couldn’t escape. “You were right when you said there was a trap ahead, and I didn’t listen. Aaaaah, stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”
 “Don’t worry about it~.” Henry giggled and moved all of his limbs. “At least we didn’t break anything in our fall.”
 “Well how are we going to get out? We’re trapped down here and there’s no way we can reach the top of this pit with our combined height.”
 “Maybe I can call some ravens and see if they’ll fly us out? Oooh, do you think they’ll be able to pick us up?”
 Joking or not, Robin gently shot down that particular idea. Noticing the thick roots poking out from the soil, she grabbed hold and tried to climb her way out of the pit when suddenly the root snapped and she plummeted back down to square one. It was early morning, so Donny would be coming around to check on his traps… but she was so anxious to find a way out on her own.
She began to twist her hair in frustration, desperately trying to come up with a plan when Henry tapped her shoulder.
 “Hey Robin, what crime do a group of crows always get accused of?”
 “Henry, I don’t know if now’s the time for puns.”
 “Come on, what crime?”
 “I give up,” Robin sighed and waited for the punchline.
 “Murder!” Henry sang and broke into fits of giggles. “Get it? ‘Cause a group of crows is called a murder!”
 Robin had to giggle, even if she wanted to sigh because of the pun, the dark mage had an infectious laugh. She may be trapped down here for a while, but at least she had pleasant company.

VII) Sword

 Lucina lunged at her father with her wooden sword; he swiftly parried the strike and then followed up with a stab to her side. She felt the wooden tip dig into her ribs; she let out a startled yelp as she fell towards the grass below her.
 “Let’s stop our training for today, Lucina,” Chrom said and Lucina pouted as she hoisted herself up.
 “But I can still fight, father!”
 “No, no, if you go back to the castle with any more bruises, your mother will skin me alive.”
 The two chuckled lightly and Lucina looked at the sword her father wore at his side. Even though they were in a time of peace, he was rarely seen without Flachion at his side, claiming it was a good luck charm.
 “Father, may I hold Flachion?”
 Chrom looked down at his sword and then back at his daughter. “I’m afraid it may be too heavy for you Lucina, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
 Lucina did her best doe-eyes and Chrom slowly crumbled under the pressure. “Alright, but use both hands.”
 Lucina felt the smooth hilt in her warms hands as her father passed it over, when he let go, she felt the weight of the metal bring her arms down like lead. It made a dull thud in the grass and she struggled in an attempt to lift the blade up. Chrom tried hard not to look too amused as he watched his five year old daughter holding an adult sized sword.  
 “It’s-so-heavy~!” Lucina grunted, trying to use her body weight to get it off the ground.
 “I know,” Chrom assured her as he walked to her side and helped raise the blade. “But one day, you’ll be strong enough to wield it with one hand, and one day, I’m sure this blade will be able to protect you.”
 Lucina looked at her father, who stared at the blade with an emotion she couldn’t clearly discern at her young age, but it seemed sad.
 “That’s enough of that,” Chrom said and sheathed the sword. “Now, let’s go have some tea with your mother, shall we?”
 He lifted Lucina over his shoulders and she giggled in delight as he raced back into the castle with the wind brushing her hair.

VIII) Tears

 Robin entered Chrom’s tent, soaked from the rain and shivering beneath her coat. He was sitting on his bed, Falchion leaning against it and his face drifting downwards. She wondered if his head would snap off from the way he was leaning. He had dimmed his lantern until is barely casted any light in the tent, and it made his body fade into the shadows behind him.
 “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t dry yourself,” she said and handed him a towel from beneath his coat. “Frederick nagged me to give this to you since he’s busy helping the others.”
 He didn’t move a muscle, Robin walked over and started to dry the Exalt’s hair, focusing all of her energy into this task.
 “I couldn’t save her…”
 Robin wanted to pretend she didn’t hear him muttering those words beneath his breath. Emmeryn had fallen to her death by choice not too long ago, so the memory and wounds were still fresh in all of their minds. The tactician had forced Chrom to flee and save his tears in order to assure their survival, but the fight that followed them afterwards only drew out the blood lust in him. Now, here they were.
 “If only… if only I could go back in time… If I had just gotten to her sooner, then-”
 “Chrom, stop talking,” Robin said, cutting off the prince’s words. “Please…”
 “Why… why wasn’t I strong enough to save her?” Tears began forming in his eyes as he looked up at Robin. “Gods, why did she… why did she have to die?”
 Robin threw her arms around Chrom, holding him as tightly as she could. The prince faltered but slowly hugged his comrade back, she felt something warm hitting her shoulder and the heaving sobs coming from her friend. Soon, they were both crying, choking on their sobs as the rain outside the tent continued to howl and pour. They stayed that way for a while, both grieving and comforting each other in their darkest hour.  

IX) Bested

 Morgan furrowed his brow deeply as he glared down at the board. He had to be extra careful at this next turn, or he’d loose his garrison. The young man glanced up to see his mother, patiently waiting with a hand beneath her chin and the other keeping their elbow propped up. It was silent between the two for at least five more minutes before Morgan made his moves. After he finished, his mother leaned in closer to the board, and a grin spread on her face. In three swift moves she had taken down some of Morgan’s soldiers and had her units surround his commander.
 “…I surrender.” Morgan grumbled as he leaned back in his chair, grabbing tufts of his hair. “I was so close to winning to and yet you’ve bested me again, mother.”
 “Your strategy was well thought out Morgan, don’t belittle yourself so.” His mother smiled, and rearranged the board to where their pieces were before. “If you’d like, we can go over it again and I’ll give you pointers on where to be wary.”
 Morgan raised an eyebrow playfully and his mother motioned to the board. He grinned, scraping the chair closer to the table so he could have a better look.
 “First off, your soldiers being placed here was a good idea, it keeps the enemy troops away. However, you need to remember the ones hidden behind the trees, which are where archers can start picking people away.”
 Morgan nodded and talked with his mother for a length as they added onto each other’s strategies or complimented each other on their play.

X) King

   He was standing quietly in the hall looking at his reflection in the glass windows, his new garments felt heavier than his armor and he was itching to get out of them as soon as possible. The crown on his head didn’t make matters any better and he thought if he tilted his head to the side enough, his whole body would go crashing down. Frederick had adjusted and nagged over every detail on Chrom’s attire and he was almost close to asking whether or not he was over-killing especially with the large cloak that was a deep sea blue.
 “My, you look handsome,” he heard a voice and turned to see Robin, dressed in a blue gown with a small circlet across her forehead. He admired how well the dress suited her as she walked; it flowed like it weighed nothing. “Frederick was wondering where the king of Ylisse went and asked me to come fetch you.”
 “I’ve been caught red-handed,” he laughed and watched as Robin walked towards him, and inspecting his attire as well.
 “Are you sure you’re alright with that crown?” Robin asked timidly. “I’m not saying it looks bad, but people may wonder why it’s looks Plegian.”
 “I don’t mind, and I wanted my crown to look like this because my other half is Plegian.” He took one of Robins hands and squeezed it firmly. “You’ve aided me so much as my friend and tactician, are you willing to help me as my queen and wife?”
 Robin silently stared at him and he became flustered.
 “Gods, did that come out wrong? I’m sorry, should I have asked differently or changed some of the words?”
 “No, it’s fine, I was just teasing you,” she smiled and lightly kissed his cheek. “I’d do anything for you, Chrom.”
 The two smiled as they held hands and headed out towards the balcony where the citizens of Ylisse waited to greet their new rulers.
Dedicated this set to Awakening.
Please credit me if you use my fanfiction in any way.
© 2016 - 2024 n-trace
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