Fire Emblem: Past and Future Bonds (Private)

[thelonegrunt]

(This is a private RP for Diapee Girl and I. Do not post if your name is not listed. Thank you.

This is an RP loosely based around the canon of the game Fire Emblem: Awakening. We do not own any of the characters.)

"Robin! No, don't do it! You'll die if you thrust your sword into him!" Chrom warned, extending his hand out to save the greatest ally that he had ever had.

Robin, hearing the plea of his friend, turned back around with a smile on his face. "Chrom... thank you and the others for everything. I'll never forget you... but don't think this will be the last time I see you." With that declaration, the young man sharply turned back to his front and grasped the hilt of his sword. With one final cry, he rushed toward the creature of his own likeness and stabbed him in the chest.

The being of darkness cried out to the heavens, eventually falling as Robin harshly pulled his sword out. In turn, the world-ending dragon that made Grima's true form made a bellowing scream, a look of mortifying pain on its face. As the pain of the dragon and humanoid Grima coincided, a harsh light started to form around them... and Robin, too. Chrom wanted to rush to the aid of his comrade, to pull him away from his fateful end... but the radiant light temporarily blinded him. It blinded Lissa, Chrom's sister and the love of Robin's life... it blinded Lucina... it blinded Severa, Cordelia, Sumia, Cynthia, Tharja, Gaius... it blinded all. It brought all to a screeching halt. And, suddenly, the light around Grima and Robin went about exploding and imploding. Its activity did not remain constant, but all that could be known that it was powerful and reactive enough for everyone in the party not to grasp its effects.

When it was finally over, all of the members stood in complete silence, opening their eyes. Grima and Robin were now gone. They stood alone, their master tactician, their greatest ally gone.

Chrom looked down, trying to absorb Robin's last words. Lissa, on the other hand, collapsed to the ground, her hands against her face as she started to uncontrollably cry.
Eventually, Chrom sat down and placed a hand on his little sister's shoulder. "It's alright, Lissa... he said he will be back. When Robin keeps a promise, he ultimately keeps it. Never forget the courage and honesty of your husband." The heir to the Ylissean throne assured, which prompted the now-sniffling young woman to try to dry her eyes and smile. There was truth to Chrom's words...

Even if they had lost Robin, the party of brave warriors and heroes could take solace in the fact that he had made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that the dragon could do no more harm to the people of this generation or any other. All was finally at peace, and everything was back to normal... or was it?

[Diapee Girl]

Well, not really.

In short, killing a godlike, multi-dimensional being such as the fell dragon Grima in such a paradoxical manner was in no way free from repercussions. The moment Robin, this world's physical incarnation of Grima himself, sunk his blade into Grima's avatar from an alternate world, he killed them both. What resulted was a dimensional collapse of sorts; the fast and future colliding violently as the universe used space and time to stitch together the 'holes' that this event created. All of this occurred in an instant; with the dragon's dying screech and a blinding flash of light, reality collapsed and rebuilt itself in less than a microsecond.

Now, as the fell dragon lay dead and the blue-haired air to the throne, as well as his comrades, mourn the sacrifice of their tactician, they will notice nothing different. Nobody will. In truth; their world has changed dramatically. But in this 'new' reality, Chrom, Lissa, all the Shepherds, every inhabitant of the world saw this as completely normal; in their perception, it had always been this way. Their very dimension had been rewritten, they had grown up here; or so they thought at least. But whether they knew it or not, things had changed.

You see, when the future collides with the present, there's quite a bit of 'collateral damage', per se. With the distant future forcibly attached to the past, there was a bit of a dimensional overlap. Ylisse, Chrom's country, was no longer firmly grounded in the middle age. Now, while there were still castles, dragons, and knights, new technologies and innovations that weren't supposed to be discovered until hundreds of years later became commonplace in society. Electricity, plastics, sanitation; all these and more were now the norm.

However, this was an overlap, not a complete dimensional shift. Though all these groundbreaking innovations were now around, most facets of life before Grima's demise and the resulting change never disappeared. Though weapons armor could now be mass-produced industrially, wars were still raged by heroic knights charging into battle armed with with swords, axes, and spears. Though diseases and hygiene were now understood and studied extensively, most medical issues were still taken care of by skilled, magical healers. Though harnessing electricity allowed for lighted homes and modern appliances and plumbing, people still got around by means of walking, by horse, or by pegasus. Though society was radically different, culture remained largely the same.

So, victorious in their quest to defeat Grima and restore the peace in the land, Chrom and his militia team, known as the Shepherds, returned back home to the Kingdom of Ylisse, where the heroic man was soon crowned Exalt. With his wife, Sumia, he ushered in a time of prosperity, Ylisse rebuilding quickly after the wars that had led up to the fell dragon's death.
The rest of the Shepherds were greeted as heroes, taking a well-deserved break after the stressful task of saving the world. Some returned to their home countries, while others simply returned to where they had lived before. Their numerous children, about a dozen who had returned from the alternate, horrible future where Grima had won and the apocalypse had occurred to help their parents defeat the demon, remained in this world. Though the majority of them were mature, young adults, most still opted to live with their parents, as they really had nowhere else to go; and some wanted to actually get to know them. In their future, all of their parents had been killed in the bloody genocide instituted by Grima.

While the parents of these estranged children accepted them with open arms, some of their relationships with each other were...complicated, to say the least.

And that's where our story begins...



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



'Shatter'

"Another! More this time!"

'Smash'; 'Clang'

"That's enough!" The woman signaled, the remains of dozens smashed clay disks all around her. The people she was talking to nodded, switching off the launchers that had been firing the practice disks at her.

Wiping a bit of sweat off her brow, the armored young woman exited her combat stance and stood up straight, still holding the lance she had been using to break the disks tightly in her hand. The afternoon sun shining off her silver armor, she turned back to the crowd of new recruits watching her. "You see, it's crucial that you quickly flow from strike to strike when engaging multiple targets on the ground. Spears and lances aren't as nimble as swords; so every second counts. If your pegasus is ever shot down and you find yourself in the middle of a war zone, you can bet that the enemy's ground forces are going to be more heavily armed than you are. We pegasus knights are armed for quick, accurate strikes, so avoid getting too low to the ground or letting archers get a good shot at you so that you can stay in the air and out of the worst areas of the battlefield."

To her relief, a cool breeze blew by, cooling her down a little and making her long, beautiful crimson hair flow in the breeze. "That will be all for today. Report to practice field B tomorrow for arial drills on your pegasus. Dismissed." Cordelia announced.

The soldiers saluted their superior officer and left the area. Once their backs were all turned, the young woman sighed in relief and began to strip off her armor as she walked back to the barracks. It had been a hot day, and wearing all this steel plating had been far from a pleasurable experience. However, she knew she had no right to complain.
"Way better than having risen clawing at my face..." She chuckled to herself, returning her lance and the training armor to the base's armory. Cordelia knew she should be more proud of her new position in the guard; all these new recruits saw her as a hero. Though they were both young, both her and Sumia could have easily been promoted to anything short of generals in the pegasus knights, due to both their perceived skills from the many conflicts they had fought in as Shepherds, as well as all the many open positions left from the hundreds dead. Not one for fame, Cordelia only accepted a modest promotion.

Taking a moment to take a quick shower at the base before leaving, the crimson-haired young woman began the walk back home. She lived in a fairly nice little place off by the training fields, purchased by the sum of gold Chrom had given each of his comrades for their part in saving the world. Well, except for one...

Cordelia thought back on it. Hard to believe all that happened only three months ago. The mood had been somber at first, due to Robin's sacrifice, but everyone was adjusting okay. Chrom was currently pushing for a statue to be erected of their previous tactician in the town square.

"Poor Lissa...I can only imagine what's she going through right now..." She sighed to herself, thinking back on the perky, happy-go-lucky blonde who had been Robin's wife. The crimson-haired woman hadn't seen much of her ever since they got back, wanting to give her some time to grieve. She still wanted to go check up on her sometime soon though.

But, as she approached her home, the pegasus knight knew she had her own family issues to deal with at the time being. Turning the doorknob, she hoped her daughter was in a good mood.
"Sevvvvvverrrraaaa! I'm home!" She called cheerfully as she walked inside.

[thelonegrunt]

"Nnnnghhh..." A voice moaned in her sleep, tossing and turning as the blanket slung over her head and the blinds concealed the piercing light of the sun on this beautiful day. Underneath the covers was a girl around her teenage years, a head of crimson-red hair like Cordelia's and a beauty unsurpassed by many girls her age. Although her physical attraction was obvious, her temperament was an entirely different story.

This is Cordelia's daughter, Severa.



Severa is the youngest of the time-traveling children. Although it's established that her mother is Cordelia, she had no idea who her father was and didn't bother to ask. Apparently he had died shortly after she was born, and very little mention was actually made of him by Cordelia, at least Severa thought. Therefore, the girl didn't feel the need to try and understand it. She had a mother and that was it. A loving mother, yes... but one that Severa felt she lived entirely in the shadow of.

When she was still young, she knew of the reputation of her mother. She was often regarded as a hero, a fierce warrior, an intelligent and attractive young woman, and an inspiration to all around her. Naturally, such expectations would weigh heavily on the shoulders of the woman's child, Severa being constantly reminded all the time about how special she was and how she had such potential being the daughter of the revered Cordelia. Did this make the girl feel any good or feel any sort of individuality? Did having such a "revered and accomplished" woman as her mother reflect on her abilities? Absolutely not. Severa knew that she could never live up to the extremely high expectations of her mother, and due to this grew an inferiority complex. Along with that, her attitude soured, annoyed that she was just living in another person's shadow.

Although she did feel strong resentment towards this fact, she still cared for her mother greatly. She wanted her to be with her all the time, but unfortunately because of her duties as a Pegasus Flier (and more than likely due to her unrequited love for Chrom), Severa couldn't spend all that much time. This eventually led the young girl to snap, turning her frustrations on her mother. In response, Cordelia said that the only thing she'd ever fight for was for a better future for her.

That was the last time Severa saw her when she was young.

Cordelia was killed in battle defending Chrom. Upon hearing the news, Severa left in heartbreak and became a wanderer. She used whatever fighting skills she had in her arsenal to become a mercenary, and a pretty damn strong one, too. She'd bounce between towns and villages, keeping her name to herself and opening up very little to anyone she encountered. She eventually met some interesting characters along her journey, including the blue-haired daughter of a deceased king. And before she knew it, she was in a completely different time period with these characters and many others.

The girl ended up seeing her mother again, one part extremely happy and the other part bitter (though this was mostly a facade). Although she had opportunities to talk with her in the barracks, the girl still wasn't quite ready for opening up to the woman about her past and her relationship with her. There were still some things that could be done to strengthen their bond as a mother and daughter...

...and Severa squandered a chance today. In all likelihood, the girl would have asked her mother if she could have the opportunity to train with her one-on-one. Instead, the girl took it upon herself to go out in the middle of the night to do her own personal training. She did so intensely for hours on end until the very crack of dawn, proceeding to remove her armor, clean up, return home, and collapse right into bed, where she had been sleeping for the majority of the day.

[Diapee Girl]

Hearing no reply but the groan that she was all to familiar with by now, Cordelia couldn't help but giggle and roll her eyes. Closing the door behind her, the woman tiptoed over to Severa's room and quietly peeked inside. Sure enough, she saw the head of crimson hair buried beneath various pillows and blankets.
Grinning softly to herself, the pegasus knight entered and sat down on the foot of Severa's bed. Looking down at her, it took a lot of self-restraint on Cordelia's part not to reach down and gently soothingly run her fingers through her daughter's hair. She knew, however, that she would likely get a less than thankful response from the drowsy girl of she did so.

Though their relationship was currently strained at best, the crimson-haired beauty truly did love the girl as her own. Technically, Severa wasn't her child; the girl was born years and years in the future of another, future version of Cordelia herself. However, she was still Severa's mother, and took it upon herself to take care of, and try to bond with her future daughter ever since they met. Unfortunately, it seemed that Severa wasn't quite as open and friendly towards her.

"Want some tea dear? Maybe some lunch? You have to be hungry by now..." She offered, knowing full well why her child was so exhausted. It had been fairly obvious that Severa was sneaking out to train at night on her own. Cordelia hadn't told her she knew yet, but was going to bring it up if the girl kept wearing herself out like this.

[thelonegrunt]

"Nnnnnggh... AH!" The girl, with one drowsy snore, soon found herself snapping awake, after hearing her mother's voice. Her head shooting from out of the blankets, her look of confusion adjusted to one of annoyance. "Oh... hello mother." The girl said a bit sarcastically, not returning the woman's smile but instead draping the cover back over her head. "No thanks; I'll get it myself later. Could you, like... let me sleep?"

[Diapee Girl]

Severa's cold reply made her mother's smile fade a little, but the knight wasn't about to give up so easily. "Are you sure honey? You're going to have to get out of bed at some point. I'll even carry you to the kitchen if you want." She continued, half-joking. But Cordelia would be more than happy to carry Severa if it meant she could actually got a chance to talk with the girl. Most days, the most acknowledgement she received from her daughter were grunts or uncaring, one-word answers.

[thelonegrunt]

Severa grunted and crossed her arms at the response. The more she thought about it, however, the more she realized how genuinely hungry she was. She didn't even think to get breakfast this morning once she got home, and she hadn't eaten a thing yesterday. Part of her thought that simple hunger was menial, but considering she had a mother who was willing to provide for her, including cook...
"...if you insist. Some mutton sounds good at about this time." Severa replied, keeping still in her bed.

[Diapee Girl]

Cordelia beamed in relief as she finally got a good response from the lethargic girl. However, it still didn't look like Severa had any intention of going anywhere... "Okay then dear, mutton it is. Care to join me in the kitchen?"
Rather than wait for an answer, the crimson-haired woman turned towards Severa and stuck an arm under her back and legs, lifting her out of bed and into her holding her in a cradling position in her arms with ease. Without waiting for the girl's (predictably negative) reaction, she stood up and carried Severa out of her bedroom. Her child was fairly light and easy to carry, more due to her small size than anything. Combine this with how physically fit the young pegasus knight was, and she might as well have been holding a toddler.

[thelonegrunt]

The girl was about to give a half-hearted "no thank-you", but she soon found herself suddenly whisked into the arms of her mother. Her immediate reaction, obviously, was to kick about and raise her voice. "H-hey! What are you doing?! I'm not a damn baby, you know!" Severa insisted, trying to get her physically-superior mother. "I can get up out of bed by myself! Let me go!"

[Diapee Girl]

"Really now? Well, the fact that you've been laying in bed all day makes me doubt that." The woman replied with a chuckle, still maintaining a firm hold on her wriggly daughter. "And if I were you, I'd stop fidgeting around so much. I'm no doctor, but I can tell you it's gonna hurt if you fall." She added, walking towards their kitchen table. "No need to be so fussy honey, we're almost there."
Approaching the table, she gently sat Severa down onto one of the chairs. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"