yukiwrites

[yukiwrites]

Spring, Picnic and Budding Love

Thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH for the support and the BOTTOMLESS patience, @sundaychamomile ! I hope you like it!!!! TvT)b

Summary: What should a prince, one who strived to be as accomplished and reliable as anyone, do once he found someone he liked? Leo found himself in a pickle trying to call his sweetheart Effie on a date while still maintaining his dignity, though it was anyone's guess if he actually could...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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The Astral Realm, a place where one can enter and be protected of both enemies, the passing of time and the seasons themselves. However, it wasn’t as though there were no seasons in such a realm at all — they simply behaved differently than the ones in the outside world.

It was fascinating, in all honesty. One week, it was spring, yet, come next week — bam! Autumn. All the flowers that were in full bloom just yesterday — falling on the ground, withering along with the cold weather.

A pattern did not seem to exist for such phenomena, yet, if one were to observe closely, one could predict the next season rotation and prepare accordingly. After all, there were farms and fields located at the warmest areas that grew as if following the real world’s time, while still being greatly affected by the Astral Realm’s seasons.

Leo had taken upon himself to study these marvels, not simply because of his own magical interest — given that his tome, Brynhildr, was closely related to earth and nature itself — but as a way to help improve their army’s conditions and provisions.

It was another task thrown into the pile of his own self-inflicted duties that he took pride partaking in. After all, he had a deep-rooted desire to prove himself despite being already quite accomplished, so it was something he chose to do.

Besides, knowledge was never wasted, no matter how trivial it sounded. Not that predicting the weather and the seasons was something trivial in the least, but… Alas.

No. Truth be told, Leo had ulterior motives after getting used to the predictions.

According to his calculations, spring would start tomorrow, and would last for all but four days. After that, it would be a scorching, long-lasting summer, so the opportunity might take a long time to ever come again.

Leo took a deep breath. He had four days to prepare. Four days to research the best spot, three days to gather the supplies, two to put it all together, and only one to actually do it.

Of course, he still had to ask for the other party's opinion on all of this and... Argh, that was the most frustrating part. Predicting people's reactions based on emotion.

Still, he was at least at a better level at it than Beruka, so he could at least give himself a pat on the back for that.

... Oh, what was he saying? Comparing himself to Beruka of all people regarding human emotions and thinking he had the upper hand? It would be weird if he did not!

"Breathe, Leo," he murmured to himself, placing one hand on a wall and lowering his head so he could take a deep breath. In and out, that's it. In and out. "This isn't like me at all," he sighed.

Ah, how love changes one person, does it not? Where did all that confidence and poise as prince had gone? If anyone looked at him now, basically all but trembling at a corner of the library as if he had been suddenly struck by anemia, they would think him mad.

Still, he couldn't mask the little smile that sprouted upon his lips as he imagined the scene — once his plan was complete, all the preparations were done, and the two of them, him and her, having a great time under the blossoming trees.

He placed the other hand on his faint heart, clutching it as if he could pat it directly so it would calm down.

Yes, he could do it. After all, who was he? He was Leo, second Prince of Nohr, most accomplished scholar, strategist and magician, heir of the magical tome of wonder, Brynhildr! And none other.

Puffing his chest up, after a small self-pumping session, he was good to go. 

Little did he know that his little theater was a source of much entertainment for his retainer, Niles, who observed him from outside of the window, over a tree. He would laugh about it for a few days; might even tell Leo about it, too.

Still, Leo left none the wiser to his retainer's shenanigans, basically hopping to make all the necessary arrangements. There was a long night of detailed planning ahead, but Leo was no stranger to all-nighters.

As expected, spring had sprung once dawn broke, showering all of the Astral Realm with pink petals and dancing pollen.

For a nohrian, it was still a rather strange feeling to experience spring so clearly, and perhaps that was the reason why he figured spring would be the perfect season to invite her over. Such a magical season, full of sprouting buds, flowering delights and delicious food.

Yes, ‘delicious food’ was the key here. Leo had read in a book that ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’, but gender was of no importance in this case. There had been several confirmed cases of such a phenomenon being true as he himself had researched not only within the army but also in some cities they passed by during their march. 

Well, it had been Niles who went out to do the footwork for this research, but although he liked to fool around, he had Leo’s absolute trust. Ergo, the theory was proven true and he could start to apply it in practice. It was known for a fact that her appetite was on the… larger side, so the most logical approach would be to cater to that.

Although he thought he needed four days to look for the perfect spot, it didn’t take even half a day to find one: under the blossoming trees in the southern path leading out of the Astral Realm. Usually, since they could leave through each of the four corners of the castle, there were preferred routes they could take to arrive wherever they wanted. The southern path was the most beautiful, but also the furthest away from the living or farming area. In truth, it was the closest entrance to the mines and panning pools — places which weren’t really needed for a marching army to explore.

Suffice to say, it was a perfect, quiet spot with very low chances of interruption. Besides, watching the pink, fluttering flowers dance from under a large tree seemed to be a magical experience with guaranteed success in any romantic endeavors. Sure, Leo wasn’t about to take Niles’ word for it, especially considering the side smirk and the way he sneakily held his waist as if trying to hold back laughter, but seeing the place now, it did feel rather idyllic. 

“Moving ahead of schedule,” Leo nodded to himself, crossing a bullet point in his notepad. He turned on his heel and left to procure the necessary ingredients for the feast.

The Astral Realm was really a blessing in that aspect — they could have a portable farm with them and not worry about taking great dips in their food stock. Sure, the farms still followed the real world’s time, but for an army that had to march year in, year out, it was a lifesaver to be able to enjoy the bounties of harvest while on the road.

As such, it wasn’t as if Leo was taking anything out of the pantry for his own selfish reasons — it was food that was going to be served to the soldiers anyway, especially considering his target’s bottomless appetite.

Ah, dear Effie.

She had caught his eye on more than one occasion even before they started marching into war. Through seemingly impossible odds, she became the youngest royal retainer to date only to reunite with Leo’s little sister, Elise, whom she had a budding friendship with a few years ago.

Through sheer determination, she bettered herself, perfected herself, trained herself. Each day she was ready to put her life on the line for her master and for her comrades, without ever losing sight of what was truly important.

The way she marched on ahead with a single goal in mind was baffling and charming to the overthinker Leo. She put her mind to one aspect of her life and ran away with it, cranking it up to eleven. Leo couldn’t help noticing how his gaze stayed on her longer and longer over the years, finally coming to the conclusion that he was in love after truly watching her in action.

She was dashing, she was caring… she was adorable, even when stuffing her face with food. Niles would laugh should he ever find out that Leo found her cute even when she tried to speak with her cheeks full of food. It was like a hamster. A huge, strong hamster that could bench press an uprooted tree like it was nothing.

So charming…

“Whoops,” Leo caught himself thinking about her as he procured the ingredients, noticing how his hands had stopped filling the entire crate with food. “Will this be enough…? I’ve seen her eat about this much food on a good day, but perhaps just to be safe…” he reached for a few more tomatoes.

Now that the plan was ahead of schedule, he had to think on his feet. If he started making the dishes right away, he would need to call on her as soon as possible — no matter how strong his preservation magic was, it worked best on raw ingredients. The moment they were mixed during cooking, the magic would lose its potency and the flavors could get mixed up should he try to strengthen it again.

So… it would all come down to him asking her out. He had already used a day of preparations, so if he cooked the whole day tomorrow, the food should still taste okay for the following day. Since there was no adverse weather in the Astral Realm, there was no need to worry about any spring showers ruining anything.

Thus, truly, it would all come down to him asking her out.

He took a deep breath.

In, and out. In… and out.

What a craven! Just the thought of coming up to her and asking to go on a date made his legs feel like mush. Besides, she was hardly ever alone. Sure, whenever she was training or eating she would stay by herself, but she disliked being talked to during such times.

She was such a serious and upfront person… Leo sighed like a schoolgirl in love, then shook his head to do away with such girlish thoughts.

First, he would cook. Then, he would look for her at the end of the day — surely she would be retiring to her quarters and, most importantly, far, far away from Elise. It would be the perfect moment to strike.

Puffing his chest up again, Leo nodded to himself and leff with light feet, confident in his own plan. Executing it would be another story, but for now, he was content.

The following day, he poured his heart out into cooking. He was someone that was able to master a skill after watching it once or twice — despite his initial clumsiness — so doing an array of tomato-related dishes was no problem at all. Nonetheless, he had to keep Effie’s tastes in mind when cooking, so he added plenty of meat and carbohydrates in the form of a wide variety of sandwiches. Tomato juice, tomato sauce, cheesy sandwich with sweetened tomato — a product of his own creation which he dubbed ‘ketchup’ — plenty of different kinds of patties of meat pressed between fresh vegetables and fluffy bread… It truly looked like he was preparing a feast for 50 people.

It would allllll go only for her. He smiled, thinking of her content expression in the face of such scrumptious lunch. The more he cooked, the more confident he felt about his odds.

So much so that he rode that wave and left as soon as he was finished storing it all safely, making his way to the soldier’s quarters.

Call it eagle’s eyes, rose-tinted glasses or what you will, but Leo managed to find Effie quite easily amidst them all. As royal retainer, she was allowed to sleep at the tower adjacent to the royal family’s, and Leo caught a glimpse of her just about to enter it.

“Effie!” He called out, proud that his voice didn’t crack. She was thankfully alone, so now was the perfect time.

Hearing her name, Effie turned around. For a moment, it felt like they were the only ones in the world. Leo felt like the falling petals and warm wind around them were spurring him into action. He could almost even hear some sort of background music, as if a world famous harp player were accompanying Azura’s most heartfelt song.

He gulped, taking another step forward.

“My Lord?” Effie turned to him, her cheeks slightly turning pink from catching the attention of someone  so distinguished as Lord Leo himself. She looked up to his taller height as he approached, her heart fluttering.

Oblivious to Effie’s inner positive response, Leo somehow managed to walk over to where she was without tripping. He was focusing so much on basic movements he was out of breath.

“Effie, are you—” he huffed, shaking his head. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“My Lord, are you okay—” she reached out to his sweating countenance, catching a whiff of something delicious coming out of his clothes. “This is…” she took a deeper breath, being charmed by the smell of food. 

“Well? Are you?” Leo urged, slightly panicking after she made a motion to touch his forehead with a handkerchief that somehow appeared in her hand.

Effie felt somewhat more comfortable after smelling food, so she reached her goal of patting the beads of sweat on his forehead. “Hm?” She smiled, catching Leo off guard. “I’m sorry, my Lord, could you repeat that?”

“It’s—!” He screeched, then cleared his throat. “C-come…” he tried to breathe in, but the scent of her floral handkerchief inebriated him, making his eyes twirl in panic. “Come tomorrow to the southern entrance!!” He blurted it all out as an order instead of as a request, but he was practically hyperventilating, so coherent thought was the first to go.

“B-but…” Shocked, Effie pulled out her hand, but Leo took it in a stupor, making them enter each other’s personal spaces. She gulped, her heart beating so fast she also was at a loss for words. “But what about training…”

“You can come after! After the morning training!” He almost yelled, squeezing her hand before letting it go altogether, turning around to leave. “You better be there! I’ll be waiting!” he said as he ran away, bright in the face, redder than the ripest of tomatoes.

“L-Lord Leo…” she reached out the place he was just a moment ago, seeing only his retreating back as he ran out of the soldier’s garrison.

“Whaaat?! Did he pretend not to know I was here, or something?!” Elise puffed up her cheeks, coming out of the door behind Effie. 

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Effie turned to Elise, returning the handkerchief. “Thank you for this, Lady Elise.”

“Honestly…” Elise crossed her arms after tucking the hankie away. She had even greeted him, gave Effie something to wipe his sweat with and waved from behind her and everything! How blind was he?! “I’m gonna ask Camilla if she knows anything about this, Effie. Thanks for escorting me, buh-bye!”

“Hm, yeah… bye…” she lifted one hand in a half-hearted parting gesture, still looking at the place Leo had disappeared to.

Elise, with a frown still adorably knotted in her face, went up the stairs, deep in thought.

It wasn’t uncommon for Leo to make silly blunders, like coming out of his room with pajama pants, or with his clothes inside out. There was one day when he came out to the battlefield still holding his pillow! It was hilarious.

Nevertheless, he was second only to Xander in overall competence within their family, so Elise respected him a lot despite all his flaws. She just wasn’t sure why he was acting so strangely with Effie when she was right there…

Deep in thought, Elise arrived in Camilla’s room right after, being welcomed with a big hug. While they caught up and Camilla brushed her hair, she explained what had happened a few minutes previous and jumped in surprise when Camilla threw her head back in laughter.

“My, oh my!! My, my!” She giggled, her beautiful face glistening and reddening in delight. “Elise, dear, you weren’t planning on going with Effie tomorrow, were you?”

“Huh? I mean…” she looked down, rather dejected.

“Oh, dear, so you figured it out, too? Why the long face?” Camilla hugged Elise’s shoulders from behind.

“It’s just that, I dunno… It feels kinda lonely. I look up to Big Brother Leo a lot and I respect him and I know he would be perfect for Effie since she’s my bestest of friends and I want all of the best for her, but… But…” she covered her face with her bangs, hiding her expression through the mirror Camilla was looking at.

“Mhm, darling. I’m proud of you for saying all that. How much you’ve grown!” Camilla teased, feeling Elise snort a bit before going back to pretend to sulk. “If you’d like, why don’t we take a walk tomorrow? Say, perhaps by the southern entrance…”

Elise’s head shot up. “Eh?! B-but won’t we intrude on them? I’m…”

“Oh? Whatever do you mean, my dear? We will just be taking a leisure walk, we won’t be disturbing anyone’s business,” she winked, making Elise’s expression brighten up.

“Uh-huh! I get it! Undercover spy mission!” She struck a pose much like how Odin would. Her shoulders felt less burdened and the smile returned to her lips.

“Now that suits you much more, dear,” Camilla smiled, caressing the corner of the oblivious Elise’s lips.

The two sisters planned their stakeout and gossiped until way into the night.

The following morning, while Elise slept, Camilla left earlier in the morning for her own training, though she also planned to go to where Leo was. If anyone needed a big sister right now, it was him.

She watched over how he loaded up a cart with a few crates and jugs, nodded to himself and ran back in only to come out one hour later fully dressed with a cute vernal outfit, and perfumed to boot!

“So cute, little brother. This big sister will watch over you,” Camilla giggled as he strapped the cart on his horse and had it pull it to the designated spot. “Well, I should go to Elise before she notices I’m gone.”

Another hour later, the pair of sisters were ready to start their stakeout.

Elise adorably wore a black cloak over her entire body, and tried to cover her face with one of her oversized pigtails. It looked so silly and cute Camilla couldn’t take it, so she said nothing and simply followed her lead.

“Are you sure this is okay, Big Sister?” Elise asked with a muffled voice from all that hair, glancing back at Camilla who was walking around like normal behind her. “W-won’t we get found out? I think Leo would be super mad at me if I do something wrong… I’m scared when he’s really angry.”

“Don’t worry, dear Elise, everything will be fine. He’ll be so caught up in our lady friend he won’t even notice us. Besides, there’s a gazebo a bit further down the path from where we can see it all with no trouble.”

Why Leo didn’t choose that place as the date spot was anyone’s guess, honestly. It would protect them from the elements and from falling petals, but it wasn’t for Camilla to guess what went through her little brother’s genius mind. 

Arriving safely on their spot, the sisters comfortably sat down, enjoying the cool spring breeze.

“Ah!” Elise perked up, pointing somewhere below them. “He’s there, big sister!”

“So he is,” Camilla nodded.

Leo had decorated the place perfectly. Since it was under a tree, he brought a sturdy, light-colored cloth to place on the ground, then another, lighter and cuter one to place on top of it for a spot of color; separated the food in various baskets and dessert towers while keeping the larger jugs of beverage and water somewhere closer so it would be easier to refill their cups.

It was absolutely perfect.

“But, Little Brother, if you do it like that for so long…” Camilla placed one hand over her cheek in worry. 

Leo, oblivious to the stalking sisters a ways behind him, was too fidgety to worry about anything but how to breathe at that moment.

He didn’t know if he should appear stoic, cool, aloof or eager when she finally arrived.

The poor prince changed positions at least seven times over the course of a single minute. Should he lean on the tree, or should he cross his legs? Maybe lean one arm over a knee and read a book with the other, coolly? Perhaps place the book on his lap and read normally? Or…

Curse having Odin around him all the time! Now he couldn’t stop overthinking the impact that a cool pose could have on a woman. He wasn’t about to go around yelling BLOOD AND THUNDER or whatever nonsense Odin screamed during battle, but now he was so overwhelmed by it all he was almost thinking Odin was right…

His eyes were twirling and he was getting dizzy, so maybe he should drink a cup of warm tea…

As he was reaching towards the teacup, he heard her arrive.

“S-sorry, Lord Leo, it took a bit longer than usual to do my routine…” Effie huffed, covered in sweat and still wearing her training clothes — which were weighted and heavier than normal clothes — but she still looked so striking.

The few rays of light that filtered through the trees illuminated the sweat running down her face, cheeks, neck and collarbone, wayy into her clothes…

Leo flinched at where his eyes were going, mentally slapping his face as he quickly got up. “Don’t mention it, I didn’t wait long— wah!” he obviously tripped over his legs which were asleep from being seated for so long, despite all of the moving around while trying to find a cool pose.

“Lord Leo!” Effie effortlessly caught him with one hand, though she knocked over one of the dessert towers in the process. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry, Lord Leo! I’ll put it all back in no time—” She crouched to pick the food up, but the moment she took a fruit, she was bitten by an ant. “Ouch…”

“No, no, it’s all my fault for arranging them like this—” he tried to dissuade her and finally took a look at the ‘picnic for 50’ he had arranged all around him.

Ants.

There were so many ants.

Some went after the fruits, while others followed the juice’s trails. Some even went onto the sandwiches as well.

No, no, nononono! Leo froze on the spot, his stomach sinking. 

It’s all ruined! Everything!

His plan had been so perfect; his organization, his cooking, even how he asked her out! … Well, maybe not that one, but still! How could he have been so stupid as to forget the existence of such stupid pests?!

He was the one in charge of developing pesticide for their crops, for gods’ sake!!! He knew they were an issue! He did!

Befuddled, Leo didn’t know what to do or what to say. “Effie, f-forgive me, I didn’t take that into account. It’s fine if you want to leave— Wait, what are you doing?! Don’t eat that!” He touched her shoulder in a panic as she ate an entire sandwich after swatting away the visible ants. 

“Don’t worry, Lord Leo. It’s all really delicious!”

“I mean don’t eat them! They’re insects!” Pale in the face, Leo was aghast at Effie’s nonchalant attitude. 

Effie tilted her head to the side. “They’re good for eyesight, didn’t you know?” She said with the straightest face one could ever muster, making Leo rethink his entire life.

“They’re… what?” He sat down, perplexed.

For a few seconds, there was only the sound of Effie munching, but then she started to shake a bit before giggling. “Pfft… B-because… Have you ever seen one wearing glasses?”

“What…?” Leo deflated, his eyes spinning. “What do you mean? There is no way to produce a pair of glasses small enough for ants to wear—”

Effie couldn’t hold it anymore and laughed a bit louder. “F-forgive my impudence, my Lord. It’s… it’s just that you’re so smart, I didn’t think you would take me so seriously…” She snorted down some more food, picking up the enormous jug with one hand and drinking straight from it without bothering with a cup. 

“So it was… it was a joke.” he frowned, cursing his stupidity, then looked at the giggling woman in front of him.

She was… she was having fun. She was eating his food, even though there were ants all over the place. 

“Don’t worry about them, my Lord. There’s no harm in eating ants.” She said with such conviction it actually made Leo feel less miserable. “Besides, with food this good, I wouldn’t want them to have it all for themselves!” She smiled toothily, making Leo’s heart skip a beat.

Ah, she was so beautiful. Even as she ate, even as she choked from eating so much — wait, he had to help her there, but still. She was so beautiful, so caring; so understanding.

She accepted his blunder with stride and managed to keep their picnic from flubbing completely.

Truly, there was no woman like her, Leo thought as he smiled shyly, taking a bite of one of the few sandwiches that were safe from the ants.

From their spot, the sisters breathed a collective sigh of relief to see the two of them enjoying themselves. 

It was a good day.

#fire emblem fates #fire emblem #leo fire emblem #effie fire emblem #elise fire emblem #leoeffie #whats the ship name i wonder #camilla fire emblem #my writings #yuki's commissions

[yukiwrites]

The Duchess and the King

Thank you for the support and the patience, @mistressofdeathsblog! I hope you like it~ Beware ye who enters for the sin!

Summary: To Claude, competence and wit were much more attractive than simple beauty. As long as someone was good at what they did and had a good head on their shoulders, he wanted to keep that person near, if only to help with his future plans. When the person is both competent, beautiful and interesting, however, matters could get a little more personal...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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Selene Helga Beaumont. A minor noble prior to the war, who governed the people under her fairly and justly. Although small and located near the mountains, her territory prospered greatly with her as the head — she prioritized trade, road constructions, fair pay and sturdy buildings made to last through the worst of the Faerghus blizzards.

During the war, seeing as how her lands were located southwest to Fhirdiad, she soon saw her people engulfed in battle as the frontlines receded and the neighboring lords defected to the Empire. Her people were sturdy, as it was the norm with any Faerghus native, but they were not built for war. Her policies focused heavily on trade, mutual cooperation and human resources.

Thus, she led her people out once it was clear that there was no maintaining the status quo during the war. Although that was the land they had been born and raised for generations, such was Selene’s charisma and leadership that the evacuation proceeded smoothly — the people believed that, as long as they were following her lead, they would come back and rebuild.

At the end of the war, her once small territory saw an explosive expansion — over three times the previous size — the corrupt nobles were destitute of their positions, allowing the Crown to distribute them amongst the remaining lords. The Beaumont House amassed a few nearby territories, thereafter being known as a Duchy, second in size only to Fraldarius.

Rightfully so, Selene’s workload increased by a hundredfold, but she welcomed the challenge.

The now Duchess saw that the development of her land took priority over anything else — there was a need to build schools non-reliant on the Church, as the new Archbishop decreeted; medical facilities; more investment on mining and a proper regulation on hunting for rare furs… Truly, her work was basically endless.

Not only that, she also had added duties as a higher noble — her gaze should not go solely inwards, but also towards Faerghus, nay, towards the new Unified Kingdom of Fódlan, as a whole. Her votes and ideas at the State meetings had brought many improvements to the post-war chaos.

Her deeds had not gone unnoticed, nor inside their borders, nor outside.

Exponential growth, however, could also be detrimental to a land — especially to a lord.

There were trade routes that needed to be prioritized, deals that needed careful examination not to bankrupt the Duchy’s coffers, not to mention the increasing appearance of Almyran commodities as the Kingdom saw fit to open trade with their neighbors.

Selene, as a Duchess of Fódlan and as a lord of her territory, had been chosen to formalize the trade between countries. The fate of the everlasting peace with Almyra — whom Fódlan had had much strife against for centuries — hung on her shoulders.

It felt as if she worked better during wartime. She excelled in making short-time decisions, those that were needed for survival rather than for continuity, despite having been working towards that goal from the start. It was simply that now, years after the war had ended and the economy headed towards a stalemate, she felt that there was much more at stake than before.

Still, it was her duty to see this trade going through, so she would see to it no matter what.

Selene studied almyran customs so as not to commit any social faux pas, and practiced them during the month-long trip it took from Faerghus to Almyra.

The moment she stepped out of the carriage at their destination, Selene widened her eyes in awe at the sandy splendor all around her. The buildings were multicolored, sported round rooftops and had many small windows to allow the air to circulate; the streets were molded after the terrain instead of beating the earth down to accommodate the buildings, allowing a multiple-story city, with a central path leading to the castle.

Of course, she tried not to show such child-like wonder in her face as much she could, but there was no hiding the glint in her eye at the inspirational structures all around her. Still, she conducted herself properly down to her garments — she had procured almyran dresses, specifically ones that hid most of the body and hair, so she could display a clear intent of bridge-making — when she greeted the King of Unification, Khalid, himself.

“Duchess Selene Helga Beaumont greets his Majesty the King,” she curtsied, lowering her head in the perfect angle.

Claude, who had come out to the gates to greet her, flashed a mysterious smile before nodding. “Lift your head, Duchess. Come, come, let us not be strained by formalities. We greet ourselves as friends on this day, don’t we?” He winked at her once their eyes met, making her furrow her brow, but nod in acceptance.

“... Of course, Your Majesty.” 

“You all as well,” Claude looked over Selene’s shoulder to her entourage. “We’ve a feast prepared for our guests, let’s not cook in this sun more than we have to!” He warmly welcomed the red-in-the-face knights and attendants, most hailing from Faerghus and unaccustomed to the heat, let alone the scorching almyran sun.

That was all that it took. Thirty seconds and a smile from Khalid for all of them to let their guards down and be swept by his rhythm.

He had used that tactic since moving to Fódlan as a child, but it was always amusing how it kept working even well into adulthood.

The Duchess, however, kept her cool despite being clearly covered in sweat under the hijab. She smiled politely and took Khalid’s outstretched hand as they went up the stairs towards the castle.

“It’s an honor to finally meet the fabled Duchess Selene in the flesh,” he said in an exaggerated tone, watching her reaction with the corner of his eyes. “It’s almost like meeting a celebrity, honestly. Have you ever met with a favorite actor or bard? It’s the same feeling.”

“I’m afraid I’ve had few of such experiences, Your Majesty, though I am certain that you are truthful in your words,” she refuted without missing a beat, lowering her gaze so as not to look the King directly in the eye.

“Haha, then by all means you must accompany me when I slip out of the castle next time. There’s this traveling troupe playing a world famous adaptation of the book ‘How to make him fall for you in a fortnight’. It’s hilariously good.”

Selene’s hand on his flinched at the mention of ‘slipping out of one’s duties’ but no such emotions showed on her face — not that the action went unnoticed, however. She, overwhelmed with the pressure to make this trade succeed at all costs, overheated by this hellish climate and intent on doing whatever it took to stay in Claude’s good graces while still maintaining her composure, simply smiled coyly.

“By all means, should Your Majesty invite them over, I am certain that they would be delighted to perform. Naturally, I would be delighted to accompany you then.”

Khalid smirked at her proper rebuttal, biting his lower lip to avoid licking them.

Her reputation preceded her, truly. She was even more interesting in person.

Not a single thing felt out of place in her: perfect manners, perfect speech, perfect rebuttals, even the way she respectfully avoided looking him in the eye. Not only that, she was also a talented individual whose ideas had been used throughout Fódlan during its post-war rebuilding effort.

Even while her territory tripled in size, she still managed to keep it all together while looking ever so forward.

There was no way to overlook such a capable person.

During the welcoming party, as a distinguished guest, Duchess Selene was the one who sat closest to the King, a few steps below him with his immediate family separating them.

It made for the perfect angle for Claude to observe her during it all.

She sat on top of her legs as if she had done so her whole life, though Claude was looking forward to when her legs would fall asleep and she would need to change positions. Would her mask fall then? It was so interesting!

When she first took a bite of their food, her face immediately lit up, then caught on fire from the amount of spice characteristic of their cuisine. She choked for a bit, fumbling in front of her for a glass of water before gulping it all down in one go. She even stuck her tongue a bit as if it had hurt her physically, while looking around to pretend that everything was okay.

Khalid shook in glee, hiding his laugh under one hand. 

More and more interesting!

He watched as Selene followed the norm with claps as the dancers entered the hall, then how she glared at the food she had already put on her plate as if she could purge the spiciness out of it with her eyes alone. Again he snorted a laugh, but in the organized chaos of the party, no one noticed.

Selene steeled herself to eating more of what she had already chosen for herself, asking a nearby servant to bring a new jug of water. Sure, she had read that their food had a stronger taste than the one she was used to, but to think that it would be that much stronger…

There were children, teens and women slender than her gobbling that food up without batting an eye; it even made her wonder if only her portion was that spicy, but it could not have been. The way they all shared the same food was commonplace in Almyra. There was a long table filled with large platters of mostly bite-sized food scattered about, and each took whatever they wanted to eat on their plate.

Unaccustomed to eating with her hands as opposed with the numerous utensils she had grown used to from her noble upbringing, Selene was having a difficult time in adapting, but she wasn’t about to give up just because she was a bit awkward eating their food.

Besides, they had been provided plenty of forks, knives and spoons in consideration to the difference in their table etiquette, but Selene wanted to properly show her willingness to adhere to their customs, so she would, from here on after, do everything in the almyran way.

That meant, however, eating their spicy food. 

She glared at her plate, cursing her past self from taking one of each treat. Still, she was resolved.

It took the whole night and two jugs of water, but she managed to eat it all. Some were sweet, some were spicy, so Selene was able to balance out the flavors in a way that most definitely destroyed her sense of taste for the foreseeable future.

In one of her many trips to the toilet, Selene saw Claude at the corridor, sitting on a balustrade as he looked up at the moon. As night fell, so did the temperature, to a comfortable degree to one born in Faerghus as herself, so her mind felt a bit clearer than it had been earlier in the day.

“Duchess Selene greets His Majesty—” she started curtsying, but Khalid’s gesture stopped her midway.

“No need for such formality, Duchess. You’ve greeted me today, already.”

“Still, I must show due respect,” she said without lifting her head. Khalid sighed, but couldn’t hide his amused expression.

“Sure, sure. Consider me greeted. Now off you go, I’m sure all that water’s gotten you quite distressed already.”

“...!” Selene lifted her head in a flash, her cheeks bright red and her eyes like a surprised kitten. “I— I must, well, you see. Your Majesty…!” She stuttered, looked around and tried to find her long lost composure, then turned to scolding. “That was not— This isn’t appropriate—” she huffed, then turned on her heel and left. “Good night to you!” 

Watching her vast array of expressions slightly caught Claude off guard — especially when he thought of her as so cute he wanted to tease her more — so he stood there without expression for a few seconds longer after she left, then burst into laughter.

So interesting!

The proper meetings started a week later so as to allow the diplomats to acclimate themselves to Almyra, so the Duchess made it her personal goal to get used to Almyra as quickly as possible so as not to bring shame to Fódlan as its representative.

She took frequent walks around the castle and was even given permission to go to town, albeit incognito, to take in all of the new landscapes. Somehow, she kept bumping into Claude whenever she left her room.

They met at the gardens, at the corridors, even at the library, once.

The most perplexing one was when they met outside. True to his words back when they met, they were together in town after he slipped away from the castle.

“Your Majesty!” She chided, immediately covering her mouth with both hands as he shushed her with a smile.

“Not so loud!” He chuckled, pulling her closer. His touch felt hotter than the sun burning down her back, for some reason. “Call me Khalid when we’re outside, it’s a common enough name around these parts, so no one should notice.”

“Y-your Maje—” she stuttered, then gulped down the word before it left her lips. “I shouldn’t address someone such as yourself by your name only…”

“It’s better than ‘hey’, don’t you think?” He winked, offering his arm. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

The Duchess hesitated, looked around the busy market and sighed in defeat, slipping her hand around his arm. “Very well… Khalid.” She whispered his name like it was something forbidden, feeling a little thrill bud inside her chest.

Claude’s smile widened, albeit involuntarily, and he looked away, his body flaring up with the sweetness that left her lips in the form of his name. He pointed to no path in particular, guiding them through the stalls like he was used to.

They stayed together most of the afternoon, until Selene finally convinced him to go back to the castle or stay there on his own, to which he complied with a strangely satisfied smile on his face.

The next time they saw each other was at the following day’s meeting.

Selene, with her proper mask back on, greeted Khalid once again, this time making sure to always look at their feet the whole time. 

Well, when it was properly time to talk business, however, she had no choice but to look straight at his face. Sometimes he would flash a smirk and put his index over his lips as if he was keeping a secret, making her shift uncomfortably on her seat, fighting down the heat rising to her cheeks.

Diplomats from both sides — her, her attendees, Khalid’s and his attendees, not to mention translators and scribes — focused on heated debates over what to trade, which route to take, what commodities to release first, which price, price conversion and so, so many little details.

There was very little demand for what the Duchess could offer from her own land — she specialized in fur, sturdy wood, stone and jewels — and while the almyran jewelers were the most prized artisans in their country, there wasn’t much incentive to import from somewhere so far away from Almyra while Derdriu was right there.

Sure, she could strike a deal that would be beneficial to all of Fódlan, but she wanted her own Duchy to be personally involved as well. It would help maintain the amicable bonds between the countries if she spearheaded trade as an individual lord — many others would surely follow, and she wanted to be the lead example of such.

The meeting ended after half a day of heated debate — even her head felt hot from thinking on the spot and talking so much. King Khalid was truly a man of many talents; he kept up with her demands with his own, finding potential loopholes in contracts she had failed to detect.

As the attendants left the room in hordes, Selene stayed in one spot, staring at the first draft they had agreed on. Khalid watched her from the door and, once everyone was out, closed it behind him.

“Didn’t drink as much water today, Duchess, I see.” He teased, making her flinch.

“Your Majesty, I…” she looked up at him at her wit’s end. If this trade ended poorly on her side, it would impact much of her land’s economy. She could be scorned in society and ousted of some alliances she had painstakingly constructed over the years. “This is not a matter between Kingdoms, it is… very personal to me as well.”

Claude nodded. “I’m listening…” he leaned on the door.

“I would…” she gripped at the papers under her hands. “I would do anything to make it happen. I can draft a more ideal rate for our goods and bring it to you tomorrow, or, or even—” her eyes darted around the table, looking for more clues. Her brain was overclocking, and smoke could almost be seen coming out of her forehead. “If we use the roads I built and over which the rights of passage I own, we could—”

“Say, Duchess,” he interrupted, placing a very hot hand on her shoulder.

Selene flinched, snapping her head up to him. “Your Majesty?”

“Did you not notice how I made things seem more difficult for you? I’m sure you must have.”

Selene narrowed her eyes, then looked away from him. Her silence was confirmation enough.

“See, there’s this thing I really want that only you can give,” he said, roping her interest back in, noticing how her neck slowly cranked up to meet him again. He then pointed to her.

She looked down to her chest, finding nothing out of the ordinary, then frowned. “Your Majesty?” she tilted her head to the side, oblivious to his meaning.

“Pfft, haha!” he laughed heartily, shaking his head at her innocence. 

She tried to keep a straight face as he laughed, but soon pouted. “Your Majesty!”

“It’s you, silly,” he said after a few huffs. “I want you.”

The Duchess’ eyes shot open in surprise, then she gulped. “I am… Me…?” 

“I’ve heard so much about you even before you arrived. A master at managing the territory, someone who led the little people she had under her out to safety, allied herself with great nobles and kept up with them during the war! Then, as a reward for her hard work, she was given MORE work, but never broke down under the pressure, and made a name for herself in the entire county, then to my ears, so far from where you were. Who wouldn’t want to make such a person theirs?”

Selene’s throat ran dry and a frown covered her brow. “I have a duty to accomplish as a lord of my lands—”

“Of course, of course. At first, I wanted you as an asset,” he approached carefully, touching the hem of her hijab. “But now, you’ve been amusing me as a person,” he slowly pulled it down, revealing her well braided hair.  “Did you know that you tend to raise the tip of your eyebrow,” he passed his thumb over her forehead, “when you see something you dislike but have no power against its change? And then, you pout so adorably it makes me want to pinch those cheeks,” he lowered his thumb to her lips.

“Y-Your Majesty, I— I am afraid I am not such an interesting woman.” she looked away as pink shaded her cheeks. She bit her lower lip in the way Claude expected, but felt even more aroused by seeing it first hand.

“I beg to differ,” he chuckled, touching her opposing cheek so she would turn back to look at him. She started to huff and even the hot breath leaving her lips felt alluring somehow. “So?”

“S-so, um,” she glanced at the papers, then at the man in front of her, her heart beating so fast she was dizzy. She had never married nor had any contact with men in that regard at all, so she was at a loss. It wasn’t as though talks of succession hadn’t happened at all, but she had placed marriage so far down her list that she barely even considered herself as someone with, well, means to go through with it.

There was so much left open with this demand. So many exploitable variables, so many ways this arrangement could bring them both harm, but…

The way he looked at her and talked about little things she never knew about herself made her feel seen. Recognized in a way she never thought she would be.

Slowly, she raised one hand to touch his chest, hesitating when she touched his bare skin. “Um…” she bit her lower lip, making Claude lick his own in anticipation.

“I won’t do anything until you say ‘yes’, though,” he teased, laughing inside when she pouted again, her face so red she could be mistaken for a tomato.

“Humph…” she hit her forehead on his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist in a flash of boldness. “Yesh…” she bit her tongue.

“Hahah!” he threw his head back in laughter, then quickly lifted her face for a kiss.

“Mmmph…” she widened then closed her eyes in surprise, hesitating to open her mouth to allow his entry. Once he did, his tongue explored every corner of her, teasing her own into a dance. Her legs gave out after a few seconds, but Claude held her tightly, placing her on top of the large table. “Hahh… Y-Your Majesty…”

“Call me by my name,” he huffed, kissing her neck and collarbone, his hands traveling down so as to liberate her from her dress. 

“I mustn’t…” she huffed as his hands brought out so many new sensations.

It was as if the climate wasn’t hot enough anymore. Each time his hands and lips moved, her body behaved as if it was on fire. She was sitting on top of very important documents! And yet, she could only divert her attention to the man in front of her, her entire body waiting in anticipation of his every movement.

Honestly, Khalid wasn’t even planning on doing this. He wanted to tease her and court her over the course of a few days.

But her reaction was so cute, and so unexpected! She just jumped right in, overthrowing everything he had planned to happen.

His body moved on its own, eager to explore every curve of hers that had been so cleverly hidden this whole time. She had managed to hide her expressions — albeit not from his keen eyes — and shown only a proper persona of a noble. Yet, he wanted to find out more. What was underneath it all, the woman whose hair she herself hid in accordance to their customs, the woman behind all those stories.

The more his lips discovered her body, the more he took in her reactions. Her voice was so melodious, and her uneasy yet firm grip on his clothes were so alluring!

He wanted to find more, to explore more.

Still, the most he could do was lift her skirt instead of undressing her entirely — their dresses were too complicated for him to fasten back by himself — and drop down to the world beneath her legs.

“Eep…!” She squealed once his hot breath was by her sex, instinctively closing her legs. “This is…” she huffed as he spread her legs back, huffing right by her entrance.

“What a sexy smell,” he teased, inserting his tongue into her.

“It-ahh…! It doesn’t smell…” She covered her face with both hands in shame, unable to tone her voice down. Claude chuckled, exploring her depths like no one else had ever done. He sucked her in, then licked around her, then inserted his tongue into her.

It was unbearable! She arched her back in pleasure as her whole body shook with orgasm, then deflated right back down when he pulled himself up, as he licked his lips.

“Hmm,” he relished, as if he had partaken of a delicious meal. “Incredible appetizer, I will be needing more of these in the future,” he winked at her disheveled appearance, prodding his waist on her.

“Ah…!” Selene flinched, realizing what, indeed he had prodded her with, looking at him through the gaps between her fingers. “T-this is…”

Claude bit his lower lip, slowly rotating his bulge right on top of her, making her body flare up again. “Not yet, though,” he teased, bending down to her eye level and kissing her cheek, then licking her ear. At the same time, he pressed his hands down to her opening, inserting one, then two fingers into her.

His entry was easy due to her previous orgasm, but nonetheless a tight fit. He played with her for a bit, teasing her clit with one finger as two went him, enjoying how her body quivered and her breath failed with each of his movements, like the world’s most well tuned musical instrument.

Her voice was much more melodious and arousing than any instrument or singer ever could, however. With each gasp, her eyes moistened and her body flinched; with each muffled moan, her legs spasmed slightly, sneakily wrapping themselves around him; with each passing second, her lips came closer to uttering his name.

“Ah… Y-Your Maj—... Khali—” she squeezed her eyes in pleasure, wrapping her arms around his neck like a lifeline. It had taken her the whole day to get used to saying his name yesterday, and today she had steeled herself to only see him as a King and potential business partner.

And yet, whenever their eyes briefly met during the meeting, her heart couldn’t help but thump; whenever their fingers brushed against each other as they exchanged documents, she felt his heat linger for a while longer.

Now, such heat permeated her entire body, starting from her womb. She felt the epitome of pleasure enclosing her slowly, making her almost beg for more — just a little more, just twist a finger a little in that direction…

“Say it, Selene…” he huffed in her ear, purposely slowing his fingers to torture her a bit more. 

“Mhghn…” She grumbled, but the heat was so unbearable she wanted to let it all out at once. “P-please… Khalid…” she huffed, and barely was the word out of her lips, they were covered by his in a passionate kiss.

Instead of twisting his finger, Khalid directed his hand to his pants, freeing his pulsating erection so as to put it in her, as a treat.

The moment the tip went in, Selene’s body jolted in pleasure, almost at the peak. Once the length slipped in, her whole body shook in pleasure.

“K-Khalid…” she bemoaned during the short time they took to breathe. She squeezed her eyes as her body felt like it wasn’t hers anymore — it was at his behest, at his whim. He pulled it out, and she felt empty to the point of squeezing her grip on his waist with her legs; he thrust it all back in, and she felt overwhelmed.

It was all so much and just right at the same time.

It was as if she had waited her whole life for their bodies to connect like that. For him to penetrate her and them both feel like they had found their missing piece. Their bodies fit perfectly together.

“D-Don’t stop…” She begged deliriously, shaking with her third orgasm in such quick succession. Khalid, spurred by her mews of pleasure and adorable countenance, finally allowed himself to accelerate his movements, thrusting quicker and quicker as his own climax approached.

They huffed each other’s names between kisses, their breaths intertwined in the way that only couples could ever understand. His words became hers and her words became his as their lips could not be apart anymore.

As the climax approached, Khalid thrusted in one last time, pounding her to another orgasm herself.

“Hmm… hmmm,” she groaned as her whole body hardened, then relaxed as the pleasure washed all over her.

There was still so much going on, and so much to go through yet. 

Still, for the evening, for the moment, for that very second, they were together, they were one.

And that was all that mattered, for now.

#fire emblem three houses #claude fire emblem #khalid fire emblem #fire emblem #my writings #fodlansona #yuki's commissions #a sin a day keeps the thirst at bay

[yukiwrites]

YET ANOTHER YEAR WITH MY HUSBAND!!!

I sleep with that Xander plushie everyday ever since I got him in like 2019, he's seen MUCH LOVE... AND HERE'S FOR MANY MORE YEARS OF LOVE TO COME!! i love you so much Xander, EVEN MORE AS I AM NOW YOUR AGE....

Happy birthday to me!

DATE NIGHT WITH MY TINY HUSBAND

Courtesy of my dear friend Shauni @fireemblemxtextposts-realm, you really shouldn’t have, but thank you so much for making me able to spend my birthday with my husband (the other one was cut from the picture but he’s there too).

Here’s to many years of marriage!

#birthday girl #the years start coming and they dont stop coming

[yukiwrites]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!! and RIP MIIVERSE! god i remember I had so much fun just screaming to the void by sharing those pictures there even though each one took FOREVER to upload... ahhh simpler times... HERE'S TO YET ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT IT...

Birthday shenanigans on miiverse

#miiverse #birthday girl

[yukiwrites]

Tumblr is doing some stupid AI shit so go to blog settings > Visibility > Prevent third-party sharing.

#to do

[yukiwrites]

Ray lost a bet to make that pose, though while secretly having fun, POKES HER HUSBAND'S EYES, POKES HIS EYE, POKES HIS EYES, POKES-

#chrobin #chrom #robin fire emblem #chrom fire emblem #fire emblem awakening #feh #this dress suits Ray so much she's Queen #my drawings

[yukiwrites]

Valentine's Corriander but with some feh's costumes

look how much in love he is look at him LOOK

#corriander #kamarx #xander fire emblem #corrin fire emblem #kamui fire emblem #kamui #my drawings #kamui's dress is valentine's mist's and xander's suit is from tea time sigurd btw #i cant design to save my life #proud of the heart box tho i didnt use any tools to make it

[yukiwrites]

Worry and Comfort

Thank you for the support and patience as usual, @breeachuuu! I got a bit carried away with this, but I hope you like it~

Summary: Wolfie had stepped out of the portal back home, but his condition was much worse than expected. He had to be nursed back to health and confront his family about the Hero's Relic he had brought back with him...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

Nausea.

That was basically the only word that could describe what Wolfram was feeling.

His entire body felt like it had been turned inside out while upside down, his mind drowning in wet cotton.

He could hear his own breathing yet he couldn't feel his own lungs; or throat. Or head, for that matter.

It was all a blur.

There were signs of voices shouting around him, but they felt much too far away to be discerned — it was as if he was separated from the entire world through a thick, thick glass.

He lifted his hand. Or tried to. Did he? Was he holding something? Were his lips moving? They felt bone dry and his tongue was too numb to wet them.

"...tri..." he mumbled incoherently, turning his head to the sides in a fever.

Something heavy pressed on his chest, though Wolfie couldn't feel anything.

"St-y w—h me- W—fie!" A voice pierced through the glass, desperately trying to hook him back into reality. "St-y —th Mother!!"

Wolfie recognized that voice... from a distant past. From a recent past.

From a past life.

From... from the present...?

"M…om..." he turned his head, struggling to open his eyes, though everything was so bright even with his eyes closed that nothing changed — nothing but one thing: the nausea got worse. "I— ugh...! I-it burns..." he choked, finally feeling his heart beating again.

It surged with immense power for a moment, washing him down with momentary relief, then draining him back up, leaving a blazing trail inside his veins.

He screamed in pain.

"Stay with me, stay with Mother, Wolfie. You can do this, child... Stay, stay... Focus on my voice!" Nidra pressed her dragonstone on his bare chest, infusing it with power so it could be transferred to him.

Wolfie had passed out the moment he stepped out of the portal, his mana and vital energy completely drained — it seemed as though the cost to open the portal earlier on that end had been his own life force.

Nidra could tell right away that something was wrong even before he came out due to how unstable the portal was on their side, and time stopped for a second once she saw Wolfie's pale countenance as he dropped to the ground.

She had moved on instinct, understanding on a fundamental level what had happened even before she herself could process it.

Tiki immediately took action to close the portal, hurriedly asking Nah for her dragonstone.

The half-manakete was confused, looking between Tiki and the spiral of power swirling around Nidra, but ultimately nodded, taking out her smaller-than-normal dragonstone out of her pocket.

Once, Wolfie's dragonstone had been even smaller than Nah's, since his body couldn't handle a bigger stone due to his lacking draconic power.

Now, however, it seemed as though the slumbering dragon inside of him had awoken — he felt like a full-fledged manakete the moment he stepped out of the portal, though constrained by a crumbling little dragonstone.

Nidra managed to transfer her power to his depleted body right away, but a proper stone was needed to keep the balance within his blood.

"What's going on?! Why is Rammy on the floor like this?!" Cyn roared, her eyes glowing red. The spiral of power around Nidra sucked in the water around Mila's Tree's roots, enveloping them in a watery blockade. "MOM!!"

"Don't get out, now." Henry said in a somber and serious voice, making Cyn flinch, her eyes reverting back to human-like. He had erected a barrier around them the moment Nidra jumped in to aid Wolfie, and now stuck his arm in front of Cyn so she wouldn't come out of it.

"B-but Daddy! Rammy is— he's—" she looked at the spiral of water.

Henry's countenance got darker, making the girl shut up. "Your mom's got this, 'kay? We just gotta be here and wait for a bit; it'll be over soon."

"Father..." Meli clutched on Henry's sleeve. "But what happened? It was so fast..."

"Hm..." Henry looked down for a second, lifting his face back up with a softer expression. "I dunno? You're the dragons here, not me. Just know that if Ni-Ni hadn't jumped in when she did, it would've been... bad."

"Bad..." Meli mumbled under his breath, his eyes shaking.

Behind them, Cynthia and Meliodas trembled as they saw the explosion of power. For a moment, the duo remembered the day their mother had died in the future.

She went out like a flame, burning the brightest before being snuffed out by the darkness.

Shaking, they took each other's hands, comforted by their father's barrier.

"I-it's gonna be alright, Meli, see? Dad got us this time." Cynthia stuttered, squeezing her big brother's hand.

Meliodas gulped, nodding. "... Yes..." he sighed shakily.

Time felt like an eternity for the family waiting behind the barrier, though it all happened in less than a minute.

"Atta boy, you can do this, Wolfie. Just stay with Mother..." Nidra sniffled, pressing her stone even further, allowing his body to slightly absorb it. "Mother's power will help you..." she whispered, as if in a lullaby.

Wolfram withered in pain as the surge of power burned his body from the inside, voicing soundless screams.

With one hand, Nidra pulled the locket out of Wolfie's neck, throwing it to the side — the imbalance of power from his broken dragonstone was influencing how he received Nidra's energy.

His entire being starting from the very cells that composed his body needed to be restructured. It was clear that he had acquired much power and enlightenment during his journey, but it was all pumped back and forth through the small and brittle stone -- his draconic heart, so to speak --, slowly poisoning and corrupting his core.

Both of his hearts — the physical one and the dragonstone — needed to be cleansed from the very beginning. Nidra would need to merge her energy with his — which wasn't hard to do per se, especially because they were mother and son — and push out the impurities into her own stone.

It would break, of course, but that was of little importance. They could always acquire another one — helping Wolfie now was of the essence.

She kept talking to him to keep his mind on the present — on her. If he wandered off into the unknown of their draconic existence, he could lose his sense of self.

There was a sea of memories that could flood between them — he could see his own memories, or Nidra's. Or even the Divine Tree's itself.

The air in this world was packed with draconic energy, and it was all eager to envelop him like a blanket, as if to welcome a long-lost friend. If he so much gave into the wet cotton enveloping him, there was no turning back.

"Focus on Mother, Wolfie. It's almost over now!" Nidra's voice shook as she pressed her forehead on his, pressing her stone deeper into his body.

His chest consumed the stone as if it was made of clay, welcoming it right on top of his physical heart as it pumped the Blood throughout his veins, absorbing the corrupted energy as it rapidly turned black and brittle.

Truthfully, if he had attained the power to fully transform in this world, his stone wouldn't have broken so easily. It only did so in Fódlan due to the drought of the Blood in the air — the entropy kept increasing with nowhere to be exhausted to.

Huffing and burning inside, Wolfie's hand shook as he reached out for his chest. "It hurts, Mom—" he scratched his skin, though Nidra held his hand to stop him.

"Shh, it's almost over, you're doing great, child..." she kissed his forehead and cheek, gripping his hand as he clawed her trying to get away. "Look how strong you became, oh, what a proud mother you have made me, my baby..." she cried, her warm tears dropping on his face.

Somehow, somehow... Even though it burned, even though it was so cold, even though his body felt like it was being resized to fit into the world, the warmth of Nidra's tears brought unfathomable relief.

He closed his eyes again, even though he couldn't tell he had opened them from the blinding brightness; starting to finally feel his flesh again.

He was holding something with the other hand. Something he did not let go of even after collapsing.

Something he used as a walking stick, but now held on to it like a lifeline.

It was Areadbhar.

"Oh..." Wolfie's body relaxed, his forehead drenched with water and sweat finally softening its brow. "Dimitri..." he mumbled, squeezing the weapon into his grip as his consciousness slipped into darkness.

"Good, you have done well, son." Nidra whispered, kissing his forehead one last time as the spiral of power subdued around them. She pulled out the stone out of his chest, not sparing it a glance as it eroded into dust between her fingers, her eyes focused on her baby.

Something appeared in her field of vision, making her lift her gaze as Tiki approached, handing her Nah's stone in a timely manner.

Nidra bowed her head in thanks, receiving the stone and placing it into the spot her own stone had been in Wolfie's chest. The wound would take a while to recover and his body would spit it out in due time — he needed to get used to the wavelengths of this new stone for the time being, so she requested bandages as well.

She needed to get another stone for herself, but that could wait. Tiki could not share her own due to the difference in power between them, but Nidra was used to changing stones throughout her long existence, so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

For now, however, she sat beside her son and turned her face to the worried family watching from behind Henry's barrier.

"It is over," she said with a weak smile.

Cynthia lent her dragonstone to Nidra for the flight back home, though not before Nidra and Tiki made arrangements to procure a new one as soon as possible. Nah would also need one, but since she was staying with Tiki to learn the Way of the Voice, hers was easier to attain.

Regardless, the flight back home was silent and tense as Aquilo flew with Cyn and Wolfie on his back. Not only were they all worried about Wolfie's conditions, but they also felt an inherent repulsion towards the weapon he had brought back with him.

Tiki and Nidra had had a long talk about it before they departed, so the matriarch would tell them about it once it was appropriate, but it still exuded such terrible vibes no one but Henry felt comfortable being near it.

What terrible, terrible world had they sent their youngest to?

Wolfram would only wake three days later at dusk, his throat parched and his mind foggy but comfortable for the first time in a lifetime. Being in a place filled with the Presence of the Blood was so soothing he went right back to sleep after absent-mindedly drinking what had been given to him. Henry was the one sitting by him at the time, so he silently watched over the boy as he drifted back to sleep, not wanting to alarm anyone of his awakening.

The next day, the rays of sunlight filtered through the transparent curtains, blinding Wolfie's thin eyelids into finally waking up for real.

He groggily opened his eyes, being greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Where..." his voice was scratchy from lack of use, but a familiar voice caught his attention by his side.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Henry flicked Wolfram's forehead, making him flinch and look up, widening his eyes to the point they were visible.

"F-Father..." he choked up a sob.

"Yep," Henry caressed Wolfie's long bangs, the one that were white as his own before he left, but now sported a more draconic green on them.

"Father!" he sobbed, jumping into Henry's embrace. "Is this real? Did I cross over? I'm—" he felt queasy from moving so quickly, his head spinning.

"Easy there, short stuff," Henry deposited him back to the bed. "Why don't you stay put here for a bit while I go grab something to eat?" he meant to get up, but Wolfie caught on his sleeve, his cheeks red and his tears ready to fall.

"W-wait, Dad, I..."

"Don't worry, kid," Henry placed both of Wolfie's hands on top of his own chest and tapped his forehead so he could close his eyes. "I'll only be gone a moment, 'kay? Everyone's dying to meetcha, but you gotta be ready to handle them all, right?"

"Every- everyone—" he sniffled. "Everyone..."

"Yep. I'll be back soon," Henry said, getting up from his seat and leaving the room.

It was such a big and majestic-looking room, too. Were they in Ylisse Castle? But the feeling around the walls were different. It looked newer but more classic in a way... Where were they?

As Wolfie's body was still overwhelmed due to the transition, he couldn't feel everyone's Presences on the corridor just outside, nor could he hear what was being said due to the soundproof barrier Henry placed in the room.

Cynthia and Cyn both fidgeted as their father walked out of the room, both of them wanting to run and embrace Rammy right away, but conscious enough of his condition not to. Meli and Meliodas already had the meal prepared and were lying in wait for the opportunity to come inside, but Henry walked out with his enigmatic smile and patted them both on their heads.

"Not yet." It was all he said, making the children lower their heads in disappointment. "Can I have that?" he pointed to the tray with soup and some water.

"Of course, Father..." Meli pouted as he handed the tray.

"Nyaha, we'll let you in soon enough, 'kay?" He winked, though it went unnoticed, as he turned to the one that hadn't said a word until now. "Shall we, Ni-Ni?"

"... Indeed." Nidra was oddly introspective even though her little baby had awoken, which was rather jarring for the children, but Henry understood it, as a parent himself.

There was much to discuss.

"Knock-knooock!" Henry allowed his voice to go through the barrier, which made everyone hear Wolfie's voice for the first time since he returned.

"C-come in!" his muffled response sounded awkward and crispy, setting Cynthia off as she sniffled a bit, hiding her face behind Meliodas' shoulder.

Once the parents went inside, the children remained in the corridor for a few minutes before dispersing themselves. Cyn went to the room they had sealed that weird lance in to have a staring contest with it; Cynthia went to her room to finish making hand crafted dolls for Wolfie and Meli and Meliodas went to fly around to think for a bit.

Wolfie had sat down on the bed and his jaw dropped once he saw Nidra walk into the room.

"M-Mom..." he choked, tears streaming down his cheeks instantly. "Mom!" He tried to get up, but Nidra was faster as she ran to him and held him in her chest.

"Oh, my baby... My little baby... It's so good to see you again, to hear your voice, to—" she sobbed, squeezing him so much he almost suffocated in her breast.

"You're gonna kill him, Ni-Ni." Henry tapped on her shoulder with a chuckle, making her flinch and let go for a moment.

"F-forgive me, child, I—"

"Motherr, wahh!" Wolfie cried like a little boy again, diving into the comfort of his mother's arms.

Nidra gulped down a few sobs as she caressed his long, green hair, never ever willing to part from him a second time.

After Henry managed to part the crying duo and making Wolfie eat, they could finally sit on either side of the boy and hold both of his hands to talk.

He still needed a few more weeks of convalescing for his body to expel the stone out of his chest, but his overall condition was good, so that was as good a time as any for their conversation.

Henry's smile felt especially cold after Wolfie's return, even though he still kept joking around like usual. However, the shadow under his eyes was an indication of his bad mood.

There was just something so inherently infuriating about being unable to do anything to help one's own child and powerlessly seeing him suffer that just didn't sit well with him.

Not to mention that cursed-like spear. Oh, Henry loved curses, alright. Deadly ones? Even better!

But that spear... only that spear was something he couldn't stand, especially after he ingested the life-extending concoction from Nidra's dragonstone.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, it was a weapon forged from living creatures. Usually Henry wouldn't bat an eye at that, especially if they were human remains, but the creatures used were not only non-humans, but also dragons.

The animal-loving dragon-marrying curse-slinger had to draw a line somewhere, and that was it.

He impatiently tapped on the armrest while the two were calming down their nerves, his own nerves flaring up the more he thought about.

"So! Wolfie," he said cheerfully, though the shadow under his brow made Wolfram flinch instead of smile to his father's voice. "Ready to tell us aaaall about your travels? Specifically that thing you brought with you?"

"Henry—" Nidra frowned, hugging Wolfie more deeply.

"It's okay, Ni-Ni, I'm just a tiny smidge bit curious, is all," he smiled, the dark energy swirling behind his back, however, saying otherwise.

Confused, Wolfie tilted his head to the side. "Huh? What thing—" he looked down to his clearly empty hands, then lifted his gaze in surprise. "Ah! Areadbhar! D-did I bring it properly? It didn't break, right? Where is it? I—" he panicked, flustered, but Nidra's embrace prevented him from moving too much.

"No worries, Wolfie. It's safe! Cyn's keeping an eye on it." Henry tilted his head to the door, crossing his arms and leaning on the backrest. "So?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Henry, stop with that attitude." Nidra scolded him. Of course, she was also worried — even more so than Henry — about that abominable thing, but she had heard the name Wolfie called as he gripped the weapon.

Dimitri.

It was after uttering that name that Wolfie managed to calm down and focus on his sense of self, allowing Nidra to finish healing him more quickly.

The power that a single word had to stop a storm of uncontrollable power was nothing short of a miracle, and Nidra couldn't help but acknowledge it, despite not really wanting to.

It made her think of a future where... a future where they...

She bit her lower lip, hugging Wolfie more into her grip.

"M-Mom..." Wolfie suffocated, patting her back so he could take a breather, but she did not let go until Henry placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hahh... Alright, alright, I'm calling off the bloodlust." Henry said in defeat, the darkness around him dissipating like smoke, lifting the mood in the room back up. He knew Nidra was also worried about it, and just adding to her already full plate wasn't becoming of the good spouse he wanted to be for her.

So, he dropped the subject.

"You can tell us in your own time, 'kay, Wolfie?" He ruffled the boy's hair, a bit bittersweet about the white ends and meant to get up. "I'll call over the calvary now."

But Wolfie held him back by the sleeve once again. "W-wait. Dad." He looked into his Father's eyes as he turned around, their similar faces mirroring the concern in their expressions. "... I wanna tell you. I will tell you."

"Alrighty," Henry sat back down, slapping his own knee. "Make sure to leave some for the others, though, 'kay? We wanna hear everything with the entire family."

"Mhm," Wolfie sniffled, nodding.

He told Nidra and Henry the gist of what he had gone through, though the meat of it and the fun parts he would say to his siblings once everyone had gathered. He talked about the mission, the lack of the Blood in the air, the way he had to infiltrate a school and stay with Byleth, how his lessons went...

Henry interrupted him for a moment to talk about how his mana circles indeed looked different than in the past.

Before, and the same as every mage in Arcanea, Wolfie's magical energy clutched itself around his body like a tight piece of clothing or a second skin. The mage needed, then, to channel their magic through books, curses or hexes to give it shape, which was considered normal.

In Fódlan, however, they wore their mana loosely like a cloak -- it was versatile and could flap in the atmosphere to be given any shape the bearer wanted, if they had the affinity for it. Henry would want to hear more about it at a later time, but how Wolfram grew in unexpected ways brought the parents immense joy.

Nidra held Wolfie's hand as he talked about the battles he had to go through and the five years of solitude, but her heart also swelled with pride as he spoke about his devotion to Naga and how he acquired a new power due to his diligence.

She then told him about what had happened once he crossed over, pointing to the bandages on his chest, which he hadn't even noticed.

"I also apologize for breaking the chain, but it is already repaired," she pointed to the locket resting preciously on top of the bedside table, which Wolfie took with careful hands and placed around his neck with a comfortable huff.

It was where the friendship jewel he had crafted for Dimitri was. He had given Dimitri his jewel during the time they were dating, but because the feelings poured into it had changed since he first made it, Wolfie had promised to make him another one.

Yet, now, there was no way to.

Wolfie fell silent as he gripped the locket, making the parents exchange a worried glance between themselves.

"You can tell us at your own pace, Wolfram." Nidra took his hand warmly, saying words she didn't actually mean. She wanted to know now and she wanted to keep him under her wings for a few more thousand years, but she also feared what he could end up saying.

"... But better sooner than later, nyaha!" Henry doused the tension with a truth-filled joke, making the other two giggle in response. "Buuut, I think our time's cutting close. The others can't wait anymore, can they?" He looked at Nidra, who nodded.

Their Presences were back in the corridor outside, though the silence spell was still active in the room.

"So!" Henry flicked his fingers, dispelling the barrier. "Why don't we all hear the rest together?" He clapped and the door immediately banged open.

"Everyone!" Wolfie smiled widely.

"R-Rammy!" Cynthia ran to the bed, but Cyn tackled him so fast the bed cracked  under them.

"RAMMYY!" She yelled, crying on his chest. "You big, stupid, dummy! Dummy, dummy!" She cried. "Waaah!"

"B-big sis—" he sniffled, but had no time to cry as Cynthia also tackled him, and Meliodas and Meli each pulled his cheeks as punishment for worrying them. "O-ouuuch, ouch, ouch!" his nose stung, but his heart was full.

He was home.

Finally, finally he was home.

The bitterness of the sudden goodbye still lingered on top of him like a dense cloak, but the warmth of his family’s reception helped him a great deal through it.

For hours, they talked and listened to Wolfie’s stories, all clutched around the big bed, forgetting to even show Wolfie around their new castle.

It was only on the next day that they finally remembered to tell him that the castle that had begun its construction over 30 years ago had finally been finished — their family had now a permanent spot in the woods behind Ylisse Castle. It was so they could look over Robin and Chrom’s children throughout the ages to come as Nidra had promised her precious friend during the war.

Wolfie still couldn’t move too much, so the family took turns carrying him to show him around the castle, but once they stopped in front of the sealed room they had left Areadbhar in, tension filled the air again.

The boy couldn’t understand why, especially because he had not heard Rhea’s explanation of the truth regarding Byleth’s birth and the past of their species, so he never really found out the origin of the Hero’s Relics back in Fódlan. The only thing that mattered to him was that the spear was Dimitri’s and he had to return it — he had to return to him.

But broaching the subject was awkward at the moment.

Yet, the one who pointed it out was none other than Cyn. She had spent the last several days around that thing and even kicked it once out of frustration.

“Rammy, where did you get that… that thing?” She pointed to the sealed door. “You didn’t use it in battle, did you? It’s— it’s…”

“It is… unnerving,” Meli blurted out, almost actually saying ‘disgusting’, but managing to correct himself.

“Wha—no! And no one can use it either, okay?! It has some really scary powers and only some people can actually use it.” He wriggled on Meliodas’ back, finally standing up with his two feet in front of the door.

“It has some scary powers, alright,” Henry said darkly. “It’s made out of dragon bones, didja know? They were alive, too. You can feel their resentment… It’s a real piece of work. If I’d been a dark blacksmith, I would’ve had a field day studying it!” He opened his arms cheerfully. “You’ve been hanging out with some bad crowd there, haven’t you, Wolfie? This bad boy there can’t have come from a nice place…”

“Dragon bones…” Wolfie paled with the news, then looked to the door, almost able to see through it. “Some… some things make more sense now,” he said, remembering the times he saw people turn into demonic beasts after using Hero’s Relic without possessing a Crest. “Though, not everything…” he mumbled to himself. “But the ones using the weapons are good people! This one— This one specifically, he… I told you all about him, he… the prince…” Wolfie stuttered. “Dimitri…”

Nidra perked up at the name, dreading what would be the next sentence to come out of Wolfram’s lips.

“He lent it to me… Said I had to— to give it back.” Wolfie blurted out, squeezing his eyes as he looked down to his feet.

“Absolutely not,” every single person replied in unison.

“Eh?!” Wolfie lifted his head with flushed cheeks. “B-but—”

“NO!” Cyn stomped her foot on the floor. “NononononoNO!” She threw a tantrum like a little girl. “No way!”

Wolfram gulped, looking at the upset eyes of the ones he loved more than anything, weighing them against the one he now loved even more…

He… he had to convince them first, before anything else. Time was of the essence, but he also wanted to take his time with his family, so he was more conflicted than anything else. Dimitri… wait just a little longer, okay? I promise I’ll come back to you, but for now… He pressed his lips into a thin line, hanging his head down. For now he had to convince them.

#fire emblem three houses #fire emblem fates #fatesona #fodlansona #henry fire emblem #cynthia fire emblem #my writings #yuki's commissions

[yukiwrites]

can someone make me play Awakening for the first time again please please im begging here

#god i wanna play it for the first time again so bad #i remember screaming and yelling and crying and loving it so much #i wanna feel all that again i need that again

[yukiwrites]

The OTP to end all OTPs, basically my first one since I was a kid and still going on strong

#lance x crystal #lance x kris #lance pokemon #lance #pokemon #pokemon crystal #crystal #kris pokemon #my drawings #i love them so much sososososo much

[yukiwrites]

My surprise ship that carries me through every single new MHB and LHB, they won against Emblem Marth and Mythic Lumera and I'm so proud of them, they deserve a rest

#kleinzura #lmao #klein x azura #feh #fire emblem heroes #my drawings #azura fire emblem #klein fire emblem

[yukiwrites]

Kiran, Pondering

Thank you for the support and boundless patience as usual, @xpegasusuniverse! I hope you like it! I cried!!! so much!

Summary: Azura had told Corra and Rind that she was the sole survivor of her world's war, despite coming from the Revelation World. Worried that they would be heartbroken should the truth come to light, she asked Kiran to tell her right away if he summoned someone from her world...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

_______________________________

Askr was a refuge.

To Corra and Rin, — Princess and Prince Corrin from the Conquest and Birthright worlds respectively — Askr was the only place where they could meet and learn how to deal with the regrets gnawing at their souls.

It was only between themselves, as the existence known as ‘Corrin’, that they could find respite and support to allow them the chance to move on from their choices. To help them overcome their mistakes.

They connected with each other every single day. They held hands, drank tea and trained together, sometimes without even uttering a single word.

Just by having one another’s presence was enough to fill each of them with strength. They never spoke specifics about the war, as their wounds were still too raw, but just by being together, they felt like they could conquer the world.

Or at least conquer their own pain.

Once it was time to head home, however, it was as though they were pulling the bandages out of a still bleeding wound — reality would come crashing down on them, showing each of them the state of their world, and the crushing notion that it was all, after all, their own fault.

It was because they made the wrong choice. It was because they made the right choice.

It was because they chose. It was because they lived; because they were in that position, it was because, it was because, it was because…

The pit of their regret was bottomless. No matter how much they scooped out of it during the day, the two of them, together, it filled right up again once they were back home, to face the consequences of their choices on their own.

In fact, it was getting harder to go back home, instead of easier.

Askr was a refuge, but it was also a prison.

A comfortable prison, in which time did not pass and none of their choices — past, present or future — truly mattered. They were there to help with Askr’s own problems, while trying to deal with their own.

Coming and going to Askr had been great and terrible for the duo. To learn of the myriad of worlds out there and to know that they were not alone was reassuring in and of itself, but it also meant that they could see, touch and feel the consequences of the actions they did not make.

Just meeting one another was proof enough — not to mention the implications of their own existences.

What state was the world they each left behind to stay in Askr? What could have had changed, what different actions could have they taken so that this or that did not happen? 

Just by looking at each other’s eyes, they could see the same questions plaguing them deep down.

They were strong together.

But once they went back to their worlds… They crumbled that much harder.

Flora had noticed it first, since she considered not meeting Felicia in Askr just so her sister would not break down any further. To give her hope during the day and pull it from under her feet after she came back home was much too cruel.

The clumsily adorable little sister did not deserve that.

Her wonderful, thoughtful and merciful Lady Corrin especially did not deserve that. Flora could see the pain gnawing away at Corrin, slowly but surely, every single day.

The mask that Corrin wore to the world; the one she used to protect herself from the guilt… it was crumbling. Each day, her smile faded more into gray. Each day, her feet dragged harder to stay in Askr for a while longer.

Each day, she looked up at the bright sky, something so foreign back in Nohr, and sighed wistfully.

Each day, Corra and Rin parted ways with heavier hearts than when they had met, unable to break away from their chains of regret.

Unbeknownst to them, kind eyes had been watching them from afar, and, much like how Flora worried over them, so did she. Azura may not hail from the same world as them, but she still considered the existence known as ‘Corrin’ to be someone precious to her. It hurt the princess to see them suffer so.

She and Flora had interacted very little in the past — even in Azura’s own world where Flora is still alive and well — but they decided to quietly meet every now and then so the maid could tell her about the progress between Corra and Rin.

Flora had realized, after talking with Azura a few times, that the princess was not only not the one she knew, but that she hailed from a world where things did not take such a bleak turn, as opposed to her own world.

Although Azura had a great poker face and rarely changed expressions, Flora was good at reading people, so they soon came to the agreement that Flora would report on the Corrins’ mental state while Azura would act as a shield between them and the other people who might hail from her same world.

Azura had, then, brought the matter to Kiran’s attention — though she did not bring the full picture so as to protect her friends’ inner turmoil.

Truthfully, she had just told the Summoner to call her should he summon someone from the Revelation world — how she came about that name was unknown, even though that was classified information hidden deeply in the Royal Library’s secret area — but Kiran could understand even after receiving Azura’s silence on the matter.

As the Summoner, Kiran could see information about the Heroes that no one else could, at least not without delving into the secret library. He could see, and interpret, the threads that bound each Hero to their version of their own world, so it wasn’t hard to imagine the reason why Azura would ask him that.

Surprisingly, Sharena was the one who brought up a concern about the matter to Kiran a few days later — or perhaps not so surprisingly, especially taking into consideration the princess’ disposition to befriend all Heroes.

She had noticed the subtle changes happening between the Corrins — not between themselves, mind, but between each of them and all the others around.

“I can’t really put my finger on it,” Sharena tilted her head with a frown, lowering her gaze to the floor. “They’re acting the same, but not really. Get it? Like,” she gestured something incomprehensible, waving her hands around like a little girl, “like they’re putting up with it, you know? They seemed okay in the beginning, but now… it’s like they’re straining themselves. Do you think we’ve been overworking them too much? Do they need a break? Should we, uh, let them have a vacation? There are a lot of good beaches around…”

Sharena babbled, her voice dying as she realized the nonsense she was spewing. Askr was never peaceful for long, as they have been constantly reminded on a daily basis. It was unthinkable to focus on giving Heroes vacations — especially when they had their hands full with barely maintaining the Order afloat with the sudden flood of newly summoned Heroes.

Alfonse, who sat beside her, had a serious expression. “It’s common for royals to manage their expressions and hide their true intentions, Sharena. Don’t you think you’re overthinking this?”

“You’re not a people person, Alfonse! You wouldn’t understand,” she puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. Though, in a corner of her heart, she wondered if she wasn’t imagining things either. She wanted to get along with everyone, but it wasn’t as though all of them shared the same mentality.

Corra always greeted her with a big smile and held her hand as they walked — and she kept behaving the same as usual, it was just… there was a shadow over her smile from time to time.

Rin was a bit more reserved, but he was still just as warm — he even told her it felt great to walk barefoot on the morning dew, just as the sun was rising, and he had been right! It felt liberating, even exhilarating, since she had to sneak out of her palace to do so one dawn. Yet, when she excitedly went to tell him about that, she saw his stiff smile and forlorn expression as his gaze headed towards the west training grounds.

“N-not a people person…” Alfonse choked on the words uttered by his little sister, frowning as a way to recover from the shock.

Kiran shook his head at the siblings, looking down to Breidablik in his hands. “I believe you, Sharena. Actually, Azura and Flora came to tell me the same thing recently.”

Sharena beamed while Alfonse’s frown grew deeper, though Sharena soon went back to frowning. Being right about a bad thing doesn’t make it good.

“So, um… What should we do?” She twiddled with her fingers.

“... Nothing?” Alfonse said tentatively, to which Sharena responded with a glare. “We have no right to interfere in other people’s lives,” he added calmly, looking between Kiran and his sister, “especially when they are trying not to show us how they are truly feeling. There is not a single person who likes being confronted about the things they are trying to hide.”

There was a short silence as Alfonse’s words lingered in the air, being digested by the listeners.

“That’s true,” Kiran said in the end, nodding.

“B-but!” Sharena tried to protest, but Kiran kept talking.

“Still, even if talking to them about it would be too upfront,” he glanced at Sharena, then turned his gaze to Alfonse, “I think we could at least do what Azura and Flora asked us to do.”

“Hmm,” Alfonse bobbed his head to the sides, pondering on Kiran’s words. “If you think so, Kiran, then I’ll respect your decision.”

“But it’s not like you agree, huh?” Kiran took a jab, chuckling at the twitch in Alfonse’s brow as he got up from his seat. “Alright. Thanks for the heads-up, both of you. I’m off to the summoning stones, then.”

“I-I’ll go with you!” Sharena awkwardly got up, blowing a raspberry at her brother before running after the Summoner.

“Wha—?! Hahh…” Alfonse shook his head with a sigh at his sister’s behavior, but ultimately got up to follow them as well.

Once he arrived, Alfonse witnessed the most ironic coincidence.

A knight with a cowlick and donning dark armor politely greeted them once he stepped out of the smoke.

“My name is Silas, a knight of Nohr. I'm a little surprised I was summoned, but I'll do what I can to help!” He said with a big smile, setting off Sharena as well.

“Hi! Welcome to Askr! I’m Sharena and that’s my brother Alfonse over there, and this is Kiran, our Summoner! Now, tell me all about yourself!” She excitedly took Silas’ hand.

“Oh, and she’s a princess,” Kiran added jokingly, somehow knowing how Silas would react.

“A p-princess?! M-milady, forgive my rudeness for holding your hand like that…” Silas turned beet red and jumped out of Sharena’s range, hiding behind Kiran.

“That stuff doesn’t matter here,” she elbowed Kiran out of the way, “we’re all equals at the Order of Heroes, anyway!” She grabbed Silas’ hand again, but this time, he didn’t run away.

Instead, he chuckled. “You sound like my best friend.”

“Oh?!” Sharena widened her smile. “Who are they? Maybe they’ve been summoned too? What about me did you find similar to them?”

Silas looked up at the pristine sky, taking a deep breath. The sky he was used to, the one he had grown up to, was nothing like this. Nohr had always been a dark place; and the place he lived now had floating islands polluting the view, so seeing nothing but clouds up there was actually refreshing in a way.

“His name is Corrin!” He said, puffing his chest with pride, not noticing how Sharena’s hand flinched. “He’s a king back in my world, but he keeps saying to treat him the same way as usual, especially since we’ve been comrades-in-arms for so long.”

Unable to hide her expression, Sharena stiffly looked from Kiran to her brother. The two men exchanged glances as well and nodded.

Before Silas could even realize that something was out of place, Alfonse placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. “That’s most interesting. Would you care to elaborate?”

“B-brother? You don’t usually like—ooooh, right. Yeah. Yeah!” She managed to smooth it over after receiving a piercing glare from Alfonse as Kiran silently excused himself. “Tell us more, Silas! C’mon, we’ll show you around,” she took his hand while Alfonse grabbed his opposite shoulder, effectively trapping him between themselves.

Oblivious to it all, the knight simply nodded and smiled, glad to be welcomed so warmly to this new, strange yet exciting place.

Kiran tiptoed away to find Anna so she could help look for either Azura or Flora, though they had to do it quietly lest anyone found out that there had been a Summoning — after all, once word got out, it would quickly spread.

Time was of the essence and, although Kiran shared most of Alfonse’s sentiment on the matter, it wasn’t as though he would turn down the opportunity to help when he had the power to do so. Still, hiding Silas’ existence or pretending he came from another world would only go so far, especially when dealing with people who shared strong bonds between themselves.

Kiran only hoped that none of it would blow up in their faces later, as he hurried his steps back to the Order while Alfonse and Sharena took Silas to the royal palace instead.

Time was of the essence.

#fire emblem fates #feh #fef #alfonse fire emblem #sharena fire emblem #corrin fire emblem #fire emblem #corrin #kiran fire emblem #kiran #my writings #yuki's commissions

[yukiwrites]

Good news, fellow artists! Nightshade has finally been released by the UChicago team! If you aren't aware of what Nightshade is, it's a tool that helps poison AI datasets so that the model "sees" something different from what an image actually depicts. It's the same team that released Glaze, which helps protect art against style mimicry (aka those finetuned models that try to rip off a specific artist). As they show in their paper, even a hundred poisoned concepts make a huge difference.

(Reminder that glazing your art is more important than nighshading it, as they mention in their tweets above, so when you're uploading your art, try to glaze it at the very least.)

#this is gold

[yukiwrites]

So when that new dancer was added in feh, the first thing I thought was, 'what if that, but Kamui wearing it for Xander...' adsklmkdas thirst drawing

#corriander #kamarx #corrin fire emblem #kamui #my drawings #she's asking for his c u m m i e s s s s s s s ss s sjadmsadksakd #a sin a day keeps the thirst at bay

[yukiwrites]

Symmetry Move Brush for CLIP STUDIO PAINT

I've just released this free "Symmetry Move Brush" tool on Clip Studio Assets.

Check the link for more info on what it does and what it's for: https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1974271

#this is gold

[yukiwrites]

Happy Birthday, Shauni!

@shauni-will-never-write here's a winter Tsubaki since IS is so intent on not giving him to you ;v;) Did with Sephiram's costume since I can't design for my life, but I hope you like it!

Here's for many more years of friendship~ I love you!

#my drawings #yuki snaps #yuki gifts #yuki gives #idr the tag #fire emblem fates #subaki fire emblem

[yukiwrites]

"Do you like darkness?"

#fire emblem awakening #tharja fire emblem #tharja #fea #ive been having The Worst artist block lately #writing drawing you name it #but my wife helped me through it a bit #i love she #my drawings #yuki snaps